The Washington Post editorial board published a scathing editorial this week offering President Joe Biden a mock speech for how he could drop out of the presidential race on July 4th.

The editorial titled, “What if Biden spoke these words?,” was published on Wednesday evening and begins traditionally enough for a president marking the 4th of July.

“The framers were shaped by hardship — they carried out a revolution at the edge of a wild frontier. They knew there are seasons to a life — and seasons of service. They knew, too, that relying on a single individual, a king, might create the illusion of strength but would be at its core fragile,” the mock speech read a few minutes in and adds:

Over the past few days, I have been reflecting on all this. My season of service is nearing its close. This was a hard truth to face. But it is the natural course of things — as evident as the progression from spring to summer, from fall to winter. This is why I have decided to withdraw from the campaign for president of the United States.

The remarkable op-ed goes on to offer a scenario for how to best to replace Biden atop the Democratic ticket.

“The Democratic National Committee, senior Democratic leaders and I have agreed on an orderly process to select our next nominee, which will include debates between now and our convention in August. My vice president, Kamala Harris, has graciously and courageously agreed to participate. Though Democratic primary voters cannot be included at this late date, their delegates will make the final choice,” the board wrote, specifically including VP Harris as an option.

The speech ends with a swipe at Donald Trump and a call for the country to turn the page on this dark chapter in its history. The board says that Biden won the presidency in the first place as Americans were “exhausted by Mr. Trump’s chaos” and concludes:

Americans, I invite you to search your soul as I have. Are we so unsure of ourselves that we will empower a would-be king, one who has been given expansive powers by an activist Supreme Court? Or will we look back on Washington’s example, in the spring of American life, and recognize that our independence is built on service, sacrifice, a willingness to assume the best in one another and the belief there will be better seasons to come?

Read the full editorial here.

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CNN
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A boil water advisory was issued Wednesday for Washington, DC, and Arlington County in Virginia due to an increase in algae blooms in the Potomac River, as the nation’s capital prepares for its annual Fourth of July celebrations.

Advisories include Washington, Arlington County, the Pentagon, Arlington National Cemetery and Reagan National Airport.

The warning comes as the nation’s capital prepares for an influx of visitors for the holiday, including the annual fireworks display on the National Mall.

“This is a precautionary notice to all customers to boil water that may be ingested due to water of unknown quality. Customer should not drink the water without boiling it first,” the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority said in a statement.

DC Water advised people to use cooled, boiled water or bottled water for drinking, giving water to pets, preparing infant formula, brushing teeth, making ice and washing and preparing food.

Home filtering devices should not be used in place of boiled or bottled water, the water authority warned.

DC Water is also asking people to discard drinks and ice made after 9 p.m. Wednesday.

The Army Corps of Engineers said the advisory was prompted by elevated cloudiness in the water supply caused by increases in algae blooms in the Potomac River.

“Upon observing the increase in algae and resulting turbidity today, Washington Aqueduct staff implemented additional mechanical and chemical treatment solutions to help meet system water supply demands and (Environmental Protection Agency) standards,” the Army Corps said in a statement.

Turbidity is a measure of cloudiness in water the EPA says can be used to assess water quality and filtration effectiveness to indicate whether disease-causing organisms could be present.

Turbidity can indicate the presence of organisms including bacteria, viruses and parasites that can cause nausea, cramps, diarrhea and headaches. Infants, young children, older adults and people with compromised immune systems may be at greater risk, DC Water said.

The water authority has no information that water is definitely contaminated, but the precautionary advisory will remain in place until follow-up testing can determine the water is safe to consume, it said.

Arlington County said its advisory will be in place until further notice.

Atlanta was under a state of emergency last month, after disruptions to its water service left a large swath of the city under boil-water advisories. Some summer school programs and hospital operations in the area were paused as a result. Atlanta officials cited aging pipes and crumbling infrastructure when addressing the issue.