The Brief: July 9, 2014

The Big Conversation

Gov. Rick Perry will get his meeting with President Barack Obama on border security today in Dallas, with much riding on the line for both men.

As the Houston Chronicle's Kevin Diaz and Mike Ward reported, Perry got a half-minute on the tarmac when he tried to engage Obama on border security during a visit to Texas four years ago. The governor pressed hard this time around to get a meeting with Obama during this week's visit.

Politico's Katie Glueck wrote that Perry, who is thinking about another run for the White House in 2016, is leveraging the moment to get back into the national political conversation while showcasing himself as a conservative on immigration issues. "People who know Perry maintain that he has long been deeply concerned about border security, and in fact has been warning for years of today’s crisis," Glueck wrote. "But they also note that his tussle with the president gives him a much bigger stage."

Obama, meanwhile, comes to the meeting with Perry a day after requesting close to $4 billion from Congress to deal with the surge in immigration along the border. That's about twice what Obama had asked for previously, and he must now look to lawmakers for support at a time when members on both sides of the aisle might be reluctant to back the effort.

The Day Ahead

•    The House Pensions Committee meets at 10 a.m. in the Capitol Extension to look at new reporting requirements proposed by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). (agenda)

Trib Must-Reads

Some Worry Traffic Issues Will Stem Texas' Growth, by Aman Batheja

Texas Work Safety Hotline Upgraded, by Jay Root

Travis County Forges New Territory in Voting Machines, by Eli Okun

BP Wants Unspent Spill Recovery Money Back, by Neena Satija

Elsewhere

Davis: Abbott lets Texans unknowingly 'sleep next door to explosives', San Antonio Express-News

House passes chemical facility security bill, The Hill

Greg Abbott to raise campaign money in Washington, The Dallas Morning News

Untamed Cruz refuses to play nice with GOP campaign arm, The Hill

Castro HUD nomination heads to Senate vote, San Antonio Express-News

Lawmakers pitch change to state business tax, Austin American-Statesman

2016 RNC location: Cleveland to host GOP convention, Politico

Quote to Note

“He’s a VINO, he’s a vice chairman in name only.”

— An unnamed "national Republican," to The Hill on the perception that U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz hasn't done much to help the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) on which he serves as vice chairman

Today in TribTalk

End the culture of silence on sex education, by Jessica Taylor

Trib Events for the Calendar

•    The Texas Tribune Festival runs from Sept. 19-21 at the University of Texas at Austin. The next round of participants has now been announced, a list headed by Wendy Davis, Rick Perry, John Cornyn and Atlanta, Ga., Mayor Kasim Reed. Also, you have just until Thursday to lock in the early bird price of $150 — that's 50 percent off the walk-up rate rate. And as a reminder, students and educators get in for $50. So act now!