Trump administration's changes to the CFPB cost Americans $19B, a new report says

NEW YORK (AP) — One year after the Trump administration took control of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the consumer watchdog has largely retreated from enforcement and regulatory work, changes that consumer advocates and Democrats now estimate have cost Americans at least $19 billion in financial relief.

In a report provided to The Associated Press ahead of its release by the office of Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Monday, the authors say the CFPB harmed consumers by abandoning major consumer protections, stalling investigation and dismissing a number of lawsuits.

"Trump's attempt to sideline the CFPB has cost families billions of dollars over the last year alone," said Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, as well as one of the bureau's fiercest defenders in Congress.

The administration and congressional Republicans have argued that the bureau needed to be downsized and reined in because it had grown too large and overreaching.

The administration assumed control of the CFPB in February 2025 after Rohit Chopra, the bureau's director under President Joe Biden, resigned, leaving White House budget director Russell Vought as acting director. Since then, few new investigations have been opened,many employees have been ordered not to workand several pending enforcement actions against financial companies have been dropped.

The White House announced in April that it wanted to reduce the Bureau's staff from 1,689 positions to 207 positions, but that move has beenblocked by courts. Even if the employees' union does succeed in its lawsuit against Vought, Congress cut the bureau's budget by roughly half in Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act. It's unlikely that all of those employees will still have their jobs once all litigation is settled.

"The CFPB may still be standing, but it's essentially on life support," said Chuck Bell, advocacy program director at Consumer Reports, in a statement. Consumer Reports put out its own data Monday that arrives at similar conclusions as Warren's office.

A spokeswoman for the CFPB did not respond to a request for comment.

One form of relief the report said consumers were denied was a limit on overdraft fees, which the Biden CFPB finalized in 2024 but the Republican-led Congress overturned last year. That would have saved consumers $5 billion a year, according to the Bureau's estimates at the time.

The bureau also tried to cap the amount of money consumers pay to credit card companies when they pay their bills late. That would have saved Americans roughly $10 billion, according to Bureau estimates when the rule was proposed. The regulation was blocked by a federal court last year, and the bureau, under the control of the Trump administration, decided not to fight the lawsuit in court.

Another roughly $4 billion in consumer relief would have come from a series of lawsuits or settlements that were dismissed by the bureau under Acting Director Vought. For example, the bureau sued Capital One in January 2025 for $2 billion, days before President Trump was to be sworn into office, alleging that Capital One has misrepresented the interest rate paid on its savings accounts to customers. That lawsuit was dismissed.

The bureau also sued Early Warning Systems, the company that runs the money transfer service Zelle, in December 2024 for $870 million alleging that the EWS and the banks that operate Zelle were negligent in protecting consumers from fraud and scams. That lawsuit was also dismissed last year.

There's also been a slowdown in the number of complaints resolved by the bureau as well. The CFPB runs its own consumer complaint database, where a consumer can allege wrongdoing by their bank or financial services company and the bureau will act as intermediary between the consumer and financial company to resolve the complaint. Under the Biden CFPB, roughly half of all consumer complaints were resolved with relief for the consumer, whereas under the Trump CFPB, that figure has dwindled to less than 5%.

The independent Government Accountability Office made public a separate report Monday outlining its attempts to keep track of the Trump administration's reorganization and restructuring of the CFPB. The GAO said it received no cooperation from the White House or the bureau, and the GAO needed to rely on mostly public records to produce its report. In a response to the GAO, the CFPB cited ongoing litigation between its employees and management as the primary reason why it could not cooperate.

The GAO's report largely matches what has been documented in news reports that the bureau has cancelled dozens of enforcement actions against alleged wrongdoers, unwound rules and regulations that previous bureau management said would protect consumers or bring them financial relief. There have been even rules and regulations enacted during President Trump's first term that have been targeted by the bureau's current management.

Mark Paoletta, the bureau's chief legal officer and effectively its deputy director under Vought, called the GAO's report "biased and flawed" in a letter to the agency did not raise any specific issues with its conclusions, other than to say the GAO was working with incomplete information.

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February 09, 2026

Trump administration's changes to the CFPB cost Americans $19B, a new report says

NEW YORK (AP) — One year after the Trump administration took control of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the co...

