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NEW YORK -- As Luigi Mangione pleaded not guilty Monday to state murder and terrorism charges in the brazen killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson , supporters of the suspect continued to donate tens of thousands of dollars for a defense fund established for him, leaving law enforcement officials worried Mangione is being turned into a martyr. Several online defense funds have been created for Mangione by anonymous people, including one on the crowdfunding website GiveSendGo that as of Monday morning had raised over $187,000. The GiveSendGo defense fund for the 26-year-old Mangione was established by an anonymous group calling itself "The December 4th Legal Committee," apparently in reference to the day Mangione allegedly ambushed and gunned down Thompson in Midtown Manhattan as the executive walked to his company's shareholders conference at the New York Hilton hotel. "We are not here to celebrate violence, but we do believe in the constitutional right to fair legal representation," the anonymous group said in a statement. The crowdfunding campaign prompted donations from thousands of anonymous donors across the country, many of them leaving messages of support for Mangione, including one person who called themselves "A frustrated citizen" and thanked Mangione for "sparking the awareness and thought across this sleeping nation." In a statement to ABC News, a spokesperson for GiveSendGo said the company "operates with a principle of not preemptively determining guilt or innocence." "Our platform does not adjudicate legal matters or the validity of causes. Instead, we allow campaigns to remain live unless they violate the specific terms outlined in our Terms of Use. Importantly, we do allow campaigns for legal defense funds, as we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to access due process," the GiveSendGo spokesperson said. The spokesperson added, "We understand the concerns raised by such campaigns and take these matters seriously. When campaigns are reported, our team conducts a thorough review to ensure they comply with our policies. While other platforms may choose a different approach, GiveSendGo's core value is to provide a space where all individuals, no matter their situation, can seek and receive support, with donors making their own informed decisions." Other crowdfunding sites such as GoFundMe have also taken down campaigns soliciting donations for Mangione's defense. "GoFundMe's Terms of Service prohibit fundraisers for the legal defense of violent crimes," the crowdfunding website said in a statement. "The fundraisers have been removed from our platform and all donors have been refunded." Amazon and Etsy have removed from their websites merchandise featuring Mangione, including T-shirts and tote bags reading "Free Luigi" and the phrase "Deny, Defend, Depose," words police said were etched in the shell casings discovered at the scene of Thompson's homicide. "Celebrating this conduct is abhorrent to me. It's deeply disturbing," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg told ABC News senior investigative reporter Aaron Katersky in an interview last week. "And what I would say to members of the public, people who, as you described, are celebrating this and maybe contemplating other action, that we will be vigilant and we will hold people accountable. We are at the ready." When Mangione appeared in court Monday for his arrangement, more than two dozen young women, who had waited in the frigid cold outside the courthouse, said they were there to support the defendant. Most of the women wore face masks and a few appeared visibly emotional as Mangione entered the courtroom. "This is a grave injustice, and that's why people are here," one of the women, who said she arrived at the courthouse at 5 a.m., told ABC News. Other supporters outside the courthouse chanted, "Free, free Luigi" and "Eat the rich," and held signs reading, "People over profits" and "Health over wealth." Manhattan grand jury indicted Mangione last week on 11 charges, including first-degree murder in furtherance of terrorism. Mangione is also facing federal charges that could get him the death penalty if convicted. Mangione's attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, raised concerns in court Monday that her client is being used by police and New York City Mayor Eric Adams as "political fodder." Angifilo also slammed last week's extradition of Mangione back to Manhattan to face charges, calling Adams' presence amid the massive display of force used in the transfer "the biggest staged perp walk I have seen in my career." "What was the New York City mayor doing at this press conference -- that is utterly political," she said, before referencing the mayor's own criminal case. "The New York City mayor should know more than anyone the presumption of innocence." Retired FBI special agent Richard Frankel said suspects have received unsolicited support in previous politically charged violent crimes. "We saw it with the Unabomber," said Frankel, an ABC News contributor, referring to Ted Kaczynski, the mathematician-turn-domestic terrorist who blamed technology for a decline of individual freedom and mailed handcrafted explosives to targeted individuals between 1978 and 1995. Frankel said Eric Rudolph, who detonated a bomb in Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park during the 1996 Olympic Games and carried out three additional bombings as he eluded capture for five years, also attracted supporters. "In my opinion, they're supporting individuals who have committed potentially terrorist acts, but it's a politically charged act," Frankel said. Referring to the Thompson killing, Frankel added, "You can be up in arms about the health care industry, but you can't threaten or actually hurt members of the health care industry." Most recently, Marine veteran Daniel Penny was acquitted of criminally negligent homicide in the chokehold death of Jordan Neely, a homeless man who was acting erratically on a New York City subway, after supporters donated more than $3 million to his legal defense fund. Law enforcement officials have expressed concern that Mangione is being turned into a martyr. Someone this week pasted "wanted posters" outside the New York Stock Exchange naming other executives. A recent bulletin released by the Delaware Valley Intelligence Center, a multi-agency law enforcement intelligence-sharing network based in Philadelphia, included a photo of a banner hanging from an overpass reading, "Deny, Defend, Depose," which are the same words etched on shell casings police said were recovered from the Thompson homicide scene. "Many social media users have outright advocated for the continued killings of CEOs with some aiming to spread fear by posting 'hit lists,'" the bulletin, obtained by ABC News, reads.

