• Kongres AS meloloskan perpanjangan sementara (stopgap) selama 45 hari untuk undang-undang kontroversial yang memberikan wewenang pengawasan tanpa surat perintah berdasarkan Section 702 dari Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, memberikan lebih banyak waktu bagi para pembuat undang-undang untuk memperdebatkan batasan pada pengumpulan data massal.
• Perpanjangan ini nyaris menghindari berakhirnya rezim pengawasan secara otomatis, yang menurut para pejabat intelijen menjadi landasan bagi sekitar setengah dari operasi kontraterorisme dan kontra-spionase National Security Agency.
• Kelompok-kelompok kebebasan sipil mengkritik solusi jangka pendek tersebut, dengan alasan bahwa pemerintah AS terus mengumpulkan komunikasi digital warga Amerika dalam jumlah besar tanpa surat perintah individual, sementara Gedung Putih mendesak Kongres untuk memulihkan kekuasaan penuh Section 702.
Trump repeatedly demanded that Republicans unify to pass a longer extension of the Fisa warrantless spying lawBoth chambers of Congress voted in quick succession Friday to pass a brief 10-day extension of a controversial warrantless surveillance law after Republican infighting tanked plans for a much longer renewal of the law with no changes.Donald Trump had repeatedly demanded that Republican holdouts “UNIFY” behind Mike Johnson, the US House speaker, in favor of an extension of section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa) without changes. But chaos ensued late Thursday as Republican leadership tried and failed twice in votes attempting to reauthorize the surveillance program, before resorting to a stopgap measure. Continue reading...
The decision to extend a warrantless security law until 30 April came after 20 Republicans worked with House Democrats to defeat attempts to pass five-year and 18-month renewalsSign up for the Breaking News US emailHello and welcome to our live coverage of US politics.The House of Representatives voted early on Friday to briefly extend an expiring and controversial law that grants the US government sweeping powers for warrantless surveillance.Donald Trump announced a 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon to be followed by a meeting between Israeli and Lebanese leaders next week.Progressive Democrat Analilia Mejia won a New Jersey special election for the US House on Thursday. Mejia, who was endorsed by Elizabeth Warren and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is far more critical on Israel and was the only candidate in the Democratic primary to call Israel’s actions during the war in Gaza a genocide.Todd Lyons, the acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is stepping down after a turbulent year carrying out Donald Trump’s immigration agenda.Donald Trump nominated Erica Schwartz, former deputy surgeon general during his first administration, to lead the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).Schwartz was under immediate pressure from critics of the health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, to oppose his anti-vaccine ideology. At a heated oversight hearing, House Democrats grilled Kennedy over his vaccine rollbacks.Speaking in Las Vegas, Trump told supporters “the war in Iran is going along swimmingly, we can do whatever we want.” He did not explain why, then, the US military has been unable to stop Iran from closing the strait of Hormuz.The US Department of Justice opened an investigation into Eric Swalwell following his resignation from Congress, according to a source familiar with the matter.Police in Illinois responded Wednesday evening to the home of Pope Leo’s brother, John Prevost, after a bomb threat was made, NBC Chicago reported. Continue reading...
