As a rare storm blanketed the Texas state capital in picturesque frost on Monday, Texas Republicans joined a chorus of criticisms against the Department of Homeland Security, its Secretary Kristi Noem, and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency terrorizing American cities in President Donald Trump’s second term. In short, Hell has frozen over. This past […]
Tag: TB1
‘Truck Sledding’ Videos Went Viral During the Winter Storm. Then Two 16-Year-Old Best Friends Died.
UPDATE: January 28, 2026 Family confirms 16‑year‑old Grace Brito, died Tuesday night, after being on life support since Sunday following a sledding incident that killed her best friend, Elizabeth Angle according to CBS News affiliate KTVT in Dallas. Brito’s mom said her daughter was an All‑Star cheer competitor at Express Cheer in Frisco and had […]
Jasmine Crockett Was Asked About Her ‘Electability’ Again. Some Say That’s Just a ‘Pretext’ for Race.
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett and Texas state Rep. James Talarico faced off in a debate on Saturday, giving Texas voters their first true glimpse at the U.S. Senate candidates’ policy proposals — and contrasting political styles — ahead of the March 3 primary election. During Saturday’s debate, moderators Daniel Marin, a KXAN news anchor, and […]
Woman Placed in Solitary After Viral Cat Fundraiser Is Back in Regular Housing, Texas Prison Officials Say
We’ve got an update on the Texas inmate who was thrown in solitary confinement after her daughter raised money to help a sick cat (yes, really): She’s finally back in regular housing. Texas prison officials confirmed that Sonya Reed, 53, is no longer in administrative segregation, which is a nice way to say “solitary confinement.” […]
‘Barbecue Saved My Life’: Meet Waco’s Antifascist Transgender Pitmaster
A TikTok video with more than 100,000 views showed Kaleb Blain, a 35-year old trans man and pitmaster, standing at a folding table gesturing to a plate of freshly prepared chickens, ready for the BBQ smoker. The caption read “politics and cooking don’t mix.” But then the video cut away to a series of photos […]
So We’re Equating Drag to Blackface Now? A Texas Judge and University President Did to Ban College Drag Shows
A federal judge handed down a ruling in a contentious case over drag shows at West Texas A&M University this weekend. U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk found that the university can ban drag shows on its campus in a 46-page finding of fact that focused on minors potentially viewing sexual content at such shows. […]
What Can I Teach? Will Martin Luther King’s Work Be Censored Next?
This week starts a new semester at Texas A&M San Antonio. While preparing for it to begin, I have been asking myself questions that I have never asked in my 17 years as a college professor. Questions like, can I still teach Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”? As we celebrate the national […]
A 5-Year-Old Disappeared in Austin. A Mom Shot Dead in Minneapolis. How Much More Violence Will It Take to ‘Abolish ICE’?
In a viral post on Instagram, 5-year-old Génesis Ester Gutiérrez Castellanos smiles brightly in front of iconic Austin street art. She’s wearing purple sneakers with pink laces. In big yellow lettering, the post reads: “URGENT: 5-YEAR-OLD US CITIZEN DISAPPEARED BY ICE.” Before dawn on Jan. 5, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested Génesis and […]
The Case That Inspired the Amber Alert Was Never Solved. Will There Ever Be Justice for 9-Year-Old Amber Hagerman?
Thirty years ago, 9-year-old Amber Hagerman was riding her bike in an Arlington parking lot with her 5-year-old brother Ricky when she was kidnapped by a man in a pickup truck. Four days later, her body was found six miles away in a creek. Today, more than 1,200 missing children have been safely recovered thanks […]
‘I Didn’t Know So Many People Cared.’ How the Daughter of an Incarcerated Woman Raised $11,000 for a Sick Prison Cat.
In a place defined by razor wire, locked doors, and long sentences, a stray cat named OJ became something rare: a constant, living comfort for women who have access to very little else. And recently when OJ fell seriously ill inside a Central Texas prison, his survival came down to a small group of incarcerated […]
