Jimmy Carter briefly unites US as presidents attend funeral

Jimmy Carter brought a fleeting moment of national unity to a divided America Thursday as all five living US presidents gathered for their predecessor’s moving state funeral in Washington’s National Cathedral.At the rare gathering just days before Donald Trump’s return to the White House, sitting President Joe Biden gave a eulogy describing “character” as fellow Democrat Carter’s main attribute.Trump shook hands with former president Barack Obama on the country’s day of mourning, while Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were also there to pay their respects. But Biden, 82, also appeared to deliver a veiled swipe at Trump, the Republican whose racially charged rhetoric and efforts to overturn the 2020 election he has often criticized as threats to democracy.”We have an obligation to give hate no safe harbor,” said Biden, also stressing the importance standing up against “the greatest sin of all, the abuse of power.”After the speech Biden briefly tapped the flag-draped coffin of Carter, America’s 39th commander-in-chief, who died on December 29 at the age of 100 in his native Georgia.Carter was widely perceived as naive and weak during his single term from 1977 to 1981, but a more nuanced view has emerged as the years passed, focusing on his decency and foreign policy achievements.- ‘Love and respect’ -The presidential funeral was the first since George H.W. Bush died in 2018 — and provided a series of unique and sometimes awkward moments as former leaders met.Obama shook hands, laughed and chatted with his successor Trump, despite the fact that the billionaire built his political movement on questioning whether Obama is really a US citizen.In the row in front of Trump sat Vice President Kamala Harris, his defeated rival in the 2024 election.There was also a brief moment of reconciliation for Trump and his former vice president Mike Pence.The pair met and shook hands for what is believed to be the first time since the 2021 US Capitol riots when Pence refused to back Trump’s false claims to have won the 2020 election.During the service, family members and former political adversaries alike paid emotional tributes to Carter, the oldest ever former US president and the only one to make it to three figures.One of his grandsons, Jason Carter, described his love of nature, saying the devout Baptist and former peanut farmer “celebrated the majesty of every living thing.””He led this nation with love and respect,” Jason Carter said.There was even a tribute from Carter’s Republican predecessor Gerald Ford. Ford died in 2006 but left a eulogy for his political rival-turned-friend that was read out by his son Steven.A second posthumous tribute, from Carter’s vice president Walter Mondale, was delivered by his son Ted. – Day of mourning -Carter’s coffin was earlier transported by an honor guard from the US Capitol, where thousands of mourners had paid their respects as the former president lay in state.Thursday has been designated a national day of mourning in the United States with federal offices closed.His carefully choreographed six-day farewell began on Saturday with US flags flying at half-staff around the country and a black hearse bearing his remains from his hometown of Plains, Georgia.It was to Georgia that Carter’s remains returned on Thursday for burial, making their final journey home on the US presidential jet that is normally reserved for the sitting commander-in-chief.Carter’s funeral was a brief respite from an already tumultuous run-up to Trump’s inauguration on January 20, and a reminder of a very different style of president.Carter, who served a single term before a crushing election loss to Ronald Reagan in 1980, suffered in the dog-eat-dog world of Washington politics and a hostage crisis involving Americans held in Tehran after Iran’s Islamic revolution finally sealed his fate.But history has led to a reassessment, focusing on his brokering of a peace deal between Israel and Egypt. He also received high praise for his post-presidential humanitarian efforts, and a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.Carter had been in hospice care since February 2023 in Plains, where he died. He will be buried next to his late wife Rosalynn, who died in November 2023.

Retraites: FO se félicite de l’ouverture d’une discussion “par le bon bout”

