President Signs New Version of Patriot Act into Law

From the Washington Post:

President Bush today signed the new version of the USA Patriot Act, the broad anti-terrorism law that gave the FBI expanded powers after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Bush's signature followed a 280-138 House vote Tuesday night and 89-10 Senate vote March 2 in favor of the Patriot Act. The congressional approval came after an often emotional 2 1/2 -month debate over whether the law tramples on civil liberties.
Yesterday, a report on the Patriot Act by the Justice Department's inspector general said the FBI has reported more than 100 possible violations to an intelligence oversight board during the past two years, including cases in which agents tapped the wrong telephone, intercepted the wrong e-mails or continued to listen to conversations after a warrant had expired.

Click here to read the article.

For more information on the Patriot Act, click here.

--Tom Hayes