The Midday Brief: July 7, 2011

Your afternoon reading:

• "The case of a Mexican man scheduled to be executed on Thursday in Texas threatens to disrupt U.S. diplomatic relations abroad and creates a politically volatile dilemma for Republican Gov. Rick Perry, who is considering a run for president." — Should Texas Execute a Mexican? Rick Perry Will Decide, The Atlantic

• "Texas power plants will have to significantly reduce ozone- and acid-rain causing pollution under new federal rules, a move that could further increase tensions between the state and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency just as Republican Gov. Rick Perry considers a presidential run." — EPA requires Texas power plants to lower pollution, The Associated Press

• "An experienced D.C. Republican operative put it this way this morning: 'There is a growing buzz about [Texas Gov. Rick] Perry in Washington, and it’s funny because we don’t know anything about him. We need to find out more.'" — Perry is still largely unknown to voters — and the national media, The Washington Post

• "The New-York based Center for Reproductive rights has brought a class-action lawsuit in the Western District of Texas on behalf of medical providers of abortions. The Center is seeking a temporary injunction against the implementation of the sonogram bill. I attended the proceedings Wednesday morning in federal court. Frankly, I didn’t think that the lead counsel for the Center did a very good job. She chose not to make an 'undue burden' argument, a tactic that appeared to take Sam Sparks, the trial judge, by surprise." — The sonogram lawsuit hearing, BurkaBlog
  

• "A list of items FBI agents were looking for in John Wiley Price’s Oak Cliff home surfaced today, providing the best insight yet into the nature of the pending grand jury investigation of the longtime Dallas County commissioner." — List of items sought by FBI sheds more light on Price investigation, The Dallas Morning News

New in The Texas Tribune:

• "They say everything's bigger in Texas — and apparently, that includes the people. Texas ranks as the 12th most obese state in the U.S., according to a new study by Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation." — Texas 12th Most Obese State, Study Finds

• Two weeks ago the Tribune released PerryTracker, an ongoing effort to chart Gov. Rick Perry's travels as he ramps up a potential run for the White House. Today we introduce PerryTracker 2.0 — a more forward-looking app that includes data points for the governor's known future appearances. — Looking Forward With PerryTracker 2.0

• Naomi Schaefer Riley, author of the book The Faculty Lounges ... And Other Reasons You Won’t Get the College Education You Pay For, and Daniel Hamermesh, economics professor at the University of Texas at Austin, debate the merits of tenure. — The Pundit vs. the Professor: A Debate About Tenure