Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Former President Jimmy Carter Dead At 100; South Korea Plane Crash Kills 179 People; Azerbaijan's President Accuses Russia Of Causing Plane Crash; Trump Endorses Johnson In Speaker's Race. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired December 30, 2024 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:00:44]

ISA SOARES, CNN HOST: A very warm welcome, everyone. I'm Isa Soares, in London in today for my colleague Jim Sciutto. Thanks very much for joining me on CNN NEWSROOM.

And let's get straight to the news.

Plans are coming together this hour to honor the life of Jimmy Carter, the humble peanut farmer from Plains, Georgia, turned 39th president of the United States, who died yesterday at the age of 100. A man who redefined what life after the White House could look like. The southern statesman only served one term as president, but leaves behind a legacy of humanitarianism and fighting, of course, for human rights.

After leaving Washington, Carter and his wife was 77 years. Rosalynn founded the Carter center, a nonprofit working to promote peace as well as freedom right around the world. Rosalynn Carter passed away a little more than one year ago at the age of 96.

President Joe Biden remembered Jimmy Carter as a man of great character, as well as courage, and is honoring his lifelong friend by proclaiming January the 9th as a national day of mourning.

President-elect Donald Trump honoring him by in part by saying: While I strongly disagreed with him philosophically and politically, I also realized that he truly loved and respected our country and all it stands for. He worked hard to make America a better place, and for that, I give him my highest respect.

Well, CNN's Rafael Romo joins us now from the Carter center in Atlanta.

Rafael, good to see you. Just give us a sense about the funeral plans. What more are you learning this hour?

RAFAEL ROMO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Hi, Isa. How are you?

We have learned that in addition to lying in state at the U.S. Capitol, there will be public observances, both in Washington, here in Atlanta, President Joe Biden will deliver the eulogy at a service at Washington's National Cathedral. And this is because Carter, when he was alive, that was his request.

And also, we have learned that there will be a private burial for family and close friend of the former president -- of the late president, I should say, and his beloved Plains, Georgia, his native town. And, Isa, in addition to all that, we have seen a tremendous amount of love being poured out here where we are at the Carter Center, with many people coming down here to bring flowers to light candles. There was a person who brought a jar of peanuts. They put the jar of peanuts right behind me because they wanted to honor the memory of the man who rose from being a peanut farmer to becoming the 39th president of the United States.

And, Isa, much has been said about the perception that his president -- Jimmy Carter's presidency did not reach its full potential. But many people here in Georgia say that you have to look at the entire life and legacy of the man and remember the important causes he fought for, including promoting democracy, fighting disease, seeking international peace.

I had an opportunity earlier to speak with the former health advisor here at the Carter Center, and this is what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. FRANK RICHARDS, SENIOR ADVISER FOR HEALTH (RET.), CARTER CENTER: President Carter and Mrs. Carter were very, very passionate about human rights, human dignity, freedom and democracy and the alleviation of suffering, and especially that health care is a human right, and they're concerned with diseases that have especially afflicted people who were destitute and poverty.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMO: And, Isa, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has ordered flags to be flown at half staff across the state. There has been, as expected, numerous statements of condolences and support for the Carter family from the political leadership here in Georgia, including one from Senator Raphael Warnock, who said in a public statement that President Jimmy Carter was one of his heroes.

Isa, now, back to you.

SOARES: One of Georgia's favorite sons. I've only heard good things so far today, and that is very rare indeed.

Rafael Romo, appreciate it. Thank you very much.

Well, tributes from around the world continue to pour in after Jimmy Carter's death.

[15:05:03]

Joining us now to discuss the 39th U.S. president's legacy is our presidential historian, Tim Naftali.

Tim, really appreciate you being with us this hour. Look, I heard an interview that, that he did, I think it was in 2018

where he said he wanted to be remembered as a champion of peace and human rights. I think it's fair to say, right, that I think he -- he got his wish. How do you think he'll be remembered?

