The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for April 22, 2025

In one of his most bone-chilling orders to date, President Donald Trump directed the U.S. Department of Justice and other agencies to open an investigation of Christopher Krebs, the former head of the Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Security Agency. Krebs’ alleged crime? Publicly refuting Trump’s unfounded claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election.

Trump’s April 9th memorandum reads in part, “Krebs, through CISA, falsely and baselessly denied that the 2020 election was rigged and stolen, including by inappropriately and categorically dismissing widespread election malfeasance and serious vulnerabilities with voting machines,” UNQUOTE.

On November 12th, 2020, Krebs had posted a joint statement from the Elections Infrastructure Government Coordinating Council & the Election Infrastructure Sector Coordinating Executive Committees, which said, “The November 3rd election was the most secure in American history,” and “There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised.” The two groups represent CISA, Secretaries of State, State Election Directors, and numerous election technology and cybersecurity organizations.

In addition to ordering the investigation, Trump stripped Krebs of his security clearance, and that of SentinelOne, the cybersecurity company where Krebs was Chief Intelligence and Public Policy Officer until his resignation April 16th.

We have Trump’s disturbing memo and the 2020 joint statement at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org. I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Associated Press – (2020) Repudiating Trump, officials say election ‘most secure’
CISA – (2020) Joint Statement from Elections Infrastructure Government Coordinating Council & the Election Infrastructure Sector Coordinating Executive Committees
Voice of America – (2020)Trump Fires Security Chief Who Said 2020 Vote Was ‘Most Secure’ in US History
CBS News – Fired director of U.S. cyber agency Chris Krebs explains why President Trump’s claims of election interference are false
The White House – Addressing Risks from Chris Krebs and Government Censorship
The White House – Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Addresses Risks from Chris Krebs and Government Censorship
Votebeat – Election officials alarmed as Trump orders probe of former cybersecurity chief​
SentinelOne – An Official Statement in Response to the April 9, 2025 Executive Order, Updated with Krebs Resignation
Cyberscoop – Trump signs order stripping Chris Krebs of security clearance

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State

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#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #ExecutiveOrders #CyberSecurity #ChrisKrebs #CISA #Retribution

#Authoritarian

The post Chilling Trump Order Seeks Retribution Against Former CISA Head Who Pushed Back Against Trump’s Unfounded Claims of 2020 Fraud appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for March 14, 2025

More Trump administration mass layoffs at CISA have experts raising concerns over U.S. readiness for cyber attacks on election infrastructure and federal agency networks.  An additional 100 inhouse and contracted cyber specialists were terminated in early March.  

The terminations raise the number of layoffs at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to an estimated 300, though new CISA leadership has denied recent layoffs. The agency was created in 2017 to protect the U.S. from both foreign and domestic cyber attacks, and serves all agencies of the U.S. government.  

As we reported in February, a team assisting state election officials in improving and hardening election systems from foreign and domestic hackers was laid off.  Votebeat reported March 11th that CISA’s new leadership informed state election officials that it had suspended operations and funding for the Election Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center. 

In addition, a McCarthy-like effort is underway to purge CISA staffers who ran 2020 efforts to combat foreign and domestic disinformation in social media, some concocted by the Trump campaign and its allies.  

Reports in cybersecurity journals say the latest layoffs involve so-called “Red Teams” which pressure test the security of government networks.   CBS News quoted one cybersecurity expert let go in February as saying about U.S. infrastructure,  “We’re being targeted daily, hourly and every single minute.”

We have more at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org I’m Brian Beihl. 

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

American Democracy Minute –  CISA Pauses All Election Security Programs for Full Review

The Register – CISA pen-tester says 100-strong red team binned after DOGE canceled contract
CISA – Statement on CISA’s Red Team
Infosecurity Magazine – Trump Administration Shakes Up CISA with Staff and Funding Cuts
TechCrunch – DOGE axes CISA ‘red team’ staffers amid ongoing federal cuts

CBS News – Cybersecurity agency’s top recruits decimated by DOGE cuts
Center for Internet Security – “Due to the termination of funding by the Department of Homeland Security, the Center for Internet Security no longer supports the EI-ISAC.”

