What is Fisa, and why does it allow no-warrant surveillance?

Law allows government to spy on emails, texts and phone calls outside the US, including those of some Americans Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email Congress spent the past week in a fractious debate over a major government surveillance program that gives US authorities backdoor access to monitor vast swaths of Americans’ emails, text messages and phone calls without a warrant. In a vote on Friday, lawmakers ultimately decided to keep that warrantless surveillance intact and passed a 10-day extension of the law, known as section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or Fisa. Republican leadership had been pushing for a much longer reauthorization, with no changes, but were only able to approve a stopgap measure because of dissent within their own party. The law has long been contentious among both progressives and libertarian-leaning conservatives who view it as a violation of privacy rights and civil liberties. Donald Trump had lambasted it out of personal grievance but then called for Republicans to “UNIFY” to pass an extension with no changes. Its defenders, which include US intelligence agencies, argue that it is an important tool in stopping terrorist