THREE MARTINI LUNCH: MAY 7, 2015

National Review's Jim Geraghty and Radio America's Greg Corombos discuss current events. Today's Martinis: A federal appeals court rules against NSA cell-phone monitoring, the White House lowers the cone of silence over its Pacific trade deal, and the official report on "Deflategate" doesn't look good for Tom Brady.



NSA ruling puts pressure on McConnell

Sens. Patrick Leahy and Mike Lee are calling on Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to bring up an NSA reform bill this month now that a court has ruled the program is illegal.

"The dragnet collection of Americans' phone records is unnecessary and ineffective, and now a federal appellate court has found that the program is illegal," Leahy and Lee said in a statement. "Congress should not reauthorize a bulk collection program that the court has found to violate the law. We will not consent to any extension of this program."

Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, is the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee while Lee, a Republican from Utah, heads the GOP's Steering Committee.

The two are co-authors of the USA Freedom Act, which adds significant restrictions to the government's controversial telephone surveillance program that was authorized in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The House is scheduled to take up the measure next week, where it is likely to pass with bipartisan support, but in the Senate, the future is less certain...

Also read:

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