1. NSA SPYING
Judgment day: Some have had choice words for the National Security Agency’s surveillance measures. Yesterday, a federal judge added another word to describe the NSA’s spying: Unconstitutional. The government’s collection of metadata, which includes phone records of the time and numbers called, violates privacy rights, a judge said. The ruling may be cheered by some, but it is limited. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon’s ruling applies only to five plaintiffs that had sued the NSA. The decision will also be challenged. The Justice Department said it disagrees with the judge and there will be an appeal. But one person probably cheering this decision is Edward Snowden, the man who leaked the classified documents that exposed this issue.
2. BUDGET DEAL
Close to a vote? Senate supporters of the pending budget deal say they are close. The optimism comes after several conservative Republicans said yesterday they would support the deal. Now, senators say, they should have enough votes to break a filibuster today. Once that happens, the budget could pass later this week. The deal, which has already passed the House, will change the way Washington has worked recently. And it will avoid another government shutdown.
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article courtesy of CNN.com
