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Defector

Capital

Climate

Margin Of Error

Policing

The Machines

Politics

Giri Nathan

Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks looks on during the first quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Fiserv Forum on February 06, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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 Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

An Interview With A Tenant Who Doesn’t Have Heat In Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Building

Alex Sujong Laughlin

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg leaves the Los Angeles Superior Court after testifying on February 18, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.

Under The Influence

Meta’s Defense In Social Media Addiction Trial Is Basically A Shrug

Patrick Redford

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JANUARY 24: Chairman &amp; CEO Paramount David Ellison attends the UFC 324 event at T-Mobile Arena on January 24, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

Paramount Wins Hostile Takeover Bid For Warner Bros.

Joakim Noah #13 of the Chicago Bulls reacts after dunking the ball in the second quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks on March 6, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois.

Jeffrey Epstein Appeared To Be A Big Joakim Noah Fan

<p>The author can be reached at postpostdoc@protonmail.com.</p>


Post-Postdoc

Mech Mind automatic vending robot gives a thumbs-up after fetching beverages from a shelf at the exhibition area of the 2025 World AI Conference (WAIC) and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance on July 27, 2025 in Shanghai, China.

Something Of Moderate Size And Importance Is Happening

NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 1: Guest and Jeffrey Epstein attend the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at the Plaza Hotel on August 1, 1995 in New York City. (Photo by Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

Jeffrey Epstein And His Network Of Rich Freaks Were Obsessed With The Chiropractor

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<div>Rena Behar is a Brooklyn-based writer and editor specializing in responsible travel and various international oddities.</div>
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Rena Behar

An illustration of a skier going down the mountain while holding picket signs

The Outdoor Industry Needs Workers, And Workers Need Unions

US President Donald Trump (R) looks on as LA 2028 Chairman Casey Wasserman (L) speaks during an event on creating a White House 2028 Olympics task force in the South Court Auditorium of the White House in Washington, DC, on August 5, 2025. The 2028 Summer Olympics will be held in Los Angeles. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)

Olympics

Famous Clients Bail On Casey Wasserman Over Gross Sex Emails To Ghislaine Maxwell

<p>Staff Writer</p>
<p>Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19</p>


Chris Thompson

Giannis Antetokounmpo Jumps In Bed With Sleazy Prediction Market

Journalismism

The Washington Post Lays Off A Third Of Its Workforce, Is Dead

Samer Kalaf

Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin during Fanatics Fest 2025

Fanatics Makes More Excuses Than Sellable Jerseys

<p>Leland Nally is a writer living in Los Angeles.</p>


Leland Nally

Lisbon , Portugal - 3 November 2021; Tarek Mansour, Co-founder, Kalshi on Centre Stage during day two of Web Summit 2021 at the Altice Arena in Lisbon, Portugal.

Prediction Markets Are Betting On A Grim Future

Let Your Buyers Become Your Criers When You Pull The Rug Out From Beneath The Table Of Success

Maitreyi Anantharaman

Bryce Young hugs NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected first overall by the Carolina Panthers during the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft at Union Station on April 27, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri.

Whose League Is It Anyway?

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 07: David Ellison attends the 48th Kennedy Center Honors at The Kennedy Center on December 07, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Shannon Finney/WireImage)

Paramount Launches Hostile Takeover Bid For Warner Bros. Discovery

Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison speaks during the Bloomberg Screentime conference in Los Angeles on October 9, 2025. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP)

Paramount Is Trying To Bully Its Way Into Acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery

Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers attends the Allen &amp; Company Sun Valley Conference on July 9, 2025 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Every year, some of the world's wealthiest and most powerful figures from the media, finance, technology, and political spheres converge at the Sun Valley Resort for the exclusive week-long conference hosted by boutique investment bank Allen &amp; Co. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Larry Summers Recedes From Public Life Due To His Gross Emails With Jeffrey Epstein

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 10: Daniel Lurie, San Francisco Mayor attends 36th Annual Macy's Great Tree celebration presented by Ripple Lighting Ceremony at Union Square on November 10, 2025 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Kimberly White/Getty Images for Macy's)

Shocker: Appointing A 29-Year-Old Derelict Pet Store Owner With No Politics Experience To San Francisco Board Of Supervisors Not Actually A Masterstroke

Jasper Wang

Three men bend over a newspaper just off the printing press, January 7, 1947, assignments, The Netherlands, 20th century press agency photo, news to remember, documentary, historic photography 1945-1990, visual stories, human history of the Twentieth Century, capturing moments in time.

Announcements

Reflections On Five Years In Worker-Owned Media

Tom Ley

(L-R) Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein, and musician Michael Bolton pose for a portrait during a party at the Mar-a-Lago club, Palm Beach, Florida, February 12, 2000.

Jeffrey Epstein’s Inbox Was A Place To Complain, Talk Shit, And Make Boomer-Grade Jokes

Jeffrey Epstein and Alan Dershowitz discuss something.

Jeffrey Epstein Was The Unofficial Advice Columnist For The Elites

The Bad News Is There’s No More Money, But That’s Also The Good News

Tech leaders, including Sam Altman (C), CEO of OpenAI, and Tim Cook (2nd L), CEO of Apple, attend a dinner hosted by US President Donald Trump with tech leaders in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on September 4, 2025. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)

An Evening With Sam Altman And Steve Kerr

A detailed view of a hand holding a Fanduel Sports Network–branded microphone during an interview after the Detroit Pistons defeated the Boston Celtics on February 26, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan.

Gambling

The NBA Media Is Not Built To Cover A Gambling Scandal

Former Binance CEO Changpeng "CZ" Zhao arrives at federal court in Seattle, Washington, on April 30, 2024. Changpeng Zhao, the founder and former chief executive of Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, was sentenced today to four months in prison after he pleaded guilty to violating laws against money laundering. (Photo by Jason Redmond / AFP)