What ended up as the most consequential post-presidency in U.S. history began just as inauspiciously. Jimmy Carter had lost his 1980 bid for reelection by ten percentage points, pulling just 41% of the popular vote versus 51% by his Republican challenger, Ronald Reagan. Shortly afterward, he discovered that the prosperous agricultural business he had built earlier in his career had been driven into the ground by a blind trust, leaving him millions in debt, adding to the $1.4 million of debt he had accrued as part of his failed reelection campaign, with no cash reserves to pay it off. Then there was the unresolved matter of the Iranian Hostage Crisis, which had crippled Carter's presidency, leading critics to charge him with being weak and ineffectual. When Reagan succeeded him as president on Jan. 20, 1981, Carter had been awake for over two full days as he oversaw the negotiation to release the 52 American hostages that had been detained by the Iranian government for 444 days. A last thumb in Carter's eye: They would be freed in the first minutes of Reagan's presidency. Upon relinquishing the White House, Carter returned briefly to his native Plains, Georgia, which at the time boasted a population of just 640 residents, where he was welcomed home in a driving rain by friends and neighbors with a covered-dish supper. The rain-soaked homecoming didn't last for long. Just hours afterward, Carter flew off to Wiesbaden, Germany, to greet the freed hostages, only to be met with anger by many of them who believed he had failed to ensure their liberation earlier. On Jan. 22, 1980, Carter returned to Plains, to the ranch-style home he and wife Rosalynn had built in 1961, but hadn't lived in for ten years. Exhausted and depleted, the now former president slept for 24 hours before awakening to what he described as "an altogether unwanted life" - and with no idea what he would do next. Twenty-one years later, Carter would be awakened by an early-morning phone call in that same home, in that same small town, with the news that he had won the Nobel Peace Prize for, as the Nobel committee wrote, "his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development." Along the way, Carter reinvented the post-presidency, manifesting its possibilities and potential and providing a playbook, and a daunting standard, for activist former presidents. He showed how a president can leverage the stature of being a "former" to advance a philanthropic agenda, while enhancing his overall legacy and strengthening the American brand. The improbable journey from newly defeated one-term president to Nobel laureate reflected a pattern throughout Carter's fruitful life, one spent achieving outsize ambitions by defying long odds. Carter launched his career in politics in 1962 by challenging the political machine in Southwestern Georgia, successfully contesting a rigged election and winning a seat in the Georgia state legislature. While he lost a race for Georgia governor four years later, he came back to win the office in 1970, becoming one of a crop of new leaders to usher in a new, post-segregation South. After leaving the governor's mansion in 1975 due to a state law then prohibiting governors from serving consecutive terms, Carter set his sights on the distant presidency, a dark-horse former governor of a deep Southern state with little or no name recognition - so much so that even his home state's Atlanta Constitution newspaper ran a story headlined, "Jimmy Who Is Running for What?" "Nobody thought I had a chance in God's world to be the nominee," Carter told me in 2013. His unlikely nomination as the Democratic presidential candidate and subsequent victory over incumbent President Gerald Ford in the 1976 election spoke to Carter's relentless drive and preternatural self-assuredness. Those same qualities would come to bear in his post-White House endeavors. Just a little more than a year out of office, as he considered his future, Carter had an epiphany: that he could create a nongovernmental, non-profit organization that could focus on intractable problems around the world which the international community and the United Nations were not addressing. The Carter Center, attached to his presidential library in Atlanta, did just that, becoming an outlet for the former president's activism and vision for a better world. Since its launch in 1982, the Carter Center, scrupulously overseen by Carter himself, has monitored over a hundred elections in 39 countries and has helped to peacefully resolve disputes throughout the world - including in Haiti, Sudan, and Bosnia - while working toward the eradication of Guinea worm disease and river blindness, insidious ailments that went largely unchecked among the world's poor and developing nations. Recognizing his skill in conflict resolution, President Bill Clinton tapped the ex-president in the 1990s to represent the U.S. in a negotiation to dismantle North Korea's nuclear weapons program, and in staving off a U.S. military invasion of Haiti. As prodigious as they were, Carter's activities weren't limited to the Carter Center. Soon into his post-presidency, Carter took up a hammer for Habitat for Humanity, providing both labor and inspiration for the next four-and-a-half decades on work projects that bear his name. Somehow, he also found time to teach Sunday school nearly every week at Plains' Maranatha Baptist Church - and pose afterward for photographs with visitors to the congregation - as well as do woodwork, fly fish, paint, and become our most prolific presidential author. Carter sometimes bristled when he was called "our best ex-president," a backhanded compliment that disregarded a presidential term that he saw as largely successful. "I don't know of any decisions I made in the White House that were basically erroneous," he told me in 2005. But he didn't spend a great deal of time worrying about his place in the presidential pantheon. The things Jimmy Carter wanted to be remembered for went beyond any achievement he may have chalked up in the White House. In 2014, in an interview at the LBJ Library, I asked Carter how he wanted to be remembered. "I think lot of people will say 'He only served one term and got defeated [ for reelection ] ,'" he replied. "I would like for people to remember that I kept the peace and that I promoted human rights ...That would be my preference." He will get his wish. Mark K. Updegrove is a presidential historian and ABC News political contributor. He is the president and CEO of the LBJ Foundation, and the author of "Second Acts: Presidential Lives and Legacies After the White House."