TIM NAFTALI, CNN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Well, how he will be remembered is a question that has been asked ever since he left the White House. And in the years since 1981, that question has been answered differently. The answer has evolved, I think by this point, people are seeing him as a man who was deeply committed to public service, whether it was in the United States or globally.

People saw that once he once his career ended, his political career ended in such a disappointing way to both him and Rosalynn Carter and many of their supporters. Rather than giving up rather than stewing in bitterness, he chose to take his youthful energies. At the age of 56, and those of his -- of his wife, and turn them towards doing unilateral good.

He didn't have to worry about congress. He didn't have to worry about elections in the United States. He was able to focus on things that he thought -- puzzles he thought he could solve. He was, after all, not only a peanut farmer, but also an engineer by training.

And so he will be remembered not just in the United States. I mean, I think that is the biggest testament to Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter. They have shaped lives not simply in their own country, but in many countries in the Global South and elsewhere. And so that's how he'll be remembered. He won't just be remembered in the United States. And that's a great legacy. I think, for him.

SOARES: Yeah, I was speaking actually, Tim, just in the last hour to a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, who, you know, who was working, volunteering with him. I think it was in Haiti, also in South Africa. And he touched everyone's hearts. And so much of his legacy has come from, like you said, from his time after leaving the White House.

But what do you what would you say to him is his most enduring legacy? During his time at the White House, and how that may have informed his path post-presidency, you say?

NAFTALI: Well, I think he -- he walked the walk. And by achieving, by brokering a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt, he showed the possibilities of peace, by combining a willingness and a willingness to strengthen American defenses, while at the same time avoiding at all costs a new hot wars. He tried to show that you could achieve, um, this is a term Ronald Reagan would use, but Jimmy Carter was actually the first person to shape this kind of approach to foreign relations, peace through strength, because Jimmy Carter laid the groundwork for the defense rearmament of the Reagan years.

So Carter himself, while American president, tried to find a way to achieve American goals peacefully, he didn't seek unilateral disarmament. He didn't want to give up on Americas role in leading the push against Soviet tyranny in the Cold War. But he wanted to do it differently. He sensed the American people were

tired of war. He was the first post-Vietnam Democratic president. He knew that Americans were tired of political scandal. He promised an ethical administration and actually changed the rules, tightened them for ethical behavior in the White House.

So I think Jimmy Carter will be remembered for trying to set a higher standard for Americans, trying to -- to prove that we were a better country than we had been. At the lowest point in the decades before.

SOARES: Did he take, in your view, any political risks as president? Were there any moments that you thought there were perhaps a bit risky?

NAFTALI: Oh, he took a number of political risks. I'll list them -- pushing for a treaty with panama that restored that -- that restored sovereignty over the area of the canal, the canal zone to the Panamanian people. That was a huge political risk.

Number two, bringing in a new Fed chair that he knew would raise interest rates very high to bring down the double digit inflation of the time, approving a risky hostage mission to bring back the hostages being held by Iran.

[15:10:11]

Those were all very, very risky efforts on his part and pushing deregulation, something that not all Democrats supported. And in fact, some of those Democrats would go on to support, Ted Kennedy, who tried to prevent Jimmy Carter from running for reelection.

SOARES: And calling for greener energy at a time when so very few people were even focusing on that.

Tim Naftali, as always, appreciate your analysis and expertise. Thanks, Tim.

NAFTALI: Thank you, Isa.

SOARES: Yeah.

Now, Jimmy Carter state funeral will take place next week on January the 9th. And that's going to take place in Washington, D.C.

U.S. President Joe Biden has declared it a day of national mourning, and businesses, as well as the U.S. stock market will be closed. Carter will then be buried in his hometown of Plains, Georgia.

My next guest has been covering President Carter for "The Atlanta Journal Constitution for some time, is also "The AJC's" lead reporter on race.

Joining me now from Plains, Georgia, is journalist Ernie Suggs.

Ernie, thank you very much for being with us this hour. We have heard a lot in the last couple of hours about Jimmy Carters global humanitarian service. You know, I was just talking to Tim Naftali about that.

