remembering an american trail blazer who touched lives around the world. former president jimmy carter has died at the age of 100 at his home in plains, georgia. he shaped the model for life after office, leaving his mark as a human rights champion, a

peace maker and paragon for decency. the tributes pouring in for carter from around the world. plus a look back at his life from peanut farmer to president, and his unforgettable love story with salynn carter. the investigation into the south korean plane crash that killed 179 people. we're live with a possible cause. and a deadly tornado outbreak tears across the southeast. at least four dead from texas to georgia. our team is tracking where that system is heading next. and highlights from the commanders and falcons. as we kick off "early today." ♪ ♪ glad you're with me this morning. i'm frances rivera. today the world is remembering a presidential life very well lived.

jimmy carter, the 39th president of the united states has died at the age of 100. the carter center says he was surrounded by loved ones in his beloved hometown of plains, georgia. carter went from a peanut farm to the white house. then he dedicated decades of his life working to help others around the world. here's jose diaz balart with more on carter's legacy. >> my name is jimmy carter, and i'm running for president. >> reporter: jimmy carter's election in 1976 confounded the conventional political wisdom, until that year's iowa caucuses, in which he trounced his better-known virals, carter was virtually unknown outside of his native georgia. he grew up in plains, georgia in a farm that lacked electricity and indoor plumbing. he served as a navy lieutenant and came home to run the family peanut farm. he met rosalynn smith, the woman who would become not only his wife but closest friend and

adviser. carter served two terms in the georgia state senate, and in 1970 elected governor. in his inaugural address, he made it clear there was a new breeze blowing through the south. >> that the time for racial discrimination is over. >> with our first challenge. sign in, please. >> reporter: outside of georgia, carter remained largely unknown, even stumping the panelists on "what's my line" in 1973. a year later he annoced he was running for president. this political outsider and born again christian was a welcome change for a public disillusioned with its leaders in the wake of watergate and other scandals. in the general election, he narrowly defeated president gerald ford, becoming the first president from the deep south in almost a century. >> i, jimmy carter do solemnly swear. >> reporter: in the first sign this would be a down-to-earth

presidency, he walked the entire way from the capitol to the white house during the inauguration. austerity was in the air. >> there's no way that i or anyone else in the government can solve our energy problems if you are not willing to help. >> reporter: once in the white house, however, carter's lack of experience in washington politics became a severe handicap. the independent-minded congress failed to approve some of his most important legislative initiatives. indeed, for many, he dealt with matters of foreignolicy much more skillfully than he did domestic. he was firm in his commitment to human rights. >> no member of the united nations can claim that mistreatment of its citizens is solely its own business. >> reporter: when the soviet union sent troops into afghanistan in 1979, carter responded with punitive measures against the soviets, including a trade embargo. but one of his actions seemed to anger americans as much as it did the russians. >> i have given notice that the

united states will not attend the moscow olympics. >> reporter: the major achievement of the carter presidency was the signing of the camp david accords in september of 1978. carter brought israeli president begin and sadat together. it served as the basis for a treaty signed by begin and sadat. he faced his toughest test of all when americans were taken hostage in iran in november of 1979. this time neither his resolve nor the power of the american government was effective enough in gaining freedom for these hostages. carter's boldest effort met with tragedy in the iranian desert. >> late yesterday i canceled a carefully-planned operation, which was under way in iran for a later withdrawal of american hostages. >> reporter: by making the release of the hostages the overriding goal of his final year, carter jeopardized his

prospects for reelection. things were hardly better at home as the economy continued to deteriorate. >> the erosion of our confidence in the future. >> reporter: carter's popularity plummeted. he blamed the country's problems on a crisis of confidence. his weakness brought a challenge from senator ted kennedy for the democratic nomination in 1980. carter survived the battle, but he went into the fall campaign greatly weakened. >> i'll bring new hope to america. >> reporter: his opponent, ronald reagan, campaigned tirelessly to restore america to its former position of greatness. jimmy carter lost in a landslide. in 1982 he established the carter center, committed to advancing human rights and promoting democracy around the world. he built houses for the poor. and worked for peace in haiti and north korea. and bosnia. >> the bond of our common humanity is stronger than the divisiveness of our fears and

prejudices. >> reporter: and this 2002, at age 78, carter became only the third u.s. president to be warded the nobel peace prize. in august of 2015, carter announced the troubling health diagnosis. liver surgery where they removed a tenth of his liver revealed melanoma that had spread to his brain. then, a little less than four months later, carter revealed at sunday school he was cancer free. that his brain scans didn't show any signs or spots. >> they were responding to the treatment, and when i went this week they didn't find any cancer at all, so. i have good news. [ applause ] >> reporter: over the years, despite various health challenges as he aged, jimmy carter continued to build houses. to play a role in national politics and to celebrate new milestones. in 2021, jimmy and rosalynn marked their 75th wedding anniversary. >> 75 years, i can't believe. >> reporter: their love story

continued until her death two years later, marking the longest presidential marriage in history. in 2024, carter himself became the longest-living american president, celebrating his 100th birthday. his tireless dedication to humanity, and global efforts to preserve freedom, all led to a new kind of modern axiom. jimmy carter, they say, was one of the best ex-presidents america ever had. >> and tributes have been pouring in for the former president. president biden shared this photo, and said over six decades, he and the first lady had the honor of calling jimmy carter a dear friend. chris pollone joins me now from d.c. president biden also said jimmy carter had a way of making millions of people feel like he was their close friend. >> reporter: frances, that's right. good morning. president biden addressing the nation last night. in his remarks, he focussed on president carter's decency, character and life's work.

