The Evening Brief: Dec. 11, 2012

New in The Texas Tribune:

•   Perry Lends Support to Fetal Pain Bill: "Gov. Rick Perry on Tuesday indicated he would support a 'fetal pain' bill to ban abortions after 20 weeks. Speaking at the Source for Women, a pregnancy crisis center in Houston, he said his goal 'is to make abortion at any stage a thing of the past.' … While the governor was giving his remarks on Tuesday, Planned Parenthood sent out a press release announcing another lawsuit against the state over the organization's exclusion from the new state-run Women's Health Program."

•   Head of CPRIT Resigns Amid Investigations: "As the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas is set to face investigations into a grant that bypassed a mandated review, the executive director of the state agency has resigned his post."

•   Tea Party Touts Ethics, Transparency Reforms: "Tea Party activists are releasing their priorities for the upcoming legislative session on Tuesday, and a top leader says they will call for ethics reform, an end to double-dipping by elected officials and better disclosure on personal financial statements."

•   Two Texas Charter Schools Win Race to The Top Grants: "Two Texas charter schools are each eligible to receive just less than $30 million in federal Race to the Top money. Idea Public Schools and Harmony Science Academy were among 16 winners chosen from 61 finalists from across the nation."

Culled:

•   UT Law Prof. Lino Graglia Says Black and Hispanic Students Are Less “Academically Competent” Again (TM Daily Post): "Lino Graglia, dubbed the 'most controversial law professor in America' in 1997 by Texas Monthly’s Paul Burka, is again garnering headlines for his remarks on race."

•  Judge temporarily halts Keystone XL pipeline in Texas (Los Angeles Times): "A Texas judge has temporarily stopped oil company TransCanada from building a pipeline designed to carry tar sands oil from Canada through eastern portions of the state to the Gulf Coast."

•   Attorney General Greg Abbott financial donors include beneficiares of cancer-agency grants (The Dallas Morning News): "When Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott investigates funding questions surrounding the state cancer-research agency, he’ll already know something about the operation. Abbott is on the oversight committee of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute. And some of its beficiaries are his campaign donors."