Pete Yost of Associated Press reports:
The Senate Intelligence Committee has voted to extend a wide-ranging surveillance law targeting foreigners overseas, but Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon says he will block the measure unless the public is told more about the law’s impact on people living in the United States.
In a closed-door session, the committee turned aside an amendment by Wyden and Democratic Sen. Mark Udall of Colorado that would have directed the Justice Department’s inspector general to estimate how many people inside the U.S. have had their telephone calls and emails monitored by government agents under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Amendments of 2008.
Read more on Seattle PI. See also the Los Angeles Times.
All I can say is that I fervently hope that Senators Wyden and Udall block this – or decide that this is a secret that would be unconscionable to keep from the American people and that justifies whistleblowing despite the fact that they are supposed to keep some briefings confidential.