The Barbed Wire
@thebarbedwire.com
For all Texans who love Texas.
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The Barbed Wire
@thebarbedwire.com
· Oct 27
Texas is one of the queerest states in America — 1.8 million of us, more than double the number of queer New Yorkers.
Welcome to Big & Bright 🌈⭐👏 , The Barbed Wire’s new space for queer life in Texas!
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Welcome to Big & Bright 🌈⭐👏 , The Barbed Wire’s new space for queer life in Texas!
Subscribe here: thebarbedwire.com/subscribe-bi...
Leqaa Kordia was during the Columbia University protests for Palestine on March 13, 2025. She is still in ICE detention in Texas. Tomorrow, 34 Texas state legislators will hold a press conference to demand the her release.
Here's what we've reported so far
thebarbedwire.com/2025/10/27/l...
Here's what we've reported so far
thebarbedwire.com/2025/10/27/l...
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 remains in detention as DHS has taken one rare move after the next.
thebarbedwire.com
January 29, 2026 at 3:22 PM
Leqaa Kordia was during the Columbia University protests for Palestine on March 13, 2025. She is still in ICE detention in Texas. Tomorrow, 34 Texas state legislators will hold a press conference to demand the her release.
Here's what we've reported so far
thebarbedwire.com/2025/10/27/l...
Here's what we've reported so far
thebarbedwire.com/2025/10/27/l...
Reposted by The Barbed Wire
I was an avid PBS watcher when I was growing up in Iowa.
I remember seeing Brian Blessed in Flash Gordon when I was in high school and telling my friends, "Hey, that's the guy from I, Claudius." And they were like, "What are you talking about?"
I remember seeing Brian Blessed in Flash Gordon when I was in high school and telling my friends, "Hey, that's the guy from I, Claudius." And they were like, "What are you talking about?"
“For families like mine in Wichita Falls, Texas, @pbs.org was oxygen,” writes @briangaar.bsky.social . “It was proof that humor could be silly, intellectual, and a little dangerous all at once.
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/28/p...
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/28/p...
PBS Was a ‘Cultural Life Vest’ for Kids Like Me Before the Internet. The Fight to Keep Public Media Alive Feels Personal.
From late-night “Doctor Who” to “Monty Python,” PBS beamed in the wider world to kids in Texas.
thebarbedwire.com
January 28, 2026 at 6:21 PM
I was an avid PBS watcher when I was growing up in Iowa.
I remember seeing Brian Blessed in Flash Gordon when I was in high school and telling my friends, "Hey, that's the guy from I, Claudius." And they were like, "What are you talking about?"
I remember seeing Brian Blessed in Flash Gordon when I was in high school and telling my friends, "Hey, that's the guy from I, Claudius." And they were like, "What are you talking about?"
Reposted by The Barbed Wire
PBS shaped me like nothing before or since. From my Sesame Street days on down to quoting Blackadder with fellow drama nerds, and well beyond. When I wax nostalgic about television, sure, a lot of it is from the cheap UHF stations, but KERA 13, just at the edge of the dial, was reliably there.
January 28, 2026 at 8:35 PM
PBS shaped me like nothing before or since. From my Sesame Street days on down to quoting Blackadder with fellow drama nerds, and well beyond. When I wax nostalgic about television, sure, a lot of it is from the cheap UHF stations, but KERA 13, just at the edge of the dial, was reliably there.
Reposted by The Barbed Wire
Iowa Public Television had Doctor Who in the early 70s, as well as Monty Python, Red Dwarf, and Masterpiece Theatre. I never realized how lucky we were to have access to these shows, just took it for granted when I was young.
“For families like mine in Wichita Falls, Texas, @pbs.org was oxygen,” writes @briangaar.bsky.social . “It was proof that humor could be silly, intellectual, and a little dangerous all at once.
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/28/p...
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/28/p...
PBS Was a ‘Cultural Life Vest’ for Kids Like Me Before the Internet. The Fight to Keep Public Media Alive Feels Personal.
