CHICAGO (AP) — The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who has been receiving around-the-clock care at home, has been hospitalized with a rare neurological disorder, according to his Chicago-based organization.
The civil rights leader was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease about a decade ago. But his Rainbow/PUSH organization said Thursday that the 84-year-old remained under observation at a Chicago hospital for progressive supranuclear palsy, or PSP, a neurodegenerative disorder he has been “managing for more than a decade” and received a diagnosis for in April. He was reported in stable condition.
“The family is grateful for all the well-wishes and prayers,” the organization said in a statement late Thursday, a day after he was admitted.
Jackson had suffered from symptoms consistent with Parkinson's and disclosed a diagnosis in 2017, but during a Mayo Clinic visit in April, doctors confirmed a diagnosis of PSP, which can have similar symptoms to Parkinson's.
After disclosing he was receiving outpatient treatment in 2017, Jackson continued to make public appearances, including at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. The two-time presidential candidate stepped down as leader of his Rainbow/PUSH organization in 2023 and his son, Yusef Jackson, took over as chief operating officer last year.
The elder Jackson has been using a wheelchair and continued going into the office regularly until months ago, family members said.
In recent months, his relatives, including sons U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson and Jesse Jackson Jr., a former Illinois congressman seeking reelection, have been providing 24-hour care in shifts.
The reverend has struggled to keep his eyes open and is unable to speak. But he has found ways to communicate with family and friends who visit, his son Jesse Jackson Jr. told The Associated Press last month.
“He'll squeeze your hand,” he said.
FILE - The Rev. Jesse Jackson listens to speakers at the Tabernacle Baptist Church during the 60th anniversary of the march to ensure that African Americans could exercise their constitutional right to vote, March 9, 2025, in Selma, Ala. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)
COTONOU, Benin (AP) — A coup that was announced in Benin on Sunday has been “foiled,” the interior minister said in a video on Facebook.
“In the early morning of Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, a small group of soldiers launched a mutiny with the aim of destabilizing the state and its institutions,” Alassane Seidou said. “Faced with this situation, the Beninese Armed Forces and their leadership, true to their oath, remained committed to the republic.”
Earlier, a group of soldiers had appeared on Benin ’s state TV Sunday to announce the dissolution of the government in an apparent coup, the latest of many in West Africa.
The group, which called itself the Military Committee for Refoundation, announced the removal of the president and all state institutions. Lt. Col. Pascal Tigri was appointed president of the military committee, the soldiers said.
Following its independence from France in 1960, the West African nation witnessed multiple coups, especially in the decades following its independence. Since 1991, the country has been politically stable following the two-decade rule of Marxist-Leninist Mathieu Kérékou.
There has been no official news about President Patrice Talon since gunshots were heard around the presidential residence. However, the signal to the state television and public radio which was cut off has now been restored.
The regional bloc, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), condemned the short-lived coup in a statement.
“ECOWAS strongly condemns this unconstitutional move that represents a subversion of the will of the people of Benin. ... ECOWAS will support the Government and the people in all forms necessary to defend the Constitution and the territorial integrity of Benin,” the bloc said in a statement.
Talon has been in power since 2016 and was due to step down next April after the presidential election.
Talon’s party pick, former Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, is the favorite to win the election. Opposition candidate Renaud Agbodjo was rejected by the electoral commission on the grounds that he did not have sufficient sponsors.
In January, two associates of Talon were sentenced to 20 years in prison for an alleged 2024 coup plot.
Last month, the country’s legislature extended the presidential term of office from five to seven years, keeping the term limit at two.
The coup is the latest in a string of military takeovers that have rocked West Africa. Last month, a military coup in Guinea-Bissau removed former President Umaro Embalo after a contested election in which both he and the opposition candidate declared themselves winners.
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Adetayo reported from Lagos, Nigeria.
FILE - Benin's President Patrice Talon attends a meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at Planalto presidential palace in Brasilia, Brazil, on May 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)
