Former President Jimmy Carter died at his home in Plains, Georgia, on Sunday.  |
- Former President Jimmy Carter died at his home in Plains, Georgia, on Sunday.
- AT&T and Verizon acknowledged they were targeted by China-backed hacking group Salt Typhoon and on Saturday said their networks are now secure.
- A global downturn in the wine industry, combined with cheap imports and higher costs, is hitting family farmers in California especially hard.
- Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Sunday that Russia unintentionally shot down the jetliner that crashed in Kazakhstan and killed 38 people.
- Dog sledding is an effervescent joy. Story after the news.
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☀️ It's Monday. Thank you for reading Morning Brief. |
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Former President Jimmy Carter during an annual Carter Town Hall held at Emory University in Atlanta on Sept. 18, 2019. (John Amis/AP Photo) |
Former President Jimmy Carter died at his home in Plains, Georgia, on Sunday afternoon. He was 100. Carter, a Democrat, served as president for one term from 1977 to 1981. He's well-known for his humanitarian work after leaving the White House. "My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love," said Chip Carter, the former president's son, in a statement on the Carter Center's website. Reactions to Carter's death poured in on Sunday evening, including from President-elect Donald Trump, who said on Truth Social that "those of us who have been fortunate to have served as President understand this is a very exclusive club, and only we can relate to the enormous responsibility of leading the Greatest Nation in History." "The challenges Jimmy faced as President came at a pivotal time for our country and he did everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans. For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude," the president-elect said. Former President Bill Clinton and former first lady Hillary Clinton said that they "mourn the passing" of Carter and "give thanks to his long, good life." "I will always be proud to have presented the Medal of Freedom to him and Rosalynn in 1999, and to have worked with him in the years after he left the White House," former President Clinton said. Remembered for his quick rise in national politics and dedication to world conflict resolution in the decades after he left office, Carter's years in the White House marked a transition from the Watergate era to the Reagan conservatism of the 1980s.
He oversaw major changes to the U.S. government during a time of high inflation, high interest rates, unemployment, and international instability, including the Iran hostage crisis. (More)
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A spoiled wine vineyard sits in Lodi, Calif., on Dec. 13, 2024. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times) |
On a foggy December morning, a drive through the dense grid of vineyards surrounding Lodi in Northern California offers a haunting sight: In every direction, acres of withering, mottled grape clusters hanging on leafless vines. All of it should have been picked clean by November and destined for the crusher. But many wine grape farmers here—some whose families have been tending this land for more than a century—have left their grapes to rot. It costs them more to harvest the fruit than they can get selling it. "We have 70 acres of fruit just hung out to dry, and emotionally, it's really taking a toll, particularly on generational farmers," Bob Lauchland told The Epoch Times at his 15-acre farmstead, which he now runs with his son, Greg. "We're medium-sized growers. We're not massively producing, but we've been able to carry it on for generations." Surrounded by tangled crowns of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, Lauchland pointed to mule shoes left over from his great-grandfather's time, when grape harvests were hauled into Lodi on carts. "It hurts your heart. I mean, you just think your great-grandfather put this together, you look at the things that my ancestors did here on this land, and you feel like it came to you, and it's just hard to keep it together," he said. For the last three years, the Lauchlands have not secured a contract for their harvest, and the sales they've made have ended up bringing in less than the cost of production. The long-term structural decline of wine is global, tied to demographic and consumer trends. Since the pandemic, when sales saw a temporary bump but resulted in overstocking, supply has outpaced demand—which is plummeting even in European countries where wine culture is deeply rooted. California has more vineyards planted than it needs to satisfy demand, and there are other factors pushing farmers over the edge. With rising production and labor costs, a burdensome regulatory environment, near-monopolization of major producers, and a steady flow of cheap bulk imports, smaller family farms are finding it all but impossible to stay in business. While the Lauchlands are diversifying, replacing some vineyards with almonds and goats, others—like grower and winemaker Tom Hoffman, who runs Heritage Oak Winery—have decided to cut their losses and sell before land prices drop any further. (More) More U.S. News |
- Shen Yun was born to expose persecution in China and revive traditional culture. Our colleague, Eva Fu, explores the origins of this cultural phenomenon.
- Costco's board of directors has encouraged shareholders to vote to support its "diversity, equity, and inclusion" program after it received a proposal to reject the practice.
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Young women cry in front of the memorial in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Dec. 26, 2024. (Aziz Karimov/Getty Images) |
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Sunday that Russia unintentionally shot down the jetliner which crashed in Kazakhstan and killed 38 people. "We can say with complete clarity that the plane was shot down by Russia," Aliyev told Azerbaijani state media. "We are not saying that it was done intentionally, but it was done." The plane entered Russian airspace on Dec. 25. It tried to divert its course to land in Grozny, the capital of Russia's Chechen Republic, but was unsuccessful. The plane crashed in Aktau, Kazakhstan, resulting in the deaths of at least 38 of the plane's 67 passengers. Following the crash, the Kremlin press office confirmed in a statement on Saturday that Russia's air defense systems were active when the plane attempted to land in Grozny. Aliyev gave a preliminary assessment of the crash, saying it was caused after the plane was hit by Russian fire from the ground and "rendered uncontrollable by electronic warfare." Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologized to Azerbaijan, calling the crash "a tragic incident." Moscow stopped short of taking full responsibility, framing it as an accident. (More) More World News: |
- A bird strike has emerged as a possible factor in a plane crash in Muan, South Korea, that left 179 people dead, according to officials. Air traffic controllers warned the plane about bird strike risks minutes before the plane went down.
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🍿 Documentary: Bruce Lee's in-depth interview at the Pierre Berton Show, originally filmed in 1971, just a couple of years before he passed away. The footage was lost and would not be aired again until 1994. (Watch free on Gan Jing World) 🍵 Health: Inflammaging is a portmanteau of "inflammation" and "aging." It can burn years off our lifespan, leaving us sick and suffering. However, emerging research shows you can combat inflammaging by adopting simple lifestyle strategies. 💛 Inspiration: The risks you take shape who you become. 🎵Music: Brahms: 7 Fantasien, Op. 116 - 6. Intermezzo in E major (Listen)
📷 Photo of the Day: A person walks with a dog after snowfall in a park on the Main river embankment in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on Dec. 29, 2024. 👇
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Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images |
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Zipping around the bend near Chena Hot Springs, Alaska. (Brian Adams/State of Alaska) |
Dogs just want to have fun. Nowhere is this more evident than in a kennel yard at an Alaska dog-sledding operation. All you need to do is walk through the compound and several dozen lean, lively canids will greet you like a long-lost savior. Are we going out on the trail? Yes? With the sled? Soon? Oh boy! Effervescent joy suffuses the crystalline air of winter in the Alaska interior, and it's hard to tell whether that evanescent quality is climatic or canine in origin. Probably both. The staccato crescendo of the sled-dog concerto rings through the birch woods, and the air is so clear, the light so crisp, and the tree trunks so reflective in their ivory bark cloaks that you imagine seeing the sound waves sluicing the morning calm. |
Fairbanks, Alaska, is home to at least four operators who will teach and equip you to take a dog sledding tour. (Chris McLennan/Travel Alaska) |
Most dogsled tours, guided or not, run an hour or so. Don't worry about being cold—they'll bundle you up in an Arctic winter suit that makes you look like a puffy Gumby. And when it's all over, and you have passed through this winter wonderland in joy, there's just one thing left to do: Thank the dogs who carried you out and back. Believe me, they'll appreciate it. In fact, they'll ask if you can go again.
Read the full story by our colleague Eric Lucas here.
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