COLEEN Rooney took a cheeky swipe at her husband Wayne in front of her shocked I'm A Celebrity campmates. The WAG was being quizzed by McFly star Danny Jones on the football legend's new role as a manager. 4 Coleen and Wayne Rooney with their four kids Credit: Instagram 4 Coleen admitted that she gets nervous before Wayne's games as manager Wayne Rooney, 39, took over as the head coach at Plymouth Argyle Football Club in May. Discussing the move on I'm A Celebrity, Danny asked: “Is he loving managing?” Coleen Rooney, 38, responded: “Yeah, he does enjoy it, it’s hard though. I find it more nerve wracking him being a manager than I did... I feel more pressure.” Former boxer Barry McGuigan said of Wayne: “Well, he was very mature very quickly wasn’t he, he grew up very quickly?” READ MORE ON I'M A CELEB proud mum GK Barry's mum arrives in Australia and breaks silence on daughter's sex chats jungle talk Coleen Rooney's parents praise her Wagatha Christie detective skills on IAC Coleen replied: “Well, I don’t know about that!” - leaving the shocked campmates in hysterics. Wayne has admitted to a string of infidelities since they first met as teens in their home city of Liverpool. But despite the ups and downs of their 16-year marriage — and him spending long ­periods away from home in his new job — she says they remain as strong as ever. She told former Strictly dancer Oti Mabuse in camp: “All he wanted to do was play football. He struggled with the fame side of it, he hated that. Most read in I’m A Celebrity 2024 DADDY'S GIRL I’m A Celeb fans just realising Tulisa is a nepo-baby with famous pop star dad letting loose Ruth Langsford flies to I'm A Celebrity in Australia as bosses sign her up MISSING? Moment Barry McGuigan 'goes missing' after TEN days in the I'm A Celebrity jungle clap back I'm A Celebrity star Dean McCullough's mum slams Ant for being 'too hard' on him “If he could’ve just played football and had none of the fame, I think he would’ve been happier within life. "He’s made mistakes along the way, but from 16, obviously you’re going to, that’s life. Coleen Rooney boasts to I’m A Celeb campmates how husband Wayne often does VERY 'special' gesture But fans were in hysterics at Coleen's candid admission as they took to X - formerly known as Twitter. One wrote: "Coleen explaining how she gets nervous for Wayne’s games as manager.." "Coleen talk about anything other than Wayne challenge," sarcastically noted a second viewer. As a third added: "Wayne hearing Coleen say he didn’t mature quickly," along with a laughing emoji. Coleen Rooney's surprising bad habit COLEEN Rooney has revealed the embarrassing habit hubby Wayne reckons will annoy her I’m A celebrity campmates. She’s usually preened and perfect - but the WAG has confessed she snores. Coleen said: “I didn’t think I snored, but Wayne says I snore. “Not continuously though – just every now and again. “I have been in the public eye for over 20 years now and people take what they want from it. “I do think people will get a better idea of what kind of person I am.” 4 Coleen spoke about Wayne's time as a manager compared to a footballer Credit: ITV 4 Barry and Danny couldn't help but joke about Wayne's maturity Credit: ITV I'm A Celebrity continues on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX.

