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Defector

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

Kelsey McKinney

A screenshot of the finished cake, from the show.

Food

The Not-So-Great Defector Bake Off Lurches Unsteadily Into Cake Week

Culture Writer

Israel Daramola

Ray Ratto

AUBURN, ALABAMA - SEPTEMBER 19:  Running back Jadan Baugh #13 of the Florida Gators celebrates with team after a win over the Auburn Tigers at Jordan Hare stadium on September 19, 2026 in Auburn, Alabama.

College Football

It’s Time To Separate The Real Teams From The Clowns

Maitreyi Anantharaman

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 29: Head coach Cheryl Reeve of the New York Liberty reacts in the first quarter against the Minnesota Lynx during game two of the WNBA Playoffs at Barclays Center on September 29, 2026 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.

WNBA

The Too-Small Lynx Will Have To Answer Some Big Questions

David Roth

Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) (L) and Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) display a sign accusing former Special Counsel Jack Smith of meeting with Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis during a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on September 29, 2026. Everyone looks pretty pleased with themselves.

Politics

Jack Smith Did Not Conspire Against Donald Trump While Watching Steph Curry Score 60 Points In An Overtime Loss To The Hawks

Kathryn Xu

A wagon of the suspended railway Schwebebahn is pictured in Wuppertal, Germany.

Transit

The Wuppertal Schwebebahn Is Real And It Is My Friend

Barry Petchesky

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 01: Igor Shesterkin #31 of the New York Rangers scores the first goalie goal in Rangers history against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Madison Square Garden on October 01, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Igor Shesterkin Caught His White Whale And Scored A Goalie Goal

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk holding up a shoe with a pen

Mr. Monk And The Unfinished Book

Arif Hasan co-hosts Defector&#8217;s NFL podcast, <a href="https://defector.com/tag/all-ball">All Ball</a>. He also writes about football at <a href="https://wideleft.football/">Wide Left.</a>

Arif Hasan

Jamboroo

Blitzing Is More Common Because Formations Are Becoming Tighter 

Michael Waters

Arts And Culture

Nation Of Bondholders

Luis Paez-Pumar

Mike Tomlin shows off his Minecraft city, specifically a residential building with an aquarium centerpiece on each floor.

Mike Tomlin’s ‘Minecraft’ City Is A Delight

Dan Vladar of the Philadelphia Flyers surrenders a goal during the second period against the Pittsburgh Penguins as Christian Dvorak #22 looks on. Half his body is in the goal, and the puck is visible at lower right.

It’s Already Code Orange For The Philadelphia Flyers

Patrick Redford

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - SEPTEMBER 30: Arike Ogunbowale #24 of the Dallas Wings celebrates in the fourth quarter against the Golden State Valkyries during game two of the first round of the WNBA Playoffs at College Park Center on September 30, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Arike Ogunbowale Knows It’s All About Buckets

Lauren Theisen

a small green bridge with a road for cars and a walking path

Book Excerpts That Don't Suck

A Search For Movie History In Upstate New York

ST. PETERSBURG, FL - SEPTEMBER 27: A detail shot of the Wally the Green Monster home run mask in the dugout prior to the game between the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field on Sunday, September 27, 2026 in St. Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Scott Audette/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

This Is So Stupid

When Is It OK To Wear The Wally Head?

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

Minor Dilemmas

Am I Pushing My Kids Enough To Do The Right Extracurriculars?

Diana Moskovitz is Defector&#8217;s investigations editor. You can contact her at diana@defector.com or dfmoskovitz@protonmail.com. She&#8217;s also on Signal @dmoskovitz.99

Diana Moskovitz

US Secretary of Education Linda McMahon attends a round table discussion hosted by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche on "exposing weaponization against parents in schools" at the Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, DC, on June 11, 2026.

The Trump Administration Rolls Back Title IX Protections, Again

Podcasts

OK, What The Hell Is Going On With Drake Maye?

Grant Taylor #31 of the Chicago White Sox pitches during Game One of the American League Wild Card Series presented by AbbVie between the Chicago White Sox and the Houston Astros at Daikin Park on Tuesday, September 29, 2026 in Houston, Texas

You Won’t Beat The White Sox Without Beating Grant Taylor

Sophie Abromowitz

Defector At The Movies

Accept The Expanding Ball Of Infected Corpses You Cannot Change

The Manchester City owner Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan applauds his team onto the pitch before the UEFA Champions League Final between Manchester City and Inter Milan at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium on June 10th 2023 in Istanbul, Turkey

Soccer

Manchester City’s Financial Breaches Totaled Over £900 Million Over Nine Seasons

Fernando Tatis Jr. celebrates at home plate after scoring in the seventh inning during Game One of the National League Wild Card Series presented by AbbVie between the Chicago Cubs and the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Tuesday, September 29, 2026.

These Are The Times That Try Managers’ Souls

Tom Ley

The Fever Are Good Enough To Get Under Your Skin

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 29: Ben Rice #22 of the New York Yankees celebrates after hitting a grand slam home run against the Boston Red Sox during the eighth inning in game one of the American League Wild Card Series at Yankee Stadium on September 29, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images)

Rice Guy’s Twinnish Blasts

NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 2: Daily Show correspondents sing a song to open live Election Night coverage of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart November 2, 2004 in New York City. (Photo by Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)

Funbag

Let’s Remember Some ‘Daily Show’ Correspondents

A bookshelf set up on the streets of Manosque, France, with uneven shelves that bend and curve, overflowing with books.