WaPo: The Cybersecurity 202: We surveyed 100 security experts. Almost all said state election systems were vulnerable.

WaPo: The Cybersecurity 202: We surveyed 100 security experts. Almost all said state election systems were vulnerable.

By Derek Hawkins

The midterm elections are less than six months away, but an overwhelming 95 percent of digital security experts surveyed by The Cybersecurity 202 say state election systems are not sufficiently protected against cyberthreats. 

We brought together a panel of more than 100 cybersecurity leaders from across government, the private sector, academia and the research community for a new feature called The Network — an ongoing, informal survey in which experts will weigh in on some of the most pressing issues of the field. (You can see the full list of experts here. Some were granted anonymity in exchange for their participation.) Our first survey revealed deep concerns that states aren’t prepared to defend themselves against the types of cyberattacks that disrupted the 2016 presidential election, when Russian hackers targeted election systems in 21 states.

“We are going to need more money and more guidance on how to effectively defend against the sophisticated adversaries we are facing to get our risk down to acceptable levels,” said one of the experts, Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.), who co-chairs the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus.

Congress in March approved $380 million for all 50 states and five territories to secure their election systems, but Langevin says he wants more. He introduced legislation with Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) that would provide election security funding to states if they adhere to new federal guidelines for identifying weaknesses in their systems and auditing election results. “I hope Congress continues to work to address this vital national security issue,” Langevin said.

Each state is responsible for running its own elections, and many state officials view attempts by the federal government to intervene with skepticism — if not outrightopposition. But some experts said the magnitude of the threats from state-sponsored adversaries is too great for states to deal with alone.

“Given the gravity of the nation-state threats we face, much more needs to be done at every level — including a strong declarative policy that this activity is unacceptable and will trigger a strong response,” said Chris Painter, who served as the State Department’s top cyber diplomat during the Obama and Trump administrations.

Dave Aitel, chief executive of Immunity Inc. and a former National Security Agency security scientist, went further: “Protecting systems from cyberthreats from nation-states can really only be done on a national level. It’s insane we have state-level control of these systems.”

Experts generally agreed that most states are more secure than they were in 2016. Officials have undertaken a variety of measures to improve security — including conducting vulnerability tests of computer networks and voting machines and hiring new IT staff.

But securing this kind of technology isn’t easy. “ ‘Election systems’ are massive, distributed IT systems with thousands of endpoints and back-end systems that hold and process large volumes of highly sensitive data,” said Jeff Greene, senior director of global government affairs and policy at Symantec. “Protecting such systems is no small feat, and election systems are no different. While [the Department of Homeland Security] and the state and local governments have in recent years dialed up their efforts, there are no easy fixes.”

Several experts said that state voter registration databases are particularly vulnerable — and make an appealing target for attackers who want to sow confusion and undermine confidence in the voting process.

“The voting machines themselves are only part of the story,” said Matt Blaze, a cryptographer and computer science professor at the University of Pennsylvania. “The ‘back end’ systems, used by states and counties for voter registration and counting ballots, are equally critical to election security, and these systems are often connected, directly or indirectly, to the Internet.”

There’s no evidence that Russian hackers actually changed any votes in 2016, but they did probe online voter rolls and even breached the statewide voter database in Illinois.“Few if any state and local IT departments are equipped to protect this infrastructure against the full force of a hostile intelligence service, and these systems are very attractive targets for disruption,” Blaze said.

“The level of expertise is quite uneven” across the states, added Daniel Weitzner, founding director of the MIT Internet Policy Research Initiative who was U.S. deputy chief technology officer for Internet policy during the Obama administration. “Of particular concern is the voter registration systems. Imagine how much fear, uncertainty and doubt [that] Russia or any other malicious actor could sow if they raise questions about the accuracy of the voting rolls. That’s every bit as bad as actually changing votes, and much easier to do.”

Jay Kaplan, co-founder of the cybersecurity firm Synack, notes a bright spot: The Election Assistance Commission has a national voting system certification program to independently verify that a voting system meets security requirements.

