A majority of American registered voters opposes the new deal reached with Iran over its nuclear program, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released on Monday. The poll finds that 55% oppose the deal, while only 25% support it. When asked whether the nuclear deal would make the world more or less safe, 56% responded that the deal would make the world less safe. This poll is only the latest in a series of polls that reflect the growing opposition of Americans to the nuclear agreement.

A majority of members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate also opposes the deal reached in Vienna between Iran and the P5+1 global powers. Despite the opposition to the deal, there is a growing controversy over the possibility that some senators may seek to deny the Senate a voice in voting and orchestrate a filibuster to prevent a vote on a resolution of disapproval. This move has been broadly criticized. Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) told the Associated Press: “All but one senator voted in favor of having the right to vote on the final deal, so then to turn right around and filibuster it to me is very inconsistent and I think would be confusing to the people they represent.” Mark Dubowitz, the executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, sent the Tweet: “If I opposed #IranDeal & wanted to further delegitimize it, which I do, I'd hope Democrats filibuster #IranDeal vote.”

After the deal was reached in July, the White House allowed the United Nations Security Council to vote before the conclusion of the congressional review period. The top leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Chairman Corker and Ranking Member Ben Cardin (D-Md.), responded by writing a letter to President Obama, declaring their firm belief in a congressional vote: “We are deeply concerned that your administration plans to enable the United Nations Security Council to vote on the agreement before the United States Congress can do the same.”

A proposal to launch a filibuster in order to prevent a Congressional vote on the nuclear deal with Iran was supported by Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hamid Baidinejad, the Tehran Times reported Sunday.

Deputy Foreign Minister Hamid Baidinejad has welcomed a plan by U.S. Democratic congressmen to filibuster a likely rejection of the Iranian nuclear deal.

Writing on his Instagram page on Saturday, the diplomat said Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid’s recent remarks about the filibuster intentions give a bright perspective about the case, ISNA reported.

A majority of both houses of Congress oppose the deal, but if more than forty senators support it, they could filibuster and prevent a vote. The vote was mandated by the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015, which passed 98-1 in the Senate and by a similar margin in the House, and states that Congress must approve of the deal before it goes into effect, though President Barack Obama could veto their disapproval.

Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who co-wrote the Act with Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), expressed his frustration over the potential filibuster. “All but one senator voted in favor of having the right to vote on the final deal, so then to turn right around and filibuster it to me is very inconsistent and I think would be confusing to the people they represent,” he told the Associated Press Sunday.

Polls show strong support nationwide for Congressional review of the nuclear deal. A poll released last week showed that more than 80 percent of Americans did not want Iran to receive sanctions relief without Congressional approval. Polls also show strong opposition to the deal itself: A nationwide survey earlier this month found that 56 percent of Americans want their legislators to oppose the nuclear deal. And another poll showed that voters in the critical swing states of Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida opposed the agreement by a margin greater than 2-1.(via TheTower.org)

New England Patriots wide receiver stars in Combined Jewish Philanthropies travel video. From the Western Wall to riding a camel, from slathering mud on himself at the Dead Sea to biting into a falafel sandwich, New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman is the star of a new video highlighting Israel as a great travel destination. The NFL Super Bowl champion is seen at every typical tourist attraction around the country in the three minute video. “This was an amazing, memorable, once-in-a-lifetime experience for me, made possible by CJP and this amazing work they do,” Edelman told The Times of Israel about his summer trip, organized by Combined Jewish Philanthropies. “I was so lucky to be able to share it with an incredible group of people who made this experience even more memorable.” Edelman was filmed during a 10-day visit in June, in which he also explored his Jewish heritage in Israel. The video clip called Yalla (slang for let’s go) went live on August 24. Edelman is known to be proud of his Jewish heritage – according to TOI his father is Jewish – and the CJP trip gave him “a deeper understanding of the Jewish homeland,” according to the CJP website. “Exploring my heritage is something I started in the past few years and seeing Israel for the first time, really getting a sense of its history and culture – I now truly understand why it’s so special,” he said of his first visit to Israel. (via Israel21c)