FISA Deal: Compromise or Capitulation?
Jun 20, 2008 Democrats and Republicans cut a deal in Congress on Thursday to rewrite controversial surveillance legislation. It's being billed as a compromise, but civil rights advocates are groaning over concessions including virtual immunity for telecommunications companies and the ability to spy on Americans without a warrant.
Adviser: McCain Backs Bush’s Wiretaps
Jun 6, 2008 As if 100 years in Iraq wasn't enough, a top adviser to John McCain claims that the presumptive Republican presidential nominee supports and believes lawful Bush's infamous warrantless wiretapping program.
Congress Holds Sensory-Deprived Session
Mar 14, 2008 At the request of House Republicans, Congress on Thursday held a closed-door session to debate the FISA warrantless eavesdropping bill. The last time a closed-door session occurred was in 1983, when lawmakers convened in secret to discuss clandestine U.S. support of Contra paramilitaries in Nicaragua.
Senate Lets Telecoms Off the Hook
Feb 13, 2008 This might be a moment when Democratic supporters wonder what all the "changing of the guard" fuss was about when Dems took control of Congress in 2006: On Tuesday, the Senate effectively voted in favor of granting telecommunication companies retroactive immunity for their cooperation in the National Security Agency's warrantless wiretapping program.
Dodd Gears Up for FISA Filibuster
Dec 18, 2007 Sen. Chris Dodd is preparing to take to the Senate floor with a filibuster to thwart the legislative advancement of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act if it doesn't include his proposed amendment, co-sponsored with Sen. Russ Feingold, that would prevent the Bush administration from retroactively letting big telecom companies off the hook for allowing the government to conduct warrantless surveillance on their networks.
Truthdigger of the Week: Ann Beeson
Aug 20, 2006 Truthdig salutes Ann Beeson, the American Civil Liberties Union officer and lead attorney for the plaintiffs in ACLU v. NSA, the case that persuaded a Detroit judge to order a halt to the Bush administration's warrantless wiretapping program.Breaking: Bush to Submit to Eavesdropping Oversight?
Jul 13, 2006 From CNN: Sen. Arlen Specter revealed a bill that would require a court to review the constitutionality of the National Security Agency's controversial intelligence-gathering program, saying the deal was negotiated with the Bush administration's cooperation, and that Bush would sign the bill if it doesn't change dramatically.Bush Is Flouting Court After Gitmo Ruling
Jul 10, 2006 Constitutional expert and best-selling author Glenn Greenwald reminds us that the Supreme Court's Hamdan decision not only outlawed Bush's military tribunals, but also removed any conceivable argument to support Bush's illegal wiretapping programs. Greenwald: "Journalists should begin asking the Justice Department every day what their legal justification for warrantless eavesdropping is now that Hamdan has rendered frivolous their prior legal arguments in defense of the President."
