Bye, Roger: The Best Times Roger Ailes Was The Worst

J.K. Trotter · 07/21/16 05:50PM

Roger Ailes, the founder and CEO of Fox News, is resigning from the network after several female employees, current and former, alleged that Ailes had sexually harassed them. To bid him adieu, we’ve collected the best of Gawker’s coverage of the times Ailes—and the company he ran until today—were the worst. Enjoy?

What Does Peter Thiel Want?

J.K. Trotter · 07/21/16 04:59PM

Tonight, in Cleveland, Silicon Valley billionaire, Facebook board member, and Donald Trump delegate Peter Thiel will address thousands of party members and journalists at the Republican National Convention. Although he has never concealed his own fringe political views—such as his contention that human freedom and representative democracy are incompatible—Thiel’s open embrace of Trump has inspired some soul-searching in the proudly progressive technology sector. Among that crowd, he’s typically considered a brilliant if mercurial oracle, while the broader public has, for the most part, treated Thiel with confusion and fascination, most recently over his years-long covert campaign to bankrupt Gawker Media. Thiel, who has styled himself as a deep, innovative, and strategic thinker about the big questions facing the world, will, tonight, have the biggest audience he has ever had. So what is he going to ask for?

All the Best Shit to Buy at the RNC

Ashley Feinberg · 07/21/16 04:30PM

CLEVELAND — The free market is alive and well here at the Republican National Convention. Because in addition to the official, RNC-sanctioned merchandise for sale within the arena, private vendors are making a killing selling Trump-themed refuse to freedom-loving, Hillary-hating passersby everywhere.

Science Watch: The Ground Is Full of Dinosaurs

Hamilton Nolan · 07/21/16 04:05PM

Stem cells! Brain map! Wheel bike! Spider talk! Hot weather! New planets! Fault lines! And what do “certain” scientists do for a living, anyhow? It’s your Thursday Science Watch, where we watch science—for pure profit!

Andy Cush · 07/21/16 03:20PM

Slate videographer Aymann Ismail, who is a practicing Muslim, confronted a bunch of doofuses in tricorn hats and Trump t-shirts at the RNC about their candidate’s open hatred of Islam. Stick around for the woman who, after explaining her own Islamophobia, tells him “you can’t categorize people in one little box.”

Some Cleveland Wisdom From Your Friendly Neighborhood RNC Weed Guy

Andy Cush · 07/21/16 01:35PM

I first met Adrian* at a dusty bar situated among warehouses, a couple miles from downtown Cleveland, where they keep the doors locked—you have to knock to get in—and the owner’s aging black lab mingles freely with the aging customers. The vaguely illicit nature of the place was suited to the purpose of our meeting, which was to exchange $100 cash for a quarter-ounce of high-grade cannabis.

Little Evidence to Support Police Explanation of Flag-Burning Arrest Outside RNC

Brendan O'Connor · 07/21/16 12:54PM

CLEVELAND — Longtime free-speech activistGregory “Joey” Johnson, who took his fight for the right to burn flags all the way to the Supreme Court, was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct following a flag burning outside the Republican National Convention on Wednesday. Police said he accidentally set himself on fire, prompting them to take action to extinguish the fire and disperse the crowd, but eyewitness accounts as well as photo and video evidence seem show a different story.

Bush Lied, Ape Died

Alex Pareene · 07/21/16 10:30AM

CLEVELAND — Despite the massive police presence outside the convention site, some free-thinkers are still out here on the streets telling brave truths.

Gawker Goes to a Punk Show

Brendan O'Connor · 07/21/16 10:15AM

CLEVELAND — On Wednesday night, as Senator Ted Cruz provided the Republican National Convention with its first true spectacle of the week, Cleveland’s punks gathered at Now That’s Class, a dive bar on the city’s west side, to vent their frustration. Vermin Supreme was in attendance, though he did not throw down in the pit.