Wearable Devices Ltd. (NASDAQ:WLDS) Sees Significant Decline in Short Interest
DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 13, 2024-- The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) announced today that its Board of Directors approved a new $1 billion authorization for the Company to repurchase its common stock and declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.235 per common share. The dividend will be payable December 31, 2024, to stockholders of record at the close of business on December 23, 2024. “We remain committed to returning capital to our shareholders with our disciplined approach focused on driving long-term shareholder value through both dividends and stock repurchases and today’s announcements allows us the flexibility to continue to do that,” said Devin McGranahan, President and Chief Executive Officer. Repurchases may be made at management’s discretion through open-market transactions, privately negotiated transactions, tender offers, Rule 10b5-1 plans, or by other means. The amount and timing of any repurchases made under the share repurchase program will depend on a variety of factors, including market conditions, share price, legal requirements, and other factors. The program does not have a set expiration date and may be suspended, modified, or discontinued at any time without prior notice. Safe Harbor Compliance Statement for Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain statements that are forward-looking within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, our forward-looking statements. Words such as “expects,” “intends,” “targets,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “guides,” “provides guidance,” “provides outlook,” “projects,” “designed to,” and other similar expressions or future or conditional verbs such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “could,” and “might” are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Readers of this press release of The Western Union Company (the “Company,” “Western Union,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) should not rely solely on the forward-looking statements and should consider all uncertainties and risks discussed in the Risk Factors section and throughout the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023. The statements are only as of the date they are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement. Possible events or factors that could cause results or performance to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements include the following: (i) events related to our business and industry, such as: changes in general economic conditions and economic conditions in the regions and industries in which we operate, including global economic downturns and trade disruptions, or significantly slower growth or declines in the money transfer, payment service, and other markets in which we operate, including downturns or declines related to interruptions in migration patterns or other events, such as public health emergencies, epidemics, or pandemics, civil unrest, war, terrorism, natural disasters, or non-performance by our banks, lenders, insurers, or other financial services providers; failure to compete effectively in the money transfer and payment service industry, including among other things, with respect to price or customer experience, with global and niche or corridor money transfer providers, banks and other money transfer and payment service providers, including digital, mobile and internet-based services, card associations, and card-based payment providers, and with digital currencies and related exchanges and protocols, and other innovations in technology and business models; geopolitical tensions, political conditions and related actions, including trade restrictions and government sanctions, which may adversely affect our business and economic conditions as a whole, including interruptions of United States or other government relations with countries in which we have or are implementing significant business relationships with agents, clients, or other partners; deterioration in customer confidence in our business, or in money transfer and payment service providers generally; failure to maintain our agent network and business relationships under terms consistent with or more advantageous to us than those currently in place; our ability to adopt new technology and develop and gain market acceptance of new and enhanced services in response to changing industry and consumer needs or trends; mergers, acquisitions, and the integration of acquired businesses and technologies into our Company, divestitures, and the failure to realize anticipated financial benefits from these transactions, and events requiring us to write down our goodwill; decisions to change our business mix; changes in, and failure to manage effectively, exposure to foreign exchange rates, including the impact of the regulation of foreign exchange spreads on money transfers; changes in tax laws, or their interpretation, any subsequent regulation, and unfavorable resolution of tax contingencies; any material breach of security, including cybersecurity, or safeguards of or interruptions in any of our systems or those of our vendors or other third parties; cessation of or defects in various services provided to us by third-party vendors; our ability to realize the anticipated benefits from restructuring-related initiatives, which