President Jimmy Carter’s state funeral

Jimmy Carter, the 39th U.S. President, was honored Thursday with the pageantry of a state funeral in the nation’s capital. That will be followed by a second service and burial in his tiny Georgia hometown that launched a Depression-era farm boy to the world stage.Watch live coverage in the video player above.Here’s the latest; all times are Eastern:1:15 p.m. Carter arrives at Joint Base AndrewsThe casket of the late president has made its way to Andrews along with Carter’s relatives and guests who followed in the motorcade At the air base, there will be more music and another 21-gun salute before the casket is loaded onto the plane, and Carter’s family boards.Once it lands in Georgia, there is another ceremony, then the journey to Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, for a private funeral service.12:30 p.m. Carter heads back to GeorgiaCarter’s casket has been placed in the hearse and is departing the cathedral.The casket, along with Carter’s family and guests, are traveling to Joint Base Andrews and will head next to Georgia.12:10 p.m. State funeral ends Video above: Touching tributes at state funeral of Jimmy Carter Following prayers and benediction from the assembled clergy, Carter’s services at Washington National Cathedral have come to a close. Once the procession reaches the cathedral’s outside steps, “Hail to the Chief” sounds again, following “Faith of our Fathers” from the U.S. Coast Guard Band.Carter’s casket is then placed in the hearse, and it, along with Carter’s relatives and guests head in a motorcade to Joint Base Andrews. 12 p.m. Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood sing John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’Country music stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood sang their arrangement of John Lennon’s “Imagine,” which they also sang at Rosalynn Carter’s Atlanta funeral in 2023. The lyrics are remarkable for a former first couple of the United States, the world’s preeminent military and economic superpower.11:45 a.m. Andrew Young reflects on his and Carter’s intersections with U.S history, race and politicsCarter’s longtime friend and fellow Georgian, former Amb. Andrew Young, is recalling the unlikely intersection between him, a Black man, and Carter, a white man, who both grew up amid Jim Crow segregation.He recalls Carter telling him upon their meeting that the future president was friends with Sumter County’s racist sheriff.”But time and again I saw in him the ability to achieve diversity by the personality and upbringing,” Young said. “He went out of his way to embrace those of us who grew up in all kinds of conflict.”Young, an ordained minister and onetime aide to Martin Luther King Jr., said Carter “grew up in the tremendous diversity of the South, and he embraced both sides.“Now 92, Young became a Georgia congressman, Atlanta mayor and Carter’s U.N. ambassador.Seated at a microphone, Young drew laughs from the crowd when he said, “It’s still hard for me to understand how you could get to be president from Plains, Georgia.”Young, who is Black and was a pastor nearby, said he was “nervous” sometimes driving through the small town.Speaking without a prepared speech in front of him, Young said he knew Carter “for more than half of my life,” yet “never ceased to be surprised” or “inspired” by the former president’s actions.“Jimmy Carter was a blessing that helped to create a great United States of America. And for all of us, and many who are not able to be here, I want to say, ‘Thank you. You have been a blessing from God, and your spirit will remain with us,’” Young said.11:35 a.m. Biden takes the lecternPresident Joe Biden is taking the lectern to deliver his remarks in remembrance of Carter.With decades of experience in a variety of political positions, Biden has often been called on to delivery eulogies for a number of allies – including Democratic Sens. Fitz Hollings and Ted Kennedy – and even foes.In 2003, Biden spoke at the funeral of Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, a Democrat-turned-Republican who once ran for president as a Dixiecrat opposed to civil rights for African-Americans, Biden praised the senator as someone who stood by him during the confirmation battle of doomed Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork.Biden, who was the first sitting senator to endorse Carter’s 1976 campaign, eulogized his fellow Democrat a little more than a week before he leaves office.“Today many think he was from a bygone era, but in reality he saw well into the future,” Biden said.“I miss him,” he added. “But I take solace in knowing that he and his beloved Rosalynn are reunited once again.”Biden used his remarks to intertwine what he sees as the importance of Carter’s own faith in God, and an enduring faith in America itself.“The very journey of our nation is a walk of sheer faith, to do the work, to be the country we say we are, to be the country we say we want to be,” Biden said. “Today many think he was from a bygone era, but in reality he saw well into the future.”Biden also recalled Carter as a “Southern Baptist who led on civil rights,” “brokered peace” and, along with Vice President Walter Mondale, formed a “model partnership” of what it means to serve in the White House. Biden applaud’s Carter’s characterBiden began his remarks by recalling how his relationship with Carter began, by endorsing the Georgian ahead of the 1976 presidential campaign.Repeating “character” several times as Carter’s chief attribute, Biden said the former president taught him the imperative that “everyone should be treated with dignity and respect.”