How will the people of his home state of Georgia remember him? I know he was one of Georgia's favorite sons. I can only imagine good things.

ERNIE SUGGS, REPORTER, THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION: Yeah. I mean, I don't know if you want to say one of, if not the favorite son of Georgia. I mean, the people of Georgia love him. And the people in Plains, Georgia, specifically adored him, adored his wife, adored his whole family because he had been here for 100 years.

I know he -- he was governor of Georgia for four years. He was the president of the United States for four years. He served some time in the Navy, but 87 years of his life, he literally lived in Plains, Georgia. And that says a lot.

So he will be truly missed because he was a truly loved man who loved his people, loved Georgians and Georgians loved him.

SOARES: Yeah. And I've heard a couple of people in our area already pretty much weeping as they remember him, and it seems like he knew everyone in this small town. You met him recently, right? What? What was your takeaway? How was he?

SUGGS: I met him. Yeah, I met -- I mean, the last time I talked to him was probably -- probably a couple of years ago. He -- he wrote the foreword to my latest book, the many lives of Andrew Young, but I've known him pretty much, you know, 30 years since I've been living in Atlanta covering race and culture and politics.

He's the first president. My mother voted for him in 1976, so he's the first president that I became cognizant of and understanding what a president was. So he was always from my childhood, the president that I kind of looked at as a -- as a model and as -- as an example of what a president is.

So when I got the chance to move to Atlanta to cover him, it was a thrill because, you know, as the reporters, as you know, we meet a lot of famous people. We meet a lot of interesting people. And meeting the president and I think I could consider him a friend after all these years of covering him was a -- was a blessing.

And it was a joy to do that over my last 25 to 30 years, covering him at "The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, because he was a really good person. I think taking aside from the fact that he was the president of the United States, he was a really good man.

SOARES: And you know something I've noticed as well is in this day and age, Ernie, it's very rare to hear just wonderful tributes and very rare in the world of politics. When you hear just wonderful eulogies and compliments about someone, normally it comes with a lot of negativity. I haven't heard any of that about him.

What was it about him as a human being that appealed to the common man, to the common woman?

SUGGS: Because I think he was the common man. He was -- well, he was -- he was the common man. I mean, he walked around Plains, Georgia, with jeans on and a jeans shirt. He's a guy who, after he left the presidency who did not become rich. He made money off of writing his books.

But what he did when he started the Carter Center after he left the White House was he went around the world promoting democracy. He went around the world eradicating diseases. He went around the world building houses for Habitat for Humanity and just being Mr. Jimmy, as he was called in Plains, Georgia. If you go to anyone's house in Plains, Georgia, right now, they will likely have a photograph of Jimmy Carter.

And it's not a photograph of Jimmy Carter. That's the official White House portrait. It's a photograph that they took with their Polaroid camera or their selfie of him on their porch, eating peanuts or laughing, and that big toothy smile that he had. So he was truly a man of the people. So that's why you are hearing all these wonderful eulogies and these wonderful recollections of who he was as a person.

[15:15:05]

SOARES: And, you know, certain themes have emerged -- his Christian faith, his humanity, as you say, but also childhood friendships with African Americans that seem to have shaped his views on race. I know that during his inaugural speech as governor of Georgia, he said, it's time for racial -- the time for racial discrimination is over. I mean, that was a pivotal moment, was it not?

SUGGS: Sure, sure.

SOARES: So talk about Jimmy Carter's early upbringing in the South and kind of his evolving stance on race.

SUGGS: Yeah. Jimmy Carter was born in 1924 in rural, segregated south of Georgia. So you think about that and you put that in context as to what that situation was that he was born into, but he was born also into a community where his parents surrounded him with black people. Rachel Clark was a black woman who actually worked on his fathers farm. And when his mother and father would go on vacation, they would -- he would -- Jimmy would -- Jim, President Carter would stay at Mrs. Clark's house.

So Mrs. Clark, basically, he writes about this, I'm not saying anything that's a secret, basically raised him. So he was raised by Mrs. Clark. She was -- grew up with Mrs. Clark's children, as well as the Black people around who lived near his farm. So most of his friends were Black.

