WASHINGTON – Former President Jimmy Carter will be remembered for his kind spirit, faith and humanitarian efforts, viewers standing outside his funeral at the National Cathedral tell Fox News Digital.
Carter died on Dec. 29 at the age of 100, the only American president to have reached the century mark. Several memorials have been held for the 39th president, in both D.C. and Georgia, since his passing.
Continuing with a long-held tradition, a memorial service was held for Carter at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, where Fox New Digital spoke to people gathered outside the funeral about the late president's lasting legacy.
One woman recalled meeting Carter when she was just 7 years old, telling Fox News Digital that the fond interaction sparked her lifelong love for politics.
"My mom was a delegate to the '76 convention representing Arkansas. And he came to Arkansas to campaign, and I met him. And I just remember him being very sweet," she told Fox News Digital.
"I think that was the beginning of my love of politics and I know he's just a really good man. And so we wanted to walk down and see if we could pay our respects," she said.
The woman's husband also reflected on Carter's legacy.
"What I find interesting about President Carter is that he had a very short political career, right. So no more than 8 to 10 years. But then his lifelong legacy was all the humanitarian efforts that he did to help other people. And he made no one a stranger," another individual told Fox. "I want to have a life that kind of reflects the life that he lived, really just supporting people and being there for them and making sure that everyone felt a part and no one was other."
President Biden declared Thursday to be a National Day of Mourning, meaning many Americans had the day off from work. Several of them spent the morning waiting outside the memorial to pay their respects.
"I grew up when he was president, I was basically a kid. But also I followed him over the years for all the work he's done with the homeless and the house building," one viewer told Fox. "I had some good friends in Wisconsin who were part of his church. So I thought I would, on my day off, take a walk down and see if I could see anything."
A younger D.C. resident told Fox that while he did not experience Carter as president, he had followed his work during his post-presidency years.
"I think he was definitely president before my lifetime. But I think, like I've always heard a lot about his post-presidency work and kind of what he's done after the fact. I think, like that's been something that's really been meaningful just with Habitat for Humanity and stuff like that. I think like that generally is something that I'll be remembering him for."
Following the D.C. memorial, Carter will be transported back to his home state of Georgia, where he will be buried next to his wife of 77 years, Rosalynn Carter.
Biden, President-elect Trump and former Presidents Obama and Clinton attended Thursday's funeral service in D.C., the first time all living presidents have come together since former President H.W. Bush's funeral in 2018.
From 1932 to 1977 US presidents had a private yacht named USS Sequoia at their disposal.
Aboard the Sequoia, presidents hosted foreign leaders and held glamorous parties.
The boat was sold by the government by order of President Jimmy Carter in 1977.
From Air Force One to armored cars like "the Beast," the president of the United States tends to travel with a degree of style and fanfare.
Until the 1970s, perhaps the ultimate option was the US presidential yacht, a ship maintained for their exclusive use and known as the "floating White House."
On board, presidents hosted foreign leaders, held glamorous parties, and escaped the cares and clamor of Washington, DC.
President Jimmy Carter sold the yacht at auction in 1977 as part of his efforts to rein in the opulence of the presidency.
Take a look inside the last-ever presidential yacht, the USS Sequoia.
The USS Sequoia was designed in 1925 by Norwegian John Trumpy, who at the time made the most sought-after luxury yachts in the world.
The USS Sequoia on the Potomac River.
Al Fenn/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images
The yacht, named after Sequoyah, a leader of the Cherokee Nation, measured 104 feet long. In its heyday, it had elegant cabins of mahogany and teak with brass finishings.
The US government bought it from a Texas oil tycoon in 1931 for $200,000, and it was soon reserved for use by presidents.
The vessel was berthed at Washington Navy Yard, a short drive from the White House.
Herbert Hoover was the first president to use the vessel, embarking for Florida coast fishing expeditions on the boat.
The USS Sequoia.
AP
Hoover was so enamored of the Sequoia he even used a picture of it on his 1932 Christmas card.
However, at a time when many Americans were suffering from unemployment and poverty due to the Great Depression, the card drew criticism from political opponents.
The Sequoia has ample crew quarters and could sleep around eight people in her three double and two single state rooms.
The main bedroom on the USS Sequoia.
Tom Williams/Roll Call/Getty Images
In the president's bedroom cabin, the presidential seal decorated the wall above the bed and the bedspread.
The vessel had a spacious aft-deck, where about 40 guests could gather.
A view over the deck of the USS Sequoia.
Tom Williams/Roll Call/Getty Images
It was ideal for hosting family gatherings, or meetings with foreign leaders and their staff.
Up to 22 guests were able to dine on the vessel.
A view of the piano and dining room of the Sequoia.
