The Midday Brief: Sept. 22, 2011

Your afternoon reading:

• "Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback endorsed fellow conservative Republican Rick Perry on Thursday in his bid for the party's nomination for president." — Brownback endorses Perry presidential bid, The Associated Press

• "Conservative political leaders are quickly lining up behind Texas Gov. Rick Perry's presidential campaign, convinced the he has the issues and confidence to beat fellow Republican Mitt Romney and Barack Obama in the 2012 election." — Conservative Leaders See Perry Beating Romney, U.S. News & World Report

• "Texas Gov. Rick Perry has a small lead over the Republican presidential pack in Florida with 28 percent, followed by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney with 22 percent, but Perry tops Romney 31 - 22 percent if Sarah Palin doesn't run and leads Romney 46 - 38 percent in a two- man face-off, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today." — Perry Leads GOP Pack, Tops Romney 1 On 1 In Florida, Quinnipiac University

• "Don’t hold your breath for Rick Perry to snag the endorsement of his longtime celebrity bud Russell Crowe, though they’ve developed a bit of a bromance over the years." — The Rick Perry-Russell Crowe bromance, Politico

New in The Texas Tribune:

• "The long-standing tradition of allowing death row inmates one last meal of their choosing before they enter the execution chamber ends today, said Brad Livingston, executive director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice." — TDCJ Will End Final Feasts Before Executions

• "Gov. Rick Perry's office says he didn't know about the termination of Jay Kimbrough, his former chief of staff, from the Texas A&M University System until afterward." — Kimbrough Fired From Texas A&M System, Revealed Knife

• "The Texas Tech climate scientist and author of A Climate for Change: Global Warming Facts for Faith-Based Decisions on why why working in Texas, a state full of both prominent climate skeptics and extreme weather, is an 'opportunity.'" — Katharine Hayhoe: The TT Interview