Rev Jesse Jackson, civil rights leader and Rainbow PUSH founder, dies at 84
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, a longtime civil rights leader, two-time Democratic presidential candidate and founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, died Tuesday morning at the age of 84, his family said in a statement.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of civil rights leader and founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the Honorable Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson Sr. He died peacefully on Tuesday morning, surrounded by his family,” the statement said.
“Our father was a servant leader — not only to our family, but to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world,” the Jackson family said. “We shared him with the world, and in return, the world became part of our extended family. His unwavering belief in justice, equality, and love uplifted millions.”
A cause of death was not mentioned, but Jackson had suffered from multiple health problems in recent years. In 2017, Jackson revealed that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He was also treated for progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare degenerative neurological disorder. Despite health setbacks that weakened his voice and mobility, he continued advocating for civil rights and was arrested twice in 2021 while protesting the Senate filibuster rule.
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Born Oct. 8, 1941, in Greenville, South Carolina, Jackson grew up in a segregated community. As a teenager, he excelled academically and earned a football scholarship to the University of Illinois before transferring to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College, where he graduated in 1964.
He became involved in civil rights activism as a teenager and was arrested at 18 for participating in a sit-in at a segregated public library. The protest marked the beginning of his rise in the student-led movement challenging segregation across the South.
After graduation, Jackson left his studies at Chicago Theological Seminary to join the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Alabama, and later became a key figure in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. With King’s support, he led Operation Breadbasket in Chicago, a campaign aimed at expanding economic opportunities for Black Americans.
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Jackson was in Memphis in 1968 when King was assassinated. In the years that followed, Jackson founded what became the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, an organization focused on civil rights, voter registration and economic empowerment. Over decades of activism, he received dozens of honorary degrees and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2000 by President Bill Clinton.
Jackson ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988. In 1984, he won 18% of the primary vote. His campaign faced controversy over an antisemitic remark he made about New York’s Jewish community.
In 1988, Jackson won nearly 7 million votes — about 29% of the total — and finished first or second in multiple Super Tuesday contests. Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis ultimately secured the nomination.
Though he never held elected office, Jackson remained an influential political figure, advocating for expanded voter registration, lobbying for Washington, D.C., statehood, and at times serving as a diplomatic envoy, including efforts to secure the release of Americans held overseas.
In 2001, Jackson publicly acknowledged that he had fathered a daughter, Ashley, with a woman affiliated with his advocacy organization. He later apologized.
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Jackson is survived by his wife of more than 60 years, Jacqueline; their children — Santita, Jesse Jr., Jonathan, Yusef and Jacqueline — daughter Ashley Jackson; and grandchildren.
Public observances will be held in Chicago with final funeral arrangements yet to be announced.
Teen killed protecting friends in Bronx shootout as rage erupts over Mamdani response
One teenager has been arrested in connection with what officials described as a “senseless” shooting that broke out in New York City as crowds of children gathered at the bus stop after school dismissal, killing one 16-year-old boy, police said Sunday.
The Wednesday incident occurred in the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx amid what officials and witnesses characterized as an escalating wave of violence in the borough, prompting affected family members to criticize Mayor Zohran Mamdani and law enforcement for not doing enough to keep New Yorkers safe.
Authorities identified the slain victim as Christopher Redding, an aspiring football player at John F. Kennedy High School, who sustained a gunshot wound to the back. According to a GoFundMe page, Redding was defending his friends who were being targeted by a group of individuals.
Officials released footage of the suspects and said the group responsible for the escalation that led to the shooting consisted of four people, including three males and one female.
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A 17-year-old male tied to the incident was arrested Saturday and currently faces multiple charges, including murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, assault and criminal possession of a loaded firearm.
Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson said the gunfire began as a street dispute while stressing that there has been “too much violence among young adults.”
“This started out as some sort of fight on the street, and it escalated,” Gibson said. “And, guess what, someone had a gun. That is usually the issue.”
