Politics
A California congressman (and former Bernie booster) tries to get New Hampshire voters to write in Biden
In a long black pea coat and loafers, California Rep. Ro Khanna looked the part of a New England politician.
“You know, I gotta get better boots,” he joked to a group packed into a Concord home Saturday.
The Fremont congressman and former Bernie Sanders presidential campaign co-chair had returned to the state where he once stumped for Sanders to support another candidate who’s not on Tuesday’s primary ballot — President Biden.
This year, the Democratic National Committee has pushed aside New Hampshire, which historically holds the first presidential primary in the nation, for South Carolina, the state that put Biden on the path to the nomination four years ago.
But Biden allies, including Khanna, are still hoping that write-in votes will allow the president to secure a strong showing in the state’s unofficial Democratic primary Tuesday.
“It’s all come together, huh?” Khanna said, surveying a gathering of roughly 50 people in the cheery yellow kitchen of a Concord home. “Pretty amazing turnout.”
Tables and chairs had been pushed against the walls to make room for the crowd. Outside, piles of “Write-in Joe Biden” signs lined the driveway.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont) talks to Cinde Warmington, who serves on New Hampshire’s Executive Council and is running for governor. The Democrats are pushing a write-in campaign for President Biden for Tuesday’s primary.
(Faith Pinho / Los Angeles Times)
Standing in the living room corner, flanked by a bookshelf covered in family photos and a table adorned with a framed local newspaper article, Khanna urged the audience to support the write-in effort.
“It’s a hard thing to win in a write-in campaign,” Khanna said. “The whole country is going to notice, as they always do in New Hampshire, and they’re gonna say this president has enthusiasm. This president’s economic visions are connecting. This president is inspiring the nation.”
But in a room packed with press, it was difficult to tell how many attendees were actually New Hampshire voters. And despite Khanna’s optimism, polls show that most Democrats are little enthused about the incumbent president. Biden’s approval rating is at 39.1% nationwide, according to the latest numbers from polling aggregator FiveThirtyEight.com.
In California, only half of voters have a favorable view of Biden, a poll last week by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times, found. An October poll reported that a majority of Californians disapproved of the president.
Khanna refused to quantify what a “win” for Biden would look like on Tuesday. Instead of the absent president, the Democratic ticket in New Hampshire is packed with less well-known candidates, including author Marianne Williamson and Minnesota Congressman Dean Phillips.
“My hope is as the election draws nearer and nearer … people will recognize the stakes and get out there,” Khanna said.
The California congressman wasn’t the only far-flung Biden supporter in New Hampshire on Saturday. Zena Martin, a marketing consultant in Atlanta, flew up to New England on her own dime to help the write-in campaign. Simply voting is not enough, she said. She spent the last few days preparing for the weekend’s events and standing in the frigid cold with signs.
“From what I understand, I have come the furthest — but of course Ro Khanna has come further,” Martin said with a laugh.
As for Khanna, who took a selfie with her, Martin said his visit “shows that wherever we are, if you really care about saving our democracy, you’re going to do what you can.”
Rep. Ro Khanna speaks to Aaron Jacobs, from the Biden write-in campaign, at an event in Concord, N.H., on Saturday. Democrats are pushing for voters to write Biden’s name on the ballot Tuesday.
(Faith Pinho / Los Angeles Times)
Chris Johnson and Megan DeVorsey clung to the edges of the busy kitchen scene, watching as Khanna made his rounds, taking pictures and shaking hands. As Concord residents for 23 years, they’re accustomed to the rhythm of politicians’ visits to the Granite State every four years — but they said it doesn’t get old.
“It’s energizing. It’s exciting,” said DeVorsey, her glasses fogging up from the humidity of the house. “I like coming to people’s houses … and meeting congressmen from across the country. I love it.”
“We tell ourselves retail politics in New Hampshire is a real thing,” added Johnson, who grew up in Hollywood. “I think it’s kind of a privilege — we get to see powerful political figures in small settings like this. It’s a little nutty, in a way.”
