Malik kicked off his Stairway To The Sky tour in Leeds’s O2 Academy on Saturday (November 23) after rescheduling the original opening dates in Edinburgh due to Payne’s funeral on Wednesday (November 20). The Pillow Talk singer reunited with his fellow bandmates at the private service in Buckinghamshire to pay their final respects to Payne, following his death aged 31 in Argentina last month. Zayn Malik's tribute to Liam Payne at his concert in Leeds tonight. 🤍🕊️ Images shared on social media from Malik’s gig show a message was displayed on a large blue screen behind the singer which said: “Liam Payne 1993-2024. Love you bro” with a pink heart. The 31-year-old previously postponed the US leg of his Stairway To The Sky tour over the “heartbreaking loss” of Payne. He later rescheduled the Edinburgh shows, planned for November 20 and 21, to December due to “unforeseen circumstances”. Following the death of Payne, Malik said he “never got to thank” his fellow bandmate for supporting him through some of the “most difficult” times in his life. “I lost a brother when you left us and can’t explain to you what I’d give to just give you a hug one last time and say goodbye to you properly and tell you that I loved and respected you dearly”, he added in a statement shared to Instagram. “I will cherish all the memories I have with you in my heart forever. “There is no words that justify or explain how I feel right now other than beyond devastated. “I hope that wherever you are right now you are good and are at peace and you know how loved you are. Love you bro.” The singer rose to fame alongside Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan when Simon Cowell put them together to form One Direction on ITV talent show The X Factor in 2010. Malik left One Direction in 2015 before the group went on indefinite hiatus in 2016, with the members all going on to pursue their own solo careers. Malik is set to perform a string of dates in the UK, including shows in London, Wolverhampton, Newcastle and Manchester, throughout the final two months of this year before kicking off the US leg in January.CLAYTON — St. Louis County prosecutors are dropping their case, at least for now, against a county councilman they accused of violating Missouri's nepotism ban. Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell's office will continue its investigation but has withdrawn its petition seeking Councilman Dennis Hancock's removal for now, spokesman Chris King said in a statement Thursday. If prosecutors decide to renew their effort to remove Hancock under the state constitution's nepotism provision, they'll have to file a new petition, King said. Circuit Judge John N. Borbonus had been set to decide Friday on removing Hancock , at least temporarily, from the council as he makes his defense. But the decision Thursday from Bell's office means prosecutors aren't expecting any decisions. "We have determined that it is in the best interest of the public to continue our investigation of this and related matters," King said. King didn't say exactly why Bell's office is holding off on the ouster petition. Kimberley Mathis, an attorney for Hancock, reiterated that Hancock did not violate the state constitution. "Now St. Louis County prosecutors can refocus their efforts on important matters like keeping the county safe and crime-free," she said. Special Assistant Prosecutor Rachel Smith had argued before Borbonus on Monday that Hancock, a Fenton Republican, should be removed temporarily because he hired his stepdaughter as his aide earlier this year. But Mathis, Hancock's attorney, said Borbonus shouldn’t decide until Hancock could make his defense. Chatter among political insiders shadowed the case, with some claiming that St. Louis County Executive Sam Page would use it to his advantage. Without Hancock on the council, Page might be able to pick a favorite to replace Bell , who was elected to the U.S. House earlier this month. Page's office declined to comment on those speculations. In late August, Bell's office filed in court to have Hancock removed. A judge signed an order that temporarily removed Hancock from office but Borbonus overrode the order later that day and reinstated Hancock to the council. A petition from Bell’s office said Hancock's stepdaughter, Hollie Galati, started work on Aug. 19 at a salary of $24.88 per hour. Hancock has said he didn't know he was barred from hiring relatives and that Galati's new hire paperwork hadn’t gone through. After they found out her hire wasn't allowed, Galati decided not to take the job and agreed not to be paid for a week's work.

