Breakdown

Latest Episodes:

S08, Ep. 16: 'We don't want any more Black pastors' Jul 17, 2025

Show notes

The Atlanta-Journal Constitution's Bill Rankin, Asia Burns and Shaddi Abusaid are in Brunswick to follow developments in the first full week in the trial of the three men charged in Ahmaud Arbery's killing. The jury heard from the owner of the home under construction that Arbery visited before he was killed. And a defense lawyer makes a widely condemned statement regarding the Rev. Al Sharpton's presence at the trial.

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S08, Ep. 18: 'We have a verdict' Jul 17, 2025

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After about 10 hours of deliberation, the jury hearing the case against the three men charged with the murder of Ahmaud Arbery reached its verdict. The 18th episode of Season 8 of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Breakdown podcast covers the verdict’s outcome and its aftermath.

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S08, Ep. 17: Ahmaud Arbery's killer takes the witness stand Jul 17, 2025

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It isn’t often a defendant takes the witness stand with his life on the line. But Travis McMichael did just that last week. He might as well have had the life of his father, Greg McMichael, on the line, too.

The 18th episode of the Eighth Season of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s “Breakdown” podcast focuses on what happened inside the courtroom and outside of it as the trial for the McMichaels and William “Roddie” Bryan near an end. All three men are being tried for the alleged murder of Ahmaud Arbery on Feb. 23, 2020.

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S08, Ep. 15: 11 white jurors, one Black juror Jul 17, 2025

Show notes

Jury selection in the trial of three men accused in the murder of Ahmaud Arbery concluded amid controversy inside and outside the courtroom. Following that, the state and lawyers for Travis McMichael and his father Greg McMichael gave powerful opening statements. Join host Bill Rankin as he explores these developments and looks ahead in the trial.

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S08, Ep. 6: The McMichaels plead for bond Jul 17, 2025

Show notes

Father and son Gregory and Travis McMichael were denied bond after a two-day hearing in Brunswick, Ga. Join host Bill Rankin as he recounts what happened at the hearing -- and explores what led the judge to deny bond for the two men.

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S08, Ep3: How Georgia lets citizens arrest fellow citizens Jul 17, 2025

Show notes

An attorney for one of the three men accused of chasing and killing Ahmaud Arbery in February says the group's actions are legally justifiable by a law dating back all the way to the 1860s. Meanwhile, Georgia's legislature is considering repealing the law because of the case. Join host Bill Rankin as he examines what Georgia's citizen's arrest law says and how it may impact the Arbery murder case.

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S08, Ep. 9: Is Ahmaud's imperfect past relevant? Jul 17, 2025

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The lawyers for one of the three men accused in the death of Ahmaud Arbery are asking a judge to allow information about Arbery's past run-ins with the law to be entered into evidence. Join host Bill Rankin as he explores what this 404(b) could mean for the trial.

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S08, Ep. 7: The immediate aftermath Jul 17, 2025

Show notes

Just moments after Travis McMichael killed Ahmaud Arbery with three shotgun blasts, one Glynn County police officer after another arrived at the bloody scene.

The seventh episode of Season 8 of the AJC’s “Breakdown” podcast focuses on recently released bodycam footage taken by some of those officers. They are seen securing the scene and, most importantly, interviewing McMichael, his father Greg McMichael and Roddie Bryan.

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S08, Ep2: Preliminary Hearing Jul 17, 2025

Show notes

Protests in Atlanta attract national attention as a preliminary hearing in Brunswick begins. During the probable cause hearing, there is only one witness: the lead investigator on the case.

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S08, Ep1: The Ahmaud Arbery case Jul 17, 2025

Show notes

A tragic shooting has thrust coastal Georgia onto the national scene. On Feb. 23, Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old African-American man, was shot three times in a neighborhood near Brunswick, where he was confronted by two white men. The video of the shooting has now been seen by millions.

In this special episode of Breakdown, hosts Bill Rankin and Greg Bluestein examine what is known about the case, and what’s to come. You’ll hear from officials down in Brunswick as well as former AJC managing editor, Bert Roughton, who lives in nearby St. Simons and has covered the case, as well as Brad Schrade, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter who has investigated police shootings for the AJC and has also covered the Arbery shooting.

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