Both Johnson and DeVorsey plan to carry signs for the write-in campaign at polling sites on Tuesday. Many Granite State residents don’t even know writing in the president’s name is an option, DeVorsey pointed out.
With an incumbent president and all eyes on the Republican primary — not to mention the DNC’s snub — there’s little reason to expect strong voter turnout among Democrats in New Hampshire. But apathy is not the only opponent for the Biden write-in campaign; activists are lobbying for New Hampshire voters to pen “ceasefire” on the write-in line on the ballot, a direct complaint about Biden’s approach on the war between Israel and Hamas.
Although he was in New Hampshire to support Biden, Khanna’s own ambitions were not far beneath the surface. The Californian has worked for years to position himself as a national progressive leader, allying with other progressive politicians in D.C. and building name recognition with visits to key battleground states. He’s basically “the fifth member of our congressional delegation,” said Cinde Warmington, a gubernatorial candidate and one of New Hampshire’s executive councilors.
Khanna has taken other steps that often signal aspirations to national office. He has been author of two books about his vision for progressive politics in the digital age. He tucks details of his own background — the son of Indian immigrants, raised in Philadelphia, believing that America would become “this first cohesive multiracial democracy” — into his stump speech for Biden.
In his speech, Khanna playfully alluded to the possibility that he may one day run in New Hampshire himself.
“I was joking with someone, I’d much rather have Joe Biden as a name than Ro Khanna. He’s blessed with good luck,” he said to a roomful of laughter. “If you want to have a write-in candidacy, have a name that’s easy.”
A reporter asked whether he would ever run for president.
“Who knows!” Khanna said. “But right now I’m here to support President Biden.”
As the snow began to blow outside, Khanna emerged from the warm Concord home and boarded his vehicle to head to his next stop: another write-in campaign party an hour away in Portsmouth.
Politics
EXCLUSIVE: ICE says El Paso detention facility will stay open under new contractor after $1.2B deal scrapped
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EXCLUSIVE: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas will remain open and is undergoing an operational upgrade, Fox News Digital has learned.
“Camp East Montana is NOT closing, quite the opposite,” an ICE spokesperson exclusively told Fox News Digital Tuesday.
“Rather, ICE has contracted with a new provider following Secretary Noem’s termination of the old contract inherited from the Department of War. ICE is always looking at ways to improve our detention facilities to ensure we are providing the best care to illegal aliens in our custody.”
Camp East Montana is photographed Friday, March 6, 2026, in El Paso, Texas. (Omar Ornelas/El Paso Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
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The spokesperson said the new contract will allow the facility to maintain what the agency described as the “highest detention standards” while expanding oversight.
According to ICE, the new contractor will also provide increased on-site medical care, additional staffing and a “PRECISE quality assurance surveillance plan.”
The agency said the updated agreement also strengthens ICE’s direct oversight of operations at the El Paso-area facility.
“Far from closing, Camp East Montana is upgrading,” the spokesperson said.
El Paso immigration facility faces scrutiny but ICE says Camp East Montana is upgrading, not closing, after the $1.2 billion contract termination. (Omar Ornelas/El Paso Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
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The news that the facility will remain open comes after The Washington Post reported that the facility could face closure amid scrutiny over operations.
A document was distributed to ICE staff, the Post reports, indicated that the agency was drafting a letter to terminate the facility’s $1.2 billion contract at an unspecified date.
ICE officials, however, characterized the contract termination as a deliberate effort by Noem to raise standards and improve services.
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Camp East Montana is photographed Friday, March 6, 2026, in El Paso, Texas, as a bus enters the detention center. (Omar Ornelas/El Paso Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
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The facility, located at Fort Bliss in Texas, has been used to house thousands of detainees as part of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.
ICE did not immediately provide details on the identity of the new contractor or the timeline for full implementation.
