New Hampshire
On the trail: Kuster to headline Biden campaign event
When U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster announced in March that she wouldn’t seek re-election this year, the six-term lawmaker in New Hampshire’s Second Congressional District said that she still planned to hit the campaign trail on behalf of fellow Democrats up and down the ballot.
And starting next week, the Democrat from Hopkinton, N.H., will start doing just that, beginning with the candidate at the top of the ticket – President Joe Biden.
Kuster will headline an event for the president’s re-election team in New Hampshire when she joins a group of veterans next Wednesday in Concord for a roundtable discussion focused on what the Biden campaign calls “the threat Donald Trump poses to our democracy and the ongoing threat of political violence under a second Trump term.”
The event will spotlight the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by right-wing extremists and other Trump supporters who temporarily delayed Congressional certification of Biden’s 2020 election victory over the then-president.
According to the Biden campaign, Kuster will highlight what they call the “ongoing threat of political violence, Donald Trump’s blatant attacks on American democracy, and the urgency in reelecting President Biden and Vice President Harris to ensure history does not repeat itself.”
Since his defeat at the hands of Biden in November 2020, Trump has repeatedly made unsubstantiated claims that the election was “rigged” due to “massive voter fraud” and “stolen” from him. The former president has made his allegations a key part of his 2024 bid to win back the White House, has not said if he would unconditionally accept the election results in November if he loses, and has pledged if he wins to pardon some of his supporters convicted for their roles in the Capitol attack.
Kuster was one of the final members of Congress evacuated from the House floor as rioters attacked the Capitol, and she has talked extensively about the experience and how democracy could have died on that dark day.
And in the months after the storming of the Capitol, Kuster spoke out about the harrowing experience and her battle with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), noting that it took roughly five weeks to recover with the supporter of family, friends, and professional treatment.
Looking ahead to this autumn’s Biden-Trump presidential election rematch, Kuster said in a recent interview that “I truly believe this is an existential moment in our country.”
“I believe that our democracy is threatened by Donald Trump and I want to do everything in my power to make sure that democracy and civility and stability prevail,” she emphasized.
Kuster’s headlining of a Biden campaign event with veterans will come a week after the president made an official White House stop in New Hampshire to tout the success of the PACT ACT, a measure which increased healthcare access for veterans with injuries from burn pits or other toxic exposure.
Biden stressed the importance of allowing veterans with medical issues caused by battlefield exposures to get the health care they need without having to face extra hurdles.
The president noted that “too many service members have not only braved the battlefield,” but that they did it “while breathing in toxic fumes from burn pits and other means.”
Biden also made a stop at the VFW in Merrimack, N.H., to meet with veterans and their families.
The president was greeted by Gov. Chris Sununu, Manchester Mayor Jay Ruis, and Kuster as he arrived Tuesday morning at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan flew aboard Air Force One on the flight to New Hampshire.
After his stops in New Hampshire, Biden headed to Boston later in the day for a trio of campaign fundraising events.
Biden holds a single-digit advantage over Trump in the battle for New Hampshire’s four electoral votes, according to a new non-partisan public opinion survey.
Biden grabs 44% support and Trump 41% among Granite Staters likely to vote in the presidential election, a University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll released on Thursday indicated. Biden’s margin is within the survey’s sampling error.
Democrat turned independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr stood at 3%, with Green Party candidate Jill Stein at 2%, independent Cornel West at 1% and 8% undecided.
According to the poll, in a two-person matchup, it’s Biden edging Trump 52%-48%. And 85% of those questioned said they’ve definitely made up their mind, with 12% leaning towards a candidate and the rest undecided.
The poll was conducted May 16-20, with a large sample including 1,140 likely voters in New Hampshire.
The Democratic president stands at 42% support among likely voters in the Granite State, with his Republican predecessor in the White House at 36%, according to a UMass Lowell Center for Public Opinion and YouGov poll released this week.
Eleven percent of those surveyed said they were backing Kennedy, with 9% saying they were undecided and 2% supporting other candidates.
The survey indicated that favorable ratings for Biden, Trump, and Kennedy were all well underwater.
