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Rep. Ilhan Omar, other members of “The Squad” endorse Kamala Harris for president
MINNEAPOLIS — Key progressive and member of “The Squad” Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar endorsed Kamala Harris for president on Sunday after President Biden announced he was dropping out of the 2024 presidential race.
In a post on X, Omar thanked Mr. Biden for his work in the last three-and-a-half years as president.
“This was the president’s decision to make and I’m grateful for his years of service to our country,” Omar wrote. “I’m thrilled to support (Kamala Harris) as our Democratic nominee and remain committed to working alongside her to defeat Donald Trump in November.”
Omar remained supportive of Mr. Biden as a handful of Democrats called for him to resign from the race in the aftermath of the debate last month.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley, another member of The Squad, also endorsed Harris on X. Pressley had previously stated that Democrats were “losing the plot” in their attempts to oust Biden.
The other two founding members of The Squad, Rep. Rashida Tlaib and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have not made public statements about the president’s decision to remove himself from the election.
On Thursday, Ocasio-Cortez went on Instagram Live to discuss her thoughts on whether Biden should exit the race, questioning the viability on replacing the president this late in the election cycle.
Tlaib, the only Palestinian member of the U.S. House of Representatives, has been a critic of Mr. Biden’s handling of the war between Israel and Hamas and urged people to vote against him in Michigan’s primary. Last fall, lawmakers voted to censure her for comments she made about the war. In response, Omar gave a speech in support of Tlaib and accused those voting in favor of her censure of turning a blind eye to the deaths of Palestinians in Gaza.
The Squad is an informal group of progressive, left-wing Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives, initially composed of four women: Ocasio-Cortez, Omar, Pressley and Tlaib.
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Yellowstone hiker burned when she falls into scalding water near Old Faithful, park officials say
Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. — A New Hampshire woman suffered severe burns on her leg after hiking off-trail in Yellowstone National Park and falling into scalding water in a thermal area near the Old Faithful geyser, park officials said.
The 60-year-old woman from Windsor, New Hampshire, along with her husband and their leashed dog were walking off a designated trail near the Mallard Lake Trailhead on Monday afternoon when she broke through a thin crust over the water and suffered second- and third-degree burns to her lower leg, park officials said. Her husband and the dog weren’t injured.
The woman was flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho for treatment.
National Park Service / Jacob W. Frank
Park visitors are reminded to stay on boardwalks and trails in hydrothermal areas and exercise extreme caution. The ground in those areas is fragile and thin and there’s scalding water just below the surface, park officials said.
Pets are allowed in limited, developed areas of Yellowstone park but are prohibited on boardwalks, hiking trails, in the backcountry and in thermal areas.
The incident is under investigation. The woman’s name wasn’t made public.
This is the first known thermal injury in Yellowstone in 2024, park officials said in a statement. The park had recorded 3.5 million visitors through August this year.
Hot springs have injured and killed more people in Yellowstone National Park than any other natural feature, the National Park Service said. At least 22 people have died from hot spring-related injuries in and around the 3,471-square-mile national park since 1890, park officials have said.