What happened
Former President Jimmy Carter was buried alongside his wife, Rosalynn, in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, last night, after being eulogized at a grand state funeral in Washington National Cathedral and then back home at a smaller, private funeral at Maranatha Baptist Church, where he taught Sunday school for many years. All five living presidents and other world leaders attended the state funeral, as did friends and family.

Who said what
Carter, who died at age 100, "often eschewed the pomp of high office as haughty and unbecoming," The Washington Post said. But his state funeral, per tradition, was "replete with the exalted trappings of a presidential send-off." The image of the five living presidents, all wearing black suits and blue ties, offered a "rare image of presidential unity" that spoke of "preservation and strength" in a time of upheaval and polarization, The New York Times said.

Posthumous eulogies written by former President Gerald Ford and Carter's vice president Walter Mondale were read by their sons. President Joe Biden repeatedly praised Carter's character. "Today we may think he was from a bygone era," he said. "But in reality, he saw well into the future."

What next?
Stuart Eizenstat, a longtime friend and adviser to Carter, said in his eulogy it was "time to redeem his presidency and also lay to rest the myth that his greatest achievements came only as a former president." Carter, he said, "may not be a candidate for Mount Rushmore, but he belongs in the foothills."

What happened
Lebanon's parliament elected army chief Gen. Joseph Aoun president yesterday, ending political deadlock that had kept the office vacant since October 2022. Aoun, 60, won 99 of 128 votes.

Who said what
The election of Aoun, widely seen as the preferred candidate of the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, reflects the "weakened sway of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group after its devastating war with Israel," Reuters said. In his victory speech to parliament, Aoun vowed to carry out judicial reforms, "rebuild what Israel destroyed," and ensure the state's right to "monopolize the carrying of weapons." That last pledge drew "loud applause as lawmakers from Hezbollah — which runs its own military forces — sat still."

The paused war with Israel has cost Lebanon an estimated $8.5 billion in losses and damage, six years into an unrelated financial crisis. The expectation is that Aoun's election will "unlock desperately needed support from foreign donors," The Washington Post said.

What next?
Aoun's power is limited under Lebanon's "power-sharing system, in which the president is always a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim and the speaker of parliament Shiite," The Associated Press said. But "only the president" can appoint a prime minister to form the country's first fully empowered government since 2022.