The Midday Brief: Sept. 29, 2011

Your afternoon reading:

• "Texas Gov. Rick Perry said billionaire Warren Buffett 'doesn’t know what’s going on' and sought to smooth over his answers on immigration policy and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke in an appearance Thursday on CNBC." — Rick Perry works to smooth over earlier stumbles, Politico

• "There's no doubt the talk is accurate. Some Republican elites, not just members of the commentariat but also big GOP money men, are in fact unhappy with the field. But what about the voters? Is dissatisfaction with the Republican field widespread among the people who will actually decide the next GOP presidential nominee? Not really." — Who's Unhappy With the GOP Field? Only the Elites, Fox News

• "Friday marks the end of the third fundraising quarter of the year and, almost to a candidate, the men and women running for the Republican presidential nomination are downplaying expectations." — The slowness of the 2012 fundraising race (and what it means), The Washington Post

• "Less than a year ago, we learned a revenue shortfall would leave Texas $27 billion short of the money it would need to continue then-current services and programs. … In a report released this week, Comptroller Susan Combs illustrates the trickery that legislators and Gov. Rick Perry used to get there. That's because lawmakers assess fees under the guise that they will be used for a specific purpose — to help low-income residents pay electric bills, for instance — but then leave much of that money unspent to balance the state budget." — Budget trickery worsens in shortfall year, Austin American-Statesman

New in The Texas Tribune:

• "As he mounts his bid for the GOP presidential nomination, Gov. Rick Perry’s conservative views on business costs, states’ rights, job creation, energy policy and global competitiveness — the core of his governing philosophy — are illuminated most vividly in his clashes with the Environmental Protection Agency." — For Perry, the EPA Epitomizes What's Wrong With Washington

• "The U.S. Supreme Court today refused to let Texas enforce its new abortion sonogram law while the measure is under appeal, following a similar ruling from a federal appeals court on Wednesday." — Supreme Court Won't Reinstate Abortion Sonogram Law

• "State Rep. Will Hartnett, R-Dallas, said this afternoon that he won't seek another term in the Texas House." — Hartnett Confirms He Won't Seek Re-election