>> millions of people all around the world, all over the world feel they lost a friend as well, even though they never met him. that's because jimmy carter lived a life measured not by words but by his deeds. he forged peace, advanced civil rights. human rights. promoted free and fair elections around the world. he built housing for homeless, for the homeless with his own hands. >> reporter: former president obama shared similar sentiments, saying jimmy carter did not just profess his values. he embodied them. george w. bush also offered condolences. president-elect trump says, quote, 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. last night, new york's empire state building was illuminated in red, white and blue to honor

carter's life and legacy. president biden announced there will be a national day of mourning on january 9th. and of course in the coming days we will learn much more about the memorial services that will be held for president carter, both in georgia and here in washington, d.c., frces. >> and i'm sure there will be very many of those. chris, thank you. turning to south korea where a fiery plane crash has left families devastated after 179 people on board were killed sunday. claudio lavanga joins me with the latest on this tragedy. good morning, claudio. >> reporter: that's right. that plane took off from bangkok, thailand. and just as it was approaching its final destination in seoul, the pilot declared mayday after issuing a bird strike alert. soon after that, the plane landed, touched down without the landing gear. it skidded off the runway, crashed against the barrier and exploded into a fireball. now, 179 people, as you

mentioned, lost this lives, nearly all of the people on board, including 11 students from elementary, middle and high school. only two people survived. they have been taken to hospital. they sustained moderate injuries and are conscious. well, now investigators will have to establish the cause of that air crash, even though everything seems to be pointing to that bird strike. now we have seen footage of the, aired on local media in south korea, of the plane approaching the airport. there was fire coming out of one of the engines. and now the authorities inouth korea say that bird strike was, according to them, the primary reason for that crash. still, this was a very modern, very safe plane. it was a 737-800 boeing, considered to be one of the safest planes in the world right now. one of the most modern for sure,

and still this is the center of what is considered the worst aviation accident in south korea in three decades. >> thank you. at least four people are dead as multiple tornados and storms wreaked havoc on the south over the weekend. now millions are picking up the pieces as we head into the new year. saturday's storms alone produced more than two dozen preliminary and confirmed tornados across texas, alabama and georgia. and a system is working its way up the east coast this morning. angie lassman is tracking the chance for rain and snow. >> it's that same system that's caused problems with severe weather. but we're looking at snowshowers left over for the great lakes and rain working across parts of new england. it will be heavy at times. heads up there.

an umbrella will be handy. 60-plus mile-per-hour winds. all of this combined with the dry air and the potential for fire leaves us with 9 million people under fire alerts across this region through the day today. big picture look, we'll see slick roads across parts of the plains as the next system starts to emerge. we head into tomorrow with stormy conditions across the ohio valley and stretching into the northeast and great lakes. cooler temperatures will settle in for the south. as we look ahead to new year's eve at midnight. it will be clear and cool across parts of the south. notice the rain that will settle in for the northeast, leaving us with maybe wet weather for the ball drop in times square. that will stick th us wi . 77 degrees with full sunshine in

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here's what's making headlines this morning. charles dolan, the founder of hbo and a pioneer in cablevision died at 98 years old. he held controlling stakes in the company that owned madison square garden and the knicks and rangers. actor keanu reaves' rolex was found in chile. it was stolen from his home last

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unbreakable bond. andrea mitchell has a look back at their romance. >> reporter: it's a love story that spanned more than seven decades. former president jimmy carter and first lady rosalynn carter surpassed 75 years of marriage. they went on their first date in 1945. though rosalynn initially rejected the first proposal, the couple tied the knot on july 7, 1946. their love has seen them through raising four children, a presidential term, running the family farm supply business. humanitarian work around the world and a cancer diagnosis. they've even gone from sharing a kiss on the presidential debate stage to a smooch on the kiss cam at a 2019 nba game. the relationship hasn't been without tribulations, though. the couple reflecting on writing a book together on "today". >> we really did have a terrible

time writing the book. >> we thought perhaps the last chapter would be about our divorce. >> reporter: former carter white house communications director says the couple has always worked together as a team. >> they treat each other as equals, and they always have. >> reporter: the 39th president also sharing this marriage advice with judy woodruff on pbs. >> we make up and give each other a kiss before we go to sleep. >> reporter: the carters celebrated their milestone 75th anniversary together in their hometown of plains, georgia. >> my wife, rosalynn, i want to express a particular gratitude for being the right woman that i chose for my wife. [ applause ] >> it has been a really wonderful 75 years? >> reporter: andrea mitchell, nbc news, washington.

>> and the honors and remembrances and tribute also continue until the national day of mourning on january 9. the empire state building was lit up in red, white and blue to pay tribute to jimmy carter. and coming up on the "today" show, we will continue our special coverage, remembering the former president and his lasting impact on the country. we thank you so much for starting your week and ending your year with "early today." i'm frances rivera. hope you have a great monday and enjoy your new year's eve eve.

remembering an american trail blazer who touched lives around the world. former president jimmy carter has died at the age of 100 at his home in plains, georgia. the nation's longest-living president shaped the model for life after office, leaving his mark as a hu