the effective immediately that the nsa will need federal surveillance court approval before accessing that bulk phone record database. it's all part of a speech the president and his team are working on into the night for this event that starts in about three hours. more than six months since former nsa contractor edward snowden started leaking the details of the government's massive surveillance programs, president obama is poised to make some changes to the ways washington spies on the world. >> we can and should take steps to make the activities we engaging in order to help keep america safe and americans safe. more transparent. >> reporter: the president is expected to weigh in on one of the nation's most controversial surveillance programs the bulk collection of american's phone records a practice a federal judge and even one member of the white house's own nsa review panel have called