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money.cnn.com — Sallie Mae, the nation's largest student lender, spent $640,000 lobbying in the second quarter for government help to shore up the troubled student loan market and on legislation related to other issues affecting the industry, according to a recent disclosure report. The company lobbied on access to capital for student lenders and a variety of legislation touching on student lending, education spending and banking. Congress sets the interest rates borrowers pay and the subsidy levels lenders receive under the federal student loan program. Lawmakers last year cut about $20 billion in federal subsidies to lenders to pay for increases in student aid. That cut into lenders' profits, as did the credit crunch, making it expensive to raise the capital they need to offer student loans.

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iht.com — Foreshadowing the nation's changing makeup, one in four American counties have passed or are approaching the tipping point where black, Hispanic and Asian children constitute a majority of the under-20 population, according to analysis of newly released census figures. Racial and ethnic minorities now account for 43 percent of Americans under 20. Among people of all ages, minorities make up at least 40 percent of the population in more than one in six of the nation's 3,141 counties. The latest population changes confirm the breadth of the nation's diversity, and suggest that minorities — now about a third of the population — might constitute a majority of all Americans even sooner than projected by census demographers, in 2050.

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nytimes.com — In a case that has outraged immigration activists, county police outside Nashville, Tenn., arrested a pregnant undocumented worker and, when she was about to give birth, chained her to a hospital bed. Once she had given birth, the baby was taken away from her for two days and the father was denied contact. County officials were acting under a cooperation agreement signed in April 2007 with federal immigration authorities that gave immigration enforcement powers to county officers. These agreements are proliferating, empowering local law enforcement to use harsh tactics to crack down on illegal immigrants.

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louisianaweekly.com — The changes in voter demographics resulting from Hurricane Katrina have greatly affected the political landscape of both the metropolitan New Orleans area and the state, said University of New Orleans political scientist Edward E. Chervenak who compared and analyzed data from Louisiana's gubernatorial elections in 2003 and 2007.

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legalnewsline.com — The Louisiana Supreme Court on Tuesday unanimously ruled that homeowners insurance policies do not have to cover damages caused by levee breaches in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

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washingtonpost.com — Weeks after signing a new law designed to end the stonewalling of Freedom of Information Act requests by the Bush administration, Bush has proposed shifting a newly created ombudsman's position from the politically independent National Archives and Records Administration to the Department of Justice. Because the ombudsman would be the chief monitor of compliance with the new law, that move is akin to killing the critical function, some members of Congress and watchdog groups say.

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online.wsj.com — Spending by interest groups in the presidential campaign could top $1 billion for the first time. Spending by 50 of the largest independent political groups jumped to $130.8 million in 2007, up 55% from 2003, the year before the last presidential election.

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bloomberg.com — Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton has raised more money from lobbyists than any other 2008 presidential candidate while Republican Sen. John McCain has more of them assisting his campaign, according to records compiled by Public Citizen.

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washingtonpost.com — Both the House and Senate passed by unanimous voice votes the temporary extension of the Protect America Act.

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