Tom Williams/Roll Call/Getty Images
President Harry Truman added the piano to the salon after becoming president in 1945.
Lyndon Baines Johnson later added a drinks bar.
Different presidents made their own adjustments to the vessel.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt on the USS Sequoia.
AP Photo
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who used a wheelchair for much of his presidency, had an elevator installed so he could access each deck.
According to legend, he also decommissioned the vessel so he and Prime Minister Winston Churchill could enjoy alcoholic drinks on deck while they planned their strategy in World War II.
At the time, no alcohol was permitted on US Navy vessels.
The vessel was intended as a place presidents could use as a private retreat, and there are no official records of its guests. As a result, rumors have long circulated about what took place on board.
The vessel was ideal for hosting foreign dignitaries, far from the glare of the media.
President Richard Nixon, center left, with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, center right, on the presidential yacht.
AP Photo, File
In June 1973, President Richard Nixon hosted Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev on the Sequoia, where the two negotiated the SALT-1 nuclear arms treaty.
It was Nixon who embarked on more trips on the boat than any other president, taking more than 100 in total.
During the Watergate crisis, he used the boat as a refuge.
Nixon told his family of his intention to resign the presidency over dinner on the Sequoia before retiring to the boat's saloon to drink scotch and play "God Bless America" on Truman's piano, CBS News reported.
Presidents also used the yacht on private trips, where they hosted friends and family.
President John F. Kennedy celebrated his 46th birthday aboard the USS Sequoia.
Robert Knudsen/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
On May 29, 1963, President John F Kennedy celebrated his 46th birthday aboard the Sequoia.
Among the guests for the dinner-party cruise were actors David Niven and Rat Pack member Peter Lawford, who was married to Kennedy's sister.
His brother Bobby Kennedy, the attorney general, was among the family who attended, alongside select members of Washington high society.
Guests described the event to The Washington Post as a raucous party, with French cuisine, flowing Champagne, and the president even making a pass at the wife of a party guest, a prominent journalist.
The birthday party was to be his last. Seven months later, Kennedy was assassinated on an official visit to Dallas.
President Lyndon Baines Johnson used to project movies on the main deck.
President Lyndon B. Johnson, left, dined aboard the USS Sequoia.
LBJ presidential library
Johnson would use a projector to watch Western films on board the ship.
He also used the Sequoia as a retreat to cajole potential allies and formulate policy.
On board, he hosted members of Congress whom he lobbied over his landmark civil rights bill and strategized with officials as the US became further mired in the Vietnam War.
Nixon's secretary of state, Henry Kissinger, said the Sequoia allowed the president to "remove himself from the machinery of the White House."
President Richard Nixon, center, with businessman Ross Perot, left, and others aboard the USS Sequoia.
The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images
"Of course, he can get on a plane and go to Florida or anywhere else, but that requires throwing the machinery into motion," Kissinger told Newsweek in 2012. "But here, he just can say at 5 o'clock: 'I'm going to the boat, I'm taking four or five people. And you don't have to call it a meeting and you don't have to prepare the papers.'"
Vowing a more modest presidency, Jimmy Carter sold the Sequoia in 1977.
The USS Sequoia docked in the Navy Yard.
The Washington Post/The Washington Post via Getty Images
When Carter took office in 1977, he sought to make good on his election pledge to strip the White House of the trappings of an "imperial presidency."
With running costs totaling $800,000 a year, the Sequoia had to go.
The New York Times reported it sold to a private buyer, Thomas Malloy, for $286,000, or almost $1.5 million in today's money, when adjusted for inflation. Malloy turned the boat into a tourist attraction.
Later, Carter revealed that selling the vessel was a decision he came to regret.
"People thought I was not being reverent enough to the office I was holding, that I was too much of a peanut farmer, not enough of an aristocrat, or something like that. So I think that shows that the American people want something of, an element of, image of monarchy in the White House," he told the JFK presidential library in a 2011 interview.
After sitting in disrepair for years, the presidential yacht is undergoing restoration work.
The USS Sequoia was transported on a barge for restoration work.
Aaron Jackson/AP
After its sale, the presidential yacht had a succession of owners.
It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987, spent the '90s in a shipyard, and ran chartered cruises until 2014.
However, the Sequoia fell into disrepair in subsequent years amid a legal battle over its ownership. It sat decaying in a Virginia dry dock, overrun by raccoons.
Its current owner, investor Michael Cantor, began restoring the vessel in 2019 and plans to house it at the Richardson Maritime Centre in Maryland when the work is complete, Boat International reported.
In the US, a popular way to celebrate New Year's Eve is to watch the ball drop in Times Square.
The tradition started in 1907, when the ball was made of iron and wood.
