Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Congress panel rejects Bush eavesdropping demand

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush warned Democrats against backsliding in the war on terrorism in new eavesdropping legislation as lawmakers on Wednesday defied his call to shield phone companies from pending lawsuits.

Committees in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives met to begin work on legislation to replace a temporary eavesdropping measure, the Protect America Act, which the administration pushed through in August.

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Shortly after he spoke, the House Judiciary Committee voted 21-14 to reject an amendment sought by the White House that would shield telecommunications firms retroactively from lawsuits for participating in a secret warrantless eavesdropping program launched after the September 11 attacks.....

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