“We have an obligation to give hate no safe harbor,” Biden said, also noting the importance of standing up to “abuse in power.”11:30 a.m. Carter’s grandson describes the family houseJason Carter describing his grandparents and their house: “Walls papered with pictures of children and great-grandchildren.”“They had a little rack next to the sink where they’d hang Ziploc bags to dry,” he said, “Eventually did get a cell phone.”“They were small-town people who never forgot who they were and where they were from no matter what happened in their lives. … But I realize we are not here because he was just a regular guy.”“As governor of Georgia a half-century ago, he preached an end to racial discrimination and mass incarceration,” he said.11:15 a.m. Former Carter aide recalls ‘steel determination’Stu Eizenstat, who served Carter as a domestic policy aide and has written a book on his administration, says he thought his boss’s longshot presidential bid could, at best, end with a vice presidential nomination “for regional balance.”He said Carter told him flatly that he would win the Democratic nomination. Carter did, and Eizenstat noted that Carter was the only Democrat elected president between 1968 and 1992.Eizenstat also said Carter brought “integrity” back to the office following Watergate and his help in establishing the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, which Eizenstat chairs.Eizenstat also said Carter “laid the building blocks for a better world” in terms of the U.S.’ relationships abroad, saying he operationalized the “soft power” of human rights with the “hard power” of military strength.While so many Carter tributes focused on his humanitarian work, public service and personal decency, Eizenstat made a head-on effort to frame the Carter presidency as more successful than voters appreciated at the time.Eizenstat ticked through legislative achievements — and their bipartisan support, noting that Carter deregulated U.S. transportation industries, streamlined energy research, created FEMA, and notched the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel. He emphasized that Carter’s administration secured the release of the American hostages in Iran, though it did not happen until after his 1980 defeat.“He may not be a candidate for Mount Rushmore, but he belongs in the foothills,” Eizenstat said.11 a.m. Son of Carter’s old running mate honors the late ex presidentTed Mondale, son of the late Vice President Walter Mondale, rose to read a letter from his father in honor of his former running mate.Walter Mondale wrote that he was “surprised” that Carter asked him to be his running mate for the 1976 campaign, saying that his only requests were that he make a real contribution to the team, and not be “embarrassed, as many of my predecessors had.”Mondale wrote that Carter “protected” him from “humiliation” faced by other vice presidents.Mondale spoke at length about Carter’s efforts toward equality for women, noting that Carter had appointed “five times as many women to the federal bench” as any of those who preceded him as president, combined.10:55 a.m. Gerald Ford’s son eulogizes CarterIn the remarks read by his son, Gerald Ford wrote that the 1976 election brought about “one of my deepest and most enduring friendships,” in his bond with Carter.Steven Ford also joked that his father and Carter had bemused themselves about which of them would die first, in agreeing to eulogize each other.Steven Ford noted that Carter “supported my mom and gave her hope that week” when Ford died.Steven Ford noted Carter and his 1976 rival aligned in pushing the U.S. foreign policy establishment to take action on Israel and Palestine—a reference to the longtime U.S. policy advocating a “two-state solution” in the region.Carter sometimes rankled his successors and the U.S. foreign policy establishment with his emphasis on the rights of Palestinians.Nearly a half-century later, Israel remains at war with Hamas in Gaza.Those close to Carter have said that the president, in his final months, was often agitated and bothered watching news coverage of the conflict in the region where he had brokered the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel.Ford’s letter also mentioned Rosalynn, whom he referenced as a “true citizen of the world” who was a friend to his wife, Betty, and entire family.10:45 a.m. Carter’s grandson spoke of the late president’s devotion to GodJoshua Carter talked about the legendary Sunday school class his grandfather led for decades at Maranatha Baptist Church, also noting that Jimmy Carter spent his “entire life helping those in need.”He said his grandfather “eliminated diseases in forgotten places” and “waged peace” around the world.During Sunday School lessons, Carter said he did it because “he worshipped the Prince of Peace, and He commanded it.”He noted Carter’s Sunday School students were the first to learn he’d won the Nobel Peace Prize.10:15 a.m. The order of ceremony for Carter’s state funeralThis is the order of ceremony for Carter’s service, according to the White House.Joshua Carter reads the First Lesson(Romans 8:1-18, 38-39)Steven Ford delivers remarksTed Mondale delivers