Jimmy Carter was the compassionate, honourable, peacemaker America needed

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4 days ago

December 29, 2024

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In the late 1970s, America was not in a good place; reeling from a war and from Watergate.

Then came a man called Jimmy.

“Jimmy who?” the nation asked.

And so it was that the nation was somewhat dismissive when a peanut farmer called Jimmy Carter announced a run for the White House.

Beyond his home state of Georgia, where he had served as governor, James Earl Carter Jr was not well known.

But it would turn out, Jimmy Carter was just what 1970s America needed.

After the political turmoil of Nixon and Watergate and the quagmire of the Vietnam War, America craved stability, calm and integrity.

The 39th president of the United States did not provide the drama of those who came before him or those who would follow him.

Yet over a remarkably long life, punctuated by a short presidency, Jimmy Carter built a considerable legacy deserving of considerable reflection.

Carter the healer

“Compassionate”, “honourable”, a “peacemaker”, a “healer”.

They are words so often used to describe the American leader who lived a life longer than any other.

Late 1970s America was a nation reeling from the Watergate scandal and the disgraced presidency of Richard Nixon followed by the accidental presidency of Gerald Ford.

The wider backdrop was a long war in Vietnam, ending in a humiliating defeat and a fresh blot in a proud nation’s history.

Enter Jimmy Carter, 52-years-old; five feet seven inches – unassuming and unimposing both physically and in character.

Peanut farmer, turned submariner, turned politician; he was a man of the people whose core instinct was that a government is only as good as its people.

His healing qualities, clearly threaded through his life, were displayed on day one of his presidency.

In a bold move he granted unconditional pardons to hundreds of thousands of men who evaded the Vietnam War draft.

He had said the pardon was needed “to heal our country after the Vietnam War”.

Of the bitter divisions sparked by the war, he said: “We can now agree to respect those differences and to forget them.”

He pioneered a bold vision for compassionate centre-left politics which would, many years later, be emulated by presidents Clinton, Obama and Biden.

Yet Jimmy Carter would survive only one term as president.

In those four years he faced huge challenges – an energy crisis, Soviet aggression and Iran – themes which, it turns out, endure.

A childhood which shaped a presidency

Jimmy Carter was born where he died, in the town of Plains, Georgia on 1 October 1924.

His childhood unquestionably moulded the person and politician he would become.

1930s Georgia was a place of segregation. Two Americas existed side by side, separated by racism.

But Carter’s mother, a nurse, boldly ignored the state’s segregation laws, and so young Jimmy’s upbringing was one of coexistence in a place where there was none.

Decades later Carter would tell American talk show host Oprah Winfrey how every one of his childhood friends was black.

It was an experience which moulded his mind and would allow him to help change history decades later.

Young Jimmy Carter joined the Navy, serving as a submariner – a role that surely takes a particular type of character.

His father’s death in 1953 brought him back to Georgia where he ran the family peanut farm.

But politics beckoned. It was race and racism which lured Carter to activism with the Democratic Party.

By the 1960s it would propel him to the state senate and, by 1970, to the top job in Georgia – governor.

The long-shot president

He was the dark horse for president; a long-shot candidate who made it all the way.

His childhood experiences of coexistence over division were threaded through his term in office and led to significant yet oft-forgotten achievements.

President Carter recognised and valued the power of American leadership in the protection of human rights.

Global achievements

It was his blunt message to the white rulers in South Africa which helped to precipitate the end of Apartheid and a peaceful coexistence many years later.

His influence in the Middle East was profound, but controversial too.

The Camp David accords represented Carter’s greatest foreign policy achievement. He brought together Israel and its greatest enemy of the time, Egypt.

The image of Carter cupping the clasped hands of Egyptian president Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Begin on the north lawn of the White House in September 1978 is iconic. It represented the framework on which coexistence in the Middle East continues to be built.

With the deal he did more for Israeli security than any American president since, and yet he maintained a compassion for the Palestinian cause that no other American president has come close to.

Years later, out of office, he was among the first to accuse Israel of its own apartheid regime against the Palestinians.

A presidency dominated by “events”

Under his presidency, the Cold War got hotter. A wary Carter ditched a key arms reduction treaty with the Soviet Union. It would raise tensions but eventually help precipitate the collapse of the USSR.

With Britain, he fostered the so-called “special relationship”; he and British prime minister James Callaghan were close.

But “events” overtook his vision and his presidency unravelled.