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Trump's immigration crackdown is straining federal courts. Judges are raising the alarm

ATLANTA (AP) — Federal judges around the country are scrambling to address a deluge of lawsuits fromimmigrantslocked up under the Trump administration'smass deportationcampaign.

Under past administrations, people with no criminal record could generally request a bond hearing before an immigration judge while their cases wound through immigration court unless they were stopped at the border. PresidentDonald Trump's White House reversed that policy in favor ofmandatory detention.

Immigrants by the thousands have been turning to federal courts by using another legal tool: habeas corpus petitions. While the administration scoreda major legal victoryFriday, here's a look at how that's affecting federal courts and what some judges have done in response:

Judges are raising the alarm

In one federal court district in Georgia, the enormous volume of habeas petitions has created "an administrative judicial emergency," a judge wrote in a court order on Jan. 29. U.S. District Judge Clay Land in Columbus said the Trump administration was refusing to provide bond hearings to immigrants at Georgia's Stewart Detention Center despite his "clear and definitive rulings" against mandatory detention. Instead, the court had to order the hearing in each individual case, wrote Land, a nominee of Republican President George W. Bush.

In Minnesota, where the administration'simmigration enforcement surgecontinues, U.S. DistrictChief Judge Patrick Schiltzsaid in a Jan. 26 order Trump officials had made "no provision for dealing with the hundreds of habeas petitions and other lawsuits that were sure to result." The court had received more than 400 habeas petitions in January alone, according to a filing by the government in a separate case.

Schiltz, who was also nominated by Bush, said in a separate order two days later that the government since January had failed to comply with scores of court decisions ordering it to release or provide other relief to people arrested during Operation Metro Surge.

And in the Southern District of New York, U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian said in an opinion in December that the district had been "flooded" with petitions for relief from immigrants who posed no flight risk or danger but were nonetheless imprisoned indefinitely. Subramanian, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and presides in New York City, granted a 52-year-old Guinean woman's habeas petition and ordered her release.

"No one disputes that the government may, consistent with the law's requirements, pursue the removal of people who are in this country unlawfully," he wrote. "But the way we treat others matters."

The administration defends its actions

TheDepartment of Homeland Securitysaid in a statement on Friday that the administration was "more than prepared to handle the legal caseload necessary to deliver President Trump's deportation agenda for the American people."

DHS and the Justice Department, which also emailed a statement, slammed the judiciary.

"If rogue judges followed the law in adjudicating cases and respected the Government's obligation to properly prepare cases, there wouldn't be an 'overwhelming' habeas caseload or concern over DHS following orders," the Justice Department statement said.

On Friday, a federal appeals court backed the administration's policy of detaining immigrants without bond. The 2-1 ruling by a panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals marked a major legal victory for the government and countered a slew of recent lower court decisions that argued the practice was illegal.

Immigration attorneys accuse the administration of flouting a key court decision

In November, a federal judge in California ruled that the Trump administration's mandatory detention policy was illegal. U.S. District Judge Sunshine Sykes in Riverside, who was also nominated by Biden, later expanded the scope of the decision to apply to detained immigrants nationwide.

But plaintiffs' attorneys said the administration continued to deny bond hearings.

"This was a clear cut example of blatant defiance, blatant disregard of a court's order," Matt Adams, lead attorney for the plaintiffs, told The Associated Press in January.

According to Sykes, the government argued her decision was "advisory" and told immigration judges, who work for the Justice Department and are not part of the judicial branch, to ignore it. The judge said she found the latter instruction "troubling."

In its statement, DHS said "activist judges have attempted to thwart President Trump from fulfilling the American people's mandate for mass deportations."

Judges are trying to find ways to ease the burden

Land, the federal judge in Georgia, directed other judges in his district to immediately order the government to provide bond hearings to immigrants who meet criteria established by two previous habeas cases.

Maryland District Court Chief Judge George L. Russell III has ordered the administration not to immediately remove any immigrants who file habeas petitions with his court, under certain conditions. Russell, who was nominated by President Barack Obama, a Democrat, said in an amended order in December that the court had received an influx of habeas petitions after hours that "resulted in hurried and frustrating hearings."