may include decisions to downsize or to transition operating activities from one location to another, and to minimize any disruptions in our workforce that may result from those initiatives; our ability to attract and retain qualified key employees and to manage our workforce successfully; failure to manage credit and fraud risks presented by our agents, clients, and consumers; adverse rating actions by credit rating agencies; our ability to protect our trademarks, patents, copyrights, and other intellectual property rights, and to defend ourselves against potential intellectual property infringement claims; material changes in the market value or liquidity of securities that we hold; restrictions imposed by our debt obligations; (ii) events related to our regulatory and litigation environment, such as: liabilities or loss of business resulting from a failure by us, our agents, or their subagents to comply with laws and regulations and regulatory or judicial interpretations thereof, including laws and regulations designed to protect consumers, or detect and prevent money laundering, terrorist financing, fraud, and other illicit activity; increased costs or loss of business due to regulatory initiatives and changes in laws, regulations and industry practices and standards, including changes in interpretations, in the United States and abroad, affecting us, our agents or their subagents, or the banks with which we or our agents maintain bank accounts needed to provide our services, including related to anti-money laundering regulations, anti-fraud measures, our licensing arrangements, customer due diligence, agent and subagent due diligence, registration and monitoring requirements, consumer protection requirements, remittances, immigration, and sustainability reporting including climate-related reporting; liabilities, increased costs or loss of business and unanticipated developments resulting from governmental investigations and consent agreements with, or investigations or enforcement actions by regulators and other government authorities; liabilities resulting from litigation, including class-action lawsuits and similar matters, and regulatory enforcement actions, including costs, expenses, settlements, and judgments; failure to comply with regulations and evolving industry standards regarding consumer privacy, data use, the transfer of personal data between jurisdictions, and information security, failure to comply with the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, as well as regulations issued pursuant to it and the actions of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and similar legislation and regulations enacted by other governmental authorities in the United States and abroad related to consumer protection; effects of unclaimed property laws or their interpretation or the enforcement thereof; failure to maintain sufficient amounts or types of regulatory capital or other restrictions on the use of our working capital to meet the changing requirements of our regulators worldwide; changes in accounting standards, rules and interpretations, or industry standards affecting our business; and (iii) other events, such as catastrophic events and management’s ability to identify and manage these and other risks. About Western Union The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is committed to helping people around the world who aspire to build financial futures for themselves, their loved ones and their communities. Our leading cross-border, cross-currency money movement, payments and digital financial services empower consumers, businesses, financial institutions and governments—across more than 200 countries and territories and nearly 130 currencies—to connect with billions of bank accounts, millions of digital wallets and cards, and a global footprint of hundreds of thousands of retail locations. Our goal is to offer accessible financial services that help people and communities prosper. For more information, visit www.westernunion.com . WU-G View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241213394701/en/ CONTACT: Media Relations: Brad Jones media@westernunion.comInvestor Relations: Tom Hadley WesternUnion.IR@westernunion.com KEYWORD: COLORADO UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: SOFTWARE PERSONAL FINANCE PAYMENTS FINANCE BANKING PROFESSIONAL SERVICES TECHNOLOGY FINTECH SOURCE: The Western Union Company Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/13/2024 04:05 PM/DISC: 12/13/2024 04:04 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241213394701/en
Make sure your fantasy team is in position to feast on Thanksgiving
