Brian is founding member of The Barbed Wire team. A longtime Texas journalist, he has written for the Austin American-Statesman, the Waco Tribune-Herald, Texas Monthly, and more. He was also a writer and producer at Rooster Teeth.
Culture
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, has the president on speed dial. He could buy and sell you and me like action figures at a yard sale. He’s also obsessed with trying to impress gamers — and it just backfired spectacularly. This drama has been simmering for a while
Immigration
President Trump’s immigration raids have begun — and law enforcement has Texas in its crosshairs. Over the weekend, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement carried out a series of “enhanced targeted operations” across Texas, arresting dozens of people. The raids spanned across cities including Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Fort
Money
You might not realize it, but Texas has a massive pile of cash — tens of billions of dollars, in fact. It's known as the Economic Stabilization Fund (or the rainy day fund, as most people call it) and it’s one of the biggest of its kind in
News
State Rep. Dustin Burrows, a Republican from Lubbock, was elected Speaker of the Texas House Tuesday, fending off a challenge from the (even more lunatic) right as Democrats helped him win the third-most powerful job in the state. “The weight of this moment, and the trust you’ve placed
News
As wildfires rage in California, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is sending firefighters and emergency vehicles to help, proving that even a staunch Trump ally can occasionally prioritize actual emergencies over posting stupid shit on social media. On Saturday, Abbott announced he’s deploying 135 first responders and 45 emergency vehicles
News
If Texas is anything, it’s big. Drive around the state, like most of us do, and it takes forever to get anywhere — it’s even become a point of pride. We laugh at East Coasters who complain about three and four-hour drives, which are a lunch trip for
News
Texans, grab some bug spray because a parasite that can screw into your flesh could be coming our way. We know, we’re kind of freaking out, too. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is deputizing hunters, hikers, and anyone else wandering the wilds of South Texas to be on
News
With a polar vortex bringing freezing temperatures to Texas this week, it’s time to channel your inner Hank Hill and do a little home maintenance to keep your pipes from freezing. Frozen pipes are like nature’s way of pranking us in the worst possible way. And in Texas,
Crime & Justice
Can someone convicted of a horrific crime ever be redeemed? And can the victims ever truly get justice? Those are some of the questions implicitly posed in the documentary, “I Am Ready, Warden,” about Texas death row inmate John Henry Ramirez’s pursuit of redemption before his execution in 2022.
Crime & Justice
Authorities believe the Texas man implicated in the New Year’s Day attack in New Orleans acted alone, the FBI said at a Thursday press conference. Though officials previously said they were investigating the possibility that Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, may have acted with others in the attack that killed
Culture
Every year has its share of oddities, but 2024 was filled with Texas news so strange it was like someone spiked our sweet tea with a little too much Tito’s. From Enron coming back to life to a mayor suggesting we nuke a hurricane, we’ve had twelve months
Culture
The year was 1987, and the Nintendo Entertainment System was all I thought about. The Japanese video game console was king of the universe, and I wanted one. I was 11 years old and my life sucked in the ways that every 11 year old’s life sucks. Adolescence was