In a recent international soccer match, the referee awarded a penalty kick for a handball in the penalty area. However, spectators noticed no change in the ball's trajectory, and even high-speed camera replays failed to show any foul play by the defensive player. So what was the basis for the referee's decision? The ruling hinged on the application of a "connected smart soccer" technology. Technical analysis showed that sensors embedded within the ball detected vibrational waves, confirming hand contact from the defensive player. The technology serves as a valuable tool for the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system. When there are disputed calls, the smart sensors inside the ball can instantly relay what actually happened on the field, making referee decisions more reliable and easier to verify. It is reported that many international soccer tournaments use high-tech ball bladders manufactured by Dingqi Sports Goods (Huai'an) Co., Ltd. in east China's Jiangsu province. As a processing and trading enterprise specializing in the production of soccer, volleyball, basketball, and rugby ball bladders, the company pioneered the use of embedded chips in 2022. "We've built a stable suspension system at the center of the ball with an embedded sensor containing a microchip. The sensor must be extremely secure to accurately capture data even during high-speed movements," said Zhou Hongda, chairman of the company. While installing a chip in a soccer ball might sound simple, the implementation poses significant challenges. The chip must be suspended exactly at the ball's center without shifting its physical center of gravity; the total weight of the ball after sensor installation must not exceed FIFA's official standards; and the chip must continue functioning normally after violent impacts. Zhou revealed that it took the company three years to overcome these technical hurdles. Today, the "connected smart soccer" technology is being adopted in an increasing number of international soccer tournaments. "With events like the UEFA European Championship taking place, ball product exports have surged. In the first nine months of this year, we've exported over 6 million match and training balls," Zhou said. These increasingly intelligent soccer balls are making competitions more exciting than ever. "The smart soccer technology acts as a data collection terminal which, when combined with athletes' wearable devices, can gather rich performance data," said Pu Zhiqiang, a researcher at the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. According to Pu, the institute has developed an intelligent soccer match analysis system that can be applied to various scenarios, including pass probability prediction and off-ball movement analysis. Tournaments such as the Zhejiang youth soccer championship have adopted intelligent match analysis systems, using quantifiable and more science-based methods to help improve player performance and assist coaches with tactical planning.ince the 1980s, when the implemented the fashion of soaking head coach to celebrate an important victory, the bath at the end of championship games in the has become a tradition. The Gatorade shower for the winning coach is as striking as the commercials or the halftime show itself in the NFL's championship game, to the point that there are already statistics and even bets on the particular moment. For example, for , purple Gatorade became the favorite color for the bath to , coach of the . This is because a year earlier that color was the one received by the coach who already has three titles with the team. In this year's edition, is the favorite to be the color of the winning coach's bath at the with a betting line of . is second in the betting line at , while and . It's incredible to say, but the color of the teams playing on Super Sunday has influenced betting statistics since Super Bowl LIII, when the won. The history of Gatorade shower colors in the Super Bowl This is the list of colors that have been used since , when Gatorade replaced the water in the jugs with which they bathe the winning coach of a game for the .

The Nasdaq Composite has been on fire over the past couple of years, driven higher by the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), improving economic conditions, an uncontested election, and the Federal Reserve Bank's recent moves to cut interest rates. After returning 43% in 2023, the tech-centric index is up roughly 30% in 2024. History suggests the rally will likely continue into 2025. The current bull market began on Oct. 12, 2022, and while every rally is different, history can provide important context. Bull markets last more than five years, on average. Since the current rally just entered its third year, there's a strong likelihood the Nasdaq will continue to gain ground next year. It's also worth noting that the Nasdaq has generated gains 73% of the time, dating back 53 years, so history is on the side of investors. Finally, the Nasdaq has jumped 12%, on average, in years following positive gains, which suggests there's additional upside ahead. Furthermore, there's been a resurgence in the popularity of stock splits over the past few years. As a result, investors are taking a renewed interest in companies that split their shares, as this is historically preceded by years of robust sales and profit growth. One such company is Nvidia ( NVDA -1.81% ) . The stock has gained 26,920% over the past decade (as of this writing), prompting management to initiate a 10-for-1 stock split earlier this year -- after a 4-for-1 split in 2021. Despite its recent run-up, there's reason to believe that Nvidia's growth spurt will continue into 2025. Read on to find out why. Underpinning the AI revolution The adoption of generative AI has spread like wildfire over the past two years as businesses are eager to share in the productivity increases promised by these advanced algorithms. Generative AI has proven adept at drafting and summarizing emails, searching and abbreviating content, mining data, generating original content, and writing computer code -- and new applications are being discovered every day. Automating and streamlining tasks saves users time and money, driving new users to adopt AI. Nvidia pioneered the graphics processing units (GPUs) that make this all possible. These specialized chips provide the sheer number-crunching capability that brought AI to life. The secret