When I first saw the AP headline that a brand new law legislating white comfort had passed several important hurdles in Florida, I thought it was a spoof. Florida is crazy, but that was NEXT LEVEL. But it wasn't a spoof.

In fact, this new law appears to be on the fast track to pass. It makes it illegal for white people to feel uncomfortable when teaching American history and Black history. That alone is a problem. But today on The Breakdown, I want to unpack and explain why this law actually sets a VERY dangerous precedent.

In fact, it was because white people made their comfort into law that the got their own water fountains, their own restrooms, their own entrances, their own sections and seats. Listen - this new Florida law is opening Pandora's Box.

First, don't you dare critique this episode without first actually listening to the podcast. Listen, then speak your mind freely. But today on The Breakdown I want to unpack and explain why I think Joe Biden himself was the #1 reason why the voting rights bill failed in the Senate yesterday. Of course Democratic Senators Sinema and Manchin are also to blame.

But the President of the United States, who is the head of the Democratic Party, half-assed this entire push for all of 2021 - not even stating clearly if he supported changing the filibuster rules to pass voting rights legislation until it was far too late. By the time Biden was finally ready to move on this, he gave Sinema and Manchin room to dig their heels in. Everything about how this went down was a rushed unprofessional, unprepared mess. Period. And all of that starts and ends with Biden.

I actually think it is a natural human response to return ugliness to those who were ugly to you or someone you care about. It feels good. I get it. It's something I have to resist every single day, though, because before you know it, you may be as bad or worse than them.

Yesterday I posted a horrible video of openly racist basketball fans in China openly calling former NBA player Sonny Weems a nigger there. It was ugly. But in response to it, I see something that I often see in response to hate. And I want to talk about it.It's one key way we CANNOT respond to hate. Let me unpack and explain it.

Last week a woman was pushed onto the train tracks and killed in New York. And immediately people began calling for more police as the solution, but that station was full of police already - including right there where the crime happened. We can solve this problem, and SO many other problems with non-policing solutions, but America's addiction to policing and mass incarceration literally prevents it from solving so many challenges

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.

Hey Friends. I'm taking a long weekend to be with my family. I'll see you all back on MLK Day this Monday.

I'm probably a good 20 years late for therapy. Nobody told me NOT to see a therapist, but nobody modeled good brain habits for me either. Today I want to talk to you about my therapy journey and tell you how you can get 8 free therapy sessions from @BlackMenHeal. Share this with your family and friends.

Yesterday Biden gave a very important speech on voting rights - stating emphatically that he is now for ending the filibuster to protect voting rights. While this is a necessary shift for Biden, a speech is not a policy. A speech is not a vote. And it remains to be seen if the Democrats in the Senate will do what they need to do to protect and advance voting rights nationwide. Let me tell you where we are, where we aren't, and what I think will happen next.

And here's what's WILD - the LAPD has the NERVE to ask for $200 million more for their budget while their officers are doing this and shooting and killing little girls who are out shopping. We have to stop thinking and believing police are what makes a city safe. It's just not true.

Have your heard of the phrase "Identity Politics?" Let me unpack and explain it. For years, I supported it blindly. And 25 years ago, I think it even made sense, but in 2022 and beyond we have to be more sophisticated than simply supporting someone for political office because they are Black, or a woman, or share some other trait that we identify with. Can it be a factor? Of course. It still is a factor for me, because something like race should also mean you have an understanding of all of the challenges that that race faces, but what I've found is that blindly supporting someone because of their identity simply does not always work out in our favor. Let me unpack and explain what I mean.