The news that the nation's spy agencies have been collecting phone records has been followed by word that they're also gathering up reams of information from the servers of major Internet and tech companies.

Over the past two days, there have been revelations about the way the National Security Agency is gathering information for intelligence. While details of both programs are still coming out, the data collection practice appears to be legal. But it could be the beginning of something new in the intelligence community. And that is, the use of data to find patterns analysts might have missed.

Revelations of phone traffic surveillance by the NSA highlight the ongoing and controversial role of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. It was created to address domestic spying abuses uncovered in the 1970s.

There are days when that photo you can find on the Web of President Obama's and President George W. Bush's faces morphed into each other seems awfully apt.

Striking a balance between national security and civil liberties is once again proving nearly as difficult a task as catching the bad guys.

In 2011, the then-assistant attorney general argued that Congress was kept well informed about the system to secretly collect information.

A court order has allowed the National Security Agency to collect data on millions of Verizon customers' phone calls. Some lawmakers and privacy advocates have expressed concern about government overreach. The White House is defending the practice.

President Obama has selected U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice to be his next National Security Adviser. She'll take over from Tom Donilon, who has played a critical role in developing the White House's relationship with China. The president is also nominating former aide Samantha Power to fill Rice's position at the U.N.

The attorney general heads to the Senate on Thursday, where lawmakers are sure to demand answers. But being in the center of the storm is nothing new for Holder. Over four years in office, he has been a lightning rod for the president's fiercest critics.

A FISA court order gives the government the power to obtain the information for a three-month period that ends July 19. The order covers all Verizon calls made within the U.S., and between the U.S. and other countries. The order covers call data 鈥� not the actual conversations.