The U.S. Senate convened a rare Sunday session on May 31, in a last-ditch attempt to pass legislation allowing U.S. spy agencies to continue to gather information on Americans’ telephone calls and other business records. Key provisions of the USA Patriot Act are set to expire Sunday midnight (0400 GMT Monday). If no action is taken by the Senate Sunday, authorities will be forced to shut down the bulk collection program and two other provisions, which allow roving wiretaps of terror suspects who change their mobile phone numbers and the tracking of lone-wolf suspects. CIA chief John Brennan earlier warned that allowing vital surveillance programs to expire could increase terror threats. The House earlier passed a reform bill, the USA Freedom Act, that would end the telephone data dragnet by the National Security Agency (NSA) and require a court order for the NSA to access specific records from the vast data base retained by telecommunications companies.
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