The Midday Brief: June 8, 2010

Your afternoon reading:

"Alarmed by the use of hard-to-track prepaid cell phones by terror suspects, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer and Texas Sen. John Cornyn have introduced legislation requiring consumers to produce identification before buying such phones." — Cornyn seeks prepaid cell crackdown, cites terror, The Associated Press

"A U.S. Border Patrol agent shot and killed a 14-year-old boy after a confrontation at an international bridge near downtown El Paso, Mexican authorities said Tuesday." — Border agent shoots 14-year-old suspect at bridge, The Associated Press

"Investigators returned to the scene of a deadly natural gas explosion in rural Johnson County this morning to determine its cause." — Investigators search for cause of deadly Johnson County gas explosion, The Dallas Morning News

"The story of an out-of-state political operative steering secret money through a corporation to put the Green Party on the Texas ballot has a certain familiar ring to it." — Mystery money and Texas politics, Trail Blazers

New in The Texas Tribune:

"Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White — after weeks of nagging from Republican Gov. Rick Perry — released his personal income tax returns dating back to 2004." — 2010: White Releases Income Tax Returns

"Put a Republican candidate on the stump in Texas and chances are the 10th Amendment will come up. In today’s political lexicon, invoking the 10th is the verbal equivalent of flying the 'Don’t Tread On Me' flag: It implies the federal government is trespassing on states’ rights — and about to suffer the consequences." — The New Tenthers

"Last week's request for additional budget cuts of 10 percent is expected to have a dramatic effect on state services — and local ones, too. Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports on how a new round of slashing will affect school districts in particular." — Slash and Learn