Just Security: Scaremongering about the Patriot Act Sunset by Jameel Jaffer:

In a last-ditch effort to scare lawmakers into preserving unpopular and much-abused surveillance authorities, the Senate Republican leadership and some intelligence officials are warning that allowing Section 215 of the Patriot Act to sunset would compromise national security. (One particularly crass example from Senator Lindsey Graham: “Anyone who neuters this program is going to be partially responsible for the next attack.”) Some media organizations have published these warnings without challenging them, which is unfortunate. The claim that the expiration of Section 215 would deprive the government of necessary investigative tools or compromise national security is entirely without support.

The Hill: Administration moves to end bulk data collection by Julian Hattem and Jordan Fabian:

The Senate is preparing for a last-minute attempt to save expiring portions of the Patriot Act, but it may already be too late.

The Obama administration is already starting to end the National Security Agency’s (NSA) bulk collection of Americans’ phone records, after legislative inaction forced the upper chamber to kick the can until next Sunday — mere hours before the laws expire.

Without congressional approval, the White House failed to ask the secretive Federal Intelligence Surveillance Court to renew the program by a Friday deadline.

WaPo: Inspector General finds Justice Dept. slow to create privacy rules by Ellen Nakashima:

The Justice Department for seven years failed to implement a provision requiring it to create privacy rules for use of an intelligence-gathering tool authorized by the USA Patriot Act, the department’s inspector general said in a new report.

WaPo: Senate rejects compromise bill on surveillance by Mike DeBonis and Ellen Nakashima:

Senators left Capitol Hill early Saturday morning without taking action to extend or replace a controversial surveillance program set to expire at month’s end, paralyzed by a debate over the proper balance between civil liberties and national security.

The Hill: McConnell’s NSA gambit fails by Jordain Carney and Julian Hattem:

Mitch McConnell staged an epic gamble over U.S. spying powers — and lost.

The Republican leader pledged to keep senators in Washington through the weekend to finish work on expiring provisions of the Patriot Act, but Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) called his bluff.

Instead, when the smoke cleared in the early hours of Saturday morning, the 2016 presidential contender was the one with bragging rights.

. . .

Leaving the Capitol, Republicans seemed confused on what their leader’s next steps would be.

Politico: What happens if the PATRIOT Act expires? by Alex Byers and Kate Tummarello:

Officials in Washington are warning of a future in which key surveillance provisions are allowed to lapse.

With the Senate’s failure to secure a deal to reform or extend the PATRIOT Act before leaving for the Memorial Day recess, the possibility has become more real that parts of key surveillance provisions could simply die.

WaPo: Senate rejects compromise bill on surveillance by Mike DeBonis and Ellen Nakashima:

The measure would have ended the NSA’s bulk collection of private phone records. Senators aren’t convening again until May 31, just hours before the legal authority for the existing program expires.