LLAW’s All Things Nuclear WEEKEND NEWS, Saturday & Sunday, (12/21 & 22/2024)

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity” ~llaw

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Dec 22, 2024

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In order to keep abreast of the weekend nuclear news, I will post Saturday and Sunday’s news, but without editorial comment. If a weekend story warrants a critical review, it will show up on Monday’s posts . . .

If you are not familiar with the weekday daily blog post, this is how the nuclear news post works . . . llaw

ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’S ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA”:

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

  1. All Things Nuclear
  2. Nuclear Power
  3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
  4. Nuclear War
  5. Nuclear War Threats
  6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are no Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available on this weekend’s Post.)
  7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Saturday, (12/21/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Bunker Talk: Let’s Talk About All The Things We Did And Didn’t Cover This Week

The War Zone

If you want to talk politics, do so respectfully and know that there’s always somebody that isn’t going to agree with you. If you have political …

12-20-24 *INTERVIEW* We End The Year with Nerdy Topics with Paul Beale – iHeart

iHeart

Speaker 2 (01:35): I don’t know what the M means nuclear isomeric transition. And the strontium eighty seven atomic clock. Wow, that’s a …

‘We took a pass’: Tri-state offshore wind proposal to progress without CT involvement

NHPR

Connecticut announced it is formally pulling the plug on an agreement with Rhode Island and Massachusetts to make a bulk purchase of offshore …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

France’s most powerful nuclear reactor comes on stream after 12-year delay

France 24

The Flamanville 3 EPR nuclear reactor, France’s most powerful to date, finally began providing electricity to French homes on Saturday after a …

France’s most powerful nuclear reactor finally comes on stream | | kilgorenewsherald.com

Kilgore News Herald

France on Saturday connected its most powerful nuclear power reactor to the national electricity grid in what leaders hailed as a landmark moment …

Army Explores Nuclear Power Use for Installation Resilience

ExecutiveGov

Learn about the U.S. Army’s plans to utilize nuclear power as a prime energy source for its installations to boost resilience and readiness.

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Opinion: Nuclear Power Plants Save Workers as Russian Bombings Intensify – Kyiv Post

Kyiv Post

Tourniquets that save lives beyond the front lines · Bombing Emergencies · The future of energy in Ukraine.

Nuclear War

NEWS

This is What a Nuclear Strike Would Feel Like | NYT Opinion – YouTube

YouTube

The First 20 Minutes of a Nuclear Attack Looks Like THIS… | Nuclear War Expert Annie Jacobsen. The Diary Of A CEO Clips•1M views · 10:01.

What if Russia wins in Ukraine? We can already see the shadows of a dark 2025

The Guardian

Instability is growing, Putin’s hybrid war in Europe is heating up and for fear of escalation we have encouraged global nuclear proliferation, …

Remarks at a UN Security Council Briefing on Threats to International Peace and Security

United States Mission to the United Nations – State Department

… nuclear weapons. Nearly three years ago, we sat with the Russians in this Chamber urging de-escalation, negotiations, peace talks – anything but war.

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Putin’s nuclear threats may trigger more support for Ukraine, French military expert warns

Euromaidan Press

Putin’s nuclear threats may trigger more support for Ukraine, French military expert warns · Russia rejects proposals to freeze war against Ukraine …

Putin’s Year-End Press Conference: Nuclear Threats And Ukraine War Updates

Evrim Ağacı

Putin emphasized Russia’s military advancements, asserting, “We have the right to use nuclear weapons if our sovereignty is threatened.” This …

War criminals are the new elite of Russia: Vladislav Golovin

Центр протидії дезінформації

War criminals are the new elite of Russia: Vladislav Golovin. 20.12 … Ruble continues to fall amid putin’s nuclear threats. 22.11.2024 22.11

TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Sunday, (12/22/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Top 7 must-read nuclear fusion stories of 2024 — Interesting Engineering

Interesting Engineering

Aman holds expertise in politics, travel, and tech news, especially in AI, advanced algorithms, and blockchain, with a strong curiosity about all …

6.1 Billion Reasons to Buy Nuclear Power Stocks in 2025 | Nasdaq

Nasdaq

Will 2025 be the year we get serious about it? You’ve all read the headlines by now. You know how Microsoft is partnering with Constellatnergy to ..

France Links First New Nuclear Reactor to Grid Since 1999 – Energy Connects

Energy Connects

The yearslong saga has created lasting doubts about the French nuclear … “We are learning all the lessons to succeed in relaunching nuclear power

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Is nuclear power ‘green energy?’ – Mahoning Matters

Mahoning Matters

Most experts would consider nuclear to be less harmful to the climate than natural gas, so this is not a particularly bold move

Nuclear Power Plants Report Massive Uptick In Drone Sightings – Yahoo

Yahoo

Salem Nuclear Power Plant in New Jersey was one of 22 energy infrastructure sites in the state that the FAA banned drone flights over. More. The …

Nuclear is being deployed to support AI. It could be the other way around – Washington Examiner

Washington Examiner

California’s only operating nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon, announced plans last month to use artificial intelligence systems to keep it ..

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Emergency bushfire warning re-issued for Western Victoria | Sky News Australia

Sky News Australia

An emergency bushfire warning has been re-issued in Western … ‘Just be quiet’: Panellists clash over stance on nuclearr. ‘This .

Nuclear War

NEWS

Nuclear bunker sales increase, despite expert warnings – VOA

VOA

Critics say bunkers create false perception that nuclear war is survivable.

Weakened Iran could pursue nuclear weapon, White House’s Sullivan says – Reuters

Reuters

Israel and Hamas at War · Japan · Middle East · Ukraine and Russia at War … Dec 22 (Reuters) – The Biden administration is concerned that a weakened …

US nuclear buildup would not deter China from using atomic weapons in Taiwan conflict …

ANI News

An unclassified war game conducted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Menaced by foreign foes, facing mutiny at home: how long before Iran goes nuclear?

The Guardian

There are more opportunities.” Such public threats may be bluff – but Khamenei cannot be sure. Does he regard nuclear weapons as the best, last .

1 000 and 4 000 days of nuclear sabre-rattling – EUvsDisinfo

EUvsDisinfo

… nuclear safety, all to vilify Ukraine and issue thinly veiled threats … war over Ukraine or false accusations that Ukraine stores weapons in nuclear …

North Korea plays into Putin’s hands as Europe nears nuclear war – MSN

MSN

… nuclear war. “The United States and the West should not dismiss or … New nuclear threats from Putin. Recently, Russian leader Vladimir Putin .

LLAW’s All Things Nuclear #835, Friday, (12/20/2024)

NUCLEAR INSANITY & THE LAST DAYS OF HUMAN DEPRAVITY . . . ~ LLAW

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Dec 20, 2024

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LLAW’s NUCLEAR WORLD NEWS TODAY AND THE RISKS & CONSEQUENCES OF TOMORROW

As you read the following article by By Janice Stein from “The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists”, keep in mind that a so-called ‘Tactical Nuclear Weapon’ as discussed concerning this incredibly dangerous issue may be as powerful and cause as much or more deaths and destruction as the USA bombing of Japan that ended WWII at a huge cost, including perhaps a quarter of a million innocent Japanese citizens who had nothing to do with that war.

It seems to be fairly obvious that Putin’s idea to defeat Ukraine and re-occupy the country is something similar, with a copy-cat approach, to that first and last time an atomic bomb has ever been used in war. But, as this article points out quite clearly, nuking Ukraine could easily backfire on Russia for several reasons, including nuclear fallout risk to Russia itself.

The whole idea of using nuclear weapons and a preventive or protective system called ‘deterrence’ is sadly an indication that our average human intelligence quotient (in general) is like constantly building better mouse traps, but refusing to provide the cheese. We are irresponsibly bankrupting the world with the costs of nuclear deterrence while acting out with our world leaders’ childish behavior tantamount to segregated groups of school kids trying to control who runs the playground.

There is only one way to a happy ending, and that is a to unite as a cooperative communal species that has always, ignorantly and erroneously, defied our laughable concept of humanitarianism in wealth, politics, family, and ethnicity with insane self-conceived racial discrimination and superiority with never-ending battles and wars all around the world collectively. This war, if it happens, will be the last one . . . ~llaw

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How impossible is the risk of nuclear escalation in Ukraine?

By Janice Stein | December 20, 2024

Ukraine started using the older, shorter-ranged US-supplied ballistic missiles, known as the Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, in October 2023. The Biden administration has now allowed Ukraine to use long-range ATACMS to help defend its forces in the Kursk region of Russia. (Credit: US Government / John Hamilton, via DVIDS)

In the bizarre interregnum since the US presidential elections, world leaders have been calling President-elect Donald Trump in Florida before his inauguration on January 20. Some of them worry that the ongoing war between an increasingly desperate Ukraine that kills a Russian general in Moscow as it did this week and an emboldened Russia could spin out of control through miscalculation. The darkest scenario is one that culminates in escalation when Russia detonates a nuclear weapon. How likely is such a scenario in the few weeks left before inauguration day?

The likelihood of nuclear escalation cannot be estimated. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States in 1945 are the only cases of the use of nuclear weapons. That strategy was deliberate, not a product of miscalculation, and can best be described as “escalate to de-escalate.” There is no case of nuclear escalation through miscalculation from conventional war to nuclear fighting. No estimate of likelihood has any validity unless there are a large enough number of cases to generate a probability distribution. Nuclear escalation occurs in a world of what Oxford University’s John Kay calls “radical uncertainty” in which historical information provides no reliable guidance.

One way to think about nuclear escalation in the context of Russia’s current war against Ukraine is to build scenarios in which Russia uses a nuclear weapon and then trace a logically compelling pathway back to the present. It then becomes possible to ask what conditions could enable such a pathway to escalation.

Tactical nuclear weapon. In one scenario that has been discussed, Russia explodes a tactical nuclear weapon to force Ukraine to end the fighting and agree to cede Crimea and the four Ukrainian provinces that Russia is currently occupying and claiming as its own. Under what conditions is it possible that Russia might adopt such a strategy? Detonating a single tactical nuclear weapon would provide very limited battlefield advantage to Russian forces, and there is some risk that the radioactive fallout could blow back and inflict harm on nearby Russian troops.

A graphic reads, "Test your global insight from nuclear risks to AI breakthroughs. Take our 10-minute quiz." A globe with connecting points spanning across it appears in the lower right-hand corner. Behind the globe are sprawling lines connected by circles, symbolizing connection and technology.

Nor would the damage from a single tactical nuclear weapon be grave enough to so demoralize the Ukrainian public that it would buckle under the pressure. If anything, the use of a tactical nuclear weapon would likely radicalize Ukrainians who have been reluctantly moving toward grudging acceptance of a ceasefire.

Were Russia to use a tactical nuclear weapon, such a strategy might backfire. The Ukrainian public might well rally around the flag, unite behind its leader, and stiffen its resistance to ceasefire proposals that are increasingly the subject of discussion inside Ukraine.

Finally, the detonation of a single tactical nuclear weapon—however small its payload—would break the “nuclear taboo” that has held for almost eight decades. In October 2022, encouraged by the United States, Russia’s key partners—China and India—signaled their strong opposition to the use of any nuclear weapon under any circumstances. Now isolated from the West, Russian President Vladimir Putin would not want to alienate his fellow leaders of the nine BRICS countries, which include China, India, and Iran.

There is, therefore, no compelling logic that supports the use of even a single tactical nuclear weapon. What conditions could change that logic?

Russia could face a situation where its forces are being pushed back and out of Ukraine. Putin faced a version of that scenario in the autumn of 2022 when Ukraine’s armed forces were pushing the Russian army back. It was then that the CIA issued the estimate that there was a 50 percent chance that Russia would use a nuclear weapon.

After Ukrainian troops broke through and pushed Russian forces back from Kharkiv in the northeast and Kherson in the south, US intelligence overheard a conversation among senior Russian military commanders about when and how Moscow might use a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine. Putin was reportedly not part of these conversations. That intelligence was circulated inside the US government in mid-October. In addition, there are unconfirmed reports that Russia moved some tactical weapons out of storage and loosened operational controls that would make the use of a tactical nuclear weapon easier. It was these two developments that pushed up the US intelligence estimate that Russia might use a nuclear weapon.

RELATED:

Interview: Rose Gottemoeller on the precarious future of arms control

Around the same time, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, in one of his calls with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, accused Ukraine of planning to use a “dirty bomb.” Concern among Western officials grew that Putin was preparing a false flag operation. Only a long phone call between Gen. Mark Milley, then chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Russian Gen. Valery Gerasimov, reduced the tensions. The most senior military officer from each country discussed Russia’s doctrine governing the use of nuclear weapons and reassured one another. This episode tells us that even when Russian forces were retreating in Ukraine, Putin did not break the nuclear taboo.

Russia has since significantly lowered the threshold of when it would use nuclear weapons. In November 2024, Putin signed a decree amending Russia’s nuclear doctrine in two important ways. The doctrine now declares that Russia has the right to use nuclear weapons against a non-nuclear state that attacks Russia or its allies and is supported by a nuclear power. In addition, Russia’s nuclear doctrine released in 2020 declared that Russia would use nuclear weapons in response to a conventional attack when the very existence of the state is in jeopardy. The new amendment lowers that threshold to a conventional attack that is a critical threat to Russia’s sovereignty or territory.

Putin also railed against the Biden administration’s decision in November to allow Ukraine to use US-supplied longer-range Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, against military installations inside Russia and warned that this decision was tantamount to NATO declaring war on Russia. Moscow then launched the Oreshnik, an intermediate-range ballistic missile equipped with multiple warheads, against Ukraine. The missile can carry nuclear warheads. Despite the bellicose rhetoric and the new missile launch, Russia has not loosened operational controls on any tactical nuclear weapons nor moved any of these weapons out of storage. Instead, Gerasimov again reassured the current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., in a phone call that the missile launch was planned long before the announcement about the ATACMS.

The difference between now and the fall of 2022, of course, is that Russian troops are on the offensive on the battlefield and Ukrainian forces are struggling to contain Russian advances. Political and military leaders are far more likely to take risks when they fear losses than when they are making gains.

Miscalculation. What about a scenario in which Putin uses a nuclear weapon because of a technical miscalculation? Experts have long warned that miscalculation could occur if nuclear and conventional forces and their command-and-control structures are integrated. As nuclear weapons are modernized and, in some cases, become smaller, integration is becoming more frequent. However, all these scenarios deal with conventional wars between large nuclear powers that escalate to a nuclear confrontation. In Ukraine, Russia is not at war with another nuclear power. It is difficult to see how these scenarios of escalation through technical miscalculation would be relevant.

Political miscalculation, another type, can occur when a leader miscalculates the consequences of the use of a nuclear weapon to demonstrate resolve. Could Putin make this kind of miscalculation in the weeks before or shortly after President Trump is inaugurated? A scenario might go something like this.

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Eastern Europe’s purchase of US nuclear reactors is primarily about military ties, not climate change

Conflicts tend to intensify as the parties anticipate negotiation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, deeply alarmed by the prospect of an imposed ceasefire, tries a “Hail Mary pass” to break the stalemate on the battlefield. To do so, he decides to use almost all his drone and missile forces in a coordinated attack on the front and behind the lines in Russia. Inevitably, some of the missiles get through, causing Russian forces to retreat, even temporarily, and significant casualties among Russian civilians. Ukrainian intelligence services also assassinate two or three other key Russian generals far behind the lines to show their long reach, as they did when they brazenly killed Gen. Igor Kirilov in Moscow this week. The Russian public is furious and military bloggers stoke the fury, calling for a fierce response. An outraged Putin then gives the order to detonate a tactical nuclear weapon.

How compelling is the path toward that scenario?

It is not impossible that a desperate Zelensky could try to reverse his losing hand. Trump and his team are floating a “peace plan” that is deeply alarming to Zelensky and appears to be very favorable to Russia. It is hard to imagine that Putin would sacrifice that very large potential gain—and possibly more—in exchange for no gain on the battlefield, universal opprobrium from friends and foes alike, and the poisoning of his relationship with the new US president. Putin would have to be so outraged and so emotionally dysregulated that he would lose all self-control. The evidence we have of Putin as an ice-cold and ruthless decision-maker does not fit that profile. This scenario also ignores the multiple conventional options that Putin still has in his arsenal that could inflict far greater punishment on Ukraine.