Fortis Group Advisors LLC lowered its holdings in Amazon.com, Inc. ( NASDAQ:AMZN ) by 1.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 44,988 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock after selling 820 shares during the quarter. Amazon.com accounts for about 1.5% of Fortis Group Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Fortis Group Advisors LLC’s holdings in Amazon.com were worth $8,383,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AMZN. PayPay Securities Corp grew its holdings in shares of Amazon.com by 64.6% in the 2nd quarter. PayPay Securities Corp now owns 163 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares during the last quarter. Hoese & Co LLP acquired a new position in Amazon.com in the third quarter valued at about $37,000. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc grew its stake in Amazon.com by 650.0% during the second quarter. Christopher J. Hasenberg Inc now owns 300 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Koesten Hirschmann & Crabtree INC. acquired a new stake in shares of Amazon.com during the first quarter worth approximately $69,000. Finally, Innealta Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Amazon.com in the second quarter valued at approximately $77,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.20% of the company’s stock. Analysts Set New Price Targets A number of research firms recently commented on AMZN. Rosenblatt Securities increased their price target on Amazon.com from $221.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Amazon.com from $225.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Barclays lifted their price target on Amazon.com from $220.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Telsey Advisory Group raised their price objective on shares of Amazon.com from $215.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Amazon.com from $215.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, forty have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $235.77. Amazon.com Stock Performance Shares of AMZN opened at $197.12 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $193.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $186.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.09. Amazon.com, Inc. has a twelve month low of $142.81 and a twelve month high of $215.90. The firm has a market cap of $2.07 trillion, a P/E ratio of 42.21, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.14. Amazon.com ( NASDAQ:AMZN – Get Free Report ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The e-commerce giant reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $158.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $157.28 billion. Amazon.com had a net margin of 8.04% and a return on equity of 22.41%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.85 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Amazon.com, Inc. will post 5.27 EPS for the current fiscal year. Insider Activity at Amazon.com In related news, Director Daniel P. Huttenlocher sold 1,237 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.06, for a total transaction of $246,237.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 24,912 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,958,982.72. This represents a 4.73 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink . Also, SVP David Zapolsky sold 2,190 shares of Amazon.com stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $195.00, for a total transaction of $427,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 62,420 shares in the company, valued at $12,171,900. The trade was a 3.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . In the last quarter, insiders have sold 6,011,423 shares of company stock valued at $1,249,093,896. 10.80% of the stock is owned by insiders. About Amazon.com ( Free Report ) Amazon.com, Inc engages in the retail sale of consumer products, advertising, and subscriptions service through online and physical stores in North America and internationally. The company operates through three segments: North America, International, and Amazon Web Services (AWS). It also manufactures and sells electronic devices, including Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TVs, Echo, Ring, Blink, and eero; and develops and produces media content. See Also Five stocks we like better than Amazon.com Best of the list of Dividend Aristocrats: Build wealth with the aristocrat index Vertiv’s Cool Tech Makes Its Stock Red-Hot Roth IRA Calculator: Calculate Your Potential Returns MarketBeat Week in Review – 11/18 – 11/22 Canadian Penny Stocks: Can They Make You Rich? 2 Finance Stocks With Competitive Advantages You Can’t Ignore Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AMZN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Amazon.com, Inc. ( NASDAQ:AMZN – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Amazon.com Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Amazon.com and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .From historic polls in Kashmir that were held after for the first time after scrapping of Article 370 to removal of BJD from power in Odisha after over 24 years, the electoral landscape of this year changed, the year 2024 saw intense face-offs in regional battleground with state elections held in atleast eight states. As curtains come down on year 2024, parties have already started with preparations for their next fight in Delhi and Bihar. ET Year-end Special Reads What kept India's stock market investors on toes in 2024? India's car race: How far EVs went in 2024 Investing in 2025: Six wealth management trends to watch out for In 2024, India's poll panel held elections in Kashmir, ending six years of presidential rule in the aftermath of the abrogation of Article 370 through tight three-phase assembly polls in J&K even as there were serious security concerns amid reports of a hundred plus infiltrators and a spate of terror attacks in Jammu region. The ECI continued its performance streak going with smooth conduct of assembly polls in Haryana, Jharkhand and Maharashtra later in the year. After Lok Sabha elections, the opposition was confident for the next set of state elections in 2024, owing to BJP being brusied after poor results. However, the BJP bounced back in spectacular fashion in the assembly elections in Haryana and Maharashtra, regaining its electoral power. Here are eight elections that changed political landscape of India: Arunachal Pradesh: The incumbent Arunachal Pradesh government of BJP retained their government and bettered their number as they won 46 seats in the 2024 elections , which is 5 more than their numbers in 2019. As the performance of the other parties in the state is concerned, the National People’s Party secured the second position with 5 seats, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) got 3, the People’s Party of Arunachal (PPA) got 2, the Indian National Congress got just 1, while three seats were claimed by independent candidates. 