... is getting rid of the Patriot Act.
The Senate failed to move forward on legislation to reform the National Security Agency or renew the Patriot Act early on Saturday morning, making it almost a sure bet that portions of the Patriot Act expire at the end of the month. ...TheHill
Although I don't think the Senate merits even a weak, warm gringorita given its track record, it looks like they're allowing the Patriot Act to die a slow death in the next week or so. That's better than nothing.
At the end of the month, three parts of the Patriot Act are set to expire, including the controversial Section 215 which the NSA has used to collect in bulk records about millions of Americans’ phone calls. The program was revealed by Edward Snowden two years ago, and has been the target of reform for civil libertarians ever since.
Failure of the USA Freedom Act — after a similar setback in the closing days of Democrats’ majority in the Senate last year — sends the loudest message yet that Congress is unable to agree on reforming the nation’s intelligence powers.
Senior administration officials have said that uncertainty caused by inaction on the bill would force them to wind down the NSA’s bulk phone collection program in the coming days. They also said it would present a host of operational problems for the NSA and FBI. ...TheHill
Aw, gee. I'm awful sorry. Not.
