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In case you missed them, here are our favorite reads:
Whistleblower Says Radioactive Fracking Waste Site Melted His Jaw. Now There’s an Elementary School There.
Between 20 million and 60 million tons of hazardous waste have been dumped in and around Dallas-Fort Worth.
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‘Political Prisoner’ Leqaa Kordia Has Been Hospitalized, DHS Says. After Calling 16 Hospitals, Her Lawyers Say They Can’t Find Her.
The Columbia University protester was already dizzy with a fever when lawmakers tried to visit her last month — and her health is declining fast.
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RAICES Raised Millions to Protect Minors from Deportation. Then It Dropped Them ‘Like It Was Nothing,’ Ex Staffers Claim.
The nonprofit voluntarily declined a $19.5 million annual contract from the federal government, falsely representing its reasoning for dropping child clients to employees and in court records, former staffers told The Barbed Wire.
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A Moment With Rob Reiner That Meant Everything
One night at a comedy club in Texas, I was at a low point in need of a boost. Then a legend appeared.
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Where Did Anti-Trans Laws Start? How a Forgotten Houston Ordinance Turned Into a Massive, Nationwide Culture War
Texas conservatives have spent more than a decade obsessing over the bathroom rights of roughly 1% of the population — and they provided a blueprint for the rest of the country to do the same.
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He’s an Unapologetic Fascist Who ‘Despises’ Democracy. He Still Wants You to Vote for Him.
The court-appointed public defender in North Texas was once leader of the Proud Boys, has posted racist threats online, and sports a white nationalist tattoo. Now he wants to represent you.
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I’m a Trans Journalist Choosing to Live in Texas. Here’s Why That Matters.
Allow Kit O’Connell to introduce themselves.
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A Disabled Child’s Mom Reported Him Missing. He Was Locked Away by Federal Immigration Authorities for 48 Days.
Emmanuel Gonzalez, a 15-year-old who has an intellectual disability, walked away from his mom’s fruit stand in October. Houston Police called ICE instead of reuniting them.
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‘They Were Very Sorry for Your Loss’: Ex-San Antonio Officers Found Not Guilty in City’s First Murder Trial for Police Shooting
Three former officers faced life in prison for the death of Melissa Perez, whom they shot behind a locked glass door.
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‘Our No. 1.’ Longhorns Remember Superfan Scott Wilson, Who Never Missed a Game.
Legendary football coach Mack Brown, Quarterback Colt McCoy, and other members of Longhorn Nation share memories of a fallen friend.
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After 220 Days, Leqaa Kordia Is the Last Columbia Protester in ICE Detention. She’s Still Fighting for Freedom.
While other Palestinian protesters have been released, Leqaa Kordia has languished in Prairieland Detention Center. “I am not forgotten by my people,” she said.
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She Survived 141 Days in ICE Custody Thanks to a ‘Beautiful Sisterhood.’ Now She’s Fighting for Those Still Inside.
22-year-old Ward Sakeik, a Palestinian woman who has lived in Texas since she was 9, says her experience in federal detainment could only be identified as “human trafficking.” And she’s not staying quiet about the women she was forced to leave behind.
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Nicolandria’s Love Is a Balm for Black Women from the South
Maybe seeing this 24-year-old white man love his Black partner out loud, with devotion, can heal some of our old wounds. But only if we talk about them.
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Need a Court-Appointed Lawyer in North Texas? You Might Get One With a White Nationalist Tattoo.
Jason Lee Van Dyke — one-time leader of the Proud Boys, sender of racist tweets, and attorney for white supremacists — is receiving taxpayer dollars to represent people of color. Officials in Denton County say there’s no rule against it.
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‘Women Have Always Been on the Front Lines.’ How Five Women at the Texas Capitol Stood Up to ‘Fascism.’
Rep. Nicole Collier, a Fort Worth Democrat, spent the night held hostage in the Texas House in protest. Then four enraged women — many of them mothers — refused to leave her side overnight.
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Nearly a Million Texas Students Have an Undocumented Parent. Who Will Protect Them When ICE Comes?
Jonatan Pech was on his way to college freshman orientation when ICE took his mom. As immigration arrests disappear families, kindergarteners and college freshman alike are heading back to school. Community members have stepped up: “We can’t abandon them.”
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The ‘King of the Hill’ Reboot Will Heal Your Complicated Relationship With Texas
Season 14 imagines a Texas that isn’t a right-wing hellscape. And it’s nice.
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‘Goodnight, Camp Mystic. We Love You.’: A 100-Year-Old Community Honors Its 27 Dead Girls
Twenty seven girls from a private Christian camp died on July 4 amid devastating floods in Texas. “I’ve been sitting with the fear those young girls and young women must have felt,” said one former counselor, “and the bravery and courage they all showed.”
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How Do You Celebrate a Country That Doesn’t Love You Back?
I’ve spent most of my adult life watching Texas lawmakers villainize Latino immigrants like my grandparents.
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Elon Musk Admitted to Cheating at Video Games. Gamers Are ‘Aghast.’ Why Did He Do It?
The billionaire’s attempt to flex his gamer skills ended in a fiery crash of credibility. Gamers are calling it “truly pathetic” and “embarrassing.” Who was all this for?
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I Can’t Believe It’s Not Heroin!
I can tell you from experience that withdrawals from 7-OH are terrible and very difficult to manage. We should stop selling synthetic opiates at the gas station.
‘In Amarillo, Black Women Die:’ The Unresolved Murder of Felita Bailey
Felita Bailey went out with cousins in Amarillo on Friday of Labor Day weekend. By sunrise, she was dead. The main suspect in her murder, a white man in his early 20s, lied to police about wielding a gun at the party where she was shot, until police presented him with video evidence. He was arrested and charged for murder. Then, he was released, infuriating Felita’s family. Police now say he fired the gun — but isn’t the culprit. And the family is accusing law enforcement in the former suspected “sundown town” of a coverup.
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The Best Christmas Ever, and the Gift of a Lifetime
In the 80s, I was a lonely kid who was new to Texas. There was one gift I wanted more than anything.
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Who Owns the Dead? Inside a Texas Family’s Fight to Honor Its Ancestors
When 63-year-old San Antonio resident Lulu Francois set out to learn about her great-grandmother, she discovered more than just suspicious death certificates, photos of never-before-seen family members, and the potential desecration of her own ancestors’ graves.
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She Voted for Trump. Then She Had Two Terrifying Miscarriages in Texas.
In 2023, my sister Victoria spent more than 24 hours hemorrhaging into three diapers when Dallas-area hospitals declined to help her. “I know you’re not supposed to have regrets, but I do,” she said, about supporting Trump. “Look what’s happened.”
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An ‘Innocent’ Man’s Last Days: Robert Roberson’s Prayers from Death Row
Lawmakers hope to save the life of a man scheduled to die on Oct. 17. His conviction was based on debunked “junk science” even former detectives say they’re “embarrassed” to have played a role in.
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The Barbed Wire is an independent news and culture outlet powered by Texans, for Texans. We keep our journalism free and accessible for everyone—no paywalls, no bull—and we rely on our readers to make it happen. Support independent media in Texas—become a member today.