lies in parallel processing or breaking up computer-intensive jobs into smaller, more manageable bits. Nvidia first developed these chips to render lifelike images in video games but soon discovered other applications for this breakthrough technology, including data centers, high-performance computing (HPC), and machine learning -- an earlier branch of AI. The vast majority of AI processing is done in the cloud and in data centers, another factor that directly benefits Nvidia. The company controls as much as 98% of the data center GPU market, according to semiconductor analyst firm TechInsights. As evidenced by its entrenched position, Nvidia has become the gold standard for AI processing. There's always talk of ramping up competition, but thus far, Nvidia remains the king of the hill. Paint by numbers To understand the magnitude of Nvidia's rise, a look at its financial results is in order. After generating triple-digit sales and profit gains last year, the company's impressive win streak continues. During its fiscal 2025 third quarter (ended Oct. 27), Nvidia delivered record revenue of $35.1 billion, up 94% year over year. It also delivered earnings per share (EPS) of $0.78, up 111%. For context, the company generated more sales in one quarter than it produced for all of fiscal 2022. The biggest contributor to its success was the company's data center segment, which includes cloud computing, data center, and AI chips, and grew 112% year over year to $30.8 billion. Wall Street expects Nvidia's growth streak to continue. For its fiscal 2026 (which begins in late January), consensus estimates are calling for revenue of $195 billion, which would represent a year-over-year increase of 51%. However, the highest estimate clocks in at more than $269 billion, which would represent growth of more than 100%. Wall Street is notorious for underestimating Nvidia's growth, so the reality is likely somewhere in between. The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades Nvidia will begin shipping its next-generation Blackwell platform later this year, and by all accounts, the company has another market leader on its hands. Bank of America analyst Vivek Arya contends that investors continue to underestimate the magnitude of the demand for Blackwell, which he believes will be outselling Nvidia's Hopper chips within two to three quarters. There's also a big disconnect between Nvidia's addressable market and how investors perceive it: The analyst goes on to say that Nvidia bundles its software with these myriad systems. All these opportunities, taken together, help illustrate why Nvidia's addressable market continues to expand. Yet, for all that opportunity -- and despite its 183% gains so far this year -- Nvidia is still attractively priced. Wall Street believes Nvidia will generate EPS of $4.42 in fiscal 2026 (which begins in January). That means the stock is currently selling for roughly 32 times forward earnings (as of this writing), which is remarkably cheap in light of the opportunity. If I could buy just one stock-split stock heading into 2025, it would have to be Nvidia.Jimmy Carter, 39th US president, dies aged 100

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LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Devin Askew had 28 points in Long Beach State's 76-68 victory over Hawaii on Saturday night. Askew also had six rebounds, seven assists, and seven steals for the Beach (3-8, 2-0 Big West Conference). Austin Johnson scored 14 points and added 10 rebounds. TJ Wainwright went 5 of 9 from the field (2 for 3 from 3-point range) to finish with 14 points. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get updates and player profiles ahead of Friday's high school games, plus a recap Saturday with stories, photos, video Frequency: Seasonal Twice a week

NoneGlobal stocks mostly higher in thin pre-Christmas trade1. A compact cutlery organizer with stacked, angled compartments that take up *much* less room than traditional silverware organizers. You can free up more space for those larger cooking utensils that take up an entire drawer or are sitting on your counter. Promising review: "Yes, this little utensil tray is really that good! I went from using 12 inches of horizontal space in a lovely but huge wooden utensil tray to about using about four inches (whatever the width of this godsend is). It stores my butter knives, steak knives, spoons, forks, and a slew of little teaspoons. I'd guess that the max capacity for each slot is about 10 pieces. For example, I fit four butter knives and four steak knives into the first/knife slot easily, with good wiggle room. This is such a great design. Using this tray opened up about half of my 18-inch wide drawer, which allowed me to decompress the other drawers in my kitchen a bit. I highly recommend this item. It's worth every penny." — Kathleen Cooke Get it from Amazon for $9.69 . 2. A shower curtain liner that has nine mesh pockets because the bathtub ledge has run out of room (and bottles are always falling off of it anyway). This is especially great for people who share a bathroom and have different sets of shower products to organize. Prefer a traditional shower caddy? Check out this corner tension-rod caddy . Elizabeth: I own this and *adore* it. Yes, this is my shower and I live alone. I just have lots of products, OK?! I have even more today than when I took this pic more than a year ago! It holds lots of heavy bottles of body wash and conditioner, and helps me find where my pumice stone or razor is in my pre-contacts morning haze. If I could marry an object, it'd be this shower curtain. Check out my *full* Maytex Quick Dry Mesh Pockets Waterproof PEVA Shower Curtain or Liner review . Get it from Amazon for $15.91 (available in two colors). 3. A medicine cabinet organizer so you can actually find what you need without digging through a pile of half-used ointments and expired pain relievers. It'll tidy up your toiletries, and who knows — you might even free up a drawer! Promising review: "This fits perfectly on the bottom of my medicine cabinet. It is very sturdy plastic with a great design. I can't believe how many jars, tubes, etc., it has managed to corral. Everything looks so neat! If they make a smaller one for upper cabinet shelves, I'm buying it. Wonderful little product!" — Alex Get the organizer on the bottom shelf from Amazon for $12.45 (available in two sizes and three styles). 