The Midday Brief: July 7, 2010

Your afternoon reading:

"More than 20,000 Texans who receive state-funded psychiatric care would lose or get fewer services under budget cuts proposed this week by the Department of State Health Services." — DSHS proposes $245 million in cuts, Postcards

"Most — 80 percent — of the Texas Republicans in the U.S. House have signed a discharge petition supporting almost complete repeal of the health care overhaul approved by Congress and President Barack Obama." — Most of Texas' GOP congressional delegation signs repeal-health-bill discharge petition, Trail Blazers

"Car controversy continued [Tuesday] as Democratic agriculture commissioner candidate Hank Gilbert accused incumbent Todd Staples of buying an SUV with campaign funds and driving it for personal use." — More car drama in politics: Staples campaign denies accusations of vehicle misuse, Trail Blazers

New in The Texas Tribune:

"ExxonMobil will be sued by two environmental groups over the release of large amounts of air pollutants from its Baytown oil refinery, the nation's largest, according the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit investigative journalism group based in Washington." — Environmentalists to Sue ExxonMobil Over Texas Refinery

"Gov. Rick Perry's campaign is showing their nostalgic side in their latest web video, which evokes the opening credits of the hit NBC show Friends." — Rick Perry Attacks Bill White's "Friends"