After multiple redesigns, today's ball weighs 11,875 pounds and features 2,688 crystal panels.
2024 is coming to a close. So, as we reflect on all this year had to offer — the Paris Olympics, "Cowboy Carter," and "Wicked" may come to mind — it's time to ring in 2025 with a bit of fun.
Different countries are known for their own unique traditions to celebrate and bring good energy into the new year. In Denmark, for example, people celebrate New Year's Eve by breaking plates. Meanwhile, in Italy, it's tradition to wear red underwear. And of course, in the US, it's common to watch the Times Square ball drop.
The ball drop has been a New York City tradition for over a century, symbolizing new beginnings. But the ball itself has changed drastically since its original debut in 1907; then, it was crafted from iron and wood, measured 5 feet in diameter, and weighed 700 pounds, according to Times Square's website.
In contrast, today's ball is made with crystal, measures 12 feet in diameter, weighs 11,875 pounds, and is lit by more than 30,000 LEDs.
Whether you're one of the brave people who have traveled to New York City to watch the ball drop live, or you're planning to watch it from the comfort of your couch, here's a look back at how the tradition started and the Times Square ball's 117-year history.
Before the Times Square ball was invented, people would gather downtown at Trinity Church to hear the bells chime.
People in New York City would celebrate the new year by listening to the bells at Trinity Church.
Roy Rochlin/Contributor/Getty Images
Before the ball's invention, people in New York City would gather outside Trinity Church in Lower Manhattan to hear the bells chime at midnight, PBS reported.
But after The New York Times moved offices to Midtown's Longacre Square — promptly renamed Times Square — in the early 1900s, the company started a midnight firework display to encourage people to celebrate farther north.
The fireworks were later banned by the city's police department, so Adolph Ochs, then-owner and publisher of The New York Times, commissioned the company's chief electrician, Walter Palmer, "to find a new light display," PBS reported.
The first Times Square ball dropped in 1907 to ring in 1908 and was made of iron and wood.
The first Times Square ball dropped in 1907.
Universal History Archive/Contributor/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Palmer was inspired by a 19th-century maritime method of timekeeping, which involved dropping a ball at a certain time to help mariners ensure their timepieces were accurate, PBS reported.
The first Times Square New Year's Eve ball was built by Jacob Starr, an immigrant metalworker. It weighed 700 pounds, measured 5 feet in diameter, and featured 100 light bulbs.
Artkraft Strauss, Starr's company, was in charge of lowering the ball at midnight with an elaborate pulley system. When it dropped for the first time to ring in 1908, it started a tradition that remains more than 100 years later.
In 1920, the ball was redesigned and made of wrought iron.
Crowds of people gathered in Times Square on New Year's Eve in 1926.
1942 and 1943 are the only years to date that the Times Square ball was not dropped to ring in the new year.
At the time, the US was engaged in World War II and New York City participated in a dim-out to protect the city from attacks, according to the Museum of the City of New York.
The dim-out didn't keep crowds away, though, on New Year's Eve, people still gathered in Times Square.
In 1955, the ball was recreated and made entirely of aluminum.
The aluminum Times Square ball was used from 1955 until 1980.
David Handschuh/AP Photo
The new ball was made of aluminum and only weighed 150 pounds, which is the lightest it's ever been.
It was used until 1980, as seen in the photo above, behind Russ Brown, then-superintendent of One Times Square.
From 1981 to 1988, the aluminum ball was transformed into an apple.
Then-Mayor of New York City Ed Koch tested the "Big Apple Ball" in December 1981.
Lederhandler/AP Photo
From 1981 to 1988, the Times Square ball was transformed into the "Big Apple Ball," complete with red light bulbs and a green stem to resemble an apple for the "I Love New York" marketing campaign, according to Times Square's website.
When the campaign ended, the ball returned to its white light bulbs along with a few upgrades.
The "I Love New York" campaign ended after 1988 and the ball returned to its traditional state.
Bebeto Matthews/AP Photo
The traditional aluminum ball returned in 1989 and was upgraded in 1995 to include aluminum skin, rhinestones, and strobes.
But perhaps the most important upgrade was the addition of computer controls that lowered the ball at midnight.
The aluminum ball dropped for the last time in 1998.
Ahead of the year 2000, the Times Square ball was completely transformed and redesigned using crystal.
The ball was redesigned for the year 2000.
TIMOTHY A. CLARY/Staff/AFP via Getty Images
To celebrate the turn of the millennium, the ball was redesigned by Waterford Crystal.
Each year, some of the 2,688 crystal panels are replaced; these new panels are designed and hand crafted to reflect a theme, Reuters reported in 2022.
For the ball's 100-year anniversary in 2007, it was upgraded with LEDs.