“As is true of the national electorate, most New Hampshire voters polled are unhappy with the presidential ballot,” Rodrigo Castro Cornejo, the Center for Public Opinion’s associate director and a UMass Lowell assistant professor of political science, said.
The poll was conducted on-line May 6-14, with 600 likely voters in New Hampshire questioned. The survey’s overall sampling error is plus or minus 5.24 percentage points.
A separate poll conducted by Praecones Analytica for the conservative leaning NH Journal indicated the race in New Hampshire was deadlocked, with the president and his GOP challenger each at 36% support and Kennedy at just under 15%.
For the past quarter century, New Hampshire’s been considered a swing state in presidential elections, with winning margins nearly entirely in the single digits.
Trump lost New Hampshire to 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton by roughly 3,000 votes but four years later Biden carried the state by a more comfortable margin of just over seven points.
Most pundits expect a close contest this autumn, which will likely mean a good amount of travel to the state by the candidates and their top surrogates.
This week’s stop was Biden’s second trip to New Hampshire this year, following a visit in early March that included a policy event in Goffstown where the president made the case for budget proposals he announced days earlier in the State of the Union Address and spotlighted how his administration has been trying to help lower costs for American families coping with rising prices due to persistent inflation.
The president also stopped in Manchester after his Goffstown event to formally open his re-election campaign’s first coordinated field office in the state, and to speak with Democratic operatives, activists, and supporters. The campaign field office stop appeared to be part of the president’s political mission of patching up hard feelings from the primary season.
The March trip was Biden’s first time back in New Hampshire since an April 2022 stop in Portsmouth, N.H.
Biden angered plenty of Granite State Democrats in the wake of a move early last year by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) — following the president’s lead — to bump New Hampshire from its traditional role as the first-in-the-nation presidential primary state.
New Hampshire, adhering to a state law that mandates its presidential primary goes first, did just that — which meant the state’s Jan. 23 nominating contest was unsanctioned on the Democratic side.
Biden kept his name off the ballot and steered clear of the state, but thanks to a well-organized write-in effort by New Hampshire’s Democratic establishment leaders, the president easily won the primary over his long-shot challengers. A couple of weeks ago, the DNC announced it would welcome New Hampshire’s delegates to the national nominating convention this summer in Chicago after the state party conducted a very small party-run presidential primary days earlier.
New Hampshire
Pakistan hosts diplomatic discussions on ending war
Foreign ministers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt will meet in Islamabad today in an attempt to come up with a plan to de-escalate the Iran war.
The meeting comes as several thousand more U.S. troops arrived in the region and after another group got involved in the expanding conflict: Yemen’s Houthis.
The Iran-backed Houthis launched missiles towards Israel, and there’s concern their involvement could threaten another vital global shipping lane in the Red Sea.
Here are more updates on day 30 of the Iran war.
Diplomacy Push in Pakistan
The four foreign ministers from regional powers will meet in Islamabad today and Monday for a push towards diplomacy to end the war.
In a statement ahead of the meeting, the Egyptian government said: “Discussions are expected to focus on recent developments related to regional military escalation and ongoing diplomatic efforts to contain tensions and promote de-escalation.”
“The talks come amid heightened concerns about regional stability, with participating countries seeking to coordinate their stances and support political solutions to emerging crises,” it added.
Whether whatever consensus the countries known as “the quad” come up with will be accepted by the US, Israel, and Iran is another question.
Pakistan has emerged as a possible peace-broker in the conflict, passing messages between the U.S. and Tehran. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Saturday that “dialogue, diplomacy, and such confidence-building measures are the only way forward.”
Dar also welcomed the fact Iran has agreed to allow 20 Pakistan-flagged ships – or two a day – through the Strait of Hormuz.
Houthis enter war
Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen launched the first missile they have fired since the war began toward Israel on Saturday. Israel’s military successfully intercepted it but the Houthis’ attack opens another front in a war that has now moved into its second month.
Up until Saturday’s missile launch the Houthis had stayed out of this war. But a Houthi spokesman said attacks will continue until “the aggression on all resistance fronts stops.”
Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs / AP
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AP
The Yemen-based rebels were active during Israel’s war in Gaza, firing on cargo ships in the Red Sea and disrupting global commercial traffic.
With Iran essentially blockading the Strait of Hormuz, driving up global oil prices, there are concerns that if the Houthis start attacking ships in the Red Sea again global shipping will be even more disrupted.
Iran also hit multiple sites around Tel Aviv and Jerusalem Saturday and Israel’s military says Iran is increasingly using cluster bombs.
Designed to detonate at high altitude the munition disperses dozens of smaller bombs that are more challenging for Israel’s multi-layered air defense system to intercept and can cause damage over a wider area.
Dozens of countries have signed onto a cluster munitions treaty banning the weapons – except Iran, Israel and the U.S.
Iran threatens U.S. universities in region
Iranian authorities and residents say more airstrikes hit them overnight. Social media videos from across Iran showed strikes hitting all over the country.
Israel’s military said it had completed what it called a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting weapons production and storage sites.
Iran claims U.S.-Israeli strikes hit a Tehran university over the weekend and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened American university campuses in the Middle East in retaliation.
“We advise all employees, professors, and students of American universities in the region and residents of their surrounding areas” to stay a kilometer away from campuses, the statement, carried by Iranian media, said.
Several US universities have campuses in the Gulf, including New York University in the United Arab Emirates and Texas A&M University, among others, in Qatar.
Meanwhile, Iran continues to fire drones and missiles at Gulf countries, with Kuwait saying it was intercepting missile and drone attacks early Sunday. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted and destroyed ten drones.
Iran also claimed it had attacked two major aluminium sites in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Emirates Global Aluminium confirmed an Iranian attack wounded several and caused significant damage to its plant.
U.S. Troops injured, more arrive
At least 15 U.S. service members were wounded Friday in an Iranian strike on a Saudi air base that hosts American troops, according to the Associated Press, including at least five in serious condition. The missile and drone strikes targeted Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan air base, located outside the capital Riyadh.
Iran has targeted U.S. service members at bases throughout the region since the war began a month ago, in retaliation for the U.S. attacks and seeking to drive troops out of the region. Overall, the Pentagon has put the U.S. casualty toll at 13 killed and more than 300 injured.
On Saturday, troops from the Japan-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, made up of around 3,500 sailors and Marines, arrived in the Middle East, according to U.S. Central Command.
The U.S. military will not say where and how they might be deployed. Thousands more soldiers from the U.S. military’s 82nd Airborne Division are also expected to be deployed.
Journalists killed in Lebanon
Three Lebanese journalists covering the Israeli invasion of the country’s south were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Jezzine.
One of them worked for a TV channel affiliated with Hezbollah and Israel accuses him of being a militant rather than a journalist – but has not provided evidence. The journalist Israel says it targeted was Ali Shaeb, a veteran TV correspondent and household name in Lebanon. After killing him, Israel’s military issued a statement accusing him of exposing the locations of Israeli troops.
The other two journalists killed were siblings, TV correspondent Fatima Ftouni and her cameraman brother, Mohammed Ftouni. Afterward their father appeared on TV, saying he was proud of his children.
All three had been covering Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon.
Lebanese officials called the attack a flagrant violation of international law, and said they’re complaining to the UN Security Council. Hundreds of fellow journalists marched at a protest vigil in Lebanon’s capital.
The three journalists were among at least 47 people killed Saturday in Israeli attacks, according to Lebanese health officials.
Nine of those killed were paramedics, which the head of the World Health Organization called “a tragedy,” noting health workers are protected under international law.
Israel has intensified its attacks across Lebanon, mostly in the South, where Israeli ground troops are moving northward to try to oust Hezbollah militants.
Another Israeli soldier was also killed in Lebanon, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressing his condolences on X over the weekend.
Developments in Syria, Iraq
The war is spreading to more parts of the Middle East. On Sunday, Syria said it had intercepted a drone strike from Iraq targeting a U.S. military base. Pro-Iran Iraqi groups have claimed responsibility for some attacks on US interests.
Separately, the Syrian and UAE governments condemned an attack targeting the residence of the Kurdish region’s president Nechirvan Barzani.