Context matters. If nuclear escalation through technical or political miscalculation is not a grave concern in the transition period between the Biden and Trump administrations, another pattern is concerning.

From the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Putin has hinted that the use of a nuclear weapon is a live option. Before launching his full-scale invasion in February 2022, he ordered an unknown level of alert that proved to be no more than increased staffing of strategic command centers and issued veiled nuclear threats if NATO were to intervene. A few months later, Putin loosened operational controls on tactical nuclear weapons and two years later lowered the threshold of nuclear use. Even though Putin never appeared to approach a decision to use a nuclear weapon, he manipulated the threat to use nuclear weapons to deter NATO from supplying weapons to Ukraine.

This strategy failed again and again. The United States and its Western allies supplied Ukraine with increasingly more sophisticated equipment over time despite the “nuclear noise.” They judged Putin’s intentions not by what he said but by the larger context in which he was making his thinly veiled threats designed to coerce. They took him seriously only once when Russian forces were in retreat.

Context always matters, even when the threats are nuclear. Putin now has the unenviable reputation of someone who bluffs. This reputation can only encourage NATO to continue to call his bluff in the future. But one day Putin may not be bluffing. If leaders do not pay attention to context, they may well miss the “signal” that, this time, Russia is serious about using a nuclear weapon to coerce an adversary.


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ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’a ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:

(Please note that the Sunday and Saturday NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS are also added below by category, following Monday’s news posts in order to maintain continuity of nuclear news as well as for research for the overall information provided in “LLAW;s All Things Nuclear”.)

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

  1. All Things Nuclear
  2. Nuclear Power
  3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
  4. Nuclear War
  5. Nuclear War Threats
  6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are three Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in today’s Post.)
  7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’s NUCLEAR WORLD’s NEWS, Friday, (12/20/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

GOP seeks ‘maximum pressure’ on Iran with nuclear clock ticking – The Hill

The Hill

Self said he would consider backing strikes on Iranian nuclear sites “depending on what we learn about the nuclear program.” … “These are all things …

NSA Sullivan: ‘positive outcome’ on Mideast ceasefire is possible before year’s end – NPR

NPR

And so that is something that we, Israel, our Arab partners and the incoming Trump administration are all going to have to think carefully about in …

NSA Sullivan: ‘positive outcome’ on Mideast ceasefire is possible before year’s end – SDPB

SDPB

… nuclear weapon? We’ve heard from voices … Mary Louise Kelly is a co-host of All Things Considered, NPR’s award-winning afternoon newsmagazine.

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Is nuclear power ‘green energy?’ – Ohio Capital Journal

Ohio Capital Journal

Last week, the Ohio General Assembly sent a bill to Gov. Mike DeWine designating nuclear power as “green energy.” This is not particularly …

Flag as irrelevant

Students take nuclear strategy ideas to the White House | Stanford Report

Stanford Report – Stanford University

Four engineering students developed proposals for supporting America’s transition to nuclear energy and presented them to the National Security …

Economics of nuclear energy is ‘very challenging’ – YouTube

YouTube

Program Director Tony Wood says the economics of nuclear energy is “very challenging”. “I don’t have a problem fundamentally with nuclear power …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Watts Bar Nuclear Plant earns perfect score on its emergency preparedness evaluation

YouTube

The Tennessee Valley Authority said that the rating shows how much they prioritize safety at the plant.

How Watts Bar Nuclear Plant works to keep people safe – WATE

WATE

6 News was given an inside look at the training and preparation that goes into responding to emergencies at Watts Bar Nuclear Plant.

DoE Using AI for Emergency Response, Nukes Assessment, Official Says – MeriTalk

MeriTalk

… emergencies to planning energy investments and determining the risks of nuclear weapons, the department’s new principal deputy chief information …

Nuclear War

NEWS

How impossible is the risk of nuclear escalation in Ukraine?

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

In one scenario that has been discussed, Russia explodes a tactical nuclear weapon to force Ukraine to end the fighting and agree to cede Crimea and …

Putin claims Russia is not engaged in nuclear saber-rattling – VOA News

VOA News

Speaking at the Russian defense ministry’s meeting, Putin assessed Russia’s conduct in the Ukraine war and shared insights on the nation’s nuclear …

Russia suffers ‘record daily losses’ since war began; Kremlin addresses Putin’s ‘missile duel …

Sky News

A citizen from Uzbekistan has been detained over the killing of Russian nuclear forces general Igor Kirillov, Moscow’s intelligence agency has said.

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Putin claims Russia is not engaged in nuclear saber-rattling – VOA News

VOA News

In September, he threatened to “of course, use” nuclear weapons, in response to a “nuclear blackmailing” and threats to Russia’s “territorial …

What happens if a nuclear bomb drops on Knoxville? Simulator shows deaths and blast range

Knoxville News Sentinel

… attack on the U.S.. In a sense, U.S. nuclear weapons exist not to be used. And while nuclear threats seem to happen only far away, like on the …

Putin’s statements on nuclear threats are groundless – Head of NATO Representation Turner

Цензор.НЕТ

NATO closely monitors possible nuclear threats from Russia but does not record significant changes in its nuclear policy. … War in Syria

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

7 Most Underrated Yellowstone Lookalikes In America – TheTravel

TheTravel

… supervolcano” eruption), the Yellowstone Caldera may be the most famous volcano in the United States. However, it’s far from the only one, and …

Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano shows more signs of elevated unrest – AOL.com

AOL.com

“Here’s an update on the now-exploding supervolcano in Yellowstone National Park,” the man says. “Scientists for millions of years have hoped that …

Tucker nails it again. Everyone who ruined the country has moved to Jackson, Wyoming.

TexAgs

When you drive into the park, you are entering the thing. Most know Yellowstone is a volcano, but what they may hear less is if you look at Crater …

IAEA Weekly News

20 December 2024

Read the top news and updates published on IAEA.org this week.

https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_165x110/public/cancer-mobile-units-eswatini-1140x640.jpg?itok=b3Zruke-

20 December 2024

Eswatini Finalizes Funding Framework for its First Public Radiotherapy Centre

Eswatini is taking tangible steps to prepare for its first public radiotherapy centre to enable cancer patients to be treated in-country, according to a team of international experts. Read more →

https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_165x110/public/the_iaea_in_2024_16by9.jpg?itok=Rx7V-SZi

19 December 2024

VIDEO: The IAEA’s Achievements in 2024

2024 has been a year of delivery and innovation. From Antarctica to Ukraine, from cancer care to tackling the world’s growing hunger, the IAEA successfully continued its mission to bring the benefits of the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology to the world. Read more →

https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_165x110/public/lisastevenshasbeenwiththeiaeaforsixyears.png?itok=21fLqbqn

18 December 2024

IAEA Profile: Be Open to Possibilities – Lisa Stevens

“I want every country to have a cancer plan and more people to know about the cancer work that the IAEA does,” says Lisa Stevens reflecting on her work at the IAEA. Read more →

https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_165x110/public/newpublicationonsecurityofnuclearandotherradioactivematerialintransport.png?itok=PG_ytIvV

17 December 2024

New IAEA Publication on the Security of Nuclear and Other Radioactive Material in Transport

A new IAEA publication on the security of nuclear and other radioactive material in transport has been released. Read more →

https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_165x110/public/nuclear_security_in_romania.jpg?itok=J9GQl6BQ

16 December 2024

How the IAEA Advises Countries on the Protection of Nuclear Sites

Keeping nuclear facilities secure from internal or external threats is of paramount importance. Read more →

LLAW’s All Things Nuclear #834, Thursday, (12/19/2024)

NUCLEAR INSANITY & THE LAST DAYS OF HUMAN DEPRAVITY . . . ~ LLAW

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Dec 19, 2024

Share

A bedroom is shown inside an underground shelter in an undisclosed Southern California city, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024.

Photo of an Underground Bunker Bedroom (from the AP/NPR article)

LLAW’s NUCLEAR WORLD NEWS TODAY AND THE RISKS & CONSEQUENCES OF TOMORROW

From what is already known about a future nuclear war, it seems a bit silly to buy an underground bunker for several reasons that I will leave to the article and your own information and imagination. If you have followed this blog for awhile you should already know from all kinds of multiple sources and articles that, as this story indicates, is a waste of future comfort, time, and money.

Living underground or in caverns seems like survival for no other reason than to go on living might, in time, make you wish you had died when everybody else most likely did. You would likely never see the son again, nor walk on the planet’s surface again, so why would life in a bunker, even if it extended your life, seems so futile that, if we think about such way of living, would be something to avoid rather than seek . . . ~llaw

NPR Logo and symbol, meaning, history, PNG, brand

Nuclear bunker sales increase, despite warnings they won’t provide protection

December 18, 20241:14 AM ET

By

The Associated Press

The owner, who asked not to be identified because of concerns about his privacy, turns on the lights in his underground shelter in an undisclosed Southern California city, on Dec. 16.

The owner, who asked not to be identified because of concerns about his privacy, turns on the lights in his underground shelter in an undisclosed Southern California city, on Dec. 16.

Jae C. Hong/AP

When Bernard Jones Jr. and his wife, Doris, built their dream home, they didn’t hold back. A grotto swimming pool with a waterfall for hot summer days. A home theater for cozy winter nights. A fruit orchard to harvest in fall. And a vast underground bunker in case disaster strikes.

“The world’s not becoming a safer place,” he said. “We wanted to be prepared.”

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‘Civil War’ is a doomsday thought experiment — that could have used more thinking

Under a nondescript metal hatch near the private basketball court, there’s a hidden staircase that leads down into rooms with beds for about 25 people, bathrooms and two kitchens, all backed by a self-sufficient energy source.

With water, electricity, clean air and food, they felt ready for any disaster, even a nuclear blast, at their bucolic home in California’s Inland Empire.

“If there was a nuclear strike, would you rather go into the living room or go into a bunker? If you had one, you’d go there too,” said Jones, who said he reluctantly sold the home two years ago.

Global security leaders are warning nuclear threats are growing as weapons spending surged to $91.4 billion last year. At the same time, private bunker sales are on the rise globally, from small metal boxes to crawl inside of to extravagant underground mansions.

Critics warn these bunkers create a false perception that a nuclear war is survivable. They argue that people planning to live through an atomic blast aren’t focusing on the real and current dangers posed by nuclear threats, and the critical need to stop the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

The owner, who asked not to be identified because of privacy concerns, walks out of his underground shelter in an undisclosed Southern California city, on Dec. 16, 2024.

The owner, who asked not to be identified because of privacy concerns, walks out of his underground shelter in an undisclosed Southern California city, on Dec. 16, 2024.

Jae C. Hong/AP

Meanwhile, government disaster experts say bunkers aren’t necessary. A Federal Emergency Management Agency 100-page guide on responding to a nuclear detonation focuses on having the public get inside and stay inside, ideally in a basement and away from outside walls for at least a day. Those existing spaces can provide protection from radioactive fallout, says FEMA.

But increasingly, buyers say bunkers offer a sense of security. The market for U.S. bomb and fallout shelters is forecast to grow from $137 million last year to $175 million by 2030, according to a market research report from BlueWeave Consulting. The report says major growth factors include “the rising threat of nuclear or terrorist attacks or civil unrest.”

Building bunkers

“People are uneasy and they want a safe place to put their family. And they have this attitude that it’s better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it,” said Atlas Survival Shelters CEO Ron Hubbard, amid showers of sparks and the loud buzz of welding at his bunker factory, which he says is the world’s largest, in Sulphur Springs, Texas.

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‘Doomsday Clock’ signals existential threats of nuclear war, climate disasters and AI

Hubbard said COVID lockdowns, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war have driven sales.

On Nov. 21, in the hours after Russia’s first-ever use of an experimental, hypersonic ballistic missile to attack Ukraine, Hubbard said his phone rang nonstop.

Four callers ended up buying bunkers in one day, he said, and more ended up ordering doors and other parts for shelters they were already building.

Hubbard said his bunkers are built for all disasters.

“They’re good for anything from a tornado to a hurricane to nuclear fallout, to a pandemic to even a volcano erupting,” he said, sweeping his arms toward a massive warehouse where more than 50 different bunkers were under construction.

A loaded shotgun at arm’s length and metal mesh window shields to block Molotov cocktails nearby, Hubbard said he started his company after building his own bunker about 10 years ago. He says callers ask about prices — $20,000 to multimillions, averaging $500,000 — and installations — they can go just about anywhere. He said most days he sells at least one bunker.

The owner, who asked not to be identified because of concerns about his privacy, closes the heavy metal door of his underground shelter in an undisclosed Southern California city, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024.

The owner, who asked not to be identified because of concerns about his privacy, closes the heavy metal door of his underground shelter in an undisclosed Southern California city, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024.

Jae C. Hong/AP

Under Hubbard’s doomsday scenario, global tensions could lead to World War III, a situation he is prepared to live through.

“The good news about nuclear warfare,” he said, “if there ever was any, that it’s very survivable if you’re not killed in the initial blast.”

He’s not wrong, say U.S. government disaster preparedness experts.

“You want to go to your most robust building”

“Look, this fallout exposure is entirely preventable because it is something that happens after the detonation,” said Brooke Buddemeier a radiation safety specialist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where the U.S. government designs nuclear weapons. Buddemeier and his colleagues are tasked with evaluating what could happen after an attack and how best to survive. “There’s going to be a fairly obvious nuclear explosion event, a large cloud. So just getting inside, away from where those particles fall, can keep you and your family safe.”

Buddemeier and others in the U.S. government are trying to get Americans — who decades ago hid under desks during nuclear attack drills — educated about how to respond.

After a deadly and deafening blast, a bright flash and a mushroom cloud, it will take about 15 minutes for the radioactive fallout to arrive for those a mile or more away from ground zero, said Michael Dillon, a scientist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

“It’s going to literally be sand falling on your head, and you’re going to want to get out of that situation. You want to go to your most robust building,” he said. In their models, they estimate people may need to stay inside for a day or two before evacuating.

The government’s efforts to educate the public were reinvigorated after a false alarm missile alert in Hawaii in 2018 caused widespread panic.

The emergency alert, which was sent to cellphones statewide just before 8:10 a.m., said: “BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.”

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The Doomsday Clock moves to 90 seconds to midnight, signaling more peril than ever

For the next 40 minutes there were traffic jams, workers running into and out of buildings, families huddling in their bathrooms, students gathering in gyms, drivers blocking tunnels, all in an attempt to seek shelter, without any clear idea of what “seek immediate shelter” actually meant.

Today the federal government offers a guide to prepare citizens for a nuclear attack that advises people to find a basement or the center of a large building and stay there, possibly for a few days, until they get word about where to go next.

“Gently brush your pet’s coat to remove any fallout particles” it says, adding that the 15-minute delay between bomb and fallout allows “enough time for you to be able to prevent significant radiation exposure.”

Jeffrey Schlegelmilch, who directs the FEMA-backed National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University, said “the scenarios of a nuclear detonation are not all or nothing.”

If a small number of weapons detonate rather than all-out war, he said, sheltering inside a large building to avoid the fallout could save lives.

“Underground bunkers aren’t going to protect people”

Nonproliferation advocates bristle at the bunkers, shelters or any suggestion that a nuclear war is survivable.

“Bunkers are, in fact, not a tool to survive a nuclear war, but a tool to allow a population to psychologically endure the possibility of a nuclear war,” said Alicia Sanders-Zakre at the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.

Sanders-Zakre called radiation the “uniquely horrific aspect of nuclear weapons,” and noted that even surviving the fallout doesn’t prevent long-lasting, intergenerational health crises. “Ultimately, the only solution to protect populations from nuclear war is to eliminate nuclear weapons.”

A bedroom is shown inside an underground shelter in an undisclosed Southern California city, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024.

A bedroom is shown inside an underground shelter in an undisclosed Southern California city, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024.

Jae C. Hong/AP

Researcher Sam Lair at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies says U.S. leaders stopped talking about bunkers decades ago.

“The political costs incurred by causing people to think about shelters again is not worth it to leaders because it forces people to think about what they would do after nuclear war,” he said. “That’s something that very, very few people want to think about. This makes people feel vulnerable.”

Lair said building bunkers seems futile, even if they work in the short term.