So when you think about being born and raised in a segregated society but immersed amongst Black people, that changes your thinking because that -- it doesn't change your thinking, but it shapes your thinking.

So as he becomes a politician, as he becomes a businessman, he understands the importance of race. He understands the importance of diversity. And as a Christian, I think he understands the importance of human nature and decency. So I think that he didn't see race the way a lot of people see it.

Obviously, he doesn't see race the way politicians see it now and the way most people see it now. He sees people as people and human beings and children of God, and that's who he was. So that's what he was raised as.

And one of his last civic duties that he said publicly was that he wanted to live long enough to vote for Kamala Harris to be the first Black woman, first woman, and the first Black woman to be president of the United States. He lived to vote for. And she didn't win, of course, but he did at least meet -- meet that goal.

SOARES: Yeah, an extraordinary man and humanitarian. And like you said, it's easy to see why so many people have been drawn to him, even post his presidency, an exemplary individual.

And I really appreciate you taking the time to speak to us. Thanks, Ernie.

SUGGS: Well, thank you so much for having me.

SOARES: Very welcome.

We are remembering here the life of Jimmy Carter. After the break, we'll take a look at the former president's impact on global politics. We're looking at foreign policy. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:21:10]

SOARES: Welcome back, everyone.

We continue this hour to look back at the life as well as the legacy of U.S. President Jimmy Carter. He died yesterday at the age of 100. And while President Carter was well known for his domestic actions, his presidency was also heavily involved in global politics.

Here's CNN's Nic Robertson with a look back at that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIMMY CARTER, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: I, Jimmy Carter, do solemnly swear.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR (voice-over): Jimmy Carter's presidency lived in the shadow of America's Cold War with the Soviet Union, but he refused to be constrained by East/West, communist versus capitalist tensions.

CARTER: We expect that normalization will help to move us together toward a world of diversity and of peace.

ROBERTSON: He improved relations with China and tried for the same with the Soviets. In his foreign policies, he pushed for nuclear nonproliferation, democratic values, and human rights. He cut off military supplies to Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and

dialed back support for other Latin American leaders in Nicaragua, Argentina and Brazil.

One of his signature White House legacies was the Torrijos-Carter treaties that returned the Panama Canal to Panama in 1999.

He also calmed Mideast tensions, brought together Israeli and Arab leaders at Camp David, opening the door to the Israeli-Egypt Camp David accords.

He normalized relations with China, weakened U.S. ties to Taiwan in a vain hope Beijing would weaken ties with Moscow.

But after the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in December 1979, the last year of his presidency, he toughened his Soviet stance, backed the Afghan mujahedeen in a war against the Red Army.

The same year, 1979, Islamic Revolution in neighboring Iran dealt Carter a double domestic blow, spiked oil prices, and led to a humiliating failed raid, Operation Eagle Claw, in April 1980, to rescue Americans captured by the theocratic revolutionaries in Tehran.

CARTER: I can't stand here tonight and say it doesn't hurt.

ROBERTSON: Events overseas contributed to his 1980 election loss.

CARTER: The people of the United States have made their choice. And, of course, I accept that decision.

ROBERTSON: But out of office and the limelight, his global peacemaking grew.

In 1994, he was the first former U.S. president to visit North Korea, met Kim Il Sung, the grandfather of today's leader Kim Jong Un, at a time of U.S./North Korean tensions, won concessions on North Korea's nuclear program, dialing back tensions for a decade. But 1994 was his big year of high profile peacemaking.

In September, he went to Haiti, Raoul Cedras, the Caribbean nation's unpopular leader, was holed up in Port-au-Prince. Carter convinced him to step down quite literally, as the U.S. 82nd Airborne troops were inbound aboard Black Hawk helicopters ready to remove Cedras by force. Carter won the day. Save lives. The U.S. troops landed as de facto peacekeepers.

