美国国家公共电台 NPR--Lawmakers are gearing up for a fight over a key intelligence gathering tool

Lawmakers are gearing up for a fight over a key intelligence gathering¹ tool

Transcript²

Should Congress extend a law that lets U.S. intelligence spy on communications involving Americans? The law expires at the end of the year unless Congress renews it.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

An intelligence gathering tool that the government says is critical to national security will expire at the end of the year unless Congress renews it. But lawmakers have concerns about the program, and that sets up what is expected to be a monthslong battle over reauthorization.

NPR justice correspondent Ryan Lucas reports.

RYAN LUCAS, BYLINE³: At a recent congressional hearing, Attorney General Merrick Garland was asked about Section 702 of FISA, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a program for collecting the communications of foreigners overseas. Here's how Garland replied.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MERRICK GARLAND: Every morning, I have a all-threats briefing with the FBI, with an intelligence community briefer, with our national security division. A enormously large percentage of the threats information that we are receiving comes from 702 collection.

LUCAS: And Garland, a man not generally prone⁴ to hyperbole, painted a dire⁵ picture of what failing to renew Section 702 by the end of the year would mean for U.S. national security.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

GARLAND: We would be intentionally⁶ blinding ourselves to extraordinary danger, in my view, and this is not a view that I've always held. This is something I've learned as I've been at the department.

LUCAS: Section 702 allows the government, without an individual court order, to collect emails, text messages and phone calls of foreigners overseas, even when they're talking to Americans. Congress has reauthorized Section 702 twice before over the objections of progressives who want more civil liberties protections. Back then, Republicans were staunch backers of government surveillance powers. But the political winds have shifted on Capitol Hill in the wake of revelations about FISA violations⁷, particularly by the FBI, including one case involving a former 2016 Trump⁸ campaign aide. Now many GOP lawmakers are publicly demanding Section 702 be overhauled⁹. That includes Utah Senator Mike Lee, who had this message for Garland.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MIKE LEE: You can tell your department, not a chance in hell we're going to be reauthorizing that thing without some major, major reforms.

LUCAS: The Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Mike Turner, delivered a similar message in more measured tones to U.S. spy bosses testifying before his panel.

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MIKE TURNER: There have been, and there continue to be, many abuses of FISA. It must be reformed.

LUCAS: A recent government report documented violations, including the FBI searching 702 databases for information about a sitting U.S. congressman¹⁰, as well as a local political party. The first step, Turner told the spy chiefs, is to admit that there is a problem.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

TURNER: Today, I am going to be looking to each of you for honesty and acknowledgement that FISA has been abused.

LUCAS: Previous efforts to reform Section 702 have fallen short, but the current political dynamics¹¹ present a rare chance to get changes on the books, says Elizabeth Goitein of the Brennan Center for Justice.

ELIZABETH GOITEIN: This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for reform because there is broad bipartisan support.

LUCAS: The starting point for reform, in her view, is requiring the government to get a warrant before searching 702 data for Americans' communications. Since its inception¹², U.S. officials have touted¹³ Section 702 as a powerful tool to gather intelligence on terrorist groups. But now, with the fight against terrorism fading from the headlines, U.S. officials say 702 is mainly used to vacuum up intelligence on a range of high-priority threats. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines rattled¹⁴ off a list for lawmakers this month.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

AVRIL HAINES: Malicious¹⁵ cyber actors targeting U.S. critical infrastructure¹⁶, U.S. government efforts to stop components¹⁷ of weapons of mass destruction from reaching foreign actors and even key intelligence related to threats emanating¹⁸ from China, Russia, North Korea, Iran.

LUCAS: CIA director William Burns even chipped in that 702 has been critical in the fight against fentanyl and Mexican cartels. The fact that usually tight-lipped intelligence officials are willing to provide examples in public of Section 702 successes is notable, as is the fact that they're doing so more than nine months before the law expires. Both are signs that the administration is aware of the challenges that lie ahead in convincing a skeptical¹⁹ Congress to renew it.

Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington.

1 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 prone   

adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的

参考例句：

• Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
• He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。

5 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

6 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。

7 violations   

违反( violation的名词复数 )； 冒犯； 违反（行为、事例）； 强奸

参考例句：

• This is one of the commonest traffic violations. 这是常见的违反交通规则之例。
• These violations of the code must cease forthwith. 这些违犯法规的行为必须立即停止。

8 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

9 overhauled   

v.彻底检查( overhaul的过去式和过去分词 )；大修；赶上；超越

参考例句：

• Within a year the party had drastically overhauled its structure. 一年内这个政党已大刀阔斧地整顿了结构。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A mechanic overhauled the car's motor with some new parts. 一个修理工对那辆汽车的发动机进行了彻底的检修，换了一些新部件。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

11 dynamics   

n.力学，动力学，动力，原动力；动态

参考例句：

• In order to succeed,you must master complicated knowledge of dynamics.要取得胜利，你必须掌握很复杂的动力学知识。
• Dynamics is a discipline that cannot be mastered without extensive practice.动力学是一门不做大量习题就不能掌握的学科。

12 inception   

n.开端，开始，取得学位

参考例句：

• The programme has been successful since its inception.这个方案自开始实施以来一直卓有成效。
• Julia's worked for that company from its inception.自从那家公司开办以来，朱莉娅一直在那儿工作。

13 touted   

v.兜售( tout的过去式和过去分词 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• She's being touted as the next leader of the party. 她被吹捧为该党的下一任领导人。
• People said that he touted for his mother and sister. 据说，他给母亲和姐姐拉生意。 来自辞典例句

14 rattled   

慌乱的，恼火的

参考例句：

• The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
• Every time a bus went past, the windows rattled. 每逢公共汽车经过这里，窗户都格格作响。

15 malicious   

adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的

参考例句：

• You ought to kick back at such malicious slander. 你应当反击这种恶毒的污蔑。
• Their talk was slightly malicious.他们的谈话有点儿心怀不轨。

16 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

17 components   

（机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分

参考例句：

• the components of a machine 机器部件
• Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。

18 emanating   

v.从…处传出，传出( emanate的现在分词 )；产生，表现，显示

参考例句：

• Even so, there is a slight odour of potpourri emanating from Longfellow. 纵然如此，也还是可以闻到来自朗费罗的一种轻微的杂烩的味道。 来自辞典例句
• Many surface waters, particularly those emanating from swampy areas, are often colored to the extent. 许多地表水，特别是由沼泽地区流出的地表水常常染上一定程度的颜色。 来自辞典例句

19 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。