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View Program Data Science SQL for Data Science along with Data Analytics and Data Visualization By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI and Analytics based Business Strategy By - Tanusree De, Managing Director- Accenture Technology Lead, Trustworthy AI Center of Excellence: ATCI View Program Web Development A Comprehensive ASP.NET Core MVC 6 Project Guide for 2024 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Pam Moore By - Pam Moore, Digital Transformation and Social Media Expert View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI-Powered Python Mastery with Tabnine: Boost Your Coding Skills By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Office Productivity Mastering Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and 365 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Digital marketing - Wordpress Website Development By - Shraddha Somani, Digital Marketing Trainer, Consultant, Strategiest and Subject Matter expert View Program Office Productivity Mastering Google Sheets: Unleash the Power of Excel and Advance Analysis By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Web Development Mastering Full Stack Development: From Frontend to Backend Excellence By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance Financial Literacy i.e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By - CA Rahul Gupta, CA with 10+ years of experience and Accounting Educator View Program Data Science SQL Server Bootcamp 2024: Transform from Beginner to Pro By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Historically, Congress dominated the Arunachal Pradesh State Assembly elections after the very first elections in 1985, the 2019 election was the first instance Congress lost the state assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh. Notably, BJP already won 10 seats unopposed in the state as the opposition failed to field any contestant on all these 10 seats. Sikkim: The ruling Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) increased its tally to 31 seats in the Assembly elections 2024, up from 17 in 2019. In March, the BJP had called off its alliance with the SKM describing it as “corrupt”. On the other hand, the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF), which ruled the state for 25 years in a row till 2019, won one seat. In 2019, the party had won 15. This follows the trend of the SDF’s decline from 2009 when it won all seats in the State. Since 2014, when SDF first contested in the elections, the party has unseated the SKM from the Assembly. The BJP contested in 31 assembly seats but failed to win a single one in Sikkim where it had 12 members in the outgoing House. The BJP could secure only 5.18 per cent of the votes in the Himalayan state. The saffron party decided to go alone in the Sikkim Assembly polls after severing its alliance with the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) led by Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang after the seat-sharing talks broke down on the latter's reluctance to meet the BJP's demand for a respectable number of seats. Andhra Pradesh: It was a landslide victory in the Andhra Pradesh legislative assembly polls as the Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP-BJPJSP alliance routed the YSR Jagan Mohan Reddy regime, winning 165 out of 175 seats. The TDP alone cleared the majority mark with 136 seats, cementing former CM Naidu’s position as he makes his comeback after his party’s crushing defeat in the 2019 assembly polls, months after he was arrested under allegations of being involved in the Skill Development Corporation scam. The BJP won eight seats in the state, an improvement from winning nothing in the 2019 polls. Odisha: It was historic win for BJP in the the that was ruled by Biju Janata Dal for decaded. In the polls, Patnaik's BJD was defeated by the Bharatiya Janata Party in the state elections, dethroning Patnaik after five terms in power. The BJP stormed to power in Odisha, ending the 24-year rule of the BJD, by winning 78 seats in the 147-member assembly. The Patnaik-led party, on the other hand, bagged 51 seats, while the Congress won 14 constituencies, the CPI (M) one. Three Independent nominees also emerged victorious. thE BJD failed to win any of the Lok Sabha seats in the state, with the BJP bagging 20 and the Congress one. Jammu and Kashmir: BJP won 29 seats in Jammu and Kashmir elections surpassing its previous highest tally of 25 seats in the 2014 election. As per Election Commission of India data, BJP secured 25.64 per cent vote share. After a decade, Jammu and Kashmir has elected its representatives for the legislative Assembly. The Union Territory’s people have given a historic mandate to the National Conference (NC)-Congress-CPI(M) alliance, with 49 of the 90 Assembly seats. The last time any party or pre-election bloc crossed the majority mark was in the 1996 Assembly election. Haryana: The BJP on Tuesday won a historic third consecutive term in Haryana after winning 48 of the 90 seats. The win is significant for several reasons, reflecting both the party's strategic positioning and the evolving political landscape in Haryana. The saffron party became the first to achieve a hattrick of wins in Haryana. The achievement not only highlights the party's dominance in the state's politics but also sets a precedent for future elections. BJP has shown once again that it can maintain power over terms and battle anti-incumbency. Jharkhand: The year 2024 in Jharkhand unfolded like a gripping political drama, a narrative filled with suspense, unexpected twists, and electrifying comebacks. The year began like a Bollywood