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Regional Hall, a nearby resident who saw the aftermath of the shooting through her window, said that after hearing five gunshots, she saw “hundreds and hundreds of kids” waiting for the bus quickly running from the scene.
Redding reportedly intervened to defend his friends just before the group opened fire, according to a GoFundMe page organized by his coach.
“Christopher was defending his friends who were being targeted by a group of individuals who then opened fire on them in the Bronx,” the page said. “His last act on earth was one of courage and selflessness, protecting those he cared about.”
The 16-year-old was reportedly a talented athlete. He was a member of the John F. Kennedy High School tackle football team and the Fastbreak flag football team and previously played for the Bronx Colts and LBX teams, according to the GoFundMe page.
Two other young teenagers also sustained serious injuries in the chaos, including a 15-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl. Both sustained a gunshot wound to the right leg and were transported to a local hospital, where they were reported to be in stable condition.
Hall added that she was terrified that a bullet might go through the window of her first-floor apartment, noting that fear has been widespread in the community due to recent violence in the borough.
“You can’t come to the stores,” she said. “I had a friend that went to the drug store, and she had to try to run from across the street there to here to get to her house.”
She described a pattern of teenagers gathering at the bus stop, running into the streets and fighting regularly, noting that the violence was not entirely unexpected.
“I used to see a lot of policemen around here,” she added. “But it’s, you know, can’t say anymore.”
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Gibson also acknowledged that the borough has recently seen a rise in gun violence, “leaving too many of our families and community members feeling unsafe in their own neighborhoods.”
District Council Member Eric Dinowitz added that “guns in the hands of high school students should never be the reality, and we must put an end to this senseless violence,” according to a post on X.
The grieving father of the slain teen football player added that he was disappointed by the circumstances surrounding the incident and denounced Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s recent statement Thursday expressing gratitude for the NYPD’s handling of crime in the city.
“They’re still out there, and nothing is really being done,” Bryan Corley told the New York Post, referring to the suspects who remain at large. “Mayor Mamdani saying that the police is doing a good job. They’re not doing a good job. It’s disgusting.”
When asked whether Mamdani’s office had reached out to the teen’s family, the father reportedly said “no” in frustration.
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Last Thursday, Mamdani addressed the recent shootings in the Bronx, characterizing them as “heartbreaking and horrific.”
“I am thankful for the work of the NYPD not only in responding to them but also in the actions they are taking to ensure that we work to prevent them in the future,” Mamdani said.
Dinowitz noted that “with a new mayoral administration, we have an opportunity to address this crisis once and for all. My colleagues and I in the City Council will do everything we can to support an anti-gun violence agenda that addresses the root causes and saves lives.”
’60 Minutes’ loses star correspondent Anderson Cooper after nearly 20 years
Anderson Cooper is leaving “60 Minutes” after nearly two decades on the long-running CBS News program.
Cooper, who is a primetime anchor on CNN, will reportedly keep all of his focus on the full-time cable gig going forward. Cooper joined “60 Minutes” as a rotating correspondent in 2007.
The exit was first reported by Breaker Media.
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According to the report, Cooper told the network weeks ago that he was declining the renewal offer being made to him.
“Being a correspondent at 60 Minutes has been one of the great honors of my career,” Cooper said in a statement to The Wrap. “I got to tell amazing stories, and work with some of the best producers, editors, and camera crews in the business. For nearly twenty years, I’ve been able to balance my jobs at CNN and CBS, but I have little kids now and I want to spend as much time with them as possible, while they still want to spend time with me.”
A spokesperson for CBS News told Fox News Digital, “For more than two decades, Anderson Cooper has taken 60 Minutes viewers on journeys to faraway places, told us unforgettable stories, reported consequential investigations and interviewed many prominent figures. We’re grateful to him for dedicating so much of his life to this broadcast, and understand the importance of spending more time with family. 60 Minutes will be here if he ever wants to return.”