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President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory has led the Kremlin to double down on a risky gamble: that Trump’s desire for a quick resolution to the war in Ukraine will lead to a settlement that freezes the conflict along its current lines, legitimizing Moscow’s territorial gains. Since the US election, Russian forces have ramped up their military offensive, which will predictably continue until the inauguration as Russian President Vladimir Putin aims to strengthen his negotiating position. Despite Europe’s wish for stability on its eastern border, it must not accept any resolution that entrenches Russian territorial gains in Ukraine. Indeed, several indicators suggest that the war may be entering its final stretch. The course set by Moscow might be leading it toward an iceberg over the next twelve to eighteen months, as Russia confronts three primary challenges that could alter the conflict’s trajectory to the Kremlin’s disadvantage. First, the Russian economy is under severe strain from the war’s financial demands. Military wages have skyrocketed , with new recruits offered substantial sums, distorting the labor market and creating a stark wage gap between military personnel and civilians. The average civilian salary is currently at just above a million rubles per year, while many new military recruits receive a sign-up offer of up to two million rubles. This unsustainable policy, designed to increase recruitment and maintain morale, is destabilizing the economy by distorting the labor market. It is also a testament to Putin’s miscalculated gamble on a swift military campaign. To sustain the war effort into its third year, Putin is now dragging the Russian economy toward a crisis due to escalating military expenditures. Second, Russian manpower shortages are becoming critical, with an estimated thirty-six thousand soldiers killed or wounded each month. Recruitment quotas are stretched thin, with regions throughout Russia struggling to feed the country’s war machine with men. To ease the pressure, Russia has begun recruiting from territories it occupies in Ukraine and has even resorted to turning to North Korea for additional troops to avoid tapping into the populations of Moscow and St. Petersburg. The deployment of troops from Pyongyang is unlikely to be a one-time occurrence. Instead, the Kremlin appears to be trying to establish a pipeline of ten thousand to fifteen thousand North Korean troops per month to fill its manpower deficit and try to stave off an eventual crisis of manpower shortages. Third, Russian forces are facing a looming crisis in heavy armored vehicles as stocks dwindle. The scarcity of such equipment will eventually force a shift toward more infantry-intensive tactics, likely causing further increases in Russian casualties. Putin’s intensified military efforts in anticipation of the US election were a calculated risk, betting on a quick settlement. However, if Western resolve holds over the next twelve to eighteen months—when Russia might hit its breaking point—the conflict’s outcome could defy Putin’s expectations. The importance of Europe sticking together Europe will likely become a lower priority for the United States in a second Trump administration, as Washington’s focus and resources shift toward China and the Indo-Pacific. This pivot will put more pressure on European states to strengthen their defense spending, increase their contributions to NATO, and move toward greater strategic autonomy. As this shift gives the United States greater flexibility in Asia, it will also require Europe to take greater responsibility for addressing regional security challenges, such as the threat posed by Russia. It is possible that US disengagement from Europe, combined with Russian advances in Ukraine, might convince European Union (EU) countries to agree to a robust common European Defense. But a Russian victory would likely end up undermining Europe’s ambitions to become a more cohesive political bloc. Although Ukraine is not an EU member, a Ukrainian defeat could spill over and end up revealing that the bloc is not prepared to fulfill the most basic mandate for any political entity: guaranteeing strategic security and stability to its citizens. One plausible reaction to a Ukrainian defeat would be for major European countries to retrench into their own state-level security, which could then threaten to weaken the European project along its economic and other lines as well. Moscow is deeply aware of this and plans to realize this prospect through hybrid campaigns, including weaponized immigration, arson, sabotage, cyberattacks, and disinformation. Arguably, the primary effort of Russia’s war is not the kinetic one on the battlefield, but rather the cognitive one directed at European countries to undermine their political will to act, making a Russian victory inevitable, so the Kremlin hopes. Peace isn’t peace if it leads to another Russian push If the United States reduces its support for Kyiv, then Europe must resist the temptation to seek a premature, unjust settlement. What may appear to be the restoration of peace would cause catastrophic damage to the West’s deterrence. It would also be a welcome respite for Putin, allowing him to reorganize and prepare for a new push toward the Kremlin’s repeatedly stated objective of erasing Ukraine as an independent country. Many indicators suggest that the war is entering a decisive stretch, presenting a crossroads for Europe’s future. With the United States potentially reducing its commitment to Ukraine and the new European Commission