The Centennial Ball featured more than 9,500 LEDs.
Curtis Means/Contributor/NBC Newswire/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
In 2017, the 2007 ball — known as the Centennial Ball — was displayed at Ripley's Believe It or Not in Times Square.
At the time, Stacy Shuster, then-director of marketing and sales at Ripley's New York, told Untapped New York that the 2007 ball featured 672 Waterford crystal triangles and 9,576 Philips Luxeon LEDs.
In 2008, the "Big Ball" was created to sit permanently atop One Times Square.
The Times Square ball is visible year-round.
Noam Galai/Contributor/Getty Images
The ball can be seen on display year-round, just like it was here in July 2020.
2020's New Year's Eve ball was another showstopper despite the major changes to the tradition.
In 2020, no crowds were present to watch the ball drop.
COREY SIPKIN/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images
In 2020, Times Square was closed to the public on New Year's Eve due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But the ball was still the star of the show.
The ball weighed 11,875 pounds and was 12 feet in diameter. As well as the usual 2,688 Waterford Crystals, it had 32,256 LED lights and displayed 16 million vibrant colors.
2021's ball drop was also scaled back, only allowing 15,000 spectators in comparison to its usual 58,000 people, and in-person viewers were required to wear masks and show proof of vaccination.
The ball was updated as a part of Waterford's "Gift of Wisdom" design for 2022.
Ahead of 2023, new crystals were added and COVID-related restrictions were dropped.
New crystals for the Times Square ball.
Selcuk Acar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Nearly 200 new Waterford crystals were installed on the ball ahead of 2023's arrival with the theme, the "Gift of Love," Reuters reported. The crystals feature circles of intertwining love hearts.
And ahead of 2024, the ball was given a "new bow tie lighting pattern" in honor of Times Square's former nickname as "the bow tie," CBS reported.
Now, the Times Square ball will complete its final drop before being replaced in 2025.
The Times Square ball will be replaced in 2025.
Alexi Rosenfeld/Contributor/Getty Images
This year's ball includes crystal triangles with two new designs, according to Times Square 2025 organizers: the "One Times Square" crystal design and the "Ever" crystal design.
The One Times Square design "features long linear cuts with a circle near the top" to represent the pole and building where the ball drop takes place.
Meanwhile, the Ever design "consists of three pairs of interlocking rings surrounded by diamond facets that provide the setting for the letter E" in honor of One Times Square becoming a new destination for vow ceremonies in 2025, according to organizers.
Michael Phillips, president of Jamestown (which owns One Times Square), told CBS that the current ball "will go onto the lower floors of the building as part of an immersive arts and culture exhibit" and that the new iteration will be "much more digitally interactive."
The dedication ceremony for solar panels installed on the roof of the West Wing on June 20, 1979.
Billy Shaddix/Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
In 1979, President Jimmy Carter installed solar panels on the roof of the White House.
Amid an energy crisis, Carter hoped to reduce the country's dependence on foreign oil.
President Ronald Reagan removed the solar panels in 1986.
After President Jimmy Carter died on Sunday at the age of 100, world leaders, including former US presidents and the British royal family, paid tribute to his legacy of humanitarian work and public service.
Among the many causes Carter championed was renewable energy, which led him to install solar panels on the White House in 1979. His successor, President Ronald Reagan, did not share Carter's passion and had them removed during repairs to the roof.
The fate of Carter's White House solar panels exemplifies how presidents can use their power to undo the work of previous administrations.
Here's what happened.
In the 1970s, the US was in an energy crisis.
A gas station in 1973.
Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images
In 1973, Arab countries that were part of OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) imposed an oil embargo on the United States in retaliation for their military support of Israel during the Yom Kippur War. As a result, gas prices skyrocketed and shortages caused long lines at gas stations. While the embargo ended in 1974, it exposed the vulnerabilities of US reliance on foreign oil.
President Jimmy Carter pushed for renewable energy sources to reduce pollution and America's dependence on fossil fuels.
Jimmy Carter signs the National Energy Bills circa 9 November 1978.
HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
In response to the 1973 energy crisis, Carter created the Department of Energy in 1977. He implemented tax credits for homeowners who installed solar panels and passed the National Energy Act into law in 1978, moving to reduce oil imports and promote energy conservation.
As part of his efforts, he installed 32 solar panels on the roof of the West Wing in 1979.
The dedication ceremony for solar panels installed on the roof of the West Wing on June 20, 1979.
Billy Shaddix/Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum/NARA
In his speech, Carter emphasized the importance of "harnessing the power of the sun to enrich our lives as we move away from our crippling dependence on foreign oil."
At the dedication ceremony, Carter expressed his administration's goal of the US running on 20% renewable energy by 2000.
