Back in the United States, privacy advocates are warning over a new presidential decree that asserts White House authority to open U.S. mail without court-approved warrants. In a signing statement attached to a postal reform bill last month, President Bush said the administration will interpret a section of the law to grant itself the authority to open sealed mail in the case of emergencies or foreign intelligence matters. The White House says it is not expanding its powers but clarifying existing laws. But privacy advocates say current laws already allow the opening of mail believed to contain an imminent threat. Kate Martin, director of the Center for National Security Studies in Washington, said: “The administration is playing games about warrants. If they are not claiming new powers, then why did they need to issue a signing statement?”