taking charge in Brussels, the EU’s actions vis-a-vis Ukraine will be carefully watched by allies and adversaries as the first signs of its new strategic identity. They will shape its perception in Washington as well as in Moscow and Beijing—whether it be one of division or unity, strength or weakness, awareness or denial. As Russia sails toward the iceberg, it is crucial for Europe to remain steadfast in its stance. Allowing Russia to claim victory now would not only have grave consequences for Ukraine but could also lead to the collapse of the European project. Beniamino Irdi is a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Transatlantic Security Initiative within the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. He previously served within the Italian government for seventeen years in various capacities related to foreign affairs and security policy, including as a special adviser to Italy’s minister of foreign affairs. Gabriele Carrer is a journalist at Formiche in Rome. He has been a visiting fellow at the Rome office at the European Council on Foreign Relations, where he researched foreign disinformation and interference threats in Italy. Further reading

Second-half comeback gives Udinese win at Fiorentina where Bove is on the bench

Coleen Rooney has sent a loving message home to her sons before she took on the next Bushtucker trial in the I'm A Celebrity jungle. She was selected by viewers to face the trial alongside Radio 1 presenter Dean McCullough, who's had a mixed bag of outcomes in these challenges. This turn of events followed after her husband, Wayne Rooney, appealed to his social media followers on X to vote for Coleen in the upcoming trial selection, expressing his eagerness to watch her take on a challenge he believes she wants to conquer to make her family back home proud. Approaching the trial zone to tackle 'Absolute Carnage,' Coleen expressed her enthusiasm, telling the cameras, "I'm excited for my boys back home to see me do something. Hopefully, I'm going to do well. I'm going to try my best." Within the challenge known as 'Absolute Carnage', one participant would be trapped inside the rear of a ute, surrounded by stars secured with various fastenings that required specific tools to release. The responsibility of the other celebrity was to rummage through the garage for these tools and hand them over to their companion in the back of the ute. Dean took on the task of hunting for the tools, which left Coleen in the back of the ute, having to tolerate cockroaches, crickets, giant mealworms and rats crawling all over her. Meanwhile, Dean was confronted with an element that had previously defeated him... fish guts, reports OK! . Ant and Dec commended Coleen's performance, saying, "You were very calm, very quiet. You just got on with it." To which Coleen responded: "Yeah, that is my way of coping, silence, the silent treatment. "Earlier in the programme, Coleen shared more tales from home as she told her campmates about when she met President-elect Donald Trump. This was during the period her husband Wayne was managing D.C. United in Washington. She recounted: "When we lived in America, we were invited to the White House for Christma s , and we went in to meet Donald Trump. And we walked in and we got to get the official photograph taken in front of the Christmas tree. So Donald Trump said to his son, 'see? Told ya, all the soccer players get the good looking girls'. And I told my mum, I was like 'dirty b******'." Wayne appeared on I'm A Celebrity Unpacked on Saturday (November 23) to show his support for his wife. The current Plymouth manager also hinted at having a new poem ready for her upon her return after Coleen revealed to viewers the former Manchester United striker's fondness for poetry. I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! continues tomorrow at 9pm on ITV1 and ITVX.

Rainbow-laden revelers hit Copacabana beach for Rio de Janeiro’s pride paradeS&P 500, Dow pinned at one-week highs after business activity data - Reuters

Apple readies more conversational Siri in bid to catch up in AINumber of women who are state lawmakers inches up to a record high

Some quotations from Jimmy Carter . We have a tendency to exalt ourselves and to dwell on the weaknesses and mistakes of others. I have come to realize that in every person there is something fine and pure and noble, along with a desire for self-fulfillment. Political and religious leaders must attempt to provide a society within which these human attributes can be nurtured and enhanced. — from 1975 book “Why Not the Best?” ___ Our government can express the highest common ideals of human beings — if we demand of government true standards of excellence. At this Bicentennial time of introspection and concern, we must demand such standards. — “Why Not the Best?” ___ I am a Southerner and an American, I am a farmer, an engineer, a father and husband, a Christian, a politician and former governor, a planner, a businessman, a nuclear physicist, a naval officer, a canoeist, and among other things a lover of Bob Dylan’s songs and Dylan Thomas’s poetry. — “Why Not the Best?” ___ Christ said, “I tell you that anyone who looks on a woman with lust has in his heart already committed adultery.” I’ve looked on a lot of women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times. This is something that God recognizes I will do — and I have done it — and God forgives me for it. But that doesn’t mean that I condemn someone who not only looks on a woman with lust but who leaves his wife and shacks up with somebody out of wedlock. — Interview, November 1976 Playboy. ___ This