The Evening Brief: July 10, 2012

Culled:

• Texas, U.S. government argue over impact of voter ID law (Reuters): "Lawyers for Texas and the federal government clashed on Tuesday over how many people could be barred from casting ballots under a state law requiring voters to present photo identification, in a landmark case that could end up before the U.S. Supreme Court."

• Holder vows to NAACP to aggressively fight Texas voter-identification law (The Hill): "Attorney General Eric Holder pledged to aggressively fight new voter-identification laws during a speech Tuesday to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), which has argued the policies make it harder for minorities to vote."

• U.S. Rep. Ron Paul endorses Wes Riddle in 25th Congressional District runoff (Fort Worth Star-Telegram): "U.S. Rep. Ron Paul has endorsed Wes Riddle in the 25th Congressional District runoff. Riddle squares off against Roger Williams, a well-known Weatherford auto dealer with deep local roots who recently moved to Austin, in the July 31 Republican runoff election."

• George P. Bush Urges Immigration Action (The New York Times): "George P. Bush said on Tuesday that 'it’s never too late' for Mitt Romney to take a leadership role in the immigration debate, but he acknowledged Republicans were outflanked by President Obama’s election-year decision to allow hundreds of illegal immigrants to remain in the country without fear of deportation."

• Study links global warming to 2011 Texas heat wave (The Associated Press): "New research suggests that global warming increases the chances of heat waves in Texas, like the one that hit the state last year. The government also confirmed Tuesday that 2011 was among the 15 warmest years on record. Texas had record heat and drought last year. The total direct drought-related losses to crops, livestock and timber across Texas and other states approached $10 billion, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported."

• Latin American group backs marriage equality (Washington Blade): "Fresh off the unanimous endorsement by the board of directors of the National Council of La Raza, the League of United Latin American Citizens announced this week the organization’s adoption of a resolution in support of the right to marry for same-sex couples."

New in The Texas Tribune:

• Dewhurst, Cruz Take Divergent Approaches in New TV Ads: "In new television ads released Tuesday, Ted Cruz targets GOP U.S. Senate runoff rival David Dewhurst, while Dewhurst targets President Obama."

• Interactive: Mapping Physicians Accepting Medicaid in Texas: Enrollment in Medicaid, the state's health program for low-income Texans, continues to grow, but fewer physicians are agreeing to treat Medicaid patients. This map compares Medicaid enrollment by county to the number of physicians or physician groups that provided Medicaid services in fiscal year 2011.