“However, testing for this certification is completely optional,” said Kaplan, who held previous roles in the Defense Department and at the National Security Agency. “States can set their own standards for voting systems…. As such, some states are significantly more buttoned up than others. The reality is states are understaffed, underfunded, and are too heavily reliant on election-system vendors securing their own systems.”

On top of that, millions of Americans will vote this year on old, hack-prone digital machines that produce no paper trail. Without a paper record, it’s nearly impossible to audit the final vote tally. Federal officials and expertsrecommend scrapping such machines in favor of paper ballots.

Too many states “have taken a less than strategic approach and once again waited too long to start addressing vulnerabilities within their processes and technology,” said Mark Weatherford, a former deputy undersecretary for cybersecurity at the Department of Homeland Security in the Obama administration and chief information security officer in both California and Colorado.

“Additionally, because of significant investments in electronic voting technology, it’s difficult for non-technologists to acknowledge economic sunk costs and re-prioritize current funding to address these … problems,” said Weatherford, a senior vice president and chief cybersecurity strategist at vArmour.

Nico Sell, co-founder of the software maker Wickr, put the problem into perspective: “We will teach the kids how to hack the election system this summer at r00tz at Def Con,” she said. (r00tz is an ethical hacking program for children between 8 and 16 years old held in Las Vegas alongside the Def Con security conference.)

Many experts are worried that states lack the resources to build their defenses in time for the midterms, even with more federal assistance. “What isn’t clear is where our defenses and resiliency have improved if at all,” said Jessy Irwin, head of security at Tendermint. “This is a difficult problem to solve, and it takes something we don’t have enough of to get 50 states and a few territories flying in formation: time.”

Less than five percent of experts who responded to the survey said they were confident that state election systems were well protected.

Cris Thomas, who goes by the name Space Rogue and works for IBM X-Force Red, said that while registration databases, websites and other systems may still be vulnerable, “the election systems themselves are sufficiently protected.”

And the patchwork nature of U.S. elections is actually a bonus when it comes to deterring would-be attackers, said one expert who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

“State balloting systems are diverse and decentralized. They’re administered by some 3,000 counties, making it difficult for malicious actors to uniformly attack voting infrastructure on a vast scale,” the expert said.

That expert was satisfied with the efforts by state and federal officials to secure the vote. “Public and private authorities are taking steps to defend against nation-state attacks. The recent omnibus spending bill provides monies to states for election security; threat data are being shared between states and federal agencies (albeit probably slowly and tentatively); and election officials are utilizing best practices, such as conducting post-election audits and not connecting voting machines to the Internet,” the expert said.

“But bolstering our cyberdefenses, however fundamental, will only take us so far,” the expert added. “The White House needs to authorize agencies to disrupt cyberattacks and information operations at their sources and up the ante for prospective attackers as part of America’s broader deterrence posture.”

As another expert who participated in the survey put it:“The high level of interest has led to more eyes on the process, which itself helps deter would-be hackers.”

Elite Daily: Can The 2018 Elections Be Hacked? Experts Think So, & Here We Go Again

Elite Daily: Can The 2018 Elections Be Hacked? Experts Think So, & Here We Go Again

By Bernadette Deron

With the 2018 midterm elections approaching this fall (and primaries going on throughout the year — check your local elections), the question of whether or not the United States’ voting systems are secure enough to ensure correct results is being widely debated. The Washington Post elected to interview a number of experts on whether or not they believe the upcoming elections can be hacked. According to a majority of those cybersecurity experts, the 2018 midterms are at risk of being hacked, which is just great.

The report published by the Post on May 21 featured quotes and statistics from a panel of over 100 cybersecurity experts from the government, academia, the private sector, and the research community. According to the report, 95 percent of the experts do not believe that state election systems are sufficiently protected from cyberthreats.

In an interview with NBC News on Feb. 8, head of cybersecurity at the Department of Homeland Security Jeanette Manfra revealed that Russian hackers reportedly targeted 21 states prior to the 2016 presidential election, and that “an exceptionally small number of them were actually successfully penetrated.” Back in September 2017, the federal government notified election officials from those 21 states that their systems were targeted by Russian agents during the elections the year before.

