By Dana Wormald | Editor
Good morning, New Hampshire, and welcome to Tuesday. Today, Molly Rains reports on what fuel assistance is available to New Hampshire residents amid high oil prices and a fast-approaching heating season. Also, States Newsroom’s Jonathan Shorman writes about President Donald Trump’s recent 180 on mail-in voting. And, in the Tuesday commentary, Travis Ridout, Erika Franklin Fowler, and Michael Franz explore AI usage in political ads. Thank you for reading, and enjoy the day. — Dana
From left: Michael Tabory, chief operating officer of Community Action Partnership Belknap-Merrimack Counties; Per Garp, a retired farmer from Loudon; Jeanne Agri, chief executive officer of Community Action Partnership Belknap-Merrimack Counties; and Congressman Chris Pappas speak about energy costs during a roundtable event on Monday, Oct. 5, in Concord. (Photo by Molly Rains/New Hampshire Bulletin)
By Molly Rains
In the Northeast, where reliance on heating oil is heavier than in the rest of the U.S., the impact on residents is likely to be especially severe: The average cost of a season’s worth of heating oil is projected to rise more than 31%, or $548, over last year, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association. That brings the average cost of heating a typical home throughout the winter to about $2,300. “If we didn’t get heat assistance, for instance, we wouldn’t make it at all,” said Per Garp, a retired farmer from Loudon, during a roundtable event with heating assistance providers and Congressman Chris Pappas Monday in Concord. “… We’re going to be cold, maybe even freezing. We need more.”
President Donald Trump speaks at the Mitchell Center at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama on Oct. 2, 2026, as he campaigns in GOP-leaning states ahead of the midterms. (Photo by Dan Anderson/Alabama Reflector)
By Jonathan Shorman
President Donald Trump wants to sharply curtail mail ballots. He’s called them “inherently corrupt” and baselessly condemned them as a major source of fraud. But with Republicans falling behind in the polls, the president is now urging his supporters to vote in the midterm elections any way they can, including by mail.
COMMENTARY
By Travis Ridout, Erika Franklin Fowler, and Michael Franz
“AI use spans from hyperrealistic deepfakes to subtle enhancements; Republican sponsors — both candidates and interest groups — are much more likely to use AI than are Democratic sponsors; and, thanks to a patchwork of state legislation, many of these ads do not disclose the use of AI at all.”
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