The stories Texans are living — gathered, checked, and told straight. Our newsroom covers the politics, money, power, and people shaping the state, from the Capitol to campus to the county line.
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
While federal authorities crack down on immigration across the country, Texas has emerged as an epicenter, as federal officials snatch up immigrants and protesters organize in response. Across the state in the past month, ICE has detained a mother of five outside of a San Antonio immigration court. Outside an
Four years ago, Williamson County — a “big red sea” of a district, with a population just over half a million — held its first-ever Pride celebration in Taylor. Now, the annual celebration is facing jeopardy on its fifth anniversary: the mayor won’t issue a Pride proclamation. These proclamations, issued
Soon, all Texas public schools might be legally required to display the Ten Commandments on their walls after Texas lawmakers voted for a bill that will bring more religion into public schools. A Florida activist has one thing to say: “Thou Shalt Not.” Well, one more: “Bite me, Greg.” Self-
From banning THC in Texas to taking money from public schools under the guise of “school vouchers,” there have been a lot of head-scratching, controversial policies that lawmakers have passed this legislative session. Still, (call it masochism or not) we looked for glimpses of common ground. The good news
Texas lawmakers finalized a bill to walk back parts of the state’s abortion ban this week, because, surprise, surprise, it turns out that abortion care is healthcare. The bill, sent to the governor on Tuesday, is intended to give Texans a slightly lesser chance of dying during pregnancy or
As rapper M.C. Hammer once said: You can’t touch this. Clocks, that is. Last week, lawmakers approved a bill that would abolish the widely unpopular biannual time change, adopting a permanent daylight savings time for the state. The bill now awaits a sign-off from Gov. Greg Abbott.
This story includes mentions of suicide that may be triggering for some readers. Visit Mental Health First Aid for a list of resources and organizations. The national Suicide and Crisis Lifeline can be reached at 988 and is available 24/7. When the Mental Health Initiative for South Asians hosted
When naming some of Texas’ biggest industries, a few might come to mind. Oil, gas, weird rockets. But you hardly ever hear of Hollywood productions. Now, the Texas Legislature is trying to change that, with the help of a casual billion dollars. On Monday, the Texas House voted 114-26
Well, Texas, if you were hoping our elected officials might finally embrace reality, science, or even basic common sense when it comes to cannabis policy — lol, nope. Instead, the Texas House just gave a big yeehaw to banning all consumable hemp products that contain THC, because nothing says “freedom” like
Sure, this legislative session has had its share of embarrassing, absurd, even confounding bills attacking everything from public education, to transgender Texans, to abortion rights, and even furries. But there are small victories to celebrate. The Texas House has approved a bill that would remove a ban on “homosexual conduct”
UPDATE: The early heat wave broke daily records Wednesday — Austin hit 101 degrees, Houston hit 96 degrees, San Antonio may have been one of the hottest places on the planet. Closer to the boarder, Del Rio International Airport hit 106 degrees. A heat advisory remains in effect for parts of