The Evening Brief: July 20, 2012

Culled:

• George W. Bush skipping Republican National Convention (Politico): "Former President George W. Bush will not attend the Republican convention next month in Tampa, POLITICO has learned. 'President Bush was grateful for the invitation to the Republican National Convention,' Bush spokesman Freddy Ford wrote in an e-mail. 'He supports Governor Romney and wants him to succeed. President Bush is confident that Mitt Romney will be a great President. But he’s still enjoying his time off the political stage and respectfully declined the invitation to go to Tampa.'"

• Al Sharpton to campaign with Domingo Garcia during first day of early voting (The Dallas Morning News): "Domingo Garcia is campaigning on Monday with civil rights leader Al Sharpton, according to his website. The former state representative from Dallas is in a Congressional District 33 runoff against state Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Fort Worth."
• Texas Slow To Review Health Insurance Rate Hikes (NPR): "To make insurance more affordable, the federal law requires every state to conduct a special review whenever a health insurer wants to raise premiums more than 10 percent. This rate review would help protect small businesses and individuals who buy their own policies. The provision went into effect last September, and since then, insurers made nine such requests in Texas.But so far the Texas Department of Insurance hasn't completed any reviews. Officially, they're all pending."

New in The Texas Tribune:

• Latest Disclosures Show Cruz Outraising Dewhurst Again: "Former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz raised $523,000 in the first 11 days of July for his U.S. Senate race, more than triple the haul that Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst reported for the same period, new disclosures show."
• Employment Figures Reflect Little Change in Texas Economy: "Texas added 12,900 nonfarming jobs last month, keeping the unemployment rate virtually the same as it was in May, according to statistics released Friday by the Texas Workforce Commission."
• Refinery's Smokestacks Have Avid Fans in El Paso: "Two smokestacks in El Paso — remnants of the smelting company ASARCO — remind many residents of a legacy of environmental damage. But to a local group, the stacks, now slated for demolition, are landmarks worth saving."