President Trump announced his new pick to lead the intelligence community, saying he would tap former Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Jay Clayton to serve as director of national intelligence.  The move comes as Trump was under increasing pressure to reverse course after naming Bill Pulte as an acting head of the intelligence community.  Both…

Senate Democrats on Thursday blocked the GOP’s attempt to pass a short-term extension of the nation’s spy powers by unanimous consent. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) asked the chamber for unanimous consent to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) until July 2, but Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) objected. Wyden also objected to…

House Republicans on Thursday failed to get enough votes from Democrats to secure a short-term extension of the nation’s warrantless spy powers, with the lower chamber leaving for a scheduled recess the day before they are set to expire. The bill would have extended Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) through July…

President Trump’s acceleration of the start date for his controversial pick to lead the intelligence community is pushing both sides to dig in on their impasse over renewing the nation’s spy powers, further complicating even a short-term extension.  House and Senate efforts to bring a bill to the floor to reauthorize Section 702 of the…

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced that the House will vote Thursday morning on extending the nation’s foreign spy powers through July 2, a move that comes amid a partisan clash over President Trump naming Bill Pulte to be the acting director of national intelligence (DNI).  The expected vote comes after Democrats in the Senate largely…