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Lenders' Remorse

By Ryan Grim
Updated Monday, April 28, 2008, at 7:32 AM ET

The New York Times leads with pushback from the mortgage industry against tighter lending regulations. The Wall Street Journal tops its worldwide news box with a flurry of rockets and bullets aimed at Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who survived the assassination attempt. The Washington Post leads with the story of the consequences of Prince William County's ongoing crackdown on illegal immigration. The Los Angeles Time goes with economic woe facing TV crew members, already reeling from the writers' strike, as studios cut down on the number of pilots and production time. USA Today leads with the possibility of less scrutiny for some airline passengers if they can "prove" they don't belong on a terrorist watch list. (If they can't, what does that mean?)

The plan unfurled by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff seeks to combat "the Ted Kennedy problem"—named for the unfortunate Massachusetts senator who has repeatedly undergone extra scrutiny because his name is apparently "similar" to that of someone linked to a suspected terrorist. Or suspected to be linked to a terrorist. Or suspected to be linked to a suspected terrorist.

Either way, Sen. Kennedy would need only provide each airline he flies with his name and birthdate and from then on will be treated like a regular, nonterrorist customer.

WSJ has four columns above the fold announcing that Mars Inc. and Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway are near a $22 billion pact to buy Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. that "would remake the global confectionery landscape."

Continental rejected United Airlines merger overtures, WSJ reports.

The Post finds that, since September, 759 fewer kids are enrolled in Prince William classes that teach English to speakers of other languages (ESOL). Meanwhile, 623 students from the county have enrolled in nearby Fairfax schools. Proponents of the crackdown say that their policy is working, squeezing illegal immigrants out of the community. Opponents say a climate of fear is driving legal immigrants out, as well.

The L.A. Times fronts a deeper look into a recent drug-war shootout in Tijuana that left 15 dead. The story asks what return the Mexican government is getting on its increased investment in the war against the so-called drug cartels. Reporter Héctor Tobar finds some officials who see the violence as a good sign. It's the result, they say, of government success, as truces established by the cartels wilt under the government heat.

Speaking of unpopular organizations, the American mortgage industry is pushing back hard against proposed rules that would tighten regulations around the loan process, the NYT reports, to "the chagrin of consumer groups." The banks say too much paperwork would increase the cost of a loan. The proposed rules target the easy loans that had been given out to customers with bad credit.

The Times has reports of ongoing political violence perpetrated by Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe as he clings to power.

The Post goes above the fold with a four-click must-read by Eli Saslow, who sketches the scene at a North Carolina voter registration office. He profiles an ex-felon (drug charge) who learned he could register as long as he'd completed parole, a high-school senior registering for the first time, and an ex-Marine switching from the GOP so he can cast a vote not so much for Hillary Clinton but rather against the newcomer he calls "Embowa."

"From what I can tell, if he becomes president he will refuse to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and we will leave Iraq unprepared," he says. "I'm not going to sit at home and let that happen."

Democrats have seen a surge of a million or so new registrations in the last seven primaries, while Republicans have stayed roughly flat, Saslow finds. "In 20 years," says the North Carolina official registering voters, "I've never seen anything quite like it."

The San Francisco Giants stink this year, but what really has fans down, the Journal reports, is the absence of Barry Bonds. Sales of tickets, rubber chickens, and kayaks are all down significantly.

The Times fronts a look at Obama's evolving campaign style; the candidate is getting more specific and holding more town hall-style events as opposed to large rallies in an effort to connect with working-class voters. The story includes this nugget:

In interviews with several associates and aides, Mr. Obama was described as bored with the campaign against Mrs. Clinton and eager to move into the general election against Senator John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican nominee.

Obama's advisers, the piece says, are no longer fully confident that the campaign will end before June 3.

USA Today grades NFL teams' performance on draft day. As always, it's got all the details you'll need, such as this scouting report on a cornerback drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles: "Jack Ikegwuono has knee problems and may be facing burglary charges."

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Ryan Grim writes for The Politico.
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