By JUAN A. LOZANO

HOUSTON (AP) — A Texas judge on Tuesday threw out a federal rule that would have capped credit card late fees after officials with President Donald Trump’s administration and a coalition of major banking groups agreed that the rule was illegal.

Related Articles

Judge orders federal agencies to release billions of dollars from two Biden-era initiatives

Justice Department can cut funding for legal guidance for people facing deportation, US judge says

Federal judge blocks Labor Department from enforcing key part of Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders

Judge temporarily blocks Trump from retaliating against firm that sued Fox News for election lies

DOGE trumpets unemployment fraud that the government already found years ago

The ruling by U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman in Fort Worth came a day after the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and a collection of major industry groups that had filed a lawsuit last year to stop the rule announced they had come to an agreement to throw out the rule. The groups that sued included the American Bankers Association, the Consumer Bankers Association, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The banks and other groups had alleged the new rule — proposed last year under the administration of President Joe Biden — violated the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure or CARD Act of 2009, which was enacted to protect consumers from unfair practices by credit card companies. The groups claimed the new rule did not allow credit card issuers “to charge fees that sufficiently account for deterrence or consumer conduct, including with respect to repeat violations.”

“The parties agree that, in the Late Fee Rule, the Bureau violated the CARD Act by failing to allow card issuers to ‘charge penalty fees reasonable and proportional to violations,’” attorneys with the CFPB wrote in a joint motion on Monday with the banking groups to vacate the rule.

The banks have been pushing hard to stop the late fee rule, due to the potential billions of dollars the banks would lose in revenue. The CFPB estimated when it issued the proposal last year that banks brought in roughly $14 billion in credit card late fees a year.

“This is a win for consumers and common sense. If the CFPB’s rule had gone into effect, it would have resulted in more late payments, lower credit scores, higher interest rates and reduced credit access for those who need it most. It would have also penalized the millions of Americans who pay their credit card bills on time and reduced important incentives for consumers to manage their finances,” the banking groups and others said in a joint statement on Tuesday.

Even if the lawsuit had gone forward, the banking groups had a good chance of winning as Pittman in a December ruling had said they would have likely prevailed as he found that the new rule violated the CARD Act by not allowing credit card issuers to charge penalty fees that are reasonable and proportional to violations.

The CFPB has been in turmoil since the Trump administration earlier this year began dismantling it, targeting it for mass firings and dropping various enforcement actions against companies like Capital One and Rocket Homes. A federal judge last month issued a preliminary injunction that temporarily stopped the agency’s demise.

The CFPB was created in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis to protect consumers from unfair, deceptive, or abusive practices by a wide range of financial institutions and businesses.

Follow Juan A. Lozano on X at juanlozano70

By LOLITA C. BALDOR

WASHINGTON (AP) — Dan Caldwell, a senior adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has been placed on administrative leave and was escorted out of the Pentagon by security on Tuesday, two defense officials said.

Related Articles

Judge orders federal agencies to release billions of dollars from two Biden-era initiatives

Justice Department can cut funding for legal guidance for people facing deportation, US judge says

Federal judge blocks Labor Department from enforcing key part of Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders

Judge temporarily blocks Trump from retaliating against firm that sued Fox News for election lies

DOGE trumpets unemployment fraud that the government already found years ago

The officials said Caldwell’s sudden downfall was tied to an investigation into unauthorized disclosure of department information. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters.

Caldwell, who served in the Marine Corps, was one of several senior advisers who worked closely with Hegseth. Caldwell’s ties to the secretary go back to Hegseth’s time as the head of Concerned Veterans for America, a nonprofit that fell into financial difficulty during his time there. Caldwell worked at CVA beginning in 2013 as policy director and later as executive director.

AUSTIN, TX – JULY 6: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), right, with moderator Dan Caldwell, Director of Concerned Veterans of America, holds a town hall meeting to address veteran’s and health care issues on July 6, 2017 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Erich Schlegel/Getty Images)

He also was the staff member designated as Hegseth’s point person in the Signal messaging chat that top Trump administration national security officials, including Hegseth, used to convey plans for a military strike against Houthi militants in Yemen. The chat, set up by national security adviser Michael Waltz, included a number of top Cabinet members and came to light because Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of The Atlantic, was added to the group.

The officials did not disclose what leaks are being investigated, but there has been a crackdown across the Pentagon and the Trump administration on the disclosure of sensitive or classified information.

Caldwell’s ouster was first reported by Reuters.

On March 21, Hegseth’s chief of staff, Joe Kasper, said in a memo that the Pentagon was investigating what it said were leaks of national security information. Defense Department personnel could face polygraphs.