French President Emmanuel Macron also condemned the attack saying: “The sovereignty of Iraq, and of Kurdistan within it, is essential to regional stability. Everything must be done to prevent Iraq from being drawn into the ongoing escalation.”
On Sunday, the Israeli army said it had launched its “first” attack into Lebanon from Syria.
Jane Arraf in Amman, Emily Feng in Van, Turkey, Lauren Frayer in Jezzine, Lebanon, Carrie Khan in Tel Aviv, and Kate Bartlett in Johannesburg contributed to this report.
Copyright 2026 NPR
New Hampshire
Abandoned Camper Fire On South Main Street Knocked Down By Concord Fire And Rescue Teams
CONCORD, NH — The Concord Fire Department is investigating the cause of a camper fire on South Main Street late Friday night.
Around 11:30 p.m., fire and rescue teams were sent to South Main Street, not far from Langdon Avenue, for a report of a camper on fire. Dispatch said it was unknown if anyone was inside or if the camper was abandoned.
“We have a couple of calls on it,” a dispatcher said. “It’s fully involved.”
A few minutes later, the fire was confirmed, and firefighters worked to extinguish it. The battalion commander confirmed no one was inside, and it appeared to be abandoned. Dispatch said, if they recalled correctly, the camper had been there for “quite a while.”
News 603 posted videos from the scene on Facebook here:
And here:
The bulk of the fire was knocked down after about 20 minutes, with firefighters overhauling and dealing with “the hot spots.”
Not long after the overhaul update, firefighters were sent to a business on South Main Street, near the camper fire, in response to a report of an alarm activation.
After investigating, there did not appear to be an activation at the business, a commander said. Later, dispatch said the alarm appeared to restore itself automatically. Firefighters cleared the scene of the business alarm just after midnight on Saturday.
New Hampshire
New Hampshire may see rare Atlas V rocket launch. Here’s when to look
A 20-story tall, 1.3 million-pound Atlas V rocket will blast off from Florida this weekend, and Granite Staters waking up very early might able to see it if the clouds in the sky don’t cover it.
Teams with United Launch Alliance are prepping for the Atlas V rocket launch, the fifth Amazon Leo constellation mission. Liftoff is planned at 3:53 a.m. ET Sunday, March 29, 2026, from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Pending weather conditions and cloud cover, the Atlas V-Amazon Leo predawn launch could be visible from Florida to New England, according to ULA. That is, if their city falls on the ULA Atlas V rocket launch visibility map (see below), and if they’re awake at the time of liftoff.
The Atlas V rocket will be equipped with five solid rocket boosters to launch the next batch of Amazon Leo broadband satellites (previously referred to as Project Kuiper) into low-Earth orbit, giving a great show to those watching.
However, weather could disrupt viewing, as the New Hampshire area on the visibility map is set for isolated snow showers before 10 p.m. on Saturday night as well as partly cloudy skies, the National Weather Service said.
Here’s what to know about ULA Atlas V rocket launch visibility from New Hampshire.
When will ULA Atlas V launch?
The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch from Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida in the early morning hours on Sunday, March 29. The 29-minute launch window will begin at 3:53 a.m.
The visibility map provided by ULA shows about when and where your best chances are to see the rocket as it streaks northeasterly into space.
Will New Hampshire be able to see the ULA Atlas V launch
New Hampshire, specifically just outside Concord, New Hampshire, falls in the semi-outer periphery of the visibility area for the ULA Atlas V rocket launch, according to ULA’s visibility map.
Estimated visibility will occur at launch +330 seconds, or about five minutes and 30 seconds, following the launch in Florida. However, viewing chances depend on weather conditions, and Concord, New Hampshire is currently set for isolated snow showers before 10 p.m. and then partly cloudy skies on Saturday night into Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service. This might block visibility, as clear skies are essential for best views.
What is ULA Atlas V?
United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket is a spacecraft with five solid rocket boosters that will send a batch of Amazon Leo broadband satellites into outer space, to low-Earth orbit.
How can you follow along live?
FLORIDA TODAY will offer live coverage via a live webcast with live tweets and updates for the rocket launch.
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