remarksThe Armed Forces Chorus, the U.S. Marine Chamber Orchestra, and the Cathedral Choir perform “Eternal Father, Strong to Save.”Stuart Eizenstat delivers remarksJason Carter delivers remarksPhyllis Adams and Leila Bolden perform “Song Rise to Thee.”The U.S. Marine Orchestra performs “Amazing Grace”The president delivers a eulogyJames Carter delivers the Gospel reading(Matthew 5:1-16)Reverend Andrew Young delivers the homilyGarth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood perform “Imagine.”The Lord’s PrayerThe Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde and Reverend Anthony Lowden deliver The PrayersThe Most Reverend Sean Rowe, The Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde, and The Very Reverend Randolph Marshall Hollerith deliverThe CommendationThe Most Reverend Sean Rowe delivers the BlessingThe Very Reverend Randolph Marshall Hollerith delivers the DismissalDismissal song “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.”10 a.m. Carter’s casket brought into the CathedralCarter’s casket been brought into the Washington National Cathedral. Snow from a recent winter storm that gripped the nation’s capital is still visible on rooftops and grounds, sparkling in the sunlight.9:55 a.m. Bidens arrivePresident Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are taking their seats next to Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff. There were no visible greetings, but the former presidents were all just together in a private room ahead of their entrances into Washington National Cathedral.Chorus sings as Carter’s casket readies entrance into the CathedralThe Armed Forces Chorus is singing the hymn, “Be Still My Soul,” ahead of Carter’s casket entering the Cathedral. Carter, as most presidents do, planned many details of his state funeral years ahead of his death, including most musical selections.Michelle Obama is not at the serviceOne of the dignitaries missing from the former president lineup is Michelle Obama.Ahead of the funeral, CNN reported that the former first lady had a scheduling conflict and remained in Hawaii, where she had been on an “extended vacation.”Asked why she was absent from Carter’s funeral, Michelle Obama’s office issued a statement saying that her thoughts and prayers are with the late former president’s family but otherwise did not say where she was or explain her absence.9:45 a.m. Former presidents and spouses sit near each otherOther former presidents and their wives are being seated just down the row from President-elect Donald Trump, including George W. Bush and his wife, former First Lady Laura Bush.As she and her husband entered, former First Lady Hillary Clinton walked around the end of the row on which Trump was sitting, going first to greet Bush and others.Obama and Trump sit togetherFormer President Barack Obama has taken his seat next to Trump, chatting with his successor in office, who did not stand to greet him but shook hands. They were engaged in conversation as Harris entered the cathedral.Trump and Pence shake handsTrump and Vice President Mike Pence have shaken hands as the former president takes his seat, just in front of his former vice president.Trump and Melania enter the cathedralTrump and his wife, Melania, are entering Washington National Cathedral and being ushered to their seats.Congressional leaders attend Carter’s funeralCongressional leaders are also in attendance as they await the start of Carter’s funeral.Senate Majority Leader John Thune is seated next to House Speaker Mike Johnson, both Republicans. Democratic leaders are also in Washington National Cathedral, including House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.Carter and Andrew Young had a long, notable friendship of Southern politiciansAndrew Young, the 92-year-old former U.N. Ambassador for Jimmy Carter, will speak about his longtime friend Thursday.But Young was skeptical of Jimmy Carter in 1970. The former aide to Martin Luther King Jr. knew that the young state senator had never met King and was a calculated moderate during the Civil Rights Movement. Then Young watched Carter run for Georgia governor a second time and campaign at an Atlanta restaurant famous in the Civil Rights Movement. Carter, Young said, insisted on shaking every hand — including in the kitchen, where Young said no politicians — Black or white — typically went.Speaking to The Associated Press, Young noted how Carter, as governor and president, elevated more Black appointees, including judges, than his predecessors had combined. And he said Carter was the first U.S. president to pay attention to Africa.“We still haven’t caught up with him,” Young said. “He was ahead of his time.”9:40 a.m. Carter motorcade arrives at Washington National CathedralThe funeral procession of President Jimmy Carter has arrived at Washington National Cathedral. 