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CAPITOL HILL (AP) -- The House has held a closed session for the first time in 25 years, discussing a hotly contested surveillance bill.
Republicans had requested privacy for what they termed "an honest debate" on the new Democratic eavesdropping measure.
The bill is opposed by the White House and most Republicans in Congress.
Lawmakers were forbidden to disclose what was said during the hour-long late-night session.
The extent to which minds were changed, if at all, should be more clear Friday, when the House is expected to openly debate and then vote on the bill.
President Bush has vowed to veto the surveillance measure, saying it would undermine the nation's security.
Bush opposes it in part because it wouldn't provide retroactive legal immunity for telecom companies that may have helped the government eavesdrop on their customers without court permission after the 9/11 terror attacks.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.