With the deadline fast approaching for renewal of USA PATRIOT Act powers, lawmakers appeared unable to reach an agreement. Senate Democrats are proposing to give Congress another 90 days to negotiate before controversial provisions expire this year, while Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) is calling for renewal before Congress leaves this year.

Lawmakers in the House and Senate began negotiations last week on renewing 16 provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act, set to expire this year. Several important differences exist between the House and Senate bills that affect the government's transparency in its exercise of powers to clandestinely search, seize, and collect information. How these differences are resolved will have broad implications for civil liberties and government surveillance powers.

New evidence of long-term persistence of genetically modified crops and new concerns about gaps in monitoring of nanotechnology underscore the risks from failing to embed the Precautionary Principle in regulatory policy.

The U.S. Court of Appeals extended a gag order on a library consortium that received a National Security Letter (NSL) while it considers a lower court ruling that the organization has a First Amendment right to fully participate in the discussion surrounding the USA PATRIOT Act. The gag order is preventing the NSL recipient, an unidentified member of the American Library Association, from discussing its experience openly and participating in the broader debate about the controversial legislation.