The US Senate has likely dealt a death blow to the TIA (Total Information Awareness, ahem, Terrorist Information Awareness) program sponsored by former Iran-Contra figure John Poindexter, according to an article on Wired.

The Senate has inserted language into the 2004 pending defense appropriations bill explicitly restricting funds from being used for continued research or implementation of the TIA.

To wit, "No funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the Department of Defense ... or to any other department, agency or element of the Federal Government, may be obligated or expended on research and development on the Terrorism Information Awareness program."

Although this is only the Senate right now, the ban is expected to pass the House after the conference committee.