New York Times reveals Bush's NSA warrantless wiretapping program, Stellar Wind

The New York Times published an investigation by reporters James Risen and Eric Lichtblau on December 16, 2005, revealing that the NSA had conducted warrantless surveillance of Americans' international communications since shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks under a secret program code-named Stellar Wind. The Bush administration had bypassed the FISA court entirely, asserting the president's inherent authority as commander-in-chief to authorize the surveillance. The Times had held the story for over a year at White House request, ultimately publishing after Risen indicated the reporting would appear in his forthcoming book.