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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.

Defector

David Roth

Mayor Eric Adams during a ceremony as Composer Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber is given the key to the city.

Politics

To Restore Public Trust, New York Mayor Eric Adams Must Do A Kickflip

Dan McQuade was a founding member of Defector. He died in January 2026.

Dan McQuade

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 18: Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks at the Republican Jewish Coalition annual leadership meeting on November 19, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The meeting comes on the heels of former President Donald Trump becoming the first candidate to declare his intention to seek the GOP nomination in the 2024 presidential race.

Reports: Mets Owner To Do Something Stupid

Albert Burneko

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who sucks at his job

Media Meltdowns

How Not To Interview A Transportation Secretary

Former President Donald Trump, Tucker Carlson and Marjorie Taylor Greene during the 3rd round of the LIV Golf Invitational Series in July of 2022.

Who Could Mistake Tucker Carlson For Anything Else?

Dave McKenna

BOSTON - 1969: Bill Russell #6 of the Boston Celtics poses for a portrait in 1969 at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1969 NBAE (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images)

FBI Releases Bill Russell Investigation Files, Slanders The Dead

The United States Supreme Court building seen from a distance, through a window, from inside a darkened room.

The Art Of American Conservatism

charismatic megafauna (they/them)

Sabrina Imbler

Associate US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas poses for the official photo at the Supreme Court, dressed in black robes.

Clarence Thomas’s Billionaire Sponsor Owns Some Weird Nazi Stuff

Former President Donald Trump arrives for his arraignment at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 4, 2023.

It Only Seems Unprecedented

Clarence Thomas Has A Billionaire Sponsor And Nobody Can Do Anything About It

New York Mayor Eric Adams throws out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium in May of 2022.

Local Politicians Enthused By Return Of Base Ball

Silicon Valley entrepreneur Marc Andreessen onstage at the TechCrunch Disrupt festival in 2016.

The Limits Of The Billionaire Imagination Are Everyone’s Problem

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

Striking Los Angeles Unified School District employees and their supporters, including teachers, rally outside LAUSD headquarters in Los Angeles on Tuesday, March 21, 2023 during the first day of a three-day strike. At the center of the photo, a person is holding up a sign. It reads: "Mortgage: $$$$ Food: $$$$$ Utilities: $$$$$ My pay: ¢¢¢¢¢¢"

Why L.A.’s Education Workers Had No Choice But To Strike

Bring Forth The Arrest

Ron DeSantis with his big gross mouth open like a nightmare baby bird.

This Is So Stupid

Which Three Fingers Did Ron DeSantis Use To Slurp Down Chocolate Pudding Like A Damn Raccoon?

Ray Ratto

LEICESTER, ENGLAND - MARCH 11: Gary Lineker looks on from the stands during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Chelsea FC at The King Power Stadium on March 11, 2023 in Leicester, England.

Soccer

How Gary Lineker Brought the BBC To Its Knees

Libby Watson is a writer, <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/libtron">streamer</a> and <a href="https://www.patreon.com/whatsallthisthen">podcaster</a>.

Libby Watson

A single-story ranch house surrounded by a chain link fence. It is pleasant and well-groomed. There is a mailbox in the front of the photo.

The Home-Sized Hole In The Safety Net

Staff Writer
Find me on Signal @DefectorChris.19

Chris Thompson

Alaska Politician Tricks Himself Into Arguing There’s A Taxpayer Benefit To The Murder Of Children

Alex Pareene

View, looking up, at a bunch of balloons released above Christopher Street (between Hudson and Bleeker streets) during the annual New York City Pride March, New York, New York, June 24, 1979. (Photo by Suzanne Poli/Getty Images)

Has Anyone Seen My Balloons?

Laura Wagner

Four tweets from Chargé 'Affaires Karen Decker (@USAmbKabul) As I reflected on his legacy this week, it occurs to me to ask -Who is Afghanistan's MLK? What Afghan person, driven by their faith and a desire for peace, can lead the Afghan people "to the mountaintop?" Are Afghans familiar with #BlackGir|Magic and the movement it inspired? Do Afghan girls need a similar movement? What about Afghan Women? Teach me, ready to learn. #BlackHistoryMonth®® @Beyonce @lizzo @ReginaKing Abe Lincoln born today in 1809. He did some stuff. It's also NAACP Day - home of grassroots activism, inclusive communities and making sure Black voices are heard. What does that look like for Afghans struggling to be heard? #BlackHistoryMonth • @NAACP @LincolnsCottage Super Bowl LVII. 2 elite QBs who happen to be Black made history in epic showdown. Congrats to @Chiefs for thrilling victory! Afghans - what's the most exciting sports match you remember? #BlackHistoryMonth°

Life's Rich Pageant

U.S. Ambassador To Afghanistan Celebrates Black History Month With Deranged Tweets

Lauren Theisen

Michigan State University students evacuate to a safe area

Michigan State Students Learned Who They Can Count On

Pre-disgraced Rep. George Santos walking around near the House of Representatives making a silly face while media people say "what about your lies, sir."

The Man Who Invented Himself

Justin Ellis

In this photo illustration, pages are viewed from the government’s released version of the F.B.I. search warrant affidavit for former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate on August 27, 2022 in California. The 32-page affidavit was heavily redacted for the protection of witnesses and law enforcement and to ensure the ‘integrity of the ongoing investigation’.

Enough With The Fucking Secret Memos Already

Israel Daramola

ATLANTA, USA - JANUARY 21: Firefighters work to extinguish a fire after an Atlanta police vehicle was set on fire during a "Stop cop city" protest in Atlanta, Georgia, United States on January 21, 2023. Multiple buildings were vandalized and an Atlanta police vehicle was set on fire as multiple arrests were made. (Photo by Benjamin Hendren/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Cop City Is A Step Toward Cop Nation

<div dir="auto"><a href="https://twitter.com/nkulw">Noah Kulwin</a> is a writer and co-host of the podcast <a href="https://blowback.show/">Blowback</a>. He lives in New Jersey.</div>

Noah Kulwin

A photo of Lee Harvey Oswald being taken away by officials. In the corner is the join or die cartoon with the words THE AMERICAN FRIEND on it

Decades Later, The JFK Assassination Still Keeps Some Secrets

Luisa Rollenhagen is a German-Argentinian freelance journalist based in Berlin. She&#8217;s written for publications such as The Guardian, BuzzFeed News, Deutsche Welle, and GQ.

Luisa Rollenhagen

dpatop - 07 December 2022, Hessen, Frankfurt/Main: In a raid against so-called "Reichsbürger" masked police officers, after searching a house Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss (2nd from right) lead to a police vehicle. The Federal Prosecutor's Office had several people from the so-called Reichsbürger scene arrested in the course of a raid on Wednesday morning. Numerous officers were deployed in several federal states, said a spokeswoman for the Karlsruhe authority . Photo: Boris Roessler/dpa (Photo by Boris Roessler/picture alliance via Getty Images)