In Iran, revolution came and US hostages were taken. American diplomats were held hostage for more than a year. A risky rescue ordered by president Carter went wrong, eight US servicemen were killed and Carter was blamed.

After just one term, Carter was out. The American people, struggling economically, chose the Republican showman Ronald Reagan and an optimism they could no longer find in Carter.

Misjudged by history?

History is so often cruel and distorted. It would hand many achievements built by Carter to Reagan instead.

It was Carter who laid the foundations for Middle East coexistence, and though he would be let down by partners later, and coexistence seems at times to be very far off, his vision remains at the core of the solution. He has arguably done more to fix the Middle East conundrum than any other American president since.

On the Cold War, it was Carter’s decision to ditch the detente with the Soviet Union which would eventually seal its demise. Reagan would not have been able to demand Gorbachev “tear down this wall” without Carter’s leadership in the years before.

The Democrat presidents since have often borrowed Carter’s core principles and yet the party orphaned him.

In November, as the nation chose between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, his spokespeople confirmed that he had cast his vote.

It was not revealed who he had voted for but was widely assumed that his final democratic act was to vote for Kamala Harris.

His son Chip said his father had not voted Republican in his life.

A legacy beyond politics

This “involuntary retirement”, as Carter would later put it, left much undone and it was really only after leaving office that he began to build the legacy he’d want to be remembered for.

With his wife, Rosalynn, he founded The Carter Center, a charity with his principle of healing at its heart.

The charity’s work – conflict resolution, disease prevention and the promotion of democracy – continues to this day. It represents president Carter’s legacy in 80 nations around the world.

In 2002, it was this work which earned him the Nobel Peace Prize.

Since then, under his leadership, its work has helped to nearly eradicate Guinea Worm Disease. As of 2021 there were just 15 cases reported globally. An extraordinary achievement.

At home in America, the charity Habitat for Humanity was a central part of the Carters’ fundraising efforts. Over many years, Jimmy and his wife were seen building and renovating homes for some of the nation’s poorest.

And away from this spotlight at his lifelong home in Plains, Georgia, president Carter was a painter, a furniture maker, a winemaker, and an author of a remarkable 32 books.

The death of his wife Rosalynn last year must have been an enormous blow for Carter.

She had been at his side always, and so often hand in hand. His best friend, his counsel, his “chief advisor”, his wife since 1946.

So often over the years, he’s been asked to reveal the magic of their bond. His answer: “Never go to bed angry.”

“Always make peace,” he said.

In much more than just marriage, that was president Carter’s defining principle.

He’s survived by his four children Jack, James (Chip), Donnel (Jeff) and Amy, 11 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren.

US

Tesla cybertruck explosion outside Trump hotel investigated as potential terror attack

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4 hours ago

January 2, 2025

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Tesla cybertruck explosion outside Trump hotel investigated as potential terror attack

A Tesla cybertruck explosion outside one of Donald Trump’s US hotels is being investigated as a potential terror attack.

The driver, who was inside the rented vehicle when it caught fire, died in the incident on New Year’s Day and seven other people suffered minor injuries.

Work is still under way to remove the driver’s body from the vehicle.

The blast happened as the truck was just outside the president-elect’s hotel in Las Vegas, police and fire officials said.

Tesla is owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk who has been a close ally of Mr Trump – donating millions to his successful 2024 US election campaign. He was also tasked with leading Mr Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency.

The blast in Las Vegas is being looked at as a possible terror attack, three senior law enforcement officials told NBC News, Sky News’ US partner.

As yet, officials have not provided a cause for the explosion.

Sheriff Kevin McMahill from Las Vegas police said the force knows who rented the truck but it will not be revealing their name at this stage.

In a news conference in Las Vegas, Mr McMahill said the truck was rented in Colorado and arrived in Las Vegas at 7:30am local time (3:30pm UK time).

“It went immediately up and down Las Vegas Boulevard before immediately pulling into the Trump Towers,” he added.

Mr Mahill later said that officers are “absolutely investigating” whether the blast was connected to the attack that left at least 15 people dead in New Orleans the same day.

He added: “We’re not ruling anything out yet.”

The three law enforcement officers who spoke to NBC had earlier said they did not believe the two incidents were connected.

Meanwhile, Mr McMahill said there is “no indication” the Las Vegas explosion was connected to the Islamic State (ISIS) terror group. It comes after the FBI found an ISIS flag on the back of the truck used in the New Orleans attack.

The Las Vegas sheriff also said police have not found any devices that could have been used to set off the explosives in the vehicle outside the Trump hotel.

