Buried deep in the FISA Section 702 re-authorization bill is absolutely shocking language exponentially broadening the US government's ability to spy on Americans without a warrant. Turning your plumber into a federal spy agent against you? It's in there! Your gardener? Yep. Truly shocking! Also today: The US Government has submitted its "assurances" to the UK regarding the Assange extradition plan. It's not good.
By Ron Paul
House Speaker Mike Johnson betrayed liberty and the Constitution by making a full-court press to get a “clean” reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (FISA) Act through the House. Section 702 authorizes warrantless surveillance of foreign citizens. When the FISA Act was passed, surveillance state boosters promised that 702 warrantless surveillances would never be used against American citizens. However, intelligence agencies have used a loophole in 702, allowing them to subject to warrantless surveillance any American who communicated with a non-US citizen who was a 702 target. Intelligence agencies could then also conduct warrantless surveillance on any Americans who communicated with the new American target. This Section 702 loophole has been used so often to subject Americans to warrantless wiretapping that it has been referred to as the surveillance state’s crown jewel. A bipartisan coalition of Republican and Democratic House members worked to add a warrant requirement to the FISA bill. Speaker Johnson agreed to allow a vote on the House floor on an amendment requiring federal officials to get a warrant before subjecting any American to surveillance. However, he publicly opposed the amendment, as did President Biden. Prominent deep state operatives, such as former Secretary of State and CIA Director Mike Pompeo, also lobbied against the amendment. The case against adding a warrant requirement to FISA consisted of hysterical claims that forcing the surveillance state to obey the Fourth Amendment would make Americans vulnerable to terrorist attacks. Particularity, the claim was made that forcing national security operatives to get a warrant before spying on US citizens would cripple the ability to respond to a “ticking time bomb” situation. Those claims were debunked by the heroic Edward Snowden, who made the American people aware of the extent of warrantless surveillance. Snowden, who worked as a government contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA), posted in a message on X (formally known as Twitter) that the warrant amendment would not stop federal agencies from acting without a warrant in a “ticking time bomb” situation. A vote was held Friday afternoon on the amendment requiring a warrant before Section 702 powers would be used to spy on American citizens. Despite the fearmongering by Mike Pompeo and others, as well as the opposition of both President Biden and Speaker Johnson, the amendment failed to pass by only one vote. The amendment would have passed had Speaker Johnson not cast a rare floor vote (speakers usually do not vote on legislation) against the amendment. When the PATRIOT Act was rushed to the House floor in the fall of 2001 — weeks after 9-11 — and voted upon before members had a chance to read it, only three Republicans voted against it. One conservative representative told me he voted for it even though he agreed with my opposition to the bill. He told me, “I can’t go back home and tell my constituents I voted against the PATRIOT Act!” While the failure to pass the warrant amendment was dispiriting, the fact that it failed by only one vote shows how much progress we have made. It should thus inspire us to keep encouraging Congress to refuse to take away real liberty in the name of promises of phantom security.
The revolt against House Speaker Mike Johnson is picking up steam, as Johnson revealed plans to take several MASSIVE foreign spending bills to the floor this week. Tying foreign aid to protecting the borders at home - once a staple in Johnson's rhetoric - has been tossed aside. Rep. Thomas Massie announced he would co-sponsor a bill to vacate the Chair - an ouster of Johnson.
After an unprecedented Iranian response to Israel's attack on its embassy in Syria, pressure is building for Israel to retaliate against the retaliation. Biden officials are panicking at the thought of a wider Mideast war in election season. What happens next? Also today, a US General admits the truth about Russia's war in Ukraine; after two years of US government lies.
Senator Paul put out a scorcher of an article in response to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's accusation that Rand was an "isolationist." We'll unpack the sizzler in today's show. Also today - Democrats are calling on Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to step down so Biden can name a "younger" replacement in case he loses his re-election bid. Does this seem a bit tawdry and unseemly?
At least a half million Democrat voters have cast their votes for “uncommitted” rather than for Joe Biden, as opposition to his "blank check" policy for Israel continues to grow. Biden strategists are getting nervous. Also today: Gaza slaughter is bringing in big bucks for the Israeli arms industry. Finally: the House FISA battle heats up.
By Ron Paul
Even Republican stalwarts like current Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell are starting to notice that something is shifting in the party. While McConnell announced recently that he would step down as Republican leader in the US Senate, in an interview last week he was adamant that he would continue to serve out his term in the Senate with one purpose in mind: “fighting back against the isolationist movement in my own party.” He sounds worried. What McConnell deems to be “isolationism” had for much of our history been called America’s traditional foreign policy. There have been major exceptions, but until the emergence of the neoconservatives starting in the late 1970s we largely adhered to the words of John Quincy Adams that America, “goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy.” Why is that? The idea had always been that we would have more influence on freedom worldwide by concentrating on demonstrating the benefits of a free-market economy and protection of our Constitutional liberties at home. The US would lead the world by example rather than leading at the barrel of a gun. When we strayed from that idea we got disasters like Vietnam. But then in the 1980s, the neoconservatives seized control of the foreign policy of the Republican Party (and eventually much of the Democratic Party). They were determined to remake the world in their image through the use of force. The military-industrial complex and all the special interests loved this takeover because it meant a huge transfer of wealth from the middle class to them, the moneyed class. The American people at first accepted the hollow promises of the interventionist neocons, believing as they were told that it was the “patriotic” thing to do. What we are now seeing – and it is evident in the polls as well as in speeches of our politicians – is a shift away from interventionism. The mood has changed, and more Americans are tired of being told they must sacrifice to save the rest of the world from itself. Recently Col. Douglas Macgregor posted on Twitter, “We have lost $14 TRILLION over the last 20 year on dumb interventions in other countries. What good has it done?” Many Republicans are asking that same question. What have we gotten for the first $100 billion to Ukraine? A victory for “freedom” like we were promised? No. We got rampaging inflation, decreasing standard of living, and demands for another $100 billion! What did we get for the trillions we spent in the 20-year war in Afghanistan? Peace and democracy in the region? Hardly. As it’s often said, we spent 20 years in Afghanistan replacing the Taliban with the Taliban. All the money wasted, all the lives destroyed, all the blood spilled over 20 years and the interventionists achieved nothing. Worse than nothing. Speaker Mike Johnson is facing serious pressure from House Republicans over his desire to keep spending on overseas intervention. That’s one reason the “national security supplemental” foreign aid bill has not been brought to the Floor. All of a sudden interventionism is a loser with more of the American people, and politicians are paying attention. McConnell may think that he can stem the tide by preaching more intervention, but not even the Senate Republican leader can stop an idea whose time has come.
After last week's Israel attack on western aid workers, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has signed a Democrat Party letter to President Biden demanding a pause in arms shipments to Israel until an investigation can be completed on the attack. Democrats are increasingly feeling the pressure of their party's overwhelming opposition to Biden's Israel policy. Also today: more cracks in NATO's rotten core. Finally: Trump does the right thing on abortion.
The minimum wage outlaws jobs. The only question is which jobs are outlawed. In California, any job that can be done for less than $20 are illegal in fast food chains. Naturally, prices for consumers will go up, workers are laid off (thanks to a law!) while automation, kiosks and robotics replace them. Smaller businesses go out of business, or are never started; while big businesses adapt with much greater ease. Sounds a lot like the policies that were imposed under covid, doesn’t it? But this time, the tool of choice is the minimum wage law.
For decades, writer Jim Bovard has been a critical observer of the passing scene. His documentation of the loss of our liberties will continue to be a valuable tool for future generations. Bovard joins us today to discuss his new book, "Last Rights: The Death of American Liberty."
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