The Midday Brief: Sept. 13, 2011

Your afternoon reading:

• "Texas Gov. Rick Perry bristled at accusations during Monday’s GOP debate that he had done the bidding of a corporate donor by ordering schoolgirls to use a new vaccine. … But campaign disclosure records portray a much deeper financial connection with Merck than Perry’s remarks would suggest." — Perry has deep financial ties to maker of HPV vaccine, The Washington Post

• "The morning after a sometimes-rocky appearance in front of a Tea Party debate audience, Gov. Rick Perry said he was 'taken aback' by cheers from some crowd members on a hypothetical question of whether a young man who decides not to buy health insurance should be refused care if he develops a life-threatening illness and be left to die." — Perry 'taken aback' by debate crowd reaction, NBC News

• "When Mr. Perry awoke here on Tuesday after taking part in his second presidential debate, the downsides of being tagged as the Republican front-runner were coming into sharper focus. He arrived in Tampa intent on clarifying his view of Social Security. He left town with a new set of issues for his rivals to delve into when they reconvene for another debate next week." — Leading the Pack Brings New Perils, Perry Discovers, The New York Times

• "The number of Texans living in poverty jumped to more than 4.6 million last year, an increase of nearly 9 percent, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday." — Census Bureau: Nearly 1 in every 5 Texans is poor, Trail Blazers

New in The Texas Tribune:

• "Gov. Rick Perry will speak at Liberty University Wednesday and the Christian school's president and chancellor, Jerry Falwell Jr., son of the school's famous founder, predicts Perry will find a very receptive audience among its students." — Falwell: Perry a "Strong Candidate on Social Issues"

• "Gov. Rick Perry's 2007 attempt to require that girls in Texas be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus, commonly known as HPV, has become a political hot potato. But Dr. Ronald DePinho, president of MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, says the vaccine is not just sound but 'one of the great scientific advances in the history of medicine.'" — DePinho: Opposing HPV Vaccine "Unethical"

• "Last week, Next Media Animation, the Taiwan-based producers of surreal CGI-animated news reenactments, released a unique take on the life of Rick Perry. This week, it tackled another Texan: U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Surfside." — Ron Paul Gets Taiwanimated