Defense &
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Defense &
National Security
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Conservative coalition urges Congress to protect internet freedoms in Iran |
The group sent a letter to Senate leadership and the bipartisan heads of the upper chamber's Armed Services Committee advocating for legislation helping Iranians bypass internet censorship.
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© Vahid Salemi, Associated Press
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The coalition, which includes foreign policy experts, Iran hawks, and digital freedom advocates, argues that helping Iranians communicate with each other and the outside world is the best way to foster opposition to the Islamic Republic and document human rights abuses, The Hill's Laura Kelly reports.
They are putting their support behind a pair of bills – the Iran Human Rights, Internet Freedom, and Accountability Act (S.3900), and the Feasibility Review of Emerging Equipment for Digital Open Media (FREEDOM) Act – and asking for their inclusion in the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act. The must-pass legislation is viewed as the best vehicle for making these bills become law.
“Internet shutdowns have become one of the regime's most powerful tools of repression - facilitating violence, mass arrests, and grave human rights abuses while preventing Iranians from communicating with one another and the outside world,” the letter reads.
The letter was led by the Public Affairs Alliance Iranian Americans and FDD Action, the advocacy arm of the nonpartisan Foundations for Defense of Democracies think-tank. Other signatories include Elliot Abrams, who served as Special Envoy for Iran during President Trump’s first term, and Carrie Fillipetti, executive director of the Vandenberg Coalition and former official in Trump’s first administration.
Other signatories include the NetFreedom Pioneers, Brave New Software Lantern, Digital Impact Lab, to name a few.
“Advancing these measures would send a clear message of support to the Iranian people and reaffirm the United States' commitment to defending access to information, promoting transparency, and supporting those striving for freedom and democratic governance,” they wrote.
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Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Filip Timotija — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.
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How policy will affect defense and national security now and in
the future:
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A reported new threat by Iran to assassinate President Trump served as a reminder this week of the risk that the hard-line Tehran regime poses to him, especially as a tenuous ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran breaks down and hostilities have resumed. Reports surfaced this week that Israel shared intelligence with the U.S. indicating Iran was devising a plan to kill Trump. The development came on the heels of a security decision …
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(NewsNation) — The Pentagon released a fourth tranche of files related to Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs), previously called UFOS, on Friday. The batch includes 40 new files, including 19 videos. The Defense Department began releasing UFO files on a rolling basis on May 8, following President Trump’s promise to declassify certain government files. The second and third rounds were published on May 22 and June 12, respectively. …
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Caroline Sunshine, who served as an aide to President Trump during his first term, suggested Thursday that Vice President Vance was set up to take the blame for the failed memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the U.S. and Iran. “I think we know now why JD Vance was sent out to go sell the MOU, and at the time, Marco Rubio was nowhere to be found,” Sunshine, also a former Disney Channel star, said during an appearance on …
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Branch out with a different read from The Hill:
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Mamdani pushes call to abolish ICE after deadly Houston shooting
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani reupped his call for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following the killing of a Mexican immigrant in Houston by the agency. “Lorenzo Salgado Araujo called Houston home for 35 years. On Tuesday, an ICE agent shot and killed him. His family …
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Events in and around the defense world:
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- The Center for Strategic and International Studies is holding a discussion on Monday at 10 a.m. EDT on "China and the Section 301 Investigations: The Legal, Economic, and Diplomatic Issues."
- The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace is holding a discussion on Monday at 1 p.m. EDT on "Is Israel Losing America?"
- The House Rules Committee will meet Monday to debate the "Take Care of America’s Veterans Act."
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News we’ve flagged from other outlets:
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Two key stories on The Hill right now:
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Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) on Thursday urged Democratic Maine Senate candidate Nirav Shah to end his newly launched campaign, reviving prior criticism … Read more
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The Secret Service advised President Trump not to leave the NATO Summit in Turkey on the newer Qatari-gifted Air Force One, according to a Wednesday … Read more
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Op-eds related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill:
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You’re all caught up. See you Monday!
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