inauguration ceremony marks a new beginning, a new dedication within our Government, and a new spirit among us all. A President may sense and proclaim that new spirit, but only a people can provide it. — Inaugural address, January 1977. READ: ___ It’s clear that the true problems of our nation are much deeper — deeper than gasoline lines or energy shortages, deeper even than inflation and recession. ... All the legislation in the world can’t fix what’s wrong with America. ... It is a crisis of confidence. — So-called “malaise” speech, July 1979. ___ But we know that democracy is always an unfinished creation. Each generation must renew its foundations. Each generation must rediscover the meaning of this hallowed vision in the light of its own modern challenges. For this generation, ours, life is nuclear survival; liberty is human rights; the pursuit of happiness is a planet whose resources are devoted to the physical and spiritual nourishment of its inhabitants. — Farewell Address, January 1981. ___ We appreciate the past. We are grateful for the present and we’re looking forward to the future with great anticipation and commitment. — October 1986, at the dedication of the Carter Presidential Library and Museum. ___ War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn to live together in peace by killing each other’s children. — December 2002, Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech. ___ Fundamentalists have become increasingly influential in both religion and government, and have managed to change the nuances and subtleties of historic debate into black-and-white rigidities and the personal derogation of those who dare to disagree. ... The influence of these various trends poses a threat to many of our nation’s historic customs and moral commitments, both in government and in houses of worship. — From 2005 book “Our Endangered Values.” ___ I think that this breakthrough by Barack Obama has been remarkable. When he made his speech (on race) a few months ago in Philadelphia, I wept. I sat in front of the television and cried, because I saw that as the most enlightening and transforming analysis of racism and a potential end of it that I ever saw in my life. — August 2008, commenting on then-Sen. Barack Obama’s candidacy. ___ I think it’s based on racism. There is an inherent feeling among many in this country that an African-American should not be president. ... No matter who he is or how much we disagree with his policies, the president should be treated with respect. — September 2009, reacting to Rep. Joe Wilson’s shout of “You lie!” during a speech to Congress by President Barack Obama. ___ I’m still determined to outlive the last guinea worm. — 2010, on The Carter Center’s work to eradicate guinea worm disease. ___ You know how much I raised to run against Gerald Ford? Zero. You know how much I raised to run against Ronald Reagan? Zero. You know how much will be raised this year by all presidential, Senate and House campaigns? $6 billion. That’s 6,000 millions. — September 2012, reacting to the 2010 “Citizens United” U.S. Supreme Court decision permitting unlimited third-party political spending. ___ I have become convinced that the most serious and unaddressed worldwide challenge is the deprivation and abuse of women and girls, largely caused by a false interpretation of carefully selected religious texts and a growing tolerance of violence and warfare, unfortunately following the example set during my lifetime by the United States. — From 2014 book “A Call to Action.” ___ I don’t think there’s any doubt now that the NSA or other agencies monitor or record almost every telephone call made in the United States, including cellphones, and I presume email as well. We’ve gone a long way down the road of violating Americans’ basic civil rights, as far as privacy is concerned. — March 2014, commenting on U.S. intelligence monitoring after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks ___ We accept self-congratulations about the wonderful 50th anniversary - which is wonderful - but we feel like Lyndon Johnson did it and we don’t have to do anything anymore. — April 2014, commenting on racial inequality during a celebration of the Civil Rights Act’s 40th anniversary. ___ I had a very challenging question at Emory (University) the other night: “How would you describe the United States of America today in one word?” And I didn’t know what to say for a few moments, but I finally said, “Searching.” I think the country in which we live is still searching for what it ought to be, and what it can be, and I’m not sure we’re making much progress right at this moment. — October 2014 during a celebration of his 90th birthday. ___ The life we have now is the best of all. We have an expanding and harmonious family, a rich life in our church and the Plains community, and a diversity of projects at The Carter Center that is adventurous and exciting. Rosalynn and I have visited more than 145 countries, and both of us are as active as we have ever been. We are blessed with good health and look to the future with eagerness and confidence, but are prepared for inevitable adversity when it comes. — From 2015 book, “A Full Life.” Copyright 2024 The Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Is it safe to eat turkey this Thanksgiving amid bird flu outbreak? Here’s what experts say

