The BBC News isn't perfect by any means, but I really like it when they have
Q&A Articles like this one. It educates the reader and gives them a history to a current story. Lots of times, I read articles where the writer assumes the reader is up to speed.
One of the questions about the wiretap bill:
Quote:
What is this issue about?
After the 9/11 attacks, the US government started to monitor e-mails and phone calls in which one participant was abroad. It did so without going to a special court to ask for a warrant, arguing that there was no time. Phone companies agreed to provide the information but were subsequently sued for breach of privacy. Taps on communications wholly within the US still need a warrant.
A temporary law, the Protect America Act, was passed last year to allow for taps without warrants but it expired in February. President George W Bush's subsequent attempt to replace the temporary law triggered a fierce battle with the US House of Representatives.
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