And later that year, Carter went to the dark heart of Bosnia's violent ethnic civil war, met the nationalist Serbs in their mountain stronghold, Pale, Paul tried to stop their bloody, murderous siege and shelling of the capital, Sarajevo, bring an end to the killing that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives during horrific ethnic cleansing.

[15:25:16]

Success came slowly in steps. Carter helped initiate a short Christmas ceasefire and by his presence, push the horrific conflict toward greater international attention.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have work to do. We have to go back to it now. Thank you very much.

ROBERTSON: Less than a year later, another U.S. diplomat, Richard Holbrooke, parlayed Carter's brief calm into the war, ending Dayton peace accords.

1994 marked a peak in Carter's peacemaking, but far from the end of it. He helped found a group of seasoned international diplomats known as the elders, whose works span the Mideast and far beyond. He helped the charity Habitat for Humanity, change lives, building affordable homes, often showing up to help with construction himself.

In 2002, he was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.

It was a path he'd picked, a post-presidency with meaning, and he followed it right up to his death.

Nic Robertson, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: And our thanks to Nic Robertson for that report.

Let's talk more now about Carters legacy when it comes to foreign affairs. Were joined now by Robert Strong, a senior fellow at the University of Virginia's Miller Center. He's also the author of "Working in the World: Jimmy Carter and the Making of American Foreign Policy'.

Great to have you on the show, Robert.

Let me pick up really with that report from Nic Robertson, really highlighting there how he was above everything else, a peacemaker. He said, in fact, in an address to Congress, this is in 1979 that when it comes to relations with potential adversaries, he said the following: It is a myth that we must choose between confrontation and capitulation. Together, we build a foundation for a stable world of both diversity and peace.

And of course, the example that comes to mind for so many of us is those accords at Camp David between Israel and Egypt. Talk to us about that conviction and what brought about Israel and Egypt together, because that deal last is endured until today.

ROBERT STRONG, SENIOR FELLOW, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA'S MILLER CENTER: Well, I think you're right that Carter was a sincere and serious peacemaker. That's a hard job to have.

In the case of the Middle East, he came into office in 1977, hoping that there would be a large scale conference and all of the issues between Israel and the Palestinians, but that didn't occur. When it couldn't take place, he was advised by experts on the Middle East not to have direct negotiations with Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin because they hadn't reached an agreement between themselves.

Carter invited them to Camp David for a three-day period. It ended up being nearly two weeks, and by his own forceful personality, was able to bring them together for a partial settlement a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. One of the real milestones in the long ongoing negotiations in that part of the world. It was criticized at the time for not dealing with all of the remaining issues involving the East Bank, Gaza and other issues between Israel and its neighbors.

But it has stood the test of time, and it took the largest and most powerful enemy of Israel out of the coalition that had fought multiple wars in the region. The Camp David accords was a significant accomplishment, and both (AUDIO GAP) and Begin agree they wouldn't have occurred but for Carter's. It -- Carter's insistence that they stay in Camp David until they reached an agreement.

SOARES: And it seems, Robert, that a lot of his foreign -- foreign policy is centered on human rights, on universal human rights.

[15:30:04]

How do you think that kind of steered his foreign policy as we look beyond, of course, the Middle East?

STRONG: Human rights was an important theme when he ran for the presidency in 1976. It was a way of uniting the Democrats, who were hardliners and opposed to the Soviet Union, because there were human rights violations in their country and in Eastern Europe. And the liberals concerned about spreading democracy and human rights in other parts of the world.

Americans support the proposition of human rights. Unfortunately, when you get to individual cases, it was often much more complex and much more controversial.

Carter, to his credit, sometimes compromised but never wavered from the core principles. He talked about human rights in almost every meeting he had with another head of state. He made it a major theme of his presidency and a major commitment in his post-presidential work.

SOARES: Robert Strong, really appreciate you taking the time to speak to us today. Thank you, Robert.

STRONG: Thank you for the invitation.

SOARES: You're very welcome.