9:30 a.m. Bipartisanship on display in the Washington National CathedralBipartisanship is on display in the Washington National Cathedral, with former Vice President Al Gore, a Democrat, seated next to former Vice President Mike Pence, a Republican.As often is the case with the funerals of former politicians, the reverence and respect on display thus far among attendees at Carter’s upcoming funeral supersedes their partisan differences.Another point of note is that Carter’s funeral appears to be the first time that Pence and his former running mate, Trump, will be in the same space as Pence since their term together and fractured relationship following the Jan. 6 violence at the U.S. Capitol.The two spoke at a 2023 Lincoln Day Dinner in Iowa during the 2024 GOP presidential primary but were on stage at different times.9 a.m. Carter’s casket departs the U.S. CapitolCarter’s casket has departed the U.S. Capitol as part of a procession to the Washington National Cathedral for his funeral. Accompanied by a 21-gun salute, the procession paused during a performance of “Hail to the Chief.”The U.S. Navy band has continued to play as the body bearer team descends the steps, which are flanked with uniformed Special Honor Guard members.What to expect from the servicePresident Joe Biden, who was the first sitting senator to endorse Carter’s 1976 presidential campaign, will eulogize his fellow Democrat 11 days before he leaves office. All of Carter’s living successors are expected to attend the Washington funeral, including President-elect Donald Trump, who paid his respects before Carter’s casket Wednesday.The rare gathering of commanders in chief is one example of how Thursday will be an unusual moment of comity for the nation. Days of formal ceremonies and remembrances from political leaders, business titans and rank-and-file citizens have honored Carter for decency and using a prodigious work ethic to do more than obtain political power.“He set a very high bar for presidents, how you can use voice and leadership for causes,” said Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder whose foundation funded Carter’s work to eliminate treatable diseases like the Guinea worm. Gates spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday shortly before flying to Washington for the funeral.“Whatever prestige and resources you are lucky enough to have, ideally you can take those and take an even broader societal view in your post private sector career,” Gates said.Video above: Former Carter advisor reflects on presidential legacyBernice King, daughter of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., compared the two Georgians and Nobel Peace Prize winners.“Both President Jimmy Carter and my father showed us what is possible when your faith compels you to live and lead from a love-centered place,” said King, who is also planning to attend the Washington service.At the cathedral, Ted Mondale, son of Walter Mondale, Carter’s vice president, is expected to read a eulogy his father wrote for Carter before his own death in 2021. Steve Ford, the son of President Gerald Ford, will read a tribute from his grandfather, who died in 2006. Carter defeated Ford in 1976 but the pair, and their first ladies, became close friends, and Carter eulogized Ford at his funeral.Mourners also will hear from Stu Eizenstat, who was a top White House staffer for Carter, and 92-year-old Andrew Young, a former Atlanta mayor, congressman and U.N. ambassador during the Carter administration. Carter outlived much of his Cabinet and inner circle, but remained especially close to Young — a friendship that brought together a white Georgian and Black Georgian who grew up in the era of Jim Crow segregation.Thursday will conclude six days of national rites that began in Plains, Georgia, where Carter was born in 1924, lived most of his life and died Dec. 29 at the age of 100. Ceremonies continued in Atlanta and Washington, where Carter, a former Naval officer, engineer and peanut farmer, has lain in state since Tuesday.Long lines of mourners waited several hours in frigid temperatures to file past his flag-draped casket in the Capitol Rotunda, as tributes focused as much on Carter’s humanitarian work after leaving the White House as what he did as president from 1977 to 1981.What happens after the state funeralAfter the morning service in Washington, Carter’s remains, his four children and extended family will return to Georgia on a Boeing 747 that serves as Air Force One when the sitting president is aboard. The outspoken Baptist evangelical, who campaigned as a born-again Christian, will then be remembered in an afternoon funeral at Maranatha Baptist Church, the small edifice where he taught Sunday School for decades after leaving the White House and where his casket will sit beneath a wooden cross he fashioned in his own woodshop.Following a final ride through his hometown, past the old train depot that served as his 1976 presidential campaign headquarters, he will be buried on family land in a plot next to former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, who died in 2023 after more than 77 years of marriage.Carter, who won the presidency promising good government and honest talk for an electorate disillusioned by the Vietnam War and Watergate, signed significant legislation and negotiated a landmark peace agreement between Israel and Egypt. But he also presided over inflation, rising interest rates and international crises and lost a landslide to Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980.Two years later he and Rosalynn established The Carter Center in Atlanta as a nongovernmental organization that took them across the world fighting disease, mediating conflict, monitoring elections and advocating for racial and gender equity. The center, where Carter lay in repose before coming to Washington, currently has 3,000 employees and contractors globally.Video above: Jimmy Carter’s grandson speaks at Carter Center memorial service