Cooper’s exit comes weeks after his “60 Minutes” colleague Sharyn Alfonsi clashed with their new boss, CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, over a report that Weiss deemed wasn’t ready for air.
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In December, Weiss pulled Alfonsi’s segment on the Center for Confinement of Terrorism (CECOT) shortly before it was set to air. Alfonsi defiantly told colleagues she believed it was a political decision while Weiss sought to include voices from the Trump administration.
The segment ultimately aired in January, but Weiss and CBS News faced tense blowback from liberal critics.
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Traveler’s violent rampage leaves trail of destruction at major airport
A shocking scene unfolded inside Hong Kong International Airport’s Terminal 1 on Monday when a man was seen pushing over check-in kiosks and trying to smash them with a metal pole.
Footage of the incident went viral and showed the man dressed in a black jumper, blue jeans, and wearing a cross-body bag striding toward a row of automated check-in kiosks in the departure area.
Without hesitation, he began forcefully pushing the machines over one by one.
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The kiosks toppled to the ground in quick succession, crashing loudly onto the terminal floor.
Not satisfied with knocking them down, the man then grabbed a nearby metal stanchion — one of the poles used to guide passengers in queue lines — and used it to smash the machines repeatedly.
Stunned travelers and airport staff were seen watching with no one intervening.
The rampage reportedly resulted in damage to around 10 kiosks, as well as metal barriers, nearby counters and even a glass panel.
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The South China Morning Post reported that the man was later identified as a 35-year-old British tourist who had been trying to buy a plane ticket before the violent episode began.
The exact trigger for his outburst was unclear.
Airport authority personnel and airport security responded by rushing to the scene and warning him to stop further vandalism.
Officers then arrested the traveler and launched an investigation into his airport meltdown, according to Viral Press.
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When the man was detained, officers reportedly found that he was carrying four Viagra pills without a prescription.
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“Airport Authority personnel and airport security immediately arrived at the scene, warned the man to stop further vandalism, and called the police. Officers then arrested him and are continuing their investigation,” an Airport Authority spokesperson said, according to the Telegraph.
Swalwell’s gym, pool videos backfire as Dem rival uses missed votes against him
One of Rep. Eric Swalwell’s, D-Calif., top Democratic opponents in the race for California governor unleashed a “savage” campaign ad using Swalwell’s own words against him.
Billionaire gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer, who was also unsuccessful in running for president in 2020, used multiple videos Swalwell posted on social media during the 2025 government shutdown by the pool and at the gym as an attack on his missed votes in Washington, D.C.
The Swalwell videos, which were initially intended as an attack on Republicans and blaming them for why he wasn’t working during the 40+ day shutdown, repeatedly say, “I should be working.”
“Eric Swalwell’s job is to vote in Congress,” the ad starts out in between videos of Swalwell in the pool and at the gym telling his followers that he “should be working” right now. “In 2025, Eric Swalwell missed 95 votes. That’s more than Rep. Raul Grijalva missed. Rep. Grijalva died in March 2025.”
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According to GovTrack.US, Swalwell missed 102 out of 139 roll call votes, or 73%, between Sept. 19, 2025 and Feb. 9, 2026. In late November, he announced his run to replace Gov. Gavin Newsom as California’s next governor. In Steyer’s ad, the billionaire’s campaign claims Swalwell has missed 68% of votes since declaring his candidacy.
“He hasn’t been showing up to work, and now he’s asking for a promotion,” the advertisement concluded, as it continued showing clips of Swalwell bench pressing and talking about how he should be in a suit on Capitol Hill and not pumping iron.
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“Savage,” Democratic commentator Kaivan Shroff posted on X.
“Steyer going negative on Swalwell this early is the latest piece of evidence Dem primaries this cycle are going to be nastier than they’ve been in a while,” senior Huffington Post editor Kevin Robillard posted on X.
“Brutal ad,” Washington Free Beacon reporter Jon Levine posted on X.
