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Honoring the life and legacy of Rev. Jesse Jackson | February 18, 2026

 

What's up, sunshine, all the way from Cortina, Italy. Hope you're having a positively outstanding week so far. I've got your news for Wednesday, February 18th.

 

It's a Your Word Wednesday, so listen up to see if the vocabulary word you submitted helped us write today's show. Andiamo, or let's go.

 

We begin by honoring the life and legacy of civil rights icon, Reverend Jesse Jackson, who passed away yesterday at the age of 84.

 

Jackson was a key member of Dr. Martin Luther King's inner circle at the height of the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

 

inner circle 指组织、政党或圈子中的核心集团、亲信或圈内人

 

He would go on to become one of the most transformative civil rights leaders in American history, running for president twice and fundamentally changing the face of the Democratic Party.

 

His National Rainbow Push Coalition helped pave the way for a more inclusive party by focusing on equality, social justice, and philanthropic efforts.

 

coalition [ˌkoǝˈlɪʃǝn] n.（政党、国家等）临时结成的联盟

inclusive [ɪnˈklusɪv] adj.（团体或组织）可以包容各种人的

philanthropic [ˌfɪlǝnˈθrɑpɪk] adj. 博爱的；仁慈的；慈善的

 

Our Abby Phillips has a look back at the enduring impact of his storied legacy.

 

Jesse Jackson's life was defined by a relentless fight for justice and equality.

 

I was born in Greenville, South Carolina, in rampant, radical racial segregation.

 

rampant [ˈræmpǝnt] adj. 猖獗的

 

I had to be taught to go to the back of the bus and be arrested.

 

Those early experiences drove Jackson to join the civil rights movement.

 

The fact is, against the odds, we knew there were great odds, we were winning.

 

against the odds 尽管困难重重; 在极为不利的情况下

odds [ɑds] n. 机会，可能性；成功的可能性

 

In 1965, he began working for Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.

 

I learned so much from him, such a great source of inspiration.

 

King named Jackson to lead Operation Breadbasket in Chicago, an economic justice campaign for Black people. However, some say King was frustrated by Jackson's brashness and ambition.

 

breadbasket [ˈbrɛdˌbæskɪt] n. 面包篮

brashness [ˈbræʃnɪs] n. 自以为是；莽撞无礼

 

I'm sure he thought I needed more time. I was 24 years old.

 

Both men were in Memphis in April 1968 to support striking sanitation workers.

 

King and other civil rights leaders were staying at the Lorraine Motel.

 

He said, Jesse, you know, you don't even have on a shirt and tie. You don't even have on a tie. We're going to dinner. I said, Doc, it does not require a tie. Just an appetite.

 

We left. I said, Doc, and the bullet hit. Everything changed at that moment. It was a defining moment in the history of our struggle.

 

With King gone, his movement was adrift. Years later, Jackson formed Operation Push, pressuring businesses to open up to Black workers and customers and adding more focus on Black responsibility, championed in the 1972 concert Wattstax.

 

adrift [ǝˈdrɪft] adj. 漫無目的的

champion [ˈtʃæmpɪǝn] v. 拥护，支持

 

In Wattax, we have shifted from burn, baby, burn to learn, baby, learn. And he expanded his own global reach to helping to free U.S. Lieutenant Robert Goodman, who was held by Syria after being shot down and later other Americans held in Cuba and Serbia.

 

I learned how to negotiate as an African-American growing up among white people. You have to negotiate every day.

 

The Reverend set his sights on the White House in 1984.

 

Reverend [ˈrɛvǝrǝnd] adj.（大写）（对教士的尊称）……牧师

 

Milking cows in Iowa, they're coming back to the inner cities. So I learned a lot during that period.

 

First thought of as a marginal candidate, Jackson finished third in the primary race with 18 percent of the vote. That campaign almost went off the rails when Jackson used an ethnic slur to refer to New York Jews.

 

go off the rails 脫軌; 失控

slur [slɝ] n. 污辱，毁谤

 

There's mistakes and they hurt. He ran again in 1988, this time doubling his vote count and finishing in second in the Democratic race. At the time, it was the farthest any Black candidate had gone in a presidential contest.

 

But 20 years later when President Barack ran, we were laying the groundwork for that season. In 2017, Jackson had a new battle to fight, Parkinson's disease. But that didn't stop him.

 

groundwork [ˈɡraʊndˌwɝk] n. 基础；底子，根基

 

If you hold on, if your cause is right and your grip is tight, you'll make it.

 

Late in life, he was still fighting. He was arrested in Washington while demonstrating for voting rights.

 

His silent presence at the trial of Ahmaud Arbery's killers prompted defense lawyers to ask that he leave the courtroom. Jackson stayed.

 

I am.I am. Somebody. I am. I am.

