‘Resounding Defeat for Opponents of Privacy’: Warrantless Spying Extension Stalls in Senate

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“Clear majorities of Americans across the nation, and in Congress, do not want the government bypassing the courts to hoover up our private, personal data.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) speaks to reporters on June 4, 2026.

Privacy advocates celebrated Friday after a Republican-led effort to extend warrantless spying powers failed to advance in the US Senate in the early hours of the morning, with seven GOP lawmakers joining every Democrat except Sen. John Fetterman in opposition.

The failed vote was another stumble for supporters of renewing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which lets the federal government surveil the electronic communications of noncitizens located outside the US. The authority is set to lapse next Friday.

Advocates have long demanded reforms to the law, noting that US intelligence agencies have relentlessly abused it to spy on Americans.

Sean Vitka, executive director of Demand Progress, called Friday’s vote a “resounding defeat for opponents of privacy,” arguing it “shows that there is no path forward for FISA without a warrant requirement.”

“Clear majorities of Americans across the nation, and in Congress, do not want the government bypassing the courts to hoover up our private, personal data,” said Vitka. “If the White House and congressional leadership want to renew FISA, they have to stop ignoring this obvious fact and allow votes on real privacy reforms.”

Elizabeth Goitein, co-director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, called the vote “an interim victory” but warned that some senators “who would have voted to advance the bill changed their vote” due to President Donald Trump’s selection of loyalist Bill Pulte to serve as acting director of national intelligence—a choice that drew bipartisan backlash.

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), who supports extending Section 702 spying powers, voted against advancing the FISA legislation on Friday after decrying Pulte as an “enormously bad choice” who is “grossly unqualified.”

Goitein noted that Pulte, who currently heads the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), is currently “under investigation by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office for misusing his position and his access to government records to trigger dubious charges of mortgage fraud against Trump’s perceived political enemies.”

“If Pulte can do that with the limited access to Americans’ information he has as head of the [FHFA], imagine what he could do with all the authorities and capabilities of the intelligence community—including, of course, Section 702,” she added. “What wouldn’t make sense? Handing Section 702 to whomever Trump could nominate in Pulte’s place without ensuring that they can’t use it as a tool for domestic spying.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/section-702-fisa-senate

Senator Eric Schmitt Goes Absolutely Nuclear on Mazie Hirono

Senator Eric Schmitt absolutely blasted his colleague, Hawaii's Mazie Hirono, in a Senate hearing after Hirono went to bat for fraudsters and criminals, including murderers and rapists, from being deported.

"Your comments are astounding, Senator," Schmitt said. "You mention a few words: horrific. I think, to the American taxpayer, that's been ripped off by people who came to this country to rip them off, that's horrific."

"You talk about bizarre," Schmitted continued as Hirono tried to interrupt him. "No, no, no. It's my time now. It's my time. You went over time. It's my time. Bizarre is the idea that you would be here in this committee defending violent murderers from being deported. That you would be defending violent rapists from being deported. That you would defend people who took advantage of the good people of this country, their taxpayer dollars. That is bizarre."

"A terrorist who kills American citizens. You know what's bizarre is your defense of that," Schmitt said. "So forgive me if you're 24 million ... naturalized citizens should be afraid. That's ridiculous."

"You have nothing but fear-mongering here. What I'm saying in this bill is, if you do those things to the American people, if you take advantage of taxpayers — you're not recognized," Schmitt went on, dismissing Hirono's lame objections, "if you comitt a terrorist act, if you commit wholesale welfare fraud within ten years you're damn right we're deporting you. If you're convicted. It's not being accused of anything. If you're convicted in a court of law of these crimes, absolutely we should not only convict you but we should deport you. Gone."

"And if you think that's some sort of like negative assertion towards me, I'll take it. I love it," Smith said. "That's what we should be doing more of in this country. Because people are coming here and they're ripping off taxpayers. And I, for one, don't want to see it anymore. And if you want to have that debate in public, we can do it, but that's what this hearing is about, to examine the SCAM Act, so I just like to expose a few of your lies in your most recent dissertation on the dias here."

Earlier this week, Michigan Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga introduced the 'Deport the Terrorists' Act, which would shorten the process of denaturalizing and deporting those convicted of acts of terrorism. The SCAM Act that Sen. Schmitt mentioned is the Stop Citizenship Abuse and Misrepresentation Act, which expands grounds for denaturalization to include naturalized citizens who commit certain crimes within a decade of naturalization. This includes 'substantial fraud,' defined as more than $10,000 against federal, state, local, or tribal government programs, including but not limited to SNAP and Medicaid.

