NSA surveillance to get Senate scrutiny

NSA Director Gen. Keith Alexander
Gen. Keith Alexander, National Security Agency director, testified before the House Select Intelligence Committee on the NSA's PRISM program, which tracks Web traffic and U.S. citizens' phone records, during a hearing last month.
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

Since Edward Snowden leaked information about the National Security Agency's surveillance programs in early June, the NSA has come under closer scrutiny from Congress.

A rundown of the main events:

• Last month, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence took a close look at the programs (for a synopsis, turn to NPR's "The House Hearing On NSA Surveillance In 3 Audio Clips").

• An amendment to defund the NSA's collection of phone records was narrowly defeated in the House.

• The Senate Judiciary Committee will be holding a hearing on Wednesday on the NSA's surveillance programs.

Marc Rotenberg, executive director of Electronic Privacy Information Center, and Steven Bradbury, former head of the Office of Legal Counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice, join The Daily Circuit to discuss proposed changes to the NSA's surveillance programs.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE NSA'S SURVEILLANCE PROGRAMS

FAQ: What You Need to Know About the NSA's Surveillance Programs
A useful primer from ProPublica.

Live blog: NSA Hearing
Re-live the House hearing through this CNN live blog.

NSA Surveillance Leaks: Background and Issues for Congress
Read the Congressional Research Service's briefing on the issue.