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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

Kelsey McKinney

Politics

What Is My Senator Good For?

Albert Burneko

Donald Trump looking like a saggy orange bag of shit on his way onto Air Force 1 for a trip to the Middle East.

Journalismism

NYT Reporter: It’s Not Corruption Unless The Envelope Says “Bribe” On 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

New York City police arrested dozens of Pro-Palestinian protesters on Columbia University on Wednesday evening after they took over part of a central library in New York, USA on May 7, 2025.

Teachable Moment

Ray Ratto

Cardinal Robert Prevost, newly elected as Pope Leo XIV is seen on the Saint Peter's Basilica balcony, at Saint Peter's Square in Vatican on April 8, 2025.

Life's Rich Pageant

Well, They Made A Cubs Fan The Pope [UPDATE]

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


Sabrina Imbler

a photo of Chuck Sebian-Lander, a fired CFPB web manager. He is wearing a a shirt from my union, NTEU 335, and b) a lapel pin with the CFPB seal that he was given as part of a Director's award

Interviews

An Interview With A Fired Web Content Manager At The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau


<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

U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) (L) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) (R) speak about an alleged screenshot from the Instagram of USA Fencing board director Damien Lehfeldt during the hearing on “Unfair Play: Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports" held by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Subcommittee at the U.S. Capitol on May 07, 2025 in Washington, DC. Green is holding a photo that makes it look like Lehfeldt is pointing at himself with his middle finger. Stansbury is holding up a larger capture of the same photo that shows him making a peace sign with the same hand.

The DOGE Fencing Hearing Was Stupid And Pointless Even By Congressional Standards

display of flight board inside Newark airport

The Mess At Newark Airport Is Only The Beginning

A photo of fired EPA program analyst Amanda Cronin holding the text of Executive Order 14096

An Interview With A Fired EPA Environmental Justice Program Analyst

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

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.

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

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

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.