Groups Taking Action:

Common Cause Election Disinformation, Protect Democracy, Election Worker Legal Defense Network,  Center for Internet Security/ISA, IssueOne/Don’t Mess With US.org

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State

Please follow us on Facebook and Bluesky Social, and SHARE! 

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

Want ADM sent to your email?  Sign up here!

Are you a radio station?  Find our broadcast files at Pacifica Radio Network’s Audioport and PRX

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #ProtectElections #CISA #DOGE #ElectionIntegrity

The post DOGE Cuts 300 Experts From CISA’s Election Security Team and U.S. Agency Cybersecurity; Funding for State Cybersecurity Also Suspended appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Feb. 17, 2025

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

The interim head of CISA, charged with protecting America’s critical cybersecurity infrastructure, including for elections, just issued a memo pausing all election protection operations, pending a review.  Hint:  It’s about countering Trump’s 2020 election claims.

WIRED Magazine reports the interim director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Bridget Bean, ordered a full review of the agency’s election programs since its inception in 2017, including programs countering misinformation and disinformation.  In 2020, this included correcting claims by President Donald Trump that the 2020 Presidential election was somehow rigged to benefit Joe Biden.  Far right Conservatives complained that CISA’s pressuring of social media companies to remove the bogus claims censored free speech.

We reported in July 2023 that under the Biden administration, CISA added staff as liaisons and consultants to state and local election officials.  They advised 8,000 jurisdictions on hardening election systems from very real and ongoing attacks by Russia, China and Iran prior to the 2024 election. February 7th, 17 CISA election staffers were placed on leave, 10 from the state election programs.  

In ordering the review, Bean said CISA would “correct any activities identified as past misconduct by the Federal Government related to censorship of protected speech,” according to WIRED’s reporting.

Vladimir Putin will be glad to hear it.  We’ve linked to the reporting and resources at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.   I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

American Democracy Minute – (2023) U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Head Announces Additional Election Security Advisors to Assist States in Securing Elections
Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency  – (2024)  2024 Year in Review
Politico – Trump continues federal purge, gutting cyber workers who combat disinformation
Mother Jones – Trump Is Gutting Efforts to Combat Foreign Election Interference
WIRED – Top US Election Security Watchdog Forced to Stop Election Security Work
Cyberscoop – CISA election, disinformation officials placed on administrative leave, sources say

Groups Taking Action:

Common Cause Election Disinformation, Protect Democracy, Election Worker Legal Defense Network,  Center for Internet Security/ISA, IssueOne/Don’t Mess With US.org

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State

Please follow us on Facebook and Bluesky Social, and SHARE! 

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

Want ADM sent to your email?  Sign up here!

Are you a radio station?  Find our broadcast files at Pacifica Radio Network’s Audioport and PRX

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #ProtectElections #CISA #ForeignInterference

The post CISA Pauses All Election Security Programs for Full Review.  Hint:  It’s Not About Election Integrity, It’s Reprisal for Telling the Truth. appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for Jan. 31, 2025

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

Last April, federal cybersecurity agency CISA issued warnings to election officials on how to combat a Russian online scheme to mislead American voters in the 2024 election.  CISA is now under attack by its own administration.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act was signed by President Donald Trump in 2018, with part of its mission to protect election systems.  It played a vital role in hardening state and local computer systems prior to the 2024 election, supporting state election officials, and monitoring hacking and disinformation campaigns perpetrated by Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea.  

After the 2020 election, it refuted Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was manipulated. Trump fired its director, and CISA was targeted by both Project 2025 and the Heritage Foundation for a dramatic overhaul, with some conservatives calling for the agency’s elimination.

As foreign threats ramped up, so did CISA, doubling in size during the Biden administration. Just before the inauguration, President Biden issued an executive order requiring new CISA cybersecurity standards be implemented, but Trump immediately revoked it January 20th. CISA’s highly-qualified director, Jen Easterly, resigned on inauguration day. 

New Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said in her confirmation hearing that CISA had “Strayed from its mission” by monitoring disinformation. As governor of South Dakota, she refused federal funding to harden cyber systems, calling it “wasteful spending.” 

We have more at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:

Brennan Center for Justice – Project 2025’s Plan for Cybersecurity Agency Threatens Election Security
Federal News Network – What will 2025 bring for CISA?
Democracy Docket – A Little-Known Federal Agency Helps Secure Elections. Trump Wants to Gut It.
Associated Press – US cyber agency’s future role in elections remains murky under the Trump administration
Wired –  Audio Story – Under Trump, US Cyberdefense Loses Its Head
Politico – Noem calls to shrink CISA, saying the cyber agency has gone ‘far off mission’
South Dakota Searchlight – After Noem turns down federal cyber money, lawmaker suggests using state funds

Groups Taking Action:

IssueOne/Don’t Mess With US.org,  Common Cause US,  Protect Elections, Center for Internet Security/ISAC

Register or Check Your Voter Registration:

U.S. Election Assistance Commission – Register And Vote in Your State

Please follow us on Facebook and Bluesky Social, and SHARE! 

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

Want ADM sent to your email?  Sign up here!

Are you a radio station?  Find our broadcast files at Pacifica Radio Network’s Audioport and PRX

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #ElectionSecurity #CISA #CyberSecurity 

The post Federal Agency CISA Helps States Harden Election Systems.  It’s Now Under Attack by Its Own Administration appeared first on American Democracy Minute.

The American Democracy Minute Radio Report & Podcast for April 22, 2024

Today’s Script

(Variations occur with audio due to editing for time. Today’s Links below the script)

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

U.S. government cybersecurity experts issued warnings April 17th to election and public officials to lock down computer systems and train staff, in preparation for expected disinformation campaigns by Russia, China and possibly Iran. 

The FBI Counterintelligence Division, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued a joint eight-page report with the warnings and recommendations.   The report is aimed at state and local election officials in preparation for the 2024 elections. 

The report cites recent efforts by Russia to create “proxy media” sites, which mix real news stories with stories using messaging to undermine confidence in elections, and to plant stories among unsuspecting U.S. politicians and influencers.   There is also evidence in Europe of Russian experimentation with AI-generated TV news anchors, and AI voice cloning of politicians and public figures. 

The U.S. agencies recommend municipalities use only .gov website extensions, to harden those sites, and distribute official information only through those locations.  Multi-factor authentication for those sites should be implemented.  For official social media accounts, the platform’s highest security available is recommended.

Security officials further recommend that election officials train not only their staff on what to look out for, but teach voters to be smart about information sources and sharing of election information. 

We have a link to the recommendations at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.  I’m Brian Beihl.

Today’s Links

Articles & Resources:
CISA – Statement:  CISA, FBI, and ODNI Release Guidance for Securing Election Infrastructure Against the Tactics of Foreign Malign Influence Operations
FBI, CISA & ODNI – Report:  SECURING ELECTION INFRASTRUCTURE AGAINST THE
TACTICS OF FOREIGN MALIGN INFLUENCE OPERATIONS
Brennan Center for Justice – Preparing to Fight AI-Backed Voter Suppression
Brennan Center for Justice – Recommendations to Fight Back Against Election Misinformation
Rand Corporation – Analyzing Election Disinformation Efforts
Fordham Law Voting Rights & Democracy Project –  Spies, Trolls, and Bots: Combating Foreign Election Interference in the Marketplace of Ideas 

Groups Taking Action:

IssueOne/Don’t Mess With US.org,  Common Cause US,  Protect Elections, Center for Internet Security/ISAC

Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter and SHARE!  

Find all of our reports at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org

Want ADM sent to your email?  Sign up here!

Are you a radio station?  Find our broadcast files at Pacifica Radio Network’s Audioport and PRX

#Democracy  #DemocracyNews #ForeignElectionInterference #ProtectElections #Disinformation

The post FBI, CISA and ODNI Issue Guidance to Election Officials to Harden Websites, Train Staff and Educate Voters, Anticipating Foreign Influence Campaigns appeared first on American Democracy Minute.