The Evening Brief: March 23, 2012

Culled:

• Ron Paul video pokes at Romney opponents’ focus on Etch a Sketch (The Washington Post): "Ron Paul just did Mitt Romney another favor. The Texas congressman, who throughout the campaign has given Romney a series of assists, is now shunning the media’s coverage of and Romney’s opponents’ reaction to the controversy over a Romney adviser’s Etch a Sketch comments."

• Texas officials approve radioactive waste dump (The Associated Press): "Radioactive waste from dozens of states could soon be buried in a Texas dump near the New Mexico border after Texas officials gave final approval Friday to rules allowing the shipments."

• Groups line up to defend Voting Rights Act, oppose Texas AG Abbott (The Dallas Morning News): "A slew of minority advocacy groups on Friday lined up in opposition to Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott's bid to overturn a key section of the civil rights-era Voting Rights Act and enforce the state's voter ID law. 'The passage of the Voting Rights Act was brought about with blood, sweat and tears of young people who fought for the right of all people, regardless of race, to vote,' said Dallas activist Rev. Peter Johnson of the Justice Seekers, one the groups opposing Abbott in federal court. The ID law, Johnson said, is 'a testament to the fact that the struggle for equal rights, especially in Texas, continues.'"

• Houston Rep. Al Green flies to Florida to protest the death of Trayvon Martin (Houston Chronicle): "Texas Rep. Al Green was one of the thousands that gathered Thursday night at a rally in the hometown of Trayvon Martin protest the lack of action that had been taken on the investigation. Green, a Democrat from Houston who attended grade school through college in Florida, said the incident has become a national issue."

• Congressman organizes April job fair in Austin (Austin American-Statesman): "U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, a San Antonio Republican whose congressional district extends into Travis County, is holding a job fair in Austin next month. 'One of the most satisfying things I do is to help someone get a paycheck which enables them to provide for their families,' Smith said in a statement."

New in The Texas Tribune:

• Lawsuit Can't Cover All Kids in Long-Term Foster Care: "The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the national child advocacy group Children's Rights cannot file its class-action suit on behalf of all 12,000 youth in Texas' long-term foster care system."

• Jury Still Out on Local Immigration Enforcement: "Wednesday’s court ruling that the city of Farmers Branch does not have the authority to enact immigration legislation is being hailed as a major victory for immigrants in Texas. But attorneys caution that the decision hardly means all state and local ordinances are dead on arrival."