Swalwell began posting these videos last summer, complaining that Republicans had sent him home for political reasons.
“I should be working right now. I should be in Congress. I should be voting to lower your costs. But, instead, I’m in a pool because Republicans sent everyone home because they don’t want to release the Epstein files,” Swalwell said in a late July video he posted to his social media accounts from a glistening pool on the water. “We could be working to lower your costs, make sure healthcare is affordable, and make sure we are restoring the rights of everyone in our community. I should be working right now.”
“Swalwell has, however, kept constituents informed of his workouts even if he is not actually working,” Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley posted on X last summer. “It turns out that the shutdown was not the problem since he is being outvoted by deceased colleagues.”
According to Swalwell and other Democrats, at the time, Republicans sent everyone in Congress home early to avoid voting on an Epstein transparency app, later passed. However, Republicans said that Democrats were trying to ram through measures already being pursued by the executive branch at the time.
The pool video was part of a series of other “I should be working right now” videos from Swalwell at the time, including one he took while throwing out the first pitch for his hometown’s minor league baseball team and another one of him bench pressing 135 pounds at the gym.
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Fox News Digital reached out to Swalwell and his representatives for comment on the criticism about him missing votes, but did not hear back in time for publication.
‘Law & Order’ star Angie Harmon reignites 35-year-old romance from teen years
Angie Harmon debuted a new love this Valentine’s Day.
The “Law & Order” star revealed she rekindled her relationship with model Tony Floyd. Harmon, who was previously married to NFL star Jason Sehorn, and Floyd shared their history in a joint post on Instagram.
The two first met in Italy at 18 and went their separate ways before finding their way back together.
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“We met in Italy at eighteen – two kids scrambling for work, chasing modeling dreams, trying to build a life without starving along the way,” Floyd recalled. “There was a spark between us even then… but the timing wasn’t right. In our twenties, we found ourselves in LA, both chasing acting. You were always better than me. But we were together. And we were in love.”
In a lengthy tribute, Floyd detailed how their relationship came full circle after years apart.
“You found your passion on the screen,” he added. “I found mine shaping surfboards in Costa Mesa. Still, the timing wasn’t ours. And then, after twenty-seven years, our paths crossed again – by chance, or maybe by fate.”
“Now the timing is right. Now is our time, my love,” Floyd continued. “My strength. My everything. My Angie. I love you beyond anything words can hold. You are still the same kind, loving, breathtaking, passionate fighter I met thirty-five years ago on that subway platform in Italy. Only now, we know who we are. And we know what we have. Let’s roll, my Valentine.”
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Harmon was married to Sehorn for 13 years. The two met on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” and the New York Giants cornerback later proposed to the actress on the show.
The two share three daughters – Finley, Avery and Emery.
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Sehorn and Harmon’s divorce was linked to the couple’s differing schedules.
“A large part of it is when you spend five or six months a year away from your spouse, it gets really tough,” a source told US Weekly at the time.
“In the beginning, they really missed each other,” the source added, “but then they got into a groove where one person took over the main responsibilities of parenting while the other was working.”
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Dem strategist slams Hillary’s ‘mistake’ on immigration as party tensions flare
Democratic strategist Maya Rupert criticized former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on MS NOW on Monday, saying her recent comments on mass immigration are not helpful to the Democratic Party.
While in Germany for the Munich Security Conference, Clinton participated in a panel titled, “The West–West Divide: What Remains of Common Values.” During the panel, Clinton surprised many of her Republican critics by admitting how much of an issue mass illegal immigration had become during President Biden’s term in office. One of the most widely quoted estimates, including by border czar Tom Homan, is that 10 million illegal immigrants crossed the border during Biden’s term in office.
“It went too far, it’s been disruptive and destabilizing, and it needs to be fixed in a humane way with secure borders that don’t torture and kill people and how we’re going to have a strong family structure because it is at the base of civilization,” she added.
