EXCLUSIVE At least 30% of adults turn to dating websites to find love these days. The largest platforms — like Match, Bumble, and Hinge — cater to a general audience. Others, like ChristianMingle and JDate, cater to specific ones. Then, there’s White Date. “Ive never joined a dating site before, so I dont know what […]
Author Archives: Steven Monacelli
Steven Monacelli writes the Hell & High Water column for The Barbed Wire. He works as the Special Investigative Correspondent for the Texas Observer and is the publisher of Protean, a nonprofit literary publication. His work has been featured in Rolling Stone, The Daily Beast, WIRED, Nieman Lab, Texas Monthly, Dallas Observer, and more.
Steven grew up in Colleyville and currently resides in Dallas, where his reporting contributed to the indictment of two police officers on police brutality charges. Steven’s favorite thing about Texas is that it has a best-in-the nation anti-SLAPP law, which protects journalists — and everyone else — exercising their First Amendment rights.
Posted inNews
He’s an Unapologetic Fascist Who ‘Despises’ Democracy. He Still Wants You to Vote for Him.
“If a fascist is merely someone who opposes democracy, then let me be clear: I oppose democracy — and have always opposed democracy,” Jason Lee Van Dyke wrote. That was a part of a lengthy response I received after I’d emailed the North Texas lawyer to ask a few questions because on Nov. 11, he […]
Posted inOpinion
Ken Paxton Compared Charlie Kirk to Jesus — Then Used Him as an Excuse to Crush Free Speech
In the conservative Christian movement, Charlie Kirk was more than a far-right activist — to many, including Attorney General Ken Paxton, the self-described free speech advocate who founded Turning Point USA was a martyr who died for his cause. That sentiment was on full display Tuesday night at an event organized by the Texas Tech […]
Posted inNews
‘None of It Makes Any Sense’: New Details in the July 4 ICE Attack Show Holes in Feds’ Case
On July 12, Amber Lowrey arrived at her sister’s apartment in Fort Worth. The FBI had raided it days earlier, Lowrey said, and she surveyed the wreckage: shattered windows, broken doors, damaged floorboards from a flash bang. Agents seized four “pages of map documents,” according to a property receipt reviewed by The Barbed Wire. Lowrey’s […]
Posted inNews
Need a Court-Appointed Lawyer in North Texas? You Might Get One With a White Nationalist Tattoo.
EXCLUSIVE Editor’s note: This story includes quotes in which the subject uses offensive racial slurs and references to racial terror. The Barbed Wire does not condone the use of such language, but believes them to be newsworthy, important context. Any racist language has been censored with hyphens. This is a story about white nationalism, taxpayer […]
Posted inNews
‘If They Get Away With It in Texas,’ You’re Next. Democrats Sound the Alarm on Racist Redistricting Fight.
Texas Democrats have a message for all American voters: You’re in the redistricting fight, whether you know it or not. “This is a real stress test for democracy, and if they get away with it in Texas, then it’s likely to come to a state near you,” said Rep. Rafael Anchía, a Democratic member of […]
Posted inNews
Austin Firefighters Ring the Alarm Over $8.3M in Funding Cuts After Controversial Flood Response
The Austin Fire Department is facing another blow after a chaotic two weeks. Austin’s city manager released a proposed budget on Tuesday that includes a $8.3 million overtime funding cut for the Austin Fire Department as the Central Texas region is still reeling from catastrophic July 4 flooding that took at least 134 lives. The […]
Posted inOpinion
What Can Texans Learn from Zohran Mamdani’s Political Earthquake? More Than You’d Think.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past week, you know that a young democratic socialist just swept away establishment opposition in the New York City mayoral Democratic primary election. Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assemblyman in New York defied polling odds — and conventional wisdom — in a blowout victory that sent […]
Posted inNews
Will Cities Stop Using AI License Plate Readers? Some Are Reconsidering After Reports of ICE Searches.
Local lawmakers in Texas are responding to recent reports that some law enforcement agencies are using automated license plate reader technology to support Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions. Last week, The Barbed Wire delved into data first reported by 404 Media and found that at least five law enforcement agencies across Texas have conducted at […]
Posted inOpinion
Texas Police Are Running Constitutionally Questionable AI License Plate Searches for ICE
Many law enforcement agencies across the nation, including in Texas, use networks of cameras to automatically track cars — and some are using them to support federal immigration enforcement. That’s the topline from data recently obtained through a public records request first reported by 404 Media that The Barbed Wire has independently reviewed. Earlier this […]