4. A ceiling-mounted garage shelf to store all your seasonal decor, bulky coats, luggage, and any other things you only occasionally use. It’s the perfect way to clear out some closet space and don't worry, it won’t block your garage door from opening. This shelf model has an adjustable 18–33-inch ceiling drop and holds up to 600 pounds. Safe Racks is a small biz that makes handy garage storage products. Promising review: "This fits our garage perfectly. We have 24 inches of clearance from our ceiling to the top of our garage door track. We set ours at 19 inches and still have room. We bought the 18–33-inch version and had some confusion with the product description stating 25–45 inches of drop down, but it fit perfectly with a little room to spare. If you need extra storage space and to declutter your garage floor, I would highly recommend these racks." — Alyssa Gibson Get them from Amazon for $199.99+ each (available in three sizes, packs of two, and in two colors). 5. A pack of tiny Command hooks you can stick just about anywhere for some custom organization. Pop them inside your cabinet to hang measuring cups, or on your wall to show off your purses (just a heads-up, they hold up to half a pound, so maybe keep it to the smaller ones). You'll get 10 hooks and 12 small clear indoor strips. Elizabeth: Yes, this is my kitchen cabinet and this trick helps me find the correct measuring cup so much faster than back when I used to stack them in a drawer! Just be sure to account for the cups' depth while arranging the cabinet's contents. Since I took this pic my 1/2 cup met its doom in a tub of sugar so I swapped in some measuring cups with *engraved* measurements on the cups, which makes my setup even better! Get a 10-pack of hooks from Amazon for $8.34 . 6. A set of reusable vacuum storage bags for all those extra linens that take up a whole shelf. Just pack your items in, vacuum out the air, and boom — you’ve got a compact, airtight package that’s easy to store under the bed, in the attic, or even in the back of your closet. And don't worry: It works with ~any~ vacuum! Elizabeth: I'm linen closet-less in my one-bedroom apartment, so all my spare linens are folded up inside my rolling luggage underneath my bed. Set includes two jumbo, five extra large, four large, and four medium bags. Promising review: "These bags are freaking great. My fiancé and I recently moved from a 2 bed/2 bath to a 1 bed/1 bath. We lost a lot of storage space and didn't want to get rid of our guest bedding when we are planning to buy a house within the next year. We use the jumbo and large bags for our guest linens/extras. I think the medium bags could come in handy for packing luggage for extended trips back home." — Kyra Get 15 bags from Amazon for $24.87 (available in five pack sizes). 7. Or some hanging vacuum bags to store those off-season dresses and skirts that are crowding your closet and free up space for all the cozy sweaters you’re finally ready to wear. And as a bonus — they’ll keep your clothes safe from moths while they’re hanging out in the back of your closet. Promising review: "Bought these storage bags two weeks ago to pack my winter clothes for summer, and they did the job perfectly. They are large and sturdy. I like its five-hook design. I can store five women's jackets or four big men's jackets in ONE bag. The long bags also fit my dresses. The biggest reason I bought these bags is that I do not need to fold my seasonal clothes; just hang, zip, vacuum, done! Super convenient. Extremely happy with this space bags. I will definitely order more!" — Jia Yan Get a four-pack from Amazon for $ 28.99 + (available in four colors and in a six-pack). 8. A corner sponge organizer so you can condense all the cleaning products scattered across the edge of your sink (and also keep them from falling in). Reviewers love it and say it makes their kitchen look much more organized! This is also a better option than an organizer that hangs over your faucet because the weight of those can mess with your water flow! Promising review: "This fits our sink perfectly! It's not too big and holds a sponge and two bottles of soap. We have a standard apartment sink and it fits perfectly , it also holds very well. We have it suctioned on the sink not the counter." — Erin Johnson Get it from Amazon for $29.99 . 9. A pack of innovative moldable glue reviewers use to hang lights, fix cracked cups, organize their cords, and so much more. It’s waterproof and works on just about anything — plastic, wood, ceramic, metal, rubber, you name it. The DIY lovers are gonna eat this one up (just don't actually eat it)! Apply it to whatever you need to fix, and it'll take about 30 minutes to set and 24 to 48 hours to fully dry. Promising review: "I've used it to mount things, organize wiring in stereo cabinets, stop rattles (license plate rattled when closing trunk, two little balls of Sugru to back of plate did the trick). Even made tool hangers in the garage with it. Wonder if I could build a boat with it." — fastrnu Get an eight-pack from Amazon for $26.35 (available in seven colors). 10. An adjustable closet doubler so you can shop your closet like it's a department store instead of tearing through jam-packed drawers and creating a big mess. It hooks to the built-in rod, and you can adjust the height to hang an extra level of clothes, making it easier to find what you need (or get rid of what you don't)! Promising review: "This product has been one of my favorite Amazon finds, I’m not sure why I didn’t think of it sooner. It has doubled my closet space in my apartment where I can’t make any damage in terms of adding another permanent shelf — so this has been a perfect solution. It was easy to assemble and is sturdy. I’ve had it for a couple of weeks now with no issue. Your closet has to be pretty high for this to work or else your shirts above are going to get caught on the hangers below and for my case, some of my shirts are dragging on the floor — just keep this in mind when you’re thinking about purchasing." — Alex Get it from Amazon for $16.97 (available in three colors). 11. A corner shelf to show off your keepsakes instead of letting them collect dust in a drawer. It's a sleek, simple design that fits with any aesthetic and is six feet tall to really use up that ~vertical space~. Also check out this similar cheaper option ! Promising review: "This is one of my new favorite pieces of furniture! It's looks great, is durable, and is a great space saver in our apartment. I love it!" — Zachary James Speck Get it from Amazon for $106.46 (available in two finishes). 