Le secrétaire général de Force Ouvrière Frédéric Souillot a estimé qu'”on va enfin discuter retraites en prenant les choses par le bon bout” sans parler “de recul de l’âge de départ ni d’allongement de la durée de cotisation”, à l’issue d’un entretien avec François Bayrou.FO, qui réclame comme l’ensemble des syndicats l’abrogation de la réforme des retraites de 2023, était reçu par le Premier ministre dans le cadre des consultations qu’il mène avant sa déclaration de politique générale mardi, qui doit fixer les orientations de son gouvernement, notamment sur ce sujet épineux.Frédéric Souillot a souligné qu'”il n’y a pas d’équilibre financier” de la réforme de 2023 notamment parce qu'”encore aujourd’hui, 50% de ceux qui liquident leur retraite ne sont plus en emploi”, mais “ou à l’assurance chômage, ou en maladie professionnelle, et 18% d’entre eux sont au RSA”.En conséquence, “parlons de l’emploi des 55-64 ans”, a demandé le dirigeant syndical qui attend notamment la transposition dans la loi de l’accord sur l’emploi des seniors et la retraite progressive signé entre partenaires sociaux en novembre dernier.Le dialogue engagé par François Bayrou avec les partenaires sociaux “commence mal” sur la question des retraites, a jugé pour sa part un peu plus tôt le président de la CFE-CGC François Hommeril à l’issue de son entretien avec le chef du gouvernement.Le dirigeant du syndicat de l’encadrement reproche à M. Bayrou de “raisonner globalement, comme s’il n’y avait qu’un seul système” de retraite entre le secteur privé et celui du public, “qui n’est pas un régime par répartition”.D’après M. Hommeril, le Premier ministre estime en effet “que ce n’est pas à l’Etat de payer le coût, finalement, du régime des fonctionnaires”.Or, pour le dirigeant syndical, on ne peut pas “traiter de la même façon la question du régime de la sécurité sociale, de l’Agirc-Arrco (retraites complémentaires), des différents régimes séparés”. Il souligne que “la question est liée à l’engagement nécessaire de l’Etat à payer les pensions des fonctionnaires en retraite”.L’actuel chef du gouvernement avait rédigé en décembre 2022, lorsqu’il était Haut commissaire au Plan, une note selon laquelle “pour leurs fonctions publiques, l’État et les collectivités territoriales ou les hôpitaux, assument des cotisations en moyenne presque trois fois plus élevées que pour les employeurs du reste de l’économie française”.François Bayrou, qui a reçu la CFDT mardi et la CGT mercredi, a confirmé vouloir ouvrir des concertations sur la réforme des retraites sans “aucun tabou”, y compris sur l’âge légal de départ, que la réforme porte progressivement à 64 ans, selon ses propos rapportés par la numéro un de la CFDT Marylise Léon.Le Premier ministre a reçu en soirée Michel Picon, le président de l’organisation patronale U2P, qui s’est dit “rassuré” après l’entrevue auprès de l’AFP. Le dirigeant a indiqué qu'”il n’était pas dans ses intentions d’avoir une fiscalité supplémentaire” pour les petites entreprises représentées par l’U2P, a rapporté M. Picon. Il a assuré également qu’il n’y aurait pas d’abaissement des allègements de charges pour les petites entreprises, a ajouté le président de l’U2P, qui avait pointé la “fragilité” de celles-ci après des crises successives. Les deux hommes ont également abordé la question du coût du travail et de la baisse des aides à l’apprentissage, que l’U2P souhaite voir maintenues pour les petites entreprises.

