Jesse Jackson dies at 84
Global News Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 8.3K Ratings
🗓️ 17 February 2026
⏱️ 32 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The American civil rights leader, Jesse Jackson, who twice ran for the Democratic nomination for president, has died aged 84. Tributes have been flowing in, with President Trump describing him as a good man and a force of nature. In a statement, Reverend Jackson's family called him a "servant leader to the oppressed, the voiceless, and the overlooked around the world". Also: Iran says the latest indirect talks on its nuclear programme with the US in Geneva have been more constructive than previous discussions, but warns that more work is needed; one of the world's biggest AI summits is beginning in India this week, with up to 50,000 people gathering in Delhi; and China and other Asian countries are celebrating the Lunar New Year - the start of the Year of the Fire Horse.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, podcasts. |
| 0:05.8 | This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:11.4 | Hello, I'm Ankara Desai and at 16 hours, GMT, on Tuesday the 17th of February, these are our main stories. |
| 0:18.8 | Jesse Jackson, the US civil rights leader who marched with Martin Luther King |
| 0:22.5 | and later ran twice for a president, has died at the age of 84. |
| 0:27.2 | Iran says it's agreed a set of guiding principles in its latest nuclear talks with the US in Geneva, |
| 0:32.2 | and the Swiss city is also the venue for another set of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. |
| 0:41.0 | Also in this podcast, one of the world's biggest AI summits is happening in India this week |
| 0:46.1 | with the issue of online safety at its core. |
| 0:49.5 | It's urgent that leaders of this world understand where we could be going and that needs their |
| 0:56.8 | attention and intervention as soon as possible. |
| 0:59.9 | And giddy up, it's the year of the fire horse. |
| 1:02.5 | Celebrations begin for the Chinese or lunar New Year. |
| 1:10.4 | The Reverend Jesse Jackson, the famed American civil rights leader who marched alongside Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s and twice ran for president has died. |
| 1:20.2 | He was 84 and had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2017. |
| 1:24.9 | A statement from his family said his unwavering commitment to justice, equality and human |
| 1:30.2 | rights help shape a global movement for freedom and dignity. And then he left an indelible mark |
| 1:35.9 | on history. Alim Mabul takes a look back at his life. November 2008, Barack Obama and a moment of history. In the crowd, the tear-stained face of a man who'd done |
| 1:49.8 | much to pave the way, the Reverend Jesse Jackson. It's been a long time coming, but tonight, |
| 1:56.8 | because of what we did on this day, change has come to America. |
| 2:03.7 | Born to a teenage single mother in Greenville, South Carolina, |
| 2:08.1 | Jesse Jackson grew up in a world where black and white were legally segregated. |
... |
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