The Midday Brief: February 26, 2010

Your afternoon reading:

“The 15-member board has been narrowly divided. Seven so-called “social conservatives” routinely vote as a bloc when it comes to questioning evolution, adding snippets of history to textbooks — or deleting them — and emphasizing a “back to basics” reading curriculum.” — Voters to help shape education with board vote — Houston Chronicle

 “Congressman Henry Cuellar, a Democrat from Laredo, is pushing for a drone to patrol the border. These are the same drones that are bombing Pakistani tribal areas.  Of course, this drone won’t be loaded with missiles – at least not yet.” — Bring on the Predator drone, bring on the pork — Texas Observer

 “Judging from the pace this morning, I'm not sure we're even halfway through this hearing, which means it could be several more hours before we find out how much prison time the trio will receive. If they finish today.” — City Hall sentencing update — The Dallas Morning News

 “I apologize to my country, Mexico, to the United States of America, to my wife, especially my children, for all the mistakes I have made,” a shackled Cardenas said, according to the transcript.” — Mexico drug lord apologizes for a lifetime of ‘mistakes’ — Houston Chronicle

 "You may find his answers differ significantly from those of the GOP candidates," writes Greg Holloway, the tea party activist who organized these videos. "We truly appreciate his participation and the opportunity to hear a different viewpoint." — 2010: The Virtual Debate Continues — Texas Tribune