Congress passes temporary FISA Act to "Protect America".

On Friday, the U. S. Senate passed the Protect America Act of 2007, sponsored by Senator Mitch McConnell, that amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) for a period of six months -- Congress wants enough time to re-evaluate FISA. The House also passed the same bill yesterday and President Bush has promised to sign the bill into law.

The PMA (Protect America Act) establishes legal guidelines on conducting surveillance against foreign nationals "reasonably believed to be outside the United States." The Director of National Intelligence, Mike McConnell, must get the Attorney General's, Alberto Gonzales, authorization before surveillance against a specific target can begin, and such authorization will be subject to review by the FISA Court within 120 days.