One of America's most powerful spy authorities is nearing an unprecedented lapse, threatening to plunge intelligence agencies and telecommunications companies into legal uncertainty if allowed to expire on Friday. Members in both parties are warning that an expiration of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act could jeopardize U.S. national security.
Section 702 feeds more than half of the president's daily briefing and has been credited with helping thwart terror plots and other national security threats. The looming expiration adds pressure to lawmakers already dealing with uncertainty in the intelligence community.