Paris Hilton among celebrities to lose homes in LA fires

Film and television stars are among hundreds of people who have lost their homes in the Los Angeles wildfires that have ravaged parts of the world’s showbiz capital.These are some of the best-known celebrities who have been impacted by the blazes this week:- Paris Hilton -Hotel heiress Paris Hilton, 43, said she watched her seafront Malibu home burn to the ground on live television, writing on Instagram that she was “heartbroken.””My heart aches for those still in harm’s way or mourning greater losses. The devastation is unimaginable,” Hilton wrote.She later shared a video of her five Pomeranians in the back of a car and said she was traveling to a hotel to take shelter.- Anthony Hopkins – Two-time Oscar-winning actor Anthony Hopkins, perhaps best known for his role in “The Silence of the Lambs,” reportedly lost his luxurious home.Pictures appeared to show the 87-year-old’s property burned to the ground, though Hopkins has yet to issue a public statement.- Jeff Bridges -Oscar-winner Jeff Bridges, known for cult classic “The Big Lebowski,” lost the Malibu home that he shares with his family, a representative told entertainment news site TMZ.- Billy Crystal -“When Harry Met Sally” star Billy Crystal said the home he had lived in for 46 years was destroyed, with only a tennis court remaining.”Words cannot describe the enormity of the devastation we are witnessing and experiencing,” Crystal, 76, said in a joint statement with his wife Janice.- Eugene Levy -US media reported that a home belonging to “Schitt’s Creek” and “American Pie” actor Eugene Levy burned to the ground.Levy had previously told the Los Angeles Times how he traveled through black smoke to evacuate his celebrity-studded neighborhood.- John Goodman -“Roseanne” actor John Goodman’s home was burned to the ground, according to photos published by People Magazine that showed a pile of smoldering rubble. Goodman, who co-starred in “The Big Lebowski,” had not issued any public statement on his property.- Mark Hamill -“Star Wars” star Mark Hamill told followers on Instagram that he had fled his Malibu home with his wife and pet dog, escaping down a road flanked by active fires.Hamill, 73, did not confirm if his house was destroyed but said his family were “fleeing for our lives.”- Jennifer Grey -“Dirty Dancing” star Jennifer Grey lost her home to the blaze, her daughter wrote on Instagram.”Last night my mama’s house was burnt to the ground,” Stella Gregg wrote on Instagram, adding that Grey was safe.- Cary Elwes -“The Princess Bride” star Cary Elwes said on Instagram that his home was destroyed after he and his family evacuated.Elwes, 62, had earlier shared a video driving along the winding LA hills that showed an orange blaze in the distance, describing the scene as “biblical.”- Adam Brody – Golden Globes nominee Adam Brody (“Nobody Wants This,” “The OC”) and his actress wife Leighton Meester (“Gossip Girl”), who were on the red carpet on Sunday, reportedly lost their home in the Pacific Palisades.People magazine obtained pictures of their home engulfed in flames.- Miles Teller -“Whiplash” star Miles Teller and his wife Keleigh Teller had their home destroyed by fire, according to photos published by People magazine.Teller, who also appeared in “Top Gun: Maverick,” did not publicly comment. – James Woods -Emmy-winning actor James Woods posted a video on X showing flames engulfing trees and bushes near his Pacific Palisades property.”I couldn’t believe our lovely little home in the hills held on this long. It feels like losing a loved one,” said the 77-year-old Woods.- Jamie Lee Curtis -Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis was forced to evacuate, writing on Instagram: “Our beloved neighborhood is gone. Our home is safe. So many others have lost everything.”She announced on Thursday that she was giving $1 million to those impacted by the fires in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles fires rage on as residents sift through ‘death and destruction’

Two massive wildfires that engulfed whole neighborhoods and displaced thousands in Los Angeles were totally uncontained on Thursday, authorities said, as shell-shocked residents began to pick through the charred wreckage of their homes. Swaths of the United States’ second-largest city lay eerily deserted due to the fires’ destruction and sweeping evacuation orders, with smoke blanketing the sky and its acrid smell pervading almost every building.A vast firefighting operation continued for a third day, bolstered by water-dropping helicopters thanks to a temporary lull in winds.Amid the chaos, looting broke out, with at least 20 arrests made so far, officials said.The biggest fire, which has ripped through 17,000 acres (6,900 hectares) of the upscale Pacific Palisades neighborhood, is “one of the most destructive natural disasters in the history of Los Angeles,” city fire chief Kristin Crowley told a press conference.Another 10,000-acre fire in Altadena in which at least five people died was also at “zero-percent containment,” although spreading had “significantly stopped” as wind gusts reduced, county fire chief Anthony Marrone said.Kalen Astoor, a 36-year-old paralegal, was among those returning to the scorched remains of residential streets Thursday morning.Her mother’s home had been spared by the inferno’s seemingly random and chaotic destruction. Some neighbors’ houses, often side-by-side with those razed to the ground, had similarly survived.Through the blackened remains of devastated homes, gloomy vistas of the surrounding fire-ravaged mountains could be glimpsed through the smoke.”The view now is of death and destruction,” she told AFP. “I don’t know if anyone can come back for a while.”The same fire flared up again near the summit of Mount Wilson, home to a historic observatory and vital communication towers and equipment.But there was some good news for Hollywood, the historic home of the US movie industry, after evacuation orders prompted by the nearby “Sunset Fire” on Wednesday were lifted.- ‘Critical’ -Fast-moving flames fanned by powerful winds of up to 100 miles (160 kilometers) an hour since Tuesday have leveled more than 2,000 structures across the city, many of them multi-million dollar homes.Aerial views on Thursday showed whole neighborhoods burnt to the ground, in scenes watched in horror by millions in Los Angeles and around the world.Crowley said a preliminary estimate of destroyed structures in Pacific Palisades was “in the thousands.”Nearly 180,000 people across Los Angeles remain under evacuation orders.Officials pledged to crack down on looters hitting areas deserted due to the fires and evacuations.A sunset-to-sunrise curfew has been declared in evacuated areas of the coastal city of Santa Monica.In Altadena, neighbors took turns to patrol and protect homes on their streets.Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said 20 arrests had been made so far, with that number expected to rise. Officials and meteorologists warn that “critical” windy and dry conditions, though abated, are not over.”The winds continue to be of a historic nature… this is absolutely an unprecedented, historic firestorm,” said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.A National Weather Service bulletin said “significant fire growth” remained likely “with ongoing or new fires” throughout Thursday and into Friday.- ‘Lost everything’ -Among those who died was 66-year-old Victor Shaw, whose sister said he had ignored pleas to leave as the fire swept through Altadena because he wanted to protect their home.”When I went back in and yelled out his name, he didn’t reply,” Shari Shaw said.”I had to get out because the embers were so big and flying like a firestorm that I had to save myself.”Shaw’s body was found by a friend on the driveway of his razed home, a garden hose in his hand.William Gonzales got out alive, but his Altadena home was gone.”We have lost practically everything; the flames have consumed all our dreams,” he told AFP.President Joe Biden, who canceled a trip to Italy this week over the crisis, is due to give public remarks about the fires later Thursday.His incoming successor Donald Trump blamed California governor Gavin Newsom for the devastation and called on the Democrat to resign. “This is all his fault,” Trump said on his Truth social platform. – Climate crisis -Wildfires are part of life in the western United States and play a vital role in nature.But scientists say human-caused climate change is causing more severe weather patterns.Southern California had two decades of drought that were followed by two exceptionally wet years, sparking furious vegetative growth.That has left the region, which has had no significant rain for eight months, packed with fuel and primed to burn.