And still to come right here, families in South Korea are seeking answers as an investigation begins into what exactly led up to the moment a flight crashed while landing, killing 179 people on board. We'll bring you that story, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:35:04]

SOARES: Now to the deadliest aviation disaster to hit South Korea since 1997, 179 people were killed on Sunday after a Boeing 737 made a belly landing, hit an embankment and erupted in a fireball.

As you can see there, officials say the pilot reported a bird strike minutes before the plane touched down on the runway. Right now, families, as well as relatives of the victims at Muan International Airport hoping to hear any new information about their loved ones.

And Mike Valerio has more from South Korea for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIKE VALERIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is the unmistakable outcry of grief heard throughout South Korea's Muan international airport. Families unable to absorb the anguish of the Jeju air catastrophe. Hundreds of relatives huddling in the departure hall, waiting for news of whether their loved ones' remains are found.

A friend of a couple killed in the crash said he came here to confirm for himself his friends of 30 years are simply gone.

I have nothing to say, but it's tragic, he told us. I watched the news all day and for now they say bird strike could be the cause. I'm so shocked and hurt I cannot even put it into words.

Now, so many people have chosen to stay. They're not going anywhere. And that's seen evidenced by all of these tents that go from here pretty much to the end of the terminal. They go back 3/10 to the edge of the check in counters.

You see food deliveries throughout the day. Let's keep going this way, and the echoes of grief.

The scenes inside are just a short drive from the cataclysmic crash site, the tale of the doomed airliner still jutting above the field, a mountain in the middle of the debris. More than a thousand people now mobilized to sift through pieces of the plane.

The crash scene is absolutely harrowing. Just a few steps away, you can see where the doomed Jeju Air Jetliner careened through the embankment and burst into flames. And more than a day later, you can still see forensics teams in their white suits combing through the debris along with members of the police force as well as members of the South Korean military. Now, to my right, you can see soldiers looking through the fields and around them. To give you an idea of the force of this crash, a full football field away from where we're standing. You can see mangled, twisted chairs thrown from the jetliner.

A representative of the victims' families urging an even larger response.

PARK HAN-SHIN, REPRESENTATIVE OF JEJU AIR CRASH VICTIMS' FAMILIES: What I want to request from the government is to increase the manpower so that the recovery can be carried out more swiftly. I hope my siblings, my family, can be recovered and returned to us, even if only 80 percent intact.

VALERIO: For now, Muan remains the epicenter of a nation in mourning. The weight of unspoken farewells and quiet desperation made unbearable by an absence of answers.

Mike Valerio, CNN, Muan, South Korea.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: And our thanks to Mike Valerio for that report. We will, of course, stay across that story for you.

Now to another deadly plane disaster that killed 38 people on Christmas Day, when an Azerbaijan Airlines flight crashed after entering Russian airspace near the city of Grozny in Chechnya. It is unconfirmed what caused the incident, but Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev has accused Russia of accidentally shooting down the airliner. Russian President Putin has apologized for the tragic incident occurring in Russian airspace, but has yet to accept responsibility.

Our Clare Sebastian has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the investigation into this crash is now fully underway and its an international effort. Kazakhstan's transport ministry confirming the black boxes have now been sent to Brazil, the home of plane maker Embraer, for analysis.

But as funerals for the victims got underway in Azerbaijan this weekend, the Kremlin has been in damage control mode in an effort to avoid a diplomatic incident, President Putin offered an apology of sorts on Saturday, according to a Kremlin readout of a call with Azerbaijan's president. He, quote, apologized for the tragic incident that occurred in Russian airspace. It wasn't enough, though, to prevent a public rebuke from his former soviet ally.

In an interview on Sunday, President Aliyev of Azerbaijan described Russia's initial behavior. Officials blaming bird strikes or an oxygen tank exploding as, quote, unbecoming Russia.

ILHAM ALIYEV, AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT (through translator): The Russian side must apologize to Azerbaijan. Secondly, it must acknowledge its guilt. Thirdly, those responsible must be punished, brought to criminal responsibility, and compensation must be paid to the Azerbaijani state, to the injured passengers and crew members.