Pittsburgh Steelers star edge rusher, TJ Watt was hoping for a much better outing against the Cleveland Browns than he gave in Week 12. The Steelers lost the game 24-19 , and it was a disappointing showing for most of the game. Despite a late rally that gave them a 19-18 lead, Pittsburgh couldn’t stop Cleveland when it mattered most, allowing the Browns to drive down the field for the game-winning score. The loss added to the frustration of a performance that lacked consistency from the Steelers' defense, including Watt. Throughout the game, Browns star defensive player Myles Garrett was dominating. Garrett finished with three sacks and a forced fumble, consistently disrupting Russell Wilson and putting pressure on the Steelers’ offense. It was clear that Garrett was one of the primary reasons for Cleveland's success. Meanwhile, Watt, despite being one of the NFL's top pass rushers, struggled to make those splash plays that typically define his impact. As the game unfolded, former Steelers Super Bowl champion Trai Essex took to social media to share his thoughts on Watt's performance. "TJ has been above reproach for so long.......not today," Essex wrote. "Dude has been non existent. His individual nemesis has made an impact and 90 hasn’t. Simply put." Essex, known for his candid opinions, questioned whether Watt’s lack of impact in such a crucial game was a sign of something bigger. His comments sparked debate among Steelers fans. One fan responded to Essex saying that it was one game and that he was overreacting. Essex added clarity to his comments about Watt. "Not calling for his job my man," Essex said. "Calling a bad game when we see it." The first thing to note is that the impact Watt has had on the Steelers—and continues to have—extends beyond what shows up in the box score. Even when he doesn’t register big stats, his presence on the field is often felt. Essex, a seasoned football mind, understands that great players can still influence the game even when they aren't getting the obvious numbers. In this case, Essex was looking beyond the typical statistics used to measure production. While Watt faced constant double-teams and chips throughout the game, there were moments when he wasn’t being pressured as heavily, yet he still failed to make the key plays that Essex felt were necessary. Great players, especially someone like Watt, are held to the highest standard—making an impact no matter the circumstances. It was a disappointing showing from Watt, but not just him. The entire defense struggled in several areas, and as a unit, they failed to rise to the occasion. Overall, the team didn’t appear prepared for a Browns squad that, while dangerous, has had its struggles this season. From a defensive standpoint, the Steelers seemed unready to deal with Cleveland’s offensive schemes, leaving them exposed when it mattered most. The lack of preparation was glaring, and it cost the Steelers dearly in this crucial matchup. Steelers' TJ Watt Gets Strange Hate From Browns' Myles Garrett Essex knows football well enough to recognize when Watt deserves criticism, and in this case, he felt Watt needed to make a bigger impact. Watt himself would likely be the first to agree. The game was further fueled by some interesting comments from Garrett about Watt, and after the game, Garrett continued to take shots at the Steelers' star. The rivalry between these two pass rushers is sure to intensify, and for now, Garrett holds the upper hand. However, Watt is known for bouncing back and will undoubtedly have a major game soon. No player, no matter how great, is beyond scrutiny—especially when you suffer a loss to a team like the Browns. This article first appeared on SteelerNation.com and was syndicated with permission.
Spotting and cruising through spectacular Australian landscapes are among the things Greg Esnouf loves about being a . or signup to continue reading "I'm out in the bush today; I'm driving around, I just saw an ... and I showed my guests some wallabies," he said. "I'm in the in Western Victoria, which is magic country and I'm enjoying it as much as they are because I just love being out and about and showing people things." As president of Tour Guides Australia, Mr Esnouf welcomed the federal government listing tour guides on its Occupation Shortage List. "Tour guides are Australia's on-the-ground ambassadors, bringing our natural environment and local culture to life," he said. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census data, about 39 per cent of tour guides in Australia are aged 55 and over. Mr Esnouf, 68, of Melbourne, has been a tour guide for about 15 years. He previously worked in emergency services and saw tour guiding as a way to do a "change of life experience". He started doing it part-time alongside his day job and has since transitioned to tour guiding being his career. Ms Esnouf said it's not uncommon for people who have been in stressful corporate roles to later become tour guides. "They know the local area because they've generally lived there for a long time, they've got stories that they can write to [that go] back a long time because they've lived that experience," he said. Mr Esnoug said mature people were well suited to the role as they could talk about their own experiences as well as the history and culture. He said there was a mix of employment opportunities, for example being a sole trader like himself, or working for a company. "It can be whatever you want it to be, depending on how you operate and what you want to get out of it," he said. Mr Esnouf said good money could be made from the profession if people wanted it. He said tour guiding is an unregulated occupation in Australia, but it is something he would like to see happen for quality and safety purposes. Tour Guides Australia offers a three-day course to help new guides acquire the essential skills, plus a Professional Tour Guide Accreditation Program. Share your thoughts in a . DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily! Advertisement AdvertisementHealth care is an increasingly complex landscape to navigate, but that is even more true when access to medical care is scarce, as is the case in so many rural areas of Arkansas and across our country. We know there is no