Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Texas Veteran With PTSD Explains Why She Made Public a Voicemail She Received From Beto O'Rourke, and Now We're Crying

Texas Veteran With PTSD Explains Why She Made Public a Voicemail She Received From Beto O'Rourke, and Now We're Crying
(Photos by Real Time with Bill Maher/YouTube and Lauren Withrow/Facebook)

Wow.

At the end of August, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to give his one-time rival, Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, his standard endorsement message. However, unlike most of his other tweets that include the same phrase touting GOP strength, the President substituted an attack on Cruz's opponent.

In his message, Trump took a shot at El Paso, Texas, native, Democratic Representative Beto O'Rourke. The President called out O'Rourke as "a disaster for Texas - weak on Second Amendment, Crime, Borders, Military, and Vets!"


The slam against O'Rourke's treatment of military veterans prompted one Texan to go public with her own Beto O'Rourke story. United States Marine Corps veteran Lauren Withrow also took to Twitter, on September 4, to tell a very different story of O'Rourke.

Withrow—who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—reports for her local paper in Texas, in the 4th smallest county in the state. She describes herself as a small-town reporter, sports journalism enthusiast and single mom. She first met Beto O'Rourke when she interviewed him for her paper.

In a series of seven tweets, Withrow shared her very personal and painful story. Her message eventually made its way to Now This, who turned it into one of their videos. Activists like Alyssa Milano and organizations like Vote Vets have since shared Withrow's story as well.

Watch the Now This video here.

According to her Twitter thread titled "The Beto O'Rourke I Know", Withrow decided to research O'Rourke after hearing about his work for veterans.

After Withrow tried to end her life and before being admitted to the VA hospital and surrendering her phone, Withrow texted O'Rourke's campaign to ask him to keep fighting for access to mental healthcare for veterans.

After being released from the hospital, Withrow found several texts from O'Rourke's campaign and two personal voicemails from O'Rourke himself.

Withrow said the best way for people to understand the man she knows is to listen to his voicemail to her. She pointed out that his campaign did not know she planned to share his voicemail, but she felt she needed to defend him against attacks claiming he does not care about veterans.

Withrow concluded her message by stating:

"That's why I’m voting for him in November. This is the kind of person I want representing me in Washington D.C. I hope you have the courage to show up too. Tell me about the [Beto O'Rourke] you know."

More from News

Screenshots from Dove's ad featuring transgender women
Dove

'One Million Moms' Calls For Dove Boycott Over Hair Care Ad Featuring Trans Woman

The vehemently transphobic conservative group One Million Moms (OMM)—an arm of the Christian fundamentalist nonprofit American Family Association (AFA)—called for a boycott of Dove products after the company featured a transgender woman in an advertisement for their Damage Therapy Intensive Repair Conditioner.

The ad garnered attention after it was shared by the social media account Libs of TikTok—run by the anti-LGBTQ+ conservative Chaya Raichik—which described the ad as an example of "another woke company trying to erase women."

Keep ReadingShow less
Alyssa Milano; Julian McMahon
Michael Kovac/Elton John AIDS Foundation/Getty Images; Marcus Ingram/The Surfer/Getty Images

Alyssa Milano Shares Poignant Tribute To 'TV Husband' Julian McMahon After His Death At 56

Actor Julian McMahon lost his battle with cancer at the age of 56 earlier this week, and to say that the Charmed, Nip/Tuck, and Fantastic Four actor touched many lives would be an understatement.

When the news of McMahon's passing went public, his Charmed costar and "TV wife" Alyssa Milano came forward and expressed her sadness and condolences on Instagram. The pair were a favorite couple on Charmed, and it was clear from her post that their care for each other extended beyond the screen.

Keep ReadingShow less

People Who Slept With Their Best Friend Describe The Aftermath

When two people have a deep and meaningful friendship, the question might eventually come up of whether or not they could be more. Agreeing that their friendship might deserve more, they might try to date or at least explore physical intimacy.

But crossing that line carries with it consequences, and it's only once the pair crosses that line that they'll find out if crossing it was good or bad.

Keep ReadingShow less
child writing on chalkboard
Leonardo Toshiro Okubo on Unsplash

Bilingual People Explain Which Words They're Surprised Don't Exist In English

According to one report, approximately 3.3 billion people worldwide—43 % of the population—are multilingual, meaning they speak at least two languages. According to the last Census, 21.6% of people in the United States speak more than one language, while in the United Kingdom, the number is 36%.

More multilingual people speak English as a second language than English speakers who have learned another language besides English. Worldwide, people who learned English as a first language rate among the lowest in multilingual rates.

Keep ReadingShow less
Andrew Garfield at the 2025 Glastonbury Festival
Harry Durrant/Getty Images

Andrew Garfield meets fan with wild tweet!

American actor Andrew Garfield had a funny yet awkward reunion with a fan from a viral “Thirst Tweet” featured on Buzzfeed Celeb.

The Thirst Tweet compilation shows celebrities reading a collection of scandalous tweets from fans commenting on their looks, attractiveness, and sex appeal. Blushing stars include James McAvoy, Renee Rapp, Keanu Reeves, Anthony Mackie, and more recently, Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem, as they promote F1 the Movie that was released in theaters last week.

Keep ReadingShow less