President Jimmy Carter spoke against a backdrop of solar panels at the White House in 1979.
Harvey Georges/AP
"Today, in directly harnessing the power of the sun, we're taking the energy that God gave us, the most renewable energy that we will ever see, and using it to replace our dwindling supplies of fossil fuels," Carter said in his speech.
In 1980, Carter lost the general election to Ronald Reagan, who didn't share his vision for renewable energy.
The Carters and the Reagans outside the White House in 1980.
Diana Walker/Getty Images
Reagan moved to fulfill his campaign promise to abolish the Department of Energy in 1981, but he walked back his effort in 1985 due to insufficient support in Congress. He allowed Carter's solar-panel tax credits to expire in 1985, instead championing nuclear-power initiatives.
He also believed in allowing free-market capitalism to dictate the production and use of fossil fuels rather than government regulations, a policy that became known as "Reaganomics."
In 1986, Reagan had the solar panels removed during repairs to the roof of the White House.
President Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office.
Diana Walker/Getty Images
Carter's solar panels were removed during repairs to the White House roof and were not reinstalled.
"Putting them back up would be very unwise, based on cost," Reagan's White House press secretary Dale Petroskey told the Associated Press at the time, according to Yale Climate Connections.
The White House remained without solar panels until 2002, when the National Park Service installed three solar energy systems that provided hot water for grounds maintenance staff and the White House pool, according to the White House Historical Association.
Carter continued advocating for renewable energy after his time in the White House.
Jimmy Carter held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a solar panel project on farmland he owned in Plains, Georgia.
David Goldman/AP
In 2017, Carter leased 10 acres of his farmland in Plains, Georgia, to the solar energy company SolAmerica Energy, The New York Times reported. The company built 3,852 solar panels, enough to provide more than half of the power for the 683-person town.
"It's very special to me because I was so disappointed when the panels came off of the White House, and now to see them in Plains is just terrific," former first lady Rosalynn Carter told The New York Times.
After the passing of 100-year-old former President Jimmy Carter, many are recalling the "killer rabbit" incident in which Carter had to fight off a berserk swamp creature while fishing in his hometown of Plains, Georgia.
The bizarre incident occurred in April 1979 but was not known to the public until months later when, according to an account by then White House Press Secretary Jody Powell, the press official shared the story with reporter Brooks Jackson. After the story broke, it captured the American imagination and came to be seen as emblematic of the Carter presidency, which many perceived as ineffective and flailing.
Sensationalized headlines ran across the country such as the Washington Post’s "Bunny Goes Bugs. Rabbit Attacks President" and the New York Times’s "A Tale of Carter and the ‘Killer Rabbit.’"
The story, which is backed by a photograph taken by a White House staffer, goes that Carter, while fishing near Plains, suddenly noticed a large swamp rabbit swimming quickly toward him. Powell said that "this large, wet animal, making strange hissing noises and gnashing its teeth, was intent upon climbing into the Presidential boat." Carter used a paddle to splash water at the creature, causing it to change course and swim away.
The New York Times reported in August 1979 that the rabbit had "penetrated Secret Service security and attacked President Carter," forcing him to "beat back the animal with a canoe paddle." The outlet reported one White House staffer saying, "the President was swinging for his life."
The picture, which was not released by the White House until after Carter lost his re-election effort to Ronald Reagan in 1980, shows the now-deceased president splashing water as a large rabbit, its ears poking out of the water, swims away.
Carter’s account of the incident is somewhat less dramatic. The deceased president said: "A rabbit was being chased by hounds and he jumped in the water and swam toward my boat. When he got almost there, I splashed some water with a paddle and the rabbit turned and went on and crawled out on the other side."
However, that did not stop national and local media outlets from running the story about the "killer rabbit" far and wide.
In 1979, Carter was in the middle of his one-term presidency. He was facing several difficulties both at home and abroad, including an energy crisis and economic issues and the Iran hostage crisis. Amid these troubles, Carter’s approval ratings took a dramatic dip, and he reached some of the highest disapproval numbers of his entire presidency.
While newspaper accounts of the "banzai bunny" and cartoons of giant, bucktoothed rabbits were clearly fanciful, many came to see the whole story as a sort of metaphor for Carter’s struggling presidency.
Powell, who originally thought of the incident as an innocent, comical story, later said he had come to regret his decision to share it with the press because of the way it was used to portray the president as so weak and inept that he was even afraid of a bunny.
Powell described the events as a "nightmare" in his 1985 memoir "The Other Side of the Story."
"It still makes my flesh crawl to think I could have been so foolish, I thought it was funny," he wrote. "Had I been doing my job, I would have stopped the President at that moment, pointed out the dangers to him and his administration if such a story ever got out. . . . Sadly, I did nothing of the kind."