12. A floating bookshelf because your book collection that's been sitting on the floor deserves to be properly displayed. These hold up to 15 pounds, and reviewers say they are super easy to install. Now all your books can look like they've been perpetually Wingardium Leviosa-ed! Promising review: "These are so much fun! We ordered the small size, which fits standard hardback books (approximately 5–7 hardbacks in my experience). They're a great way to add some extra storage to our very small home, and we've placed them in our hallway so people ask us about them all the time. I'd highly recommend!" — LaBuenaVidaMere Get it from Amazon for $11.50 (available in two colors and sizes, and in packs of three). 13. A mounted wineglass rack to take advantage of the vertical space in your cabinets so you can fit more in there. Reviewers say it's super easy to install and securely holds their glasses — no more "whining" about broken stems. Elizabeth: I lucked out with some similar racks already mounted in my apartment (like these! ) and I adore them. Promising review: "I live in a small apartment, and try to use as much vertical storage as possible. This fits perfectly under the cabinet that is over my kitchen sink- installation was perfectly straightforward. It's very sturdy and beautifully displays the glasses that I received for Christmas." — DanaM Get three rows (enough for nine glasses) from Amazon for $18.99 (available in two colors and two sizes). 14. A bike hoist so you can actually park your car in the garage (a novel idea, right?). It’s got a safety lock to keep your bike from taking a tumble, and rubber hooks so your ride stays scratch-free. Plus, it can hold up to 100 pounds, so you can trust it with your gear. Check out more garage organizing tips . Promising review: "I did a lot of research and bought this mount based on the reviews. This was NOT a quick and simple project like hanging a flat panel TV. This installation took some time to do all the measuring, finding the joist location in the attic, pre-drilling holes, painting the 2X4, etc. but it looks and works great. My only advice is to take your time and measure several times. We did not use the supplied screws we used longer wood screws for the 2X4 and better quality screws for the mounting plates. We also bent the hooks a little bit to hold my bike seat better." — Freya Get it Amazon for $16.97 (also available in a two-pack and four-pack). 15. A pair of sturdy kayak straps reviewers say make getting their kayak up and down a breeze. Think of all the things you can do with the extra space now that kayaks aren’t taking up half the garage! The boat hanger attaches to the wall with four screws (mounting screws for wood studs are included). Just make sure to mount it into the wall studs, or if you're putting it on a concrete wall, you'll need to use the right molly screws. Promising review: "Great product! Easy to install, easy to manage to hang our kayaks. Bonus is it holds our paddles. We didn't have room in the garage and our fence needs redone. So my guy hung it on the side of the house in the backyard. He did a great job! Out of the way and off the ground." — ShOpPInG_mAdE_cOnVeNiEnT Get it from Amazon for $55 . 16. A leather bedside storage caddy if your water bottle takes up your entire nightstand. It has five pockets to keep all your essentials right where you need them while you're relaxing. Promising review: "One of the most useful items I have ever purchased. The pockets are the right size to hold a tablet, phone, remote, or book. My bedroom is too small for bedside tables so I use this organizer to hold anything that I might need right by my bed. I was surprised at how well it stay in place just by sliding the flat end in between the mattress and box spring." — Hannah Get it from Amazon for $8.99+ (available in three sizes and in four colors). 17. A light, but sturdy bed frame that'll give you 14 inches of room underneath to stash extra blankets, luggage, and any other things you don't need all the time. Reviewers love how easy it is to assemble and really appreciate the extra storage space. Elizabeth: Cover it with a bed skirt and no one'll know your clever secret. I own this and love it. It's super easy to assemble and very sturdy, and has plenty of space for me to store all my luggage packed with out-of-season clothes and spare linens (as described in #6!). Promising review: "This bed frame is amazing...no hassle set up is true! No noise and no box spring needed. Great storage space underneath as well . I am so glad i found this. :)" — Dana Get a full size from Amazon for $75 (available in seven sizes and three styles). 18. Or some adjustable bed risers because it's all about using that vertical space! These give you an extra three, five, or eight inches of space under your furniture — perfect for hiding stuff you don’t want anyone to see (like that pile of laundry 😉). They work on couches and futons too, and you can just hide them with a dust ruffle to keep things cute. And don't worry these are super sturdy and hold up to 1,300 lbs! Here are some handy under-bed storage ideas . Home It is a small business that makes all kind of products for your home! Promising review: "These blow my mind. They've added so much storage under our bed. I worried about them being durable enough to withstand our weight but there was no need to worry. Just this past weekend, both my husband and I were on the bed when two of our teenage sons ran and jumped on the bed with us. I didn't even hear a creak from these bed risers. There must have been close to 800 lbs. on our bed at that point and these risers held up like champs." — Kelly McHone Get them from Amazon for $19.99+ (also available in white and brown). 19. A mixer attachment mount to efficiently store the odd-shaped KitchenAid attachments that take up too much precious drawer space. It's especially great for maximizing the space in small kitchens. This Texas-based small business stocks lots of helpful kitchen organization products , so check them out! Promising review: " Some of the best money I spent on Etsy. Durable and effective. I'm a frequent baker (even more so this time of year) and I was constantly having to go through my cabinets to find the attachment I needed (not so much an organization issue as a small kitchen/storage issue). This keeps the attachments out of the way, easily accessible, and ready to use when it's time to bake. I highly recommend." — esposi26 Get it from 3D Home Solution on Etsy for $11 (available in three colors and with your choice of Command strips or wood screws for mounting). 