lots of reasons I love working at Defector but the latest is that we decided to increase our freelance rates, simply because they’ve been the same for 5 years and it felt like we should be paying more now
Rachelle D’nae
@heyydnae.bsky.social
it’s pronounced like Rachel babygirl at defector dot com
The great Rachelle Hampton is my co-pilot today, and she wrote a great bit about what felt familiar and what felt new after checking in with Claude Monet at The Met: defector.com/monet-throug...
Monet, Through The Iris | Defector
Claude Monet’s painting The Path through the Irises is hard to ignore. First of all, there’s the sheer size of it—the canvas stretches six and a half feet high and over five feet across. The Path thro...
defector.com
Happy Survivor 50 day! Ahead of tonight's premiere, the Defector jury got together to explain every player's deal and pass judgement on their chances of winning. You can read our (massive) preview here: defector.com/an-extensive...
An Extensive And Exhaustive Player-By-Player Preview Of 'Survivor 50' | Defector
There’s nothing quite like a returnee season of Survivor. Wednesday night’s Season 50 premiere will begin the sixth season in the show’s history featuring a cast entirely of returning players: 24 vete...
defector.com
Malala? On Normal Gossip? In this economy? defector.com/who-said-mal...
Who Said Malala Doesn’t Like To Gossip? | Defector
We’re back, baby! And we’re kicking off our ninth season of Normal Gossip by gabbing it up with Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai! In this episode, Rachelle and Malala dig into such questions as whethe...
defector.com
Honored to be a panelist for Noella's panel at NEW YORK COMIC CON! We'll be talking about the subject of her upcoming book — Misogynoir and Multiverses: A Black Girl's Guide to Fandom Culture — as part of NYCC's professional programming in partnership with NYPL! Come see us! Oct. 9 at 5pm @ NYCC!
Sabrina Imbler spoke to Mary Giovagnoli about the idea that children are children first, her fears for the Office of Refugee Resettlement's future, and the principle that the government exists to serve the public. defector.com/an-interview...
An Interview With A Fired Unaccompanied Children Ombuds | Defector
When Mary Giovagnoli was in law school, she spent a year working as a junior public defender representing people accused of misdemeanors. “I really liked the work, but it was emotionally devastating,…
defector.com
Folks, @rpavelko.bsky.social & I need your help. If you or someone you know listens to NORMAL GOSSIP, we'd love you/them to take this survey. More info attached. @defector.com @mckinneykelsey.bsky.social @heyydnae.bsky.social pennstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...
so Trump just wrapped up his "Liberation Day" conference on the massive new "reciprocal" tariffs he's imposing on many of our key trading partners. if you're wondering what exactly this means for prices and the economy, I've got a comprehensive guide for you right here: slate.com/business/202...
The Reason Behind Trump’s Newest Tariffs Is Dumber Than You Think
He’s turning basic groceries into luxury items.
slate.com
Just read everything by Sabrina Imbler. Who's always swimming upstream and into interesting channels.
Defector@defector.com · last yr.Sabrina Imbler spoke to fish biologist Sara Hugentobler about the extraordinary life of salmon, the warning signs of her termination, and the threats the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service layoffs pose to endangered species. defector.com/an-interview...
laying off @methsaxon.bsky.social is one of the dumbest decisions slate could've made
Slate Union@slateunion.bsky.social · last yr.On Monday morning, Slate was suddenly informed that six of its employees—including three editors, two of whom were members of the union—were being laid off, just months after four other staffers were also let go. The Slate Union's official statement reads as follows:
"Gaza is not something that can be seen most purely in terms of Middle Eastern politics, or through the politics of Palestinian resistance, or through the politics of the state of Israel. It is now a world-historical atrocity..." defector.com/the-world-af...
Pankaj Mishra On Gaza, The Memory Of The Holocaust, And The "Very Dark World" To Come | Defector
In his own words, Pankaj Mishra wrote his latest book not to describe the atrocities in Gaza, which have been well documented, but “to ask some very basic questions: How can human beings treat other h...
defector.com
Gonna need more non-disabled people to see stuff like this and understand that ableism is also one of the integral -isms the right is devoted to, so it should be jettisoned whenever and in whomever you encounter it
Julia Métraux@juliametraux.bsky.social · 2y agoFive major airlines are suing to overturn a rule from then-Transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg that actually holds airlines accountable for damaging disabled people's wheelchairs. New from me at @motherjones.com. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
"...Black politics is on life support. By Black politics we mean politics that unapologetically advocates for the needs of Black people. The presence of Black politicians is not necessarily evidence that Black politics are being asserted." www.blackagendareport.com/eric-adams-a...
