The Breakdown with Shaun King

Trump is a monster. He's a horrible human being. But he's no longer President. He is no longer on Twitter - or any platform for that matter. And he wasn't convicted by the Senate in the impeachment proceedings. Soooooo.... Democrats can no longer use him as the excuse for their lack of progress on so many issues. Listen - I truly think Trump caused real political problems - but I also think Democr...

I am going to spend more time unpacking and explaining for people the work that I do as a civil and human rights leader. I am the Co-Founder of @RealJustice. It is possibly the most impactful work of my life. We are the single most important organization in the nation that focuses exclusively on electing District Attorneys across the country. After we elect DA's, we partner with them to help them...

Democrats have been masterful, but one thing that struck me as both poetic and painful, is the brand new video of Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, the Black man we first learned about last month for his role in saving lives at the Capitol - now saving the life of Senator Mitt Romney. It's a metaphor in some ways to me. An underpaid, undervalued Black man, in a profession that most often hate...

WOW! I've been waiting to see the results of this 6 month long pilot program taking away thousands of 911 calls from the Denver Police and sending them instead to a trained team of compassionate first responders. Guess what? Not a single arrest was made.  They never even needed the help of the Denver Police.  And SO MANY lives were saved. Let me break it down for you. If you listen to The Breakdow...

Thomas Edward Caldwell, who was arrested for playing a role in the attack on the United States Capitol says he worked for the FBI and has had a top secret security clearance since 1979. Let's dig in to what's really going on here. If you listen to The Breakdown and want to help support the work we do, consider becoming a member of our Patreon at www.patreon.com/thebreakdown for exclusive members p...

This weekend I traveled to Louisiana to campaign for my dear friend and brother Gary Chambers in his run for Congress in their upcoming special election. What I saw all over the state with Gary inspired me. We have to do everything we can to send this man to Congress to not only represent Louisiana, but to represent ALL of us. Today, I'll tell you how we can all work together to do just that. If y...

I wanna share the one life tip that I've tried to put to good use so far in 2021. It's given me extra time and emotional energy to be super productive and focused on my goals. And I hope it helps you as well! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's taken me days to allow my anger and fury to simmer just a bit on this. Yes, I saw the video of the 9-year-old Black girl being brutalized by police in Rochester, New York. Here are my thoughts. If you listen to The Breakdown and want to help support the work we do, consider becoming a member of our Patreon at www.patreon.com/thebreakdown for exclusive members perks and early access to content...

Wow! In less than 24 hours, over 8,000 of us raised nearly $260,000 to purchase Michael Thompson a new home, a new car, and get his life started. This is what happens when we come together for good. Today is one of those days where I just want to say thank you - and want us to use our imagination on what else we could do in the world! If you listen to The Breakdown and want to help support the wor...

Michael Thompson served 25 hard years in prison for selling weed. We fought to get him released and he's finally free. But the State of Michigan left him with nothing. And some apartments won't even rent to him. So we're going to come together, pull our money together, and buy him a brand new home. He already picked it out and I already told him how generous you all are. Let's do this! The link is...

Let me try to explain the madness of what's going on right now with GameStop, the investing app Robinhood, and so much more. Even if you aren't an investor, let me unpack why this matters to all of us. If you listen to The Breakdown and want to help support the work we do, consider becoming a member of our Patreon at www.patreon.com/thebreakdown for exclusive members perks and early access to cont...

Michael Thompson spent 25 hard years in prison for selling weed to a friend. It's unthinkable and is one of the worst acts on injustice I've ever seen in modern American history. While he was incarcerated, his parents died, his only son died, and he lost almost his entire adult life. Today, after 25 years, he was released - and we had to fight like hell to make that happen. Today Michael and I spo...

Yesterday Joe Biden issued an executive order on private prisons. And the support of it went super viral with verified accounts and even leading media organizations saying "Joe Biden ended private prisons." They were wrong. Very wrong. And it's not Joe Biden's fault as much as people really got ahead of themselves without actually reading the executive order itself. First off, over 90% of private...

