The Midday Brief: Aug. 3, 2010

Your afternoon reading:

"Republicans are making serious efforts to knock Democratic state House members off tenuous perches in Travis and Williamson Counties, as both parties look to influence the redrawing of district boundaries in 2011." — Austin-area Texas House contests pivotal to 2011 redistricting, The Texas Independent

"A hydraulic leak on subsea equipment discovered last night delayed a key test needed before the static kill on BP's Macondo well can begin." — Leak delayed test, but well killing ops still expected today, Houston Chronicle

"Three federal appeals court judges gave no clear signal today of how they might rule in a case challenging the University of Texas’ consideration of race and ethnicity in undergraduate admissions." — Appeals court hears arguments on UT’s use of race in admissions, Austin American-Statesman

New in The Texas Tribune:

"In his new 60-second television spot, Democrat Bill White reintroduces his family and lays out his vision for Texas. His Republican opponent, incumbent Gov. Rick Perry, isn't mentioned." — Ads Infinitum: White's "Prepare for the Future"

"Like in January, we've created per-capita maps to visualize campaign donations given in the governor's race. Such maps can help journalists spot trends — but also they're just interesting eye candy. " — Maps Visualize Governor's Race Donations