20. A three-pack of heavy-duty bungees for keeping charging cables and extension cords neatly bundled so they don’t tangle into a mess. This reviewer even uses them to hang their rakes and shovels! Promising review: "I really like this organizer. I used them in my garage to hang two 150-foot outdoor electrical cords, and folding patio chairs. Great idea and much stronger than bungee cords." — Ann Lajuan Get it from Amazon for $14.97 (available in six colors). 21. And a wall-mounted rack to handle those annoying brooms, mops, rakes, and shovels that are always falling over. This rack has five slots and can hold up to 38 pounds, so it’ll keep everything neatly stored and off the floor. Included with the garage organizers are screws, anchors, a drilling template, and a guide – everything you'll need to set this up. Home It is a small business that makes all kind of products for your home! Promising review: "It's a broom rack and it performs its job well. The springs holding the mechanisms are strong. The plastic feels durable and like it would last. It came with mounting hardware but the screws were too long for my hollow core door, so I used toggle bolts instead (some folks call them 'butterfly' screws). As you can see in my images it can be loaded full of various tools and holds everything in place, feels sturdy once bolted to the door. The fold away hooks are a nice touch. We turned our unused hot water tank room as an efficient use of space to store vacs, brooms and mops. I plan on adding a small shelf in here for some cleaning detergents and whatnot like extra filters and mop heads etc." — Jakobe Get it from Amazon for $11.98 (available in two styles). 22. A set of fishing rod racks that hook onto the back of your garage door, cleverly making use of space you never knew you had. Reviewers love how easy they are to install and how much room they free up! Hardware included for easy, no tool installation on standard garage doors. If the door is a hard insulated or wood door, self tapping screws are not included but can be shipped at no cost. Can also be installed on walls and ceilings. Promising review: "I love these racks. They work just like they say. I have two sets with all of my best poles. It works with my surf rods and with my casting rods wonderfully. I did have to move my hurricane braces down a couple of inches from the top edge of the panels. That was my door installer's fault for trying to save on screws. I have no problems with mine falling out and I use my garage like a front door." — amo Get them from Amazon for $39.99 . 23. An under-cabinet paper towel holder to free up some counter space and make it significantly easier to grab a paper towel when your hands are covered in food. You can screw it in or use a sticky adhesive (if you're renting). Promising review: "We don't have a ton of counter space so I hated that a large portion of it was always being used by a paper towel holder and it was never in the same spot. I finally caved and bought this. Best. Decision. EVER! Now it's always in the same spot, easy to swap out rolls because of the open end, and looks nice! The only thing I'd say is I wish it came with two different length screws for wall vs. under cabinet installation. We had to purchase some because the ones that came with it were too long for under cabinet install and went through our cabinets. It was easily hidden though so not a big deal to us!" — Amber Waldecker Get it from Amazon for $9.98 (available in sets of two, four, and in six colors). 24. A T-shirt roll holder that allows you to use your bedroom, closet, or even bathroom door for extra storage and free up that much-needed space in your drawers! It has adjustable loops to neatly display your T-shirts, leggings, towels, and more. The Roll Keeper is owned by Kelso, Washington's resident crafter, Traci. Traci has been crafting for over 40 years and created her storage design to help organize vinyl, soon realizing that it was the perfect organization solution for much more. Her shop has versions for bottles, wrapping paper, pens, and more. My colleague Mallory Mower owns this and loves it. Here's what she has to say: "Before getting this I was driving myself up the wall with my bad folding habits. I basically shoved all my shirts into the storage drawers under my bed, because I have a teeny tiny closet (the picture above gives you a solid idea of how small it is). This has given me a massive amount of clothing storage I didn't have before. The quality is stellar and Traci is 10/10 the most thoughtful person I've purchased an Etsy product from!" Get it from The Roll Keeper on Amazon for $23.99 (available in black or white). 25. An outlet shelf to turn your basic outlet into a mini shelf — perfect for holding your electric toothbrush, mini diffuser, or whatever little gadgets you’re constantly using. It installs just like a regular outlet cover, and you can choose whether to have the shelf above or below the outlet. Promising review: "I absolutely love this thing! I have much less clutter on my sink thanks to this. If there's anyone not sure if it will fit due to an object, all you need is 1.25 inches of space between the edge of your existing outlet plate and the piece of furniture. I have a GFCI with a standard wall plate." — Amazon Customer Get it from Amazon for $14.99+ (available in four colors and in a pack of two or four). 26. A charming fruit hammock that'll free up counter space and be a fun conversation starter. Just screw it into the underside of your cabinets, and voilà — your bananas get their own little vacation spot 🏖️. Oh, to be a piece of fruit lying in a hammock. macraYAYmacrame is an Indianapolis, Indiana-based shop that makes a variety of cool macrame accessories. Promising review: "Beautiful and functional! This is the perfect addition to our beachy kitchen. We spray painted the hooks matte black to match our other hardware. It’s so cute!" — Melissa Wilkes Get it from macraYAYmacrame on Etsy for $33 . Reviews have been edited for length and/or clarity.Farmer Leader Jagjit Dallewal Urges Unity In Fight As His Hunger Strike Enters Day 29: 'Either We Will Win Or...'