thriller with Chief Minister Hemant Soren's mysterious disappearance from Delhi sparking widespread speculations. This prompted JMM to elect Champai Soren, a loyal aide of JMM supremo Shibu Soren, who earned the sobriquet 'Jharkhand's Tiger' for his contribution to the long fight for the creation of a separate state in the 1990s, as party leader. Champai ascended to the chair of the state's chief minister in February and the ruling JMM-led alliance proved its majority. In a stunning comeback, Hemant Soren's JMM-led alliance in November stormed to power for a second consecutive term, winning 56 seats in the 81-member assembly, despite an all-out blitz by the BJP-led NDA which managed only 24 seats. Maharashtra: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has scripted a landslide victory in Maharashtra. It has won (leading) in over 130 seats on its own while the Mahayuti alliance got 225 seats - way more than the required halfway mark of 145. This was in stark contrast to BJP's big setback during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Just six months back, Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP had an ambitious target of 400 plus seats. But the party failed terribly and the saffron party could not even cross the majority mark, winning only 240 seats in the Lok Sabha, down from 303 in 2019. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )

Jaylen Brown scores 29 points before Celtics beat Timberwolves 107-105 with late defensive standCalton & Associates Inc. boosted its holdings in Amazon.com, Inc. ( NASDAQ:AMZN – Free Report ) by 120.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,240 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,339 shares during the quarter. Amazon.com accounts for about 1.1% of Calton & Associates Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest holding. Calton & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Amazon.com were worth $2,840,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of AMZN. Zhang Financial LLC grew its position in Amazon.com by 12.9% during the third quarter. Zhang Financial LLC now owns 51,091 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $9,520,000 after buying an additional 5,828 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its position in shares of Amazon.com by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,847,177 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock valued at $550,217,000 after acquiring an additional 14,766 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Amazon.com by 19.2% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 119,205 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $22,211,000 after purchasing an additional 19,231 shares in the last quarter. Stonekeep Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Amazon.com in the second quarter worth $2,588,000. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its stake in Amazon.com by 164.1% in the second quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 1,053,958 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock valued at $203,677,000 after purchasing an additional 654,908 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.20% of the company’s stock. Amazon.com Stock Down 0.6 % Shares of NASDAQ AMZN opened at $197.12 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $193.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $186.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 1.09. Amazon.com, Inc. has a 52-week low of $142.81 and a 52-week high of $215.90. The company has a market capitalization of $2.07 trillion, a P/E ratio of 42.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.14. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In AMZN has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Amazon.com from $240.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of Amazon.com from $265.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Amazon.com from $245.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Amazon.com from $230.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Amazon.com from $215.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, forty have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $235.77. Get Our Latest Research Report on AMZN Insider Activity In other news, Director Jonathan Rubinstein sold 5,004 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $199.85, for a total transaction of $1,000,049.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 99,396 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,864,290.60. This trade represents a 4.79 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link . Also, CEO Douglas J. Herrington sold 5,502 shares of Amazon.com stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.81, for a total transaction of $1,132,366.62. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 518,911 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $106,797,072.91. This represents a 1.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders have sold 6,011,423 shares of company stock valued at $1,249,093,896 in the last ninety days. 10.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders. Amazon.com Company Profile ( Free Report ) Amazon.com, Inc engages in the retail sale of consumer products, advertising, and subscriptions service through online and physical stores in North America and internationally. The company operates through three segments: North America, International, and Amazon Web Services (AWS). It also manufactures and sells electronic devices, including Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TVs, Echo, Ring, Blink, and eero; and develops and produces media content. See Also Five stocks we like better than Amazon.com What is the Euro STOXX 50 Index? Vertiv’s Cool Tech Makes Its Stock Red-Hot 3 Best Fintech Stocks for a Portfolio Boost MarketBeat Week in Review – 11/18 – 11/22 3 Fintech Stocks With Good 2021 Prospects 2 Finance Stocks With Competitive Advantages You Can’t Ignore Receive News & Ratings for Amazon.com Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Amazon.com and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