From late-night “Doctor Who” to “Monty Python,” PBS beamed in the wider world to kids in Texas.
thebarbedwire.com
January 28, 2026 at 6:30 PM
Iowa Public Television had Doctor Who in the early 70s, as well as Monty Python, Red Dwarf, and Masterpiece Theatre. I never realized how lucky we were to have access to these shows, just took it for granted when I was young.
Reposted by The Barbed Wire
same.
rural Texas, Gulf Coast
rural Texas, Gulf Coast
“For families like mine in Wichita Falls, Texas, @pbs.org was oxygen,” writes @briangaar.bsky.social . “It was proof that humor could be silly, intellectual, and a little dangerous all at once.
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/28/p...
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/28/p...
PBS Was a ‘Cultural Life Vest’ for Kids Like Me Before the Internet. The Fight to Keep Public Media Alive Feels Personal.
From late-night “Doctor Who” to “Monty Python,” PBS beamed in the wider world to kids in Texas.
thebarbedwire.com
January 28, 2026 at 6:50 PM
same.
rural Texas, Gulf Coast
rural Texas, Gulf Coast
Reposted by The Barbed Wire
It was the same for me in rural Missouri. Especially when I only had an antenna that only allowed me to pick up PBS and two other local channels reliably.
“For families like mine in Wichita Falls, Texas, @pbs.org was oxygen,” writes @briangaar.bsky.social . “It was proof that humor could be silly, intellectual, and a little dangerous all at once.
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/28/p...
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/28/p...
PBS Was a ‘Cultural Life Vest’ for Kids Like Me Before the Internet. The Fight to Keep Public Media Alive Feels Personal.
From late-night “Doctor Who” to “Monty Python,” PBS beamed in the wider world to kids in Texas.
thebarbedwire.com
January 28, 2026 at 7:00 PM
It was the same for me in rural Missouri. Especially when I only had an antenna that only allowed me to pick up PBS and two other local channels reliably.
Reposted by The Barbed Wire
In October, Sam Judy spoke to Leqaa Kordia about her case in a comprehensive piece for @thebarbedwire.com
This coming Friday, 34 Texas state legislators will hold a press conference at the Prairieland Detention Center to demand her release.
Read more here:
thebarbedwire.com/2025/10/27/l...
This coming Friday, 34 Texas state legislators will hold a press conference at the Prairieland Detention Center to demand her release.
Read more here:
thebarbedwire.com/2025/10/27/l...
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 remains in detention as DHS has taken one rare move after the next.
thebarbedwire.com
January 28, 2026 at 6:38 PM
In October, Sam Judy spoke to Leqaa Kordia about her case in a comprehensive piece for @thebarbedwire.com
This coming Friday, 34 Texas state legislators will hold a press conference at the Prairieland Detention Center to demand her release.
Read more here:
thebarbedwire.com/2025/10/27/l...
This coming Friday, 34 Texas state legislators will hold a press conference at the Prairieland Detention Center to demand her release.
Read more here:
thebarbedwire.com/2025/10/27/l...
Reposted by The Barbed Wire
THere's a YouTube video of (most of) Monty Python in Dallas for a fund raising drive just pre-Holy Grail but I think the PBS representative is the floor manager and not the elder Mr. Wilson.
Monty Python visits KERA TV in 1975
YouTube video by KERA
www.youtube.com
January 28, 2026 at 6:12 PM
THere's a YouTube video of (most of) Monty Python in Dallas for a fund raising drive just pre-Holy Grail but I think the PBS representative is the floor manager and not the elder Mr. Wilson.
Reposted by The Barbed Wire
basically what it was like out towards shreveport as well, i owe louisiana public broadcasting so much
“For families like mine in Wichita Falls, Texas, @pbs.org was oxygen,” writes @briangaar.bsky.social . “It was proof that humor could be silly, intellectual, and a little dangerous all at once.