In Tacoma, Washington, U.S. District Judge Tiffany Cartwright ordered the administration last month to give immigrants detained at a processing center in Tacoma notice of her ruling that the mandatory detention policy was illegal. Cartwright, who was also nominated by Biden, said the high volume of habeas filings had put a "tremendous strain" on immigration attorneys and the court.

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February 09, 2026

Trump's immigration crackdown is straining federal courts. Judges are raising the alarm

ATLANTA (AP) — Federal judges around the country are scrambling to address a deluge of lawsuits fromimmigrantslocked up ...

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Small plane makes emergency landing on Georgia roadway, crashes into vehicles

A small plane made an emergency landing in the middle of a Georgia highway on Feb. 9, crashing into three SUVS and leaving two motorists injured, local police told USA TODAY.

The pilot landed the single-engine plane in the middle of highway 369 in northeast Georgia after the aircraft experienced a mechanical failure, Gainesville Police Department Capt. Kevin Holbrook said. One of the plane's fuel tanks crashed through the rear of an SUV and injured a motorist.

Holbrook said "nothing but luck" prevented the crash from becoming a "mass casualty" event.

"This is a large commercial area where a number of restaurants are just within feet of the road," the captain told USA TODAY. "We're very, very fortunate we didn't have a mass casualty situation."

Videoof the emergency landing shows the plane hit the ground in the middle of the roadway and twist at high speed into traffic. Photossharedby police show the single-engine plane stopped between a Pizza Hut and Golden Corral.

Federal Aviation Administration officials are on the scene investigating the crash, according to police. The road remained closed as of about 5:30 p.m. local time. The incident was reported to police at about noon.

The crash comes just months after a United Parcel Service cargo planecrashed into an industrial sitein Kentucky, leaving 15 people dead.

Was anyone hurt?

Two motorists were taken to the hospital in connection with the incident, local authorities said. The pilot and a co-pilot onboard the plane were uninjured, according to Holbrook.

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Where did the crash happen?

The crash happened near the intersection of Browns Bridge Road and Pearl Nix Parkway in Gainesville, about 50 miles northeast of Atlanta, police said.

According to Holbrook, the plane went down on a stretch of six-lane highway that serves about 100,000 vehicles daily.

Gainesville, a city ofnearly 50,000, is the seat of Hall County.

Where was the plane going?

The plane was departing from Gainesville regional airport, about a mile away from the scene, according to Holbrook.

The police captain said the pilot made an emergency landing after realizing the mechanical failure and determining the plane would not be able to return to the airport.

Watch the crash

Video and photos of the crash show the damage that happened as a result.

The front of the plane appeared dented in footage, and a propeller blade was twisted. An SUV in one of the photos from the scene had its front bumper knocked off.

ABC News shared footage of the crash on social media.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Small plane crashes into vehicles after emergency landing on roadway

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February 09, 2026

Small plane makes emergency landing on Georgia roadway, crashes into vehicles

A small plane made an emergency landing in the middle of a Georgia highway on Feb. 9, crashing into three SUVS and leavi...

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Savannah Guthrie speaks out on 'nightmare' of missing mother in new video

Savannah Guthriehas released a fourth video addressing the apparent abduction ofher 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie.

In a videoposted Feb. 9 on Instagram, the "Today" anchor said she wanted to share "a few thoughts as we enter into another week of this nightmare."

"We believe our mom is still out there," she said. "We need your help. Law enforcement is working tirelessly, around the clock trying to bring her home, trying to find her. She was taken, and we don't know where, and we need your help."

Guthrie asked followers, even though those who do not live in Tucson, to contact law enforcement "if you see anything, if you hear anything, if there's anything at all that seems strange to you," adding, "We are at an hour of desperation, and we need your help."

"Today" anchor Savannah Guthrie's 84-year-old mother Nancy Guthrie was reported missing in February 2026. See photos of the mother-daughter duo together through the years on NBC and beyond. Here, they're pictured in an undated photograph. Arizona officials say they are investigating Nancy Guthrie's disappearance as a "crime."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Nancy Guthrie and "Today" anchor Savannah Guthrie are pictured in an undated photograph provided by NBC.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Nancy Guthrie and "Today" anchor Savannah Guthrie are pictured in an undated photograph provided by NBC.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Nancy Guthrie and "Today" anchor Savannah Guthrie are pictured on April 17, 2019, on "Today with Hoda & Jenna."