Mr McMahill continued: “I have to thank Elon Musk specifically, he gave us quite a lot of additional information in regards to how the vehicle was locked after it exploded… as well as being able to capture all of the video from the Tesla charging stations across the country.

“He sent that directly to us, so I appreciate his help on that.”

It had earlier emerged that the Tesla used in Las Vegas and the Ford used in New Orleans were rented from the same company.

Mr McMahill said this is something his officers will “continue to look into”.

The sheriff also shared an image of the pick-up truck after the blast which showed gas cannisters, camp fuel cannisters and large firework mortars in the back.

He continued: “It looks like the exterior of that truck is completely intact as it sits there and it really limited the damage that occurred inside of the valet, because it (caused) most of the blast to go up through the truck and out.”

Mr Mahill also pointed out that the front glass doors of the hotel, which were just metres from the blast, were not broken.

Meanwhile, Clark County deputy fire chief Billy Samuels said the seven people who suffered minor injuries were all stable, with two of them taken to hospital and later released.

It came before FBI special agent Jeremy Schwartz said the agency is trying to determine whether the blast was an act of terrorism or not.

He added: “We believe this is an isolated incident, we do not believe there is a bunch of folks out there supporting this or helping this.”

Musk’s response to blast

Earlier, Mr Musk wrote on X: “We have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself.

“All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion.”

He had previously written: “The whole Tesla senior team is investigating this matter right now. Will post more information as soon as we learn anything. We’ve never seen anything like this.”

A Clark County spokeswoman said the blaze in the valet area of the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas was reported at 8.40am local time (4.40pm UK time).

Eric Trump, Mr Trump’s son and executive vice president of the Trump Organization, posted about the fire on social media.

He acknowledged that “a reported electric vehicle fire occurred in the porte cochere of Trump Las Vegas”.

And he praised fire crews and local police “for their swift response and professionalism”.

Mary Lescano Paguada, 43, who was on holiday in Las Vegas from San Antonio, Texas, to celebrate the new year at the hotel, told Sky’s US partner network NBC News she heard an explosion in the early morning.

At first, she did not worry until she started seeing officers responding to the scene.

Ms Paguada said once she and her husband reached the reception area, they heard screaming and were told by hotel staff to get out and “don’t breathe the smoke, don’t stay”.

She said they were not allowed to return to their rooms after they went downstairs in an attempt to get them to evacuate the area.

The 64-storey hotel is just behind the famous Las Vegas Strip and opposite the Fashion Show Las Vegas shopping mall.

US

New Orleans truck attack: Married twice and a US army veteran – what we know about suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar

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4 hours ago

January 2, 2025

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New Orleans truck attack: Married twice and a US army veteran - what we know about suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar

The suspect in the New Orleans truck attack has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar.

The FBI said he was a 42-year-old US citizen from Texas. Talking about himself in a promotional video, Jabbar said he was born and raised in the state.

At least 15 people were killed in the suspected terror attack which also injured dozens of others.

Latest updates on New Orleans attack

The attack

US army veteran Jabbar is believed to have driven a Ford pick-up truck into a crowd of revellers celebrating the New Year on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter of the southern US city.

Police said he was “hell-bent on creating the carnage and the damage that he did”.

“It was very intentional behaviour. This man was trying to run over as many people as he could,” said police chief Anne Kirkpatrick.

Police chief Ms Kirkpatrick said the driver, who swerved around barricades, shot and wounded two police officers from the vehicle after it crashed.

The officers were in stable condition, she added.

Jabbar died in firefight

Jabbar was killed in a firefight with police following the attack around 3.15am local time (9.15am UK time) on Wednesday.

The bureau said the truck appeared to have been rented.

It also said an ISIS flag, weapons, and a potential improvised explosive device (IED) were found in the vehicle.

Investigators recovered a handgun and an AR-style rifle after the shootout, a law enforcement official said.

Jabbar was army veteran

Jabbar served in the US army on active duty from 2006 to 2015, then in the army reserves from 2015 to 2020.

He was deployed to Afghanistan in 2009. He was a staff sergeant when he left with an honourable discharge in 2020.

Separately, he tried to enlist in the navy in 2004 but never actually shipped or began training.

A navy spokesperson said: “Our records show that a Shamsuddin Bahar Jabbar enlisted on 12 August 2004, in Navy Recruiting District Houston and was discharged from the Delayed Entry Programme one month later on 13 September 2004.