Carter, a Democrat, served as the nation’s 39th president from 1977 to 1981. He was the longest-living president in U.S. history, passing away at the age of 100 in his home in Plains on Dec. 29 at 3:45 p.m. An outspoken Christian, Carter was known for his significant humanitarian efforts after his presidency and was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.
New York’s last Republican governor said this week that sanctuary jurisdictions are reminiscent of the Confederate states that balked at federal law and waged war against the Union.
Former Gov. George Pataki was speaking with businessman and 2013 New York City GOP mayoral candidate John Catsimatidis on 77WABC radio when he was asked about the state of the Big Apple in that regard.
"Right now, I'm concerned and people are concerned and rightfully so. But it comes down to leadership. We've had worse times in the past. I remember back in the '60s and then in the early '80s. And things got infinitely better," Pataki said.
"And it comes down to having the right people with the right policies running the city, running the state and running the country. I think we're going to have the right policies in Washington. Now we just need to have the right leadership doing the right thing in Albany and in New York City."
Catismatidis said Trump has "put his foot down" against sanctuary policies, and quipped that he now has a "very large-sized shoe" given his overwhelming electoral victory.
Pataki agreed, adding that if the U.S. is to be based on the rule of law, it should apply equally everywhere.
"Cities or states that can pretend that the federal rules don't apply to them are just violating the Constitution and violating our freedom… We had a Civil War over this," he said. "And, it became plain that under the Constitution, every city, every state has to follow the law of this country."
Prior to the war-triggering attack on Fort Sumter, South Carolina, President James Buchanan, a Pennsylvania Democrat, was critical of Republican abolitionists and lamented his home state's opposition to the Fugitive Slave Law.
Following Illinois Republican Abraham Lincoln's 1860 victory, southern states began to secede, which Buchanan opposed, while believing a military response was the wrong option. The election of Lincoln, who opposed the expansion of slavery into federal territories, alarmed Deep South states, with South Carolina leading the way in declaring secession from the Union on Dec. 20, 1860.
Pataki went on to say the nation’s largest city is bucking the feds in that regard, along with Los Angeles and other cities.
"Trump must make them follow the law or cut off all federal funding. And I think that would be a very positive step to bring America together and to bring us forward," he said.
The two discussed how New York City Council enacted a sanctuary city policy, and whether the state or federal government may step in against it.
"I think [Mayor Eric] Adams may go along with [Trump intervention]," Pataki predicted, as other observers have viewed the mayor as being critical of sanctuary city policy but hamstrung by the 45-6 Democratic-majority city council.
The former governor said he is optimistic about the New Year and that Trump must "dramatically reform" Washington instead of "tinker[ing] around the edges."
He noted Trump does have limits, in that he cannot statutorily rein in New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg or other far-left officials.
Current Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat who has clashed with the MAGA wing of the Republican Party at times, once vociferously opposed another predecessor’s successful bid to make illegal immigrants eligible to receive driver’s licenses.
In 2007, Hochul balked at Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s policy while she was serving as clerk of Erie County – which includes Buffalo.
However, when she became governor upon the resignation of Andrew Cuomo, she reversed course.
In November, Hochul indicated she would be the "first one" to call Immigration & Customs Enforcement to help the feds capture migrants or illegal immigrants accused of another crime and "get them out of here."
However, she maintained during her remarks in Queens that she supports helping otherwise law-abiding migrants find work in New York.
Trump’s pick for "border czar," Tom Homan, notably hails from the Watertown area and has condemned his home state’s current policies.
William Bradford Bishop's crimes and disappearance is the focus of the upcoming episode of 'People Magazine Investigates,' airing Monday, Dec. 23, at 9/8c on ID
Guy Pearce, Felicity Jones, and Adrien Brody star in "The Brutalist."
Eric Charbonneau/A24/Getty Images
"The Brutalist," starring Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, and Guy Pearce, is 3 hours and 35 minutes.
Over the last few years, blockbusters have become longer and longer.
Three-hour movies are becoming more common, like "Killers of the Flower Moon" and "Oppenheimer."
Multiple movies in recent years have clocked in at three hours long, from "Killers of the Flower Moon" and "Oppenheimer" to this year's architectural epic, "The Brutalist."
The reaction to these lengthy running times ranges from joy to begging for an intermission, and in the case of "The Brutalist," those prayers were answered: The film has a 15-minute intermission built into its runtime.
A long runtime isn't an unprecedented move. There have been many movies throughout cinematic history that have clocked in at three hours or more, including some of the highest-grossing movies of all time, like "Avengers: Endgame" and "Avatar: The Way of Water."
If you ever have a spare afternoon, here are 23 three-hour-long movies that will eat up a significant chunk of your day.
