Margin Of Error

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This is Defector, a new sports blog and media company. We made this place together, we own it together, we run it together. Without access, without favor, without discretion, and without interference.

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Defector

D.C.: Meet Defector At The Ballpark

Vintage Baseball Stadium Postcard

Defector at the Ballpark

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Barry Petchesky

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 04: Jimmy Kimmel is seen at 'Jimmy Kimmel Live" on November 04, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by RB/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

Celebrity Sightings In Los Angeles – November 04, 2019

Politics

Charlie Kirk Is A Means To An End

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Albert Burneko

US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump during a visit to St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, Berkshire, on day one of their second state visit to the UK.

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This Is So Stupid

Nice Hat, Melania

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David Roth

U.S. Vice President JD Vance, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller depart Union Station after meeting with federal law enforcement officers on August 20, 2025.

VP Vance And Defense Secretary Hegseth Visit Federal Law Enforcement Officers Patrolling At D.C.’s Union Station

The United States Of Snitches

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Giri Nathan

Washington Post Editor Karen Attiah leads a discussion on Saudi hacking techniques at the Oslo Freedom Forum 2019 on May 28, 2019 in Oslo, Norway. (Photo by Julia Reinhart/Getty Images)

Oslo Freedom Forum 2019

Media Meltdowns

Washington Post Opinion Columnist Fired For Social Media Posts On Charlie Kirk

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<div class="p-rich_text_section">Tom Scocca is the editor of <a href="http://indignity.net">Indignity</a>, a subscription-supported newsletter of news, essays, and commentary.</div>
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Tom Scocca

U.S. President Donald Trump boards Air Force One on September 11, 2025 at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. President Trump is traveling to New York to attend a New York Yankees game and to stay at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey for the weekend.

Trump Air Force One – large

How Do You Stop A Serial Killer?

gerald-bourguet

Journalismism

NBA Reporter Fired After Accurately Describing Charlie Kirk’s Beliefs

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Samer Kalaf

The scene after shots were fired at an appearance by Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.

Political Activist Charlie Kirk Shot Dead At Utah Valley University

This Is Who Charlie Kirk Was

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Tom Ley

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Yankees Honor Slain Anti–Free Speech Activist

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. testifies before the Senate Finance Committee at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on September 04, 2025 in Washington, DC.

RFK Jr. senate testimony

Setting Aside The Incorrect Claim About Herd Immunity

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Kelsey McKinney

close up of president trump's face in the oval office

President Trump Makes Announcement In The Oval Office Of The White House

The Bleak Fantasy Of Donald Trump’s Death

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Patrick Redford

BILBAO, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 03: A group of fans protest against Team Israel - Premier Tech riders by displaying Palestinian flags at arrival during the La Vuelta - 80th Tour of Spain 2025, Stage 11 a 157.4km stage from Bilbao to Bilbao / #UCIWT / on September 03, 2025 in Bilbao, Spain. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)

La Vuelta – 80th Tour of Spain 2025 – Stage 11

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You Can Advertise The State Of Israel On Your Shirt Or Ride Undisrupted In La Vuelta, But Not Both


<p>charismatic megafauna (they/them)</p>


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Sabrina Imbler

A CVS pharmacy store on February 28, 2025 in San Diego, California

CVS Pharmacy In San Diego

Science

How Are You Supposed To Get The COVID Vaccine Now? An Explainer

A screengrab from Mark Teixeira's website for his congressional run. He's holding out a baseball and grinning and wearing a tight red golf shirt. It looks like an ad for a real estate agency.

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Mark Teixeira Is Ready To Do Whatever It Is Congress Guys Have To Do

Armed members of the National Guard patrol Union Station on August 27, 2025 in Washington, DC.

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Well, He Sent In The Troops

President Trump Meets With His Cabinet At The White House

RFK Jr. Is Making His Bid To Become One Of American History’s Biggest Killers

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK - 2025/04/06: A banner saying “Greenland not for sale” and “Kalaallit Nunaat Kalaallit Pigaat” translated to "Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders” seen during a demonstration against the Trump administration. Protesters gathered in front of the American Embassy in response to the Trump administration's repeated statements about wanting control over Greenland. These statements, which questioned Denmark’s sovereignty and emphasized Greenland’s strategic value, sparked outrage in both Greenland and Denmark. Greenlandic leaders and citizens strongly rejected any suggestion of being "for sale," stressing their right to self-determination and fears of losing their cultural identity. The situation has unified Greenland’s political parties and raised broader concerns about international law and Arctic geopolitics. (Photo by Kristian Tuxen Ladegaard Berg/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

A banner saying “Greenland not for sale” and “

Danish Intelligence Service Tells Trump To Stop Oafish Espionage Maneuvers

<p>Staff Writer</p>
<p>Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.09</p>


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Chris Thompson

Josina Anderson

Life's Rich Pageant

Josina Anderson Advises Independent Noun-Inclusion Vis-À-Vis Chemtrails

Screwworm larva. Tusklike mandibles protruding from the screwworm larva's mouth rasp the flesh of living warm-blooded animals.

Screwworm_larva

Make America Wormy Again

<p>James Greig is a journalist and the Political Editor at <a href="https://www.dazeddigital.com/user/jamesgreig">Dazed</a>.</p>


James Greig

Hay Festival – Day 4

Sally Rooney Dares The British Government To Follow Through

Dave McKenna

The Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Metro Transit Police Department (MTPD) agents walk on patrol near Nationals Park on August 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. An increased presence of law enforcement has been seen throughout the nation's capital since U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to deploy federal officers and the U.S. National Guard.

Trump Increases Federal Law Enforcement Presence, Deploys National Guard In Nation’s Capital

Notes From The D.C. Clampdown

James Dobson poses for a portrait in 2011 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

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James Dobson Is Dead, Was A Monster

Snack

Never Attempt To Bribe Me With Snacks Unless They Are The Good Snacks

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Kathryn Xu

Commuters ride a SEPTA bus on October 10, 2017, in the Philadelphia, PA Suburbs.

SEPTA Ends Sales of Tokens in move to Update Fare Payments, in Philadelphia, PA

Transit

Doomsday For SEPTA Is Bad News For Everyone

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<div>Casey Taylor is a writer living and working in Pittsburgh. He is currently writing a book for St. Martin&#8217;s Press about cannabis religions, Haile Selassie I, and the Cold War in the Caribbean. He also writes a free newsletter called <a href="https://weedchurch.substack.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://weedchurch.substack.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1709306863919000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1mVH2xiID6S0zvlyj6yHco">Weed Church</a> covering foolish spiritual things that occur to him. His work has appeared in The New Republic, WIRED, New York Magazine, and a sports blog he can’t currently recall the name of. You can <a href="mailto:caseyt7@gmail.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">email</a> him if you’d like.</div>
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Casey Taylor

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Kim Jong Un, Girl Dad

Starving Palestinians including women and children holding pots wait to receive food distributed by a charity organization as Israel continue to block humanitarian aid from reaching the Gaza Strip on August 10, 2025.

famine in gaza

The Free Press Reports Gaza’s Starving Children Have Pre-Existing Condition Of Being Bombed By Israel