The Midday Brief: July 13, 2010

Your afternoon reading:

"U.S. Coast Guard officials say test results have confirmed that tar balls found on a second Texas beach were from the massive Gulf oil spill." — Crude from Gulf oil spill found on 2nd Texas beach, The Associated Press

"Record-high Rio Grande floodwaters broke through a dike in the small Starr County city of La Grulla as runoff from Hurricane Alex continued to rush downstream 13 days after landfall." — Valley flooding spurs evacuations, San Antonio Express-News

"I decided to send some questions to Democratic consultant Marc Campos because he generally tells it as it is. Less spin, more candor. Over the course of his career, he's had a hand in almost every elected Latino's campaign from one time to another all the while being one of the more frank commentators on Houston politics." — 20 Questions with Mark Campos, Rick Perry vs. The World

"The FBI has launched an investigation into a Sunday shooting involving a sports utility vehicle that was fired upon by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, in what agents called a "significant incident" at the Texas-Mexico border." — FBI probing 'significant incident' as SUV flees Texas for Mexico, CNN

New in The Texas Tribune:

"The Legislature years ago required politicians, candidates and other state officers to disclose their finances in an effort to discourage conflicts of interest and, according to the law, 'strengthen the faith and confidence of the people of this state in state government.' Yet getting these documents isn’t easy, so we're making all 3,070 available to view, print, download and embed." — Search Texas Officials' Financial Disclosures

"Texas Libertarian Party Chairman Pat Dixon helped get the Party on the ballot in 2004 and to keep it there ever since. He talked with The Tribune about Libertarians, how they relate to the two major parties in Texas, what's going on with the Green Party right now, and whether third parties stand a chance in state elections." — Interview With Texas Libertarian Chair Pat Dixon