U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has officially pulled an attack ad in which he was accused of using a photo of two students — both minors — without permission, according to Chron.com. The transphobic ad features images of the two girls from Oregon at a track meet next to a photo of U.S. Rep. Colin Allred and […]
Author Archives: Olivia Messer
Olivia Messer is editor-in-chief of The Barbed Wire. Her decade-long, dogged investigative work on the Texas Legislature has repeatedly exposed a culture of sexual abuse and harassment, sending bipartisan shockwaves through the state and leading to significant reforms. (Keep sending her tips: olivia@thebarbedwire.com.)
Olivia grew up in Houston, then cut her teeth as a local crime reporter for The Waco Tribune-Herald before moving to New York, where she wrote for The Daily Beast’s award-winning Cheat Sheet newsletter and then national news desk. She is now based in Austin and has published work in Rolling Stone, Marie Claire, Slate, Texas Monthly, and Texas Observer. Tina Brown once called her “meticulous,” and Barbara Bush once read to her elementary school class. Her forthcoming novel — about a journalist losing her grip on reality — is called Something’s Wrong With the Girls and will be published by Rare Bird.
Posted inCulture
Cowboys’ Player Gives TV Reporter ‘Dee’s Nuts,’ Makes Amends After Row
A Dallas Cowboys’ cornerback confronted a scrum of reporters on Sunday after a WFAA journalist, during the game against the 49ers, tweeted: “What is Trevon Diggs doing on this play?” Critical — though innocuous — as that was, Diggs’ saw it after the team’s 30-24 loss and went to find WFAA’s Mike Leslie outside the […]
Posted inPolitics
‘I See You, and I Am With You.’ Texas Women Needed That Harris Rally.
In Texas, the past few years for women have been terrifying. Abortion bans became real. Exceptions turned out to be rare. Some have nearly died during miscarriages. If you don’t feel like you’ve been abandoned by our lawmakers, you might feel like the government is trying to kill you. The 2024 election cycle, meanwhile, has […]
Posted inNews
Five Days After His Birthday, Robert Roberson’s Miracle Ended
UPDATE, Nov. 15, 12:30 p.m.: Five days after his birthday on Nov. 10, the Texas Supreme Court lifted Robert Roberson’s stay of execution, allowing the state of Texas to move forward with the execution. UPDATE, Oct. 18, 6:33 a.m.: In a shocking late night decision, the Texas Supreme Court has stayed Robert Roberson’s execution. Roberson […]
Posted inOpinion
The Weirdest & Worst Things Ted Cruz Has Ever Done
Tuesday night’s debate was not great for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz. His opponent, Colin Allred, ripped him a new one, calling him an “architect” of the attempted insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, who was “hiding in a supply closet” when the mob finally entered the Capitol. “You’re a threat to democracy,” Allred said. “You cannot […]
Posted inNews
‘Governor Abbott, I Did Not Do This’: Texan in Death Row ‘Junk Science’ Case Pleads For His Life
UPDATE, Oct. 8, 3:55 p.m.: Robert Roberson, the father who is scheduled to be put to death on Oct. 17, has been granted a hearing by the Anderson County District Court on a motion to vacate his execution warrant, his attorneys announced on Tuesday. The motion to vacate alleges that a previous judge on Roberson’s sentencing, […]
Posted inCulture
Texas Agency Spammed by ‘Bee Movie’ Scripts, Gay Porn Over Anti-Trans Policies
Oh noooooooo. In a devastating turn of events, LGBTQIA+ advocates have begun email-spamming the state with links to sex toys, porn, and the entire script from the cult-classic absurd animated film “Bee Movie” over a new anti-trans policy, which banned Texans from changing the sex listed on their driver’s licenses, according to KUT. Texas Attorney […]
Posted inNews
Why Did This Dem Club Host an Accused Sexual Harasser? ‘He Came with a Check.’
A Houston-area political club came under fire on Monday after inviting Democratic state Sen. Borris Miles — who has been accused of sexual harassment, including groping and forcible kissing, by at least six women — to a weekend fundraiser. The Meyerland Democrats Club “get out the vote” event was attended by several other Democratic lawmakers, […]
Posted inNews
Elon Musk Secretly Funded ‘Pedophile’ Fliers, Attack Ads Against Texas Prosecutor
Elon Musk, the Austin-based father of (at least) 12 children who creepily offered to impregnate Taylor Swift earlier this week, secretly funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars in an unsuccessful attempt to remove Travis County District Attorney José Garza from office, according to a blockbuster Wall Street Journal exclusive. Musk — who runs Tesla, SpaceX, […]
Posted inOpinion
What’s Wrong With Our Men? And What Can We Do About It?
Editor’s note: Visit the state’s Family Violence Program Resources page for a directory of shelters and support services. The National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached at 800-799-SAFE (7233) or by texting “START” to 88788. If you or someone you know is in crisis, there is help available. Call or text 988 to reach the […]