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Winless in rivalry, Dan Lanning, No. 1 Oregon determined to tame HuskiesATLANTA — Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who won the presidency in the wake of the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, endured humbling defeat after one tumultuous term and then redefined life after the White House as a global humanitarian, has died. He was 100 years old. The longest-lived American president died on Sunday, more than a year after entering hospice care, at his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died at 96 in November 2023, spent most of their lives, The Carter Center said. “Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia,” the center simply said in posting about Carter’s death on the social media platform X. Businessman, Navy officer, evangelist, politician, negotiator, author, woodworker, citizen of the world — Carter forged a path that still challenges political assumptions and stands out among the 45 men who reached the nation’s highest office. The 39th president leveraged his ambition with a keen intellect, deep religious faith and prodigious work ethic, conducting diplomatic missions into his 80s and building houses for the poor well into his 90s. “My faith demands — this is not optional — my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can, with whatever I have to try to make a difference,” Carter once said. A moderate Democrat, Carter entered the 1976 presidential race as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad smile, outspoken Baptist mores and technocratic plans reflecting his education as an engineer. His no-frills campaign depended on public financing, and his promise not to deceive the American people resonated after Richard Nixon’s disgrace and U.S. defeat in southeast Asia. “If I ever lie to you, if I ever make a misleading statement, don’t vote for me. I would not deserve to be your president,” Carter repeated before narrowly beating Republican incumbent Gerald Ford, who had lost popularity pardoning Nixon. Carter governed amid Cold War pressures, turbulent oil markets and social upheaval over racism, women’s rights and America’s global role. His most acclaimed achievement in office was a Mideast peace deal that he brokered by keeping Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at the bargaining table for 13 days in 1978. That Camp David experience inspired the post-presidential center where Carter would establish so much of his legacy. Yet Carter’s electoral coalition splintered under double-digit inflation, gasoline lines and the 444-day hostage crisis in Iran. His bleakest hour came when eight Americans died in a failed hostage rescue in April 1980, helping to ensure his landslide defeat to Republican Ronald Reagan. Carter acknowledged in his 2020 “White House Diary” that he could be “micromanaging” and “excessively autocratic,” complicating dealings with Congress and the federal bureaucracy. He also turned a cold shoulder to Washington’s news media and lobbyists, not fully appreciating their influence on his political fortunes. “It didn’t take us long to realize that the underestimation existed, but by that time we were not able to repair the mistake,” Carter told historians in 1982, suggesting that he had “an inherent incompatibility” with Washington insiders. Carter insisted his overall approach was sound and that he achieved his primary objectives — to “protect our nation’s security and interests peacefully” and “enhance human rights here and abroad” — even if he fell spectacularly short of a second term. Ignominious defeat, though, allowed for renewal. The Carters founded The Carter Center in 1982 as a first-of-its-kind base of operations, asserting themselves as international peacemakers and champions of democracy, public health and human rights. “I was not interested in just building a museum or storing my White House records and memorabilia,” Carter wrote in a memoir published after his 90th birthday. “I wanted a place where we could work.” That work included easing nuclear tensions in North and South Korea, helping to avert a U.S. invasion of Haiti and negotiating cease-fires in Bosnia and Sudan. By 2022, The Carter Center had declared at least 113 elections in Latin America, Asia and Africa to be free or fraudulent. Recently, the center began monitoring U.S. elections as well. Carter’s stubborn self-assuredness and even self-righteousness proved effective once he was unencumbered by the Washington order, sometimes to the point of frustrating his successors. He went “where others are not treading,” he said, to places like Ethiopia, Liberia and North Korea, where he secured the release of an American who had wandered across the border in 2010. “I can say what I like. I can meet whom I want. I can take on projects that please me and reject the ones that don’t,” Carter said. He announced an arms-reduction-for-aid deal with North Korea without clearing the details with Bill Clinton’s White House. He openly criticized President George W. Bush for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He also criticized America’s approach to Israel with his 2006 book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.” And he repeatedly countered U.S. administrations by insisting North Korea should be included in international affairs, a position that most aligned Carter with Republican President Donald Trump. Among the center’s many public health initiatives, Carter vowed to eradicate the guinea worm parasite during his lifetime, and nearly achieved it: Cases dropped from millions in the 1980s to nearly a handful. With hardhats and hammers, the Carters also built homes with Habitat for Humanity. The Nobel committee’s 2002 Peace Prize cites his “untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” Carter should have won it alongside Sadat and Begin in 1978, the chairman added. Carter