The Evening Brief: Oct. 15, 2013

Culled

•    House Delays Vote on Debt Plan Amid Dissent (The New York Times): "Negotiations to reopen the government and avert a possible default just two days away were temporarily suspended Tuesday, and Senate Republicans emerged from a closed-door lunch saying they had to wait to see if their struggling House counterparts could still come up with their own plan."

•    Ted Cruz, Mike Lee missing from GOP lunch (Politico)"Senate Republicans huddled Tuesday to discuss the latest on the fiscal crisis engulfing the Capitol, but two key members of their conference were missing from the lunch: Ted Cruz of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah. Multiple senators confirmed the absence of the two senators, who have led the crusade in the Senate to shred the president’s health care law. 'I don’t account for their schedules,' Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) quipped when asked about Cruz and Lee’s absence."

•    Ted Cruz raised $1.19 million in last three months (The Dallas Morning News): "Texas Sen. Ted Cruz raised $1.19 million in 3rd quarter of 2013 — thanks to a surge after his 21-hour anti-Obamacare talkathon. That overnight quasi-filibuster, begun the afternoon of Sept. 24, generated enormous attention. It also helped Cruz raise at least $222,825 in the final week of the campaign reporting period that ended Sept. 30."

•    Cheerio and Shalom: Rick and Anita off to London and Israel (Austin American-Statesman): "Gov. Rick Perry and First Lady Anita Perry are off today on an 11-day economic development mission to London and Israel. The trip is being paid for by TexasOne, the quasi-public group that markets Texas, and Americans for Economic Freedom, a non-profit that markets both Texas and Perry’s leadership thereof with an eye toward his future national prospects. The governor’s office said no tax dollars will be used to pay for the Perrys’ travel and accommodations."

New in The Texas Tribune

•    Supreme Court to Hear Texas Challenge to Greenhouse Gas Regulations: "The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear Texas' challenge of federal regulations on greenhouse gas emissions from stationary sources like power plants and factories."

•    Debut of the Davis Digest: First we brought you Perrypedia. Then came the Abbott Archives. Today, we're launching our latest alliterative political page, the Davis Digest. It's your one-stop shop for information on state Sen. Wendy Davis, the Democratic contender for Texas governor. 

•    Majority of Texas Fast-Food Workers on Public Assistance Programs: "A study released Tuesday reports that more than half of front-line fast-food workers in Texas and nationally rely on public assistance programs, a statistic one of the study's authors called 'shocking.'"

•    Without a Budget Deal, Veterans Bracing for Cuts: "Many military veterans living in Texas have one source of income: their benefit checks from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. If the government shutdown persists, such payments could be suspended when funds run dry."