The Evening Brief: March 29, 2013

New in The Texas Tribune

•    Key Leaders to Descend on Capitol for Medicaid Events: "On the heels of Monday's press conference by Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn to reassert their opposition to expanding Medicaid, U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, and his identical twin, San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro, will hold their own event to promote the key provision of federal health reform."

•    Pitts Amendments Would Limit Authority of UT Regents: "Multiple amendments to the budget pre-filed by House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, would limit the spending authority of the University of Texas System regents."

•    Video: Amid Medicaid Expansion Debate, Kolkhorst's Health Care Math: "State Rep. Lois Kolkhorst, the Republican chairwoman of the House Public Health Committee, gives a whiteboard math lesson in this video posted by Gov. Rick Perry's office."

•    Texas Unemployment Up Slightly in February: "Texas added 80,600 new jobs in February, but the state's unemployment rate still increased slightly to 6.8 percent."

•    For Perry, School Trumps Party and Politics: "Gov. Rick Perry torments Democrats and disparages trial lawyers, but he likes Aggies. Even if they're Democratic trial lawyers."

•    TribLive: A Conversation With Cigarroa and Sharp: Full video of Evan Smith's 3/28 TribLive conversation with University of Texas System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa and Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp.

Culled

•    Anti-Hispanic slur unites Boehner, Castro in disgust; Democratic campaign committee tries to capitalize (Houston Chronicle): "Alaska Rep. Don Young finds himself a man in political isolation today after an Alaska radio station aired an interview in which he used an anti-Latino slur to describe migrant laborers. From House Speaker John Boehner to Senate Republican Whip John Cornyn, Republican leaders have condemned and cut loose the veteran GOP lawmaker from the nation’s final frontier. … Democrats shared their Republican colleagues’ outrage — and numerous lawmakers including Rep. Joaquin Castro of San Antonio took to social media to voice their strong disapproval."

•    Business and Labor Said to Near Deal on Immigration (The New York Times): "The nation’s top business and labor groups are nearing agreement on a guest worker program for low-skilled immigrants, a final sticking point that had stalled negotiations late last week on a broad immigration overhaul, and are closing in on a deal that could come as early as Friday, according to officials involved in the talks."

•    Ted Cruz Accuses Obama Of Taking 'Advantage' Of Sandy Hook, Vows To Stymie Gun Control Legislation (The Huffington Post): "Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) responded to President Barack Obama's latest call for action on gun control Thursday, launching criticism at the White House and promising to do everything in his power to stop the administration's push for stricter legislation. 'It is saddening to see the president today, once again, try to take advantage of this tragic murder to promote an agenda that will do nothing to stop violent crime, but will undermine the constitutional rights of all law-abiding Americans,' Cruz said in a statement."