Fate Trigger Requisitos: The Future of Gaming Awaits. Are You Ready?

Did stand-up comedians help reelect Donald Trump? Not a joke, as outgoing President Joe Biden might say. Trump has been the butt of countless late-night monologues and “Saturday Night Live” sketches for the better part of a decade, as much of Hollywood tracked the highs and lows of his political career with revulsion and ridicule. But in the weeks leading up to Election Day, he sat for interviews with podcasting comedians who occupy an increasingly popular space where political discourse is mediated through roast-style insults, right-leaning conspiracy theories and mockery of the left. “They’re all sort of simultaneously entertainers and influencers and pundits and — I’ve argued, propagandists — who have massive, loyal fanbases,” said Seth Simons, a journalist who writes a newsletter about the comedy industry’s darker side. The Trump era has coincided with the rise of the hourlong Netflix special and comedy podcast. And while the world of stand-up is as diverse as the nation itself, some of its hottest acts have punched left. Dave Chappelle has repeatedly courted controversy by mocking transgender activists. Bill Burr has roasted feminists with relish, most recently in his post-election “SNL” monologue (“All right, ladies, you’re 0-2 against this guy”). Even Michelle Wolf, who famously roasted Trump at the 2018 White House Correspondents Dinner, has an extended riff in her 2022 special critiquing #MeToo, calling it “the worst-run movement I’ve ever seen.” None of these comics publicly supported Trump, but nonetheless trained their fire on the so-called woke left, a bogeyman of Trump’s campaign. Trump got a warm welcome — but not everyone was amused That’s what seems to have brought Trump, a veteran TV entertainer himself, into the studios of Joe Rogan, the nation’s most listened-to podcaster, and other comedians. He discussed addiction and the opioid crisis with Theo Von, who told the past and future president that “cocaine will turn you into a damn owl, homie.” On another podcast, Andrew Schulz and Akaash Singh laughed out loud as Trump went through his nicknames for political rivals — like “Comrade Kamala” Harris — and recounted his near-assassination. Politicians have long sought to reach voters on alternative platforms. Former President Barack Obama slow jammed the news with Jimmy Fallon, who ruffled Trump’s hair in 2016. Both Obama and Hillary Clinton appeared on Zach Galifianakis’ web series “Between Two Ferns.” Harris appeared on “SNL” days before the election and sat with an array of more earnest podcasters, with less evident success. For Trump, the podcasts were part of a larger effort to reach young male voters — a tactic he says his son Barron, 18, suggested. More than half of male voters ages 18-44 supported Trump, and 45% supported Harris, although Biden won this group in 2020, according to AP VoteCast, a survey of more than 120,000 voters. While politicians’ late-night appearances tend to be carefully scripted affairs, Rogan interviewed Trump for a whopping three hours in a conversation that veered from false claims about the 2020 election to speculation about UFOs and John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Rogan, who supported Bernie Sanders in 2020, subsequently endorsed Trump this cycle. Trump’s interviewers aren’t political comedians; they’re just as likely to chat about internet curiosities, mixed martial arts or weightlifting. Their views seem primarily rooted in suspicion of the establishment, devotion to free speech and openness to alternative — and often unfounded — theories about things like vaccines and immigration. That may have led them to see Trump as a kindred spirit. “The rebels are Republicans now. You want to be a rebel, you want to be punk rock, you want to like buck the system, you’re a conservative now,” Rogan said during the interview, which has nearly 50 million views on YouTube. Simons says Rogan and his acolytes, consciously or not, have shifted what’s acceptable in comedy rightward. “The relationship that people have with these roast comics, these comics who tell racist jokes or sexist jokes, is that they don’t mean what they say, it’s just funny,” Simons said. Marc Maron, whose podcast “WTF” helped birth the genre, called out his fellow comics in a blog post after the Rogan interview. “The anti-woke flank of the new fascism is being driven almost exclusively by comics, my peers,” Maron wrote. “When comedians with podcasts have shameless, self-proclaimed white supremacists and fascists on their show to joke around like they are just entertainers or even just politicians, all it does is humanize and normalize fascism.” A fractured media landscape It wasn’t always like this. Johnny Carson, the king of late night for three decades until his 1992 retirement, steered clear of political controversies to cultivate a mass audience. This was also when most Americans got their news from the “Big Three” television networks. Fast forward to today: Left-leaning hosts of comedy shows across many channels deliver nightly polemics interspersed with news clips. To their critics, comedians like Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and John Oliver are indistinguishable from MSNBC commentators. Comedian Wayne Federman, the author of a history of stand-up, says these hosts can only draw a fraction of Carson’s viewers, removing the economic incentive to appeal widely. “As most late-night hosts seemed openly aligned with (the Democratic National Committee), a market niche opened in the podcast space. Enter Joe Rogan,” he said. Rogan’s show, for which he landed an estimated $250 million deal with Spotify, has become a springboard for up-and-coming comics. “For a lot of comedians right now, following in Joe Rogan’s footsteps and trying to be in his world and emulate him is a smart