The Midday Brief: Nov. 3, 2011

Your afternoon reading:

• "Herman Cain’s campaign manager is standing down, saying he accepts the denial of a strategist for Rick Perry’s campaign that he was responsible for orchestrating the first story about sexual harassment complaints against Cain while he was the CEO of a restaurant trade group in the 1990s." — Herman Cain camp backs off Perry charge, Politico

• "It always seems to happen: Whenever Rick Perry needs a break, he gets one. As the weekend begins, his terrible performance in a New Hampshire speech has gone viral. The video is shown on Leno, on The Daily Show, everywhere. Perry is a national laughingstock. And then comes the news that Herman Cain was accused of improper behavior while he was head of the National Restaurant Association, and suddenly the Perry video is off the front pages and Cain’s campaign is taking on water, and blaming Perry for leaking the story." — The luck factor works for Perry–again, BurkaBlog

• "Rick Perry told Sean Hannity Wednesday night that his poor debate performances were the result of a time crunch, saying he had to focus on fundraising in the early stages of his presidential campaign. 'Frankly, I didn't have time to prepare for those debates,' he said on Fox News Channel's Hannity. 'Obviously it showed.'" — Perry on Hannity: 'I didn't have time to prepare for those debates,' Trail Blazers

• "Texas Sen. John Cornyn on Wednesday said lawmakers probing Operation Fast and Furious are poring through recently released Justice Department documents for clues on a possible Texas version of the botched gun-trafficking investigation." — John Cornyn says probe into Texas-style Fast and Furious heating up, Texas on the Potomac

New in The Texas Tribune:

• "Herman Cain’s troubles could be big enough to threaten his top-tier candidacy — and perhaps give a badly needed boost to the governor of Texas. And at least one prominent Rick Perry supporter is ready to pounce on the opportunity." — Perry Looking for Surge in Iowa as Cain Struggles

• "A Gray County District Court today denied DNA testing that death row inmate Hank Skinner has been seeking for a decade. Skinner's lawyers plan to appeal the decision. His execution is scheduled for Wednesday." — Lower Court Denies Skinner DNA Test; Appeal Planned

• "This interactive shows the dramatic drop in employment at Texas state agencies from the third quarter of fiscal year 2011 to the last quarter, right before $15 billion in cuts to the 2012-2013 biennium budget kicked in Sept. 1." — Interactive: Budget Cuts Continue to Shrink Texas State Government

• "Environmental groups are fighting a proposal that would grant U.S. Border Patrol greater authority to operate in public parks and on environmentally protected land, saying it would circumvent regulations designed to protect natural resources." — Bill Would Give Border Patrol More Access to Parks, Wildlife Refuges