U.S. senator begins bid to block extension of bulk data collection

U.S. Presidential candidate and Texas Senator Rand Paul speaks at the Republican Party of Iowa's Lincoln Dinner in Des Moines, Iowa, United States, May 16, 2015.

/Jim Young

Republican U.S. Senator Rand Paul began giving a speech on Wednesday to block a vote on any legislation that would extend U.S. spy agencies' collection of Americans' telephone data.Under Senate rules, Paul, a 2016 presidential hopeful, can stay on the Senate floor and speak without interruption until midnight, when the next legislative day begins. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle and Richard Cowan; Editing by Susan Heavey)