accepted the recognition saying there was more work to be done. “The world is now, in many ways, a more dangerous place,” he said. “The greater ease of travel and communication has not been matched by equal understanding and mutual respect.” Carter’s globetrotting took him to remote villages where he met little “Jimmy Carters,” so named by admiring parents. But he spent most of his days in the same one-story Plains house — expanded and guarded by Secret Service agents — where they lived before he became governor. He regularly taught Sunday School lessons at Maranatha Baptist Church until his mobility declined and the coronavirus pandemic raged. Those sessions drew visitors from around the world to the small sanctuary where Carter will receive his final send-off after a state funeral at Washington’s National Cathedral. The common assessment that he was a better ex-president than president rankled Carter and his allies. His prolific post-presidency gave him a brand above politics, particularly for Americans too young to witness him in office. But Carter also lived long enough to see biographers and historians reassess his White House years more generously. His record includes the deregulation of key industries, reduction of U.S. dependence on foreign oil, cautious management of the national debt and notable legislation on the environment, education and mental health. He focused on human rights in foreign policy, pressuring dictators to release thousands of political prisoners. He acknowledged America’s historical imperialism, pardoned Vietnam War draft evaders and relinquished control of the Panama Canal. He normalized relations with China. “I am not nominating Jimmy Carter for a place on Mount Rushmore,” Stuart Eizenstat, Carter’s domestic policy director, wrote in a 2018 book. “He was not a great president” but also not the “hapless and weak” caricature voters rejected in 1980, Eizenstat said. Rather, Carter was “good and productive” and “delivered results, many of which were realized only after he left office.” Madeleine Albright, a national security staffer for Carter and Clinton’s secretary of state, wrote in Eizenstat’s forward that Carter was “consequential and successful” and expressed hope that “perceptions will continue to evolve” about his presidency. “Our country was lucky to have him as our leader,” said Albright, who died in 2022. Jonathan Alter, who penned a comprehensive Carter biography published in 2020, said in an interview that Carter should be remembered for “an epic American life” spanning from a humble start in a home with no electricity or indoor plumbing through decades on the world stage across two centuries. “He will likely go down as one of the most misunderstood and underestimated figures in American history,” Alter told The Associated Press. James Earl Carter Jr. was born Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains and spent his early years in nearby Archery. His family was a minority in the mostly Black community, decades before the civil rights movement played out at the dawn of Carter’s political career. Carter, who campaigned as a moderate on race relations but governed more progressively, talked often of the influence of his Black caregivers and playmates but also noted his advantages: His land-owning father sat atop Archery’s tenant-farming system and owned a main street grocery. His mother, Lillian, would become a staple of his political campaigns. Seeking to broaden his world beyond Plains and its population of fewer than 1,000 — then and now — Carter won an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1946. That same year he married Rosalynn Smith, another Plains native, a decision he considered more important than any he made as head of state. She shared his desire to see the world, sacrificing college to support his Navy career. Carter climbed in rank to lieutenant, but then his father was diagnosed with cancer, so the submarine officer set aside his ambitions of admiralty and moved the family back to Plains. His decision angered Rosalynn, even as she dived into the peanut business alongside her husband. Carter again failed to talk with his wife before his first run for office — he later called it “inconceivable” not to have consulted her on such major life decisions — but this time, she was on board. “My wife is much more political,” Carter told the AP in 2021. He won a state Senate seat in 1962 but wasn’t long for the General Assembly and its back-slapping, deal-cutting ways. He ran for governor in 1966 — losing to arch-segregationist Lester Maddox — and then immediately focused on the next campaign. Carter had spoken out against church segregation as a Baptist deacon and opposed racist “Dixiecrats” as a state senator. Yet as a local school board leader in the 1950s he had not pushed to end school segregation even after the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision, despite his private support for integration. And in 1970, Carter ran for governor again as the more conservative Democrat against Carl Sanders, a wealthy businessman Carter mocked as “Cufflinks Carl.” Sanders never forgave him for anonymous, race-baiting flyers, which Carter disavowed. Ultimately, Carter won his races by attracting both Black voters and culturally conservative whites. Once in office, he was more direct. “I say to you quite frankly that the time for racial discrimination is over,” he declared in his 1971 inaugural address, setting a new standard for Southern governors that landed him on the cover of Time magazine. His statehouse initiatives included environmental protection, boosting rural education and overhauling