Obama Signs One-Year Extension of Patriot Act

President Barack Obama has signed a one-year extension of several provisions in the nation's main counterterrorism law, the Patriot Act.

Provisions in the measure would have expired on Sunday without Obama's signature Saturday.

The act, which was adopted in the weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, expands the governments ability to monitor Americans in the name of national security. It authorizes court-approved roving wiretaps that permit surveillance on multiple phones. It also allows court-approved seizure of records and property in anti-terrorism operations.