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A look back at Jimmy Carter's presidency

Published

1 year ago

December 29, 2024

Press Room

A look back at Jimmy Carter's presidency

President Carter addresses the nation from the White House on his energy proposal on April 18, 1977.

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President Carter addresses the nation from the White House on his energy proposal on April 18, 1977.

Bettmann/Bettmann Archive

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter died on Sunday at 100 years old. He was a Georgia governor when he began his bid to become the 39th president on a campaign of decency, equality and freedom.

Carter served a single term, from 1977 to 1981, most memorable for his human rights-centered foreign policy and for establishing the departments of education and energy, as well as the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter takes questions from the media during a news conference at the Carter Center in Atlanta on Aug. 20, 2015.

The Camp David Accords were the Carter administration’s greatest foreign policy achievement. Carter brought together Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat at the presidential retreat in Maryland. On Sept. 17, 1978, the accords were signed, leading to an official peace treaty between the two countries the following year.

After his presidency, Carter continued in his pursuit of human rights. He and his wife, Rosalynn, founded The Carter Center and volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, helping to build and advocate for affordable housing.

Here’s a look at Carter’s time as president in photos.

Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter walk down Pennsylvania Avenue after Carter was sworn in as the nation’s 39th president on Jan. 20, 1977, in Washington, D.C.

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Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter walk down Pennsylvania Avenue after Carter was sworn in as the nation’s 39th president on Jan. 20, 1977, in Washington, D.C.

President Jimmy Carter receives the applause of members of Congress who witnessed his signature on a bill creating the Department of Energy in a Rose Garden ceremony Thursday, Aug. 4, 1977, at the White House in Washington, D.C.

Barry Thumma/AP

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Ed and Mary Cashat of Pasadena, Texas, listen to the address on energy by President Carter before a joint session of Congress on April 21, 1977. Ed Cashat is a foreman of the operations department that handles machinery and equipment at a Shell Oil Company refinery.

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In this handout file photo, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin chats informally with Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat and President Carter during their peace talks on Sept. 6, 1978, at Camp David in Maryland.

Moshe Milner/GPO via Getty Images

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President Carter waves to the crowd gathered in the House chamber of the Capitol building on Jan. 23, 1979, as he prepares to deliver his annual State of the Union address.

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President Carter waves to the crowd gathered in the House chamber of the Capitol building on Jan. 23, 1979, as he prepares to deliver his annual State of the Union address.

Deng Xiaoping and President Carter sign diplomatic agreements between the United States and China on Jan. 31, 1979.

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Deng Xiaoping and President Carter sign diplomatic agreements between the United States and China on Jan. 31, 1979.

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President Carter poses with a baby in Quincy, Ill., in 1979, during a summer vacation cruising the Mississippi River. The baby’s T-shirt reads “I’m a Carter Nut” above the outline of a peanut.

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President Carter poses with a baby in Quincy, Ill., in 1979, during a summer vacation cruising the Mississippi River. The baby’s T-shirt reads “I’m a Carter Nut” above the outline of a peanut.

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Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat, left, U.S. President Jimmy Carter, center, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin stand at attention as the national anthems of their respective countries are played on the north lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 24, 1979.

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The Rev. Martin Luther King Sr., left, President Carter and Coretta Scott King, the widow of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. pray during the convocation at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta on Jan. 14, 1979.

Jim Wells/AP

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President Carter, his daughter Amy, South Korean President Park Chung-hee and others wave during a motorcade in Seoul on June 30, 1979.

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President Carter, his daughter Amy, South Korean President Park Chung-hee and others wave during a motorcade in Seoul on June 30, 1979.

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President Carter poses for photographers in the Oval Office on Jan. 14, 1981, just prior to delivering his farewell address on national television.

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President Carter poses for photographers in the Oval Office on Jan. 14, 1981, just prior to delivering his farewell address on national television.

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Days after his term ended, in January 1981, former President Carter boards Air Force One in Georgia to return to Washington, D.C., and continue onto Wiesbaden, Germany, to greet the newly released Americans held hostage in Iran for 444 days.

Chuck Fishman/Getty Images

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Chuck Fishman/Getty Images

The audio portion of this story is from Up First Sunday, hosted by Rachel Martin. Don Gonyea contributed to the reporting. The audio was produced by Dan Girma, and edited by Jennifer Schmidt. Digital support by Audrey Nguyen.

