The Midday Brief: Jan. 12, 2012

Your afternoon reading:

• "Presidential candidate Rick Perry's criticism of Mitt Romney's business past had a boomerang effect Thursday, costing him the support of a prominent Republican in South Carolina. Investment fund executive and top GOP donor Barry Wynn told The Associated Press he was leaving the Perry fold to endorse Romney, the former Massachusetts governor. Wynn said Perry's attacks on Romney's time at the helm of the private equity firm Bain Capital had crossed the line in a political party that values free-market capitalism." — Perry loses key SC backer after attack on Romney, The Associated Press

• "Looks like there’s a little war brewing between Rick Perry and former presidential candidate Herman Cain, who recently criticized the Texas governor’s depth and knowledge of political issues. 'I hope Herman doesn’t think running a Godfather’s Pizza is the same as running the state of Texas,' Perry said on Laura Ingraham’s Radio Show after the host played a clip of Cain’s comments and the Texas governor touted his job creation record in the state. During an interview on the Fox Business Network Wednesday, Cain called Perry a 'foregone superstar' who 'wasn’t deep on any of the issues.'" — Rick Perry Zings Herman Cain, ABC News

• "I wrote on Wednesday that I expected Mitt Romney to expand his modest lead in the South Carolina polls once his victory in New Hampshire was reflected in the surveys there. Instead, the first poll of the state after New Hampshire suggests just the opposite and shows Mr. Romney’s lead contracting in South Carolina, although I would urge a lot of caution in interpreting it. The poll, an automated survey from InsiderAdvantage, was conducted on Wednesday and shows Mr. Romney with 23 percent of the vote, just 2 points ahead of Newt Gingrich at 21 percent. The poll has Rick Santorum and Ron Paul tied for third place at 13 percent, with Jon M. Huntsman Jr. having moved ahead of Rick Perry for fifth place." — Polls Show Gains For Romney — But Not in South Carolina, FiveThirtyEight

• "The DNC is out with a new Web video hitting Mitt Romney on Bain — using the words of his GOP opponents Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich and Jon Huntsman." — DNC video uses Perry, Newt attacks on Bain, Politico

New in The Texas Tribune:

• "Texas' greenhouse gas battles are about to heat up again. Next month, a federal court hears oral arguments in lawsuits that Texas has filed against the EPA, which began regulating heat-trapping emissions a year ago. But the agency is hardly backing down." — Greenhouse Gas Wars to Resume in Texas

• "There are now eight Texas universities vying to be the state's next tier-one university. Texas State University-San Marcos has officially been reclassified as an 'emerging research university.'" — Texas State Upgraded to Emerging Research Status

• "This year, for the first time, students' scores on standardized tests will count 15 percent toward their final grades. It sounds straightforward, but how some districts are applying the so-called 15 percent rule threatens to spark the next political battle over a test that has seen plenty of them." — Schools Find Many Ways to Adapt Grades to Test