Jimmy Carter dies at 100
Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, has died at age 100. Carter was a human rights champion and broker of international peace.
A Georgia native and a Democrat, he was elected president in 1976 and served one term before he lost re-election after he proved unable to resolve the Iran hostage crisis. In 2002, Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his human rights work around the world. He was the longest-living former president in U.S. history and the first president to reach his 100th birthday.
Carter had been in hospice care since February 2023 at his home in Plains, Georgia, where he lived with his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn Carter. The former first lady, 96, died on Nov. 19, 2023.
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179 people killed in plane crash at South Korea airport
The deadliest plane crash of the year has killed 179 people, with only two survivors.
A Boeing 737-800 Jeju Air flight from Bangkok was trying to land when a bird strike is believed to have triggered the deadly sequence of events at South Korea’s Muan International Airport.
The plane then hit a structure, failed to lower its landing gear and skidded across the runway before it crashed into a wall and burst into flames.
All but two of the 181 people onboard were killed; two cabin crew members were pulled alive from the tail end of the wreckage.
Investigators have retrieved both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorders, which will be key to providing insights into the last moments of the fatal landing.
Dozens of tornadoes rip through the South
Over 20 million people were at risk of extreme weather as a storm system centered on the South pushed its way east Sunday.
Multiple tornadoes and damaging storms hit the South over the last few days, killing at least four people.
In a year of extreme weather, experts say, 2024’s tornado outbreaks set it apart. From January through November, the United States recorded 1,762 tornadoes — the most in a decade, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Tornado outbreaks were among the country’s costliest weather and climate disasters this year. As of Nov. 1, NOAA had tallied 24 weather disasters that caused at least $1 billion in damage apiece.
Putin’s apology to Azerbaijan
Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to the president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, for the crash of the civilian airliner that killed 38 people, the Kremlin said Saturday.
Putin stopped short of admitting responsibility. He did not say whether Russian air defenses hit the plane. The Kremlin said that an investigation was underway and that civilian and military specialists were being interrogated.
Two U.S. military officials told NBC News on Friday that Russian missiles may have hit the plane, saying they had intelligence indicating that Russians may have misidentified it as a drone and shot it down.
Aliyev said Sunday that the plane was shot down by Russia, albeit unintentionally, and accused Moscow of trying to “hush up” the issue for days.
Trump steps into simmering MAGA feud
President-elect Donald Trump is weighing in on a feud dividing factions of MAGA world over temporary worker visas.
Trump said he has “been a believer” in the H-1B program, which allows employers to temporarily hire non-U.S. citizens for highly skilled jobs, in an interview with the New York Post. The comments put Trump in the same camp as Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who have argued the visa program benefits the country.
Musk in particular has clashed with other Trump supporters over the program, even posting that “those contemptible fools must be removed from the Republican Party.” He later clarified that he was referring to “those in the Republican Party who are hateful, unrepentant racists.”
Musk has also faced accusations of censoring conservatives who have been vocally criticizing his position. Several accounts said in the past few days that X had revoked their blue verification badges.
Israeli forces detain director of Gaza hospital
Israel has detained the director of one of Gaza’s last functioning hospitals, Gaza’s Health Ministry said Saturday after Israeli forces “forcibly” removed patients and staff members and fires burned across the hospital.
Israeli Defense Forces stormed the hospital Friday, the ministry said, forcing patients and staff members to leave, and arrested dozens as military vehicles surrounded the area.
Israel’s Foreign Affairs Ministry has described the hospital as a Hamas stronghold, and it said it facilitated the “secure evacuation” of civilians away from the hospital before it launched the operation.
Military spokesperson Nadav Shoshani said there was no connection between the IDF’s activity and a fire that tore through several units of the hospital Friday.
Politics in brief
2025 elections: A handful of downballot elections early in the new year will be the first tests of the political environment following President-elect Donald Trump’s victory. Here are the key contests to watch.
Immigration: Connecticut Attorney General William Tung says he would be “the first to sue” over any Trump actions to end birthright citizenship on Day One of his second term, saying the fight is personal to him.
Is the body positivity movement over?
Body positivity advocates have spent years advocating for self-acceptance regardless of body type, but many worry that 2024 marked a return to “thinness” as the norm.
Celebrity stylist Ariel Tunnell has noticed that while there are designer options out there for bigger bodies, the choices have become few and far between.
“I think we’re all aware that we are taking a step backwards,” she said.
In its spring/summer 2025 size inclusivity report, Vogue Business alluded to the shift’s being caused by “the Ozempic boom.” “Progress has stalled and we are facing a worrying return to using extremely thin models,” it wrote.
2024 in review
The year in politics: From legal cases to attempted assassinations and a pivotal debate, 2024 proved to be a roller coaster in U.S. politics.
A year in pictures: Look back at the photos and illustrations that defined NBC News’ journalism in 2024.
Remembering Latino icons: A theater legend, a superstar baseball player and a trailblazing judge were among the notable Americans of Latino heritage who died in 2024.
Biggest hip-hop moments: From beefing rappers to conversations about sexual violence in the industry, the world of hip-hop in 2024 was full of drama, viral moments, triumphs and letdowns.
The best of queer media: Movies like “I Saw the TV Glow” and shows like “Fantasmas” brought more LGBTQ stories to the big and small screen this year.
In case you missed it
- More than a dozen people, including three firefighters, were injured Saturday when a passenger train collided with a fire rescue truck in Delray Beach, Florida, officials said.
- Actor Dayle Haddon died from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning Friday at the home of her son-in-law, actor Marc Blucas, according to a police report.
- World chess champion Magnus Carlsen quit a championship tournament after he refused to change out of his jeans, a direct violation of the International Chess Federation’s dress code.
- A mother, grandmother and deeply respected law enforcement leader was shot execution-style in her bedroom. Four men were charged in her murder, but their possible motive remains a mystery.
- As a harsh winter sets in, many displaced Palestinians living in tents are unable to find ways to stay warm in the cold, wind and rain, putting newborns who are already surviving against the odds at further risk.
- Diversity, equity and inclusion programs at some of the biggest companies in the country fell apart in 2024 after vocal opposition to DEI initiatives grew — efforts that will only ramp up in the new year.
- Most of what you already know about health insurance isn’t changing in 2025. But here’s what to know to help keep costs down in the year ahead, whether you’ve already received your new insurance card or are still shopping for coverage.
- A winning ticket for the $1.22 billion Mega Millions jackpot was sold in California.
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