The Patriot Act expired over the weekend. The House passed a replacement version a while back with some reforms that the Senate didn't want to pass because there are still some influential anti-civil liberties neocons there (John McCain) who wanted to keep the status quo. The Senate may not have the votes to keep the law intact anyway, and even if they did, the House wouldn't pass it now. The House version is much better, but gridlock here is the friend of anyone who opposes the assault on civil liberties.
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