E-Power hits the slopes: new wave of snow sports emerges

Following in the footsteps of electric scooters on land and wakeboards at sea, young entrepreneurs are bringing electric power to snow travel with self-propelled skis and all-terrain skates.Already an experienced surfer and snowboarder, Edouard Aubert took up skateboarding during the pandemic, as he was drawn to the empty roads.”Since I’m an engineer, I quickly put a motor on it,” he said with a grin at the CES technology show in Las Vegas.”But we needed more. Roads weren’t enough for us, and neither was off-roading. We needed sand, snow.”While electric skateboards were abundant, “there was nothing for off-roading,” said Adrien Ladan, Aubert’s former schoolmate and business partner.The two Frenchmen launched SQ-Motors to develop the Sternboard, a three-wheeled board capable of reaching speeds over 60 km/h on a track.Initially focused on sand terrain, they developed a tracked model “for fun” and recently sold six units to a ski resort in the French Pyrenees.The basic configuration costs around 3,000 euros, with snow equipment adding another 1,000.”The snow version isn’t meant for hurtling down slopes or replacing snowboarding,” Aubert explained.”It’s more for walking and cross-country skiing.”The resort will test both winter and summer configurations, using tracks and mini-skis on the front wheels for winter, then removing them for year-round use.Qatari investors have approached the entrepreneurs about the sand version, and Aubert promises mass production this year.So far, they’ve hand-manufactured dozens of units to refine the product and ensure reliability.”The idea is to find new playgrounds,” he said.The classic wheeled version has found unexpected fans: “We’ve had quite a few requests from farmers who ride them on their farms,” Aubert noted. “We’re already on our fifth.”- Just enough exercise -Nicola Colombo brought his E-Skimo to Las Vegas, a ski touring system he likens to an electric bicycle.In ski touring, skiers climb slopes rather than using lifts before skiing down.With E-Skimo, as the skier moves, a motor drives a fabric strip beneath the ski, acting as a conveyor belt that reduces strain on legs and thighs.Using AI, the system gauges the slope and ski positions to calibrate assistance based on the user and pace. The motor stops once the skier completes their forward stride. At the summit, users can remove the fabric band, motor, and battery to descend on what amount to conventional skis.”The idea came after taking friends ski touring,” Colombo recalled.”They weren’t enjoying themselves because it was too physically demanding.”Ski touring typically requires more exertion than downhill skiing.”We want to make it accessible to people with lower fitness levels,” said Colombo, whose Swiss company E-Outdoor seeks partnerships with ski manufacturers.Though production hasn’t begun, he estimates a price of around 1,500 dollars, roughly double standard touring skis.While the e-skis can move on flat surfaces without leg power, as Colombo demonstrated on a Las Vegas ice rink, he emphasized that wasn’t their purpose: “We want to maintain exercise.”