“Even if a nuclear exchange is perhaps more survivable than many people think, I think the aftermath will be uglier than many people think as well,” he said. “The fundamental wrenching that it would do to our way of life would be profound.”

That’s been a serious concern of Massachusetts Congressman James McGovern for almost 50 years.

“If we ever get to a point where there’s all out nuclear war, underground bunkers aren’t going to protect people,” he said. “Instead, we ought to be investing our resources and our energy trying to talk about a nuclear weapons freeze, initially.”

Next, he said, “we should work for the day when we get rid of all nuclear weapons.”

Year after year he introduces legislation pushing for nonproliferation, but looking out his office window at the Capitol, he said he’s disappointed by the lack of debate over what will be a $1 trillion expenditure to build and modernize the U.S. arsenal.

“The stakes, if a nuclear weapon is ever used, is that millions and millions and millions of people will die. It really is shocking that we have world leaders who talk casually about utilizing nuclear weapons. I mean, it would be catastrophic, not just for those that are involved in an exchange of nuclear weapons, but for the entire world.”

McGovern pushed back against FEMA’s efforts to prepare the public for a nuclear attack by advising people to take shelter.

“What a stupid thing to say that we all just need to know where to hide and where to avoid the most impacts of nuclear radiation. I mean, really, that’s chilling when you hear people try to rationalize nuclear war that way,” he said.

Nuclear war was far from a couple’s mind when they went house-hunting in Southern California a few years ago. They wanted a home to settle down and raise their family, and they needed extra garage space. They spotted an online ad for a home with at least eight parking spots. On the basketball court, there was a metal hatch. Beneath it was a bunker.

This was Jones’ former home, which Jones said he put up for sale for family reasons.

The husband, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of concerns about his family’s privacy, went ahead and bought Jones’ home, bunker and all. They aren’t particularly worried about nuclear war, and haven’t spent a night in the bunker, but they have stored food and medical supplies down there.

“We have told some of our friends, if something goes crazy and gets bad, get over here as fast as possible,” the husband said. “It does provide a sense of security.”


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(Please note that the Sunday and Saturday NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS are also added below by category, following Monday’s news posts in order to maintain continuity of nuclear news as well as for research for the overall information provided in “LLAW;s All Things Nuclear”.)

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

  1. All Things Nuclear
  2. Nuclear Power
  3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
  4. Nuclear War
  5. Nuclear War Threats
  6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are no Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in today’s Post.)
  7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’s NUCLEAR WORLD’s NEWS, Thursday, (12/19/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Nuclear bunker sales increase, despite warnings they won’t provide protection – WBHM

WBHM

… nuclear attack by advising people to take shelter. “What a stupid thing to say that we all just need to know where to hide and where to avoid the …

Switch inks massive deal to power data centers with small nuclear reactors

Crain’s Grand Rapids Business

… nuclear reactors that aim to play a growing role in the supply of … Keep up with all things West Michigan business. Sign up for our free …

Vermont Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel hears reports on nuclear waste …

WAMC

You know we’ve been talking about the one geologic repository that we need. But in fact even if Yucca was to open it probably couldn’t accommodate all …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

‘World’s first’ grid-scale nuclear fusion power plant announced in the US in another step for … – CNN

CNN

… nuclear fusion power plant, able to harness this futuristic clean power and generate electricity from it by the early 2030s.

Will the World’s First Nuclear Fusion Power Plant Be Built in Virginia? Here’s Why We’re Skeptical

Scientific American

The fusion power plant would go live in the next decade and produce 400 megawatts of electricity, says Commonwealth Fusion Systems.

How UT is Helping Make East Tennessee a Top Destination for Nuclear Energy

chancellor@utk.edu – University of Tennessee, Knoxville

UT Knoxville has one of the best nuclear engineering programs in the country and some of the world’s top experts in the field.

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

DAE holds emergency response drill at Kalpakkam – The Hindu

The Hindu

The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Kalpakkam Centre, conducted a ‘site emergency exercise’ on Wednesday as part of its emergency preparedness …

Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Ahn Deok-geun urged lawmakers to “parliamentary …

mk.co.kr

… plant orders grew due to the aftermath of Yoon Suk Yeol’s emergency martial law. … nuclear power plants.” The political crisis and the history of the …

Computational modeling of hydrogen behavior and thermo-pressure dynamics for safety …

ResearchGate

… nuclear power plant emergencies. We used advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to analyze hydrogen distribution, pressure …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Nuclear bunker sales increase, despite warnings they won’t provide protection – NPR

NPR

Critics warn argue that people planning to live through an atomic blast aren’t focusing on the real and current dangers posed by nuclear threats.

Report: Despite Corruption Problems, China Progresses Toward Modernization

Defense.gov

The Defense Department released the “Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China” report, which offers insight …

Blinken says Iran had bad year, but nuclear negotiations possible – Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera

‘Axis of resistance’. Israel has also emerged from a 14-month war with Hezbollah with seemingly the upper hand after a ceasefire agreement required …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Putin Reveals When Russia May Use Nuclear Weapons Under New Doctrine – Newsweek

Newsweek

“And if such countries pose a threat to us, we reserve the right to use our nuclear weapons against them. “We have announced that if the same threats …

Putin threatens nuclear strikes against countries posing threats to Russia’s sovereignty

The New Voice of Ukraine

The new nuclear doctrine aims to protect against new military risks that could threaten Russia’s sovereignty, said Putin. “We are talkingt …

Putin’s Big Hint Russia Can Use Nuclear Weapons If… – YouTube

YouTube

3:15 · Go to channel · Yemen Vs USA War: Houthis Vow Bloodbath In Red Sea Despite NATO Threats For Millions of Muslims. Oneindia News New 554 views

LLAW’s All Things Nuclear #833, Wednesday, (12/18/2024)

NUCLEAR INSANITY & THE LAST DAYS OF HUMAN DEPRAVITY . . . ~ LLAW

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Dec 18, 2024

1

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"It’s about a nuclear war": Zelenskyy admits whether Putin’s threats frighten Him

From the article: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy/ Associated Press Photo

LLAW’s NUCLEAR WORLD NEWS TODAY AND THE RISKS & CONSEQUENCES OF TOMORROW

From the following brief “TCM” article “Only fools are not afraid of weapons. Volodymyr Putin has lost his mind, as evidenced by his missile attacks. His threats should frighten the entire world. This is about nuclear war!” the Ukrainian President stressed.

So could it be that now we will soon have two world leaders consulting with each other who have “lost their minds”? Just wondering — ‘nuff said! ~llaw

ТСН

“It’s about a nuclear war”: Zelenskyy admits whether Putin’s threats frighten Him

Published at

18:16, 18.12.24

Reading time

2 min

"It’s about a nuclear war": Zelenskyy admits whether Putin’s threats frighten Him
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Photo: Associated Press

The President of Ukraine emphasizes that the threats made by the Russian dictator should alarm the entire world.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy states that only fools are not afraid when it comes to threats involving the use of nuclear weapons.

The Head of State made this remark during an interview with Le Parisien.

Zelenskyy was asked whether the threats by Russian president Volodymyr Putin to use nuclear weapons frighten him.

“Only fools are not afraid of weapons. Volodymyr Putin has lost his mind, as evidenced by his missile attacks. His threats should frighten the entire world. This is about nuclear war!” the Ukrainian President stressed.

According to him, the world is not responding strongly enough to Russia’s nuclear threats.

“All possible sanctions must be applied to prevent any leader – Putin or anyone else – from even considering such a thing. Unfortunately, we do not see a strong enough reaction against him,” Zelenskyy stated.

Read also:


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ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’a ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:

(Please note that the Sunday and Saturday NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS are also added below by category, following Monday’s news posts in order to maintain continuity of nuclear news as well as for research for the overall information provided in “LLAW;s All Things Nuclear”.)

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

  1. All Things Nuclear
  2. Nuclear Power
  3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
  4. Nuclear War
  5. Nuclear War Threats
  6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are three Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in today’s Post.)
  7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’s NUCLEAR WORLD’s NEWS, Wednesday, (12/18/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Nuclear bunker sales increase, despite expert warnings they aren’t going to provide protection

AP News

Building bunkers · Ron Hubbard, owner of Atlas Survival Shelters, handles a shotgun during an interview at his company’s office in Sulphur Springs, …

Explosion kills the head of Russia’s nuclear defense forces in Moscow – NPR

NPR

KYIV — A top Russian military leader accused of using banned chemical weapons against Ukrainian troops was assassinated in Moscow on Tuesday.

Takeaways from the AP’s reporting on nuclear bunkers

AP News

Global security leaders are warning nuclear threats are growing as weapons spending has surged to $91.4 billion last year.

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Oklo targets 12 gigawatts of new nuclear power in deal with data center operator – CNBC

CNBC

Rendering of a proposed Oklo commercial advanced fission power plant in the U.S.. Courtesy: Oklo Inc. Nuclear startup Oklo aims to deploy 12 ..

Arkansas Nuclear One, state’s only nuclear power plant, celebrates 50 years – YouTube

YouTube

Arkansas Nuclear One, state’s only nuclear power plant, celebrates 50 years. 37 views · 12 hours ago …more …

Governor Glenn Youngkin Announces World’s First Commercial Fusion Power Plant

Governor of Virginia – Virginia.gov

“Once made commercially viable, power generated by nuclear fusion will become indispensable to the ‘All-of-the-Above’ resources needed to provide …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Emergency response exercise conducted at Kalpakkam atomic plants | Chennai News

Times of India

The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) conducted a successful emergency preparedness exercise involving more than 9000 personnel.

TVA releases 2025 Browns Ferry emergency preparedness calendar | News | moultonadvertiser.com

The Moulton Advertiser

… emergency information calendar to all homes and businesses within a ten-mile radius of the 3.8-gigawatt nuclear power plant. “Inside the calendar …

Eerie Abandoned School: Japan’s Missing Kids Mystery! | Watch – MSN

MSN

… nuclear power plant’s emergency diesel generators, leading to a loss of electric power. The result was the most severe nuclear accident since the …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Head of Russia’s nuclear defense forces killed in Moscow blast, Ukraine says they did it

YouTube

Russia Ukraine War: Kyiv Behind Assassination of Russian General … Russia Nuclear Chief Killed By Ukraine | World At Nuclear War Brink? | …

Ukraine says they killed general leading Russia’s nuclear and chemical forces – YouTube

YouTube

… 21K views · 25:21 · Go to channel · Russia Nuclear Chief Killed By Ukraine | World At Nuclear War Brink? | NewsX. NewsX Live New 150 views · 23:17.

Opinion | Donald Trump Can Pull Us Back From the Nuclear Brink – The New York Times

The New York Times

The war in Gaza threatens to expand into a wider regional conflict; Israel already has nuclear weapons and Iran is moving closer to building a bomb, …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Nuclear bunker sales increase, despite warnings they won’t provide protection – NPR

NPR

Critics warn argue that people planning to live through an atomic blast aren’t focusing on the real and current dangers posed byear threats

“It’s about a nuclear war“: Zelenskyy admits whether Putin’s threats frighten Him – ТСН

ТСН

Volodymyr Putin has lost his mind, as evidenced by his missile attacks. His threats should frighten the entire world. This is about nuclear war!” the .

Peter Scoblic Joins NTI as Sam Nunn Distinguished Fellow – The Nuclear Threat Initiative

The Nuclear Threat Initiative

… nuclear threats,” said NTI Co-Chair and CEO Ernest J. Moniz. “Peter … NTI urges UN member states to support the proposed resolution on Nuclear War ..

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

Wildlife In Yellowstone National Park’s Thermal Basins

National Parks Traveler

Editor’s note: Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.

EXPLAINER: How wildlife interacts with geothermal activity – Buckrail

Buckrail

… Yellowstone National Park (YNP) wildlife interacts with thermal areas? This week’s Yellowstone Volcano Observatory’s (YVO) Caldera Chronicles …

Prehistoric rock in Japan reveals clues to major ocean anoxic event | ScienceDaily

ScienceDaily

“Magma comes out of a volcano in liquid form and then begins to cool,” Sageman said. … Yellowstone Caldera · Homo (genus). Story Source: Materials …

LLAW’s All Things Nuclear #832, Tuesday, (12/17/2024)

NUCLEAR INSANITY & THE LAST DAYS OF HUMAN DEPRAVITY . . . ~ LLAW

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Dec 17, 2024

Share

A missile launch control console with a key in it.

LLAW’s NUCLEAR WORLD NEWS TODAY AND THE RISKS & CONSEQUENCES OF TOMORROW

This is a “for the record” purpose, but I couldn’t resist posting this huge piece of journalism asking the critical question that everyone should be asking: “Should Trump have sole authority to order the launch of nuclear weapons in the advent of a nuclear war, which also means could he start a nuclear war. I cannot believe that it is even a question. It’s not “just” because it’s Trump, but also because no individual on planet Earth should have such singular authority.

With 530 incoming new US senators and representatives being asked by the ”New York Times” to answer such a question of individual congressman, you can scroll down to find the answers offered by your own and other new politicians. Although I don’t generally have much faith in politicians’ opinions in general, or for most anything, they are asked to act upon, here are the details, but as I say, it’s just for the record, so you may want to read the articles in a further opinion series referred to as “The Brink” — also linked here for your convenience . . . ~llaw

Opinion

Kathleen Kingsbury

Should the President Have Nuclear Sole Authority? We Asked 530 Incoming Congress Members.

Dec. 17, 2024, 5:03 a.m. ET

A missile launch control console with a key in it.
One of the keys that would be turned to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile on the president’s command.Credit…The New York Times
Kathleen Kingsbury

By Kathleen Kingsbury

Opinion Editor

“The trust and the temptation would be too great for any one man.”

James Madison, America’s fourth president, offered these words in 1793 to explain why he and his fellow founders issued the sole authority to declare war to Congress, under Article I of the Constitution. “In no part of the Constitution is more wisdom to be found than in the clause which confides the question of war or peace to the legislature, and not to the executive department,” he wrote.

Yet since their invention, nuclear warheads have sat outside that exclusive duty of Congress to declare war. The American president today has full power over the nation’s nuclear arsenal. He can launch a pre-emptive strike any time and at any target on his command alone. A life-altering retaliation and full-fledged nuclear war would be nearly inevitable. Every president has held this power since the days after Harry Truman ordered the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Times Opinion last month surveyed members of the incoming 119th Congress about how they felt about this constitutional contradiction.

We sent a short list of questions to all 530 voting members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives who are expected to serve in the new Congress seated in January. You can read our questions in full below. The main insight from the answers we received: If there is a widespread urgency or willingness in Congress to cooperate on bills that create safeguards around nuclear war, it was not apparent.

This article is part of the Opinion series At the Brink,
about the threat of nuclear weapons in an unstable world. Read the opening story here.

We asked whether they supported the president’s unilateral power to launch a pre-emptive nuclear strike and whether they agreed that the president should be able to respond to an incoming nuclear attack without congressional approval. We also asked them to rate how comfortable they were with Donald Trump, the president-elect, having this authority.

No Republican went on the record to say that presidents should be able to launch pre-emptive strikes without congressional approval. Representative Jefferson Van Drew of New Jersey was among the lawmakers against sole authority, but he was also the only member of the Republican Party to defend Mr. Trump’s having that unilateral power, saying he was “very comfortable” with it.

In the Senate, no Republican explicitly defended sole authority for Mr. Trump or any president.

Kirsten Gillibrand, Democrat of New York, was the only senator who said any president should have this unilateral say. In the House, the Democrats Seth Moulton of Massachusetts and Representative-elect Janelle Bynum of Oregon did. All three, however, said they were not at all comfortable with Mr. Trump’s having unilateral power over the nuclear arsenal.

We went into this exercise knowing we’d probably receive few responses. It was only a few weeks after the election, we were up against the Thanksgiving holiday, and it was not likely that many members had studied this issue in depth. We also knew it was a transition time for Congress, a moment when we might not even have the right press contacts in every office, though we made every effort to ensure we did.

We endeavored nonetheless because there have been legislative proposals that would prohibit any president from launching a nuclear first strike without congressional approval and in our new nuclear age, this could prove an important national security question.

Congress cannot control the tenor of diplomacy among nuclear nations, but protections its members can enact would send an essential signal to the world that the United States believes nuclear policy must be marked by restraint and care.

