The Wild Texas Newsletter!

Welcome to the Wild Texas newsletter! Thank you for subscribing — and for opening this email. I’m Olivia, the editor-in-chief of The Barbed Wire. This is our eighth-ever missive, and I can’t believe how far we’ve come in such a short time!

We are proud to tell you that Leslie Rangel’s jaw dropping, wrenching reported essay is now The Barbed Wire’s most-read piece — by a lot. If you’d like to make sure we keep telling heartbreaking and necessary stories, please consider becoming a member. You get free merch! 🙏🥺(We love our merch, and you know who else does? Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who is photographed here posing with one of our bumper stickers.)

As usual, I plan to both amuse and depress you this week.

To that end, today is a tough one because, at press time, it appears as though a man who ostensibly committed no crimes will be put to death at 6 p.m. CT. on Thursday. Robert Roberson has just hours left before his scheduled execution despite several appeals to the state’s highest criminal court, a hearing on Tuesday in Anderson County, a plea to the governor’s office, repeated requests to the state board of pardons and paroles — and as of late Wednesday — a filing with the U.S. Supreme Court. All have said no so far, even with an emotional and compelling letter from the detective-turned-reverend who led the investigation in 2002.

Short of a Miracle, Robert Roberson Will Die in Hours. Legislators Are Trying to Stop It.

All of his appeals have failed. His conviction involves discredited science, and the lead investigator says “there is no evidence of a crime, much less a capital crime.” The U.S. Supreme Court — and Gov. Greg Abbott — are running out of time to save him.

By Kimberly Reeves and Olivia Messer

With just hours left before he’s put to death, all appeals to delay Robert Roberson’s impending execution have thus failed. One last brief filed to the U.S. Supreme Court — and a novel strategy from state legislators — are his last glimmer of hope.

Roberson’s case, which involves discredited science, has gained international attention because he could be the first person ever put to death for “shaken baby syndrome.” At least 30 other shaken baby cases, many with lower stakes, have been cleared in recent years. 

Next up, Billy Begala and I had a great time crafting this strange story after Tuesday night’s debate between Rep. Colin Allred and Sen. Ted Cruz. The men are in a shockingly tight race, and we journeyed down memory lane to remind you of Cruz’s best and worst moments in office over the past nearly 12 years. Oh! And it gave me the chance to draw Cruz’s chin hair ✏️‍🎨.

Monday, we reported on the rise — both nationally and in Texas — of anti-LGBTQ+ hate incidents, including bomb threats, a murder, and at least four physical assaults. A scoop in this piece from Kit O’Connell: Ten of the incidents logged by GLAAD took place after Chaya Raichik, the notorious online hatemonger better known as Libs Of TikTok, made posts drawing attention to a person or place in the state. Those involved bomb threats that were lobbed at Planet Fitness locations after Raichik highlighted their trans-inclusive locker room policies. With new technologies comes new hate.

To make up for those important but exhausting updates, this short feature from senior editor Leslie Rangel was incredibly sweet — and I’m so glad it inspired me to watch the documentary. Imagine Netflix’s “Cheer,” only it’s about Mariachis in a state competition.

Still with me? Because we’ve curated some Wild Texas posts for you again this week. They’re all the brainchildren of senior editor Brian Gaar, and he’s very good at what he does.

Texas-Based Twitch Streamer Banned After Racist Rant

Cowboys Owner Threatens to Fire Radio Hosts Because His Team Sucks

Rep. Shawn Thierry Assumes Her Final Form: Trump Shill

Chaos Ensues as Dell Abruptly Orders Thousands Back to Office in Texas  

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