The U.S.

government on Monday found itself with fewer tools to investiga

te terrorism -- at least temporarily -- after the Senate let provisions of the P
atriot Act expire Sunday night.
While officials warned of national security risks, it is clear that the lapse wi
ll not come close to debilitating counterterrorism efforts.
The Senate entered a debate period late Sunday on the Patriot Act that pushed be
yond the midnight deadline, effectively ending three provisions of that law, inc
luding the National Security Agency's bulk data collection program.
The lapse was a huge victory for privacy hawks who have called for changes to th
at program and others under the Patriot Act since Edward Snowden first blew the
lid off the NSA's domestic surveillance programs in 2013.
The National Security Agency officially shut down the bulk metadata collection p
rogram officially at 7:44 p.m. Sunday night, a senior government official told C
NN. Officials had previously indicated they would shut the program down around 8
p.m. to ensure all procedures were in place before midnight military time.
RELATED: NSA must end bulk data collection even as Senate moves ahead on bill
The Senate is expected to restore the expiring authorities midweek, but here's w
hat we know will change between now and then:
What counterterrorism tools does the U.S. lose?