[15:40:05]

SOARES: Well, Russia has a lot to lose here. Azerbaijan is a key ally economically as a buyer of Russian oil and gas, politically and geographically, it sits on a key transit route between Russia and its key ally, Iran. Well, Putin did in that Saturday call mentioned that Russian air

defenses were trying to fend off a Ukrainian drone attack as the flight was trying to land, but he stopped short of admitting or even addressing the allegation that Russia may have accidentally caused the tragic incident.

Clare Sebastian, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: More questions than answers at this point, but we will stay across the story.

And still to come right here on the show, President-elect Donald Trump is making a key endorsement. Just ahead, his support for embattled House Speaker Mike Johnson. We are live in Washington with the very latest for you. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: Looking at that beautiful skyline, Capitol Hill at 3:43 in the afternoon. Just a couple of clouds, but looking very good. And that's where we're taking you now, focusing on U.S. politics, because President-elect Donald Trump is endorsing Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. That's ahead of a critical vote for the Republican this week.

The endorsement comes after Johnson battled some fellow Republicans on the government funding fight. If you remember earlier this month, many of those same Republicans remain uncommitted to backing Johnson. What a pickle.

Joining us now is CNN's Alayna Treene with more.

So, Alayna, what more do we know at this stage about Trump's endorsement?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN REPORTER: Oh, well, look, it was very unclear if Donald Trump was actually going to put his finger on the scale and endorse this in the speaker race, especially after we saw him kind of at odds with Mike Johnson just in the days before the Congress left for the holiday recess, when Donald Trump weighed in on the 11th hour to really blow up the spending deal that Mike Johnson had cut with the Senate, as well as Democrats at large.

[15:45:10]

But clearly, he is weighing in now saying that he fully endorses Johnson for speaker. Again, I want to read for you what he wrote on Truth Social this morning.

He said, quote: Let's not blow this great opportunity which we have been given. The American people need immediate relief from all the destructive policies of the last administration. Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hard working religious man. He will do the right thing and we will continue to win. Mike has my complete and total endorsement. Now look, Mike Johnson, this is a serious boost for his speakership

bid. As of now, there's a lot of conservatives in the House who are skeptical of him and reelecting him as speaker.

Mike -- or excuse me, Thomas Massie is the only Republican house member as of now. That is a hard no, but many of them have said that they're unsure how they are going to vote. As for where Donald Trump comes into all of this, when I talked to his advisers today, they told me that essentially Donald Trump believes he has a mandate to run Washington as soon as he is sworn in. And his big goal is to have someone in that speakership role who is going to be loyal to him and who will carry out his agenda.

And Mike Johnson, really, if you look at the past several months now, he's really been trying to prove to Donald Trump that he is very loyal to him and that he is kind of aligned with him on many things. And so I think that's really what this all comes down to.

And I also just note that this speakership election is on Friday, January 3rd. The certification for Donald Trump's election results is on January 5th. And it was very important for them to have the speaker in place before that deadline.

SOARES: Alayna Treene, breaking it all down for us. Thanks very much, Alayna. Good to see you. Happy New Year.

And still to come right here, the guiding light for Jimmy Carter. We'll take a look at how the former president's faith has helped shaped his presidency, as well as his life. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SOARES: Well, Pope Francis today has offered his condolences to former President Jimmy Carter's family and praised the deep Christian faith that motivated him to push for peace as well as human rights.

Carter said his belief in Jesus was his driving force.

Our Jake Tapper shows us how the former president's faith guided his life before, during, as well as after his presidency.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CARTER: I, Jimmy Carter, do solemnly swear.

JAKE TAPPER, CNN CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jimmy Carter faced the American presidency the same way he faced nearly everything else in his life with unflinching faith.

[15:50:05]

CARTER: I have just taken the oath of office on the bible my mother gave me just a few years ago.

TAPPER: And as Americans look to President Carter to lead them, President Carter looked to God for guidance. CARTER: With God's help and for the sake of our nation, it is time

for us to join hands, in America.

