WhatFinger


Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., complained to reporters that Paul places "a higher priority on his fundraising and his ambitions than on the security of the nation."

Surveillance powers set to lapse with no deal in Senate



WASHINGTON (AP) -- The National Security Agency is losing its authority to collect Americans' phone records in bulk, after GOP Sen. Rand Paul stood in the way of extending the fiercely contested program in an extraordinary Sunday Senate session.

Support Canada Free Press


But that program and several other post-Sept. 11 counter-terror measures look likely to be revived in a matter of days. With no other options, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, in an about-face, reluctantly embraced a House-passed bill that would extend the anti-terror provisions that expire Sunday at midnight, while also remaking the bulk phone collections program. Although the lapse in the programs may be brief, intelligence officials warned that it could jeopardize Americans' safety and amount to a win for terrorists. But civil liberties groups applauded as Paul, who is running for president, forced the expiration of the once-secret program made public by NSA contractor Edward Snowden, which critics say is an unconstitutional intrusion into Americans' privacy. More...


View Comments

News on the Net Associated Press -- Bio and Archives

News from around the world


Sponsored