“The war on drugs snared a vast horde of financially marginal people,” says Henry Pontell, UCI professor of criminology, law & society. “There has been no similar war on financial thugs.

A lack of effective regulation and enforcement by the U.S. government allowed financial fraud to flourish during the last decade and set the stage for the subprime mortgage crisis, says Henry Pontell, UC Irvine professor of criminology, law & society.

By PHILLIP RAWLS
Associated Press Writer

A well-funded black congressman has a shot at becoming the first African-American to win the Democratic nomination for governor of Alabama, even without the backing of the state's traditional civil rights organizations.

But a victory for Rep. Arthur Davis in Tuesday's primary may be a short-lived milestone in a state that has gone Republican in five of the last six elections for governor.

The Republican candidates competing in their party's primary include Tim James, the son of a two-term governor. James has aired blunt ads against illegal immigrants that set off a fierce Internet debate and gave new momentum to his campaign.