substitute for a readily available supply of doctors, nurses and other providers in our own community. The opportunity to receive convenient primary care, as well as specialized services and even acute treatment, is increasingly becoming a privilege for many Americans. This reality is leading to new challenges in the delivery of medical care. Yet it also puts an even greater focus on the organizations and personnel serving the 61 million people nationwide, including hundreds of thousands in Arkansas, considered to live in rural areas. During November, we designate a day to express our appreciation for them and remind ourselves of the importance of health care access in less populated communities. This year, National Rural Health Day occurred on Thursday, November 21. I know many Arkansans joined me in sharing tremendous thanks with our doctors, nurses, EMS personnel and health care workers living and working outside more populated regions. In Congress, I have been working to bolster the health care network in rural America to better support residents and providers. To help curb the trend of hospital closures in these localities, my colleagues and I introduced the Save Rural Hospitals Act to ensure hospitals are fairly reimbursed for their services by the federal government. This bipartisan measure would help preserve access to quality and affordable health care at a time when hospitals in less urban settings are struggling to stay operational. Mental health support is another resource rural residents are seeking more and more frequently. In fact, rural residents can be nearly overlooked when it comes to the need for mental health services. One important step to provide this vital care would be to expand the availability of grants that enable virtual mental health care, which legislation I joined – the Home-Based Telemental Health Care Act – would do. I am also leading work to reauthorize the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN), a program that connects the agriculture community to stress management programs and resources. Telehealth is transforming the practice of medicine and represents a key tool in helping rural Americans stay connected to their physicians and medical teams. I have long championed the adoption of this innovative technology to close the emerging geographic divide that can keep routine, quality care out of reach. That’s why I strongly advocate for policies to permanently extend pandemic-era virtual care flexibilities to improve health outcomes and better enable patients to connect with their doctors. The Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act, Telehealth Modernization Act and Expanded Telehealth Access Act would all boost rural and underserved populations’ ability to receive treatment from health care providers no matter where they live. Another critical source of care for those in rural areas comes from community health centers (CHC), which have long earned my support because of the basic primary care they deliver to vulnerable Arkansans. In our state alone, 230 CHC facilities serve nearly 300,000 people with preventative and comprehensive services that help keep residents healthy and productive. Rural America has changed considerably in most Americans’ lifetimes. One thing that has not changed is the desire among the men and women who call it home to help and serve each other. We can support them as well, including through efforts to enhance the health care and treatment options available to them. I look forward to continuing to advocate for those needs in the Senate.Dec. 29—LOS ANGELES — Chatting with the small Flyers media contingent in Anaheim, Calif., on Friday after the team returned to action with a spirited practice, John Tortorella spoke like a proud papa about Noah Cates. "You never know, right?" he said. "You just never know when it clicks in on players, and I'm proud of him. Very quiet kid and out of the lineup at the beginning of the year, he takes it and he just gets himself ready, and I think he has established himself as a really good player offensively and defensively for us right now." Cates tallied five goals and nine points in 16 games at the end of the 2021-22 season after ending his collegiate career at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He had 38 points (13 goals, 25 assists) in 82 games during Tortorella's first season with the Flyers when he was primarily moved from wing to center. But last season, he struggled to find his game and had just 18 points (six goals, 12 assists) in 59 games while missing 22 with a broken foot suffered Nov. 25 against the New York Islanders. This season, Cates was a healthy scratch for four of the Flyers' first five games with Jett Luchanko making his NHL debut. He started slowly with one assist in his first 12 games but has taken off since being united with Bobby Brink and Tyson Foerster on — coincidentally — Nov. 25 against the Vegas Golden Knights. The trio has become the Flyers' top line in terms of reliability, puck possession, puck support, energy, and, of course, production. According to Money Puck, the three players lead the Flyers' forwards in puck possession across the last 10 games at five-on-five with Cates (59.9%) atop the list. Foerster (58.9%) and Brink (58.6%) are not far behind. "We're just doing the right things and playing hockey the right way and just supporting each other," Cates said after he scored for the fifth straight game in a 3-1 win against Anaheim on Saturday. "Kind of the message that Torts has kind of given us, being close and supporting each other because there are breakdowns, but if you have a guy close for support, you can limit the breakdowns and teams countering on us. So I think the biggest thing is staying close, and every line should do that and can do that, and I think we're a good example of it." The confidence they are showing is evident. In the 15 games they have skated together, they have a combined 25 points, with Foerster leading the way with 10. But Cates is clearly the driver on that line. He is the veteran among the trio at 25, and his checking and pressure game and puck support have given Tortorella the confidence to move him to the second power-play unit, too. "He's winning faceoffs. He has played well for a while now. His stick work, his strength on the puck, his utility for me, using him at the end of games, having two centers. Now he's on the power play. He deserves to be on the power play," Tortorella said. "And quite honestly, it's a lesson for all the lines, as far as how those three are always together, the support of it." Let's break down the support and why it works, focusing on Cates' five-goal streak. Better Together As Jack Johnson sang, "It's always better when we're together." On the goal Saturday afternoon in Anaheim, Brink used his speed and legs to take the puck down behind the net before feeding Cates in the slot. Part of what worked well on this goal was Brink faking a move to the net that pulled Anaheim goalie Lukáš Dostál out of position but if you look at the screenshot from the NBCSP telecast, the Flyers have four guys from the hash marks in — Cam York was up high — and have the five Ducks pinned low and all watching Brink. Foerster was right there with Cates for support and Travis Sanheim is at the right post as an option, too. Last Man Standing Willie Nelson may have been on to something when he sang: "I don't wanna be the last man standin', or wait a minute maybe I do?" Cates wasn't the last man standing technically for his goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins a week ago, but he was the final forward entering the zone. Because he was the trailer, no one was paying much attention to him as Brink, and, especially Foerster, were cutting the ice in half. Cates, who could have gone farther to the right, made the right play and didn't go to the open ice. If he had, it would have not only made for a harder pass distance-wise but the feed from Brink would have had a lower probability of getting through more sticks and bodies. "They're just together," Tortorella said after the game against Pittsburgh. "They support the puck well. They spend a lot of time in the offensive zone because they're around it, they're not spread out. I think they're checking very well. It's been probably one of our better lines for quite a while here now." Silver screen On his game-tying goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets last Saturday, Cates was in front of the net and able to pounce on the rebound. A defensive-minded center — Travis Konecny told The Inquirer last year "He's like the younger [Sean Couturier]" — Cates can be the net-front presence because his linemates are supporting the puck and being in positions where they can get back defensively if needed. At 6-foot-2, Cates was a big body in front of the 6-3 Columbus goalie Elvis Merzļikins and outmuscled defenseman Zach Werenski for the marker. He knows how to spell checking Cates was wide open down the slot and able to receive the pass from Brink because of the play the 5-8 forward made along the boards. Brink turned on the jets and outmuscled 6-foot defenseman Mikey Anderson to retrieve the puck. It was a play Brink could not pull off last year — as Tortorella said earlier in December, Brink "didn't know how to spell 'checking' last year" — but has played hard on the puck this year and has been using his body to create time, space and goals. Triangle man As the band They Might Be Giants know, "Triangle wins." One of the most basic offensive zone strategies in hockey is having the forwards create a triangle. It is not only about puck support and having a high man but creates a bit of turmoil for the team defending. Just before the screenshot below of Cates' goal against the Detroit Red Wings, the Flyers trio had a triangle in the left corner as they forechecked to recover the puck. Cates went from the corner to the front after they got it back and is once again screening the goalie — you can see in the screen shot the 6-1 Alex Lyon is trying to look around him — and the Flyers maintained the triangle. The shot by Foerster ended up going in off the body of Cates and in. Breakaways With Sam Ersson in net Saturday against the Ducks, the expectation is that Aleksei Kolosov will start Sunday against the Kings (9 p.m., NBCSP). (c)2024 The Philadelphia Inquirer Visit The Philadelphia Inquirer at www.inquirer.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
ATLANTA (AP) — 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 said in posting about his death on the social media platform X. It added in a statement that he died peacefully, surrounded by his family. 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. And then came Iran. 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.” Former Associated Press journalist Alex Sanz contributed to this report.
Former US President Jimmy Carter dies at 100