Eric Adams and the Death of Black Politics | Black Agenda Report
The indictment of New York City mayor Eric Adams is the latest example of moribund Black politics. Rich donors and corporate media decide who will be elected to office, while the people’s needs go una...
blackagendareport.com
Jeff Coltin@jccoltin.bsky.social · 2y agoEight Black state legislators ask Hochul not to remove Adams - “our communities will never forget it” if she does and she should leave it up to voters. Led by Brooklyn Dems leader Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, list also includes lawmakers close to Jeffries and Meeks.
jon caramanica doesn't need defenders but dude basically said the same thing as craig jenkins just under a shittier headline and professional writers who refuse to read are calling him racist for it
“Israeli police have raided a leading Palestinian-owned bookshop in Jerusalem and detained two of its owners, citing a children’s colouring book as evidence of incitement to terrorism.”
Alina Stefanescu@alinaetc.bsky.social · 2y ago
www.vox.com/culture/3990... Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show was more concerned with Drake than politics
Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show was more concerned with Drake than politics
MAGA still hated the Pulitzer Prize winner’s performance.
vox.com
LA STUDENTS WALK OUT AGAIN- High school AND middle school students have taken over the streets in front of LA city hall for the 5th straight day of anti-ICE, immigration rights protests. This won’t be slowing down anytime soon When is the rest of LA going to start joining them?
People’s City Council - Los Angeles @pplscitycouncil.bsky.social · 2y agoLA STUDENT WALK OUT - RIGHT NOW: high school students have walked out of class and gathered in front of LA city hall for the fourth straight day of anti-ICE, immigration rights protests. Solidarity with the youth! 🫡 Fuck ICE!
Really fits that the guy who's like "we have conquered the globe and so by rights we must rule it" leads his online bio with the fact that he was the first employee at Roblox. "Yeah, I'm kind of the Alexander The Great of working at the video game with all the sex offenders in the chat."
Adrian Daub@adriandaub.bsky.social · 2y ago2025 will go down as the year when all the subtext became text
"The delay in receiving its federal funds forced the Appalachian Center for Independent Living, which has operated in the Charleston, West Virginia, area for four decades, to lay off its employment training specialist – one of its five staffers – and halt its job placement services."
CNN@cnn.com · 2y agoA 19-year-old West Virginia resident with intellectual disabilities, for example, was not able to start a job at Goodwill on Monday because a nonprofit group that facilitates employment had not received the federal grant money it requested last week.
Use. Precise. Language. "Any official, including the president, who chooses to blame everything from plane crashes to wildfires on non-White, non-male people should be asked whether they believe that desegregation is to blame. Whether they believe resegregation is the answer."
Karen Attiah@karenattiah.bsky.social · 2y agoFree gift link: wapo.st/4144prC
Hi - If you rely on federal data and websites and are now unable to access them, I would like to talk with you. You can reach me at lizzie.oleary@slate.com, or on signal at lizzieohreally.31 Thanks!
It's Free Friday at Defector! From now until Sunday night, all of our posts on here will include free-to-read gift links, so you can check out all of our blogs, even if you're not a subscriber. Just look for the gift emoji and enjoy. 🎁🎁🎁
I always feel strange doing this sort of thing but Defector.com has had an incredible January, just a ton of really good stories on a wide range of topics, and I suggest subscribing to it. I am biased, obviously, but I am really proud and grateful to get to do this the way we're doing it.
Defector | The last good website.
Defector is an employee-owned sports and culture website brought to you by the former staffers of Deadspin.
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The FUNBAG is just a tad late this week because guest host @heyydnae.bsky.social was sick, but now she’s better and has delivered a perfect rendition. defector.com/why-didnt-or...
Why Didn't Orchestra Musicians Choose To Learn Cooler Instruments? | Defector
Time for your weekly edition of the Defector Funbag. Got something on your mind? Email the Funbag. And buy Drew’s book, The Night The Lights Went Out, while you’re at it. Drew’s off. Today, we’re talk...
defector.com