The memo referred to “recent unauthorized disclosures” but provided no details. Kasper warned that the investigation would begin immediately and result in a report to Hegseth.

“I expect to be informed immediately if this effort results in information identifying a party responsible for an unauthorized disclosure, and that such information will be referred to the appropriate criminal law enforcement entity for criminal prosecution,” Kasper said in the memo.

Caldwell, who graduated from Arizona State University in 2011, also worked as a public policy adviser at Defense Priorities, a think tank based in Washington.

It’s finally official: In downtown St. Paul, the Xcel Energy Center is losing the name Xcel Energy as the utility’s $3 million-per-year naming rights agreement dries up this summer after a 25-year run.

The energy corporation announced Tuesday it will continue to be involved in the home of the Minnesota Wild through online and in-arena advertising, as well as grants to youth and high school hockey organizations, but the “X” will have to soldier on without Xcel in the title for the first time since its construction in 2000.

Other corporate sponsors

As Wild owner Craig Leipold and city officials continue to pitch what they hope will be a $769 million reinvention of the entire arena, concert and convention center facility, will a corporate sponsor step up to buy naming rights and help usher the multi-purpose arena into the future?

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter answers questions about the Xcel Energy Center during a Minnesota Senate Capital Investment Committee hearing in the Senate Building in St. Paul on Tuesday, March. 25, 2025. Joining Mayor Carter is Minnesota Wild Owner Craig Leipold. The city of St. Paul and Minnesota Wild are funds to renovate the Xcel Energy Center. The request is for the state to pay for half of the projected $769 million cost. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

You betcha.

The Twin Cities is home to 17 Fortune 500 companies and others, like Securian, on the border of making the list, a relatively strong showing per capita for a Midwestern metro. That leaves the door open to a number of potential corporate partners interested in making their name synonymous with “The State of Hockey.”

Pioneer Press sports columnist Charley Walters reported last year that Securian and Royal Bank of Canada had done more than just kick the tires on a potential naming rights agreement, “and a handful of other firms are seriously interested.”

Xcel Energy has been the title sponsor for the X under an $80 million agreement, worth about $3 million per year for the past 25 years. The next agreement could, according to Walters, total as much as $10 million per year for the next 25 years.

If the Wild have a corporate ally in mind, they were playing coy on Tuesday, refusing to divulge specifics beyond a written announcement that the team “expects to announce a new arena naming rights partner before the start of the 2025-26 NHL season.”

A spokesman for the Wild, which manages the arena and convention center on behalf of the city, said they would have no further comment.

Xcel to remain long-term partner

While dropping out of the arena title, Xcel Energy will remain involved as a long-term partner, according to a joint announcement from the team and the energy company, which plans to launch an initiative dubbed “Community Power Play” to expand access to the sport for children and families throughout the state.

The program will provide grants to youth and high school hockey organizations, with a focus on financial assistance for young athletes, the purchase of equipment and ice time, and investments in and improvement of community-based rinks and facilities open to all residents.

Bob Frenzel, Xcel Energy chairman, president and chief executive officer, released a written statement on Tuesday noting that “25 years ago, the Minnesota Wild and Xcel Energy were new brands in the region. Today, these two brands have become embedded in our community and our culture.”

“This new chapter with the Wild extends our commitment to the region and will serve to expand access to the sport of hockey so that more young girls and boys across the state can access and more fully engage in this wonderful sport,” he said.

Plans for $769M in improvements

Alongside a new name, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and Leipold, the team owner, hope to reinvent the arena itself, as well as the adjoining RiverCentre Convention Center and Roy Wilkins Auditorium.

A proposed renovation of St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center. The city of St. Paul and the Minnesota Wild are seeking funds to renovate the Xcel Energy Center, asking the state of Minnesota to pay for half of the projected $769 million cost. (Courtesy of the City of St. Paul)

The two appeared shoulder to shoulder in committee hearings before House and Senate lawmakers last month, pitching plans for $769 million in improvements.

Those improvements will rely on nearly $400 million in state appropriations bonds, as well as funding from the team, the city, Ramsey County and corporate sponsors.

Among the improvements, Leipold told lawmakers the Xcel renovation will create new types of seating areas more in line with modern demand, including low-cost, lounge-style community viewing rooms.

The mayor has released conceptual renderings and talked up plans of better connecting the arena to Rice Park and the Landmark Center with more public-facing amenities, such as exterior coffee shops. Under the title “Project Wow,” the Wild have attempted to lure the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame from Eveleth, Minn. to downtown St. Paul.

