Telephone Spying and Police Murders

Key provisions of the United States Patriot Act have expired after the Senate failed to pass legislation by a Sunday deadline. This effectively means that the legal authority for spy agencies to collect phone records has not been extended. Even so, it is likely that telephone spying will be resumed when the Senate takes up legislation known as the USA Freedom Act. In other matters, according to an extensive analysis by the Washington Post, over 385 people have been killed by police in the United States in the first five months of 2015. African Americans were killed at three times the rate of white Americans and other minorities. The report also revealed that 13% of shooting victims were unarmed and 3% were in possession of a toy gun. teleSUR