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/28/p...
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/28/p...
PBS Was a ‘Cultural Life Vest’ for Kids Like Me Before the Internet. The Fight to Keep Public Media Alive Feels Personal.
From late-night “Doctor Who” to “Monty Python,” PBS beamed in the wider world to kids in Texas.
thebarbedwire.com
January 28, 2026 at 6:11 PM
basically what it was like out towards shreveport as well, i owe louisiana public broadcasting so much
omg
Small bit of trivia: the Dallas PBS station manager who approved buying/converting the Monty Python tapes, which essentially led to their movie career because it was so well received in America via the PBS underground, was Robert Wilson (father of Owen, Luke, and Future Man Wilson)
January 28, 2026 at 6:10 PM
omg
Reposted by The Barbed Wire
There are men with pick axes chipping away at inches of ice on the super steep Torchy’s exit ramp down the street
Texas is finally beginning to thaw out after a winter storm swept through the country over the weekend. Here’s how the wintry weather is still affecting Texans, by the numbers.
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/27/t...
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/27/t...
Texas’ 2026 Winter Storm Caused More than 6,700 Flight Disruptions and Left More than 100,000 People Without Power
As temperatures finally get above freezing for most of Texas, at least three deaths were reported and thousands are without power.
thebarbedwire.com
January 27, 2026 at 6:50 PM
There are men with pick axes chipping away at inches of ice on the super steep Torchy’s exit ramp down the street
Reposted by The Barbed Wire
This is a must-read, beautiful essay about how important PBS is to kids.
“It was a cultural life vest,” said Lawrence Sonntag, who grew up in Azle, Texas. “It felt like looking at the world’s vibrance and beauty through a straw, but that made it the most important straw.”
“It was a cultural life vest,” said Lawrence Sonntag, who grew up in Azle, Texas. “It felt like looking at the world’s vibrance and beauty through a straw, but that made it the most important straw.”
“For families like mine in Wichita Falls, Texas, @pbs.org was oxygen,” writes @briangaar.bsky.social . “It was proof that humor could be silly, intellectual, and a little dangerous all at once.
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/28/p...
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/28/p...
PBS Was a ‘Cultural Life Vest’ for Kids Like Me Before the Internet. The Fight to Keep Public Media Alive Feels Personal.
From late-night “Doctor Who” to “Monty Python,” PBS beamed in the wider world to kids in Texas.
thebarbedwire.com
January 28, 2026 at 6:05 PM
This is a must-read, beautiful essay about how important PBS is to kids.
“It was a cultural life vest,” said Lawrence Sonntag, who grew up in Azle, Texas. “It felt like looking at the world’s vibrance and beauty through a straw, but that made it the most important straw.”
“It was a cultural life vest,” said Lawrence Sonntag, who grew up in Azle, Texas. “It felt like looking at the world’s vibrance and beauty through a straw, but that made it the most important straw.”
“For families like mine in Wichita Falls, Texas, @pbs.org was oxygen,” writes @briangaar.bsky.social . “It was proof that humor could be silly, intellectual, and a little dangerous all at once.
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/28/p...
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/28/p...
PBS Was a ‘Cultural Life Vest’ for Kids Like Me Before the Internet. The Fight to Keep Public Media Alive Feels Personal.
From late-night “Doctor Who” to “Monty Python,” PBS beamed in the wider world to kids in Texas.
thebarbedwire.com
January 28, 2026 at 6:04 PM
“For families like mine in Wichita Falls, Texas, @pbs.org was oxygen,” writes @briangaar.bsky.social . “It was proof that humor could be silly, intellectual, and a little dangerous all at once.
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/28/p...
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/28/p...
UPDATE: Two 16-year-olds died while taking part in dangerous "truck sledding" trend.
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/26/t...
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/26/t...
‘Truck Sledding’ Videos Went Viral During the Winter Storm. Then Two 16-Year-Old Best Friends Died.