Her comments quickly went viral online, but were criticized during a panel on MS NOW’s “Chris Jansing Reports.”
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“Well, I appreciate Secretary Clinton, but I think honestly it is a mistake for Democrats to adopt that sort of positioning,” Rupert said. “And I think really Republican talking points around immigration, I think that it’s not a matter of ‘did it go too far.’ There was a point at which we talked about immigration as a holistic thing, it was a comprehensive system.”
“Republicans were successful in getting us to talk about it only in terms of enforcement, so we’re only talking about deportation,” she continued. “But the fact that we sort of conceded the point that there should be a way for folks who have been living in the country, who are working, who are part of the engine that drives the economy and the fabric of communities, that there should be a way for people to get citizenship, when that conversation went away, that was around the same time we started seeing more chaos around the border. Those things aren’t disconnected.”
She suggested Democrats use the current debate surrounding immigration to “reorient the conversation” and address the issue of illegal immigration “humanely.”
“I think that we make a mistake when we just sort of paint over all of that and focus on who was the biggest deporter, and were they able to do it humanely. That’s not all of our immigration system,” Rupert said.
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Old clips of Clinton and Obama talking about immigration enforcement resurfaced. The one clip that featured Obama, had him defending his deportation and immigration enforcement in 2010.
In a 2008 clip, Clinton appeared to back strong border security and penalties for those who illegally cross the border.
“I think we’ve gotta have tough conditions, tell people to come out of the shadows. If they’ve committed a crime, deport them. No questions asked, they’re gone. If they’ve been working and are law-abiding, we should say, ‘Here are the conditions for you staying. You have to pay a stiff fine because you came here illegally. You have to pay back taxes, and you have to try to learn English. And you have to wait in line,” Clinton said.
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Refunds are rising, but tax returns aren’t — what the IRS numbers hint at
Americans are receiving larger tax refunds on average in the 2026 filing season than last year, though taxpayers are filing at a slower pace in the first few weeks than they were a year ago.
The latest IRS tax filing data was released by the agency on Friday and showed that as of Feb. 6, the average tax refund amount paid to taxpayers was $2,290.
That represents an increase of 10.9% when compared with the average size of refunds paid at the same stage of the 2025 tax filing season, when the average refund amount was $2,065.
Over 7.4 million refunds have been issued as of Feb. 6, down 8.1% from the same time last year when nearly 8.1 million were disbursed to taxpayers.
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While the number of refunds has declined, the total amount refunded has risen 1.9% from nearly $16.7 billion to almost $17 billion, which helped boost the size of the average refund.
IRS data also showed that the average direct deposit refund rose by a similar amount when compared with this point of last year’s tax filing season, as the average direct deposit refund for the current year is $2,388 – up 10.3% from $2,165 at this time a year ago.
While refunds are rising thus far in the 2026 filing season when compared with a year ago, the number of tax returns received and processed has declined relative to last year.
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The IRS reported that it has received nearly 22.4 million returns as of Feb. 6, a decrease of 5.2% from last year when almost 23.6 million returns were received at the same stage of the filing season.
The IRS offers an online “Where’s my refund?” tool for taxpayers to check on the status of their tax refund.
The IRS website said that processing a tax refund generally takes up to 21 days for e-filed returns, whereas returns sent by mail can take six weeks or more to reach the taxpayer. Refunds may also take longer if the return is in need of corrections or additional review.
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Taxpayers who are preparing to file their returns should consider setting up direct deposit with the IRS if they wish to receive their refund sooner.
Taxpayers who e-file their returns can typically see their refund status within 24 hours using the “Where’s my refund?” tool, which can provide refund information for not only the current year but also the past two years.
If a taxpayer needs to amend their return after filing, it can take longer to receive their tax return. Amended returns can take up to three weeks to appear in the IRS’ system and up to 16 weeks to process.
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The IRS also offers a “Where’s my amended return?” tool for taxpayers who submitted an amended return and want to track the status of their filing and any related refund.