'The Wolf of Wall Street': 3 hours
"The Wolf of Wall Street."
Paramount
"The Wolf of Wall Street," directed by Martin Scorsese, is based on the true story of Jordan Belfort and his escapades as the leader of a stock brokerage firm that ended up breaking federal laws. The movie was well-received by both critics and audiences, according to Rotten Tomatoes.
"'The Wolf of Wall Street' is a magnificent black comedy: fast, funny, and remarkably filthy," wrote The Atlantic.
'Oppenheimer': 3 hours
"Oppenheimer."
Universal Pictures
"Oppenheimer," one-half of the biggest movie phenomenon of last year ("Barbenheiemer"), stars Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb.
The film follows Oppenheimer from his time as a university student in the United Kingdom through World War II and the atomic bomb detonations, the security clearance hearing that ended his career in politics, to the end of his life.
The Ringer wrote that the "level of shock and awe" exhibited in "Oppenheimer" is "breathtaking," yet sometimes also "taxing."
'Dances with Wolves': 3 hours, 1 minute
"Dances with Wolves."
Getty Images
Kevin Costner both starred in and directed the 1990 film "Dances with Wolves," which follows a Civil War-era lieutenant in the US Army who is positioned in a remote outpost on the western frontier. He eventually becomes part of a Native American tribe.
His directorial debut was applauded and even earned Costner the best director Academy Award. It also won best picture. Newsweek wrote, "Costner directs with the confidence of a Hollywood veteran well aware that entertainment comes before earnestness."
'Avengers: Endgame': 3 hours, 2 minutes
"Avengers: Endgame."
Marvel Studios
"Avengers: Endgame" didn't have an easy job to do — tie up a full decade of Marvel movies while simultaneously setting the stage for Phase 4. But somehow, it worked. It also managed to rake in nearly $2.8 billion at the box office.
As Business Insider's Kirsten Acuna wrote, "'Endgame' is an emotional punch straight to the gut," and "a very satisfying conclusion to this adventure that started back in 2008 with Tony Stark."
'The Deer Hunter': 3 hours, 3 minutes
"The Deer Hunter."
Universal Pictures
"The Deer Hunter" combined the star power of Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep, and Christopher Walken in a movie about the effects that the Vietnam War had on residents of their small Pennsylvania town.
"Babylon" is an epic story of Old Hollywood, following three characters, played by Margot Robbie, Diego Calva, and Brad Pitt, as they make their way in 1920s Los Angeles.
The film was divisive. The London Evening Standard called it a "disaster of biblical proportions," while the Wall Street Journal said it was one of the "richest and most ambitious films" of the year.
Rotten Tomatoes said it best: "This colossal and opulent $60 million spectacular was epic in every sense of the word — an epic investment, an epic in the annals of Hollywood gossip, and, ultimately, an epic flop."
'Avatar: The Way of the Water': 3 hours, 12 minutes
"Avatar: The Way of Water."
Disney/20th Century Studios
Director James Cameron's long-awaited follow-up to 2009's "Avatar" (which itself is 2 hours and 42 minutes long) came 13 years later and is even more of a spectacle than its predecessor.
"The Way of Water" continues the story of Jake Sully and his love, Neytiri, along with their blended family of biological and adopted children, as they once again face the greed of the human race trying to exploit Pandora's natural resources.
Business Insider's Jason Guerrasio called the film an "astounding epic."
'The Right Stuff': 3 hours, 13 minutes
"The Right Stuff."
Warner Bros.
"The Right Stuff" is based on the true story of Chuck Yeager and his fellow test pilots who were chosen for Project Mercury, the first crewed spaceflight.
"Rarely has a film made a historic accomplishment seem so vivid and personal," wrote The Hollywood Reporter. "It makes you wonder, quite suddenly, why there aren't more movies like this."
'Titanic': 3 hours, 14 minutes
"Titanic."
20th Century Fox
The tragic love story of Jack and Kate, two passengers on the doomed RMS Titanic, was forever immortalized in this tearjerker.
Vox reviewer Alyssa Wilkinson watched the film for the first time in 2017 and found it to be still effective.
She wrote that it "swept me off my feet almost from the get-go, a grand epic romance-disaster that reminded me, in the middle of my overstuffed-with-movies life, of what we mean when we talk about the power of cinema."
'Schindler's List': 3 hours, 15 minutes
"Schindler's List."
Universal Pictures
Steven Spielberg's Oscar-winning drama is about the true story of Oskar Schindler, a German man who defied the Nazis and saved more than 1,000 Jews by employing them at his factory.
"With seemingly effortless grace and skill, 'Schindler's List' balances fear and exaltation, humor and horror, love and death," wrote The Chicago Tribune.