This is true, but it's still fun to watch.

Democrats have decided to go all-in on defending criminals, both American citizens and immigrants — legal and illegal — instead of protecting the innocent, law-abiding American people. It's who they are.

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/amy-curtis/2026/06/05/eric-schmitt-goes-nuclear-on-mazie-hirono-n2677294

Actor James Handy, known for 'Jumanji' and 'Top Gun: Maverick,' allegedly killed by girlfriend's son

Suspect Michael Gledhill, 44, allegedly told 911 dispatchers 'I just killed the man of sin' before flagging down officers

James Handy, an actor known for various roles in films like "Jumanji" and "Top Gun: Maverick," was allegedly killed by his girlfriend's son this week, police said.

The Los Angeles Police Department said officers responded to a residence in the 19200 block of Erwin Street on Wednesday morning.

According to police, a 911 caller stated: "I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin."

When officers arrived, they found Handy, 81, unconscious in the front yard suffering from a stab wound to the chest.

'HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER' ACTOR NICK PASQUAL SENTENCED TO DECADES IN PRISON FOR STABBING EX-GIRLFRIEND

James Handy appears in an episode of "NYPD Blue" titled "Vishy-Vashy-Vinnie," which aired Jan. 17, 1995. 

Authorities said Handy was transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

LAPD identified the suspect as Michael Gledhill, 44, of Tarzana.

According to investigators, Gledhill flagged down officers as they arrived and told them he was the person they were looking for.

ROB REINER AND WIFE MURDERED: TIMELINE SHOWS ARGUMENT WITH SON NIGHT BEFORE DEATHS

James Handy, left, appears as Charles Ross alongside A.J. Buckley in an episode of "CSI: NY" titled "The Real McCoy."

Police said Gledhill lived at the residence with his mother, who was Handy’s girlfriend.

Gledhill was arrested and booked into the Van Nuys Jail on a murder charge. Bail was set at $2 million.

James Handy promotional photo for the ABC TV movie "False Arrest."

Handy amassed nearly 150 acting credits over a career spanning roughly five decades, according to IMDb.

In addition to film roles, he made guest appearances on numerous television shows throughout his career, including "The West Wing," "9-1-1," and "NCIS: Los Angeles."

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/actor-james-handy-known-jumanji-top-gun-maverick-allegedly-killed-girlfriends-son

Rachel Maddow Wants Fired ’60 Minutes’ Journo Scott Pelley to Join MSNOW Because of Course She Does

Now that Scott Pelley has been fired by 60 Minutes and CBS News, MSNOW star Rachel Maddow wants him to join her network. Doesn’t this just confirm what most people thought about Pelley and his work?

Pelley should have been on the far left MSNOW all along. It’s the perfect place for him.

All of the people who are angry about Pelley’s firing are either Democrats or liberals who work in media. Doesn’t that kind of explain everything you need to know?

FOX News reports:

Rachel Maddow invites fired CBS correspondent Scott Pelley to join her network after ’60 Minutes’ exit

MS NOW host Rachel Maddow suggested former “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley join her network after he was fired from CBS News on Tuesday.

“There’s nobody who is more acutely attuned to the value of a free press than those who are trying to take it away,” Maddow said on an MS NOW panel. “And when the president baldly says, ‘I am going to use the power of the state in order to get the media that I want,’ and he lines up oligarchic friends in order to do that for him. Again, there’s no pretense. There’s no saying this is for any other reason.”

She added, “There’s nothing else going on at CBS News other than what we can see is happening at CBS News. And I don’t know where Scott Pelley will land. Frankly, I hope he lands right here.”…

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“I hope he’s on TV tomorrow. And I hope that everybody in journalism and everybody who values a free press figures out ways to outmaneuver the people who are trying to take the free press from us. But it is a fully joined fight at this point. And there’s no, I just don’t think there’s any pretense that anything else was happening here,” Maddow said.

Here’s the video:

Did you notice how Maddow framed that? She says “people who are trying to take the free press from us.”

Who is “us” Rachel?

These people think the media belongs to them and that’s why they throw a fit if even one of them is no longer able to control the narrative.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/06/rachel-maddow-wants-fired-60-minutes-journo-scott/