First Thing: Jesse Jackson, civil rights icon, dies aged 84

A fixture in Democratic politics who ran for the 1988 presidential nomination, Jackson was once close to Martin Luther King Jr. Plus, did a prize-winning novelist steal a woman’s life story?Good morning.The Rev Jesse Jackson, the civil rights campaigner who was prominent for more than 50 years and who ran a strong campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1988, has died. He was 84.What was Jesse Jackson’s role in the civil rights movement? Once close to Martin Luther King Jr, Jackson was a fixture of Democratic politics since the 1960s. In an interview with the Guardian in May 2020, Jackson said: “I was a trailblazer, I was a pathfinder. I had to deal with doubt and cynicism and fears about a Black person running [for president]. There were Black scholars writing papers about why I was wasting my time. Even Blacks said a Black couldn’t win.”How has the Minnesota governor responded to the news? Tim Walz demanded an “impartial” investigation into the shootings. “Trump’s left hand cannot investigate his right hand,” he said. Continue reading...