According to a recent Gallup poll, the percentage of Americans who report smoking cigarettes is at another historic low this year.

Last week, a group of Marines visited an Arlington, Virginia, home to inform a couple on the circumstances surrounding the Osprey crash in Australia earlier this year, which claimed the lives of their son and two other Marines.

Rebecca Lavrenz, who is also known online as the “J6 Praying Grandma,” has been sentenced to six months of home confinement in addition to being ordered to pay a $100k fine in connection to the U.S. Capitol protest on January 6th.

Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), who served multiple terms as House majority leader, suffered a “mild” stroke over the weekend and intends to get back to work after receiving treatment, according to his office. Margaret Mulkerrin, Hoyer’s deputy chief of staff and spokesperson, released a statement about the health scare on Tuesday. “On Sunday night, August 11, Rep. Steny Hoyer experienced a mild ischemic stroke and sought medical treatment,” Mulkerrin said. “Mr. Hoyer has responded well to treatment and has no lingering symptoms.” The congressman, who is 85 years old and seeking re-election, “expects to resume his normal schedule next week,” Mulkerrin added. “Mr. Hoyer’s wife and family extend their deepest thanks to his medical team.” Some follow House members, including Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Ritchie Torres (D-NY), wished Hoyer a quick recovery. Leading candidates in Maryland’s U.S. Senate race, Democrat Angela Alsobrooks and Republican Larry Hogan, did the same. WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘AM I RACIST?’ — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI The mild stroke happened as the age and health of longtime politicians have taken a spotlight in the 2024 election. President Joe Biden, who is 81, dropped out of the White House contest last month after a fumbling debate performance spurred Democrats to call on him to step aside over concerns about his mental acuity and electability. Vice President Kamala Harris has since clinched the nomination for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, setting up a general election clash against former President Donald Trump. The 2024 election could drastically shake up the power dynamic in Washington, D.C. Currently, the Democrats control the White House and Senate while the Republicans lead the House. Earlier on Tuesday, the office of Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) revealed the congressman had been hospitalized a second time within the past month after reportedly being released to a rehabilitation center just days ago. RELATED: New Jersey House Democrat Donald Payne Jr. Dies At 65 “He is now stable. We will provide updates whenever possible and remain hopeful he will be able to resume his rehabilitation soon,” Pascrell’s chief of staff Ben Rich said in a statement. The New Jersey Globe noted that Pascrell, who is 87, is running for a 15th term in Congress and would become the oldest member of the House if he defeats Republican challenger Billy Prempeh.

As summer comes to a close, everyone is preparing for the first day of school, including the wildlife. As this teacher was preparing her room for the new school year, an unexpected visitor stopped by to visit her. A bear decided to give this teacher quite the scare as it entered her classroom while she was setting up. A Unexpected Visitor In The Classroom View this post on Instagram A post shared by ABC News (@abcnews) Ms. Salmon is a teacher at Peak to Peak Mountain Charter School. She was back at school setting up her classroom for the upcoming school year when she left to make some copies. While she was down the hall, the four-legged visitor snuck into her classroom. Elaine Salmon told 23 ABC News, “When I came back, I opened my classroom door, and there was this bear charging towards the door.” Elaine thought quickly and closed the door, locking the bear inside. However, her cell phone was also inside the classroom. With quick thinking, Ms. Salmon made her way down to the office. There, she used that phone to call her husband for reinforcement. When he arrived, he knocked on the window to get the bear’s attention away from the door. Bears Like Ms. Salmon Once the bear was distracted, Ms. Salmon opened the door and let him out. “The thing is, sadly, you have to hold the door open for it to stay open,” she continued. This means these brave individuals had to hold the door open as the bear passed through it. Although the bear got much closer than Ms. Salmon or her husband would have liked, he passed through the door without incident. He then made his way back into the woods. Luckily, there was no damage to the classroom. The only thing he got into was one of the classroom’s earthquake kits. Students typically have snacks in the kits in case of an emergency, and the bear helped himself to those during his school visit. While the school has never had a bear enter the building, they have drills to prepare for encounters with local wildlife. We don’t know what prompted the bear to enter the classroom, although the irony of the bear visiting a teacher called Ms. Salmon cannot be lost. Since this encounter, the school has taken additional measures to ensure all its students are safe. The source of the featured image can be found here. The post A Bear Visits Classroom Of School Teacher Ironically Named Ms. Salmon appeared first on InspireMore.