NY Federal Appeals Court: NSA’s Collection of Phone Records Not Authorized Under Patriot Act
May 07, 2015
A New York Federal Appeals Court Ruled NSA’s Collection of Phone Records Is Not Authorized Under The Patriot Act; IMF Suggests Worlds Largest Markets Engage In Structural Reforms; Jobless Claims Rose Marginally Still Holding A 15-Year Low.
Policy Watch
- A federal appeals court in New York ruled today that the National Security Agency’s collection of millions of Americans’ phone records is not authorized under the Patriot Act, as has long been maintained by Presidents Bush and Obama. The plaintiff, the American Civil Liberties Union, argued that the data collection should be stopped because it violates Americans’ privacy rights, while the Obama administration argued that the collection was constitutional under Section 215 of the Patriot Act, which was also the opinion of a lower court. The appeals court did not order that the data collection be stopped, however, as Section 215 is set to expire on June 1, which puts the fate of the program in the hand of Congress in the short term. The House Judiciary Committee passed a bill 25-2 last week that would end the bulk collection of telephone and email records, and the White House has signaled support for the measure. [WSJ]
Economic Indicators & News
- Pacific region for 2015 and 2016, respectively, while low commodity prices and strong labor markets in the U.S. and Europe will provide for a robust increase in output over the same period. The IMF warned that weaker demand and the sharp appreciation of the U.S. dollar would hurt manufacturing in China and Japan and squeeze developing economies with large amounts of dollar-denominated debt. As a solution to prevent long-term economic volatility, the IMF suggested that that region’s largest markets engage in structural reforms, like encouraging greater female labor force participation in Japan, reforming state-owned enterprises in China, and engaging in more infrastructure development spending in India. [WSJ] [IMF]
- Jobless claims rose marginally in the week ending May 2 from 262,000 to 265,000, still holding near a 15-year low, as the labor market appears to be stabilizing after much first-quarter volatility.The four-week moving average fell 4,250 to 279,500, which is the lowest reading since May 6, 2000 when it was 279,250. Continuing claims fell 28,000 to 2.228 million, which is the lowest level for insured unemployment since November 11, 2000. [Labor]