'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King': 3 hours, 21 minutes
"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."
New Line Cinema
The final movie of "The Lord of the Rings" saga concluded with the entire Fellowship of the Ring working together to save Middle Earth from the evil all-seeing eye of Sauron.
Though its running time tired some people out — "Yes, the running time is long, and yes, those many endings in a slow, dreamy coda left me feeling spent — better spent than I can ever remember," wrote The Wall Street Journal — it became the first and only "Lord of the Rings" movie to win the Academy Award for best picture.
'The Godfather Part II': 3 hours, 22 minutes
"The Godfather Part II."
Paramount
This follow-up to "The Godfather" combined the origin story of mob boss Don Vito Corleone with the rise of his son, Michael, in the rare sequel that's just as good as, if not better than, the original.
"One of the most ambitious and brilliantly executed American films, a landmark work from one of Hollywood's top cinema eras," wrote The Chicago Tribune.
'Malcolm X': 3 hours, 22 minutes
"Malcolm X."
Warner Bros.
Denzel Washington starred as the titular Malcolm X, one of the most famous and divisive leaders in Black history.
Newsweek wrote, "[Director Spike] Lee and company have performed a powerful service: they have brought Malcolm X very much to life again, both as man and myth."
'Barry Lyndon': 3 hours, 23 minutes
"Barry Lyndon."
Warner Bros.
"Barry Lyndon," directed by Stanley Kubrick, follows the titular character, played by Ryan O'Neal, for around 40 years of his life, as he rises from a lower-class gambler to the husband of a lady — and then sinks back to being a gambler.
As Rotten Tomatoes wrote, the film is "cynical, ironic, and suffused with seductive natural lighting."
'Killers of the Flower Moon': 3 hours, 26 minutes
"Killers of the Flower Moon."
Apple TV+/Paramount
One of the best movies of last year was "Killers of the Flower Moon," starring frequent Scorsese collaborators like Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, along with new additions like Lily Gladstone and Jesse Plemons.
The film is based on the real murders of members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma, also known as the Reign of Terror, in the 1920s.
"Killers" was called "grand, classic film-making" and "an American tragedy of the highest order" by The New Statesman.
'The Irishman': 3 hours, 29 minutes
"The Irishman."
Netflix
"The Irishman" reunited De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, and more of some of the most iconic actors of the last 50 years to tell the decadeslong story of Union leader Jimmy Hoffa (Pacino), mob enforcer Frank Sheeran (De Niro), and mob leader Russell Bufalino (Pesci).
Even though it's a hefty 3 1/2 hours, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, "there are 209 minutes in 'The Irishman' and not one of them is wasted."
'Ben-Hur': 3 hours, 32 minutes
"Ben-Hur."
MGM
Charlton Heston, one of the most legendary actors in history, starred as the titular Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince who is sold into slavery and must journey back home to Jerusalem, all the while meeting historical figures like Pontius Pilate and Jesus Christ himself.
The Telegraph wrote that "the story of how a man takes on the tyranny of the Romans, with all sorts of horrible consequences to himself and his family, is powerful and gripping."
'The Brutalist': 3 hours, 35 minutes
"The Brutalist."
A24
"The Brutalist," which is directed by Brady Corbet and hits theaters on December 20, is the story of Hungarian architect László Tóth (Adrien Brody) as he moves to the United States in the aftermath of the Holocaust. When he is hired by an enigmatic client (Guy Pearce), his life begins to unravel.
"Similar in tone to such Paul Thomas Anderson films as 'There Will Be Blood' and 'The Master,' Mr. Corbet's often-staggering movie casts an unsentimental look at the price of greatness," wrote The Wall Street Journal.
'Lawrence of Arabia': 3 hours, 36 minutes
"Lawrence of Arabia."
Columbia Pictures
"Lawrence of Arabia," based on the life of British soldier T.E. Lawrence in WWI-era Middle East, is separated into two parts and even has an intermission.
"'Epic' is an over-used word in cinema, but David Lean's 1962, near-four-hour journey with T.E. Lawrence (Peter O'Toole) into the Arabian desert is surely the gold standard for films grand in scale, design and delivery," wrote Time Out on the film's 50th anniversary.
'Gone with the Wind': 3 hours, 58 minutes
"Gone with the Wind."
MGM
This nearly four-hour sprawling story is about Scarlett O'Hara, a Civil War-era woman who lives on a Georgia plantation and deals with love, loss, and eventually is determined to start her life anew.
While the film has been criticized for its dubious portrayal of the Civil War and slavery, Time Out wrote, "No one watches 'Gone with the Wind' for historical accuracy. What keeps us coming back is four-hours of epic romance in gorgeous Technicolor."
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