The Morning: Jimmy Carter’s legacy

Plus, the plane crash in South Korea, the Lebanese economy and beer drinking.

View in browser|nytimes.com December 30, 2024 By Ian Prasad Philbrick and Lauren Jackson Good morning. We're looking back at the life of Jimmy Carter. We're also covering the plane crash in South Korea, the Lebanese economy and beer drinking. Former President Jimmy Carter Damon Winter/The New York Times Remembering Jimmy Carter We're devoting today's newsletter to Jimmy Carter, the 39th president, who died yesterday at age 100 at his home in Plains, Ga. Carter lived to be the oldest former president in American history, and the only one to reach 100. He rose from Georgia farmland to the presidency in 1976, elected on a promise of healing the country after Watergate and the Vietnam War. He served only one term and left office with dismal approval ratings. Ronald Reagan defeated him in 1980 during a period of high inflation and a hostage crisis in Iran. Carter was the only Democrat to occupy the White House between 1969 and 1993. During his long post-presidency, Carter's reputation improved. He received praise for his humanitarian work and diplomacy, sometimes on behalf of his successors. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Carter grew up with no electricity or running water. He taught Sunday school in Plains and was married to his wife, Rosalynn, for more than 77 years — longer than any other presidential couple. Theirs was one of America's great love stories: They spent most of their adult lives in a simple house in Plains, where they returned after leaving Washington and weathered the pandemic together. Rosalynn died there last year at age 96. Carter also had a long goodbye, spending the final 22 months of his life in hospice care. During that time, he voted for Kamala Harris, watched Atlanta Braves games, traveled 164 miles to attend Rosalynn's service in Atlanta and celebrated his 100th birthday with his family. When Carter appeared in public, he looked frail and reclined in a wheelchair, a blanket covering his legs. The Times has much more about his life, including: Carter's obituary "With his peanut farmer's blue jeans, his broad, toothy grin and his promise never to tell a lie, Mr. Carter was a self-professed outsider intent on reforming a broken Washington in an era of lost faith in government," The Times's Peter Baker and Roy Reed wrote in his obituary. "While his presidency was remembered more for its failures than for its successes, his post-presidency was seen by many as a model for future chief executives." Read Carter's obituary here. See photos from Carter's life, including his rise from Navy submariner to Georgia governor. A peacemaking presidency Carter with Anwar el-Sadat of Egypt, left, and Menachem Begin of Israel at the signing of the Camp David Accords in 1979. Neal Boenzi/The New York Times In 1975, Carter was not a prominent governor. Then the Iowa caucuses propelled him to the White House. Joe Biden was the first senator to endorse Carter's presidential campaign. (In 2021, Biden became the first sitting president to visit the Carters at their home in Plains. A photo of the visit went viral.) Carter wanted to be perceived as a man of the people. After his inaugural address, he and his family started a tradition by exiting the presidential limousine and walking the parade route to the White House. (Read The Times's story from the next day.) His presidency had its successes: His human rights policies set a new standard for dealing with abusive governments, and he negotiated the Camp David Accords, which led to a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt that still holds today. But he also had many failures: Carter could not pass landmark legislation, turn around a slumping economy or free American hostages in Iran in time to win a second term. His approval rating at times fell below 30 percent. "It was a very, very terrible responsibility": In a never-before-seen interview with The Times, from 2006, Carter discussed his time as a Cold War leader and his legacy. His post-presidency Carter on a visit to southern Sudan in 2010.  Louise Gubb/Carter Center Carter gained respect in his post-presidency. He established the Carter Center, a nonprofit organization, and spent much of his time traveling to fight disease and monitor elections. Carter had a tense relationship with his successors. They didn't like that he sometimes conducted diplomacy at odds with the current administration. (He once urged Barack Obama to diplomatically recognize Palestinian statehood.) In an essay marking the first anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, Carter warned of democratic collapse. Carter was a prolific author. He wrote more New York Times best-selling books than any other modern president, but he has had the fewest written about him. See photos from Plains, a town that was remade by the Carters' influence. Georgians yesterday flocked to an Atlanta dive bar where Carter launched his 1970 campaign for governor. Carter will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol and have an official state funeral in Washington before being buried in Plains. His funeral will be the first for a former president since George H.W. Bush's in 2018. Response Biden said that the U.S. and the world had lost "an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian." The White House flag