In response to these reports, the spending bill that Congress passed on March 22 included a whopping $380 million devoted to ramping up cybersecurity in order to prevent state voting systems from any sort of cyberattack. But not everyone in Congress thinks that this is enough funding to prevent elections from getting compromised by foreign agents. We are going to need more money and more guidance on how to effectively defend against the sophisticated adversaries we are facing to get our risk down to acceptable levels,” Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.) told the Post. Langevin also co-chairs the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus. If a person with as much authority on this issue as Langevin thinks more needs to be done to protect this country’s elections, it’s definitely something to take seriously.

The impact of the hacks from the 2016 presidential election has not yet been determined. But the fact that foreign agents were able to successfully hack some systems signals that the government should be working harder to ensure that elections in this country are fair and free.

Because the 2018 midterms are so important for both sides of the aisle, it’s imperative that the outcomes of those elections are secure and correct. The problem with current voting systems is that they’re not uniform across the entire country, making some polling counties more vulnerable than others. Those smaller counties could amount to a significant number of compromised votes, which in turn has enough weight to sway an election in one direction or another.

All 435 seats in the House of Representatives up for grabs come November, and 48 of those seats are considered to be competitive, according to The New York Times. In order for the Democrats to regain control of the House, they would need to flip at least 24 seats that are currently controlled by Republicans. The Senate is currently divided 51-49 in favor of Republicans, and Democrats might be able to pull off a Senate majority win following the midterms as well. Although it’s not entirely likely that Democrats will regain control of both chambers of Congress, the tight races in each prove how crucial it is to ensure that state elections are appropriately protected.

The nation is just six months away from the midterm elections, and primaries have been going on. Hopefully, the appropriate authorities are doing what they can to protect your vote.

Cheddar: Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) Says Elimination Cyber Coordinator Position Is “Short-Sighted” & “A Mistake”

Cheddar: Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI) Says Elimination Cyber Coordinator Position Is “Short-Sighted” & “A Mistake”

To watch the full interview, click here.

Congressman Jim Langevin is a Democrat representing Rhode Island’s second district. He is also the co-chair of the congressional cyber security caucus. The congressman has put forward a bill to create a cyber security director position that will be able to better coordinate cyber activities in the United States to ensure the country is protected from threats. The bill was presented soon after National Security Advisor John Bolton eliminated the top cyber policy role at the White House.

 

Cheddar: Senate Votes to Save Net Neutrality, but Fate Seems Sealed

Cheddar: Senate Votes to Save Net Neutrality, but Fate Seems Sealed

By Alisha Haridasani

In a last-ditch effort to preserve unfettered access to online content, the Senate voted Wednesday to override the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to scrap net neutrality rules.

All of the Democrats and three Republican Senators voted in favor of the resolution, which was proposed by Senator Ed Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts.

“Republicans will rue the day they voted against middle class families, they will rue the day when they voted against the young people who are so familiar with the internet and you can be sure that we Democrats will remind the people of this vote over and over again,” said Senator Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, who has his eye on the midterm elections in November.

The resolution heads to the House, where it faces stronger opposition. Only 161 Representatives have publicly indicated that they would vote in favor of the resolution, 57 short of a majority.

There is still a chance that lawmakers who want to preserve net neutrality could convince more of their colleagues to join them because the issue resonates widely with voters, said Andrew Wyrich, a politics staff writer at The Daily Dot. A number of polls show strong support ー among Democrats and Republicans ー for maintaining net neutrality.

“A lot of people didn’t think that it would happen in the Senate so I think anything can happen,” said Wyrich.

Net neutrality rules were put in place by the Obama administration in 2015, ensuring that internet service providers give equal access to all content online, regardless of who produces it or where it comes from. The F.C.C. decided in December to abandon the rules, and they officially expired last month.

Supporters of net neutrality, including the tech companies Amazon, Google, Netflix, and Facebook, have said that stripping away these rules would give internet service providers the power to charge some websites or services more for speedier access. The chairman of the F.C.C., Ajit Pai, who has been a vocal critic of net neutrality, has said the rules hurt the companies that build the internet’s infrastructure, and stifle innovation and limit investment.

