The Evening Brief: Aug. 14, 2012
Your evening reading: Hutchison responds to conservative critics; A&M trying to distance itself from shooting; state lawmakers debate additional tax for small tobacco companies Full Story
Your evening reading: Hutchison responds to conservative critics; A&M trying to distance itself from shooting; state lawmakers debate additional tax for small tobacco companies Full Story
The state House Ways and Means Committee heard discussion Tuesday on a possible extra tax on small tobacco companies to equalize what the big tobacco companies call a competitive advantage because of pricing. Full Story
With move-in day less than one week away, Texas A&M University officials are working to address the fallout from Monday's deadly College Station shooting — even though it did not actually occur on campus. Full Story
State officials are reporting more than 380 human cases of the West Nile virus in Texas so far this year — and no region has been harder hit than North Texas. Here’s an interactive look at reported West Nile cases and deaths by county. Full Story
For this week's nonscientific survey of political and governmental insiders, we asked about the Senate in general and its two-thirds rule in particular, and about personal financial disclosures by public officials. Full Story
As part of his series on retiring members of the U.S. Senate, MSNBC's Chuck Todd interviewed outgoing Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, on this morning's edition of The Daily Rundown. Full Story
When it makes sense, we shouldn’t act as if we will never consider tax cuts as an economic stimulant. In fact, if Democrats really want to shed our image as the taxing party, there’s a tremendous opportunity staring us in the face. Full Story
All that’s standing between Texas and an absolute one-party rule is a traffic jam or a sick day. I don’t care what your politics are — that’s not good. Full Story
Monday's deadly shooting near Texas A&M University has inevitably touched off yet another round of national debate over gun rights. Full Story
A federal appeals court on Monday handed Texas a victory in its long-running battle with the Environmental Protection Agency. But after years of squabbling between the two sides, who's winning — and at what cost — remains unclear. Full Story
During the 1990s, many Texans believed prison construction would help boost the economies in rural areas. Today, ongoing staffing shortages in rural units are causing legislators and other officials to reconsider that assumption. Full Story
The Republican vice presidential hopeful's controversial plan for reforming Medicaid and Medicare bears strong similarities to bills Texas Republicans advocated for — and eventually passed — during the last legislative session. Full Story