RSN: Bernie Sanders' Momentum Shows He Can Win, USA Police State Celebrated as Defense of Freedom

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PROPAGANDA BROADCASTING IS NOT THE FOURTH ESTATE: The fourth estate as envisioned by the framers was a powerful entity - on equal footing with the primary functions of government. The "watchdog" empowered with first amendment protections. But what happens when third party interests become the financial master of the media? The fourth estate becomes the resistance. Support the resistance. / Marc Ash, Founder Reader Supported News

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FOCUS: William Boardman | USA Police State Celebrated as Defense of Freedom 
 
William Boardman, Reader Supported News 
Boardman writes: "Adoption of the USA Freedom Act largely perpetuates the powers of the USA Patriot Act, but with a kinder, gentler image. The argument over them was as meaningless as debating whether prisoners would be happier exchanging their orange jumpsuits for lavender ones." 
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THE PEOPLE WHO DO NOT DONATE HOLD THE KEY - RSN has many supporters, we have many more however who come often but simply will not contribute. These are the people who hold the key. Any fundraiser, every fundraiser would be a breeze with just a little more support. This is a river we must cross. With sincerity. / Marc Ash, Founder Reader Supported News

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FOCUS: Scott Galindez | Bernie Sanders' Momentum Shows He Can Win 
 
Scott Galindez, Reader Supported News 
Galindez writes: "Concerned Clinton supporters in Iowa started calling campaign officials, warning them that she'd better get out here fast, that the view in the rear view mirror was shrinking, and that Bernie was closing fast." 
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Under a cloak of darkness

Yesterday, legislation was introduced in Congress that purports to rein in the NSA’s mass surveillance programs. It’s called the USA FREEDOM Act (as was a similar bill last year), and we don’t think that it goes far enough.

USA FREEDOM might do something very modest to constrain the NSA's behavior under the particular authorities that that agency has exploited to collect information about all of Americans’ phone calls.

But it also does some definitively terrible things, like giving companies immunity for facilitating government spying — and extending the very authority the NSA has manipulated to engage in mass surveillance.

Moreover, it doesn’t address the fundamental problem: That the NSA is a rogue agency that operates under a cloak of darkness without meaningful oversight or checks on its power, and will lie and violate the law with impunity.

Even if the NSA’s ability to spy on us is constrained slightly, for now, we can expect it to do all in its power to warp the law — and torture the English language — to find justifications for ever more-expansive surveillance.

And because oversight is so limited, because Congressional leadership and the House and Senate Intelligence Committees are so captured by the surveillance agencies and contractors, we won’t even find out about the NSA’s new schemes until another whistleblower surfaces in 10 or 20 years.

To learn more about why we are opposing this bill, you can read our press release about USA FREEDOM here.

Here's where you come in: Time is running out — a committee vote on USA FREEDOM is expected TOMORROW.

If you agree with our take on the USA FREEDOM Act, can you make a call to your member of Congress and ask them to oppose USA FREEDOM because it doesn't go far enough — and to support key amendments to make it better?

Yes, I'll make a call to my member of Congress.

No, I don't have time to make a call — but I'll click here and chip in $10 to help Demand Progress in this fight.

Thanks for standing strong.

—David, Daniel, Mark, Sara and the rest of the Demand Progress team

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