WASHINGTON — As Congress wrestles over renewing the Patriot Act’s bulk collection of Americans’ phone records, federal law enforcement officials are warning that legal authority is also at risk for lesser-known surveillance tools that are even more valuable in fighting ...

Tagged with: FBI Patriot Act

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new watchdog report examines how the FBI has gathered records under the same section of federal law that’s also been used to authorize the collection of bulk telephone records. A Justice Department inspector general report looks ...

Tagged with: FBI Patriot Act

WASHINGTON — The Senate has voted to end debate on the use of three terrorism-fighting tools and has cleared the way for a final vote to extend them past midnight. That's when their legal authority ends.

Tagged with: Patriot Act Senate

The tortoise-like Senate is under uncommon pressure to pass a four-year extension of the anti-terrorist Patriot Act before key provisions expire Friday. But the deadline is even tighter, because President Barack Obama is in Europe.

Tagged with: Patriot Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Freshman Republican Randy Hultgren had no problem voting against extending the Patriot Act in February. But the death of Osama bin Laden, just weeks before part of the terrorist-fighting law expires, raises new questions for the Illinois congressman.

Tagged with: Congress death extension Osama bin Laden Patriot Act vote

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Supreme Court is refusing to take up a constitutional challenge to provisions of the Patriot Act from a lawyer who was once wrongly suspected in deadly terrorist bombings in Spain.

Tagged with: appeal Patriot Act SCOTUS