Tensions between the U.S. and its NATO allies have cooled off since most of the alliance's member states agreed to increase their defense spending from 2 percent of GDP to 5 percent by 2035, which many Trump supporters say is proof that his hard-charging negotiating tactics, even among friends, produces results.

The vice president, long a skeptic of US military intervention, is the rare figure in the administration who can appeal to both the realist and hawkish wings of the GOP.

Democratic election lawyer Marc Elias has lost his bid to thwart a Kansas law banning foreign actors from funneling money into state-level ballot initiatives.

Go. Mike Kehoe signed legislation to ban the foreign funding of ballot issue campaigns, making Missouri the ninth state to do so in the past year.

The first six months of President Trump's term have brought major changes to U.S. foreign policy, from gutting foreign aid to softening the approach toward Russia.