WASHINGTON —Jimmy Carter, the 39th U.S. President, was honored Thursday with the pageantry of a state funeral in the nation’s capital. That will be followed by a second service and burial in his tiny Georgia hometown that launched a Depression-era farm boy to the world stage.

Watch live coverage in the video player above.

Here’s the latest; all times are Eastern:

12:30 p.m. Carter heads back to Georgia

Carter’s casket has been placed in the hearse and is departing the cathedral.

The casket, along with Carter’s family and guests, are traveling to Joint Base Andrews and will head next to Georgia.

12:10 p.m. State funeral ends

Video above: Touching tributes at state funeral of Jimmy Carter

Following prayers and benediction from the assembled clergy, Carter’s services at Washington National Cathedral have come to a close. Once the procession reaches the cathedral’s outside steps, “Hail to the Chief” sounds again, following “Faith of our Fathers” from the U.S. Coast Guard Band.

Carter’s casket is then placed in the hearse, and it, along with Carter’s relatives and guests head in a motorcade to Joint Base Andrews.

At that point, Carter’s final journey home to Georgia begins. At the air base, there will be more music and another 21-gun salute before the casket is loaded onto the plane, and Carter’s family boards.

Once it lands in Georgia, there is another ceremony, then the journey to Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, for a private funeral service.

12 p.m. Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood sing John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’

Country music stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood sang their arrangement of John Lennon’s “Imagine,” which they also sang at Rosalynn Carter’s Atlanta funeral in 2023. The lyrics are remarkable for a former first couple of the United States, the world’s preeminent military and economic superpower.

11:45 a.m. Andrew Young reflects on his and Carter’s intersections with U.S history, race and politics

Carter’s longtime friend and fellow Georgian, former Amb. Andrew Young, is recalling the unlikely intersection between him, a Black man, and Carter, a white man, who both grew up amid Jim Crow segregation.

He recalls Carter telling him upon their meeting that the future president was friends with Sumter County’s racist sheriff.”

But time and again I saw in him the ability to achieve diversity by the personality and upbringing,” Young said. “He went out of his way to embrace those of us who grew up in all kinds of conflict.”

Young, an ordained minister and onetime aide to Martin Luther King Jr., said Carter “grew up in the tremendous diversity of the South, and he embraced both sides.“Now 92, Young became a Georgia congressman, Atlanta mayor and Carter’s U.N. ambassador.

Seated at a microphone, Young drew laughs from the crowd when he said, “It’s still hard for me to understand how you could get to be president from Plains, Georgia.”

Young, who is Black and was a pastor nearby, said he was “nervous” sometimes driving through the small town.

Speaking without a prepared speech in front of him, Young said he knew Carter “for more than half of my life,” yet “never ceased to be surprised” or “inspired” by the former president’s actions.

“Jimmy Carter was a blessing that helped to create a great United States of America. And for all of us, and many who are not able to be here, I want to say, ‘Thank you. You have been a blessing from God, and your spirit will remain with us,’” Young said.

11:35 a.m. Biden takes the lectern

President Joe Biden is taking the lectern to deliver his remarks in remembrance of Carter.

With decades of experience in a variety of political positions, Biden has often been called on to delivery eulogies for a number of allies – including Democratic Sens. Fitz Hollings and Ted Kennedy – and even foes.

In 2003, Biden spoke at the funeral of Sen. Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, a Democrat-turned-Republican who once ran for president as a Dixiecrat opposed to civil rights for African-Americans, Biden praised the senator as someone who stood by him during the confirmation battle of doomed Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork.

Biden, who was the first sitting senator to endorse Carter’s 1976 campaign, eulogized his fellow Democrat a little more than a week before he leaves office.

“Today many think he was from a bygone era, but in reality he saw well into the future,” Biden said.

“I miss him,” he added. “But I take solace in knowing that he and his beloved Rosalynn are reunited once again.”

Biden used his remarks to intertwine what he sees as the importance of Carter’s own faith in God, and an enduring faith in America itself.

“The very journey of our nation is a walk of sheer faith, to do the work, to be the country we say we are, to be the country we say we want to be,” Biden said. “Today many think he was from a bygone era, but in reality he saw well into the future.”

Biden also recalled Carter as a “Southern Baptist who led on civil rights,” “brokered peace” and, along with Vice President Walter Mondale, formed a “model partnership” of what it means to serve in the White House.

Biden applaud’s Carter’s character

Biden began his remarks by recalling how his relationship with Carter began, by endorsing the Georgian ahead of the 1976 presidential campaign.

