The Midday Brief: Aug. 5, 2011

Your afternoon reading:

• "The future politician did not distinguish himself much in the classroom. While he later became a student leader, he had to get out of academic probation to do so. He rarely earned anything above a C in his courses — earning a C in U.S. History, a D in Shakespeare, and a D in the principles of economics. Perry got a C in gym." — Rick Perry's College Transcript: A Lot Of Cs And Ds, The Huffington Post

• "Perry's grades could be a problem since they help to reinforce the narrative about him that when it comes to intellect, he's all hat and no cattle, so to speak." — Rick Perry's College Transcript A Warning To All Aspiring Politicians, NPR

• "The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is targeting Republican Reps. Blake Farenthold of Corpus Christi and Quico Canseco of San Antonio with a new radio ad." — DCCC targets Canseco and Farenthold, Trail Blazers

• "Organizers of the Response, a day of fasting and prayer in Houston this weekend, may not be directly coordinated with Gov. Rick Perry's political team as it considers a run for president. But like supporters of an officially independent presidential draft committee pushing Perry's name in the key state of Iowa, the Response organizers include people who have shown a strong interest in Perry's political prospects." — Plenty of ties between Team Perry and Response, super PAC, Austin American-Statesman

New in The Texas Tribune:

• "Students for Rick Perry has more than 500 Facebook friends and a YouTube account where the organization has made its first big move: releasing a highly produced video touting its preferred candidate. It has been viewed more than 600 times." — Students for Rick Perry Await Announcement

• "DAY 5 of our month-long series on the effects of new state laws and budget cuts: The Rio Grande Valley’s longest-running helicopter ambulance will be permanently grounded this fall — and state budget cuts were the final straw." — 31 Days, 31 Ways: Budget Cuts Final Straw for Air Ambulance

• "In West Texas, the main concern is water. In cities like Houston and Fort Worth, clay soil is drying up because of the blistering summer heat, bursting water pipelines and splitting asphalt roads. Across Texas, the cause of these spiraling problems is the same: a nine-month drought that shows no signs of relenting." — Drought Damages Texas Infrastructure

• "In an effort to make it easier for military and overseas voters to take part in elections, lawmakers may have killed turnout in primary election runoffs in Texas and increased the electoral power of organized groups like the Tea Party." — An Attempt to Increase Turnout Could Cut It Instead