Politics and views in the United States.

As the nation mourns the death of Jimmy Carter, calls come to emulate his positive impact. Speaker Mike Johnson has only days to secure the votes he needs to keep that job. And supporters of overturning ranked-choice voting in Alaska say they'll try again.

TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to 2024 Talks, where we're following our democracy in historic times.

Can you imagine Jimmy Carter walking by someone and you need something to just keep walking?

Can you imagine Jimmy Carter referring to someone by the way they look or the way they talk?

I can't.

President Joe Biden says former President Jimmy Carter was a statesman and humanitarian.

And as decent as they come, the Nobel Peace Prize winner died at 100 on Sunday.

His state funeral will be at the National Cathedral on the 9th, which Biden has also declared a national day of mourning.

Georgia Reverend Meshon Simon met Carter during his senior year at Emory University.

Simon calls this a moment for a renewed commitment to honoring Carter's profound legacy of good works.

It's a sad moment because he is so cherished, but I think also it's a watershed moment for us to be reminded to find the best ways to be impactful in our lives.

The next four days could be make or break for Speaker Mike Johnson's fight to keep his job.

The House is so closely divided he can only afford to lose one vote, and some on the hard right oppose him over spending and Ukraine aid.

New Jersey's Jeff Andrews says Johnson is their most effective choice.

I get it.

Members of Congress want to express their individual viewpoint.

But there was a mandate from the people of the United States of America in both the popular vote and the electoral vote to make change.

Johnson has gotten President-elect Donald Trump's endorsement.

The vote will be the first order of business for the new Congress on Friday.

Pope Francis says what he calls the globalization of indifference in a time of conflict is an ugly disease with serious consequences.

The Bishop of Rome and leader of the Catholic Church sat down with 60 Minutes and through an interpreter called for people to remember the empathy they have within themselves.

Please, we have to get our hearts to feel again.

We cannot remain indifferent in the face of such human dramas.

With state legislative sessions set to start, advocates say they're focusing on pocketbook issues.

The Washington Post's Sarah Jenkins with AARP in Connecticut points to federal data showing their state has some of the country's highest energy costs.

We need to fight for the priorities that can impact the most amount of people to help reduce their cost of living to make Connecticut a great place for people to live, age and retire.

Finally, opponents to ranked choice voting in Alaska failed to get rid of the system last month, but are vowing to try again ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Ranked choice voting lets folks support more than one person in a multi-candidate race and can mean a candidate with a lot of second choice votes could win.

Former Lieutenant Governor Lauren Lemon calls it complicated and unfair.

There are several dangers to it.

It's convoluted, it's complex, it's confusing to people.

I'm Alex Gonzalez for Pacifica Network and Public News Service.

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