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Nancy Guthrie and "Today" anchor Savannah Guthrie are pictured in an undated photograph provided by NBC.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Nancy Guthrie, the 84-year-old mother of "Today" anchor Savannah Guthrie, is pictured in an undated photograph provided by NBC. Pictured here are Savannah and her mother on the set of the "Today" show on June 15, 2023.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Nancy Guthrie and "Today" anchor Savannah Guthrie are pictured in an undated photograph provided by NBC.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Savannah Guthrie and her mom Nancy together through the years

"Today" anchor Savannah Guthrie's 84-year-old motherNancy Guthriewas reportedmissing in February 2026. See photos of the mother-daughter duo together through the years on NBC and beyond. Here, they're pictured in an undated photograph. Arizona officials say they are investigating Nancy Guthrie's disappearance as a "crime."

She also thanked supporters for their prayers, saying she and her family "believe that, somehow, someway," that their mom "is feeling these prayers, and that God is lifting her even in this moment and in this darkest place."

Nancy Guthrie was reported missing from her homeoutside of Tucson, Arizona, on Sunday, Feb. 1, and has not been seen since the previous evening. Authorities in Arizona have said they believe Guthrie was taken from her home against her will, but no suspects or persons of interest have been identified.

Several media outlets havereceived purported ransom notesapparently connected to Guthrie's disappearance. On Feb. 5, theFBI said it was investigating a notethat included two deadlines: one on Feb. 5 and another on Feb. 9. Authorities also confirmed on Feb. 6. that they were investigating a "new message regarding Nancy Guthrie."

The Pima County Sheriff's Office in Arizona received a 911 call reporting Nancy Guthrie missing from her home outside Tucson around noon local time on Sunday, Feb. 1.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> She was reported missing from her home in a community just north of Tucson on Feb. 1, 2026.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Authorities search for Savannah Guthrie's 84-year-old missing mother

The Pima County Sheriff's Office in Arizona received a 911 call reportingNancy Guthrie missing from her home outside Tucsonaround noon local time on Sunday, Feb. 1.

The Guthrie family has so far released three videos on social media, in which they addressed their mother's alleged kidnapper.In the first video, posted on Feb. 4,Savannah Guthrie and her siblings said they were "ready to talk" with the person behind the ransom notes.

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"However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated," Savannah Guthrie said. "We need to know without a doubt that she's alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you and we are ready to listen. Please reach out to us."

Asecond video, posted on Feb. 5, featured only Savannah's brother Camron Guthrie, who said the family was still "waiting for contact" from their mother's kidnapper.

"Whoever is out there holding our mother, we want to hear from you," he said in the short message. "We haven't heard anything directly. We need you to reach out, and we need a way to communicate with you so that we can move forward."

Ina third video, posted Feb. 7, Savannah Guthrie again spoke alongside her brother and sister. This video was posted one day after authorities said they were inspecting a "new message regarding Nancy Guthrie." No details about this latest message have been disclosed. Authorities also have not said if this message was written by the same person behind the previous notes.

"We received your message and we understand," Savannah Guthrie said in the Feb. 7 video. "We beg you now to return our mother to us so that we can celebrate with her. This is the only way we will have peace. This is very valuable to us, and we will pay."

FBI special agent in charge Heith Janke previously confirmed that the FBI consulted with the Guthrie family on the release of their original video addressing their mother's kidnapper.

"While we advise and recommend from a law enforcement perspective, any action taken on any ransom is ultimately decided by the family," he said in a Feb. 5 briefing, adding that it's the "family's decision of what they film and what they put out."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Savannah Guthrie mom missing, pleads for return in new video

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February 09, 2026

Savannah Guthrie speaks out on 'nightmare' of missing mother in new video

Savannah Guthriehas released a fourth video addressing the apparent abduction ofher 84-year-old mother, Nancy Guthrie. ...

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