The New York Times reports senior lawmakers are scrambling in rare recess talks to negotiate changes to the National Security Agency’s (NSA) bulk telephony surveillance program. Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) said calls over the holiday break should help broker an agreement on changes to the USA FREEDOM Act. Currently, three senators are needed to garner enough votes to pass the legislation, which has already passed the House of Representatives. “That is the goal: Work it out over the break,” he said. The changes would end a provision within the USA PATRIOT Act allowing for the bulk collection of American’s phone data. Meanwhile, Edward Snowden, together with the ACLU’s Jameel Jaffer, took part in an “Ask Me Anything” on Reddit and discussed the NSA’s bulk collection programs. (Registration may be required to access this story.)
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