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JUST IN: Chuck Schumer Hospitalized

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Staffers for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced Wednesday that the longtime senator had been hospitalized as the Northeast deals with a record-setting heat wave.

According to a spokesperson for the 74-year-old lawmaker, Schumer felt light-headed while working out at the Senate gym. He was then transported to a local hospital, where his condition was evaluated by doctors.

Schumer’s office later confirmed that the senator was released after a brief hospital stay and “wants to remind everyone to drink some water and stay out of the heat.”

“Leader Schumer was at the Senate gym this morning and got lightheaded,” a Schumer spokesperson said. “Out of an abundance of caution, he went to the hospital to be treated for dehydration and is now back at work in the Capitol.”

The incident comes as Washington, D.C., and the surrounding region continue to deal with an unprecedented heat wave that has set record June temperatures in several cities across the northeast. In the nation’s capital, the Washington Monument and other major attractions were forced to close for the day as temperatures remained steadily north of 100° Fahrenheit.

The National Weather Service has urged residents in affected areas to avoid outdoor activity if possible. If outdoor activity is necessary, officials are warning to stay hydrated and limit exposure to extreme heat. Affected communities have also set up air-conditioned cooling centers for at-risk residents and those who lack proper cooling systems.

Schumer’s hospitalization also comes just hours after he congratulated Zohran Mamdani, a pro-communist candidate who has called for defunding the police, offering government-run grocery stores and openly defying the federal government, on winning the New York City Democratic Party mayoral primary.

“I have known Zohran Mamdani since we worked together to provide debt relief for thousands of beleaguered taxi drivers & fought to stop a fracked gas plant in Astoria,” the Senate minority leader posted on X. “He ran an impressive campaign that connected with New Yorkers about affordability, fairness, & opportunity.”

Mamdani’s ascension could be a sign of political trouble to come for the long-serving lawmaker, as several recent polls have found Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) leading Schumer in a hypothetical primary matchup. The likely election of Mamdani — whose far-left politics mirror those of Ocasio-Cortez — will almost certainly make the threat of a primary challenge far more likely.