Senators offer proposal to stop NSA collections
WASHINGTON – Spying by the National Security Agency has cost the United States economically and angered allies, a bipartisan group of senators said Wednesday in unveiling legislation that would end the collection of millions of Americans’ phone records and data on Internet usage.
Three Democrats – Oregon’s Ron Wyden, Mark Udall of Colorado and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut – and Republican Rand Paul of Kentucky outlined their legislation to end longstanding NSA surveillance practices and open up some of the actions of the secret federal court that reviews government surveillance requests.
The lawmakers argued that their bill is the appropriate response to disclosures this past summer about the sweeping surveillance programs – one that gathers U.S. phone records and another that is designed to track the use of U.S.-based Internet servers by foreigners with possible links to terrorism.
Wyden said the programs and revelations have undercut U.S. businesses required to provide data to the intelligence community while infuriating foreign leaders.
Postal Service seeking to raise price of stamps
WASHINGTON – The financially ailing Postal Service is seeking a 3-cent increase in the cost of mailing a letter – and that would raise the price of a first-class stamp to 49 cents.
The chairman of the postal Board of Governors, Mickey Barnett, cites the “precarious financial condition” of the agency and the uncertain prospects for postal overhaul legislation in Congress.
The agency expects to lose $6 billion this year.
The Postal Service said it would ask for adjustments to bulk mail rates in a filing with the commission today.
The rate proposal must be approved by the independent Postal Regulatory Commission.
If the commission accepts it, the increase would become effective Jan. 26.
Media and marketing businesses say a big increase in rates could hurt them and lower postal volume and revenues.
U.S. reviewing response of airline after crash
LOS ANGELES – In the first investigation of its kind, federal transportation officials are reviewing whether Asiana Airlines failed to meet legal obligations to help the families of passengers after one of its planes crashed at San Francisco International Airport.
Three people died and dozens were injured when Asiana Flight 214 clipped a seawall while landing July 6 following a trip from South Korea, where the airline is based.
Under U.S. law, Asiana was required to provide a range of services to family members of the 291 passengers, from the prompt posting of a toll-free number to gather and distribute information, to providing transportation and lodging so family members can comfort injured loved ones.
Congress created the rules in the late 1990s following crashes where airlines were roundly criticized for ignoring family members.
Associated Press