TAPPER: As a devout evangelical, the pride of Plains, Georgia, was active in his hometown church well into his 90s.

CARTER: Well, thank you for coming this morning.

TAPPER: Both as a student of faith and as a teacher.

CARTER: My father was a Sunday school teacher. He taught me in -- when I was a child. I still teach Sunday school when I can.

TAPPER: A commitment to God and family were long held hallmarks of the Carter home.

DOUGLAS BRINKLEY, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: The Scripture was part of his daily childhood life. Every night at supper, they would not only say the Lord's Prayer, but would read the gospel. When Carter left home for the naval academy, his faith followed. He would spend his weekends on leave doing Bible classes, tutoring people in Scripture. He talks about Jesus Christ all the time.

TAPPER: But in 1966, the lifelong Christian came to question his beliefs. His faith shaken after losing the Georgia governor's race in the primary.

CARTER: I really felt let down by God.

TAPPER: Carter's younger sister read him Scripture from the Book of James, reminding the future president --

CARTER: That a setback in life should be an institution that results in perseverance and patience and self-analysis and renewed spiritual commitment.

STUART EIZENSTAT, PRESIDENT, CARTER'S FORMER POLICY ADVISER: She made him into what evangelicals called a born again Christian.

TAPPER: With renewed conviction, Carter went on to serve as Georgia's governor and later as America's commander in chief, the 39th president, and his new vice president, Walter Mondale, had Christianity in common. They bonded over it.

WALTER MONDALE, FORMER U.S. VICE PRESIDENT: I grew up in a minister's family, and he recognized what I was about, and I think that's one of the things that pulled us together.

TAPPER: It was also one of the qualities that helped Carter become the first president to welcome the Pope to the White House.

CARTER: Let all of us here, of every faith, stand as one unto God for peace and justice and for love.

TAPPER: The president's knowledge of world religion played a key role in his brokering of the Egypt-Israel peace treaty in 1979, a key accomplishment of his administration.

PETER BOURNE, PRESIDENT CARTER'S FORMER ADVISER: Because of his intimate reading of the bible and other religious documents, he felt an intimacy with the almost the land of the Middle East, and he just thought that was the most important thing that he could do as president.

TAPPER: But Carter's devotion to service did not end with his presidency. The former peanut farmer dedicated his energy to humanitarian work, building homes for the poor even as he neared his 95th birthday.

CARTER: I happen to be a Christian, and it's a practical way to put my religious beliefs into practical use.

TAPPER: While he continued to refer to himself humbly --

CARTER: I'm a Sunday school teacher, but I have a lot of people that confide in me.

TAPPER: President Carter and his namesake, Carter Center, touched the lives of millions.

CARTER: Well, the work at the Carter Center has been, I'd say, more personally gratifying to me.

TAPPER: Founded in 1982 as part of his presidential library, the Carter Center has worked to ensure the fairness of more than 100 elections in nearly 40 countries and is credited with virtually eliminating diseases like guinea worm that had long burdened parts of Africa.

CARTER: Guinea worm is probably one of the oldest diseases remembered by human beings. It's in the bible. We think it's a fiery serpent.

TAPPER: For his work, Jimmy Carter earned the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

In addition to his philanthropic work, Jimmy Carter was a prolific author. He published more than 25 books, touching on his belief in God, country, and kindness.

You only have to have two loves in your life, he wrote, for God and for the person in front of you at any particular time.

The person with Carter most was his wife, Rosalynn, who worshiped alongside him for more than seven decades.

CARTER: When I'm overseas, or when she is, we read the same passage in the Bible and we kind of, you know, communicate silently.

TAPPER: Even when cancer threatened to take Mr. Carter from his wife and from the life he loved, he kept his faith and looked again to God.

[15:55:00]

CARTER: Now I feel you know that it's in the hands of God, whom I worship. And I'll be prepared for anything that comes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SOARES: An extraordinary individual. Our thanks to Jake Tapper for that report.

And that does it for me for today. Do stay right here.

"QUEST MEANS BUSINESS" is up next. Have a wonderful New Year.