Foreign policy coverage

What government is actually doing — laws and executive action, budgets and taxes, housing, schools, health, courts, public safety, transport, energy, voting and campaigns — across Washington, the states and city hall. Filter below or page through the full archive.

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130 stories · page 1 of 5

News · IA

Iowa Republican senator faults Reynolds on steel plant deal

Foreign policy

An Iowa Republican senator says Gov. Reynolds negotiated a bad deal for a proposed billion steel plant.

The Ballot Iowa DeskOct 5, 2026

News · NV

Rosen seeks ethics rules for federal private-company stakes

Foreign policy

The Nevada senator’s resolution targets financial benefits for top federal officials and their families when the government trades private-company stakes.

The Ballot Nevada News DeskOct 5, 2026

News · US

One Nation vows treaty abolition and pepper spray change

Foreign policy

One Nation launched its Victorian campaign with pledges to abolish the First Nations treaty and make pepper spray legal.

The Ballot National (US) Policy DeskOct 4, 2026

News · CA

California math-testing bill SB 1067 signed into law

Foreign policy

SB 1067, a California math-testing measure associated with a San Diego state senator, has been signed into law.

The Ballot California Policy DeskOct 4, 2026

News · CA

Newsom signs Rubio measure targeting court abuse

Foreign policy

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed state Sen. Susan Rubio’s legislation aimed at stopping abusers from using courts against survivors.

The Ballot California DeskOct 4, 2026

News · TN

Tennessee senator sues over Jan. 6 phone records

Foreign policy

A Tennessee senator has taken a dispute over the seizure of phone records connected to Jan. 6 to court.

The Ballot Tennessee News DeskOct 3, 2026

News · US

Arab party leader forced out of Israeli election

Foreign policy

An Arab political party leader has withdrawn from an Israeli election after being compelled to leave the contest.

The Ballot National (US) Policy DeskOct 3, 2026

News · MO

Missouri senator proposes new bill concerning Flock

Foreign policy

The measure would have to complete Missouri’s legislative process before it could change state law.

The Ballot Missouri Policy DeskOct 3, 2026

News · US

Hegseth creates Pentagon Office of Religious Affairs

Foreign policy

The new office reports directly to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, placing religious affairs within his immediate Pentagon leadership structure.

The Ballot National (US) News DeskOct 2, 2026

News · US

Trump says Iran war will end soon as 9,000 troops deploy

Foreign policy

Two U.S. naval groups are heading to the Middle East, where American forces could soon total about 20,000.

The Ballot National (US) News DeskOct 2, 2026

News · OK

Lizzy’s Law proposal targets supervised visitation safety

Foreign policy

An Oklahoma senator has proposed Lizzy’s Law, a measure intended to improve safety during supervised visitation.

The Ballot Oklahoma News DeskOct 2, 2026

News · UT

Utah senator proposes data center transparency bills

Foreign policy

The proposals would put data center transparency before Utah lawmakers, with their effect depending on the legislative process.

The Ballot Utah News DeskOct 2, 2026

News · US

Pentagon raises hostile-fire pay after two decades

Foreign policy

The Pentagon increased pay for U.S. troops serving in hostile-fire and imminent-danger conditions, making the first rate change in more than 20 years.

The Ballot National (US) Policy DeskOct 2, 2026

News · US

How Hegseth is seeking to reshape the Pentagon

Foreign policy

The defense secretary is changing military leadership and culture while accelerating work on autonomous weapons and emerging technology.

The Ballot National (US) News DeskOct 2, 2026

News · US

Pentagon sending 4,000-plus personnel to Middle East

Foreign policy

More than 4,000 Marines and sailors aboard three warships are being sent to the U.S. Central Command theater.

The Ballot National DeskOct 2, 2026

News · US

Hegseth unveils six Pentagon initiatives at Quantico

Foreign policy

The defense secretary announced six new efforts during a wide-ranging address to active-duty officers in Virginia.

The Ballot National DeskOct 1, 2026

News · US

Pentagon breach exposed personnel data, including SSNs

Foreign policy

Unencrypted records covered 2.76 million living military and civilian personnel and 294,000 deceased people.

The Ballot National (US) News DeskOct 1, 2026

News · US

Musk joins Pentagon project on future warfare

Foreign policy

Elon Musk, Palmer Luckey and Newt Gingrich will lead a 120-day review of emerging military technologies and future areas of conflict.

The Ballot National DeskOct 1, 2026

News · US

Hegseth defends military reshaping amid war with Iran

Foreign policy

The defense secretary promoted leadership and culture changes as the military completed its long-planned troop withdrawal from Iraq.

The Ballot National (US) News DeskOct 1, 2026

News · US

Former diplomats weigh Iraq withdrawal and region’s future

Foreign policy

The formal U.S. military withdrawal brought celebrations in Iraq’s capital alongside concern about what follows.

The Ballot National (US) Policy DeskOct 1, 2026

News · US

Lara Trump says Iran war could carry a midterm cost

Foreign policy

The former Republican National Committee co-chair said losing both chambers of Congress would be worth the political cost of the Iran war.

The Ballot National DeskOct 1, 2026

News · US

Hegseth plans 20% cut to generals and admirals

Foreign policy

The defense secretary is expected to call for fewer senior military officers during an address at Marine Corps Base Quantico.

The Ballot National DeskSep 30, 2026

News · US

Iran link to alleged plot in Britain remains unproven

Foreign policy

Five men were arrested and released after an incident involving a British air base important to the U.S. Air Force.

The Ballot National (US) News DeskSep 30, 2026

News · US

Senate blocks West Bank violence reporting measure

Foreign policy

Republican senators stopped a Democratic effort to require a State Department report on violence involving U.S. citizens in the West Bank.

The Ballot National (US) Policy DeskSep 30, 2026

News · LA

Kennedy raises concerns as college sports bill clears Senate

Foreign policy

The Protect College Sports Act passed the U.S. Senate 77-22 as Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy expressed concerns about the measure.

The Ballot Louisiana DeskSep 30, 2026

News · US

US rejects UN pandemic preparedness declaration

Foreign policy

The Trump administration declined to endorse a nonbinding UN statement calling for cooperation on pandemic preparedness and prevention.

The Ballot National (US) Policy DeskSep 29, 2026

News · TX

Fetterman rejects claim he is a bad senator, Democrat

Foreign policy

John Fetterman rejected criticism of his work as a senator and his standing as a Democrat in a dispute involving foreign policy.

The Ballot Texas News DeskSep 29, 2026

News · CT

Connecticut student released as senator seeks ICE inquiry

Foreign policy

A Connecticut student is out of ICE detention, while a senator is calling for an investigation into the detention.

The Ballot Connecticut News DeskSep 29, 2026

News · PA

Pennsylvania senator proposes rules for hemp THC products

Foreign policy

The bill would set age limits and testing requirements for hemp products containing THC in Pennsylvania.

The Ballot Pennsylvania Policy DeskSep 29, 2026

News · US

Jack Smith faces Senate Judiciary questioning

Foreign policy

Republicans plan to question the former special counsel about records obtained during his investigations, while Democrats will challenge their claims.

The Ballot National DeskSep 28, 2026