Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Cara Kelly

The Barbed Wire @thebarbedwire.com · 9d

If you weren’t actively rooting for the Cowboys or Texans to make it all the way this year — time to unlock your inner armchair coach.

Bad Bunny is headlining the Super Bowl halftime show. And we’ve got less than 18 weeks to ensure a Texas team is there for it.

thebarbedwire.com/2025/09/29/m...

Micah Parsons’ Dallas Return Resulted In a… Tie? And More Texas Football Talk

A Bad Bunny concert, er, Super Bowl halftime show is on the line. So we’re going to need more from the Dallas Cowboys to get us there.

thebarbedwire.com

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Cara Kelly @carakelly.bsky.social · 14d

I hope it goes without saying that none of this excuses the violence that has been happening.

but to stop it, we should probably understand what even happened and investigate in good faith who is responsible, and who is not.

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Cara Kelly @carakelly.bsky.social · 14d

we’re already seeing signs of the same thing playing out with the shooting today at an ICE facility in Dallas. a bit ago, the number of dead victims was changed from two to one. but blame was already cast, way before so many other details have been solidified. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...

DHS now says 1 detainee killed, 2 in critical condition

The Department of Homeland Security corrected its earlier statement on the number of those killed in the shooting, saying this afternoon that one person was

www.nbcnews.com

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Cara Kelly @carakelly.bsky.social · 14d

also I can’t with all of the typos and grammatical mistakes.

the ammo is 5.56 not .556.

evidence SUGGESTS one shooter.

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Cara Kelly @carakelly.bsky.social · 14d

17 people have been charged in this case. one of the defendants is facing a charge of engaging in organized crime for meeting other defendants at a hotel room (no evidence yet of what she did there that was illegal). thebarbedwire.com/2025/09/24/n...

‘None of It Makes Any Sense’: New Details in the July 4 ICE Attack Show Holes in Feds’ Case

Repeated changes to the official narrative after the July 4 attack have shrouded the investigation.

thebarbedwire.com

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Cara Kelly @carakelly.bsky.social · 14d

the attack on Prairieland on July 4 was in headlines as a coordinated ambush.

but when you study the records, it wasn’t an ICE officer who was shot, it was local police. no one died. initial allegations of multiple shooters were changed to one shooter. 20-30 rounds dropped to 11.

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Cara Kelly @carakelly.bsky.social · 14d

I’ve edited several stories in a row about federal immigration and protest-related cases. and I’m noticing a trend: at the beginning, rhetoric is hot, fingers are pointed, charges are severe.

then, as we dig in, the cases start to fall apart…
thebarbedwire.com/2025/09/24/n...

‘None of It Makes Any Sense’: New Details in the July 4 ICE Attack Show Holes in Feds’ Case

Repeated changes to the official narrative after the July 4 attack have shrouded the investigation.

thebarbedwire.com

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Reposted by Cara Kelly

Olivia Messer @oliviamesser.bsky.social · 14d

NEW: @thebarbedwire.com conducted an in-depth review of the court records and statements thus far in the July 4 Prairieland case and found holes that call into question the government’s narrative.

thebarbedwire.com/2025/09/24/n...

‘None of It Makes Any Sense’: New Details in the July 4 ICE Attack Show Holes in Feds’ Case

Repeated changes to the official narrative after the July 4 attack have shrouded the investigation.

thebarbedwire.com

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Cara Kelly @carakelly.bsky.social · 15d

I still hate the male doctor who blankly stared at me while I begged for help with my migraines in 1st trimester.

and still! can’t wait to be retroactively prosecuted for whatever imagined sin I did while pregnant.

thanks @moiradonegan.bsky.social as always www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Trump’s absurd Tylenol claims heighten the suffering of pregnant women in the US | Moira Donegan

There is no evidence to support the president’s assertions about autism. But they exploit fears that already come with pregnancy

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Cara Kelly

Moira Donegan @moiradonegan.bsky.social · 15d

I wrote about the Trump administration’s false claims about Tylenol, and the moral—not scientific—burdens they place on pregnant women’s bodies. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Pregnant women do not lack for judgmental, frightening and dubiously factual instructions about their health. Everywhere, they are told that they risk the health of their fetus by partaking in a series of banal everyday activities – be it jogging or having coffee or eating a certain cheese – that they are told will lead, by obscure mechanisms that are never quite explained, to impossible and devastating health outcomes for their children-to-be. The admonishments are multiple and often contradictory, but they all tend to agree on one thing: that it is always good for women to deprive themselves of joy and relief – and to suffer more – for the sake of their fetuses.