antiquated executive branch structures. He proclaimed Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the slain civil rights leader’s home state. And he decided, as he received presidential candidates in 1972, that they were no more talented than he was. In 1974, he ran Democrats’ national campaign arm. Then he declared his own candidacy for 1976. An Atlanta newspaper responded with the headline: “Jimmy Who?” The Carters and a “Peanut Brigade” of family members and Georgia supporters camped out in Iowa and New Hampshire, establishing both states as presidential proving grounds. His first Senate endorsement: a young first-termer from Delaware named Joe Biden. Yet it was Carter’s ability to navigate America’s complex racial and rural politics that cemented the nomination. He swept the Deep South that November, the last Democrat to do so, as many white Southerners shifted to Republicans in response to civil rights initiatives. A self-declared “born-again Christian,” Carter drew snickers by referring to Scripture in a Playboy magazine interview, saying he “had looked on many women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times.” The remarks gave Ford a new foothold and television comedians pounced — including NBC’s new “Saturday Night Live” show. But voters weary of cynicism in politics found it endearing. Carter chose Minnesota Sen. Walter “Fritz” Mondale as his running mate on a “Grits and Fritz” ticket. In office, he elevated the vice presidency and the first lady’s office. Mondale’s governing partnership was a model for influential successors Al Gore, Dick Cheney and Biden. Rosalynn Carter was one of the most involved presidential spouses in history, welcomed into Cabinet meetings and huddles with lawmakers and top aides. The Carters presided with uncommon informality: He used his nickname “Jimmy” even when taking the oath of office, carried his own luggage and tried to silence the Marine Band’s “Hail to the Chief.” They bought their clothes off the rack. Carter wore a cardigan for a White House address, urging Americans to conserve energy by turning down their thermostats. Amy, the youngest of four children, attended District of Columbia public school. Washington’s social and media elite scorned their style. But the larger concern was that “he hated politics,” according to Eizenstat, leaving him nowhere to turn politically once economic turmoil and foreign policy challenges took their toll. Carter partially deregulated the airline, railroad and trucking industries and established the departments of Education and Energy, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He designated millions of acres of Alaska as national parks or wildlife refuges. He appointed a then-record number of women and nonwhite people to federal posts. He never had a Supreme Court nomination, but he elevated civil rights attorney Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the nation’s second highest court, positioning her for a promotion in 1993. He appointed Paul Volker, the Federal Reserve chairman whose policies would help the economy boom in the 1980s — after Carter left office. He built on Nixon’s opening with China, and though he tolerated autocrats in Asia, pushed Latin America from dictatorships to democracy. But he couldn’t immediately tame inflation or the related energy crisis. After he admitted the exiled Shah of Iran to the U.S. for medical treatment, the American Embassy in Tehran was overrun in 1979 by followers of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Negotiations to free the hostages broke down repeatedly ahead of the failed rescue attempt. The same year, Carter signed SALT II, the new strategic arms treaty with Leonid Brezhnev of the Soviet Union, only to pull it back, impose trade sanctions and order a U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. Hoping to instill optimism, he delivered what the media dubbed his “malaise” speech, although he didn’t use that word. He declared the nation was suffering “a crisis of confidence.” By then, many Americans had lost confidence in the president, not themselves. Carter campaigned sparingly for reelection because of the hostage crisis, instead sending Rosalynn as Sen. Edward M. Kennedy challenged him for the Democratic nomination. Carter famously said he’d “kick his ass,” but was hobbled by Kennedy as Reagan rallied a broad coalition with “make America great again” appeals and asking voters whether they were “better off than you were four years ago.” Reagan further capitalized on Carter’s lecturing tone, eviscerating him in their lone fall debate with the quip: “There you go again.” Carter lost all but six states and Republicans rolled to a new Senate majority. Carter successfully negotiated the hostages’ freedom after the election, but in one final, bitter turn of events, Tehran waited until hours after Carter left office to let them walk free. At 56, Carter returned to Georgia with “no idea what I would do with the rest of my life.” Four decades after launching The Carter Center, he still talked of unfinished business. “I thought when we got into politics we would have resolved everything,” Carter told the AP in 2021. “But it’s turned out to be much more long-lasting and insidious than I had thought it was. I think in general, the world itself is much more divided than in previous years.” Still, he affirmed what he said when he underwent treatment for a cancer diagnosis in his 10th decade of life. “I’m perfectly at ease with whatever comes,” he said in 2015. “I’ve had a wonderful life. I’ve had thousands of friends, I’ve had an exciting, adventurous and gratifying existence.” Source: AP