The Republicans who chose to respond did so either by deflecting or, in a few cases, by taking to social media with snark and evasive criticism.

“For four years, Joe Biden gave the American people every reason to question whether he was physically and mentally capable of being president. Yet The New York Times not once asked whether anyone was ‘comfortable’ with his control of the nuclear arsenal,” Senator Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, for example, replied. “The American people just delivered a mandate to President Trump entrusting him to keep our nation safe. That speaks for itself.”

Mr. Ricketts was incorrect about our coverage. My colleague W.J. Hennigan in March argued that the American public should be uncomfortable with sole authority — regardless of who is president — in a long essay. Our editorial board, which I oversee, was very clear last summer in our concern about President Biden’s physical and mental capacity to do his job if he was elected to a second term. But it is also notable that the senator and many of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle avoided a straightforward question about perhaps the most consequential power the president holds.

Of the dozens who did answer the survey, most were Democrats who acknowledged the growing specter of catastrophe as world leaders turn away from nuclear diplomacy and the American legal framework around sole authority remains stagnant. Many representatives and senators pointed to a need for strong guardrails and clear, nimble communication, no matter who is president. Representative Mark Takano of California expressed a fear of escalation in the absence of active arms control discussions: “I am concerned with the declining communication among the nuclear powers that could lead to a nuclear confrontation.”

Every Democrat who responded to the final question was very uncomfortable with Mr. Trump’s having unilateral power to launch nuclear strikes. Some were not confident in Congress’s ability to be an adequate check on him and felt a reassessment of our nuclear policy was overdue. “It is time for us to reconsider sole authority,” said Representative Dina Titus of Nevada. “History is rife with close calls.”

We allowed members extra time to answer when they requested it. We followed up several times from those we didn’t hear from. We will update these responses if any lawmaker would now like to reply. What follows are the questions we asked and all the answers we received. We asked for yes, no and rating responses, and invited members of Congress to explain their answers; some did. We are publishing everyone’s answers in full. We also list the members of Congress who chose not to respond.

Times Opinion Asked

a. Should any American president be able to launch a pre-emptive nuclear attack without congressional approval?

b. Should any American president be able to launch a nuclear attack without congressional approval in response to an enemy’s incoming nuclear missile attack?

c. Please give us an answer on a scale of 1 to 4: How comfortable are you with the fact that President Trump has this unilateral authority? 1. Very comfortable. 2. Somewhat comfortable. 3. Not too comfortable. 4. Not at all comfortable.

Congress Answered

Republicans who responded:

Senator Katie Britt, Republican of Alabama

President Trump achieved peace through strength his first term, and I’m confident he’ll do it again.

Senator Pete Ricketts, Republican of Nebraska

For four years, Joe Biden gave the American people every reason to question whether he was physically and mentally capable of being president. Yet The New York Times not once asked whether anyone was “comfortable” with his control of the nuclear arsenal. The American people just delivered a mandate to President Trump entrusting him to keep our nation safe. That speaks for itself.

Representative Jefferson Van Drew, Republican of New Jersey

a. A pre-emptive nuclear attack should require congressional approval.

b. Yes, any American president should be able to launch a nuclear attack without congressional approval in response to an enemy’s incoming nuclear missile attack.

c. I am very comfortable that President Trump has this unilateral authority.

Senator Marsha Blackburn, Republican of Tennessee, embedded Senator Mike Lee’s X post in her response.

.@BasedMikeLee completely agree with you.

“Bad-faith fearmongering about a Trump presidency won’t fly.”

Senator Mike Lee, Republican of Utah, posted on X.

Feel free to include this in your reporting: It isn’t 2017 anymore, @nytopinion. Bad-faith fearmongering about a Trump presidency won’t fly.

Mentally unfit Joe Biden commands our nukes NOW. He just authorized American missiles to kill people within Russia, a nuclear superpower.

On a scale of 1-4, how comfortable are you?

Democrats who responded:

Senator Chris Coons, Democrat of Delaware

a. No. There should be statutory limits restricting first-use nuclear strikes.

b. Yes. If the United States ever faces an imminent nuclear attack, time will be of the essence in determining a response. While I’m inclined to provide as much congressional oversight as possible over the use of our nuclear arsenal, it’s not realistic to expect any president to wait for congressional approval in this scenario.

c. Not at all comfortable

Senator Tammy Duckworth, Democrat of Illinois

a. The question of should a commander in chief be able to launch a pre-emptive nuclear attack without congressional approval requires context on the unique facts and circumstances of the situation, including how one defines “pre-emptive” — for example, if an adversary has begun the process of preparing to launch a nuclear weapon, would the United States have to wait until the ballistic missile is in the air or hits its target to enter a period where military action would not be considered “pre-emptive”? This question is extremely important and extremely complicated — and one-word answers fail to reflect that reality.

b. The president’s Article II commander in chief authority authorizes such action — and that constitutional authority does not vary depending on the specific eligible individual the American people duly elect to serve as president.

c. Extremely uncomfortable.

Senator Chris Van Hollen, Democrat of Maryland

a. No. A president should be required to get congressional approval before initiating the first use of nuclear weapons.

b. Yes. Deterrence requires that the president should be able use nuclear weapons in response to a verified nuclear attack against the homeland of the United States.

c. Not at all comfortable. I am not at all comfortable giving any president the unilateral authority to start a nuclear war.

Senator Edward J. Markey, Democrat of Massachusetts

a. No. The Constitution grants Congress the sole power to declare war. A first-use nuclear strike would be an act of war and, without congressional approval, would be unconstitutional. Such a strike would be immoral, disproportionate and something our Constitution makes clear no single person should be able to do alone. A no-first-use policy should be the law of the land. Since 2015, Representative Ted Lieu and I have introduced the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act because no American president — or single individual — should have the power to launch a first-use nuclear first strike without explicit congressional approval. Nuclear weapons are an existential threat to humankind, no matter what administration is in the White House.

b. No. It is vital that any U.S. president has clear authority to respond to nuclear attacks on the United States, our forces or our allies. But no president should have the power to launch a nuclear strike on the basis of an attack warning without explicit congressional approval. As we know from past experience, such warnings can be false alarms. Launching nuclear weapons in response to a false alarm would invite a nuclear retaliation against the United States, essentially starting WWIII. The president’s ability to be able to launch a nuclear first strike without congressional approval is the most egregious example of why Congress must wrestle this power from the executive branch. The president has the power to launch a nuclear first strike even if there is no attack on the United States or our allies, an act that can only be construed as tantamount to declaring war. This is unconstitutional, undemocratic and simply unbelievable. In today’s digital age, we need to ensure only humans have the power to command, control and launch nuclear weapons and safeguard the process from any future change in policy where A.I. could lead us to accidental global nuclear war by passing my Autonomous Artificial Intelligence Act.

c. Not at all comfortable. Scared to death. I do not trust Donald Trump with nuclear weapons. He has a record of welcoming a 21st-century nuclear arms race with Russia, while simultaneously tearing down the global arms control regime that has brought stability, transparency and security to the world for decades. He believes that escalation and bullying are acceptable political tactics, and he is known to act impulsively and without consultation with other key decision makers. For example, Donald Trump has said: “[The U.S.] must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability.” “Let it be an arms race. We will outmatch them at every pass and outlast them all.” And tweeted: “I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!” President Biden must put guardrails on presidential authority to start nuclear war now before Trump takes office. Using a nuclear weapon first is an act that can only be seen as a declaration of war, and there is no going back once it is launched. The Constitution gives Congress the authority to declare war, not the president. In about as long as it takes him to launch a tweet, President Trump could order America’s armed forces to launch a nuclear first strike. We must never again allow Donald Trump to have his finger near the nuclear button.

Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat of Massachusetts

a. No

b. No

c. Not at all comfortable

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Democrat of New York

a. Yes

b. Yes

c. Not at all comfortable.

Additional response: I have always been deeply concerned with President Trump’s temperament and judgment, particularly as it relates to national security and potential military conflict. However, the president’s authority to order a nuclear attack is important to U.S. national defense policy and to maintaining the doctrine of mutually assured destruction. While paradoxical, in order to prevent nuclear war, it is vital that our adversaries, as well as our allies, know that the U.S. is ready and able to swiftly deploy nuclear weapons. Furthermore, while I understand and share concerns about President Trump possessing this authority, there are significant procedural checks in place to ensure that the president cannot launch an illegal nuclear attack. As a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I have trust in the integrity and professionalism of our military leaders, and I do not believe they would be complicit in carrying out an illegal nuclear strike.

Senator Jeff Merkley, Democrat of Oregon

a. No. I am a co-sponsor of the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act, which would prevent any American president from launching a nuclear strike first without congressional approval.

b. No. While there is a necessity to respond quickly to an incoming nuclear attack, given the irreversible, devastating impact of such a strike, I firmly believe unilateral presidential authority to launch a nuclear attack must be governed by congressional oversight. Considering that several nuclear exchanges were almost initiated due to technological errors and falsely perceived attacks during the Cold War, it is imperative that our nuclear weapons are not used pre-emptively in response to a perceived attack.

c. Not at all comfortable. I am not comfortable with any president having the unilateral authority to launch a nuclear attack, and as co-chair of the Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group, I’ll keep pushing for a legislative solution to address this issue once and for all.

Senator Peter Welch, Democrat of Vermont

a. No. No individual should be empowered to make such an apocalyptic decision. The United States should adopt a policy of no first use of nuclear weapons.

b. Yes. If there is insufficient time to consult with Congress and an immediate response is necessary to deter the enemy from launching additional nuclear missiles.

c. Not at all comfortable

Senator Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia

a. No. I have long emphasized that Congress needs to reclaim its sole power to declare war, as laid out in the Constitution, by weighing in on crucial matters of war and peace. That includes authorizing the use of military force.

b. Yes. Article II of the Constitution provides the president with the authority to take self-defensive military action.

c. Not at all comfortable

Representative Ami Bera, Democrat of California

a. No. The American president should not be able to launch a pre-emptive nuclear attack without congressional authority.

b. Yes. Provided that the president notifies Congress of this decision and provides proof of the incoming attack to Congress within a reasonable time frame.

c. Not at all comfortable. The United States is the only known nuclear power that has vested this authority in a single person. I believe Congress should explore spreading this authority to ensure consensus is achieved before President Trump or any other president can launch a nuclear strike.

Representative Judy Chu, Democrat of California

a. No. I proudly co-sponsor legislation that would restrict first use of nuclear weapons by the United States because we have an obligation as the global nuclear superpower to promote these weapons as ones of extreme last resort. Congress has the sole authority to declare war, and the decision to commence a nuclear first strike must not be in the hands of one individual, even the president.

b. Yes. Because the president is the commander in chief and Congress has established that the president can respond to a direct attack on our country. However, President-elect Trump is an unstable, impulsive person, so I feel extremely uncomfortable with him having this tremendous responsibility while being unconstrained by Congress or other federal officials.

c. Not at all comfortable

Representative Sara Jacobs, Democrat of California

a. No

b. No. Unless the attack is confirmed, verified and not only incoming but imminent. There have been too many close calls and false alarms that warrant being judicious before launching a nuclear attack.

c. Not at all comfortable

Representative Ro Khanna, Democrat of California

a. Article I of the Constitution gives Congress the sole authority to declare war. No matter who is in the White House, the president must seek authorization from Congress before launching a pre-emptive nuclear attack. We are inching closer to a nuclear catastrophe and must reduce the risk of nuclear war by re-entering arms control agreements and ensuring diplomacy and statesmanship prevails.

b. The War Powers Resolution gives the president the authority to bypass Congress only in a national emergency when an attack is imminent.

c. Not at all comfortable

Representative Mike Levin, Democrat of California

a. No. A nuclear attack would constitute an act of war, and I believe the president has a constitutional responsibility to seek congressional approval.

b. Yes. I believe it’s in the interest of our national security for the president to have the ability to retaliate against an attack on the United States.

c. Not at all comfortable. Trump proved that he is driven by his worst impulses. For example, in his first term, Trump taunted Kim Jong-un with nuclear warfare by tweeting, “My button is bigger than theirs.” He should not have unilateral authority over the nuclear codes.

Representative Ted Lieu, Democrat of California

a. No

b. Yes

c. Not at all comfortable

Additional response: I believe the Constitution prevents the president from launching a nuclear first strike, which can kill millions of people in less than an hour, without congressional approval. The framers would view a nuclear first strike as war, and only Congress can authorize war. That is why I introduced my bill, the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act, in 2016 with Senator Markey and why I have reintroduced it every Congress, regardless of who was in the White House. Our founders could not have imagined nuclear warfare when they created our system of checks and balances, but they were prescient enough to know that Congress is a critical and necessary barrier to preventing all-out war. A president cannot start a war unilaterally, and launching a nuclear first strike is the most obvious act of war there is.

Representative-elect Dave Min, Democrat of California

a. No. No president should have the unilateral authority to launch a pre-emptive nuclear strike without congressional approval. Our Constitution is clear: The power to declare war rests with Congress, reflecting the fundamental principle that such decisions must be made collectively, not by a single individual. A pre-emptive nuclear strike represents the most consequential act of war imaginable, with far-reaching humanitarian and geopolitical consequences. Such a decision demands the deliberation and consent of the people’s representatives. That’s why I fully support legislation like the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act, championed by Congressman Ted Lieu. It would ensure that no president can launch a nuclear first strike without explicit authorization from Congress. This safeguard is essential to maintaining the balance of powers and reducing the risk of unnecessary and catastrophic conflicts.

b. In the case of an incoming nuclear missile attack, the president must retain the authority to respond decisively and immediately to protect the United States and its allies. This is a critical exception to the principle of requiring congressional approval for acts of war. When seconds or minutes could mean the difference between life and death for millions, the president, as commander in chief, must be empowered to act swiftly to neutralize an imminent threat. However, this authority must be paired with rigorous oversight and accountability to ensure it is not misused. While a response to an incoming attack may require immediate action, the use of nuclear weapons in any other context — such as a pre-emptive first strike — must involve congressional authorization.

c. Not at all comfortable

Representative Scott Peters, Democrat of California

a. No. A president should not be able to launch a first-use or pre-emptive strike unilaterally. I submitted an amendment to the F.Y. 2025 National Defense Authorization Act that would block any such first-use strike without the consent of the speaker of the House.

b. Yes. The president needs to be able to react quickly to a verified incoming nuclear attack. Our adversaries must know that the president has this power for proper deterrence.

c. Not at all comfortable

Representative Linda Sánchez, Democrat of California

a. No

b. Yes

c. Not at all comfortable

Representative Mark Takano, Democrat of California

a. No

b. Yes. But I am only comfortable with this position if we can solidify international treaties to restrict nuclear proliferation. Additionally, I am concerned with the declining communication among the nuclear powers that could lead to a nuclear confrontation.

c. Not at all comfortable. My discomfort is rooted in President-elect Trump’s erratic, impulsive and puerile nature. These are traits that would be disqualifying for him to operate a forklift, let alone having his finger on the nuclear button. I remember when then-President Trump tangled with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un early in his term. The president radically escalated his rhetoric in a tit-for-tat exchange. Our allies were unable to read his behavior, and those around the president tried to gloss over this deeply disturbing exchange. They justified Trump’s behavior by comparing him to disgraced President Nixon’s madman theory of international relations. To me, they simply didn’t want to admit that the president was a mercurial, impulsive man holding this awesome and weighty power.

Representative Juan Vargas, Democrat of California

a. No

b. No

c. Not at all comfortable

Representative Maxine Waters, Democrat of California

a. No

b. No

c. Not at all comfortable

Representative Joe Courtney, Democrat of Connecticut

a. No. As a co-sponsor of the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act, I believe the president must receive congressional approval before conducting a pre-emptive attack.

b. Yes

c. Not at all comfortable. As it pertains to a pre-emptive attack, 4, since I believe no president should have unilateral authority to execute a pre-emptive nuclear attack.