career move,” Simons said. “I think that’s partly why there are so many Andrew Schulzes and Theo Vons.” Presidential candidate or insult comic? Beyond his podcast appearances, Trump may have benefited more subtly from stand-up’s proliferation. Much was made of Trump’s extemporaneous speaking style — what he referred to as “the weave” — in which his hourlong speeches meandered through stories, digressions, movie references and obscenities. As political speech, it was unconventional, but it bore many of stand-up’s hallmarks: deliberate provocations, trademark punchlines and callbacks eventually wrapping it all together. “Because some of the things he says seem like they’re so off-center, people take it as a joke,” said Shilpa Davé, a University of Virginia professor of media studies. “The kind of comedy that he’s doing doesn’t come off as threatening, it comes off as acceptable.” It also posed problems for journalists covering his speeches: When he said he would be a dictator for a day, or inveighed against “enemies from within,” or promised to round up and deport millions of immigrants in the U.S. without authorization, was he laying out policies or joking around? “You can first denounce what journalists do by having called everything they say ‘fake news,’ and then you can denounce what they expose by saying they just don’t get it — the stand-up comedy defense,” said Robert Thompson, a professor of television and popular culture at Syracuse University. There were times when the jokes didn’t land — but they weren’t his. Trump faced outrage after Tony Hinchcliffe, another comedian with a roast-style podcast, referred to Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage” and made other racist jokes at a rally. The campaign distanced itself from Hinchcliffe as Puerto Rican celebrities backed Harris and commentators wondered if it would turn off Latino voters. “Imagine bombing so hard you save america from fascism,” comedian Zack Bornstein posted on X. But barely a week later, it was Trump who brought the house down. Image credits: Stavros Damos via Dreamstime.comBEIRUT (AP) — Insurgents' stunning march across Syria accelerated Saturday with news that they had reached the suburbs of the capital and that government forces had withdrawn from the central city of Homs. The government was forced to deny rumors that President Bashar Assad had fled the country. The loss of Homs is a potentially crippling blow for Assad. It stands at an important intersection between Damascus and Syria’s coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus — the Syrian leader’s base of support and home to a Russian strategic naval base. The pro-government Sham FM reported that government forces took positions outside Syria’s third-largest city, without elaborating. Rami Abdurrahman who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said Syrian troops and members of different security agencies have withdrawn from the city, adding that rebels have entered parts of it. The capture of Homs is a major victory for insurgents, who have already seized the cities of Aleppo and Hama , as well as large parts of the south, in a lightning offensive that began Nov. 27. Analysts said Homs falling into rebel hands would be a game-changer. The rebels' moves around Damascus, reported by the monitor and a rebel commander, came after the Syrian army withdrew from much of southern part of the country, leaving more areas, including several provincial capitals, under the control of opposition fighters. The advances in the past week were among the largest in recent years by opposition factions, led by a group that has its origins in al-Qaida and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the United Nations. In their push to overthrow Assad's government, the insurgents, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, have met little resistance from the Syrian army. For the first time in the country's long-running civil war, the government now has control of only three of 14 provincial capitals: Damascus, Latakia and Tartus. The U.N.’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, on Saturday called for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition.” Speaking to reporters at the annual Doha Forum in Qatar, he said the situation in Syria was changing by the minute. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whose country is Assad's chief international backer, said he feels “sorry for the Syrian people.” In Damascus, people rushed to stock up on supplies. Thousands went to Syria's border with Lebanon, trying to leave the country. Many shops in the capital were shuttered, a resident told The Associated Press, and those still open ran out of staples such as sugar. Some were selling items at three times the normal price. “The situation is very strange. We are not used to that,” the resident said, insisting on anonymity, fearing retributions. “People are worried whether there will be a battle (in Damascus) or not.” It was the first time that opposition forces reached the outskirts of Damascus since 2018, when Syrian troops recaptured the area following a yearslong siege. The U.N. said it was moving noncritical staff outside the country as a precaution. Syria’s state media denied social media rumors that Assad left the country, saying he is performing his duties in Damascus. He has had little, if any, help from his allies. Russia, is busy with its war in Ukraine . Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which at one point sent thousands of fighters to shore up Assad's forces, has been weakened by a yearlong conflict with Israel. Iran has seen its proxies across the region degraded by regular Israeli airstrikes. