Happy New Year my friends. It's good to be back. But as sports fans, and just good citizens, it's a painful day after what can only be called a catastrophic near death experience that happened on live TV last night. Damar Hamlin, a young defensive player for the Buffalo Bills, went into cardiac arrest after a hard hit, and appears to have basically died right there on the field until he was finally resuscitated with CPR and other techniques. It is, perhaps, the most brutal moment for football - in a long list of brutal moments, but it also became a moment where Americans, even rival football fans, put aside their differences to pray and hope for the life of a young man that they most likely had never heard of before.And suddenly, we were no longer looking at a football field, but we were looking at mortality, at life, at death, and so much more. Let's talk about it. To listen to today’s FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for “The Breakdown with Shaun King.” Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the whole podcast. If you are already on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe, listen, share, leave reviews, and listen daily to the entire episode. The more of it you listen to, the better it is for us.Love and appreciate you all.Shaun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy holidays everybody! For the next few episodes, we're going to be playing some of our greatest hits. This is one of them. Every day I see people rightly ask why more "good cops" don't speak out on police violence. Well - today I'll show you why. This brave officer posted his professional opinion about the murder of George Floyd - and just got fired over it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy holidays everybody! For the next few episodes, we're going to be playing some of our greatest hits. This is one of them. Today I want to share a painful, personal story about a lesson that I learned about organizing for change as an outsider and organizing for change as an insider. In the winter of 2014, I found myself in a deep funk after failing in so many fights for families fighting for justice. And I got a call from The White House that forever changed the way I saw my role in this movement. I wanted to speak like and lead like Malcolm, but have the access to rooms of power and privilege like Martin. It didn't work. Let me unpack and explain how that informs almost everything I do as a leader today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy holidays everybody! We will be playing some of our most downloaded episodes for the next few days. This was released the day after Kyle Rittenhouse shot and killed three men, two fatally, during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin back in August of 2020. Last night in Kenosha, Wisconsin armed white supremacists literally worked directly with local police, sharing water and refreshments, and strategies with them, before they murdered two people and injured another Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy holidays everybody! For the next few episodes we're going to be playing some of our greatest hits. This is one of them. The United States does not have one justice system or one legal system. We often talk about changing the system, but in reality, we have 30,000 micro systems. Each micro system has its own set of rules, laws, and politics, which is simultaneously great news in our fight to change the status quo, as well as horrible news. Today. Shaun breaks down what this means. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy holidays everybody! For the next few episodes, we're going to be playing some of our greatest hits. This is one of them. I'm fighting for it. You are fighting for it. But let's take a moment to define what justice really means for families impacted by police violence and racial terrorism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Happy holidays everybody! For the next few episodes we're going to be playing some of our greatest hits. This is one of them. One tool of the oppressor is to throw so much oppression your way that you can't possibly be effective at fighting back any of it. For most of the past year, I was irritated by white people organizing to ban what they were calling Critical Race Theory, but I am already committed to so many other causes and fights that I just didn't have the time or focus to make that cause my own. But here's the thing - they aren't actually banning Critical Race Theory across the country. They are banning the truth telling of Black history and American history - all because that truthful telling makes millions of white people VERY uncomfortable. And they are winning. White people all over the country are, in essence, making their comfort into law. And it's an extremely dangerous precedent. It's not on the way to becoming dangerous. We're already there. When white comfort becomes law, we should all be very concerned. I'll unpack and explain it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey everybody! I'm taking the next few days off to spend some time with my family and just wanted to drop by to wish each of you well. I know sometimes this holiday season can be tough if you are suffering through grief or loss. I am praying for your peace and strength and healing. See you all back here next Tuesday! PS: If you have not already subscribed to our podcast on Apple Podcast or Spotify, please do today and try to catch up on some episodes you've missed! Love y'all! Shaun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In fact, Donald Trump is the least accountable human being in America. But it's his whiteness and his wealth that are at the center of what has effectively been a force field around this man for his entire life. Going all the way back to the early 70s, Donald Trump and his family have been accused of criminal wrongdoing. And in every single decade since, Trump has been accused of sexual assault, sexual harassment, financial crimes, tax crimes, fraud, and more, but in every decade, he has somehow eluded all accountability. Today I will explore whether or not that nearly 80-year run of never being held to account for his crimes and wrongdoing is going to finally come to an end. Let me unpack and explain it. To listen to today’s FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for “The Breakdown with Shaun King.” Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the whole podcast. If you are already on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe, listen, share, leave reviews, and listen daily to the entire episode. The more of it you listen to, the better it is for us. Love and appreciate you all. Shaun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