“It’s going to hurt the little guy,” said Representative Jim Langevin, a Democrat from Rhode Island. Net neutrality allows “small entrepreneurs to have the same amount of access that big companies do,” he said.

Though a majority of Americans support net neutrality, Pai, the F.C.C. chairman, has said the rules were “heavy-handed.”

For the full interview, click here.

FCW: House Dems look to salvage cyber coordinator post

FCW: House Dems look to salvage cyber coordinator post

Written by Derek B. Johnson

Amid reports that the White House has officially eliminated its cyber coordinator position, a group of Democratic lawmakers have filed a bill to restore the job.

The bill, introduced by Reps. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.) and Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), would establish a “National Office for Cyberspace” within the White House and create a director-level position appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The office will serve as “the principal office for coordinating issues relating to cyberspace” and have responsibility over recommending security measures and budgets for federal agencies.

The bill so far has attracted 10 other co-sponsors, all Democrats.

Politico reported on May 15 that new national security advisor John Bolton eliminated the position following the departure of Rob Joyce, who had filled the spot since March 2017. Joyce, who left shortly after his boss Tom Bossert stepped down the day after Bolton started, has since returned to the National Security Agency where previously managed the agency’s elite hacking unit.

Langevin told FCW in a May 15 interview he was “very disappointed” in the Trump administration’s decision. Up until this point, he had been relatively pleased with the Trump administration’s cybersecurity moves, listing off positives like continuity with Obama administration initiatives, delivering a cyber doctrine, hiring Tom Bossert and Rob Joyce as homeland security advisor and cyber coordinator and nominating Chris Krebs to lead the Department of Homeland Security’s cyber wing.

However, he characterized the elimination of the cyber coordinator position as “a clear step backwards.”

“I think that’s a bad move. It’s a very shortsighted decision,” said Langevin. “In my mind, that decision was made by someone who clearly does not understand the threats we face in cyberspace and doesn’t understand that cybersecurity is the national and economic security challenge of the 21st century.”

Coventry Courier: Coventry resident receives medals for WWII service

Coventry Courier: Coventry resident receives medals for WWII service

Written by Kendra Port

COVENTRY – On Friday Congressman James Langevin presented military decorations to retired Chief Petty Officer Edmund Del Barone, a Coventry resident who earned his medals throughout the course of his 22 years in the U.S. Navy.

Del Barone began his service in 1940 when he attended boot camp at the Newport Naval Station. He spent the majority of his naval career at sea performing maintenance on the several ships he was stationed on, including a destroyer, the USS Wadleigh.

Del Barone accepted his numerous medals during a ceremony at Alpine Nursing Home in Coventry surrounded by his friends and children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

“When we were contacted about his medals we were very proud to go to work and do what we needed to do to track these medals down and verify his eligibility for each,” said Langevin. “It’s one of the longest lists I’ve ever read.”

Del Barone received the Combat Action Ribbon, the Presidential Unit Citation with one bronze star; the Navy Good Conduct Medal (5th award); the American Defense Service Medal with Fleet Clasp; the American Campaign Medal; the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one silver star and two bronze stars; the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal; the World War II Victory Medal; the National Defense Service Medal with one bronze star; and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal – Lebanon.

“Throughout this generation there is a pride that has continued to show through,” said Langevin. “He put on the uniform and did what needed to be done, and that’s so typical of the World War II generation. There are many men and woman who continue putting on the uniform and we’re grateful for your service.”

“When we talk about heroes, look no further than the World War II generation, the greatest generation that helped shape the world,” said Kasim Yarn, Rhode Island Director of Veterans Affairs. “What can they tell us? Everything, through the lens of our greatest generation. They set the standard for all of us to be here today. He didn’t do this by himself and it wasn’t about him – it was about serving his nation.”

“I salute you,” Yarn concluded.

Langevin said the many medals Del Barone received show a “dedication to our nation and the principles for which it stands.”

Del Barone is also a talented artist, having painted several emblems for naval ships as well as murals for different Veterans of Foreign Wars posts. He even painted one of the first emblems at the Naval War College in Newport.

“We’re very proud to see him recognized,” said his grandson, Dennis Tallo. “It should have happened 50 years ago, so it’s a long time coming.”