Representative John Larson, Democrat of Connecticut

a. No. The gravity and use pre-emptively of our nuclear capacity, something that could lead to the destruction of the world as we know it, is something no president should unilaterally engage in without congressional approval. I support Ted Lieu’s legislation, the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act, which would require Congress to authorize any pre-emptive nuclear strike, and I will continue to support global disarmament as a central part of our national security strategy.

b. Yes. As commander in chief, every president must have all tools of our arsenal at their disposal to respond to incoming nuclear attacks. Understanding the gravity of the situation calls for all presidents and Congress to prevail upon the goal of disarmament, as outlined in H. Res. 77.

c. Not at all comfortable. I am not comfortable with any president having unilateral authority to bring about the destruction of the globe, and while Trump heightens my concerns around this issue because of his rhetoric, the goal of Congress, current and all future presidential administrations should be the preservation of the planet and mankind.

Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Democrat of Florida

a. No

b. Yes

c. Not at all comfortable

Representative Frederica Wilson, Democrat of Florida

a. No. The president should, at a minimum, seek approval from the congressional Gang of Eight — comprising congressional leadership and intelligence leaders from both parties — before launching a pre-emptive nuclear attack.

b. No. The president should, at a minimum, seek approval from the congressional Gang of Eight in response to an incoming nuclear missile attack. This small group of congressional leaders enables the president to respond swiftly to imminent threats without the delays associated with consulting the entire Congress.

c. Not at all comfortable. President Trump has never been fit for the presidency, let alone trusted with nuclear weapons. His vengeful nature and impulsive decision making make him a danger to global safety. A nuclear strike is too big a decision for any one person — especially him

Representative Jill Tokuda, Democrat of Hawaii

a. No. The Constitution vests Congress with the authority to declare war, and we should not allow any president to unilaterally initiate a nuclear conflict.

b. Yes. As commander in chief, the president has a responsibility to defend the homeland against acts of war. The authority to respond to a nuclear attack with our own nuclear arsenal is consistent with that responsibility and ensures that we can deter such aggression.

c. Not at all comfortable. In his first term, we saw President Trump threaten nuclear war with North Korea via tweet. In 2022, he said he would threaten a nuclear attack on Russia. None of us should be comfortable that someone known for his temper tantrums, reckless and erratic behavior and lack of knowledge will have full control over our arsenal. The use of nuclear weapons is a last resort, and any sitting president and their advisers must approach such decisions with the utmost seriousness they command. We should also be concerned by nominees like Pete Hegseth and Tulsi Gabbard whose primary qualifications appear to be sycophancy and whom I doubt will be able to advise and restrain President Trump’s worst impulses.

Representative Sean Casten, Democrat of Illinois

a. No

b. Yes

c. Not at all comfortable

Representative Bill Foster, Democrat of Illinois

a. No. Unless there is a specific prior attack that it is responding to, it is hard to imagine a more definitive act of war than a pre-emptive nuclear launch. Under Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, Congress is given the explicit responsibility of declaring war. As the president is commander in chief, if Congress has already declared war, then the president should be allowed to pursue that war through all of the tools at their disposal — up to and including nuclear use. However, in times of peace, the president should not be able to unilaterally launch a nuclear strike. A nuclear strike in peacetime would almost certainly upend the delicate balance of deterrence and plunge the world into nuclear war — a war that the president does not, according to our Constitution, have the authority to begin.

b. Yes. Being elected president of the most powerful country in the world comes with immense responsibilities. One of these is ensuring global stability through nuclear deterrence. Established during the Cold War, the principle of mutually assured destruction has, up until now, resulted in no uses of nuclear weapons during war since Nagasaki. That principle relies on the understanding that any nuclear attack on the United States will be met with an attack in kind. As the commander in chief, the president has the responsibility of using every tool at their disposal to keep the citizens of the United States safe. In times where arms control and strategic stability dialogues are becoming rarer and less effective, keeping the principles of deterrence alive can be the difference between life and death around the globe. Deterrence relies on having sane, rational leaders in control of nuclear arsenals. In preparation for the possibility that an unpredictable world leader comes to power, we need to reduce outstanding risk as much as possible. Then there will be much lower risk of false alarms and accidents like the one that Stanislav Petrov saved us from in 1983.

c. Not at all comfortable. President-elect Trump has shown throughout his first term and multiple campaigns that he does not have the rational temperament required to take on the responsibility of the United States’ nuclear arsenal. His inability to understand the technical, political and nonproliferation advantages of the Iran deal and his willingness to listen to advisers pushing the resumption of harmful, unnecessary nuclear testing shows his lack of qualifications. His unpredictability in dealing with both allies and adversaries has shown that he also lacks the personality that would allow me to feel comfortable with him holding the sole authority to launch nuclear weapons.

Representative Jonathan Jackson, Democrat of Illinois

a. The question of whether a president should have the sole authority to launch a pre-emptive nuclear strike is one that weighs heavily on the principles of democracy, accountability and the value of human life. As leaders, we are entrusted with the lives of millions, and such monumental decisions should never rest in the hands of a single individual. Our Constitution is built on the idea of checks and balances. Allowing one person to wield unchecked power over something as catastrophic as a nuclear strike undermines those principles and opens the door to abuse or grave mistakes. A decision this consequential must involve Congress to ensure it reflects the will of the people and safeguards humanity.

b. If our nation faces an imminent nuclear attack, the president must be able to act decisively. Time is of the essence when lives are on the line, and the survival of the country cannot hinge on lengthy deliberations. That said, even in moments of crisis, we need systems in place to provide wise counsel and ensure the decision is justified. History has shown us how easily errors — false alarms or technical glitches — can bring the world to the brink of disaster. As a leader, I believe in the importance of rapid response but also in safeguards that allow for sound judgment in moments of chaos.

c. Not at all comfortable. On a scale of 1 to 4, with 1 being “not comfortable at all,” my answer is 1. The power to unleash nuclear destruction is too immense for any one individual, no matter their political affiliation, to wield without oversight. President Trump’s temperament and decision-making style during his tenure raised serious concerns about his judgment in high-stakes scenarios. This isn’t about partisan politics; it’s about protecting humanity from irreversible consequences. We must establish robust systems that uphold democratic principles and ensure no one leader can act impulsively on a decision that could alter the course of history forever. As a member of Congress, I will continue to advocate for policies that reflect the values of accountability, shared responsibility and global peace. The stakes are too high for us to do anything less.

Representative André Carson, Democrat of Indiana

a. No

b. Yes

c. Not at all comfortable

Representative Chellie Pingree, Democrat of Maine

a. No. It should be the policy of the United States that Congress plays a role in approving any initial use of military force — including the pre-emptive use of a nuclear weapon. The fact is, in the unthinkable scenario where nuclear weapons are used by the United States or any global power, we will have given our enemies and adversaries a reason to use them wherever they please. While even the thought of having to make that decision is truly horrifying, the power to release these catastrophic should be a whole-of-government decision, requiring explicate authorization from Congress.

b. Yes. If an adversary were to launch nuclear weapons at the United States, there would not be any practical time for Congress to have a say in how the president chooses to respond. That’s just the sad reality. If we were to ever reach a point where nuclear weapons were fired at United States, regardless of our retaliation, civilizations across the world would collapse from the fallout and aftermath of such a catastrophe. It’s hard to imagine the horror. Which is why it’s so important that the world’s nuclear powers stop with the rhetorical brinksmanship and start working towards a real, binding and mutually beneficial nuclear disarmament.

c. Not at all comfortable. The fact that he’ll once again have access to the nuclear codes should make everyone worried, especially given his extreme rhetoric about pre-emptively attacking other countries — including Iran. He’s unpredictable, he’s made it clear that he will try to consolidate his own power, and he’s shown time and again that he doesn’t have our country’s best interests at heart. This is not someone I am comfortable with at the helm of any nuclear decisions.

Representative Jake Auchincloss, Democrat of Massachusetts

a. No. Congress should codify a procedure that checks and balances the president’s first-strike authority, either by requiring a vote of Congress or by requiring approval from designated officials.

b. Yes

c. Not at all comfortable

Representative James McGovern, Democrat of Massachusetts

a. No

b. Yes. But must seek congressional authorization for anything that comes after that.

c. Not at all comfortable.

Additional response: No person should have the unilateral authority to launch a nuclear first strike and end life on this planet as we know it. This shouldn’t be a radical idea. We live in a democracy, and if the president of the United States wants to use nuclear weapons in a pre-emptive attack, they must obtain approval from Congress.

Nuclear weapons don’t prevent wars — they facilitate threats, coercion and instability. Yet the world stands at the brink of a new nuclear arms race, with no guardrails, as countries like Russia and China expand their arsenals and modernization programs. Today, we see trillions of dollars committed to building and improving nuclear bombs while essential human needs like health care, education and food security go underfunded. Every penny spent on these weapons strengthens the hand of evil and undermines the promise of peace.

As someone who believes there should be no nuclear weapons at all, I have introduced the Hastening Arms Limitation Talks Act to establish a 21st-century freeze on nuclear weapons testing, production and deployment. Additionally, I continue to urge the U.S. to embrace the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which would make disarmament a cornerstone of our national security policy. The bottom line is this: The story of humanity’s relationship with nuclear bombs has an ending, one way or the other. Either we get rid of them, or they get rid of us. The choice is ours to make.

Representative Seth Moulton, Democrat of Massachusetts

a. Yes. Extended deterrence requires that we be credibly willing to use our nuclear weapons to defend NATO and Pacific allies if they face an existential threat. This American promise has ensured NATO’s peace and stability for 75 years without requiring dozens of our allies to have their own nuclear weapons, thus limiting nuclear proliferation throughout the world. Unfortunately, involving Congress in this process would make the U.S. response much less decisive and not guaranteed, so our adversaries like Putin would be emboldened.

b. Yes

c. Not at all comfortable. Trump’s own senior military advisers from his first administration believe he is unfit for command, though anything that would limit the president’s authority to respond quickly and decisively, thus weakening our deterrence, would also make me very uncomfortable.

Representative-elect Wesley Bell, Democrat of Missouri

a. No

b. In the event of an incoming nuclear attack, the United States will have only minutes, much less hours or days, to deter and eliminate that threat. It does not seem feasible to notify and get approval from Congress to respond within that span of time. The president should not have unilateral authority to launch nuclear weapons. There should be a system in place to ensure that the decision to use nuclear weapons is made in consultation with other officials in a timely manner.

c. Not at all comfortable

Representative Dina Titus, Democrat of Nevada

a. No. It is time for us to reconsider sole authority — it is dangerous for only the president to have this control. History is rife with close calls and examples for why this authority should no longer be vested with one individual who, for any physical, mental or emotional reason, could be unfit to make that decision.

b. No. No president should be able to unilaterally launch a retaliatory strike. There ought to be some procedure by which the president must seek counsel from others. In a time-sensitive situation such as deciding whether to respond to an incoming missile attack, seeking congressional approval could be problematic. Any procedure we develop should take into account all scenarios so we are completely prepared to respond in an urgent manner. Whether by a formal group of military and security advisers, a specialized unit within the White House or the Gang of Eight, a potential response should be deliberated by more than just one person.

c. Not at all comfortable. One of my greatest national security concerns is Donald Trump occupying the White House.

Representative Donald Norcross, Democrat of New Jersey

Since the dawn of nuclear weapons during the Truman administration, every American president has had the sole authority on the use of nuclear weapons, and so will future presidents.

Representative Frank Pallone, Democrat of New Jersey

a. No

b. Yes

c. Not at all comfortable

Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman, Democrat of New Jersey

a. No

b. No

c. Not at all comfortable

Representative Yvette Clarke, Democrat of New York

a. No

b. No

c. Not at all comfortable

Representative-elect John Mannion, Democrat of New York

a. No. The use of nuclear weapons should be avoided at all costs, and the Constitution is clear that Congress decides on whether the U.S. goes to war. Protecting and defending Americans is a sacred duty I take very seriously, and Congress must work with the president to ensure the U.S. engages responsibly and in a way that safeguards American families, our service members and global allies. A pre-emptive nuclear strike should require congressional approval.

b. Yes. The use of nuclear weapons should be avoided at all costs, and the Constitution is clear that Congress decides on whether the U.S. goes to war. Practically, this scenario would constitute an urgent national emergency, and the decision would likely need to be made very quickly to protect American families, our service members and global allies.

c. No response

Representative Valerie Foushee, Democrat of North Carolina

a. No

b. No

c. Not at all comfortable

Representative Deborah Ross, Democrat of North Carolina

a. No

b. Yes

c. Not at all comfortable

Representative Suzanne Bonamici, Democrat of Oregon

a. No

b. It should not be a unilateral decision by the president.

c. Not at all comfortable

Representative-elect Janelle Bynum, Democrat of Oregon

a. Yes

b. Yes

c. Not at all comfortable

Representative-elect Maxine Dexter, Democrat of Oregon

a. No

b. Yes

c. Not at all comfortable

Representative Andrea Salinas, Democrat of Oregon

a. No

b. No

c. Not at all comfortable

Representative Christopher Deluzio, Democrat of Pennsylvania

a. Congressional leadership with access to 24/7 communications (like the speaker of the House) should have a role to play in authorizing any pre-emptive nuclear attack.

b. Yes

c. I believe that some form of congressional approval is necessary before any pre-emptive action, and I think that any president needs to have the authority to respond to an incoming nuclear missile attack.

Representative Summer Lee, Democrat of Pennsylvania

a. No

b. No

c. Not at all comfortable

Representative Gabe Amo, Democrat of Rhode Island

a. No. H.R. 669 would require congressional approval for pre-emptive strikes.

b. Yes. H.R. 669 would allow the president to take responsive nuclear action without congressional approval.

c. Not at all comfortable

Representative Lloyd Doggett, Democrat of Texas

a. No

b. Probably

c. Not at all comfortable

Representative-elect Julie Johnson, Democrat of Texas

a. No. A pre-emptive nuclear attack would be seen as an act of war, and that is a power for Congress.

b. Yes. With the caveat that our House and Senate Intelligence Committees are briefed by intelligence and military leaders beforehand.

c. Not at all comfortable

Representative-elect Sylvester Turner, Democrat of Texas

a. No

b. I believe there should be a protocol that includes the approval of another senior official that is available on a moment’s notice 24/7. I would need more information to decide whether it is logistically possible for that official to be a member of Congress.

c. Not at all comfortable

Representative Becca Balint, Democrat of Vermont

a. There must be clear, common-sense safeguards in place to ensure a president cannot order a pre-emptive nuclear strike on a whim or without cause. Congress alone holds the constitutional authority to declare war. The consequences are far too great for one person alone to have the unchecked ability to cause the unspeakable destruction that comes along with the use of a nuclear weapon. It is essential for a president to seek counsel from a diverse team of advisers with extensive experience and moral clarity.

b. Above all, we must work to de-escalate any conflict through diplomacy and to work toward a future without the threat of nuclear war. It’s critical for U.S. security that a president has the ability to defend the country with swift action in the event of an incoming nuclear attack. Given the gridlock in Congress, I’m concerned that the timeline of congressional approval could put Americans’ lives at risk if a threat were imminent. The catastrophic dangers of nuclear war demand urgent de-escalation and limited access and funding for nuclear weapons.

c. Not at all comfortable

Representative Donald Beyer, Democrat of Virginia

a. No

b. Yes

c. Not at all comfortable

Representative Gerald Connolly, Democrat of Virginia

a. No

b. In order to deter a nuclear attack by any adversary of the United States, our adversaries must understand that we are capable of responding in equal measure and in real time.

c. Not at all comfortable. I am not at all comfortable with allowing Donald Trump or any president to unilaterally launch nuclear weapons against adversaries that have not launched a nuclear attack against the United States.

The members of Congress who declined to comment:

Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut

Senator Christopher S. Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut

Senator Angus King, independent of Maine

These aren’t binary yes/no issues or questions, I’m afraid.

