The Evening Brief: July 11, 2012

New in The Texas Tribune:

• Calls Preceded Removal of Dewhurst Speeches From Site: "The office of Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst recently removed all of his speeches from his state website — including a controversial address in which he expresses support for giving work visas to illegal immigrants, an aide to Dewhurst said Wednesday. … The speeches from Dewhurst's state website were pulled down after reporters began calling about his controversial 2007 remarks on border and immigration issues, an aide said."

• UT System Regents Table Plan to Expand KUT: "The University of Texas System Board of Regents on Wednesday delayed a decision on a proposal that would allow for the expansion of KUT, a public radio station housed in the University of Texas at Austin’s College of Communication."

• Jeremy Everett: The TT Interview: The director of the Texas Hunger Initiative at Baylor University on hunger in Texas, why partisan approaches to alleviating hunger are flawed and how improving current programs can stimulate local economies.

Culled:

• Mitt at NAACP in Houston: Booed on health care (Politico): "Mitt Romney drew boos, shouts and jeers from attendees speaking here to the NAACP convention, who balked at his claim that he — not the country’s first black president — could best represent black America. 'If you want the president who will make things better in the African-American community, you’re looking at him,' Romney said, as he was immediately met with loud shouts."

• Romney says he 'expected' boos at NAACP convention for his attack on 'ObamaCare' (Houston Chronicle): "After getting booed at the NAACP convention in Houston this morning, Mitt Romney turned to a friendlier audience — the TV networks of Fox — to explain the remarks that earned him an extended negative reaction in Texas. 'I think we expected that,' the Republican presidential candidate told Fox Business Network host Neil Cavuto."

• Perry meets with hospital execs (San Antonio Express-News): "Gov. Rick Perry met with executives from hospitals around Texas Tuesday, but several who attended said the meeting wasn’t about his decision against Medicaid expansion. Instead, it focused on a Medicaid funding program for hospitals that treat a large proportion of uninsured patients."

• 'Absurd' to equate voter ID law with poll tax: Sen. John Cornyn on Attorney General Eric Holder’s NAACP comments (The Dallas Morning News): "Texas Sen. John Cornyn blasted Attorney General Eric Holder this afternoon for trying to undermine Texas sovereignty, waging war on the state’s voter ID law and equating that law to a poll tax. Holder made that comparison Tuesday at the NAACP convention in Houston on Tuesday."

• Health clinic hours reduced 50% at some Texas prison units because of budget cuts; Ogden says prison health budget underfunded 15% (Grits for Breakfast): "Clinic hours at some Texas prison units were cut by up to 50% in the wake of recent budget cuts, Texas Tech officials told state senators on Monday."