flew at half-staff. Donald Trump hailed Carter for doing "everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans. For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude." Current and former political leaders paid tribute. Mike Pence called him a "truly good" man, who had "lived out his Christian faith and values with integrity and devotion." Climate groups called Carter, who put solar panels on the White House roof and oversaw major conservation efforts, an environmental visionary. José Raúl Mulino, Panama's president, praised Carter for giving control of the Panama Canal back to the Central American country. (Trump has recently suggested retaking it.) Commentary Carter restoring a building on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 1984. Dith Pran/The New York Times America needs more Jimmy Carters, The Times's Editorial Board writes. Carter's voluminous writings "reveal a man striving to earn trust from others, displaying unerring trust in himself and forever trusting in a country that did not always return the favor," The Times Opinion columnist Carlos Lozada argues. Lawrence Wright, who wrote a play about the Camp David negotiations, writes in The New Yorker about attending opening night with Carter seated directly behind him. (The performance moved Carter to tears.) National Review's Philip Klein argues that Carter's post-presidency — which included criticisms of Israel and freelance diplomacy — is overrated. Carter made human rights a key part of U.S. foreign policy, Samantha Power, the United States Agency for International Development administrator, writes in Times Opinion. Carter's efforts to deregulate airlines, energy and other industries helped fuel an economic boom under Reagan, Phil Gramm argues in The Wall Street Journal. THE LATEST NEWS Plane Crash At a memorial in Muan, South Korea. Chang W. Lee/The New York Times South Korea's acting president said that the country would observe a weeklong mourning period after a plane crash in the southwest killed 179 of the 181 people on board. The plane was operated by Jeju Air, a low-cost South Korean carrier. The company apologized for the crash in a brief statement. It appears to have been the airline's first fatal crash. Some have developed theories about the cause of the crash based on footage. To experts, the video raises more questions than it answers. More International News The war between Israel and Hezbollah has worsened Lebanon's already fragile economy. A conservative critic of the West was sworn in as president of Georgia, a symbol of the nation's drift toward Russia and China. For its war in Ukraine, Russia has expanded its recruitment of soldiers to include those with large debts and officials jailed on corruption charges. Other Big Stories Convicted sex offenders market themselves as photographers or social media experts to groom children hoping to become Instagram influencers, a Times investigation found. The number of murders across the U.S. declined sharply for much of 2024, according to F.B.I. data. Four people died in three Southern states after strong storms brought tornadoes and heavy rains. Opinions Mean girls, breakups and wardrobe malfunctions: Michelle Cottle hands out high school yearbook superlatives to 2024's biggest names in politics. Here's a column by Margaret Renkl on following green news sources. MORNING READS B-Boy Phil Wizard in Paris.  Gabriela Bhaskar for The New York Times A big year that wasn't: Breaking's inclusion in the Olympics was supposed to be a celebration. It turned into a debacle. Nesting parties: Expectant parents seeking community over consumption are hosting get-togethers centered on household tasks. Metropolitan Diary: The best of 2024. Lives Lived: As 2024 ends, we recall some of the people — some famous, others less so — who died this year. Review The Times's list of notable deaths, and read an essay from our Obituaries editor reflecting on the year. SPORTS N.F.L.: After an intense Week 17 slate, the league's playoff picture is coming into focus. A matchup between Minnesota (14-2) and Detroit (13-2) will decide the N.F.C.'s top seed. N.H.L.: Penguins center Sidney Crosby surpassed Mario Lemieux's franchise record for assists. ARTS AND IDEAS Sophie Park Has the craft beer industry's keg finally been kicked? After decades of meteoric success, this year was the first time since 2005 that more breweries closed than opened. Read more about the decline in beer drinking. More on culture Olivia Hussey, whose passionate portrayal of Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 film "Romeo and Juliet" won enduring acclaim, died at 73. In 2023, Hussey sued Paramount Pictures over the circumstances of a nude scene in the film. Soda made a big comeback in 2024, The Cut reports. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Kelly Marshall for The New York Times Make a New Mexican breakfast burrito with green chiles this morning. Make better popcorn. Pick the best tinned fish. GAMES Here is today's Spelling Bee. Yesterday's pangram was imbroglio. And here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. —Ian and Lauren Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for the Morning newsletter from The New York Times, or as part of your New York Times account. To stop receiving The Morning, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. 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