Prior to the ceremony Del Barone’s granddaughter, Kim, performed a rendition of Lee Greenwood’s ‘God Bless the USA.’

Patch: Langevin Presents Medals To World War II Sailor

Patch: Langevin Presents Medals To World War II Sailor

COVENTRY, RI — Cong. Jim Langevin (D-RI) on Friday presented military decorations to retired Chief Petty Officer Edmund Del Barone. The Coventry resident earned the medals over the 22 years he served in the U.S. Navy. According to Langevin’s office, “Del Barone began his service in 1940 when he attended boot camp at Naval Station Newport. The majority of his naval career was spent at sea conducting maintenance, and he was stationed on several ships, including the destroyer USS Wadleigh. Also a talented artist, Mr. Del Barone has painted emblems for naval ships and murals for several Veterans of Foreign Wars posts.”

Langevin said the medals show Del Barone’s “dedication to our nation and the principles for which it stands.”

The presentation at the Alpine Nursing Home in Coventry was also attended by Rhode Island Veterans Affairs Director Kasim Yarn, and Del Barone’s granddaughter, Kim.

The decorations presented include the Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation with one bronze star; Navy Good Conduct Medal (5th Award); American Defense Service Medal with Fleet Clasp; American Campaign Medal; European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with one silver star and two bronze stars; Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal; World War II Victory Medal; National Defense Service Medal with one bronze star; and Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal – Lebanon.

Homeland Preparedness News: Moniz calls termination of Iran nuclear deal “major strategic mistake”

Homeland Preparedness News: Moniz calls termination of Iran nuclear deal “major strategic mistake”

Former U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz called President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal on Wednesday “a major strategic mistake” that would impair U.S. ability to deter an Iranian nuclear program as well as its ability to prevent nuclear proliferation around the world.

In announcing termination of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Trump cited Israel’s release of “compelling details about Iran’s past secret efforts to develop nuclear weapons,” as well as insufficient inspection and verification mechanisms and a “windfall” of cash for Iran. Trump said his administration would begin immediate work to reimpose sanctions and would “assemble a broad coalition of nations to deny Iran all paths to a nuclear weapon.”

Moniz warned, however, that withdrawal from the JCPOA would compromise U.S. ability to collaborate with allies on “issues of global concern.” He also said withdrawal would diminish U.S. ability to protect U.S. interests in the Middle East “for years, if not decades, to come.”

“The Iran nuclear deal rolled back Iran’s nuclear program and imposed uniquely stringent monitoring and verification measures — the most important elements of which were permanent — to prevent the country from ever developing a bomb,” Moniz said. “The United States is now in violation of the terms of the deal without offering a credible alternative.”

U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI), a member of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee and Homeland Security Committee, agreed that the president was “threatening U.S. national security and international stability” with his decision to terminate the 2015 nuclear agreement.

“The Iran nuclear deal provides for comprehensive monitoring by the international community, and there remains no evidence that Iran is violating its commitments,” Langevin said. “Walking away from the JCPOA abandons our allies, weakens our credibility, and harms our ability to foster similar diplomatic agreements in the future. Worse, it undermines the central goal of the agreement: to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. The fact is that the nuclear deal is working. Today’s announcement is a crisis of the president’s own making, and he should reconsider and rejoin the JCPOA before our national security is further damaged.”

Moniz added that international inspectors “who have been on the ground every day since the deal was concluded” have confirmed that Iran has not been able to secure highly enriched uranium and plutonium needed to make a nuclear weapon since the deal was completed.

“Remaining in the agreement was very clearly in the U.S. national interest,” Moniz concluded. “It’s hard to predict what will unfold from here, but the president has driven a deep wedge between the United States and our allies in Europe and has withdrawn from the process that would allow a comprehensive investigation of the Iran archives recently revealed by Israel.”

