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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Bush says Patriot Act should be permanent

Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio – President Bush, facing efforts by some in his own party to scale back the post-Sept. 11 Patriot Act, says it has made America safer and should be made permanent.

The law allowed expanded surveillance of terror suspects, increased use of material witness warrants to hold suspects incommunicado and permitted secret proceedings in immigration cases.

Provisions of the act that are set to expire, among other things, provide authority for nationwide search warrants, enable intelligence agencies to share information about terrorism cases and give them power to obtain records in terrorism-related cases from entities such as libraries.