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US Senate in urgent surveillance debate as deadline looms US Senate in urgent surveillance debate as deadline looms
(about 11 hours later)
The US Senate is to hold an urgent session to consider extending key provisions of the controversial Patriot Act on domestic surveillance, which expires at midnight (04:00 GMT). The US Senate is meeting in a rare weekend sitting to try to avert the expiry of key anti-terrorist laws that allow phone data to be collected by the security services.
Supporters of the measure - already backed by the House of Representatives and the White House - need 60 votes. Senators failed several times to pass a revised plan and to extend key provisions of the USA Patriot Act, which lapse at midnight (04:00 GMT).
The current anti-terror provisions allow the National Security Agency to collect Americans' phone records. The new measures have already been backed by the House of Representatives and the White House.
Earlier this month, a US court ruled that such bulk collection was illegal. Sixty votes are needed in the Senate.
Overturning a 2013 ruling, the judges did not, however, halt the programme but urged Congress to take action. Ever since National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden revealed that the phone records of tens of millions of Americans were being collected en masse by the NSA, the pressure to revise the programme has been intense, BBC Washington correspondent Gary O'Donoghue says.
The NSA's extensive surveillance was leaked by Edward Snowden, a former NSA contractor who has since fled to Russia. A court has already ruled the practice illegal and the House has passed a new Freedom Act which would oblige phone companies to retain data and impose greater controls on how that data could be accessed.
The agency has collected data about numbers called and times, but not the content of conversations. But problem is that 60 of the 100 votes are needed in the Senate to move forward and there is no clear majority for either an extension to current rules or the new bill that has come from the House, our correspondent says.
It also allegedly spied on European firms, targeting individuals including German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Libertarians in the Senate want to scrap the programme altogether, while conservatives say it should be kept as it is.
The revelations triggered widespread criticism by European politicians and human rights groups. US Director of National Intelligence James Clapper has warned that allowing the laws to expire would mean the security services losing an important capability to track US associates of foreign terrorists.
Obama warningObama warning
The Senate is expected to hold its session just hours before the deadline. On 23 May, lawmakers failed to back the extension in a 57-42 vote. The Senate began its session in Washington at 16:00 local time (21:00 GMT), just hours before the deadline. On 23 May, lawmakers failed to back the extension in a 57-42 vote.
Ahead of Sunday's meeting, Republican Senator Rand Paul, who is running for president, said he would block the move.Ahead of Sunday's meeting, Republican Senator Rand Paul, who is running for president, said he would block the move.
"I will force the expiration of the NSA illegal programme. Sometimes when the problem is big enough, you just have to start over," he said."I will force the expiration of the NSA illegal programme. Sometimes when the problem is big enough, you just have to start over," he said.
The House of Representatives have already supported the White House-backed reform of some key provisions of what is known as the Freedom Act.
The Obama administration says the new act would replace the government's bulk collection of phone records with legislation that protects civil liberties.
However, libertarians in the Senate want to scrap the programme altogether, while conservatives say it should be kept as it is. Both camps are expected to vote against at the extraordinary session.
In his weekly address on Sunday, President Barack Obama again warned that failure to act by the Senate could put Americans at risk.In his weekly address on Sunday, President Barack Obama again warned that failure to act by the Senate could put Americans at risk.
"We shouldn't surrender the tools that help keep us safe," he said."We shouldn't surrender the tools that help keep us safe," he said.
Bulk data collection rulingsBulk data collection rulings
US spy leaks: How intelligence is gatheredUS spy leaks: How intelligence is gathered