The Midday Brief: June 17, 2011

Your afternoon reading:

• "Texas Gov. Rick Perry promises a decision soon on whether to run for president. Dropping a possible hint in a visit to the Journal this week, Mr. Perry reported that his wife is urging him to get into the race for the GOP nomination. Conservatives may agree with Mrs. Perry when they examine the guv's agenda. At our meeting he suggested shuttering the federal departments of energy and education and criticized Rep. Paul Ryan's budget plan on the grounds that it doesn't cut deficits quickly enough. Still, Mr. Perry added that 'it's a very good step in the right direction" and called Mr. Ryan 'one of the Young Turks that I admire.'" — Rick Perry's First 100 Days, The Wall Street Journal
  

• "The Obama administration announced Friday that it will keep 1,200 National Guard troops on the southwest border three months longer than initially planned to serve as a 'critical bridge' as federal law enforcement beefs up forces along the 1,969-mile boundary with Mexico." — President Obama extends National Guard deployments along Texas-Mexico border, Texas on the Potomac

• "You need to get comfortable with the notion that there are Americans who believe our nation's future depends on Gov. Rick Perry becoming President Rick Perry. California state Assemblyman Dan Logue is one of those Americans. After an April meeting in Austin with Perry, he launched the draftperry2012.com website." — Want Perry to run? This guy has a website for you, Austin American-Statesman

• "They were the most talked-about class of House freshmen in years — and they came ready to change the system. The newly-elected Tea Partiers spent months on the campaign trail promising to shrink government and move the agenda to the right. Then they had to govern—in a year with an unprecedented budget shortfall." — Tea Time, The Texas Observer

• "After flirting with the idea for a few weeks, the Texas Republican Party has opted to not hold a presidential straw poll this fall." — Texas Republican Party nixes plan for presidential straw poll, PoliTex

New in The Texas Tribune:

• "One of the most emotional and controversial issues of the year centered around the sanctuary cities bil. Senate Democrats managed to block SB 9 during the regular session, but it's found a new life in the special session. Behind the scenes, some question whether the Democrats are now reaping what they sowed when one of their members pushed the Legislature into overtime." — Video: Did Democrats Bungle Sanctuary Cities Bill?

• "The Trinity has never been much-loved like the Guadalupe, the San Marcos or the Frio. For the first time, both Dallas and Fort Worth are making efforts to revitalize it and make it a destination for recreation." — Fun (Actually in the Water) on the Trinity River