It's that frisky season when politicians of the same stripe nonetheless go neck to neck with their sometimes-allies to differentiate themselves while ripping their brothers-in-arms a new one. In the presidential primary, the corn belt has been shaken with a barrage of negative ads from Republican party hopefuls - Mitt Romney (who isn't taking responsibility for said ads) blasts Newt Gingrich, and now Newt's associates are blasting back. It's all very exciting, but even with two Texas dogs in the hunt it feels very removed. The good news is that a debate is headed not just to Texas, but to Austin - and though it probably won't have the vim and vigor of the Perry Vs. Perry debates we've seen, at least this one doesn't take place in Iowa. more ›

Here in Austin we already have a pretty rigorous smoking ban. Though indoor smoking at public places is always a no-no, a patio is usually ok (unless you're at the W's restaurant, Trace, where they ask smokers to stand on the curb like the second class citizens we are). SB 28 asks that Texas pass a statewide smoking ban in public places, including some outdoor public spots, but it hasn't received much traction. The Tribune reports, "State Rep. Myra Crownover, R-Denton, and Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, both filed smoking ban bills during the regular session, only to see them defeated. In May, House lawmakers led by Crownover attached the ban to SB 1811, a funding bill, but the measure was stripped out in conference committee after objections from senators. In order to fit Gov. Rick Perry’s call for the special session, the bill was relabeled as an effort to reduce Medicaid and other health care costs." Ellis claims that banning smoking will save $31 billion dollars in Medicaid spending over the next biennium. Sneaky! more ›

• A story about the alleged Baylor undergraduate days of Rand Paul, who is running for the U.S. Senate in Kentucky.
• The Bayport Cruise Terminal in Houston hasn’t done an iota of bizness yet! Looks like that’s 81 million down the drain!
• Shrimp season opens in the Gulf... and things could be better.

Although Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's new website has removed hidden text that said "rick perry gay", the remaining 2,000-plus hidden words and phrases could get the site banned from search engine results. more ›

State Senate approves bill which would have doctors offer ultrasound to women seeking abortion, and more. more ›

In a written statement, which Ben Smith reposted on Politico, Specter declares, "Since my election in 1980, as part of the Reagan Big Tent, the Republican Party has moved far to the right. Last year, more than 200,000 Republicans in Pennsylvania changed their registration to become Democrats. I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans." more ›