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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

The Defector Crewneck Sweatshirt Is Back In Stock

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Merch v3

VictorPortraitWClaw

David Roth

New York City Mayor Eric Adams sitting at a literal table with some restauranteurs at the Manhattan restaurant Ali Baba. This is not the same as the figurative "table of success" at which his haters are his waiters.

Mayor Eric Adams cuts ribbon for Turkish restaurant in NYC

Politics

A Seat At The Table Of Success

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Ray Ratto

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 02: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. visits "The Faulkner Focus"at Fox News Channel Studios on June 02, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Visits “The Faulkner Focus”

Things Got Ugly At RFK Jr.’s Fart Dinner

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Samer Kalaf

A closeup of the Qatar World Cup gold medal

world-cup-qatar-medal

Capital

Qatar’s Interest In The Washington Wizards Is The Next Step

Moms For Liberty activists rally against COVID mask mandates in Viera, Fl. in June of 2023.

A member of Moms for Liberty protests against mandatory face

The Country’s Most Unpleasant Moms Will Not Be Cowed By People Pointing Out The Big Hitler Quote On Their Newsletter

Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) questions Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray about conspiracy theories related to the January 6, 2020 attack on the U.S. Capitol during a hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee.

House Committee On Homeland Security Holds Hearing Examining Worldwide Threats

Clay Higgins Is The Norm

<a href="https://abshippy.com/">Abdullah Shihipar</a> is a writer and public health researcher based at Brown University.

Abdullah-shihipar-profile

Abdullah Shihipar

L-R Kyla Bennett, PhD, JD Director, New England PEER and a local resident Tracy Stewart of Medway look over old astroturf piled up in a forested area, where it's apparently leaching PFAS chemicals into nearby water sources.

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Climate

The Case Against Turf Fields

A CNN broadcaster with the chyron "What is woke?"

cnn-woke

This Is So Stupid

This Blog Has Gone Woke

Donald Trump hooting at supporters outside Mar-A-Lago in Florida in April of 2023.

Former President Donald Trump Holds A Press Conference At Mar-a-Lago After Being Arraigned In New York

So It’s A Crime Now To Have Boxes Full Of Cool Folders With Various Words Printed On Them?

Dave McKenna

Giuliani Receives Major Endorsement In Washington

Pat Robertson, Anti-Gaming Crusader And Horse Racing Enthusiast, Is Dead

Katharine Trendacosta writes about tech policy, the entertainment industry, pop culture, and where those things intersect. In her day job, she&#8217;s the Associate Director of Policy and Activism for the digital civil liberties nonprofit the Electronic Frontier Foundation. (Her writing here reflects her views alone and not those of EFF.) In her spare time, she writes things like this.

A photo of the author, Katharine Trendacosta

Katharine Trendacosta

Actor and writer Daheli Hall, left, joins WGA members as they cheer on the first day of their strike in front of Paramount Studios in Hollywood on May 2, 2023.

WGA-Strike

The Writers Are Striking For The Future Of Entertainment

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

New York City Mayor Eric Adams Special Announcement With Andrew Lloyd Webber On Final Weekend Of “Phantom Of The Opera” On Broadway

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

Visual Editor. Runs <a href="http://defectorstore.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">defectorstore.com</a>. Philadelphia-based, if you couldn’t tell.

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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.

chris-christie

Reports: Mets Owner To Do Something Stupid

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Albert Burneko

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

buttigieg

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.

GOLF: JUL 31 LIV Golf Invitational Series Bedminster

Who Could Mistake Tucker Carlson For Anything Else?

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)

Portrait Of Boston Celtics’ Bill Russell

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.

Report Claims Justice Thomas Accepted Luxury Trips From GOP Donor

The Art Of American Conservatism

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Typing

Sabrina Imbler

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

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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.

New York Grand Jury Votes To Indict Former President Trump

It Only Seems Unprecedented

clarencethomas

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.

Toronto Blue Jays v New York Yankees

Local Politicians Enthused By Return Of Base Ball

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

TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2016 – Day 2

The Limits Of The Billionaire Imagination Are Everyone’s Problem

Investigations Editor. You can contact her at diana@defector.com or dfmoskovitz@protonmail.com. She&#8217;s also on Signal @dmoskovitz.99

DFM New Headshot

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: ¢¢¢¢¢¢"

LAUSD strike

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

trump flag

Bring Forth The Arrest

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

desantis

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

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.