CABINET/MIKE POMPEO/NORTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “After his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, President Donald Trump repeatedly singled out one person for helping put the historic meeting together: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Since the Senate confirmed Mr. Pompeo in April, the president has relied on his secretary of state—who backed the decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal and secured the release of three citizens held captive in North Korea—to a degree he never did with Mr. Pompeo’s predecessor. As Mr. Trump approaches the 18th month of his presidency, he is growing more independent of his top advisers in the West Wing and increasingly reliant on his cabinet…Some senior officials said the shift may signal the start of a third era in Mr. Trump’s White House. The administration’s turbulent opening act was overseen by Reince Priebus, who served as the president’s first chief of staff, and Steve Bannon, who served as his chief strategist. Both left the administration last summer. When Mr. Priebus’s successor, John Kelly, entered the White House, he imposed strict controls on access to the Oval Office, but the president has found loopholes in the new system.”
-Michael C. Bender, “Trump, More Independent of West Wing Advisers, Relies on Cabinet,” The Wall Street Journal, June 15, 2018 5:30 am