Repeating “character” several times as Carter’s chief attribute, Biden said the former president taught him the imperative that “everyone should be treated with dignity and respect.”

“We have an obligation to give hate no safe harbor,” Biden said, also noting the importance of standing up to “abuse in power.”

11:30 a.m. Carter’s grandson describes the family house

Jason Carter describing his grandparents and their house: “Walls papered with pictures of children and great-grandchildren.”

“They had a little rack next to the sink where they’d hang Ziploc bags to dry,” he said, “Eventually did get a cell phone.”

“They were small-town people who never forgot who they were and where they were from no matter what happened in their lives. … But I realize we are not here because he was just a regular guy.”

“As governor of Georgia a half-century ago, he preached an end to racial discrimination and mass incarceration,” he said.

11:15 a.m. Former Carter aide recalls ‘steel determination’

Stu Eizenstat, who served Carter as a domestic policy aide and has written a book on his administration, says he thought his boss’s longshot presidential bid could, at best, end with a vice presidential nomination “for regional balance.”

He said Carter told him flatly that he would win the Democratic nomination. Carter did, and Eizenstat noted that Carter was the only Democrat elected president between 1968 and 1992.

Eizenstat also said Carter brought “integrity” back to the office following Watergate and his help in establishing the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, which Eizenstat chairs.

Eizenstat also said Carter “laid the building blocks for a better world” in terms of the U.S.’ relationships abroad, saying he operationalized the “soft power” of human rights with the “hard power” of military strength.

While so many Carter tributes focused on his humanitarian work, public service and personal decency, Eizenstat made a head-on effort to frame the Carter presidency as more successful than voters appreciated at the time.

Eizenstat ticked through legislative achievements — and their bipartisan support, noting that Carter deregulated U.S. transportation industries, streamlined energy research, created FEMA, and notched the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel. He emphasized that Carter’s administration secured the release of the American hostages in Iran, though it did not happen until after his 1980 defeat.

“He may not be a candidate for Mount Rushmore, but he belongs in the foothills,” Eizenstat said.

11 a.m. Son of Carter’s old running mate honors the late ex president

Ted Mondale, son of the late Vice President Walter Mondale, rose to read a letter from his father in honor of his former running mate.

Walter Mondale wrote that he was “surprised” that Carter asked him to be his running mate for the 1976 campaign, saying that his only requests were that he make a real contribution to the team, and not be “embarrassed, as many of my predecessors had.”

Mondale wrote that Carter “protected” him from “humiliation” faced by other vice presidents.

Mondale spoke at length about Carter’s efforts toward equality for women, noting that Carter had appointed “five times as many women to the federal bench” as any of those who preceded him as president, combined.

10:55 a.m. Gerald Ford’s son eulogizes Carter

In the remarks read by his son, Gerald Ford wrote that the 1976 election brought about “one of my deepest and most enduring friendships,” in his bond with Carter.

Steven Ford also joked that his father and Carter had bemused themselves about which of them would die first, in agreeing to eulogize each other.

Steven Ford noted that Carter “supported my mom and gave her hope that week” when Ford died.

Steven Ford noted Carter and his 1976 rival aligned in pushing the U.S. foreign policy establishment to take action on Israel and Palestine—a reference to the longtime U.S. policy advocating a “two-state solution” in the region.

Carter sometimes rankled his successors and the U.S. foreign policy establishment with his emphasis on the rights of Palestinians.

Nearly a half-century later, Israel remains at war with Hamas in Gaza.

Those close to Carter have said that the president, in his final months, was often agitated and bothered watching news coverage of the conflict in the region where he had brokered the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel.

Ford’s letter also mentioned Rosalynn, whom he referenced as a “true citizen of the world” who was a friend to his wife, Betty, and entire family.

10:45 a.m. Carter’s grandson spoke of the late president’s devotion to God

Joshua Carter talked about the legendary Sunday school class his grandfather led for decades at Maranatha Baptist Church, also noting that Jimmy Carter spent his “entire life helping those in need.”

He said his grandfather “eliminated diseases in forgotten places” and “waged peace” around the world.

During Sunday School lessons, Carter said he did it because “he worshipped the Prince of Peace, and He commanded it.”

He noted Carter’s Sunday School students were the first to learn he’d won the Nobel Peace Prize.

10:15 a.m. The order of ceremony for Carter’s state funeral

This is the order of ceremony for Carter’s service, according to the White House.