Representative Jamie Raskin, Democrat of Maryland

Representative Al Green, Democrat of Texas

Representative Chip Roy, Republican of Texas

The members of Congress who did not respond:

Senator Tommy Tuberville, Republican of Alabama

Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska

Senator Daniel S. Sullivan, Republican of Alaska

Senator-elect Ruben Gallego, Democrat of Arizona

Senator Mark Kelly, Democrat of Arizona

Senator John Boozman, Republican of Arkansas

Senator Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas

Senator Alex Padilla, Democrat of California

Senator-elect Adam Schiff, Democrat of California

Senator Michael Bennet, Democrat of Colorado

Senator John Hickenlooper, Democrat of Colorado

Senator-elect Lisa Blunt Rochester, Democrat of Delaware

Senator Rick Scott, Republican of Florida

Senator Jon Ossoff, Democrat of Georgia

Senator Raphael Warnock, Democrat of Georgia

Senator Mazie K. Hirono, Democrat of Hawaii

Senator Brian E. Schatz, Democrat of Hawaii

Senator Mike Crapo, Republican of Idaho

Senator Dick Durbin, Democrat of Illinois

Senator Joni Ernst, Republican of Iowa

Senator Chuck Grassley, Republican of Iowa

Senator-elect Jim Banks, Republican of Indiana

Senator Jim Risch, Republican of Indiana

Senator Todd C. Young, Republican of Indiana

Senator Roger Marshall, Republican of Kansas

Senator Jerry Moran, Republican of Kansas

Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky

Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky

Senator Bill Cassidy, Republican of Louisiana

Senator John Neely Kennedy, Republican of Louisiana

Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine

Senator-elect Angela Alsobrooks, Democrat of Maryland

Senator Gary Peters, Democrat of Michigan

Senator-elect Elissa Slotkin, Democrat of Michigan

Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota

Senator Tina Smith, Democrat of Minnesota

Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, Republican of Mississippi

Senator Roger Wicker, Republican of Mississippi

Senator Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri

Senator Eric Schmitt, Republican of Missouri

Senator Steve Daines, Republican of Montana

Senator-elect Tim Sheehy, Republican of Montana

Senator Deb Fischer, Republican of Nebraska

Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, Democrat of Nevada

Senator Jacky Rosen, Democrat of Nevada

Senator Maggie Hassan, Democrat of New Hampshire

Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat of New Hampshire

Senator Cory Booker, Democrat of New Jersey

Senator Andy Kim, Democrat of New Jersey

Senator Martin Heinrich, Democrat of New Mexico

Senator Ben Ray Luján, Democrat of New Mexico

Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York

Senator Ted Budd, Republican of North Carolina

Senator Thom Tillis, Republican of North Carolina

Senator Kevin Cramer, Republican of North Dakota

Senator John Hoeven, Republican of North Dakota

Senator-elect Bernie Moreno, Republican of Ohio

Senator James Lankford, Republican of Oklahoma

Senator Markwayne Mullin, Republican of Oklahoma

Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon

Senator John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania

Senator-elect Dave McCormick, Republican of Pennsylvania

Senator Jack Reed, Democrat of Rhode Island

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Democrat of Rhode Island

Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina

Senator Tim Scott, Republican of South Carolina

Senator Mike Rounds, Republican of South Dakota

Senator John Thune, Republican of South Dakota

Senator Bill Hagerty, Republican of Tennessee

Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas

Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas

Senator-elect John Curtis, Republican of Utah

Senator Bernie Sanders, independent of Vermont

Senator Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia

Senator Maria Cantwell, Democrat of Washington

Senator Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington

Senator Shelley Moore Capito, Republican of West Virginia

Senator-elect Jim Justice, Republican of West Virginia

Senator Tammy Baldwin, Democrat of Wisconsin

Senator Ron Johnson, Republican of Wisconsin

Senator John Barrasso, Republican of Wyoming

Senator Cynthia Lummis, Republican of Wyoming

Representative Robert Aderholt, Republican of Alabama

Representative-elect Shomari Figures, Democrat of Alabama

Representative Barry Moore, Republican of Alabama

Representative Gary Palmer, Republican of Alabama

Representative Mike Rogers, Republican of Alabama

Representative Terri Sewell, Democrat of Alabama

Representative Dale Strong, Republican of Alabama

Representative-elect Nick Begich, Republican of Alaska

Representative-elect Yassamin Ansari, Democrat of Arizona

Representative Andy Biggs, Republican of Arizona

Representative Juan Ciscomani, Republican of Arizona

Representative Eli Crane, Republican of Arizona

Representative Paul Gosar, Republican of Arizona

Representative Raúl Grijalva, Democrat of Arizona

Representative-elect Abe Hamadeh, Republican of Arizona

Representative David Schweikert, Republican of Arizona

Representative Greg Stanton, Democrat of Arizona

Representative Rick Crawford, Republican of Arkansas

Representative French Hill, Republican of Arkansas

Representative Bruce Westerman, Republican of Arkansas

Representative Steve Womack, Republican of Arkansas

Representative Pete Aguilar, Democrat of California

Representative Nanette Barragán, Democrat of California

Representative Julia Brownley, Democrat of California

Representative Ken Calvert, Republican of California

Representative Salud Carbajal, Democrat of California

Representative-elect Gil Cisneros, Democrat of California

Representative Lou Correa, Democrat of California

Representative Jim Costa, Democrat of California

Representative Mark DeSaulnier, Democrat of California

Representative Vince Fong, Republican of California

Representative-elect Laura Friedman, Democrat of California

Representative John Garamendi, Democrat of California

Representative Robert Garcia, Democrat of California

Representative Jimmy Gomez, Democrat of California

Representative-elect Adam Gray, Democrat of California

Representative Darrell Issa, Republican of California

Representative Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Democrat of California

Representative Kevin Kiley, Republican of California

Representative Young Kim, Republican of California

Representative Doug LaMalfa, Republican of California

Representative-elect Sam Liccardo, Democrat of California

Representative Zoe Lofgren, Democrat of California

Representative Josh Harder, Democrat of California

Representative Jared Huffman, Democrat of California

Representative Doris Matsui, Democrat of California

Representative Tom McClintock, Republican of California

Representative Kevin Mullin, Democrat of California

Representative Jay Obernolte, Republican of California

Representative Jimmy Panetta, Democrat of California

Representative Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California

Representative-elect Luz Rivas, Democrat of California

Representative Raul Ruiz, Democrat of California

Representative Brad Sherman, Democrat of California

Representative-elect Lateefah Simon, Democrat of California

Representative Eric Swalwell, Democrat of California

Representative Mike Thompson, Democrat of California

Representative Norma Torres, Democrat of California

Representative-elect Derek Tran, Democrat of California

Representative David Valadao, Republican of California

Representative-elect George Whitesides, Democrat of California

Representative Lauren Boebert, Republican of Colorado

Representative-elect Jeff Crank, Republican of Colorado

Representative Jason Crow, Democrat of Colorado

Representative Diana DeGette, Democrat of Colorado

Representative-elect Gabe Evans, Republican of Colorado

Representative-elect Jeff Hurd, Republican of Colorado

Representative Joe Neguse, Democrat of Colorado

Representative Brittany Pettersen, Democrat of Colorado

Representative Rosa DeLauro, Democrat of Connecticut

Representative Jahana Hayes, Democrat of Connecticut

Representative Jim Himes, Democrat of Connecticut

Representative-elect Sarah McBride, Democrat of Delaware

Representative Aaron Bean, Republican of Florida

Representative Gus Bilirakis, Republican of Florida

Representative Vern Buchanan, Republican of Florida

Representative Kat Cammack, Republican of Florida

Representative Kathy Castor, Democrat of Florida

Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Democrat of Florida

Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, Republican of Florida

Representative Byron Donalds, Republican of Florida

Representative Neal Dunn, Republican of Florida

Representative Lois Frankel, Democrat of Florida

Representative Scott Franklin, Republican of Florida

Representative Maxwell Frost, Democrat of Florida

Representative Carlos Gimenez, Republican of Florida

Representative-elect Mike Haridopolos, Republican of Florida

Representative Laurel Lee, Republican of Florida

Representative Anna Paulina Luna, Republican of Florida

Representative Brian Mast, Republican of Florida

Representative Cory Mills, Republican of Florida

Representative Jared Moskowitz, Democrat of Florida

Representative John Rutherford, Republican of Florida

Representative Maria Elvira Salazar, Republican of Florida

Representative Darren Soto, Democrat of Florida

Representative Greg Steube, Republican of Florida

Representative Daniel Webster, Republican of Florida

Representative Rick Allen, Republican of Georgia

Representative Sanford Bishop, Democrat of Georgia

Representative Buddy Carter, Republican of Georgia

Representative Andrew Clyde, Republican of Georgia

Representative Mike Collins, Republican of Georgia

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia

Representative-elect Brian Jack, Republican of Georgia

Representative Hank Johnson, Democrat of Georgia

Representative Barry Loudermilk, Republican of Georgia

Representative Lucy McBath, Democrat of Georgia

Representative Rich McCormick, Republican of Georgia

Representative Austin Scott, Republican of Georgia

Representative David Scott, Democrat of Georgia

Representative Nikema Williams, Democrat of Georgia

Representative Ed Case, Democrat of Hawaii

Representative Russ Fulcher, Republican of Idaho

Representative Mike Simpson, Republican of Idaho

Representative Mike Bost, Republican of Illinois

Representative Nikki Budzinski, Democrat of Illinois

Representative Danny Davis, Democrat of Illinois

Representative Chuy García, Democrat of Illinois

Representative Robin Kelly, Democrat of Illinois

Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, Democrat of Illinois

Representative Darin LaHood, Republican of Illinois

Representative Mary Miller, Republican of Illinois

Representative Mike Quigley, Democrat of Illinois

Representative Delia Ramirez, Democrat of Illinois

Representative Janice Schakowsky, Democrat of Illinois

Representative Brad Schneider, Democrat of Illinois

Representative Eric Sorensen, Democrat of Illinois

Representative Lauren Underwood, Democrat of Illinois

Representative Jim Baird, Republican of Indiana

Representative Erin Houchin, Republican of Indiana

Representative-elect Mark Messmer, Republican of Indiana

Representative Frank Mrvan, Democrat of Indiana

Representative-elect Jefferson Shreve, Republican of Indiana

Representative Victoria Spartz, Republican of Indiana

Representative-elect Marlin Stutzman, Republican of Indiana

Representative Rudy Yakym, Republican of Indiana

Representative Randy Feenstra, Republican of Iowa

Representative Ashley Hinson, Republican of Iowa

Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Republican of Iowa

Representative Zach Nunn, Republican of Iowa

Representative Sharice Davids, Democrat of Kansas

Representative Ron Estes, Republican of Kansas

Representative Tracey Mann, Republican of Kansas

Representative-elect Derek Schmidt, Republican of Kansas

Representative Andy Barr, Republican of Kentucky

Representative James Comer, Republican of Kentucky

Representative Brett Guthrie, Republican of Kentucky

Representative Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky

Representative Morgan McGarvey, Democrat of Kentucky

Representative Hal Rogers, Republican of Kentucky

Representative Troy Carter, Democrat of Louisiana

Representative-elect Cleo Fields, Democrat of Louisiana

Representative Clay Higgins, Republican of Louisiana

Representative Mike Johnson, Republican of Louisiana

Representative Julia Letlow, Republican of Louisiana

Representative Steve Scalise, Republican of Louisiana

Representative Jared Golden, Democrat of Maine

Representative-elect Sarah Elfreth, Democrat of Maryland

Representative Andy Harris, Republican of Maryland

Representative Steny Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland

Representative Glenn Ivey, Democrat of Maryland

Representative-elect April McClain Delaney, Democrat of Maryland

Representative Kweisi Mfume, Democrat of Maryland

Representative-elect Johnny Olszewski, Democrat of Maryland

Representative Katherine Clark, Democrat of Massachusetts

Representative Bill Keating, Democrat of Massachusetts

Representative Stephen Lynch, Democrat of Massachusetts

Representative Richard Neal, Democrat of Massachusetts

Representative Ayanna Pressley, Democrat of Massachusetts

Representative Lori Trahan, Democrat of Massachusetts

Representative-elect Tom Barrett, Republican of Michigan

Representative Jack Bergman, Republican of Michigan

Representative Debbie Dingell, Democrat of Michigan

Representative Bill Huizenga, Republican of Michigan

Representative John James, Republican of Michigan

Representative-elect Kristen McDonald Rivet, Democrat of Michigan

Representative Lisa McClain, Republican of Michigan

Representative John Moolenaar, Republican of Michigan

Representative Hillary Scholten, Democrat of Michigan

Representative Haley Stevens, Democrat of Michigan

Representative Shri Thanedar, Democrat of Michigan

Representative Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan

Representative Tim Walberg, Republican of Michigan

Representative Angie Craig, Democrat of Minnesota

Representative Tom Emmer, Republican of Minnesota

Representative Brad Finstad, Republican of Minnesota

Representative Michelle Fischbach, Republican of Minnesota

Representative Betty McCollum, Democrat of Minnesota

Representative-elect Kelly Morrison, Democrat of Minnesota

Representative Ilhan Omar, Democrat of Minnesota

Representative Pete Stauber, Republican of Minnesota

Representative Mike Ezell, Republican of Mississippi

Representative Michael Guest, Republican of Mississippi

Representative Trent Kelly, Republican of Mississippi

Representative Bennie Thompson, Democrat of Mississippi

Representative Mark Alford, Republican of Missouri

Representative Eric Burlison, Republican of Missouri

Representative Emanuel Cleaver, Democrat of Missouri

Representative Sam Graves, Republican of Missouri

Representative-elect Bob Onder, Republican of Missouri

Representative Jason Smith, Republican of Missouri

Representative Ann Wagner, Republican of Missouri

Representative-elect Troy Downing, Republican of Montana

Representative Ryan Zinke, Republican of Montana

Representative Don Bacon, Republican of Nebraska

Representative Mike Flood, Republican of Nebraska

Representative Adrian Smith, Republican of Nebraska

Representative Mark Amodei, Republican of Nevada

Representative Steven Horsford, Democrat of Nevada

Representative Susie Lee, Democrat of Nevada

Representative-elect Maggie Goodlander, Democrat of New Hampshire

Representative Chris Pappas, Democrat of New Hampshire

Representative-elect Herb Conaway Jr., Democrat of New Jersey

Representative Josh Gottheimer, Democrat of New Jersey

Representative Thomas Kean, Republican of New Jersey

Representative LaMonica McIver, Democrat of New Jersey

Representative Robert Menendez, Democrat of New Jersey

Representative-elect Nellie Pou, Democrat of New Jersey

Representative Mikie Sherrill, Democrat of New Jersey

Representative Christopher Smith, Republican of New Jersey

Representative Teresa Leger Fernandez, Democrat of New Mexico

Representative Melanie Stansbury, Democrat of New Mexico

Representative Gabe Vasquez, Democrat of New Mexico

Representative Adriano Espaillat, Democrat of New York

Representative Andrew Garbarino, Republican of New York

Representative-elect Laura Gillen, Democrat of New York

Representative Daniel Goldman, Democrat of New York

Representative Hakeem Jeffries, Democrat of New York

Representative Timothy Kennedy, Democrat of New York

Representative Nick LaLota, Republican of New York

Representative Nicholas Langworthy, Republican of New York

Representative-elect George Latimer, Democrat of New York

Representative Michael Lawler, Republican of New York

Representative Nicole Malliotakis, Republican of New York

Representative Gregory Meeks, Democrat of New York

Representative Grace Meng, Democrat of New York

Representative Joseph Morelle, Democrat of New York

Representative Jerrold Nadler, Democrat of New York

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York

Representative-elect Josh Riley, Democrat of New York

Representative Patrick Ryan, Democrat of New York

Representative Tom Suozzi, Democrat of New York

Representative Claudia Tenney, Republican of New York

Representative Paul Tonko, Democrat of New York

Representative Ritchie Torres, Democrat of New York

Representative Nydia Velázquez, Democrat of New York

Representative Alma Adams, Democrat of North Carolina

Representative Donald Davis, Democrat of North Carolina

Representative Chuck Edwards, Republican of North Carolina

Representative Virginia Foxx, Republican of North Carolina

Representative-elect Pat Harrigan, Republican of North Carolina

Representative-elect Mark Harris, Republican of North Carolina

Representative Richard Hudson, Republican of North Carolina

Representative-elect Brad Knott, Republican of North Carolina

Representative-elect Addison McDowell, Republican of North Carolina

Representative-elect Tim Moore, Republican of North Carolina

Representative Gregory Murphy, Republican of North Carolina

Representative David Rouzer, Republican of North Carolina

Representative-elect Julie Fedorchak, Republican of North Dakota

Representative Troy Balderson, Republican of Ohio

Representative Joyce Beatty, Democrat of Ohio

Representative Shontel Brown, Democrat of Ohio

Representative Mike Carey, Republican of Ohio

Representative Warren Davidson, Republican of Ohio

Representative Jim Jordan, Republican of Ohio

Representative David Joyce, Republican of Ohio

Representative Marcy Kaptur, Democrat of Ohio

Representative Greg Landsman, Democrat of Ohio

Representative Robert Latta, Republican of Ohio

Representative Max Miller, Republican of Ohio

Representative Michael Rulli, Republican of Ohio

Representative Emilia Sykes, Democrat of Ohio

Representative-elect Dave Taylor, Republican of Ohio

Representative Michael Turner, Republican of Ohio

Representative Stephanie Bice, Republican of Oklahoma

Representative Josh Brecheen, Republican of Oklahoma

Representative Tom Cole, Republican of Oklahoma

Representative Kevin Hern, Republican of Oklahoma

Representative Frank Lucas, Republican of Oklahoma

Representative Cliff Bentz, Republican of Oregon

Representative Val Hoyle, Democrat of Oregon

Representative Brendan Boyle, Democrat of Pennsylvania

Representative-elect Robert Bresnahan, Republican of Pennsylvania

Representative Madeleine Dean, Democrat of Pennsylvania

Representative Dwight Evans, Democrat of Pennsylvania

Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, Republican of Pennsylvania