WASHINGTON — Russia is emerging as one of the few early economic beneficiaries of the war with Iran, as disruptions to energy infrastructure drive up demand for Russian exports and the world casts its gaze to the Middle East and away from Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
The U.S. and its European counterparts slapped severe sanctions on Russia in March 2022, barely a month into Russian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The effect was a stranglehold on Russia’s exports, depriving Putin’s war effort of at least $500 billion, experts say. But over the last week, as President Trump’s war in the Middle East choked energy markets worldwide, the White House began easing its restrictions on Moscow.
“It is traitorous conduct for you to help Russia,” California Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) said on X, demanding the Trump administration reverse course. “Russia is giving intelligence info to Iran that helps Iran target American forces.”
Crude droplets rained over Tehran after Israeli airstrikes decimated oil depots, draping the Iranian capital in a dense smog. Iranian counterattacks have also targeted refineries and oil fields in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Crude oil prices have surged, and traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has all but ceased, sending energy importers in search of alternate sources.
Those spikes are giving Russia, one of the world’s largest oil and gas exporters, a rare advantage. After spending a decade as the world’s most sanctioned nation over his aggression in Ukraine, Putin is finally starting to regain some leverage in global markets.
“In the current economic situation, if we refocus now on those markets that need increased supplies, we can gain a foothold there,” Putin said at a meeting at the Kremlin on Monday, according to Russian state media. “It’s important for Russian energy companies to take advantage of the current situation.”
On March 4, the Treasury Department issued a temporary 30-day waiver allowing Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil. The appeal by the Trump administration was described as a way to ease demand for Mideast oil, but was criticized as a reversal of sanctions placed against Putin meant to deny him the capital needed to fund his occupation of eastern Ukraine.
Now, Moscow is poised to press that advantage further, after Trump said Monday he will further lift sanctions on oil-producing countries to ease the trade friction and reintroduce additional oil and gas supplies. The only countries with U.S. oil sanctions are Russia, Iran and Venezuela.
“So, we have sanctions on some countries. We’re going to take those sanctions off until this straightens out,” Trump said at a news conference at his golf club in Doral, Fla. “Then, who knows, maybe we won’t have to put them on — they’ll be so much peace.”
The surprise concession to Moscow comes as reports suggest Russia is assisting Iran in targeting U.S. personnel.
Trump’s announcement followed an unscheduled hourlong call with Putin about the situation in the Middle East.
The war has also set the stage for Russia to make gains in Ukraine, as hostilities draw the global spotlight away from Kyiv and its struggle to hold back the bigger Russian army. U.S.-brokered talks between the two adversaries have been sidelined as Washington shifts focus to its war in Iran.
“At the moment, the partners’ priority and all attention are focused on the situation around Iran,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X. “We see that the Russians are now trying to manipulate the situation in the Middle East and the Gulf region to the benefit of their aggression.”
Putin is unlikely to intervene militarily on Iran’s behalf, according to Robert English, an international foreign policy expert at USC. Instead, Putin is expected to play his position carefully, reap the economic rewards, and keep focused firmly on Ukraine at a time when key air defense systems are diverted from Ukraine to the Persian Gulf.
“Russia is winning the Iran-U.S.-Israel war, at least so far. Oil and natural gas prices have soared, filling Putin’s Ukraine war chest,” he said. “Russia is gathering forces for a big spring offensive in Eastern Ukraine, and it’s not even front-page news.”
Ukraine has dispatched drone interceptors and ordered its anti-drone experts to pivot from their war with Russia to help Western allies help intercept Iranian attacks. Zelensky’s allegiance may not pay off, English said.
“When will Ukraine see the benefits of helping the U.S. with anti-drone technology? No time soon, apparently,” he said.
Even several weeks of interruption in Gulf energy supplies could bring the largest windfall to Russia, the Associated Press reported, citing energy analysts.
The economic turmoil caused by the war has exposed vulnerabilities in Europe’s energy system, particularly its lingering dependence on Russian fuel.