Viral videos across social media show a dangerous trend, ‘truck sledding,' or dragging a person behind a vehicle on icy roads.
thebarbedwire.com
January 28, 2026 at 4:50 PM
UPDATE: Two 16-year-olds died while taking part in dangerous "truck sledding" trend.
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/26/t...
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/26/t...
Texas is finally beginning to thaw out after a winter storm swept through the country over the weekend. Here’s how the wintry weather is still affecting Texans, by the numbers.
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/27/t...
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/27/t...
Texas’ 2026 Winter Storm Caused More than 6,700 Flight Disruptions and Left More than 100,000 People Without Power
As temperatures finally get above freezing for most of Texas, at least three deaths were reported and thousands are without power.
thebarbedwire.com
January 27, 2026 at 6:44 PM
Texas is finally beginning to thaw out after a winter storm swept through the country over the weekend. Here’s how the wintry weather is still affecting Texans, by the numbers.
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/27/t...
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/27/t...
Reposted by The Barbed Wire
404 media but for bbq
Kaleb Blain, a 35-year old trans man and pitmaster, was fired from the legendary BBQ restaurant Terry Black’s after he was doxxed over Charlie Kirk comments.
Now he’s running his own barbecue spot in Waco: “I feel better than I ever have.”
By @kitoconnell.com
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/21/b...
Now he’s running his own barbecue spot in Waco: “I feel better than I ever have.”
By @kitoconnell.com
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/21/b...
‘Barbecue Saved My Life’: Meet Waco’s Antifascist Transgender Pitmaster
Kaleb Blain went from the fast-paced world of 911 dispatching to the “low and slow” of BBQ, where he’s built a following.
thebarbedwire.com
January 27, 2026 at 4:22 PM
404 media but for bbq
Reposted by The Barbed Wire
Agents arrested Génesis and her mother, Karen, at their Austin home earlier this month. Karen called Austin PD at 4:30 a.m. for help. A man — whom she had an expired restraining order against — had showed up at their house. They’ve since been deported to Honduras.
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/15/a...
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/15/a...
A 5-Year-Old Disappeared in Austin. A Mom Shot Dead in Minneapolis. How Much More Violence Will It Take to ‘Abolish ICE’?
50% of American women support the abolish ICE movement.
thebarbedwire.com
January 27, 2026 at 5:45 PM
Agents arrested Génesis and her mother, Karen, at their Austin home earlier this month. Karen called Austin PD at 4:30 a.m. for help. A man — whom she had an expired restraining order against — had showed up at their house. They’ve since been deported to Honduras.
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/15/a...
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/15/a...
Reposted by The Barbed Wire
I wrote about my childhood friend Alexi Pretti. Please read it and share it and remember him as a human being. @theverge.com
I grew up with Alex Pretti
The kind-hearted ICU nurse shot by ICE agents was my childhood best friend.
www.theverge.com
January 27, 2026 at 4:45 PM
I wrote about my childhood friend Alexi Pretti. Please read it and share it and remember him as a human being. @theverge.com
Reposted by The Barbed Wire
This thread is something else! Lol at Ted Cruz putting daylight btwn him and Trump but not John Cornyn. Still hoping for that endorsement that is 💯 going to Paxton.
Calls for the agency’s reform, investigations into its operations, and de-escalation among its officers are coming from inside the house: “This ICE and its leadership need to go — now.”
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/27/t...
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/27/t...
Even Texas Republicans Are Starting to Turn on ICE After Alex Pretti’s Killing
It was the second time this month that Americans saw the Trump administration contradict video evidence of murders that citizens could watch
thebarbedwire.com
January 27, 2026 at 5:26 PM
This thread is something else! Lol at Ted Cruz putting daylight btwn him and Trump but not John Cornyn. Still hoping for that endorsement that is 💯 going to Paxton.
🧵 As a rare storm blanketed the Texas state capital in frost Monday, Texas Republicans joined a chorus of criticisms against the DHS, its Secretary Kristi Noem, and ICE for terrorizing American cities in Trump’s second term.
