The Midday Brief: Nov. 10, 2011

Your afternoon reading:

• "Rick Perry is headed to New York this afternoon for three television appearances, including a taping of CBS’s 'Late Show with David Letterman.'" — Rick Perry doing 'Letterman' show tonight, Politico

• "Rick Perry moved rapidly on Thursday to try to save his presidential campaign by laughing off  questions about his departure from the race and trying to elicit empathy for a debate gaffe with a game on his Web site asking visitors what federal agency they would like to forget. … Humor appears to be a key weapon in the effort by Mr. Perry’s campaign to recover. A game on his Web site cleverly asks visitors which part of the federal government they would like to forget. It invites people to send their suggestions to: forgetmenot@rickperry.org." — Perry Tries to Recover From His ‘Oops’ Moment, The New York Times

• "Private polling shared with The Associated Press shows Cain's support in Iowa has declined since last month. Internal polls of likely Republican caucus-goers showed Cain's support consistent with The Des Moines Register's poll in late October, which showed him narrowly leading in the state with 23 percent. The private polls showed Cain still in double digits in Iowa, but markedly lower." — Cain gets back on the trail amid scandal, The Associated Press

• "Rep. Ruben Hinojosa said Thursday he would seek re-election in a congressional district that will be determined by a panel of federal judges in San Antonio." — Ruben Hinojosa, a top GOP target, to seek a ninth term in Congress, Texas on the Potomac

New in The Texas Tribune:

• "Gov. Rick Perry maintained a smile during appearances on every major morning show Thursday, even as they replayed his instantly infamous 53-second 'brain freeze' over ... and over." — Video: Smiling Perry Makes Morning Rounds, Repeats "I Stepped In It"

• "The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles on Thursday unanimously rejected a controversial license plate commemorating the Sons of Confederate Veterans of Texas, but their decision is unlikely to be the end of the heated debate over the symbol many associate with slavery." — DMV Board Rejects Confederate License Plate

• "On Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency, which took over greenhouse gas permitting in Texas in the face of the state's resistance, issued its first such permit in the state — to a yet-to-be-built natural gas power plant in Llano County." — EPA, Despite Fire From Texas, Issues State's First Greenhouse Gas Permit

• "With Veterans Day approaching, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst on Thursday asked the Veterans Affairs and Military Installations Committee to consider several issues, including the status of mental health services for veterans and ways to improve employment services." — Dewhurst Tells Committee to Study Veterans' Issues

• "Despite an increase in state spending on mental health care, Texas still ranks last in per capita funding for people with mental illness, according to a report issued by the National Alliance of Mental Illness." — Study: Texas Ranks Last in Mental Health Spending