Senate Blocks House Bill That Would Have Ended NSA's Bulk Collection of Domestic Phone

[Hissyspit]

Source: Associated Press

@AP: BREAKING: Senate blocks House bill that would have ended NSA's bulk collection of domestic phone records: http://t.co/ry8Mywn4FJ/s/YhE7

Senate blocks House surveillance bill and 2-month extension
BY KEN DILANIAN
MAY. 23, 2015 1:07 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate struggled to prevent an interruption in critical government surveillance programs early Saturday, rejecting both a House-passed bill and a short-term extension of the USA Patriot Act.

The back-to-back votes left lawmakers without a clear fallback, although current law doesn't expire until midnight May 31.

The White House has pressured the Senate to back the House bill which would end the National Security Agency's bulk collection of domestic phone records. Instead, the records would remain with telephone companies subject to a case-by-case review.

The vote was 57-42, short of the 60-vote threshold to move ahead.

That was immediately followed by rejection of a two-month extension to the existing programs. The vote was 45-54, again short of the 60-vote threshold.

Republican officials said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., intended to try again, this time with an even shorter renewal of current law.

Whatever the Senate approves must be passed by the House, which has already left Washington for a weeklong Memorial Day break.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/60c0d988801742cf96cf8d725466c6e0/senate-expected-act-nsa-collection-phone-records

[Fearless]

1. The first sentence is BULL SHIT

[rpannier]

5. Agreed

Article is better after it

[Stryst]

2. "critical government surveillance"

Ok, then let's see some concrete evidence that the financial and ethical cost of this program have actually stopped ANYTHING.

[merrily]

3. Oddly enough, Friday's votes are not up on senate.gov yet.

I'd like to see the yeas and nays.

[Cheese Sandwich]

4. All they have to do is do nothing, just let it expire.

That's the best way.

[MisterP]

8. that's how you can know where their priorities lie: what makes them scramble and go out of their way

[rpannier]

6. Well... Mr Serious caved very fast

McConnell called a weekend break
Didn't he say something about how he wasn't going to allow the break and he was serious

[Major Hogwash]

7. Serious people must be taken seriously when discussing serious subjects.

So, that excludes McConnell right off the bat.

[dickthegrouch]

9. Good luck finding a judge to sign 350,000,000 search warrants

Which is what is STILL required.