Guardian
Yesterday
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jun/28/james-mattis-defence-secretary-marginalised-exit-analysis
James Mattis has lost influence in the Trump administration, and his future as US defence secretary is now in question, according to former administration officials and analysts.
With Mattis, the blowback would be greater than with anyone Trump has previously let go, said Michael Carpenter, a deputy assistant secretary of defence in the Obama administration. Mattis is highly respected in the Republican establishment.
Unlike Tillerson who really screwed up management at the state department, Mattis is a competent manager, said Carpenter, now a senior director of the Penn Biden Center for diplomacy and global engagement.
Tillerson got rid some or most of the very worst of the State Dept career aholes! He just had some disagreements with Trump, and Pompeo needed to clean out some of the CIA before taking over State. And what on God's green earth is the "Penn Biden Center"? I can only imagine...