Pablo Torre Finds Out

The president's birthday-party fight card is straight out of central casting — and chock-full of political favor-trading. Who stands to gain the most? Luke Thomas unapologetically explains why everyone, from MMA fans to D.C. pundits, is missing the real story... then unearths fresh evidence of a purely transactional relationship.• Take the PTFO audience survey• Subscribe to "Morning Kombat" with Luke Thomas• Subscribe to Pablo's newsletter• Subscribe to The AthleticPreviously on PTFO:• The Right-Wing Takeover of Combat Sports Is Upon Us• The White House's Dirty Takeover of Public Golf Courses

The biggest party in global sport is underway, and soccer's governing body stands to profit nearly $9 billion. How did FIFA squeeze U.S. taxpayers with so many hidden costs? The Athletic's Adam Crafton crunches the numbers on wasted public money, as Pablo dissects comically absurd demands upon host cities — from "clean" stadiums and super-V.I.P. treatment... to a pop-up jail.• Take the PTFO audience survey• Subscribe to Pablo's newsletter• Subscribe to The AthleticFurther reading:• "The U.S. signed up for the World Cup — and its host cities are paying for it"• "U.S. states waived taxes to host World Cup"• "The $25.8m Kansas City 'World Cup jail'"• Rahm Emanuel Q&A: 'The numbers don't work'"

Madison Square Garden hasn't felt this alive since a little-known point guard from Harvard became the most popular person in New York City. On the occasion of his grand return, Jeremy Lin sits down with Pablo, who's been covering him since their dorm-room days, for a full-circle conversation about pressure, toughness, fleeting fame, the end of his run with the Knicks, squashing the beef with Carmelo Anthony and, yes, getting recruited by Kim Kardashian.• Take the PTFO audience survey• Subscribe to Pablo's newsletter• Subscribe to PTFO on YouTube

As Adam Silver calls for the NBA's Kawhi Leonard probe to wrap up and Aspiration's co-founder gets 14 years behind bars, Pablo investigates how Steve Ballmer covered his tracks on a side deal of his own — and with the SEC on the case. Former DOJ prosecutor Lou Manzo returns to make sense of the relationship between a billionaire and a fraudster, while David Samson is finally convinced that the richest owner in sports has lost credibility.(Additional reporting by Anita Bennett)• Take the PTFO audience survey• Subscribe to Pablo's newsletter• Subscribe to "Nothing Personal with David Samson"Previously on PTFO:• Part I: The Silent Superstar and the Rotten Apple Tree• Part II: An Argument with Mark Cuban• Part III: The Mystery Investor, the No-Show Payday and the "Smoking Gun"• Part IV: Steve Ballmer, the Other Cuban and the $118 Million Infusion• Part V: Steve Ballmer's "Inconceivable" Donation, the $20 Million Guarantee and a Head on a Spike• Part VI: An IRL Showdown with Mark Cuban• Part VII: The Briefcase, Ballmer's Social Network and Aspiration's House of Cards• Part VIII: Uncle Dennis, Ballmer's $50 Million Sprint and the Side Deal That Wouldn't Die• Part IX: Ballmer's Tree Money, the Whistle-Blowers and the Document You've Been Waiting For• Part X: Steve Ballmer's Victim Impact, the Man Who Prosecuted Aspiration and the Abacus of Incarceration(Pablo Torre Finds Out is independently produced by Meadowlark Media and distributed by The Athletic. The views, research and reporting expressed in this episode are solely those of Pablo Torre Finds Out and do not reflect the work or editorial input of The Athletic or its journalists.)

Julie K. Brown went from working in a bell factory to ringing the alarm on masters of the universe and (finally) winning a Pulitzer. The Miami Herald reporter visits Pablo to shed light on the culture of silence that protected Epstein for so long, the legal dream team that struck his secret deal, then how Epstein pulled out all the stops... to stop her investigation. Plus: the whistleblower who gave away the A-Rod steroid scandal, sneaking into a hospital to interview Joe Frazier... and the maddening therapy of Philly sports.• Take the PTFO audience survey• Read "Perversion of Justice" by Julie K. BrownPreviously on PTFO:• Part 1: We Investigate Harvard's Hidden Epstein Files• Part 2: How Harvard Whitewashed Jeffrey Epstein's Millions• Plus: The NBA Player, the Congressman and the Epstein Files

Pablo visits the mayor of New York in his backyard, on the eve of the NBA Finals — and the cusp of heartbreak for his Arsenal F.C. — to discuss Knicks joy, soccer pain, hair loss, Donald Trump, Charles Oakley, Victor Wembanyama's Eid fit and, yes, flopping. Plus: Fellow Arsenal die-hard Adam Friedland checks in, on the state of socialism... and optimism.• Take the PTFO audience survey!• Subscribe to The Adam Friedland ShowPreviously on PTFO:• Lina Khan (and Zohran Mamdani) on Why Billionaires Never Learn — and the Apolitical Absurdity of $6,000 World Cup Tickets

Can Trump ruin these Knicks vibes? Why are billionaires so sensitive? Just how much of the White House is for sale? And is the pope radical? Or can decency levitate? Plus: the joylessness of a luxury box and… Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as a war criminal.Further content:• The White House Intervened to Get a $620 Million Deal for a Company Tied to Donald Trump Jr. (ProPublica)• The Trader in the Oval Office (The Bulwark)• Subscribe to The Bulwark Podcast with Tim Miller

Ten years ago today, one gorilla's death broke the internet, from sports and politics to million-dollar memes. But Harambe's life was a tragic battle over name, image and likeness — including files the Cincinnati Zoo worked to suppress... until now. Desus Nice and Katie Nolan help Pablo get to the bottom of what gorillas in our midst can teach us about ourselves.• Subscribe to PTFO on YouTube to watch the Harambe tapes and more• Subscribe to "Casuals with Katie Nolan"

How is preparing for a game show like playing in the NFL? What's the first rule of "Jeopardy!" Fight Club? And why would you bet zero dollars with a million on the line? Plus: Katie Nolan's secret pep talk, Daily Double brain glitch, Spygate... and a buzzer bibliography.Previously on PTFO:• "Celebrity Jeopardy!" Film Study with Mina Kimes and Timothy Simons• Behind the Scenes of Pablo's History-Making "Family Feud" AdventurePlus:• Subscribe to "The Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny"• Subscribe to "The Domonique Foxworth Show"• Support SELAH Neighborhood Homeless Coalition