The Brief: Dec. 1, 2011
Gov. Rick Perry, looking to get Iowans on board his struggling campaign, has turned to friends at home. About 600 of them, to be precise. Full Story
Gov. Rick Perry, looking to get Iowans on board his struggling campaign, has turned to friends at home. About 600 of them, to be precise. Full Story
A wild flock of whooping cranes flies each year from Canada to the Aransas marshes of the Texas Gulf Coast. As Erika Aguilar of KUT News reports, the fate of the endangered birds has spurred a federal court case in Corpus Christi set to begin next week. Full Story
Could the state’s public universities go through the so-called sunset review process, forcing them to periodically defend their existence to state legislators? Full Story
In the wake of an illegal immigrant's suicide last week, Texas groups urging passage of the DREAM Act are aiming to make sure what happened to Joaquin Luna doesn't happen to other students. Full Story
Judge Ken Anderson, the former prosecutor who saw to the wrongful conviction of Michael Morton, said during a marathon deposition that he remembered few of the details from the 25-year-old case and that he did nothing wrong. Full Story
This week on the TribCast, Evan, Ross, Reeve and Ben talk about the Perry campaign shake-up (or lack thereof), the disappearing incumbents of the Texas House and the business franchise tax. Full Story
Add the Democratic House member from McAllen to the list of legislators who won't be seeking re-election next year. Full Story
Your afternoon reading: Perry steps up populist rhetoric in New Hampshire House address; Cain says he'll stay in race; Carney slams Romney in new book Full Story
Rick Perry sharpened his populist tirade against Wall Street financiers and Washington politicians Wednesday, saying Americans had been “snookered” by bogus investments and a string of taxpayer-financed bailouts. Full Story
Rick Perry's chief strategist, Dave Carney, clearly doesn't think much of once (and future?) GOP presidential front-runner Mitt Romney. He lays into the former Massachusetts governor's personality and core values — or lack thereof — in a just-published book. Full Story
For Rick Perry, another attempt at a campaign reboot, this time in New Hampshire, may have already fallen flat. Full Story
Former President George W. Bush will take his first post-White House trip to Africa to help combat cervical and breast cancer among women. Meanwhile, his home state is struggling to provide the same services to low-income women. Full Story
Gov. Rick Perry picked up a substantial endorsement on Tuesday from controversial Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio. But as Ben Philpott of KUT News and the Tribune reports, it's unclear whether the endorsement will be enough to turn around Perry's flagging campaign. Full Story
The drought that has plagued Texas is virtually certain to continue at least until early summer, climate experts said on Tuesday at a conference in Fort Worth. But what happens after that is anyone's guess. Full Story
Rick Perry barnstormed New Hampshire and the talk radio circuit Tuesday to showcase his endorsement from immigration hardliner Joe Arpaio, but there were few visible signs that the Arizona sheriff’s blessing will revive the governor’s campaign. Full Story
Your afternoon reading: why Perry didn't score the Union Leader endorsement; poll says Cain's exit would benefit Gingrich; Democrats hit Perry for Arpaio endorsement Full Story
Election season in Texas may have officially begun Monday, but with maps in flux, the state appears ready to tap the brakes. Full Story
Water remains a precious commodity thanks to Texas' record drought. But in Montgomery County in Houston, as Dave Fehling of KUHF News and NPR's StateImpact Texas reports, residents are concerned about a different threat to the water supply: wells used to dispose of toxic waste. Full Story
"America's toughest sheriff," as he calls himself, joined Rick Perry on the campaign trail today as the governor aims to mend fences with the GOP voters he has alienated with his moderate stands on illegal immigration. Full Story
Candidates began filing for the March 6 primary elections Monday, while the Texas attorney general asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block legislative and congressional maps drawn by a San Antonio court — even if it means delaying some primaries to May 22. Full Story