Le PS à la recherche d’une victoire sur la réforme des retraites

Le premier secrétaire du Parti socialiste, Olivier Faure, tente d’arracher au gouvernement la suspension de la réforme des retraites en contrepartie d’une non-censure, ce qui lui permettrait d’obtenir une victoire pour la gauche mais compliquerait encore davantage sa relation avec LFI.Alors que le précédent Premier ministre, Michel Barnier, avait rapidement refusé toute évolution de cette réforme controversée et majoritairement dénoncée par les Français, M. Faure a désormais le sentiment d’une ouverture du côté du nouveau gouvernement Bayrou. “J’ai compris une chose simple, c’est qu’il n’y a pas de veto” de leur part, a-t-il dit jeudi matin sur TF1, “ce qui est un changement déjà en soi, parce que jusqu’ici il y avait toujours une espèce de mur qui tombait avec l’idée qu’on ne touchait à rien”.Il est vrai que le nouveau ministre de l’Economie, Eric Lombard, aux convictions de gauche, et qui est, de l’aveu de M. Faure, “un ami dans la vie”, semble privilégier le dialogue avec la gauche en vue de la préparation du projet de budget 2025 pour éviter une motion de censure. Le locataire de Bercy a aussi reconnu que, sur la réforme des retraites, il y avait “du grain à moudre”. “Nous allons regarder les curseurs que nous pouvons bouger”, a-t-il affirmé sur France Inter, y compris sur l’âge de départ repoussé de 62 à 64 ans en 2023. “On n’a pas dit qu’on n’y touchait pas”.Après une première rencontre lundi avec le ministre, le PS est revenu mercredi à la table des négociations, avec les Ecologistes et les communistes. Trois heures de discussions, et à la sortie, le sentiment que “c’est une vraie négociation”, pour Olivier Faure.L’absence de veto du gouvernement porte, selon lui, “sur l’ensemble” de la réforme, y compris sur l’âge de départ.- “la gauche du rien” -Le PS, qui martèle régulièrement son ambition de redevenir un parti de gouvernement, plaide à tout le moins pour une suspension de la réforme et l’organisation d’une conférence de financement “pendant plusieurs mois”, pour “changer de système”.M. Faure se veut pragmatique: à l’échéance de la décennie, “il faudra trouver 15 milliards (d’euros) par an” pour financer les retraites, rappelle-t-il.  Un document de la Caisse nationale d’assurance vieillesse, révélé par le journal économique Les Echos en octobre, indiquait ainsi qu’abroger le recul progressif de l’âge de la retraite coûterait 3,4 milliards d’euros en 2025, et près de 16 milliards en 2032.Olivier Faure joue en tout cas son maintien à la tête du parti lors du prochain congrès du PS prévu dans l’année. “Ce que nous faisons en ce moment, c’est de voir s’il y a de bonnes raisons de ne pas censurer”, explique-t-il. Son partenaire au sein du Nouveau Front populaire, La France insoumise a de son côté déjà promis une motion de censure après la déclaration de politique générale de François Bayrou le 14 janvier.   La négociation en cours, à laquelle LFI refuse de participer, a déclenché la colère de Jean-Luc Mélenchon. Il a dénoncé mercredi soir sur X la “forfaiture” et la “servilité” des représentants socialistes, écologistes et communistes. LFI fustige aussi les “reniements” vis-à-vis du programme du Nouveau Front populaire. “La gauche du tout ou rien, c’est aujourd’hui la gauche du rien”, a regretté M. Faure, qui dit vouloir “arracher des victoires” et notamment une “inflexion” de la politique conduite depuis sept ans.”Il ne faut pas croire au père Noël. Jamais ce gouvernement ne reviendra sur la réforme des retraites”, a rétorqué le coordinateur insoumis Manuel Bompard auprès de l’AFP.Communistes et Ecologistes font également d’une abrogation, ou à tout le moins, d’une suspension de la réforme, le préalable à un accord avec le gouvernement. Mais “au vu des discussions que nous avons eues à ce stade, nous n’avons aucune raison de ne pas voter la censure”, a déclaré la cheffe des députés écologistes, Cyrielle Chatelain lors des journées parlementaires de son parti à Rennes. L’abandon de la réforme des retraites est selon elle “une condition nécessaire si ce gouvernement ne veut pas tomber, mais ce n’est pas un geste suffisant”, a-t-elle ajouté.