That's where we are right now. That's how critical the problem is. It's worse today than it was during the 80s and early 90s. It's setting records. And ravaging families, communities, schools, and cities all over the country. First, I need us all to accept that it's a complex problem. And that no simple solutions exist. Anybody saying otherwise is either misinformed or lying. But we've addressed and solved hard problems for generations. This one should be no different. Let me unpack and explain it. To listen to today’s FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for “The Breakdown with Shaun King.” Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the whole podcast. If you are already on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe, listen, share, leave reviews, and listen daily to the entire episode. The more of it you listen to, the better it is for us. Love and appreciate you all. Shaun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After saying for months on end that he wanted Twitter to be the "Town Square of the World" and that he believed in what's called "free speech absolutism" - which is basically the belief that all speech should be allowed all the time - Elon Musk made a deeply disturbing pivot. After weeks of bringing back conservatives to Twitter that were actually suspended for repeated violations of Terms of Services, Musk began suspending MAJOR accounts from the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, The Intercept, Mashable, and more. In the entire history of all social media, we've never had a day where accounts like that have been banned. Some people are calling it the "Thursday Night Massacre," and while that may sound harsh, today I want to tell you why I think it's absolutely a sign of things to come on Twitter - and in our country and world. Let me unpack and explain it. To listen to today’s FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for “The Breakdown with Shaun King.” Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the whole podcast. If you are already on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe, listen, share, leave reviews, and listen daily to the entire episode. The more of it you listen to, the better it is for us. Love and appreciate you all. Shaun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump is struggling. At life. At politics. And, of particular note today, he's struggling IN THE POLLS. Multiple new polls have Trump tanking. And for good reason. He was like poison to every major candidate he endorsed in the mid-terms. He was seen as such a liability to Herschel Walker, HIS HAND PICKED CANDIDATE for Georgia, that in the final days, the Walker campaign basically told him to stay far away. The Trump Organization itself was just convicted of multiple crimes. And it's highly possible that he's going to be charged with multiple crimes himself in the months ahead. But if Trump can't win, I just don't think that Joe Biden is the right candidate to go against someone like Ron DeSantis. Biden can absolutely beat Trump, but I think he would struggle against most other candidates. Which puts a lot of candidates, and the Democratic Party itself, in a very weird position. What should they do? Let me unpack and explain it. To listen to today’s FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for “The Breakdown with Shaun King.” Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the whole podcast. If you are already on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe, listen, share, leave reviews, and listen daily to the entire episode. The more of it you listen to, the better it is for us. Love and appreciate you all. Shaun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is absolutely infuriating. On Sunday, the New York Times released an explosive new report detailing how thousands of children all over the country are being enrolled into the JROTC without their permission. These kids are literally showing up at school, getting their schedules, and finding out that they've been signed up for the military against their wishes. And it's happening almost exclusively in predominantly Black schools. Then, when kids and their families request that their kids be released from the program, they are refused. It's all outrageous. And we are learning this just weeks after the American military admitted that kids all over the country are being molested and sexually assaulted by ROTC leaders. Heads need to roll. People need to go to jail. And here's what I know. They'd never pull this shit at white schools. Or in rich zip codes. Or at private schools. They are doing this where they thing they will be able to get away with it.I have a lot to unpack and explain. To listen to today’s FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for “The Breakdown with Shaun King.” Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the whole podcast. If you are already on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe, listen, share, leave reviews, and listen daily to the entire episode. The more of it you listen to, the better it is for us. Love and appreciate you all. Shaun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This weekend, at an ultra-swanky banquet hall in the middle of Manhattan, white nationalists and white supremacists from all over the world, including US Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, gathered together as a sign of solidarity and support for one another. That fact alone is a disturbing sign of the normalization of bigotry and racism, but Marjorie Taylor Greene said something that is so disturbing, and dangerous even, that it has me truly concerned. She said, in plain English, that if she had been able to plan the January 6th insurrection that she would've made sure everybody was armed and that it would have succeeded. Do you understand the gravity of that? What does she mean by succeeded? That they would have kidnapped and executed politicians? That they would've permanently taken over Congress and kept Trump as President. What does she mean? Let me unpack and explain it. To listen to today’s FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for “The Breakdown with Shaun King.” Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the whole podcast. If you are already on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe, listen, share, leave reviews, and listen daily to the entire episode. The more of it you listen to, the better it is for us. Love and appreciate you all. Shaun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While Republicans were expected to have a blowout in this past month's elections, it didn't quite happen that way. Nonetheless, Republicans will now take over the House next month, which is going to mean that almost any chance of serious legislation passing and getting signed into law is slim. Today I want to talk about the 3 primary ways that Democrats are going to have to fight for change in 2023. Change can still happen, but it's going to look a lot different. Let me unpack and explain it. To listen to today’s FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for “The Breakdown with Shaun King.” Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the whole podcast. If you are already on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe, listen, share, leave reviews, and listen daily to the entire episode. The more of it you listen to, the better it is for us. Love and appreciate you all. Shaun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hours ago we learned that WNBA star Brittney Griner was released from a Russian prison in a prisoner swap with the United States. This is GREAT NEWS, of course, but today I want to unpack and explain what all of this means. I have 3 observations and conclusions that I want to share. Let me unpack and explain it. To listen to today’s FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for “The Breakdown with Shaun King.” Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the whole podcast. If you are already on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe, listen, share, leave reviews, and listen daily to the entire episode. The more of it you listen to, the better it is for us. Love and appreciate you all. Shaun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I don't know if I'm more glad that we won't have Herschel Walker in the Senate or that we will have Raphael Warnock in power! That's just how bad Herschel Walker was. But I see so many lessons that we can take away from what went down yesterday. The one thing I just can't shake, though, is that without the near-unanimous support of Raphael Warnock, and even of Joe Biden for that matter, Democrats wouldn't have any power at all. Black people are the only ethnic group in America that is expected to have almost 100% support for Democrats. It's literally not that way with any other group in the country. And without that support, Democrats could hardly win a race. Considering that, I am just not convinced that Democrats have an AGENDA that matches the effort of its Black voter base. Let me unpack and explain it. To listen to today’s FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for “The Breakdown with Shaun King.” Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the whole podcast. If you are already on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe, listen, share, leave reviews, and listen daily to the entire episode. The more of it you listen to, the better it is for us. Love and appreciate you all. Shaun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I don't remember a single time Herschel Walker opened up his mouth where he didn't embarrass himself. The man is perpetually humiliating. But today is RUNOFF DAY in Georgia - and if you live there and have not voted yet, please stop EVERYTHING and go vote right now. And if you don't live there, but know ANYBODY who does, please contact them immediately, because this race, in my opinion, is the single most important Senate race of 2022. Today I'm going to unpack and explain why it matters so doggone much. To listen to today’s FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for “The Breakdown with Shaun King.” Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the whole podcast. If you are already on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe, listen, share, leave reviews, and listen daily to the entire episode. The more of it you listen to, the better it is for us. Love and appreciate you all. Shaun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the past few days I've sat back and observed a WIDE range of opinions being expressed about Deion Sanders leaving his HBCU coaching job at Jackson State for a new position at a struggling predominantly white institution. And I've seen EVERYTHING you could imagine be expressed from what seemed like genuine anger and rage to excitement and encouragement for him - and everything in between.Today I want to unpack and explain my own thoughts on the matter. First and foremost, I'm just glad that he ever chose to spend the past 3 years at an HBCU. And he clearly poured his heart and soul into the program. He was brilliant. Do I wish he would've stayed longer? Sure. But I don't know his long term goals and dreams. Clearly he has other aspirations. But more than anything, as a super fan of sports, I think what Deion Sanders just did is EXACTLY what every single college coach in sports does. They all promise parents and students and programs that they will be there forever - and eventually they leave for something else. In fact, it happened about a dozen times this past week alone. I just guess all of hoped Coach Prime would be different. Let me unpack and explain it. To listen to today’s FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for “The Breakdown with Shaun King.” Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the whole podcast. If you are already on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe, listen, share, leave reviews, and listen daily to the entire episode. The more of it you listen to, the better it is for us. Love and appreciate you all. Shaun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So often, we help families after their loved ones have been killed. THIS IS DIFFERENT.