Despite sanctions, the European Union remains a major purchaser of Russian natural gas and crude oil. Russian gas accounted for approximately 19% of E.U. gas imports in 2025. Allied Europeans have agreed to completely stop importing Russian liquefied natural gas, oil and pipeline gas by late 2027.
Putin expressed no desire Monday to rescue the European market now that U.S.-Israeli escalations and Iranian retaliation have choked oil production and shipping. The Russian president instead proposed to divert volumes away from the European market “to more promising areas” like the Asia-Pacific region, Slovakia and Hungary, which he said were “reliable counterparties.”
European leaders have been criticized for being “stunned, sidelined, and disunited” since hostilities began in late February. Excluded from the initial military planning by the U.S. and Israel, Europe entered the conflict with gas storage at only 30% capacity, the lowest levels in years. Instead of bold action, English said, European leaders have quarreled over internal divisions and rivalries.
“Sky-high energy prices are the underlying cause of many of these frictions, as Europe struggles now more than ever to find affordable alternatives to the cheap Russian petroleum,” English said.
Antonio Costa, president of the European Council, told European leaders in Brussels on Tuesday that rising energy prices and the world’s shifting attention risk strengthening the Kremlin at a critical moment in the war in Ukraine.
“So far, there is only one winner in this war,” Costa said. “Russia.”
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President Donald Trump is taking his feud with Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., to the libertarian lawmaker’s home turf on Wednesday.
Trump is expected to hold an event in Hebron, Kentucky, on Wednesday, the Republican Party of Kentucky announced on social media Monday. It’s located in the northern part of the state’s 4th Congressional District, which Massie represents.
Massie’s primary rival, Ed Gallrein, will attend the Hebron event, his campaign confirmed to Fox News Digital on Tuesday, while deferring all other questions on the matter to the White House.
Massie himself will miss the event due to a previously scheduled official engagement, his spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
KHANNA AND MASSIE THREATEN TO FORCE A VOTE ON IRAN AS PROSPECT OF US ATTACK LOOMS
President Donald Trump will be visiting Rep. Thomas Massie’s congressional district on Wednesday. (Win McNamee/Getty Images; Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
When asked about the visit, White House spokeswoman Liz Huston told Fox News Digital, “President Trump will visit the great states of Ohio and Kentucky on Wednesday to tout his economic victories and detail his Administration’s aggressive, ongoing efforts to lower prices and make America more affordable.”
The president has thrown his considerable influence behind Gallrein to unseat Massie after the GOP lawmaker publicly defied Trump on multiple occasions.
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Massie most recently was one of two House Republicans to vote to stop Trump’s joint operation in Iran with Israel, though the legislation was successfully blocked by the majority of GOP lawmakers and a handful of Democrats.
Ed Gallrein, left, seen with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House. (Ed Gallrein congressional campaign)
He was also one of two Republicans to vote against Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” last year.
Trump in turn has hurled a slew of personal attacks against Massie, including calling him “weak and pathetic” in a statement endorsing Gallrein in October.
“He only votes against the Republican Party, making life very easy for the Radical Left. Unlike ‘lightweight’ Massie, a totally ineffective LOSER who has failed us so badly, CAPTAIN ED GALLREIN IS A WINNER WHO WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN,” Trump posted on Truth Social at the time, one of numerous criticisms targeting the Kentucky Republican through the years.
He called Massie the “worst Republican congressman” in July amid Massie’s bipartisan push to force the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release its files on Jeffrey Epstein.
Then-Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, and Rep. Ro Khanna, a Democrat from California, during a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
But Massie has so far appeared to defy political gravity despite making political enemies out of both Trump and House GOP leaders.
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He handily defeated multiple primary challengers in 2024 and 2022, despite public feuds with Trump, and has served his district since 2012.
Gallrein is a retired Navy SEAL and farmer who launched his campaign days after Trump made his endorsement. Their primary election day is May 19.
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