 

From the Jim Crow South through the turbulent 60s and into the Black Lives Matter movement, Jesse Jackson was a constant, unyielding voice for justice.

 

unyielding [ʌnˈjildɪŋ] adj. 不屈服的；不讓步的；頑固的

 

Now to the Great Lakes,where a storied shipwreck as old as the American Civil War has finally been uncovered at the bottom of Lake Michigan following a decades-long search. Our Zane Heinlein has more on the sinkly, incredible find.

 

A shipwreck hunter found a ship he's been looking for since 1965. This is the Lac La Belle, a 217-foot steamer built in 1864.

 

About two hours into a trip on Lake Michigan in 1872, the ship began to take on water. Fifty-three passengers and crew evacuated on lifeboats, and the ship sank stern first. One of the lifeboats capsized on the way to shore, killing eight people.

 

stern[stɝn] n. 船尾

 

Shipwreck hunter Paul Ehorn and his team found the ship in 2022 after a clue led them to the right spot. They used side-scan sonar to spot the wreckage between Racine and Kenosha, Wisconsin.

 

side-scan sonar 侧扫声纳

 

Ehorn told the Associated Press that his team was able to go down to make a 3D video model of the ship last summer.

 

They recently released photos of their discovery. The boat's one of thousands of shipwrecks believed to still be at the bottom of the Great Lakes.

 

Pop quiz, hot shot.

 

What color is the famous front door of 10 Downing Street?

 

Red, blue, black, or green?

 

If you said black, you are correct. The residence of the United Kingdom's Prime Minister was originally dark oak wood. Over time, it was painted black to protect the wood from weather and wear.

 

Today's residence has a reinforced security door made of steel.

 

At 10 Downing Street, there's one very dedicated staffer who's been on site for more than a decade. For 15 years, Larry the Cat has been on paw-troll as Chief Mouser, greeting guests, guarding the grounds, and keeping the place perfectly in order.

 

mouser[ ˈmaʊzɚ] n. 捕鼠動物

 

Let's meet the longtime feline fixture there.

 

fixture [ˈfɪkstʃɚ] n. 长期固定于某项工作（或某种活动）的人

 

This cat has outlasted five British Prime Ministers, and he's just hit a major milestone. Larry the Cat is celebrating 15 years as the Chief Mouser at 10 Downing Street.

 

outlast [ˈaʊtˈlæst] v. 比……命长

 

The 19-year-old tabby was adopted in 2011 by then Prime Minister David Cameron for his mousing skills.

 

tabby [ˈtæbɪ] n.【动】虎斑猫

mouse [maʊs] v. 捕鼠

 

Since then, he's served under six Prime Ministers, becoming an unlikely symbol of stability during some of the UK's most turbulent political years.

 

unlikely [ʌnˈlaɪklɪ] adj. 不像是真的

 

Larry's career highlights include sitting under Trump's armoured limo, The Beast, and briefly delaying the motorcade from moving during his 2019 visit to the UK.

 

motorcade [ˈmotɚˌkеd] n. 汽车行列；车队

 

Officially welcoming high-profile politicians to Downing Street, beefing with his co-worker, a cat named Palmerston, who worked at the Foreign Office across the street, famously caught on camera.

 

beef [bif] v.【口】加強，增強；改進

 

Chasing other animals to secure the office's surroundings, as well as keeping an eye on the press.

 

Today's story, getting a 10 out of 10.

 

A Girl Scout in Pennsylvania who was thin mint to win it. Meet six-year-old Pim Neal, the Girl Scout delivering joy and cookies, selling over 80,000 boxes across all 50 states, setting a new state record for a single season.

 

Pim used social media to go far beyond her neighborhood, reaching millions of viewers and turning online buzz into real-world orders.

 

Hi, my name is Pim, do you want to buy some Girl Scout cookies?

 

The next day I was like, oh, this is like a million people have seen this, this is crazy.

 

And you peanut butter believe that she's going to inspire others to tag along on her idea. The viral moment is bringing new energy and attention to the Girl Scouts program.

 

For us, this has never happened. So this is very exciting that we're getting to, you know, bring people into Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania.

 

Pim thought outside the box and delivered thousands of them with pure dough termination, helping to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs.

 

Speaking of delivering, we had some awesome submissions for Your Word Wednesday. Today's winner is Mrs. Patterson at Thurman White Academy of the Performing Arts in Henderson, Nevada for submitting philanthropic, an adjective meaning of relating to or characterized by a person or organization seeking to promote the welfare of others, especially by donating money to good causes. Well done.

 

Thank you for boosting our vocabulary today. And I have one very special shout out today from right here in Cortina. I see you solely.

 

Mr. Burns at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax, Virginia. My CNN 10 tribe, we are everywhere. And I love bumping into you.

 

Rise up, go make it an awesome day. Make someone smile today. I'm Coy Wire and we are CNN 10.