Patch: EG Student Wins Art Contest: Langevin’s Office

Patch: EG Student Wins Art Contest: Langevin’s Office

From The Office of Congressman Langevin: On Sunday, Congressman Langevin (D-RI) announced the results of the Second Congressional District 2018 High School Art Competition during a ceremony at the Warwick Mall. East Greenwich High School freshman and Nancy Stephen Gallery and School of Art student Sophia Patti took home the first prize for her oil painting, entitled “Finding an Old Treasure on the Cape,” and her work will be on display in the United States Capitol. Langevin has hosted the competition every year since first taking office in 2001, and 62 teenagers representing schools throughout the Second District participated this year.

“It’s no wonder Rhode Island is renowned nationally for its arts scene given the amazing talent we have in our schools,” said Langevin, who has sponsored legislation to increase the role of art and design in STEM education. “I host this competition every year because exposure to art and design principles helps students do better in a range of academic disciplines. But beyond the important role the arts play in the Rhode Island economy and in preparing students to succeed, I also believe in the power of the arts to change lives. I hope all the participants take what they’ve learned back to their communities, and I thank them and their teachers for the craftsmanship they shared with us.”

In June, Patti’s piece will be placed on display in the Cannon Tunnel, a pedestrian walkway leading to the U.S. Capitol, during a ceremony with art competition winners from around the country. Her work will replace “Dreaming of Spring,” a mixed media portrait by 2017 winner Arianna Deal.

This year’s runners up, who will have their artwork hang in Langevin’s Warwick office, are:

  • Second place: “Bedstemor” by Hallie Comer, a junior at East Greenwich High School
  • Third place (tie): “Tangled” by Zari Apodaca, a junior at Cranston High School West, and “Black Power” by Jeffrey Marchetti, a senior at Cranston High School West
Providence Journal: R.I. delegation blasts Trump over Iran deal pullout

Providence Journal: R.I. delegation blasts Trump over Iran deal pullout

By Mark Reynolds

Rhode Island’s lawmakers in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday strafed President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of an agreement with Iran and impose sanctions on the country.

Meanwhile, some others, elsewhere in the political sphere, supported the president. U.S. Rep. David N. Cicilline was not one of them.

“This is a reckless decision,” said the member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who called the inspection routine set up for keeping nuclear weapons away from Iran “the most intrusive in the history of the world.”

U.S. Rep. James Langevin, a senior member of the House Armed Service and Homeland Security Committees, called Trump’s decision a threat to national security.

To walk away from the agreement negotiated under the Obama administration, said Langevin, “abandons our allies, weakens our credibility, and harms our ability to foster similar diplomatic agreements in the future. Worse, it undermines the central goal of the agreement — to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. The fact is that the nuclear deal is working.”

Said U.S. Sen. Jack Reed: “It is irresponsible for President Trump to abandon this international agreement and needlessly isolate the United States in the absence of an Iranian violation and without presenting a credible alternative to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.”

Like Cicilline, U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said the policy is “reckless.” He also called it “reflexive.”

“The President’s refusal to waive sanctions puts the United States in violation of the nuclear agreement, moves the United States away from our allies, and reopens a path for Iran to obtain the nuclear arms it seeks,” Whitehouse said.

All of Rhode Island’s elected representatives in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives are Democrats.

Trump’s decision won applause from a former Rhode Island Supreme Court justice, Republican Robert Flanders, who has mounted a bid to unseat Whitehouse in this year’s midterm elections.

“Now, with new economic sanctions placed on Iran, and a president who puts America’s interests first, the United States will be able to negotiate a better, more enforceable agreement to protect the world’s safety,” Flanders said.

Another Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate, Bobby Nardolillo, said that Trump will “impose the strongest unilateral sanctions available on Iran” within six months.

He said he anticipates that the Iranians will exchange “their traditional chant of ‘Death to America’ for one much closer to ‘Let’s Make a Deal!

“When that happens,” he said. “I hope the president gets some credit for real leadership on the world stage.”

The preexisting agreement with Iran has also drawn fire in recent days from the Rhode Island Coalition for Israel. The group of Jewish and Christian residents says Iranian documents, obtained by Israel, undermine the deal.

“The administration,” said the coalition in a May 4 statement, “has hard choices to make about keeping nuclear weapons out of Iran’s hands and pushing back on Iran’s destabilizing behavior, especially in the Middle East.”