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Reposted by Cara Kelly

Olivia Messer @oliviamesser.bsky.social · 16d

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.

thebarbedwire.com/2025/09/22/w...

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, talks about her experience in federal detainment.

thebarbedwire.com

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Cara Kelly @carakelly.bsky.social · 22d

post-retirement truth-telling is an interesting period in the life cycle of every politician. did not call Dade Phelan to be the dark knight of free speech but here we are.

thebarbedwire.com/2025/09/16/d...

Former Texas Speaker Calls Out His Party for Charlie Kirk Hypocrisy

Dade Phelan, who was ousted last year for being insufficiently insane, is blasting his fellow Republicans on social media and we are here for it.

thebarbedwire.com

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Cara Kelly @carakelly.bsky.social · 22d

love editing @iamleslierangel.bsky.social because there is always a chance that one of us or @oliviamesser.bsky.social will cry. which we did here. because journalism matters, our words matter, and who writes them matters. we will keep taking that seriously at @thebarbedwire.com

The Barbed Wire @thebarbedwire.com · 22d

"The reality is living in Texas is truly heartbreaking, but it’s also the place where communities are resisting," writes @iamleslierangel.bsky.social at the link.

Journalism can help fight the myths and half-truths Texans are taught in classrooms. Help us do more of it.

How Journalism Helped Me Fight Against the White-Washed Texas I Grew up In

As a Latina and a child of immigrants, a college journalism class taught me there was more to being Texan than the myths we tell ourselves.

thebarbedwire.com

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Reposted by Cara Kelly

Brian Gaar @briangaar.bsky.social · 23d

I wrote about the weekend in Texas football thebarbedwire.com/2025/09/15/c...

An Aggie Miracle, Boos for Arch, and Brandon Aubrey’s Golden Leg. Texas Football Had It All this Weekend

Want to know why your coworkers are talking about Brandon Aubrey? Or why your group text is hating on Arch Manning? We’re here to help.

thebarbedwire.com

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Cara Kelly @carakelly.bsky.social · 23d

are you football-curious? have no idea who Kirk Herbstreit is (or he gives you the ick)? @thebarbedwire.com is here to help.

we’re doing Texas football coverage our way. which means jokes, internet moments and just enough analysis to hold your own in a group chat.
thebarbedwire.com/2025/09/15/c...

Texas Football Had Everything this Weekend: Blowouts, Drama, Fans Questioning Life Choices

This weekend’s Texas football games delivered everything a fan could want: blowouts, drama, and overtime field goals.

thebarbedwire.com

Reposted by Cara Kelly

Elizabeth Spiers @espiers.bsky.social · 23d

Firing a Black woman for quoting Kirk’s horrific statements about Black women is insane. It seems the Washington Post would rather perform politeness (and demand that the people Kirk harmed do it too) that tell the truth: karenattiah.substack.com/p/the-washin...

The Washington Post Fired Me — But My Voice Will Not Be Silenced.

I spoke out against hatred and violence in America — and it cost me my job.

karenattiah.substack.com

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Reposted by Cara Kelly

The Barbed Wire @thebarbedwire.com · 26d

"The Bullock Museum glorifies Texas heroes while treating slavery like an awkward uncle no one wants to talk about."

At the link @briangaar.bsky.social examines the serious consequences of teaching history this way. ⬇️

Texas’ Official History Museum Hides More Than It Shows

The Bullock Museum glorifies Texas heroes while treating slavery like an awkward uncle no one wants to talk about.

thebarbedwire.com

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Cara Kelly @carakelly.bsky.social · 26d

publishing this story from @briangaar.bsky.social in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s death (bomb threats, ill-advised op-eds) has me thinking about how fundamental agreed upon facts are to a functioning society. if we can’t get the Alamo right…
thebarbedwire.com/2025/09/11/b...

