The Midday Brief: Aug. 11, 2011

Your afternoon reading:

• "Michele Bachmann has made her Iowa roots a central point of her presidential campaign. … Now, another presidential candidate, Texas Governor Rick Perry, is scheduled to use the same venue to kick off his Iowa campaign efforts on Sunday, the day after the Ames Straw Poll. … Sources tell TheIowaRepublican.com that Bachmann will also attend and speak after Perry at Sunday’s event." — Bachmann will join Perry in Waterloo on Sunday, The Iowa Republican

• "Rudy Giuliani, who ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 but failed to win a single state, is quietly working to hire political operatives in New Hampshire for a possible second White House bid. … They said Giuliani's team is concerned that Texas Gov. Rick Perry's all-but-certain campaign could scoop up the few remaining top operatives in the first-in-the-nation primary state, where a host of candidates already have dozens of people on the payroll." — Giuliani courts top NH operatives, The Associated Press

• "In his interview with Mark Halperin, Rick Perry recounts a conversation with the prime minister of Latvia that was presumably meant to be confidential, and whose disclosure is a huge diplomatic headache for a small country and longtime ally." — Perry's indiscretion, Politico

• "Iowa kingmaker Rep. Steve King thinks that if Rick Perry announces a run Saturday in South Carolina, it will hurt his chances in Iowa." — King: Iowans Won’t Like Perry’s Saturday Announcement, The National Review

• "Two leading pollsters on Thursday spent 45 minutes discussing the 2012 election — and didn't utter Gov. Rick Perry's name." — State lawmakers hear lots of polling numbers — but nary a one on Perry, Trail Blazers

• "Freshman state Rep. Rodney Anderson, R-Grand Prairie, plans to challenge state Sen. Chris Harris, R-Arlington, in the March Republican primary, according to a source familiar with Anderson’s plans." — Rodney Anderson to run for Senate against Chris Harris, Postcards

New in The Texas Tribune:

• "John Bustamante, the son of former U.S. Rep. Albert Bustamante, D-San Antonio, will run for the Democratic nomination for the CD-23 seat now held by first-term U.S. Rep. Francisco 'Quico' Canseco, R-San Antonio." — Congressman Bustamante, the Sequel?

• "Throughout August, the Tribune will feature 31 ways Texans' lives will change come Sept. 1, the date most bills passed by the Legislature take effect. DAY 11: Women seeking an abortion in Texas will be required to hear a description of the results of an ultrasound examination." — 31 Days, 31 Ways: Abortion Sonogram Law Takes Effect