With their new movie Y2K, Kyle Mooney and Evan Winter invite you to 1999’s deadliest party
London back in favour with banks amid chaos in France and GermanyIndianapolis Colts coach Shane Steichen seemed to sense the question might arise after his club was eliminated from playoff consideration Sunday with a ghastly 45-33 loss to the host New York Giants in East Rutheford, N.J. The Giants were 2-13 and had lost a franchise-record 10 straight games entering the contest and their season-high point total Sunday more than tripled their season average of 14.3 points per game. It was the type of bad loss that leads to head coaches being asked about their job security. "I control what I can control," Steichen said of the employment situation. The Colts (7-9) were outplayed all contest by the team that entered the day with the worst record in the NFL -- and with their playoff hopes on the line. Last season, Steichen's first as Indianapolis coach, the Colts also fell short, losing to the Houston Texans in the final week of the season to miss the playoffs. "It was as disappointing as it gets," Steichen said of the setback against the Giants. "As the leader of a football team, shoot, I always say I've got to be better, we've all got to be better. That's a group effort, everyone's got to chip in and do their part, so stuff like that doesn't happen." Giants quarterback Drew Lock passed for 309 yards and tied his career high of four touchdowns while also running for a score. Meanwhile, the Colts also went with a reserve quarterback in veteran Joe Flacco and he turned the ball over three times on two interceptions and a fumble. He also passed for 330 yards. Flacco started because rookie Anthony Richardson couldn't play due to back and foot injuries. Indianapolis completes the season next weekend at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars. "I know it's a tough situation, obviously, when you're out of the playoff hunt, but again, I told (the team) we've got to be professional about it," Steichen said. "That's the biggest thing. We've got to show up and do our job still with one week left." The Colts last made the playoffs in the 2020 season. Their last playoff win was two seasons earlier. --Field Level MediaSports on TV for Sunday, Dec. 22
Benzinga examined the prospects for many investors’ favorite stocks over the last week — here’s a look at some of our top stories. The U.S. stock market continued its upward momentum, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq marking their third consecutive week of gains, rising 0.96% and 3.34%, respectively, while the Dow edged down 0.6%. Technology and consumer discretionary sectors drove the rally, supported by strong performances from mega-cap tech names like Apple Inc. AAPL , Amazon.com Inc. AMZN , and Meta Platforms Inc. META . November’s labor market data showed a notable rebound, with nonfarm payrolls increasing by 227,000, surpassing expectations and significantly outpacing October’s revised 36,000 figure. Meanwhile, consumer sentiment, as measured by the University of Michigan, improved to a seven-month high, despite heightened inflation concerns influencing some consumers to expedite purchases of durable goods. Benzinga provides daily reports on the stocks most popular with investors. Here are a few of this past week’s most bullish and bearish posts that are worth another look. The Bulls “ ‘Big Short' Trader Danny Moses Gives Up On Shorting Tesla, Says It Is ‘Very Difficult To Short A Name That Is Not Trading On Fundamentals’ ,” by Anan Ashraf , explains that Danny Moses , known from “The Big Short,” stopped shorting Tesla Inc. TSLA , citing its stock's reliance on narrative-driven promises like autonomous driving rather than financial fundamentals. “ Crypto Analyst Foresees Potential 212%-260% Upswing In Dogecoin's Value ,” by Aniket Verma , highlights an analyst’s bullish projection for Dogecoin DOGE/USD , predicting a surge to $1.30-$1.50 as a key macro target, which would reflect a 212%-260% increase, citing historical patterns and market momentum. “ GameStop Rockets As Roaring Kitty Returns To X: What Does His Tweet Signal Ahead Of Q3 Earnings? ,” by Chris Katje , reports a surge in GameStop Corp. GME stock following Roaring Kitty’s ( Keith Gill ) return to X (formerly Twitter), sparking investor speculation with cryptic posts tied to meme stock momentum ahead of the company's earnings. For additional bullish calls of the past week, check out the following: Michael Saylor Says Bitcoin Could Boost Microsoft’s Valuation By Nearly $5 Trillion And Add $584 To The Stock By 2034 Andrew Left’s Citron Research Says Nvidia-Backed Nebius Is The Next ‘AI Wall Street Darling’ — Stock Moves Up 14% JPMorgan Bets On Natural Gas For 2025: Upgrades ConocoPhillips, Lowers 3 Energy Stocks The Bears “ Trump’s Tariff Plan Risks Economic Pain For North America, Goldman Sachs Warns ,” by Piero Cingari , notes Goldman Sachs’ warning that Donald Trump's proposed 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports could shrink Canada's GDP by 4%, Mexico's by 3.5%, and the U.S.'s by 0.4%, hitting firms like General Motors Co. GM and spiking inflation. “ Biden Targets China With New Chip Restrictions, Nvidia Slides ,” by Anusuya Lahiri , reports on the U.S. imposing stricter export controls on 140 Chinese semiconductor firms, including memory chip tools, impacting NVIDIA Corp. NVDA , Lam Research Corp. LRCX , and Applied Materials Inc. AMAT , as part of a national security strategy. “ Peter Schiff Challenges Jim Cramer’s Bullish Bitcoin Take, Says Such Statements Are Made At Market