Joshua Carter reads the First Lesson

(Romans 8:1-18, 38-39)

Steven Ford delivers remarks

Ted Mondale delivers remarks

The Armed Forces Chorus, the U.S. Marine Chamber Orchestra, and the Cathedral Choir perform “Eternal Father, Strong to Save.”

Stuart Eizenstat delivers remarks

Jason Carter delivers remarks

Phyllis Adams and Leila Bolden perform “Song Rise to Thee.”

The U.S. Marine Orchestra performs “Amazing Grace”

The president delivers a eulogy

James Carter delivers the Gospel reading

(Matthew 5:1-16)

Reverend Andrew Young delivers the homily

Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood perform “Imagine.”

The Lord’s Prayer

The Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde and Reverend Anthony Lowden deliver The Prayers

The Most Reverend Sean Rowe, The Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde, and The Very Reverend Randolph Marshall Hollerith deliver

The Commendation

The Most Reverend Sean Rowe delivers the Blessing

The Very Reverend Randolph Marshall Hollerith delivers the Dismissal

Dismissal song “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name.”

10 a.m. Carter’s casket brought into the Cathedral

Carter’s casket been brought into the Washington National Cathedral. Snow from a recent winter storm that gripped the nation’s capital is still visible on rooftops and grounds, sparkling in the sunlight.

9:55 a.m. Bidens arrive

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden are taking their seats next to Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff. There were no visible greetings, but the former presidents were all just together in a private room ahead of their entrances into Washington National Cathedral.

Chorus sings as Carter’s casket readies entrance into the Cathedral

The Armed Forces Chorus is singing the hymn, “Be Still My Soul,” ahead of Carter’s casket entering the Cathedral. Carter, as most presidents do, planned many details of his state funeral years ahead of his death, including most musical selections.

Michelle Obama is not at the service

One of the dignitaries missing from the former president lineup is Michelle Obama.

Ahead of the funeral, CNN reported that the former first lady had a scheduling conflict and remained in Hawaii, where she had been on an “extended vacation.”

Asked why she was absent from Carter’s funeral, Michelle Obama’s office issued a statement saying that her thoughts and prayers are with the late former president’s family but otherwise did not say where she was or explain her absence.

9:45 a.m. Former presidents and spouses sit near each other

Other former presidents and their wives are being seated just down the row from President-elect Donald Trump, including George W. Bush and his wife, former First Lady Laura Bush.

As she and her husband entered, former First Lady Hillary Clinton walked around the end of the row on which Trump was sitting, going first to greet Bush and others.

Obama and Trump sit together

Former President Barack Obama has taken his seat next to Trump, chatting with his successor in office, who did not stand to greet him but shook hands. They were engaged in conversation as Harris entered the cathedral.

Trump and Pence shake hands

Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have shaken hands as the former president takes his seat, just in front of his former vice president.

Trump and Melania enter the cathedral

Trump and his wife, Melania, are entering Washington National Cathedral and being ushered to their seats.

Congressional leaders attend Carter’s funeral

Congressional leaders are also in attendance as they await the start of Carter’s funeral.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune is seated next to House Speaker Mike Johnson, both Republicans. Democratic leaders are also in Washington National Cathedral, including House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.

Carter and Andrew Young had a long, notable friendship of Southern politicians

Andrew Young, the 92-year-old former U.N. Ambassador for Jimmy Carter, will speak about his longtime friend Thursday.

But Young was skeptical of Jimmy Carter in 1970. The former aide to Martin Luther King Jr. knew that the young state senator had never met King and was a calculated moderate during the Civil Rights Movement. Then Young watched Carter run for Georgia governor a second time and campaign at an Atlanta restaurant famous in the Civil Rights Movement. Carter, Young said, insisted on shaking every hand — including in the kitchen, where Young said no politicians — Black or white — typically went.

Speaking to The Associated Press, Young noted how Carter, as governor and president, elevated more Black appointees, including judges, than his predecessors had combined. And he said Carter was the first U.S. president to pay attention to Africa.

“We still haven’t caught up with him,” Young said. “He was ahead of his time.”

9:40 a.m. Carter motorcade arrives at Washington National Cathedral

The funeral procession of President Jimmy Carter has arrived at Washington National Cathedral.

9:30 a.m. Bipartisanship on display in the Washington National Cathedral

Bipartisanship is on display in the Washington National Cathedral, with former Vice President Al Gore, a Democrat, seated next to former Vice President Mike Pence, a Republican.

As often is the case with the funerals of former politicians, the reverence and respect on display thus far among attendees at Carter’s upcoming funeral supersedes their partisan differences.