In short, Hell has frozen over.
In short, Hell has frozen over.
Calls for the agency’s reform, investigations into its operations, and de-escalation among its officers are coming from inside the house: “This ICE and its leadership need to go — now.”
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/27/t...
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/27/t...
Even Texas Republicans Are Starting to Turn on ICE After Alex Pretti’s Killing
It was the second time this month that Americans saw the Trump administration contradict video evidence of murders that citizens could watch
thebarbedwire.com
January 27, 2026 at 5:13 PM
🧵 As a rare storm blanketed the Texas state capital in frost Monday, Texas Republicans joined a chorus of criticisms against the DHS, its Secretary Kristi Noem, and ICE for terrorizing American cities in Trump’s second term.
In short, Hell has frozen over.
In short, Hell has frozen over.
RAICES rose to national prominence with a reputation for protecting children from deportation.
The Trump administration canceled their funding until impacted nonprofits sued and got the funding restored.
Then RAICES declined the funding.
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/07/r...
The Trump administration canceled their funding until impacted nonprofits sued and got the funding restored.
Then RAICES declined the funding.
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/07/r...
RAICES Raised Millions to Protect Minors from Deportation. Then It Dropped Them ‘Like It Was Nothing,’ Ex Staffers Claim.
Texas nonprofit falsely represented its reasoning for dropping child immigration clients to employees and in court records, ex staffers say.
thebarbedwire.com
January 27, 2026 at 4:28 PM
RAICES rose to national prominence with a reputation for protecting children from deportation.
The Trump administration canceled their funding until impacted nonprofits sued and got the funding restored.
Then RAICES declined the funding.
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/07/r...
The Trump administration canceled their funding until impacted nonprofits sued and got the funding restored.
Then RAICES declined the funding.
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/07/r...
Reposted by The Barbed Wire
A college friend, Tony, never came back to school after the freshman winter break, because he was doing this in a parking lot and slammed into the bumper of a parked car. He was permanently brain damaged and disabled.
Do not do this.
Do not do this.
Videos of young adults, giddy at the rare snowfall and ice-covered roads, were all over Instagram and TikTok feeds this weekend. Some were taking part in a dangerous trend — “truck sledding” — or dragging a person behind a vehicle on icy roads.
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/26/t...
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/26/t...
‘Truck Sledding’ Videos Went Viral During the Winter Storm. Then a 16-Year-Old Died.
Viral videos across social media show a dangerous trend, ‘truck sledding,' or dragging a person behind a vehicle on icy roads.
thebarbedwire.com
January 26, 2026 at 8:21 PM
A college friend, Tony, never came back to school after the freshman winter break, because he was doing this in a parking lot and slammed into the bumper of a parked car. He was permanently brain damaged and disabled.
Do not do this.
Do not do this.
Videos of young adults, giddy at the rare snowfall and ice-covered roads, were all over Instagram and TikTok feeds this weekend. Some were taking part in a dangerous trend — “truck sledding” — or dragging a person behind a vehicle on icy roads.
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/26/t...
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/26/t...
‘Truck Sledding’ Videos Went Viral During the Winter Storm. Then a 16-Year-Old Died.
Viral videos across social media show a dangerous trend, ‘truck sledding,' or dragging a person behind a vehicle on icy roads.
thebarbedwire.com
January 26, 2026 at 7:29 PM
Videos of young adults, giddy at the rare snowfall and ice-covered roads, were all over Instagram and TikTok feeds this weekend. Some were taking part in a dangerous trend — “truck sledding” — or dragging a person behind a vehicle on icy roads.
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/26/t...
thebarbedwire.com/2026/01/26/t...
Reposted by The Barbed Wire
Great article. Lots of facts and real analysis. Much appreciated.
January 24, 2026 at 10:09 PM
Great article. Lots of facts and real analysis. Much appreciated.