The Midday Brief: Sept. 9, 2011

Your afternoon reading:

• "Rick Perry plans to attend the Florida straw poll later this month, in a move that diverges from the strategy of rivals Mitt Romney and Michele Bachmann." — Perry parts with Romney and Bachmann, says he will attend Florida straw poll, Trail Blazers

• "At a contentious congressional hearing on Thursday, Texas Rep. Charlie Gonzalez denounced as “extreme” the new Voter ID law approved this year by the Texas legislature." — Texas Voter ID law comes under scrutiny in congressional hearing, Texas on the Potomac

• "When Rick Perry dug in his boot heels at Wednesday night's debate and insisted—in defiance of mainstream scientific belief—that global warming was an unproven theory, longtime watchers of the Texas governor said that was simply Perry being Perry. … But a new survey suggests that, despite what the fellows with their lab coats and climate data might say, the move was not bad politics." — Perry's climate views shared by tea party faithful, survey says, Los Angeles Times

New in The Texas Tribune:

• "Ever since a photo of Gov. Rick Perry with a hand on U.S. Rep. Ron Paul's arm and a finger in his face emerged after the GOP debate, the media and even Paul's supporters have been aflutter. Paul has revealed what really happened." — Paul: No, Rick Perry Didn't Threaten Me

• "State Rep. Jose Aliseda, R-Beeville, won't seek a second term in the Texas House, he said this morning. Instead, he'll run for district attorney of Bee, Live Oak and McMullen counties." — Aliseda Won't Seek Another Term in House

• "Another House freshman won't be back: Lanham Lyne, R-Wichita Falls, says he won't seek re-election to the Texas House in 2012." — Lyne Won't Seek Re-election to House

• "At this morning's TribLive conversation, U.S. Senate candidate Ted Cruz explained why the presumed front-runner in the GOP primary race, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, is the wrong man for the job." — TribLive: Cruz Makes the Case Against Dewhurst

• "The Tribune's Emily Ramshaw discusses the takeaway from Gov. Rick Perry's debut on national television and previews his next challenge: the CNN/Tea Party Express debate in Florida." — Video: Analyzing Perry's First Debate, Looking Ahead to Florida

• "As the worst one-year drought in Texas history wears on, officials at Fort Hood and other military installations around the state are figuring out how to keep training while reducing fire risks. Some places have banned the use of tracer fire and other pyrotechnics." — With Wildfire Risk High, Military Alters Training in Texas