Up First Sunday would love to hear from you. Send us an email at UpFirstSunday@npr.org.

Listen to Up First on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

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Satellite images provide view inside Iran at war

Published

5 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Satellite images provide view inside Iran at war

Smoke rises over Konarak naval base in southern Iran on Sunday. The base was one of hundreds of targets of U.S. and Israeli forces throughout the country.

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Commercial satellite images are providing a unique look at the extent of damage being done to Iran’s military facilities across the country.

The U.S. and Israeli military campaign opened with a daytime attack that struck Iranian leadership in central Tehran. Smoke was still visible rising from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s compound following the attack that killed the supreme leader.

An image by the company Airbus taken on Saturday shows the aftermath of an Israeli strike on Iran’s Leadership House in central Tehran. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the opening wave of attacks.

Pléiades Neo (c) Airbus DS 2026

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Israel and the U.S. have gone on to strike targets across the country. Reports on social media indicate that there have been numerous military bases and compounds attacked all over Iran, and Iran has responded with attacks throughout the Middle East.

U.S. forces have also been striking at Iran’s navy. In a post on his social media platform, President Trump said that he had been briefed that U.S. forces had sunk nine Iranian naval vessels. U.S. Central Command did not immediately confirm that number but it did say it had struck an Iranian warship in port.

An image captured on February 28 shows a ship burning at Iran's naval base at Konarak.

An image captured on Saturday shows a ship burning at Iran’s naval base at Konarak.

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Numerous satellite images show burning vessels at Konarak naval base in southern Iran. Images also show damage to a nearby airbase where hardened hangers were struck by precision munitions.

Hardened aircraft shelters at Konarak airbase were struck with precision munitions.

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And there was extensive damage at a drone base in the same area. Iran has launched numerous drones and missiles toward Israel and U.S. military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. Many drones have been intercepted but videos on social media show that some have evaded air defenses and caused damage in nearby Gulf countries. In Dubai, debris from an Iranian drone damaged the iconic Burj Al Arab, according to a statement from Dubai’s government.

Buildings at an Iranian drone base at Konarak were destroyed in the strikes.

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Iran’s most powerful weapons are its long-range missiles. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards have hidden the missiles deep inside mountain tunnels. Images taken Sunday in the mountains of northern Iran indicate that some of those tunnels were hit in a wave of strikes.

Following Khamenei’s death, Iran declared 40 days of mourning. Satellite images showed mourners gathering in Tehran’s Enghelab square on Sunday.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told NPR on Sunday that Iran will continue to fight “foreign aggression, foreign domination.”

A White House official told NPR that Trump plans to talk to Iran’s interim leadership “eventually,” but that for now, U.S. operations continue in the region “unabated.”

A large crowd of mourners fill Enghelab Square in Tehran on Sunday, following the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike.

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Video: What the Texas Primary Battle Means for the Midterms

Published

14 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Video: What the Texas Primary Battle Means for the Midterms

new video loaded: What the Texas Primary Battle Means for the Midterms

The first battle of the midterm elections will be the U.S. Senate primary in Texas. Our Texas bureau chief, David Goodman, explains why Democrats and Republicans across the U.S. are watching closely to see what happens in the state.

By J. David Goodman, Alexandra Ostasiewicz, June Kim and Luke Piotrowski

March 1, 2026

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Mass shooting at Austin, Texas bar leaves at least 3 dead, 14 wounded, authorities say

Published

17 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Mass shooting at Austin, Texas bar leaves at least 3 dead, 14 wounded, authorities say

Gunfire rang out at a bar in Austin, Texas, early Sunday and at least three people were killed, the city’s police chief said.

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis told reporters the shooter was killed by officers at the scene.

Fourteen others were hospitalized and three were in critical condition, Austin-Travis County EMS Chief Robert Luckritz said.

“We received a call at 1:39 a.m. and within 57 seconds, the first paramedics and officers were on scene actively treating the patients,” Luckritz said.

There was no initial word on the shooter’s identity or motive.

An Austin police officer guards the scene on West 6th Street at West Avenue after a shooting on Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Austin, Texas.

Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP

Davis noted how fortunate it was that there was a heavy police presence in Austin’s entertainment district at the time, enabling officers to respond quickly as bars were closing.

“Officers immediately transitioned … and were faced with the individual with a gun,” Davis said. “Three of our officers returned fire, killing the suspect.”

She called the shooting a “tragic, tragic” incident.