The Midday Brief: July 29, 2010

Your afternoon reading:

"Republican Gov. Rick Perry's campaign is expressing outrage at the thought that Democrat Bill White's campaign might make fun of the governor using actors to portray him." — Web director seeking "clueless" Perry look-alike, Texas Politics

"In a rare display of approval, Sens. John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, said they 'applaud' President Obama's nomination of Marina Garcia Marmolejo to be District Court Judge for the Southern District of Texas in a press release Wednesday." — Cornyn, Hutchison laud Obama district court nomination, Texas on the Potomac

"Call it the kiss-and-make-up event. Karl Rove and Karen Hughes, both top advisers to former President George W. Bush, are among the named hosts of a Sept. 7 fundraiser for Gov. Rick Perry in Austin." — Hughes, Rove to host Perry fundraiser, Postcards

New in The Texas Tribune:

"The two men battling for a spot on the Texas Railroad Commission go head-to-head — virtually — in the latest installment of our Face-Off video series. Watch as political novice and certified public accountant David Porter, a Midland Republican, debates Democrat Jeff Weems, an oil and gas attorney from Houston, on their respective qualifications for the job, whether there are enough pipeline inspectors and and the proper balance between environmental regulation and economic growth." — Porter, Weems Vie for Railroad Commission Seat

"The past president of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, who testifies before two House committees today, tells the Tribune that Texas liability law shortchanges workers caught in industrial accidents — an issue of renewed interest since the Deepwater Horizon disaster." — After the BP Spill, Will Texas Tighten Liability Laws?

"The Endangered Species Act lawsuit over the last remaining naturally migrating flock of whooping cranes will move forward, a federal district judge ruled Wednesday." — Federal Suit Against the TCEQ Proceeding