Representative Chrissy Houlahan, Democrat of Pennsylvania

Representative John Joyce, Republican of Pennsylvania

Representative Mike Kelly, Republican of Pennsylvania

Representative-elect Ryan Mackenzie, Republican of Pennsylvania

Representative Daniel Meuser, Republican of Pennsylvania

Representative Scott Perry, Republican of Pennsylvania

Representative Guy Reschenthaler, Republican of Pennsylvania

Representative Mary Scanlon, Democrat of Pennsylvania

Representative Lloyd Smucker, Republican of Pennsylvania

Representative Glenn Thompson, Republican of Pennsylvania

Representative Seth Magaziner, Democrat of Rhode Island

Representative-elect Sheri Biggs, Republican of South Carolina

Representative James Clyburn, Democrat of South Carolina

Representative Russell Fry, Republican of South Carolina

Representative Nancy Mace, Republican of South Carolina

Representative Ralph Norman, Republican of South Carolina

Representative William Timmons, Republican of South Carolina

Representative Joe Wilson, Republican of South Carolina

Representative Dusty Johnson, Republican of South Dakota

Representative Tim Burchett, Republican of Tennessee

Representative Steve Cohen, Democrat of Tennessee

Representative Scott DesJarlais, Republican of Tennessee

Representative Charles Fleischmann, Republican of Tennessee

Representative Mark Green, Republican of Tennessee

Representative Diana Harshbarger, Republican of Tennessee

Representative David Kustoff, Republican of Tennessee

Representative Andrew Ogles, Republican of Tennessee

Representative John Rose, Republican of Tennessee

Representative Jodey Arrington, Republican of Texas

Representative Brian Babin, Republican of Texas

Representative John Carter, Republican of Texas

Representative Greg Casar, Democrat of Texas

Representative Joaquin Castro, Democrat of Texas

Representative Michael Cloud, Republican of Texas

Representative Dan Crenshaw, Republican of Texas

Representative Jasmine Crockett, Democrat of Texas

Representative Henry Cuellar, Democrat of Texas

Representative Monica De La Cruz, Republican of Texas

Representative Jake Ellzey, Republican of Texas

Representative Veronica Escobar, Democrat of Texas

Representative Pat Fallon, Republican of Texas

Representative Lizzie Fletcher, Democrat of Texas

Representative Sylvia Garcia, Democrat of Texas

Representative-elect Brandon Gill, Republican of Texas

Representative-elect Craig Goldman, Republican of Texas

Representative Tony Gonzales, Republican of Texas

Representative Vicente Gonzalez, Democrat of Texas

Representative Lance Gooden, Republican of Texas

Representative Wesley Hunt, Republican of Texas

Representative Ronny Jackson, Republican of Texas

Representative Morgan Luttrell, Republican of Texas

Representative Michael McCaul, Republican of Texas

Representative Nathaniel Moran, Republican of Texas

Representative Troy Nehls, Republican of Texas

Representative August Pfluger, Republican of Texas

Representative Keith Self, Republican of Texas

Representative Pete Sessions, Republican of Texas

Representative Beth Van Duyne, Republican of Texas

Representative Marc Veasey, Democrat of Texas

Representative Randy Weber, Republican of Texas

Representative Roger Williams, Republican of Texas

Representative-elect Mike Kennedy, Republican of Utah

Representative Celeste Maloy, Republican of Utah

Representative Blake Moore, Republican of Utah

Representative Burgess Owens, Republican of Utah

Representative Ben Cline, Republican of Virginia

Representative Morgan Griffith, Republican of Virginia

Representative Jennifer Kiggans, Republican of Virginia

Representative Jennifer McClellan, Democrat of Virginia

Representative-elect John McGuire, Republican of Virginia

Representative Robert Scott, Democrat of Virginia

Representative-elect Suhas Subramanyam, Democrat of Virginia

Representative-elect Eugene Vindman, Democrat of Virginia

Representative Robert Wittman, Republican of Virginia

Representative-elect Michael Baumgartner, Republican of Washington

Representative Suzan DelBene, Democrat of Washington

Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, Democrat of Washington

Representative Pramila Jayapal, Democrat of Washington

Representative Rick Larsen, Democrat of Washington

Representative Dan Newhouse, Republican of Washington

Representative-elect Emily Randall, Democrat of Washington

Representative Kim Schrier, Democrat of Washington

Representative Adam Smith, Democrat of Washington

Representative Marilyn Strickland, Democrat of Washington

Representative Eleanor Norton, Democrat of Washington, D.C.

Representative Carol Miller, Republican of West Virginia

Representative-elect Riley Moore, Republican of West Virginia

Representative Scott Fitzgerald, Republican of Wisconsin

Representative Glenn Grothman, Republican of Wisconsin

Representative Gwen Moore, Democrat of Wisconsin

Representative Mark Pocan, Democrat of Wisconsin

Representative Bryan Steil, Republican of Wisconsin

Representative Thomas Tiffany, Republican of Wisconsin

Representative Derrick Van Orden, Republican of Wisconsin

Representative-elect Tony Wied, Republican of Wisconsin

Representative Harriet Hageman, Republican of Wyoming


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ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’a ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:

(Please note that the Sunday and Saturday NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS are also added below by category, following Monday’s news posts in order to maintain continuity of nuclear news as well as for research for the overall information provided in “LLAW;s All Things Nuclear”.)

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

  1. All Things Nuclear
  2. Nuclear Power
  3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
  4. Nuclear War
  5. Nuclear War Threats
  6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are two Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in today’s Post.)
  7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’s NUCLEAR WORLD’s NEWS, Tuesday, (12/17/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

An explosion kills the head of Russia’s nuclear defense forces in Moscow – Little Rock Public Radio

Little Rock Public Radio

A senior Russian general was killed Tuesday by a bomb hidden in a scooter outside his apartment building in Moscow. A Ukrainian official said the …

All Things with Kim Strassel: 2024’s Winners and Losers with Buck Sexton – Opinion: Potomac Watch

WSJ

2024 was the year that saw Donald Trump win, Kamala Harris lose, Joe Biden quit and Elon Musk make his way to Capitol Hill.

A woman was loading 1500 pounds of gravel into her car when a stranger interrupted

WUSF

On this week’s “My Unsung Hero” from Hidden Brain, Caroline Davis was doing a home improvement project that required her to haul about 1500 pound

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Be a Nuclear Family! DC Households May Choose Clean Nuclear Energy with America’s …

Constellation Energy

Constellation Energy Corporation today announced America’s first-ever product allowing consumers to power their homes with 100% clean nuclear …

Segrist: Cooling the Reaction: Nuclear Makes Promising but Slow Comeback | Hart Energy

Hart Energy

Nuclear power is awesome. Nuclear power is also hard—and a long way off from displacing natural gas as the primary source for the electricity the …

Big tech companies hope nuclear power can solve their energy problems. Will it? – NPR

NPR

Tech companies like Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Meta hope nuclear power will offer a climate solution for this massive energy use. Nuclear power …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Romania supports Moldova in weathering the energy state of emergency – ceenergynews

ceenergynews

Nuclearelectrica and Hidroelectrica are collaborating with Energocom to assess Moldova’s electricity supply options, aiming to help the country cover …

Flag as irrelevant

Belarus hosting regular scheduled IAEA inspections

BelTA – News from Belarus

The IAEA inspectors have visited the Belarusian nuclear power plant. On … The Emergencies Ministry represented by its Nuclear and Radiation …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Nuclear bunker sales increase, despite expert warnings they aren’t going to provide protection

AP News

Global security leaders are warning nuclear threats are growing as … Mideast Wars Israel-Hamas War Russia-Ukraine War Global Elections ESPAÑOL

Putin’s Chilling Nuclear Threat To U.S. For Mulling Use Of New Missiles – YouTube

YouTube

… WAR | CHANGING WORLD ORDER #TOILive | #TOIVideos Subscribe to the … I’ve studied nuclear war for 35 years — you should be worried. | Brian …

Nuclear bunker sales increase, despite expert warnings they aren’t going to provide protection

ABC News – The Walt Disney Company

Critics warn these bunkers create a false perception that a nuclear war is survivable. They argue that people planning to live through an atomic blast …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Takeaways from the AP’s reporting on nuclear bunkers – ABC News

ABC News – The Walt Disney Company

They argue that people planning to live through an atomic blast aren’t focusing on the real and current dangers posed by nuclear threats, and the …

Flag as irrelevant

ISW: Kremlin may seek off-ramp from nuclear threats through Oreshnik missile promotion

Euromaidan Press

ISW: Recent Russian missile strike shows no new nuclear threat · Ukraine eyes THAAD, Patriot enhancements against new Russian threats · Defense …

Opinion | 530 Incoming Congress Members Share Their Thoughts on Nuclear Sole Authority

The New York Times

In his first term, we saw President Trump threaten nuclear war with North Korea via tweet. In 2022, he said he would threaten a nuclear attack on ..

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

10 Largest Volcanoes That Could Cover The World in Ash – MSN

MSN

1.Yellowstone Caldera, USA. 2.Lake Toba, Indonesia … What If the Yellowstone Volcano Erupted Tomorrow? 96. 20. Give The Gift Of Hearing This …

Mag. 4.9 earthquake – Coral Sea, 24 km southwest of Efate Island, Shefa, Vanuatu, on …

Volcano Discovery

Latest earthquakes under Yellowstone volcano. List and interactive map of current and past earthquakes near Yellowstone volcano. Volcano Tour.

LLAW’s All Things Nuclear #831, Monday, (12/16/2024)

NUCLEAR INSANITY & THE LAST DAYS OF HUMAN DEPRAVITY . . . ~ LLAW

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Dec 16, 2024

1

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Nuclear power plant, Zaporizhzhia

Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine emitting smoke from Russian attacks

LLAW’s NUCLEAR WORLD NEWS TODAY AND THEIR RISKS & CONSEQUENCES TOMORROW

This story comes from Sunday’s nuclear news, which gives me pause to consider returning to my previous ‘7-Days a Week’ schedule, or at least Posting “TODAY’s NUCLEAR WORLD’s NEWS daily on the weekends instead of waiting until Monday to add them. The frightening image alone for this story, seeing smoke instead of steam pouring out of one of Ukraine’s (and(Europe’s) largest nuclear power plant, is more than enough to scare the hell out of the world — especially because it was caused by yet another Russian attack on the plant now already in double figure since the 2022 re-invasion by Russia in their war against Ukraine.

The article is short, and a must read, and we here in America should be just as full of fear as Europe because this situation is not just a European issue, but rather a nuclear war possibility that affects the entire world . . . ~llaw

ECO NEWS - Spotted in Ely

Europe fears nuclear catastrophe: This plant sets off all alarms due to risk of explosion

by Sanusha S.

12/14/2024

in Energy

Nuclear power plant, Zaporizhzhia

Euronews

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), located in eastern Ukraine, has been a focal point of global attention due to the conflict in this country. The Russian troops captured this plant in 2022 and since then have faced a multitude of threats like fire, military action, or damage to infrastructure. Notwithstanding clarifications from nuclear safety experts regarding the safety precautions taken at plants, it has been a severe reminder of the need for urgent global protocols to guard against those facilities during armed conflict.

Modern reactor designs: This is how the PWRs of Zaporizhzhia withstand disasters

The area around Zaporizhzhia has seen an increase in fears of disaster through fires, outages, and shelling around the site. However, experts argue that a Chernobyl-like explosion is almost impossible. Unlike the graphite-moderated reactor at Chernobyl, which Zaporizhzhia uses, the plant consists of pressurized water reactors (PWRs), which have no combustible elements and are encased in massive steel and concrete domes.

These modern designs reduce the likelihood of a hazardous radioactive release significantly. Still, loss of power creates serious risks because cooling systems that are used to cool the reactors may fail, along with cooling of spent fuel pools.

There is emergency diesel generation support, but between emergencies, the plant has had to rely on this backup seven times since the conflict started to stretch safety margins. The destruction of Kakhovka Dam makes conditions even more dangerous due to the reduced access to cooling water.

Zaporizhzhia: A plant which is embattled in a nuclear fire unprecedented conflict

This is the most unprecedented scenario: a nuclear plant turned into military target. Constant shelling, drone strikes and even presence of landmines on the premises intensifies risk of nuclear incident because of the occupation of ZNPP by Russian forces.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has sent inspectors and even suggested creating a demilitarized safety zone around the site, thus, these measures remain unimplemented. The agency has identified that all seven pillars of nuclear safety are compromised at Zaporizhzhia. These include protection of critical infrastructure and prevention of military use of the facility.

Global responses have been mixed since legal ambiguities have hampered a proper response. The Geneva Conventions and IAEA protocols did not specifically bar military actions against nuclear facilities, which leaves ZNPP in a dangerous legal gray zone. Thus, calls to establish a specific treaty to preserve such plants during armed conflicts remain pending. This emphasizes a greater call for making an urgent consensus in the international setting.

Europe’s preparedness: Contemporary response influenced by Chernobyl and Fukushima lessons

Though Zaporizhzhia is at risk, Europe and other places are better prepared to respond today than decades ago in similar emergency types. Learning from the mishaps at Chernobyl and Fukushima catalyzed higher standards, guidelines, and coordination of efforts across America and Europe.

In Europe, the IAEA collaborates with HERCA and EMSREG, to enhance preparedness even from facilities that have been affected by armed conflicts. Evacuation plans, communication setup, and distribution of iodine tablets are a few examples of such efforts to ameliorate public health risks due to radiation exposure.

However, they say only planning cannot replace a preventive approach. Safety margins continued to drift for ZNPP, and the IAEA, therefore, has issued a “grace period” warning, as this could end without proactive measures. Any radioactive release, however small, could have transborder consequences, increasing the war footprint on millions.

Moreover, Zaporizhzhia marks a stark reminder for the nuclear reactor facilities that military war infers risks. Even though modernization of reactors would usually reduce disastrous events, the margins for safety are becoming slimmer as urgent measures need to be taken. An international treaty prohibiting attacks on such sites, plus refreshed safety standards for conflict zones, will be pivotal towards the avoidance of future disasters. The clock is ticking.


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(Please note that the Sunday and Saturday NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS are also added below by category, following Monday’s news posts in order to maintain continuity of nuclear news as well as for research for the overall information provided in “LLAW;s All Things Nuclear”.)

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

  1. All Things Nuclear
  2. Nuclear Power
  3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
  4. Nuclear War
  5. Nuclear War Threats
  6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There is one Yellowstone Caldera bonus story available in today’s Post.)
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Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’s NUCLEAR WORLD’s NEWS, Monday, (12/16/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

What we know about the mysterious drones reported over the East Coast – Yahoo

Yahoo

Republican New Jersey Assemblyman Paul Kanitra told CNN’s Sara Sidner Friday morning there had been drone sightings every night since then. Unnerved …

Much Of Wyoming May Be Safe If US Is Nuked, But Cheyenne Likely To Be Vaporized

Cowboy State Daily

… about how safe the Cowboy State would be in a nuclear war. And while … All Hazards Association President LaRae Dobbs told Cowboy State Da

The Coalition’s nuclear costings and their rubbery assumptions take us back to being a …

The Guardian

Despite a clever comms strategy, there are significant credibility issues around the assumptions on which the cost estimates are based.

