The Midday Brief: Jan. 16, 2012

Your afternoon reading:

• "Rick Perry explained to about 200 people at a Moms Matter event in Myrtle Beach how his faith helped lead him into the presidential race, and has strengthened over the past six months. … He also said that Romney should release his income taxes, as Perry has done since taking office. 'Every candidate up there should put their taxes out, including Mitt,' Perry said. 'September and October is not the time for us to be finding out that, 'Oops, there is something out there that is a problem.' We need to know it now.'" — Rick Perry tells moms about faith and family; jabs at Romney to release his taxes, Trail Blazers

• "Ron Paul says he has by no means given up on winning the Republican presidential nomination, but he acknowledges that he might not make it. … So even as his aides plot a strategy to pick up delegates, they are beginning to plan how to use the leverage they are gaining to try to force the party to take his and his supporters’ views into account, signaling what Mr. Paul would want to party officials and rival candidates who are eager for the backing of his fervent following but nervous that he might undertake a third-party bid." — Focusing on Nomination, Paul Plots a Backup Plan, The New York Times

• "Former Gov. Jon M. Huntsman Jr. of Utah formally ended his once promising Republican presidential run with a call for party unity, asking the five candidates he leaves on the field to end their negative ads and chastising President Obama for engaging in 'class warfare.'" — Huntsman Leaves Race With Plea for Party Unity, The New York Times

• "While most of the political world’s attention has been focused on South Carolina, Mitt Romney has moved into a clear lead in a set of national polls conducted since his victory in the New Hampshire primary." — National Polls Suggest Romney Is Overwhelming Favorite for G.O.P. Nomination, FiveThirtyEight

• "Mackenzie Weinger reports on Rick Perry's response to word of Jon Huntsman's departure from the race, which touched on a genuine note of friendship: "I was hoping I'd get the Huntsman girls. We love the Huntsman girls, our kids get along well, and Mary Kaye and Anita are best friends. Jon’s a dear friend too, and we’ve had a wonderful time getting to know the candidates." — Perry on Huntsman dropout: I'll miss the Jon girls, Politico

New in The Texas Tribune:

• "Starting Feb. 1, drilling operators will have to report many of the chemicals they use in hydraulic fracturing. But a less-publicized part of the regulation is what some water experts are most interested in: the mandatory disclosure of the amount of water needed to 'frack' each well. That's valuable information, especially given Texas' vulnerability to drought." — Fracking Disclosures to Include Water Totals