Thrips?

Took this plant to clean up and hopefully treat better from my sister who left it on a table for a good 2 months. We're unsure of what the plant is but she says there were yellow/orange/red flowers on it before. The leaves remind me of dandelion leaves but no way her bf would gift her that right? 😅 The stems are a little bit fuzzy which make me think what the clump is in the middle as they trimmed a bunch of dead stems a while back.

I kept it by my grow light with my other plants for 1 night and 2 days, then noticed small white bugs around the edge of the pot and at the stem (picture 2) alongside the long black one (picture 1). Are they thrips? I have moved it away from my other plants for now in fear it will spread to those ones which are doing fine. Would this be salvagable or worth salvaging? How would I go about it?

(Also for watering info, it's in its original starter pot with drainage holes and it goes out onto a clay? Ceramic? Dish? Sister said that mother watered it every 2 weeks or so and I had just rewatered it yesterday while also cleaning up some of the dirt and root bottoms – looked like there was some white fuzzy mold coming out of the bottom)