⁣ ⁣We are going to help send HUNDREDS of students from Brooklyn, New York on a life-changing 6-week study abroad experience. ⁣ We have to raise the funds for passports, flights, lodging, ground transportation, and more. ⁣ In 2018, Ember Charter School in the heart of Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, took over 100 students and staff to South Africa for an unforgettable 6-week study abroad experience. The intention was to repeat this trip every two years to continue to expose our students to the benefits of studying abroad. However, the pandemic interrupted global travel, and now financial constraints threaten to halt the program altogether. We just CAN’T allow this!⁣⁣ To listen to today’s FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for “The Breakdown with Shaun King.” Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the whole podcast. If you are already on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe, listen, share, leave reviews, and listen daily to the entire episode. The more of it you listen to, the better it is for us. Love and appreciate you all. Shaun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So often, we help families after their loved ones have been killed. THIS IS DIFFERENT.⁣ ⁣ We are going to help send HUNDREDS of students from Brooklyn, New York on a life-changing 6-week study abroad experience. ⁣ ⁣ We have to raise the funds for passports, flights, lodging, ground transportation, and more. ⁣ ⁣ In 2018, Ember Charter School in the heart of Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, took over 100 students and staff to South Africa for an unforgettable 6-week study abroad experience. The intention was to repeat this trip every two years to continue to expose our students to the benefits of studying abroad. However, the pandemic interrupted global travel, and now financial constraints threaten to halt the program altogether. We just CAN’T allow this!⁣ ⁣ To listen to today’s FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for “The Breakdown with Shaun King.” Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the whole podcast. If you are already on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe, listen, share, leave reviews, and listen daily to the entire episode. The more of it you listen to, the better it is for us. Love and appreciate you all. Shaun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As you no doubt heard by now, last week Donald Trump literally dined with one of the single most disgusting bigots in the country. Nick Fuentes is an open racist. This man jokes about the Holocaust and openly calls Black folk the "n word." It would seem to be a softball for Republicans to denounce Trump meeting with a Neo-Nazi. But they actually can't. Why? Because CURRENTLY ELECTED members of their own party have BEEN meeting with Nick Fuentes. And to denounce Trump for meeting with him would require them to literally denounce themselves. Let me unpack and explain it. To listen to today’s FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for “The Breakdown with Shaun King.” Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the whole podcast. If you are already on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe, listen, share, leave reviews, and listen daily to the entire episode. The more of it you listen to, the better it is for us. Love and appreciate you all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My friends. I am not an alarmist or conspiracy theorist. I am a hopeful and optimistic person. But right now, before our very eyes, we are witnessing a truly dangerous normalization and escalation of hate and bigotry in America. I have studied hate and bigotry all of my life. And before racist violence spikes in a country, the very things that are happening RIGHT HERE and RIGHT NOW take place. When the former President of the United States who is now running for President meets with a man as despicable as Nick Fuentes - who is one of the single most dangerous racists in America - it's not simply a warning sign of things to come, it's a sign that the normalization of hate and bigotry is already fully underway. Let me unpack and explain it. To listen to today’s FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for “The Breakdown with Shaun King.” Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the whole podcast.If you are already on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe, listen, share, leave reviews, and listen daily to the entire episode. The more of it you listen to, the better it is for us. Love and appreciate you all. Shaun I don't know how often you've seen me say what I am about to say, but I am very, very concerned about what's coming next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By now, you've likely seen the photo of Jerry Jones, the owner of "America's Team," the Dallas Cowboys, protesting with other young white men in 1957 in Little Rock, Arkansas - in an attempt from keeping Black students entering their school. It's been confirmed. And what's perhaps most revealing is that I haven't heard a single person shocked by Jerry Jones being in this photo. In makes sense, actually. And today I will unpack and explain not only my feelings on what this photos means today, 60+ years later, but I want us to talk about the one solution that exists that can help us guarantee something like this never happens again. To listen to today’s FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for “The Breakdown with Shaun King.” Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the whole podcast. If you are already on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe, listen, share, leave reviews, and listen daily to the entire episode. The more of it you listen to, the better it is for us. Love and appreciate you all. Shaun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Herschel Walker isn't even hiding it. On his 2022 taxes he literally received a tax credit from Texas because he listed it as his primary residence. I can think of a million reasons for voters in Georgia to not support this man, but now we understand that he's doing the exact same thing that Dr. Oz just tried to pull in Pennsylvania. Oz literally lives in New Jersey and tried to pretend that he lived in Pennsylvania. And voters rejected it...and Dr. Oz. This race shouldn't even be close, frankly. In every measure that matters, including the most basic issue of residency, Raphael Warnock is the MUCH better candidate. Let me unpack and explain it. To listen to today’s FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for “The Breakdown with Shaun King.” Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the whole podcast. If you are already on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe, listen, share, leave reviews, and listen daily to the entire episode. The more of it you listen to, the better it is for us. Love and appreciate you all. Shaun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After being suspended for 8 games, Kyrie Irving has now apologized for sharing a link on Twitter on social media, in print, behind the scenes, face to face, in person, at press conferences, and more. I don't know if I've ever seen a human being apologize more times, in more ways, than Kyrie Irving has had to apologize. Yet, every chance the almost exclusively white members of the sports media get, they continue to press him for more apologies, more acknowledgements, more contrition, more insight, and it's all WAY TOO MUCH. Name an athlete or entertainer who has ever been forced to apologize so many times. And now the hyper-policing of Black speech and Black tweets is expanding to other players. And here's the thing - it has crossed a clear line where this is no longer about fighting bigotry or hatred, to where now it's about making an example of Kyrie Irving. Let me unpack and explain it. To listen to today’s FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for “The Breakdown with Shaun King.” Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the whole podcast. If you are already on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe, listen, share, leave reviews, and listen daily to the entire episode. The more of it you listen to, the better it is for us. Love and appreciate you all. Shaun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen, I know the world is a hard place. And while the Internet, in some ways, is just a reflection of the world, I see way too many of us being mean as hell online. I'm not talking about trolls and white supremacists. I'm talking about us. Even in my own comment sections I see way too much hatefulness, and what I would call "casual bigotry" coming from otherwise good people. I have one simple strategy that I try to live out each and every day that I think could help some of us a whole lot right now. Let me unpack and explain it. To listen to today’s FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for “The Breakdown with Shaun King.” Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the whole podcast. If you are already on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe, listen, share, leave reviews, and listen daily to the entire episode. The more of it you listen to, the better it is for us. Love and appreciate you all. Shaun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump is running for President. He could win the Republican nomination. But so could Ron DeSantis. Can Joe Biden beat both of them? I think Biden could actually beat Trump. But I don't think Biden would beat DeSantis? So who else should run? Let me unpack and explain it. To listen to today’s FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown, CLICK THE LINK IN MY INSTAGRAM BIO, or go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for “The Breakdown with Shaun King.” Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the whole podcast. If you are already on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe, listen, share, leave reviews, and listen daily to the entire episode. The more of it you listen to, the better it is for us. Love and appreciate you all. Shaun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After they just lost their majority in the Pennsylvania State House in the midterm elections, white conservatives in Pennsylvania just rushed through a vote in the 5 weeks they have left in power, to impeach Philadelphia's duly elected DA, Larry Krasner. It's a catastrophic development. Larry not only just won reelection in Philly in an absolute blowout, he may have the most support of any elected official in the entire city.  And white conservatives that don't even live there are VERY CLOSE to overturning the will of Black voters in Philly - not because Larry is unethical or broke the law, but because they hate what Larry stands for. This has NOTHING to do with the safety and security of Philly. Those white conservatives don't give a DAMN about the well-being of the city. This is about power, about them flexing the little power they have left, and about them getting a feather in their cap for their base. But let's be clear. THIS IS A TREND. And it's coming to a city near you. Let me unpack and explain it. To listen to today’s FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown, CLICK THE LINK IN MY INSTAGRAM BIO, or go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for “The Breakdown with Shaun King.” Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the whole podcast. If you are already on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe, listen, share, leave reviews, and listen daily to the entire episode. The more of it you listen to, the better it is for us. Love and appreciate you all. Shaun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well, the worst kept secret in politics is now out. Donald Trump is running for President. Today on @TheBreakdown podcast I want to talk to you about how I think he’ll do, who I think will win the Republican nomination, what’s different this time around, how I think Trump would do against Biden, and much much more. Let me unpack and explain it. To listen to today’s FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown, CLICK THE LINK IN MY INSTAGRAM BIO, or go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for “The Breakdown with Shaun King.” Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the whole podcast. If you are already on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe, listen, share, leave reviews, and listen daily to the entire episode. The more of it you listen to, the better it is for us. Love and appreciate you all. Shaun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen - anybody with an ounce of integrity or decency knows that Raphael Warnock is an infinitely better leader (and human being) than Herschel Walker. It's shameful that we even need to have that discussion. But it's easy for all of us that DO NOT live in Georgia to think that this race doesn't really matter to us. I could give you 100 reasons why electing Warnock matters to ALL of us, but today I want to give you the #1 reason why I think having him in the Senate literally matters to people in all 50 states. I am not sure if you are aware of what I'm about to tell you. But having him there is going to impact ALL OF US. That's why I want you to listen to today's FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown. It's FREE. To listen to today’s FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown, CLICK THE LINK IN MY INSTAGRAM BIO, or go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for “The Breakdown with Shaun King.” Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the whole podcast. If you are already on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe, listen, share, leave reviews, and listen daily to the entire episode. The more of it you listen to, the better it is for us. Love and appreciate you all. Shaun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am disturbed. Because if one thing is clear to me right now it’s this… we’ve clearly crossed over into a period where the speech, language, performances, and even social media of Black people are being over-policed in an outrageous fashion right now. Dave Chappelle’s monologue this weekend on Saturday Night Live was MASTERFUL. Beyond the fact that his jokes were hilarious, he was vulnerable and transparent about the fact that Kanye West is his actual friend and that Kanye West had crossed a line that even bothered Dave. And instead of embracing the fact that Dave literally called out the problems with saying all that Kanye said, leading Jewish advocacy groups like the ADL simply labeled Dave as anti-Semitic as well. Here’s the thing - Jewish people have every right to define for themselves what they find bigoted and what they don’t. But we’ve crossed over into a period where it now seems like if someone even talks about their actual thoughts and feelings about something that involves Jewish people, it’s labeled anti-Semitic. And to be very frank, that is not a sustainable or effective way to combat anti-Semitism. People have to be given space to talk about their own thoughts and feelings on issues like Dave just did without feeling like doing so will cost them their entire career. To listen to today’s FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for “The Breakdown with Shaun King.” Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the whole podcast. If you are already on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe, listen, share, leave reviews, and listen daily to the entire episode. The more of it you listen to, the better it is for us. Love and appreciate you all. Shaun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ownership is EVERYTHING. And we need to talk about it and do something about it. Because when you dominate in an industry or space that you don't actually own, no matter how gifted you are, you will ALWAYS be at the whims and will of owners. We see it the NBA and NFL. We see it fashion. We see it now at Nike. We have to be owners in ALL of the spaces we dominate. Let's talk about it. To listen to today's FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for "The Breakdown with Shaun King." Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the whole podcast. If you are already on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe, listen, share, leave reviews, and listen daily to the entire episode. The more of it you listen to, the better it is for us. Love and appreciate you all. Shaun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Something truly inspiring happened on Tuesday. 2 red states and 2 blues states voted to remove "slavery as punishment for a crime" from their state constitutions - something that should've happened over 100 years ago. Progress can be very slow sometimes. It's a credit to the amazing grassroots organizers on the ground that these things passed - and it's a sign that bi-partisan support exists for at least a few issues. However, something troubling was revealed in all of this. In those 4 states - millions of people voted to KEEP SLAVERY as punishment for a crime. They were out-voted, yes, but in Oregon alone, nearly 50% of all voters, over half a million of them, voted to keep slavery. Like....WTF? I am a student of history - and even I have to admit that I would not have guessed that so many Americans would choose to keep such an abhorrent thing enshrined in the law, but they damn sure did. Let's talk about how truly insightful this is. To listen to today's FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for "The Breakdown with Shaun King." Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the whole podcast. If you are already on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe, listen, share, leave reviews, and listen daily to the entire episode. The more of it you listen to, the better it is for us. Love and appreciate you all. Shaun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listen, it's a RARE day when I have 10 different good news stories to share, but today is THAT day. Yes, we had a few very tough defeats, but the victories across the country were pretty amazing and actually surprising. We aren't yet sure if Democrats will be able to hold on to the House or Senate, but some AMAZING new leaders were elected to Congress. Democrats took control of the entire state governments of Maryland, Michigan, and Massachusetts. Amazing District Attorneys won. Horrible sheriffs lost. Weed was legalized in more states. Slavery was removed from several state constitutions. And much, much more! To listen to today's FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for "The Breakdown with Shaun King." Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the whole podcast. If you are already on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe, listen, share, leave reviews, and listen daily to the entire episode. The more of it you listen to, the better it is for us. Love and appreciate you all. Shaun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Election Day. And by the end of the night I expect it will likely be a bloodbath for Democrats from coast to coast. I truly hope I'm wrong, but we're on pace for Democrats to lose Congress, to lose important statewide races, and find themselves back in a familiar place where they control the White House but not much else. Today I want to unpack and explain why we're here. It didn't have to be this way. But at the end of the day, 4 factors are playing a HUGE role. #1: Conservative voters feel like Republican leaders have kept their promises. #2: Democratic voters could hardly even tell you what Democrats ever promised them, but they know they haven't seen much. And, on the 2 issues that drive people to the polls the most, voters say they trust Republicans more. That's: #3: The economy and #4: Issues of crime and public safety To listen to today's FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for "The Breakdown with Shaun King." Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the podcast. If you are already on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe, listen, share, leave reviews, and listen daily to the entire episode. The more of it you listen to, the better it is for us. Love and appreciate you all. Shaun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1990, soon after his release from prison, Nelson Mandela traveled to New York, and was interviewed by Ted Koppel in front of over 1,000 people at City College. To start the event off, a man in the audience all but demanded that Mandela denounce Fidel Castro, Yasser Arafat, and Muammar Gaddafi. On today’s full episode of The Breakdown I’ll play Mandela’s brilliant and timeless answer, where, in short, he tells the man, “You make a big mistake to think that your enemies are my enemies.” Kyrie Irving is not our enemy. I know this man personally. He is a kind, compassionate, giving, inquisitive soul. He is a dedicated father and son. And I have seen him, time and time again, actually BE THERE for Black people at our time of need. Not just with words, but with resources. Does that mean I support everything he says or does? Or vice versa? Of course not. I can’t name a single soul on Earth in which that is true for me. I don’t even agree with everything my own wife or mother say or do. And that can never be the standard. I’m not here to pit Kyrie and Kanye against each other, but they aren’t the same person and aren’t guilty of the same things. Kyrie has owned his words and actions. And apologized for the ways they caused offense. Now, I will literally defend the right of Jewish people for that to not be enough for them. That’s their business. But we simply cannot allow other people to define for us who we cancel and who we don’t. That ends with us having no leaders and heroes. To listen to today's FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for "The Breakdown with Shaun King." Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the podcast. If you are already here on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe, listen, share, leave reviews, and listen daily to the entire episode. The more of it you listen to, the better it is for us. Love and appreciate you all. Shaun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I really, REALLY need you to understand something. The LOUDEST voices about gun violence in Black communities don't love Black people and don't love our communities. They talk about "black on black crime" not because they care about Black people, but as a way to make us look like subhuman. But their lies are in the way and preventing us from making the progress that I know we can and MUST make. Let me tell you the first 3 lies that we must confront and overcome immediately. To listen to today's FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for "The Breakdown with Shaun King." Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the podcast. If you are already here on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, please subscribe, listen, share, leave reviews, and listen daily to the entire episode. The more of it you listen to, the better it is for us. Love and appreciate you all. Shaun Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier today we all learned the horrible news that another brilliant young Black man was shot and killed in America - this time it was Takeoff, the rapper of Migos fame. And it's all clearly way too much. It's an epidemic. And I see good people struggling to say something meaningful right now. Even more, I see good people accidentally saying the wrong things, but with the best of intentions. Let me try to offer 4 things that I hope we can agree on when it comes to gun violence in America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A whole helluva lot is going on right now. In America and around the world. It's overwhelming. Wars. Rumors of wars. Elections. Assassination attempts. And that's barely scratching the surface. Whenever it gets like this, and it's been getting like this much more frequently lately, a real temptation exists to watch the news 24/7, but I implore you, don't do that. It only makes your anxiety worse. Let me unpack and explain it. To listen to today's FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for "The Breakdown with Shaun King." Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am gravely concerned about what Twitter is going to become under Elon Musk, but 2 pretty concrete barriers are in place that I truly believe will prevent it from becoming a haven for racism and bigotry. Musk has called himself a "free speech absolutist" - which means he believes all speech, including hate speech and targeted harassment should be allowed. But that's actually not going to be possible - no matter how badly he wants it to be so. Let me unpack and explain it. To listen to today's FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for "The Breakdown with Shaun King." Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No matter what is going on in the world, when voters decide to cast a ballot in election season, two key issues are always on their mind - the economy and public safety. Everybody - from every race and background in America - wants to be safe and wants to know that they have enough money to get them through the month. And as it stands right now, dozens of polls show that voters currently prefer conservative candidates on the economy and on issues of crime/safety. Why? Well, it's not because Republicans actually have coherent plans for either issue, but they've done a masterful job at convincing voters that any problem that exists with the economy or crime is the fault of Democrats and Democrats alone. It's foolish, but if we've learned anything over the past few years, it's that tens of millions of voters vote on feelings over facts. Never mind that the 10 states with the highest crime rates are almost exclusively led by Republicans. Facts don't matter nearly as much in 2022 as they have in years past. It all comes down to what you can make people believe. To listen to today's FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for "The Breakdown with Shaun King." Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you familiar with Rorschach tests? It's where inkblots are shown to people and they are asked to describe what they think they see. And 100 people can see the exact same inkblots and see WILDLY different things. That's absolutely what I see happening now with Kanye West. How you respond to all that he's said and done now says more about you than it does about him. Today I want to discuss two VERY different conclusions a lot of people are coming to - and both conclusions seem to be rubbing entire groups of people the wrong way. We need to talk. To listen to today's FULL EPISODE of The Breakdown go now to Apple Podcasts or Spotify and search for "The Breakdown with Shaun King." Subscribe there for FREE and listen to the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Having a thoughtful, mature, and even difficult conversation about who owns and controls the music industry is COMPLETELY POSSIBLE without it devolving in hate against Jewish people that is so ugly that it causes Neo-Nazis to come out of the woodwork. But Kanye West is not healthy, thoughtful, or mature. And when ANYONE that is unhealthy, immature, and by their own admission - a self-centered narcissist - tries to have a conversation about the role of ANY particular group of people in society - particularly a group they aren't a part of - that conversation has a 99.9% chance of not just being a failure, but causing actual harm. And open Neo-Nazis are now calling Kanye their ally. And THIS is the repeated M.O. of Kanye West. In the midst of dangerous stupidity, bigotry, and misogyny he might drop a nugget of truth. Trump is the same way. And Trump supporters are willing to look past the racism and bigotry and misogyny of Trump to highlight the little nuggets of truth - because the dangerous things Trump says, like the dangerous things Kanye says, rarely impact their core audience. So they just put blinders on and keep being dangerous. I hope you list to today's episode of The Breakdown before commenting on it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I've been feeling this way. As taxpayers and citizens of this country, we are right to demand that this government - on the local, state, and federal level, do right by us. No telling where we'd be if we didn't fight and force our government to do the right thing. But I've grown to think that far too much of our energy and attention is spent making demands of the government. I'm not saying we stop making those demands or stop fighting for people that actually care about us being in elected office. Those are worthy fights. But we MUST MUST MUST spend more of our time, energy, intellect, skills, and resources on building our own systems, structures, strategies, and institutions - that we own and control. Can you imagine what we could build and accomplish if HALF of all of us dedicated our lives to building and funding our own solutions? That's what I want to see and work on for the rest of my life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In spite of all of the attention, and all of the pressure we've put on local officials to take Kastellio to the hospital - they continue to refuse to do so and his condition remains dire. Our team @GrassrootsLaw set up a hotline that we need YOU to call immediately. When you call, I will be on the line to talk you through everything and then I will transfer you to local officials on the case. The number is: 334-605-8572.Let's keep on pushing and demand that he gets the emergency medical care he needs and ultimately gets released from prison to the care of his family. This man is no threat to anyone and the prison clearly has no intention on taking care of him. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When an argument is completely based on a lie or a false premise - nothing else you say in defense of it matters. I needed to preface what I am about to say with that. Of the hundreds of millions of people that demanded justice and accountability for the brutal murder/lynching of George Floyd, I don't think a single person fought for him because he was our hero. I never heard anyone say this. I never heard about anyone saying this. We fought for George Floyd because he was a human being that was killed, in broad daylight, in one of the single most depraved and inhumane acts in modern American history. We fought for George because he was a victim and because he did not deserve a single thing that happened to him. I did not care then and do not care now if George Floyd struggled with drugs or alcohol. In fact, it breaks my heart for him even more - because it means he was denied the chance to overcome his struggles in his own time - which I am sure he would have. Nothing anyone can ever say about George Floyd will EVER make me feel like his life wasn't worth fighting for. NOTHING. All Black Lives Matter to us. And I can think of nothing more despicable than trying to tear down the humanity and memory of a man that already died such a horrible death. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For my ENTIRE life I have said that we need schools that are for us, by us, but to this day we have so few schools in America that have Black and Brown founders AND leaders. @EmberCharter in the heart of Brooklyn IS THAT SCHOOL. And I’m pushing all of my chips in to back and support this beautiful community. If you haven’t already, check out the video about the school on my IG page. And listen to the students for yourself. It’s special. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices