The Midday Brief: June 24, 2011

New in The Texas Tribune:

• “Showing a degree of public adamance not seen much this session, House Speaker Joe Straus said the TSA anti-groping bill will never be considered on the House floor as written, and is 'nothing more than an ill advised publicity stunt.' The House's adjournment without considering the bill means it's unlikely the measure will pass before the special session ends." – Straus: TSA Bill an "Ill-Advised Publicity Stunt

• "Plans to build a coal plant called the White Stallion Energy Center near Bay City have stirred considerable controversy, as residents near and far worry about air pollution and the huge amounts of water needed to operate the plant."— Proposed Coal Plant’s Water Plan Stirs Debate

Your afternoon reading:

• “His biggest shortcoming is that most Americans don't ache with nostalgia for the last time a former Texas Republican governor occupied the White House. That concern is accurate but not clearly disqualifying."
  —Another Texas Republican for President? Reason
• “The potential for Perry and Bachmann to suck all the conservative oxygen out of the campaign is great, and their rivals for the right side of the GOP bracket, such as businessman Herman Cain and former Sen. Rick Santorum, will have to fight for attention.” – The Cook Report: Ready to Rumble, National Journal
• "Rick Perry will enter the Republican presidential contest and he will win the party's nomination. A bold prediction? Not really, not when you consider the noises coming out of Texas and the ungainly sight of the other candidates.” – Beware Rick Perry, the Republican party’s real deal, The Guardian
• “And then there is Perry, who has an extensive network of Texas donors he’s been tapping over three gubernatorial races. ‘Some of our donors are committed to other candidates and have had events,’ noted Dave Carney, Perry’s top adviser. ‘That’s part of this effort in terms of assessing the situation.’ The governor huddled with some of his donors in Houston on Thursday amid speculation from potential rivals that he may use the unlimited contributions he’s hauled in to underwrite the early going of a presidential campaign.” –Romney dominates GOP cash dash, Politico
• “Gov. Rick Perry received a tepid response when he addressed the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials on Thursday, joking about the pronunciation of a Hispanic appointee’s last name and frequently staring blankly at the audience when they failed to respond to his conservative applause lines.” – Texas Gov. Perry gets tepid response at Latino event; joke about Hispanic’s name falls flat, Washington Post 
• "No matter who you are growing up in Texas, no matter your race, creed or heritage, you have a role model to look up to - someone who proves that any obstacle can be overcome, that there are no limits on how far you can go."  – Transcript of Gov. Rick Perry's speech to the 28th annual NALEO conference in San Antonio