Texas’ Official History Museum Hides More Than It Shows

The Bullock Museum glorifies Texas heroes while treating slavery like an awkward uncle no one wants to talk about.

thebarbedwire.com

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Cara Kelly @carakelly.bsky.social · 28d

Texas loves to pick on queer kids. It’s also one of the queerest states.

It’s diverse, and also opened an ICE detention center on the site of a WWII internment camp.

Yet, for every Ted Cruz, there’s a Barbara Jordan. For every Joe Rogan, there’s a Simone Biles.
thebarbedwire.com/2025/09/10/t...

After a Year of Covering Texas, It Still Makes No Damn Sense

The wonderful, horrible, nonsensical nature of our schizophrenic state underlines why honest, independent journalism is so badly needed.

thebarbedwire.com

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Reposted by Cara Kelly

The Barbed Wire @thebarbedwire.com · 29d

After lawmakers failed to pass a THC ban, Abbott steps in. Because nothing says “personal freedom” like showing your ID for a watermelon-flavored cube.

Gov. Abbott Is Apparently About to Ban THC for Texans Under 21

After lawmakers failed to pass a THC ban, Abbott steps in. Nothing says “personal freedom” like showing your ID for a watermelon-flavored cube.

thebarbedwire.com

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Reposted by Cara Kelly

Olivia Messer @oliviamesser.bsky.social · 29d

Texas lawmakers spent weeks fighting over THC like it was the last brisket plate at Franklin’s, only to adjourn their special session with nothing to show for it but Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s sulk-face.

Now, Gov. Abbott has decided to issue an executive order and pretend it was all part of the plan.

The Barbed Wire @thebarbedwire.com · 29d

After lawmakers failed to pass a THC ban, Abbott steps in. Because nothing says “personal freedom” like showing your ID for a watermelon-flavored cube.

Gov. Abbott Is Apparently About to Ban THC for Texans Under 21

After lawmakers failed to pass a THC ban, Abbott steps in. Nothing says “personal freedom” like showing your ID for a watermelon-flavored cube.

thebarbedwire.com

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Cara Kelly @carakelly.bsky.social · Sep 8

we’re trying a version of Monday morning quarterbacking for Texas football fans and those who just want to know enough to hold a conversation about C.J. Stroud (its me).

please let us know how we did: thebarbedwire.com/2025/09/08/h...

Texas’ NFL Prospects Are Still As Messy As a Tailgate After Last Call

The Texans lost to the Rams as C.J. Stroud was unsettled. The Cowboys’ loss to the Eagles was eclipsed by the spit heard round the world.

thebarbedwire.com

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Cara Kelly @carakelly.bsky.social · Sep 4

when I say this bill was a dramatic and surprise win for survivors during the last lege session, I mean a down to the buzzer vote and an unlikely supporter in Angela Paxton.

and now it’s law

thebarbedwire.com/2025/09/04/t...

Texas Law Didn’t Recognize Summer Willis’s Rape. But It Does Now.

“We did the impossible,” said the 30-year-old Texan who fought for change after she was drugged and sexually assaulted in 2014.

thebarbedwire.com

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Reposted by Cara Kelly

The Barbed Wire @thebarbedwire.com · Sep 4

The Texas Senate has passed HB7, which will incentivize people to bring $100k lawsuits against anyone who makes, sends, or transports abortion medication in Texas.

A Texas mother who nearly died giving birth warns HB7 does not protect anyone. “Let doctors treat bleeding without a lawyer." ⬇️

I Almost Died After Giving Birth. Texas Just Made That More Likely for Everyone.

The Women and Child Protection Act does not protect anyone. Instead, it will cause clinicians to second guess themselves.

thebarbedwire.com

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Reposted by Cara Kelly

Olivia Messer @oliviamesser.bsky.social · Sep 4

“Women of childbearing age should just leave Texas.”

Okay, aside from the economics of that... I’m an eighth generation Texan whose ancestors were among the first-ever to plant oats in places towns later formed. I deserve the right to stay here and fight for my home by telling the truth about it.

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