Tops ,” by Aniket Verma , highlights Peter Schiff’s critique of Jim Cramer’s enthusiastic support for Bitcoin BTC/USD after it surpassed $100,000, calling such remarks indicative of a market peak, while Cramer defended Bitcoin as a portfolio hedge akin to gold. For more bearish takes, be sure to see these posts: Shift4 Payments Stock Drops After CEO Jared Isaacman’s NASA Nomination: What’s Going On? How A Potential Fallout Between Elon Musk And Trump Could Impact Tesla And SpaceX: Cathie Wood Weighs In Sony-Honda EV Dream Collides With Trump-Backed Policy Shift Reality Ahead Of 2026 US Launch Keep up with all the latest breaking news and trading ideas by following Benzinga on Twitter . Image created using artificial intelligence via Midjourney. This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.When Katja Vogt considers a Jaguar, she pictures a British-made car purring confidently along the Italian coastline — a vision of familiarity that conveys "that dreaming, longing feeling we all love." She's not sure what to think about Jaguar now after the 89-year-old company announced a radical rebranding that featured loud colors and androgynous people — but no cars. Jaguar, the company says, will now be JaGUar. It will produce only electric vehicles beginning in 2026. Bad attention is good attention, Jaguar execs would appear to believe. The car brand has prompted mockery online for posting a glitzy ad without a single car in it. Say goodbye to British racing green, Cotswold Blue and black. Its colors are henceforth electric pink, red and yellow, according to a video that sparked backlash online. Its mission statement: "Create exuberance. Live vivid. Delete ordinary. Break moulds." "Intrigued?" @Jaguar posted on social media. "Weird and unsettled" is more like it, Vogt wrote on Instagram. "Especially now, with the world feeling so dystopian," the Cyprus-based brand designer wrote, "a heritage brand like Jaguar should be conveying feelings of safety, stability, and maybe a hint of rebellion — the kind that shakes things up in a good way, not in a way that unsettles." Jaguar was one of several iconic companies that announced significant rebrandings in recent weeks, upending a series of commercial — and cultural — landmarks by which many modern human beings sort one another, carve out identities and recognize the world around them. Campbell's, the 155-year-old American icon that artist Andy Warhol immortalized in pop culture decades ago, is ready for a new, soupless name. Comcast's corporate reorganization means there will soon be two television networks with "NBC" in their name — CNBC and MSNBC — that will no longer have any corporate connection to NBC News, a U.S. legacy news outlet. CNBC One could even argue the United States itself is rebranding with the election of former President Donald Trump and Republican majorities in the House and Senate. Unlike Trump's first election in 2016, he won the popular vote in what many called a national referendum on American identity. Are we, then, the sum total of our consumer decisions — what we buy, where we travel and whom we elect? Certainly, it's a question for those privileged enough to be able to afford such choices. Volumes of research in the art and science of branding — from "brandr," an old Norse word for burning symbols into the hides of livestock — say those factors do contribute to the modern sense of identity. So rebranding, especially of heritage names, can be a deeply felt affront to consumers. "It can feel like the brand is turning its back on everything that it stood for — and therefore it feels like it's turning its back on us, the people who subscribe to that idea or ideology," said Ali Marmaduke, strategy director with the Amsterdam-based Brand Potential. He said cultural tension — polarization — is surging over politics, wars in Russia and the Mideast, the environment, public health and more, creating what Marmaduke said is known as a "polycrisis": the idea that there are several massive crises converging that feel scary and complex. Campbell's soups "People are understandably freaked out by that," he said. "So we are looking for something that will help us navigate this changing, threatening world that we face." Trump's "Make America Great Again" qualifies. So did President Joe Biden's "Build Back Better" slogan. Campbell's soup itself — "Mmm Mmm Good" — isn't going anywhere, CEO Mark Clouse said. The company's new name, Campbell's Co., will reflect "the full breadth of our portfolio," which includes brands like Prego pasta sauce and Goldfish crackers. None of the recent activity around heritage brands sparked a backlash as ferocious as Jaguar's. The company stood as a pillar of tradition-loving British identity since World War II. The famous "leaper" cat Jaguar logo is pictured in 2019 at the Auto show in Paris, France. Jaguar said its approach to the rebrand was rooted in the philosophy of its founder, Sir William Lyons, to "copy nothing." What it's calling "the new Jaguar" will overhaul everything from the font of its name to the positioning of it's famous "leaper" cat. "Exuberant modernism" will "define all aspects of the new Jaguar world," according to the news release. The approach is thought to be aimed at selling fewer cars at a six-figure price point to a more diverse customer base. The reaction ranged from bewilderment to hostility. Memes sprouted up likening the video to the Teletubbies, a Benetton ad and — perhaps predictably — a bow to "woke" culture as the blowback intersected with politics. Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.