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Defector

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


Sabrina Imbler

a headshot for Charla Burnett, a fired science for development fellow at USAID

Interviews

An Interview With A Fired Science For Development Fellow At USAID

Brandy Jensen

Arts And Culture

‘The Settlers’ Makes Louis Theroux Say What He Thinks

David Roth

Donald Trump and Terry Moran in conversation in the extremely cluttered Oval Office during an ABC News interview.

Politics

Talking To The President

Claire Sneed, a recently fired US Forest Service hydrologic technician

An Interview With A Fired U.S. Forest Service Hydrologic Technician

A headshot of Madyson Miller, a fired NOAA program analyst, in a blue sweater and golden light

An Interview With A Fired NOAA Program Analyst


<p>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</p>


Diana Moskovitz

A photo of Florida Gators basketball coach Todd Golden speaking to reporters at a press conference during the Final Four. Golden is sitting at a table with a nameplate.

College Basketball

Florida Built A Black Box And Put The Todd Golden Case Inside It

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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

President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton attend the White House State Dinner for the President of Ukraine on November 22, 1994 in Washington, D.C.

The Era Of Meek Government Is Over

a photo of matt o'malley, a fired USDA agricultural engineer, smiling in front of mountains

An Interview With A Fired USDA Agricultural Engineer

<p>Jake Romm is a New York City-based writer and the Associate Editor of Protean Magazine.</p>


Jake Romm

The Paranoid Fantasies Of ‘October 8’


<p>Dan McQuade was a founding member of Defector. He died in January 2026.</p>


Dan McQuade

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 21: U.S. President Donald Trump holds a collectors card depicting the assassination attempt during the Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House on April 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. The White House is expecting thousands of children and adults to participate in the annual tradition of rolling colored eggs down the White House lawn, a tradition started by President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1878.

Trump Shows Kids Collectible Card With Photo Of Him Being Shot

a headshot of fired CDC health communications manager Sarah Boim

An Interview With A Fired CDC Health Communications Manager

<p>Nicholas Russell is a writer from Las Vegas.</p>


Nicholas Russell

: A COVID face mask dangles from the rear-view mirror of a car

Life Lessons

Why I Keep Masking

Tom Ley

Underexplained Lists

Angry Interjections From Chuck Grassley’s Chippy Town Hall Meeting, Ranked

Kathryn Xu

Georgia representative Marjorie Taylor Greene in Congress

The DOGE Fencing Hearing Reveals The Latest In Anti-Trans Grift

A photo of a USAID education officer, Joel Runnels, standing in a field

An Interview With A Fired USAID Education Officer

TOPSHOT - Running back TreVeyon Henderson (L) and US Vice President JD Vance bobble the College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy as US President Donald Trump hosts the 2025 College Football National Champions, Ohio State Buckeyes, celebrating the team's title-winning season with a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, April 14, 2025. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)

Point/Counterpoint: JD Vance Drops The National Championship Trophy

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer looks on as US President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on April 9, 2025 in Washington, DC.

The Bargain Vs. The Boot

Israel Daramola

Welcome To The Scam Century

Elon Musk speaks during a cabinet meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, DC, on February 26, 2025. He's backlit and is doing his Thinking Hands and is wearing a stupid hat. The Distraction logo is at upper right.

Podcasts

Beavises In The Code Base, With Tim Marchman

Samer Kalaf

Ms. Rachel attends the Sesame Workshop 2024 Benefit Gala

Ms. Rachel Is Hamas Now

A photo of Jules Reynolds, a fired USDA program coordinator, sitting near a valley of farmland

An Interview With A Fired USDA Program Coordinator

<p>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 <em>Point B</em>. Handsomest man in the world.</p>


Drew Magary

U.S. President Donald Trump holds up a chart while speaking during a “Make America Wealthy Again” trade announcement event in the Rose Garden at the White House on April 2, 2025 in Washington, DC. Touting the event as “Liberation Day”, Trump is expected to announce additional tariffs targeting goods imported to the U.S.

Oh, Shut The Fuck Up

<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400">Dan Brooks writes essays and fiction from Missoula, Montana.</span></i></p>


Dan Brooks

U.S. Vice President JD Vance (L) shoots with U.S. Marines at a gun range during a visit to Marine Corps Base Quantico

American Freedom

The front of a U.S. Department of Education building.

Title IX Is Now A Weapon In The Trump Administration’s Culture War

People attend the 'Trans Day of Visibility Rally' hosted by the Christopher Street Project on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Someone holds up a sign saying "I WANT MORE TRANSSEXUAL FRIENDS LOVERS TEACHERS STUDENTS NEIGHBORS AUTHORS ARTISTS LEADERS LAWYERS PREACHERS & COMRADES.