In some ways, it seems like it was 5 years ago, and not 1, that Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gigi, and 7 of their friends suddenly died in a helicopter crash. In the shadows of that enormous loss, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and countless others were killed in acts of racial violence. And the pandemic then overtook our entire nation - killing over 400,000 people in the process. In so...

I've spent the past few weeks reflecting back on the attack and takeover of the United States Capitol. And one clarion lesson stands out to me the most - the thing that we call the justice system - including the FBI, CIA, the DOJ, the Capitol Police, all the way to your local police department - was not built to interrupt white power, white privilege, white property, or even white violence - it wa...

Democrats narrowly control the House, Senate, and Presidency - the real question I have now is this - what will they do with it? Because it already looks like Republicans are going to play hardball as usual. Will Democrats fold and get nothing done, or will they muster up the moral courage to fight for real meaningful change? Most of my close friends think that Democrats will squander this moment....

Listen in to my transparent conversation with hip hop artist and author, Lecrae, as we discuss the intersection of white supremacy, power, faith, religion, race, and so much more. If you listen to The Breakdown and want to help support the work we do, consider becoming a member of our Patreon at www.patreon.com/thebreakdown for exclusive members perks and early access to content. Learn more about...

It's official. Trump is gone. Not only from DC and Twitter, but from the presidency. And we are about to enter a new era of national politics. I already have very real criticisms of Joe Biden, but I want to explain why I think this incoming administration deserves a serious degree of grace as they get started. If you listen to The Breakdown and want to help support the work we do, consider becomin...

Trump will be out of office tomorrow! I’m nothing but glad. He’s dangerous. But what comes next is actually going to be very difficult. Let me explain what I mean. If you listen to The Breakdown and want to help support the work we do, consider becoming a member of our Patreon at www.patreon.com/thebreakdown for exclusive members perks and early access to content. Learn more about your ad choices....

To celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we are re-running one of our most popular episodes that highlights a lesser-known side of the civil rights hero. The words and legacy of Dr. King have been reduced and sanitized in so many ways. Today Shaun King plays 5 very special audio clips of Dr. King that you have likely never heard before and breaks down why they are so very important. If you listen...

After the first attack on the US Capitol since the War of 1812, this country is STILL not taking the threat of white supremacist violence, and the actions of thousands of insurrectionists yesterday seriously. ---- If you listen to The Breakdown and want to help support the work we do, consider becoming a member of our Patreon at www.patreon.com/thebreakdown for exclusive members perks and early ac...

The Senate runoff in Georgia is nearly over. All of our hard work paid off. Our candidates have it on lock. This is proof that when we come together and organize, anything is possible. I highlight the importance of not just voting itself, but being conscious of exactly who and what you are voting for on today's rerun episode of The Breakdown. ---- If you listen to The Breakdown and want to help su...

Today is the day. The Senate runoff in Georgia is happening right now and it has MAJOR implications for the rest of the country. This election will determine so much for the years to come. We have to give it our all. I'm not in the studio, so today I've got a quick action steps episode for you all. Let's do this. ---- If you listen to The Breakdown and want to help support the work we do, consider...

In just 11 weeks we have the chance to elect one of the most brilliant, most courageous, most compassionate people I know to Congress! Gary just made it official. I have a secret I want to tell you about his first campaign ad and then I'll you how we can all chip in @ ChambersForCongress.com ---- If you listen to The Breakdown and want to help support the work we do, consider becoming a member of...

When Shaun travels and campaigns for any cause, campaign, or case that he's working for, it impacts Rai & their kids. Either they stay home and they miss him, or they tag along. This winter break, Rai & the kids joined Shaun as he campaigned for Bernie Sanders across the entire state. On a campaign trail with 5 kids, is almost unimaginable for most of us. While on Bernie's campaign trail, Rai reco...