“He did not go to Recruit Training Command. The DOB matches. Because he did not serve in the navy, there is no additional information to add to the attached biography.”

NBC, Sky News’ US network partner, reported that Jabbar was a human resource specialist and information technology specialist from 2007 to January 2015 in the regular US army.

He was also an IT specialist in the army reserves between 2015 and 2020.

YouTube video

He is known to have appeared in a promotional video on YouTube in 2020 talking about his real estate business.

Jabbar said he was born and raised in Beaumont, Texas. He said he served in the military for 10 years as a human resources and IT specialist, learning the importance of great service and taking everything seriously.

“I’ve taken those skills and applied them to my career as a real estate agent, where I feel like what really sets me apart from other agents is my ability to be able to… be a fierce negotiator,” he said, encouraging clients to give him a call.

Was Jabbar helped by others?

The FBI initially said it did not believe he was “solely responsible” for Wednesday’s attack, but later ruled out three other potential suspects they were looking into. It is not known if he worked alone or not.

It is investigating the attacker to determine “potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organisations”.

President Joe Biden said said the suspect had expressed a “desire to kill” and had posted a video to social media hours before the attack in which he said he was inspired by the Islamic State group.

Officials are also looking into a “possible military connection” between Jabbar and the driver of a Tesla cybertruck that exploded in Las Vegas outside one of Donald Trump’s hotels, according to NBC News reports.

The driver, who has not been identified, was killed in the explosion. Sources familiar with the investigation told NBC News he had previous military experience.

The officials are also looking into the fact both men used the Turo car app to rent the vehicles used in both incidents.

Previous arrests

Jabbar was arrested in Texas in 2002 for theft, classed as a misdemeanour, and he was fined $100 by a court.

He was also arrested in the same state in 2005 for driving with an invalid licence, also classed as a misdemeanour, and was fined $100 by a court.

Twice married

Civil records show Jabbar was married twice, with his first marriage ending in 2012, NBC reported.

A petition for a second divorce was initiated in 2021.

Public records show that in 2020, Jabbar’s then wife filed a motion for a temporary restraining order against him.

The order stated that both parties should not engage in “intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly causing bodily injury to the other party or to a child of either party” or “threatening the other party or a child of either party with imminent bodily injury”.

The divorce was finalised in 2022. Jabbar and his ex-wife were granted joint custody of their child.

FBI says other possible explosives found

Two other potential IEDs were also located in the French Quarter and were made safe, the FBI said.

The historic area is known for attracting large crowds with its music and bars.

US

New Year’s carnage haunts New Orleans – but ‘Big Easy’ has suffered before

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4 hours ago

January 2, 2025

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New Year's carnage haunts New Orleans - but 'Big Easy' has suffered before

In many ways, New Orleans still screams “party” – to glance at parts of the city is to see a New Year much like the old one.

Crowds are still in town for the Sugar Bowl college football game, hotels are rammed and bars and restaurants are open and catering for the festive trade.

Life goes on in the place they call the “Big Easy”. Except, of course, it doesn’t – not in the heart of the city.

Number of people killed rises to 15 – live updates

The famous Bourbon Street, the bucket list destination, remains cordoned off – silent except for the police generators, soundtrack to steady-paced criminal investigation.

Carnage happened here and it haunts this place.

The fabled French quarter had been the centre of New Year celebrations. Here, the grim juxtaposition of celebration and shock is sharply defined by reports that hotels with holiday bookings put sheets over guest windows to block the view of the aftermath in the street below.

“Yesterday was a celebration, everyone was happy. This has been surreal, everything changed,” Jane Foster, from Nashville in Tennessee, told Sky News.

She was in New Orleans to support the Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl game against Notre-Dame. But if there isn’t a mood to party, there is a defiance and resilience in a city that’s suffered before.

“New Orleans is going to be back stronger than ever,” Ms Foster went on. “New Orleans is built on coming back from disaster.

“Even before Hurricane Katrina, if you think about their history and all the fires they had. It’s a strong southern town. This is a good community, they’re not going to lay over and change anything.”

Brad Daugherty had travelled from Atlanta, Georgia, for the football game.

He said: “As long as there’s people this crazy, there’s nothing you can do,” he told Sky News.

“It’s nobody’s fault but his. We’re not going to let them win, that’s what they want. There’s no way we’re leaving.”

It is the spirit of New Year in New Orleans – a resilience in a city that’s suffered and grieves its loss. They will get through it, no doubt. But it’s hard.