US News

Senate OKs foreign spy tap

WASHINGTON — The Senate gave final congressional approval yesterday to a bill renewing the government’s authority to monitor overseas the phone calls and e-mails of suspected foreign spies and terrorists — but not Americans — without obtaining a court order for each intercept.

The classified Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act was on the brink of expiring by year’s end. The 73-23 vote sent the bill to a supportive President Obama, whose signature would extend the warrantless-intercept program for another five years.

The Senate majority rejected arguments from opponents who sought to amend the bill to require the government to reveal whether any Americans were entangled in the foreign intercepts.