Another point of note is that Carter’s funeral appears to be the first time that Pence and his former running mate, Trump, will be in the same space as Pence since their term together and fractured relationship following the Jan. 6 violence at the U.S. Capitol.

The two spoke at a 2023 Lincoln Day Dinner in Iowa during the 2024 GOP presidential primary but were on stage at different times.

9 a.m. Carter’s casket departs the U.S. Capitol

Carter’s casket has departed the U.S. Capitol as part of a procession to the Washington National Cathedral for his funeral. Accompanied by a 21-gun salute, the procession paused during a performance of “Hail to the Chief.”

The U.S. Navy band has continued to play as the body bearer team descends the steps, which are flanked with uniformed Special Honor Guard members.

What to expect from the service

President Joe Biden, who was the first sitting senator to endorse Carter’s 1976 presidential campaign, will eulogize his fellow Democrat 11 days before he leaves office. All of Carter’s living successors are expected to attend the Washington funeral, including President-elect Donald Trump, who paid his respects before Carter’s casket Wednesday.

The rare gathering of commanders in chief is one example of how Thursday will be an unusual moment of comity for the nation. Days of formal ceremonies and remembrances from political leaders, business titans and rank-and-file citizens have honored Carter for decency and using a prodigious work ethic to do more than obtain political power.

“He set a very high bar for presidents, how you can use voice and leadership for causes,” said Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder whose foundation funded Carter’s work to eliminate treatable diseases like the Guinea worm. Gates spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday shortly before flying to Washington for the funeral.

“Whatever prestige and resources you are lucky enough to have, ideally you can take those and take an even broader societal view in your post private sector career,” Gates said.

Video above: Former Carter advisor reflects on presidential legacyBernice King, daughter of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., compared the two Georgians and Nobel Peace Prize winners.

“Both President Jimmy Carter and my father showed us what is possible when your faith compels you to live and lead from a love-centered place,” said King, who is also planning to attend the Washington service.

At the cathedral, Ted Mondale, son of Walter Mondale, Carter’s vice president, is expected to read a eulogy his father wrote for Carter before his own death in 2021. Steve Ford, the son of President Gerald Ford, will read a tribute from his grandfather, who died in 2006. Carter defeated Ford in 1976 but the pair, and their first ladies, became close friends, and Carter eulogized Ford at his funeral.

Mourners also will hear from Stu Eizenstat, who was a top White House staffer for Carter, and 92-year-old Andrew Young, a former Atlanta mayor, congressman and U.N. ambassador during the Carter administration. Carter outlived much of his Cabinet and inner circle, but remained especially close to Young — a friendship that brought together a white Georgian and Black Georgian who grew up in the era of Jim Crow segregation.

Thursday will conclude six days of national rites that began in Plains, Georgia, where Carter was born in 1924, lived most of his life and died Dec. 29 at the age of 100. Ceremonies continued in Atlanta and Washington, where Carter, a former Naval officer, engineer and peanut farmer, has lain in state since Tuesday.

Long lines of mourners waited several hours in frigid temperatures to file past his flag-draped casket in the Capitol Rotunda, as tributes focused as much on Carter’s humanitarian work after leaving the White House as what he did as president from 1977 to 1981.

What happens after the state funeral

After the morning service in Washington, Carter’s remains, his four children and extended family will return to Georgia on a Boeing 747 that serves as Air Force One when the sitting president is aboard.

The outspoken Baptist evangelical, who campaigned as a born-again Christian, will then be remembered in an afternoon funeral at Maranatha Baptist Church, the small edifice where he taught Sunday School for decades after leaving the White House and where his casket will sit beneath a wooden cross he fashioned in his own woodshop.

Following a final ride through his hometown, past the old train depot that served as his 1976 presidential campaign headquarters, he will be buried on family land in a plot next to former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, who died in 2023 after more than 77 years of marriage.

Carter, who won the presidency promising good government and honest talk for an electorate disillusioned by the Vietnam War and Watergate, signed significant legislation and negotiated a landmark peace agreement between Israel and Egypt. But he also presided over inflation, rising interest rates and international crises and lost a landslide to Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980.

Two years later he and Rosalynn established The Carter Center in Atlanta as a nongovernmental organization that took them across the world fighting disease, mediating conflict, monitoring elections and advocating for racial and gender equity. The center, where Carter lay in repose before coming to Washington, currently has 3,000 employees and contractors globally.

Video above: Jimmy Carter’s grandson speaks at Carter Center memorial service

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