Rosalynn Carter dies at 96
Rosalynn Carter, the former first lady and humanitarian, died Sunday at her home in Plains, Georgia, at 96 years old, according to the Carter Center.
Carter was a champion of mental health care as first lady and devoted herself to several social causes in the course of her public life, including programs that supported health care resources, human rights, social justice and the needs of elderly people.
Former President Jimmy Carter called Rosalynn his “equal partner in everything I ever accomplished” in a statement.
“She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me,” he said.
U.S., Israeli and Hamas negotiators close in on a hostage deal
A deal to release some Israeli hostages taken during the Oct. 7 terror attack in exchange for a pause in fighting may be close, sources familiar with the negotiations told NBC News.
Three sources caution nothing has been finalized yet, and the U.S. insisted that work toward a deal was continuing.
Deputy national security adviser Jon Finer told “Meet the Press” Sunday morning that current talks are the closest officials have been to any form of agreement.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has deemed Al-Shifa, once Gaza’s main hospital, a “death zone.” Dozens of premature babies were evacuated from Al-Shifa to Rafah, before crossing the border into Egypt on Monday. UNICEF said in a statement the babies were “clinging to life” before they could be evacuated.
NBC News’ Kristen Welker asked Finer on Sunday about the Qatari prime minister’s comments saying Israel’s actions at Al-Shifa were a “crime.” During the interview, Finer would not say whether the White House is confident that Israel is following international law.
More on the Israel-Hamas war
Biden’s approval hits a new low
President Joe Biden’s approval rating has declined to the lowest level of his presidency, with strong majorities of all voters disapproving of his handling of foreign policy and the Israel-Hamas war, according to the latest national NBC News poll.
Forty percent of registered voters approve of Biden’s job performance, while 57% disapprove. The poll also finds Biden behind former President Donald Trump for the first time in a hypothetical 2024 matchup, with Trump at 46% and Biden at 44%.
Only 34% of all voters approve of Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war, which notably includes only 51% of Democrats.
You can read more from the NBC News poll here.
A community’s last labor and delivery doctor says goodbye
Monroe County, Alabama, is the latest in a growing list of state hospitals shuttering their maternity care units.
Dr. Angela Adams Powell, the last remaining labor and delivery physician at Monroe County Hospital, had hoped for a last-minute reprieve, but last Thursday she was joined by nurses for an emotional final day of the labor and delivery ward.
Now pregnant women in a county where 22% of residents live below the poverty line would be forced to travel as far as 103 miles to give birth.
And Powell understand how the stakes can rise with each mile a pregnant woman must travel for medical care. “Driving a distance of 40 miles, 90 miles to try to get that care puts both the mother and baby’s life at risk,” she said.
Politics in brief
‘Fight Club’ Congress: Lawmakers on Capitol Hill were at each other’s throats this past week. And between the Republican infighting and political paralysis, some fed-up lawmakers are calling it quits.
Democratic friction: The Israel-Hamas war is a big dividing issue in the Democratic Party, something Rep. Dean Phillips has witnessed firsthand on the trail in his uphill, upstart presidential campaign.
DeSantis dodges: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Sunday refused to condemn a post that Elon Musk made on X endorsing an antisemitic tweet that alluded to a white supremacist conspiracy theory.
Manchin 2024? Sen. Joe Manchin is publicly flirting with the idea of a third-party White House bid. But many in the Biden administration doubt he’s actually going to do it.
Silicon Valley whiplash over OpenAI
The tech world was shocked Friday by the sudden news that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was stepping down. The company’s board of directors said it concluded Altman “was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities.”
In a brief message to employees Saturday, OpenAI Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap wrote that the announcement “took us all by surprise.”
Cheaper flights, packed hotels, lots of boomers …
… just some of the things many Americans will experience traveling for the holidays over the next few weeks.
Airlines say they’re prepared to handle record volumes of travelers this winter after what one industry tracker deemed a “debacle” last holiday season.
Meanwhile, more baby boomers are taking trips this year compared to last year, after putting off travel over inflation or health concerns. Gen X will make up 29% of all travelers, Deloitte projects, whereas millennial and Gen Z travelers are expected to fall back a bit.
And fortunately for travelers, airline tickets are more affordable this season (though if you’re flying internationally, it depends).
In case you missed it
- Militants believed to be Iranian-backed Houthi rebels used a helicopter raid to seize a Japanese cargo ship in the southern Red Sea, three U.S. officials said Sunday.
- A white supremacist group carrying flags emblazoned with swastikas marched in Wisconsin Saturday, the University of Wisconsin-Madison said in a statement condemning the march.
- It’s been one year since the shooting at Club Q in Colorado, and the community is still grappling with the pain and trauma as it struggles to move forward amid lingering tension.
- A Taylor Swift fan died at the singer’s “Eras Tour” concert in Rio on Friday night. Swift said she had a “shattered heart” and subsequently announced her Saturday show was postponed due to extreme temperatures.
- SpaceX launched the most powerful rocket ever developed on a key test flight Saturday, but ultimately lost contact roughly 10 minutes into flight. The spacecraft likely self-detonated due to an issue midflight.
