Watchdog.org Podcast

This is Behind the Headlines, Watchdog.org’s podcast that takes a deeper look at the political news of the day. In this week’s episode, host Eric Boehm sits down with Watchdog national security reporter Josh Peterson to talk about a recent federal court ruling that struck a blow against the National Security Agency. A three-judge panel in the 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled last week that the NSA’s bulk collection of Americans’ telephone records is illegal. The NSA has argued the bulk collection was legal because of a key component in the federal Patriot Act. But in the ruling issued Thursday, the 2nd Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals did not buy that reasoning and said the NSA overstepped its authority to spy on Americans’ communications.