Olivia Messer

🥹

Well, gas is expensive, and food is expensive, and we’re doing a war nobody wants, but at least there are no jobs

we have a lot of bad things here, but our health care system might be the worst

a cartoon of cinderella and a fairy saying " why it 's like a dream " ALT: a cartoon of cinderella and a fairy saying " why it 's like a dream "

always dreamed of being a pawn in a corporate monopoly one day

so wild that a doctor can say “she needs this” and then we have to let the insurance company make its own separate decision!!!!!!

aetna says i’m allowed to have an mri

not to brag buttttttttt guess whose insurance decided she’s allowed to have an MRI 🥳

Ken Paxton Is No Stranger to Controversy. Here’s a Timeline of Nearly 20 Years of Scandals & Headlines. We’ve compiled every serious scandal the Texas Attorney General has faced during his political ascendancy.

We’ve compiled every serious scandal the Attorney General has faced during his political ascendancy, and somehow managed to emerge unscathed from.

thebarbedwire.com/2026/02/17/k...

U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales Advances to Runoff After Reported Sexual Messages with Staffer Released Gonzales has faced criticism and calls to step down — including from within his own party — over an alleged relationship with a former aide.

According to @19thnews.org , U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales has faced calls to step down from within the Republican Party over an alleged relationship with an aide. The Trump endorsed GOP candidate will face Brandon Herrera in a May 26 runoff.
thebarbedwire.com/2026/03/04/t...

From Minneapolis to El Paso, Every City Is Now a Border City El Paso is “the Ellis Island of the Southwest.”

Immigration reporters like @jazmineulloa.bsky.social have been on the frontlines of the harshest deportation campaign this country has seen since World War II. The foundations for it were laid down long before in her hometown of El Paso.
thebarbedwire.com/2026/03/05/f...

We all deserve a state government that is, at the very least, able to perform the basic functions of a democracy.

More Than 1,000 Voters Were Turned Away Tuesday. ‘Total Chaos’ in Dallas Raises Alarms of Worsening Voter Suppression. As if election nights weren't stressful enough, more than 1,000 voters were reportedly turned away from polling locations.

The overbearing workload required to correctly cast a ballot is a feature of the policy choices made by Republicans, not a bug. Their hope is that, if they erect enough barriers to the ballot box, it will convince the “wrong” type of voters to simply give up.

thebarbedwire.com/2026/03/05/m...

I can’t stop thinking about Gustavo’s truck.

He was pulled over on a road in Minneapolis, shackled by federal agents, and almost shipped more than 1,300 miles away — to El Paso.

My hometown now echoes in every city seeing harsher immigration enforcement.

More Than 1,000 Voters Were Turned Away Tuesday. ‘Total Chaos’ in Dallas Raises Alarms of Worsening Voter Suppression. As if election nights weren't stressful enough, more than 1,000 voters were reportedly turned away from polling locations.

The overbearing workload required to correctly cast a ballot is a feature of the policy choices made by Republicans, not a bug. Their hope is that, if they erect enough barriers to the ballot box, it will convince the “wrong” type of voters to simply give up.

thebarbedwire.com/2026/03/05/m...

More Than 1,000 Voters Were Turned Away Tuesday. ‘Total Chaos’ in Dallas Raises Alarms of Worsening Voter Suppression. As if election nights weren't stressful enough, more than 1,000 voters were reportedly turned away from polling locations.

Please read this one.

thebarbedwire.com/2026/03/05/m...

From Minneapolis to El Paso, Every City Is Now a Border City El Paso is “the Ellis Island of the Southwest.”

“The foundations for all these actions — the policies, the rhetoric, the treatment of migrants — were laid down long before, brick by brick, decade by decade in my hometown of El Paso,” writes @jazmineulloa.bsky.social for @thebarbedwire.com

thebarbedwire.com/2026/03/05/f...

Florence ICE detainee dead after untreated tooth infection, official says An ICE detainee, who had been at a Florence detention center for four months, died Monday following an untreated tooth infection.

An ICE detainee in Arizona has died of a TOOTH INFECTION after it went untreated for weeks, a local official says. He was a Haitian asylum seeker imprisoned in Florence, Arizona. @emilybregel.bsky.social reports.
tucson.com/news/local/b...

As always

DOJ attempts to evade state ethics oversight of its attorneys Legal groups swiftly denounced the department's latest attempt to avoid oversight.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is attempting to short-circuit state bar ethics investigations into department attorneys through a new and unexpected proposed rule. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

The future in Texas is bright and terrifying Democrats are once more dreaming of what could be. Republicans are dreaming of Rhodesia.

2026 in a nutshell: a Democratic Party with maybe a puncher’s chance if everything goes right—and a Republican base testing just how far gone it can go, before it ever pays a price for anything. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

thank youuu!!!!

me on a live stream

my face afterwards

And about last night’s @thebarbedwire.com live stream: Being on camera for work makes my stomach hurt but it’s also very rewarding!!! Thank you to everyone who sent me screenshots of my various facial expressions 💕

Link here if you’re interested in watching: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI6b...

I’m a finalist for the Austin under 40 awards

It is with great enthusiasm that we present our 2026 Austin Under 40 Awards finalists! These outstanding individuals are industry leaders and community role models and we are honored to celebrate them on May 9, 2026. The 27th annual Austin Under 40 Awards will bring together our city’s impressive young leaders to support life-changing summer camp experiences for Central Texas youth at Austin Sunshine Camps. This year’s “Illuminating Austin”-themed evening will capture the spirit of bold leadership and community that defines Austin. Gala tickets are now on sale (link in bio). Congratulations to this phenomenal group of individuals for making an impact in our community!

What lovely news!! I’m a finalist for the Austin Under 40 Awards, which acknowledges outstanding individuals who are industry leaders. I’m competing with creators with millions of followers 😱 and I’m deeply grateful, if not also a little surprised, to be recognized by the Young Men's Business League

He’s an Unapologetic Fascist Who ‘Despises’ Democracy. He Still Wants You to Vote for Him. He was once leader of the Proud Boys, has posted racist threats online, and sports a white nationalist tattoo.

Some positive news: this guy lost his primary election

thebarbedwire.com/2025/12/02/j...

Ken Paxton Is No Stranger to Controversy. Here’s a Timeline of Nearly 20 Years of Scandals & Headlines. We’ve compiled every serious scandal the Texas Attorney General has faced during his political ascendancy.

In case you need a reminder!!!!

This story’s doing wildly well on search today 😏

thebarbedwire.com/2026/02/17/k...

After nearly $95 million in attack ads, divorce drama and enough Republican infighting to require protective year, Texas voters have generously decided we all get to do this again in May.

The Texas GOP’s Senate Cage Match Goes to Overtime Get ready for the Paxton vs. Cornyn sequel.

Get ready for John Cornyn vs. Ken Paxton: The Sequel Nobody Asked For.

“I refuse to allow a flawed, self-centered and shameless candidate like Ken Paxton risk everything we’ve worked so hard to build over these many years,” Cornyn said Tuesday night.

thebarbedwire.com/2026/03/04/p...

I didn't expect the "then they came for..." to hit me QUITE so specifically, but lesson learned.

join The Barbed Wire’s livestream tonight at 6pm CT

Happy election day!!! The Texas Democratic primary for U.S. Senate has been a wild ride, and while we wait for results to roll in, @thebarbedwire.com is hosting a live stream where we’ll unpack it all at 6pm CT.

LINK HERE: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI6b...

Woman with I voted sticker

Woman with I voted sticker

Woman and man in front of voting sign

Have you voted yet? 🗳️ Send us a pic with your "I voted" sticker, and you could end up on our social media.