John Sommers II/Reuters
Rand Paul took to the Senate floor Wednesday protest a renewal of the Patriot Act, tweeting “It’s time to end the NSA spying!” After two hours, Democrat Ron Wyden relieved Paul by taking the microphone and joining in. On the same day, the Justice Department sent a memo to Congress saying the NSA will have to wind down bulk collection of Americans’ phone data by the end of this week if the Patriot Act isn't reauthorized immediately (it expires on June 1). The House passed the USA Freedom Act last week, which supporters say would rein in the NSA, but Shane Harris reports the agency is actually hoping the bill will become law. That’s because it would require phone companies to hold on to the data, and still let the NSA access it. Paul's office calls his speech a filibuster, but several reports say it is not technically one.