Senate OKs bill updating spying rules
The legislation protects telecoms from being sued for cooperating with a government surveillance program launched in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Senate Wednesday approved a bill to put new rules in place for intelligence agency eavesdropping on suspected terrorists.
The bill effectively protects telephone companies from being sued for cooperating with a government surveillance program launched in the wake of the Sept., 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington. The White House pushed hard for the provision, with a threat to veto the bill if it did not contain protection for phone companies.
The vote was 69-28, with Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama of Illinois voting in favor. Republican candidate John McCain of Arizona was not present for the vote.
The bill now moves to the White House for the president to sign into law.
President Bush acknowledged in 2005 that he ordered the secretive National Security Agency to intercept communications between U.S. residents and people overseas suspected of having ties to terrorism. The administration insists the program was authorized when Congress approved military action against al Qaeda, following the 2001 attacks. 
