Senate Will Probe NSA in Wiretapping 'Overcollection'

Spending revealed for first time this century

(NEWSER) - American intelligence spending hit $80.1 billion, or some 12% of defense spending, for the just-ended fiscal year—more than what was spent on either the Department of Homeland Security ($53 billion) or the Justice Department ($30 billion). It's triple the $26.7 billion that was budgeted in 1998, the last time the figure was released. That $80.1 billion covers everything from private contractors, spies, and janitors to computer systems and satellites, the Los Angeles Times reports More»

(NEWSER) - Dianne Feinstein said today that Predator drones used to carry out attacks in Pakistan originate there, not in Afghanistan as had been widely assumed, the Los Angeles Times reports. The revelation, which is likely to cause trouble for the Pakistani government, came during testimony by spy chief Dennis Blair. A rep for Feinstein said the information came from a news report, not from the classified information the senator is privy to as chair of the Intelligence Committee. More»

Surprise pick has no intelligence experience, committee concerned

(NEWSER) - Dianne Feinstein hinted yesterday that she had reservations about Barack Obama’s choice of Leon Panetta to head the CIA—which could be a problem for Obama, since Feinstein is the new chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. “I was not informed about the selection,” she said. “My position has been that I believe the agency is best served by having an intelligence professional in charge.” More»

Intercept operators listened to calls of troops, journalists, aid workers for fun

(NEWSER) - The US military routinely listened in on highly personal private phone calls of Americans calling home from the Middle East, two former operators told ABC News. President Bush has insisted that only the calls of terror suspects are monitored, but the whistleblowers say operators monitored the calls of blameless military officers, journalists, and aid workers—and shared particularly juicy conversations with each other. More»

Domestic calls, email, financial transactions under scrutiny—all without a warrant

(NEWSER) - Traditionally charged with foreign surveillance, the NSA has increasingly been analyzing data collected domestically, reports the Wall Street Journal—on a scale comparable to that of a Pentagon proposal Congress killed 5 years ago. "When it got taken apart, it didn't get thrown away," says a former government insider. The NSA can track email, Internet searches, calls, banking, and travel info, all without warrants. More»