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Defector

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

Luka Doncic Rubs The Mavericks’ Noses In Their Own Mess

Alex Sujong Laughlin

Ray Ratto

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

Kathryn Xu

Mercury astronauts in simulated weightless flight in C-131 aircraft flying trajectory at Wright Air Development Center, Ohio, 1959.

Defector Reads A Book

‘The Artist’s Way’ Week 7: The Third-Quarter Slump

Columnist. Author of many <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Drew-Magary/e/B001JS8R52/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1">fine works of literature</a>, including Point B. Handsomest man in the world.

Drew Magary

Funbag

Let’s Remember Some Toys

Patrick Redford

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder in action during the second half of a game against the Utah Jazz at Delta Center on February 21, 2025 in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)

The Thunder Need Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Greatness To Be Enough

Samer Kalaf

Palestinians walk through the destruction in Gaza.

Interviews

Pankaj Mishra On Gaza, The Memory Of The Holocaust, And The “Very Dark World” To Come

Israel Daramola

Arts And Culture

How Donald Trump Won Rap Back

Tom Ley

Life's Rich Pageant

The Cranks Next Door

Lauren Theisen

Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin during player introductions at the 2017 skills competition

A Pittsburgh Pilgrimage

Luis Paez-Pumar

Newcastle United's Alexander Isak celebrates scoring his side's fourth goal from the penalty spot during the Premier League match between Newcastle United FC and Nottingham Forest FC at St James' Park on February 23, 2025 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

Soccer

Alexander Isak Has Reached The Mountaintop

Kelsey McKinney

screenshot with the terrible score bug in the corner

The Scorebug Snuggery: The Phillies Abandon “P00P”

The Grim Reaper Is Headed To Philadelphia

Warhol's 'Ladies And Gentlemen' portraits in the Warhol Museum gallery

Lost At The Warhol

Dave McKenna

Dmitrii Bivol fights Artur Beterbiev as the headline act of Beterbiev v Bivol 2: The Last Crescendo at Kingdom Arena on February 22, 2025 in Riyadh.

The Fights

We’ll Take More Bivol Vs. Beterbiev, Less Of Everything Else

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Charli XCX attends the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards on February 02, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

Crosswords

The Crossword, Feb. 24: Counter

op down image of a pile of dirty dishes and saucepans sitting on a countertop in a kitchen

Life Lessons

The Year Of No Dishwasher

Ruben Amorim, Manager of Manchester United, reacts during the Premier League match between Everton FC and Manchester United FC at Goodison Park on February 22, 2025. He has his hand over his mouth and looks aghast.

Does Manchester United Exist? Its Manager’s Answer May Surprise You

and Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors celebrate after Butler scored and was fouled on the shot against the Dallas Mavericks on February 23, 2025.

The Warriors Might Be Onto Something

David Roth

he Colorado Rockies mascot performs before the MLB Spring Training baseball game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies on February 22, 2025 at Salt River Fields.

There Is Something Like Baseball On

Creaturefector

This Is The Last Thing You See Before You Die (If You Are A Crab)

Klay Thompson making the stink-face after hitting a three, being congratulated by an erased visual vacuum shaped exactly like Luka Doncic and with a Mavs logo where his head should be, in a frame from a since-deleted Mavericks hype video.

Dallas Mavericks Oafishly Edit Hype Video, Then Delete Hype Video

A screenshot of a graphic including a photo of Sam Nordquist, a Black transgender man with a moustache, wearing a backwards cap and staring at the camera. The top of the graphic says "Gone But Not Forgotten" with two doves on either side. And the rest of the image states: Sam Nordquist. Canandaigua, NY. Last seen: January 1, 2025. Age: 24

Politics

Who Gets To Determine A Hate Crime?

Chris Kluwe Arrested At City Council Meeting For Calling Out Garish MAGA Plaque

Ali Domrongchai

An illustration of a fake social media page depicting uncanny vegetables being sliced by a hand with too many fingers

The Machines

Glossy, Gunky And Ready In Minutes: AI Meal Recipes Are Overrunning The Internet

a photo of a flock of whitish swimming sea cucumbers in the deep sea

It’s Snowing Sea Cucumbers At The Bottom Of The Sea

Austin Wells in action, looks on from behind the plate vs Los Angeles Dodgers at Yankee Stadium. Game 5. Big ol mustache on his upper lip.