Ardelyx CEO Michael Raab sells $153,328 in common stockFormer President Jimmy Carter is dead at 100. There are very few politicians who are admired for their values, their honesty, and their humanitarian deeds. Former President Jimmy Carter, who died at the age of 100, was among the rare exceptions; but then, he was more than a politician. He served as an epic model of what a good human being should be, especially in the later stages of his life. His post-presidency years came to be defined by humanitarian and peace advocacy efforts, and they exemplified a well-known quote that encapsulated his life’s purpose and philosophy: “I have one life and one chance to make it count for something. I’m free to choose that something. ... My faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I can, whenever I can, for as long as I can.” As one admirer put it, “Great man, great president, probably under-appreciated by those who didn’t know much about him.” There is little doubt that Carter will be remembered more for his humanitarian efforts than for his presidency. Polls of historians and political scientists have generally ranked Carter as a below-average president. A 2018 poll of the American Political Science Association’s Presidents and Executive Politics section ranked Carter as the 26th best president. A 2017 C-SPAN poll of historians also ranked Carter as the 26th best president. Some critics have compared Carter to Herbert Hoover, who was similarly a “hardworking but uninspiring technocrat. Robert A. Strong, Professor of Politics at Washington and Lee University has written: “Jimmy Carter is much more highly regarded today than when he lost his bid for reelection in 1980. He has produced an exemplary post-presidency, and today there is an increased appreciation for the enormity of the task he took on in 1977. Carter took office just thirty months after a President had left the entire federal government in a shambles. He faced epic challenges—the energy crisis, Soviet aggression, Iran, and above all, a deep mistrust of leadership by his citizens. He was hard working and conscientious.” His critics weren’t so kind, they saw him as a fish out of water in Washington D.C. and frequently mocked him as the “peanut farmer.” Carter served a single, tumultuous term and was defeated by Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980, a landslide loss that ultimately paved the way for his decades of global advocacy for democracy, public health, and human rights via the Carter Center. Hailing from a family of farmers who had been in Georgia since the 1630’s, young Jimmy was energetic and enterprising. By the time he was ten, he stacked produce from the family farm onto a wagon, hauled it into town, and sold it. He saved his money, and by the age of thirteen, he bought five houses around Plains that the Great Depression had put on the market at rock-bottom prices. These homes were rented to families in the area. After a promising Navy career, he was called back to Georgia to save the family farm after his father’s death, a task that he accomplished brilliantly and which in a roundabout way led to a political career that eventually landed him in the Governor’s mansion. Carter became President by narrowly defeating Gerald Ford, a man who had landed there by accident when Nixon was forced to resign, and who has gone down in history as the first, and so far the only, person to become President without winning a general election for President or Vice President. Jimmy Carter’s greatest accomplishments during his tenure were to create the Department of Education, bolster the Social Security system, and appoint record numbers of women, blacks, and Hispanics to Government jobs. Additionally, he created a national energy policy that included conservation, price control, and new technology. Carter pursued the Camp David Accords, the Panama Canal Treaties, and the second round of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks. He also confronted the stagflation that he had inherited from Ford. In foreign policy, in an effort to end the Arab–Israeli conflict, he helped arrange the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt. These efforts were eventually rewarded with the Nobel Peace Prize that he received in 2002, for undertaking peace negotiations, campaigning for human rights, and working for social welfare. Nevertheless, his tenure as president will forever be associated with the failure of the Iran hostage crisis. Into its sixth month, and all diplomatic appeals to the Iranian government having ended in failure, President Jimmy Carter ordered the military mission as a last-ditch attempt to save the hostages. During the operation, three of eight helicopters failed, crippling the crucial airborne plans. The mission was then canceled at the staging area in Iran, but during the withdrawal one of the retreating helicopters collided with one of six C-130 transport planes, killing eight service members and injuring five. The next day, a somber Jimmy Carter gave a press conference in which he took full responsibility for the tragedy. The hostages were eventually released—but it took another 270 days, and by that time he was out of the White House and Reagan got the credit. This debacle had an enormous impact on the Carter presidency and is widely acknowledged as the reason for his loss in the 1980 election. As the post-presidency years passed, Jimmy Carter grew in stature, as a humanitarian and a global diplomat—a senior statesman who was respected by the entire world. His work for Habitat for Humanity was truly inspiring and was a measure of the man’s humility, as he continued to personally wield a hammer and saw planks until well into his later life, into his 90’s. At the time that he entered hospice care on February 19, 2022, Nicholas Kristof, a New York Times columnist, tweeted: “Prize winners and truly impressive people. Few are as truly good as Jimmy Carter, who at age 98 is now entering hospice. He leaves this planet so much better than he found it. A great, great, great man.” No man or woman could wish for a more worthy epitaph. Jimmy Carter had said in recent months that he hoped to live long enough to vote for Kamala Harris. He succeeded in attaining his wish.Zelenskiy Calls For More Air-Defense Systems For Ukraine

U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume said Friday that he won’t attend President-elect Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration because it falls on the holiday marking Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.