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday posted on social media that that the United States should avoid engaging militarily in Syria. Pedersen said a date for talks in Geneva on the implementation a U.N. resolution, adopted in 2015, and calling for a Syrian-led political process, would be announced later. The resolution calls for the establishment of a transitional governing body, followed by the drafting of a new constitution and ending with U.N.-supervised elections. Later Saturday, foreign ministers and senior diplomats from eight key countries, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran, along with Pederson, gathered on the sidelines of the Doha Summit to discuss the situation in Syria. No details were immediately available. Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said insurgents were in the Damascus suburbs of Maadamiyah, Jaramana and Daraya. Opposition fighters were marching toward the Damascus suburb of Harasta, he added. A commander with the insurgents, Hassan Abdul-Ghani, posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition forces had begun the “final stage” of their offensive by encircling Damascus. HTS controls much of northwest Syria and in 2017 set up a “salvation government” to run day-to-day affairs in the region. In recent years, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani has sought to remake the group’s image, cutting ties with al-Qaida, ditching hard-line officials and vowing to embrace pluralism and religious tolerance. The shock offensive began Nov. 27, during which gunmen captured the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest, and the central city of Hama , the country’s fourth largest city. Opposition activists said Saturday that a day earlier, insurgents entered Palmyra, which is home to invaluable archaeological sites had been in government hands since being taken from the Islamic State group in 2017. To the south, Syrian troops left much of the province of Quneitra including the main Baath City, activists said. Syrian Observatory said government troops have withdrawn from much of the two southern provinces. The Syrian army said in a statement that it carried out redeployment and repositioning in Sweida and Daraa after its checkpoints came under attack by “terrorists." The army said it was setting up a “strong and coherent defensive and security belt in the area,” apparently to defend Damascus from the south. The Syrian government has referred to opposition gunmen as terrorists since conflict broke out in March 2011. The foreign ministers of Iran, Russia and Turkey, meeting in Qatar, called for an end to the hostilities. Turkey is a main backer of the rebels. Qatar's top diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, criticized Assad for failing to take advantage of the lull in fighting in recent years to address the country’s underlying problems. “Assad didn’t seize this opportunity to start engaging and restoring his relationship with his people,” he said. Sheikh Mohammed said he was surprised by how quickly the rebels have advanced and said there is a real threat to Syria’s “territorial integrity.” He said the war could “damage and destroy what is left if there is no sense of urgency” to start a political process. Karam reported from London. Associated Press writers Albert Aji in Damascus, Syria and Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad contributed to this report.The order is in place from 5pm today (Sunday 24 November) and will remain active for a period of 24 hours. The measure is in response to reports of youths causing anti-social behaviour in the town centre this weekend. The area affected is bounded by the A58 Linkway West, A58 Linkway East, Parr Street, Shaw Street, Hall Street, Standish Street, College Street, Duke Street, A570 Boundary Road and Kirkland Street. (Image: Merseyside Police) Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Josh Griffiths said: “We have introduced this order in response to anti-social behaviour carried out by youths in St Helens town centre over the weekend. “We have increased patrols in the area to deal with any issues, and this dispersal zone gives officers extra powers to approach people they suspect may be there to commit anti-social behaviour or other crimes. “This order is to ensure residents and businesses are not subjected to any such behaviour, and I would ask people to continue reporting any concerns and we will take action. “I would urge parents and guardians to know where young people in your care are, to further assist us in dealing with those who cause trouble. “If you witness any anti-social behaviour or have any information about such incidents, please contact or speak to our officers and we will take action.” These dispersal zones are under Section 34/35 of the Anti-Social Behaviour & Policing Act 2014, which gives police officers the powers to direct people engaging in anti-social behaviour or are likely to become involved in such incidents and not return for up to 48 hours. Officers also have the power to seize items used for anti-social behaviour. Should a person who has previously been directed to leave but returns to the area, then an offence would be committed, and they may be arrested. Anyone who wishes to report anti-social or criminal behaviour can contact @MerPolCC, 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Always call 999 in an emergency. Always call 999 if a crime is in progress. You can pass any information on anti-social behaviour via Merseyside Police's social media desk @MerPolCC on X or 'Merseyside Police Contact Centre' on Facebook.

Air Force secures 69-61 win against Stony Brook, 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. 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 simply said in posting about Carter’s death on the social media platform X. 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 , 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.” THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day More from The Hollywood Reporter