The arena and overall convention center campus, according to the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, together draw nearly 2 million visitors to some 400 annual events. Those visits generate nearly $500 million in economic impact between spending, state and local sales tax, hotel stays and more.

The renovations could boost that spending by another $110 million, according to the chamber.

Undated courtesy rendering, circa March 2025, of a proposed renovation of St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center. The city of St. Paul and the Minnesota Wild are seeking funds to renovate the Xcel Energy Center, asking the state of Minnesota to pay for half of the projected $769 million cost. (Courtesy of the City of St. Paul)

Related Articles

John Shipley: Wild’s prospects, near and far, depend on Kirill Kaprizov

Busy schedule suits the Wild just fine at this time of the season

No pouting allowed, as getting to three goals is elusive for Wild lately

Progress, but still no set return date, for Wild’s Kaprizov and Eriksson Ek

St. Paul mayor, Wild owner pitch Xcel Energy Center to senate panel

A year ago, the Timberwolves had a week off ahead of each of their first two playoff series — in the first round against Phoenix and the conference semifinals against Denver — and clearly used it to perfection.

Minnesota blitzed the Suns and Nuggets in each of the first two games of the series en route to reaching the Western Conference Finals.

But to assume the same thing could occur in Minnesota’s Round 1 bout with the Lakers. which starts Saturday in Los Angeles, is dangerous, largely because of one key difference: A year ago, Minnesota had just played Denver and Phoenix in the final week of the regular season, dropping both contests.

In fact, Minnesota played Denver thrice over its final 14 games, and Phoenix twice in its last six. So, all the data of what worked, what didn’t and what needed to change was abundant. Key points to drill into were obvious and practice plans were easy to dial up.

That’s not the case this time around.

Minnesota split four games with the Lakers during the regular season, but only one of those came after Los Angeles acquired superstar wing Luka Doncic. That game in LA, a nine-point Lakers victory, was Doncic’s sixth in a Lakers jersey, and Minnesota was without Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle.

You can largely throw it out.

“Obviously, an extremely good team, very different than the team that we faced most of the season, of course,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said Tuesday. “In that way, it’s reminiscent of the Dallas series last year, because we hadn’t really faced that iteration of Dallas. Of course, they’ve got different players, different personnel.”

And that Dallas series didn’t go well for the Wolves.

So, that’s the challenge this week for Minnesota, a team that has traditionally thrived off familiarity. Can the Wolves prep for the largely unknown, and adjust and react in real time as they gather more data about the matchup?

Because they do not have a cheat sheet for this exam.

“But we feel like we know who they are,” Finch said. “They’ve been trying to figure it out, and they look like a much better version of themselves. But we’ll have to be ready to make adjustments as we go.”

Wolves guard Mike Conley said the team is “excited” for the challenge, noting Minnesota has watched a lot of film and is “confident in what we can bring to the table.” Part of that confidence stems from the Wolves’ close to the season, in which they won 17 of their final 21 games. That stretch included a number of blowout victories.

They did a lot of things at a high level.

“I think momentum is huge for us coming into the playoffs,” Conley said. “We want to be able to be playing our best ball at the right time of the year, and we’ve accomplished that. … We came out and handled our business. Our team has been really business(-like in our) approach to all of our games, and has really locked into the defensive end and really locked in on being better offensively by moving and passing and making the right reads, and the early reads, and just trusting each other.”

But not only have the Wolves not played the Lakers in the past month and a half, they really haven’t played much of anyone. The combined records of the teams Minnesota played over its final 21 games is 718-1004. That’s the equivalent of playing a 34-win team — effectively, the Spurs — on most nights.

So, there were very few evenings in which Minnesota had its soft spots exposed. Does that mean those weaknesses no longer exist, or aren’t as problematic? Or will a team as good as the Lakers re-open scabs that might not actually have healed.

Minnesota’s soft schedule played a large role in helping the Wolves dodge the play-in tournament. Only time will tell if it properly prepared Minnesota for the playoffs.

“You can only play the schedule that’s in front of you, so to speak,” Finch said. “We’ve been pretty happy with the way that we played for large parts. We’ve done a lot of the controllables well. Those are things you absolutely must do in the playoffs — like take care of the ball and win the possession game and all that stuff. Measuring it by those accounts, we give ourselves a pretty decent grade, and feel confident where we are.”

Related Articles

Frederick: To beat the Lakers, Minnesota must conquer its Boogeyman

Timberwolves beat Utah, lock up playoff matchup with Lakers

Anthony Edwards has technical foul rescinded, will play Sunday

Running through the Timberwolves’ potential first-round playoff options

Rudy Gobert ties career high with 35 as Minnesota dismantles Brooklyn