Nuclear Power

NEWS

World’s 1st nuclear-diamond battery of its kind could power devices for 1000s of years

Live Science

The world’s first nuclear-diamond battery uses carbon-14 to power devices for more than 10000 years.

Will nuclear power make a comeback in the Bay region? | Energy | bayjournal.com

Bay Journal

Twin cooling towers at right mark Unit 1 of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant near Harrisburg that might be restarted to provide …

Will Nuclear Power Make A Comeback In The Bay Region? – The BayNet

The BayNet

Constellation Energy will spend $1.6 billion with a federal loan guarantee to restart the Unit 1 reactor at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Putin Orders Nuclear Forces To Be Kept On Constant Alert – Newsweek

Newsweek

The Russian leader’s instructions come amid his bloody war with Ukraine and during a period of particularly fraught international relations.

Mayotte: ‘It feels like nuclear war aftermath’ after cyclone, residents say – AOL.com

AOL.com

… nuclear war… I saw an entire neighbourhood disappear.” “It’s the hunger that worries me most,” Mayotte Senator Salama Ramia told French media …

Finland accelerates preparedness for war in all forms – Euronews.com

Euronews.com

These are underground shelters designed to protect against nuclear war, complete with toilet facilities, beds, water basins. At all times Finns …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Putin Orders Nuclear Forces To Be Kept On Constant Alert – Newsweek

Newsweek

… threats of nuclear war, via a video link in Moscow on October 26, 2022. The Russian leader has… Russian President Vladimir Putin oversees the …

Putin issues stark warning as he accuses West of pushing him to his ‘red lines’ – LBC

LBC

… nuclear war.” Addressing dismissal of the threats, he added: “I’m really concerned about all the loose talk. “We run head-on into a situation …

The choices before us – weekly briefing | Counterfire

Counterfire

War and peace: one of the major and increasingly immediate threats is war … This week: I am speaking at a meeting on war and the nuclear threat on

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

Mag. 3.8 earthquake – New Zealand on Sunday, Dec 15, 2024, at 10:34 am (GMT +12)

Volcano Discovery

List and interactive map of current and past earthquakes near Yellowstone volcano. … It is the most active vent inside the huge Tengger caldera and …

Sunday’s NUCLEAR WORLD’s NEWS, (12/15/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

U.S. oil giant’s CEO is a fan of this nuclear energy technology and thinks there could be a …

Yahoo Finance

“It’s all to understand where that technology is moving and think about applications,” Wirth explained, adding that Chevron also hperience ..

Amazon’s New Year Surprise: A $1 Billion Bet on Nuclear Power | The Motley Fool

The Motley Fool

When you hear the name Amazon.com (AMZN -0.66%), a couple of things probably pop to mind. E-commerce, first and most obviously — after all, Amazon is .

2-billion-year-old nuclear reactor found: It generated energy for more than … – ECOticias.com

ECOticias.com

This remarkable revelation was the first direct evidence of natural nuclear fission, and it altered substantially all our views about nuclear physics.

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Transformer fire shuts unit of South Carolina nuclear power station | Reuters

Reuters

A transformer at a nuclear power plant in South Carolina caught fire on Sunday, burning for about 30 minutes, but no nuclear material was in …

U.S. oil giant’s CEO is a fan of this nuclear energy technology and thinks there could be a …

Yahoo Finance

Chevron CEO Mike Wirth sees promise in small modular nuclear reactors, which have become popular in the tech sector recently, and signaled openness to …

Europe fears nuclear catastrophe: This plant sets off all alarms due to risk of explosion

ECOticias.com

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, located in eastern Ukraine, has been a focal point of global attention due to the conflict in this country.

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Russian air strikes endanger Ukraine’s nuclear power plants – MSN

MSN

Their destruction could plunge the country into a blackout and trigger a nuclear emergency, Ukraine’s Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko told the …

Putin’s nuclear submarine detected off UK coast sparking emergency meeting – MSN

MSN

Putin’s nuclear submarine detected off UK coast sparking emergency … We EXPLORE UKS TOP SECRET NUCLEAR Bunker DEEP UNDERGROUND With Power & Water …

Nuclear War

NEWS

In Conversation with Jon Finer: Recent Developments in the Biden Administration’s WMD Policies

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Join the Arms Control Association and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace for a discussion on the Biden Administration’s nuclear …

A Cold War-era bomb shelter in Florida has new owners. What’s going on there?

USA Today

A crypto-mining cabal? The ‘ultimate man cave’? Someone just bought a nuclear bomb shelter in Florida. Neighbors have questions.

Inheriting the Bomb: Ukraine’s Nuclear Disarmament and Why It Matters | Events

Middlebury College

Dr. Mariana Budjeryn of Harvard University’s Project on Managing the Atom will be in conversation with Professor Stephen Herzog of the James …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Prominent Iranian Figure Issues Threat To Qatar In Case Of US Attack – i24NEWS

i24 News

Prominent Iranian figure issues threat to Qatar in case of US attack. A former member of the Iranian delegation to the P5+1 talks published threats in …

Navigating Geopolitical Threats In The Insurance Sector – Analysis – Eurasia Review

Eurasia Review

… risks (generative artificial intelligence and cybersecurity threats, among others) have exacerbated insurance premiums across the board for all …

Russian nuclear test threats: Kremlin’s alarming rhetoric – MSN

MSN

Such reports are elements of the information war conducted by the Russian Federation. … Putin’s nuclear threats lose impact as West ignores red lines.

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

What would happen if the real volcano at Yellowstone erupted? Taylor Sheridan’s show’s …

Soap Central

The Yellowstone volcano is located at the Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. In naming his show after a volcanic site, Sheridan played with …

Mag. 2.5 quake – North Pacific Ocean, 59 km east of Kuji, Iwate, Japan, on Sunday, Dec 15 …

Volcano Discovery

More on VolcanoDiscovery. Yellowstone quakes · Yellowstone quakes · Latest earthquakes under Yellowstone volcano … caldera, and Ijen in East Java.

Saturday’s NUCLEAR WORLD’s NEWS, (12/14/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Will Joe Biden Take Away Donald Trump’s Nuclear Power? – YouTube

YouTube

… nuclear weapons aimed to curb unilateral power as Donald Trump prepares to return to the Oval Office in January. Currently, the States vests all …

Amazon’s New Year Surprise: A $1 Billion Bet on Nuclear Power – The Globe and Mail

The Globe and Mail

When you hear the name Amazon.com(NASDAQ: AMZN), a couple of things probably pop to mind. E-commerce, first and most obviously — after all, …

Gudziak: Russia’s war on Ukraine undermines global, nuclear security – St. Louis Review –

St. Louis Review –

… nuclear proliferation, Archbishop Borys A. Gudziak of the Ukrainian … All Things New · Catholic St. Louis magazine · Eucharistic Revival …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

NJ’s largest utility firm begs feds to shut down airspace over nuclear plant as mystery drones spotted

New York Post

Aerial view of Salem Nuclear Power Plant and Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Station on the Delaware Concerns are growing amid a spate of mystery …

Will Joe Biden Take Away Donald Trump’s Nuclear Power? – YouTube

YouTube

Biden Trump News | Will Joe Biden Take Away Donald Trump’s Nuclear Power? | US Nuclear News | N18G President Joe Biden is under immense Democratic …

Powering the AI revolution through nuclear – is the timing right? – Arcadis

Arcadis

… power generation, its widespread implementation is not without roadblocks. Current nuclear power sources consist of large-scale power plants that …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Europe fears nuclear catastrophe: This plant sets off all alarms due to risk of explosion

ECOticias.com

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, located in eastern … There is emergency diesel generation support, but between emergencies, the plant …

Nuclear power provides ’24/7 electricity’ for ‘reliable’ energy production – MSN

MSN

Nuclear power provides ’24/7 electricity’ for ‘reliable’ energy production … Moldova Declares State of Emergency in Energy Sector. Dagens.com (AU).

Nuclear War

NEWS

Dialectics of a Different War: How Syria’s Collapse Could Impact Israel’s Nuclear Deterrence …

Jurist.org

Iranian threats of biological warfare, biological terrorism, electromagnetic weapons (EMP), or massive conventional attack. A good place for Israeli …

World War 3 soon? Trump planning to strike Iranian nuclear sites – YouTube

YouTube

US President-elect Donald Trump is weighing options to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon and a preemptive strike on Iranian nuclear …

Mystery Drones and Nuclear Stability – WSJ

WSJ

Which brings us to a big lacuna in the popular new book by Annie Jacobsen, “Nuclear War: A Scenario.” She treats the world’s nuclear arsenals as a …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Dialectics of a Different War: How Syria’s Collapse Could Impact Israel’s Nuclear Deterrence …

Jurist.org

… nuclear threats could extend to threats of nuclear counter-retaliation. … nuclear conflict would enlarge the risks of an inadvertent nuclear war.

Russia Launches Missile Attack on Ukraine’s Energy Infrastructure – The New York Times

The New York Times

… threats that the attacks pose to nuclear safety. “The international community must increase pressure on Russia for its deliberate attempts to …

Ira Helfand: A bomb survivors warn of nuclear danger – Daily Hampshire Gazette

Daily Hampshire Gazette

In fact Russian President Vladimir Putin makes almost daily threats to use his nuclear …

LLAW’s All Things Nuclear #830, Friday, (12/13/2024)

NUCLEAR INSANITY & THE LAST DAYS OF HUMAN DEPRAVITY . . . ~ LLAW

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Dec 13, 2024

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Lonesome Land and how nuclear war is the Trail’s End . . .

LLAW’s NUCLEAR WORLD NEWS TODAY AND THEIR RISKS & CONSEQUENCES TOMORROW

Today’s blog post is not from a news article, but rather it is a poem written by my uncle Albert Pendergraft who came home from World War I with a serious case of “shell-shock”, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as it’s called today.

It was that war, mainly a ground war fought with rifles, grenades, and bayonets that took thousands upon thousands of unnecessary lives and ruined more thousands of survivors’ lives to the point of mental anguish, including suicide, that told the horrid story of war even before World War II that eventually ended with the first and only nuclear bombs ever used in an actual war. But the point is that the very act of war is a travesty that mankind has invented from our caveman days all the way up until now that the next world war will only be fought with nuclear weapons that will, if such a war happens, kill us all, soldiers and civilians — men, women, children, and other life — in a matter of hours, including the few survivors over time.

Such a war is a crisis that must never happen, yet humanity is at the doorstep of facing extinction by, for, and caused solely among ourselves. All it will take is one bad Actor with a nuclear bomb at his disposal . . . ~llaw

My uncle, Albert Pendergraft, committed suicide in 1944, apparently from a longtime overdose of alcohol and depression from serving in the travesty of World War I. He shot himself in the head with an S&W .38-Special revolver. Born just three years before his death, I have no recall of the suicide event, but Albert, no doubt unintentionally, left a life-long gift for me – or for anyone else who cared to partake of it for what it was and still is. So far as I know, though, I am the only one who did partake of the deep humanitarian meaning of the poem, though my older brother may have.

The gift was what I believe was his suicide note – a poem of love for the land he roamed that depicted a key part of the philosophy of his lonesome life. For several years late in his life he was a ditch rider. No doubt he was a reluctant recluse; he had great love for the world of Earth Goddess Gaia and Her planet, but little love for his fellow man or their gods.

Albert was born on a remote ranch in Johnson County, Wyoming, in 1894, just four years after Territorial Wyoming became an admitted member of the United States. The son of a Texas Trail cowboy, he spoke so seldom that he became known as ‘Silent Al’, though I believe his thoughts ran deeper than most men could have understood, which probably contributed to his quiet disposition as well as to his death.

He loved the land he knew – Wyoming’s rugged ranges and fertile basins – and his poem explicitly expresses that deep love. But it also expresses something much more profound: the futility of men’s efforts (or “follies” in his words) as they clamor along together. He surely understood the futility of clamor, had little use for it, and his silence perhaps succeeded in some small way toward not adding to the chaos of it all. Or maybe his silence was simply his protest against the futility of war.

All my mindful life I have somehow kept his poem scribed and always in my mind, and close to my heart. I’ve spent countless hours caught up in its quiet, silent, expression of the comfort and solace of solitude. Over the years, especially during my senior years, I’ve edited and carefully revised Albert’s poem, taking great care to ensure that its gentle, quiet, allegorical yet meaningful beauty and the integrity of its poetic cadence and phrases remain true to his writing and his meaning. Albert may have meant for the poem to be a campfire song rather than sheer poetry, for in the original work he used the words ‘Lonesome Land’ in every verse as a secondary rhyme, perhaps for alliteration or a musical beat, at the end of every couplet – or 24 times in the 12 verses of the original poem.

The poem has never been published before except as an eight verse poem by one of his brother Ray’s publications titled “Seven Sections off the Beaten Trail” in 1990, and in a July 1, 2000, preview issue of the reborn “Territorial Enterprise” (Nevada’s oldest newspaper of Mark Twain fame) that I had purchased (leased) the rights and trademark to in a short-lived effort to bring the famous publication back to life as a semi-monthly western news and review newspaper-like magazine, primarily directed at tourists to Nevada’s Virginia City. Ironically, though, it was this effort that contributed to the writing and eventual publication of my first novel. Some of the verses are used in this two-volume historical novel’s manuscript The Sweetwater Conspiracy: the Legend of Cattle Kate.

Lonesome Land

a poem by Albert Pendergraft (1894 – 1944)

(edited by Lloyd Albert Williams – Pendergraft

You’re a lonesome land, an empty land;

You’re a land that is rugged and bare;

You’re a hard and untamed lonesome land —

A wild land that’s demanding but fair.

When I pause on some sun-blistered hill

And gaze far o’er your broad boundless range,

Where the brisk restless winds never still,

And swift sunlight and cloud shadows change,

There’s a song in my heart and an ache,

And a longing, indefinite, sad;

There’s contentment that sorrow can’t take,

And my troubles seem gone, and I’m glad.

In the night while the hours slowly pass,

And a wolf sounds her long mournful cry,

When the wind whispers low in the grass,

And the stars circle silently by,

Then the spirit of you holds me fast

In a spell that cannot be undone.

While the days of my lifetime shall last,

You have blessed me and made me your son.

Then softly to me comes your low voice

When I’m so weary and far away;

Faintly, I hear you, with warm rejoice,

For you are calling me home to stay.

Again and again I hear your call

While I so long and wearily roam,

And my eyes fill with tears that would fall

Were it not that you’re calling me home.

Your voice promises comfort and peace

When I rest on your nurturing breast;

Then all my cares and sorrows shall cease

And my somnolent soul shall find rest.

Give me strength till my battles are won

While along life’s lonely trails I plod;

Then at last when my journey is done

Let me rest for all time ‘neath your sod.

Let my spirit roam free in your hills

And keep watch as the ages pass by –

Till the clamor of human-kind stills

And mere men and their follies shall die –

Till the heavens and earth have grown old

And the endless dark night has drawn on –

When the sun in your path has grown cold –

And the days of creation are gone.

– by Albert Pendergraft, 1944

vvv

Copyright (©2008) L A Williams-Pendergraft

Albert’s poem will always ring true to me and comfort me when I am cold, lonely, weary, and worried for it echoes my love for the Earth Goddess Gaia as well as my concerns that men’s abysmal follies are not in the best interests of the earth, mankind, or the cosmos nor even creation:


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ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’a ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:

(Please note that the Saturday and Sunday NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS are also added below by category, to Monday’s news posts in order to maintain continuity of nuclear news as well as for research for the overall information provided in “LLAW;s All Things Nuclear”.)

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

  1. All Things Nuclear
  2. Nuclear Power
  3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
  4. Nuclear War
  5. Nuclear War Threats
  6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are no Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in today’s Post.)
  7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’s NUCLEAR WORLD’s NEWS, Friday, (12/13/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

News Roundup: Study tracks potential nuclear discharge in Cape Cod Bay – WCAI

WCAI

This week: That million gallons of radioactive water that could be released from the Pilgrim nuclear … All Things Considered · Podcasts …more …

Never mind the fact the Coalition’s nuclear proposal is a fantasy – it doesn’t even claim to …

The Guardian

That’s not because nuclear energy is necessarily a terrible idea, in a global sense. While waste is an issue, nuclear plants offer zero-emissions …

Nuclear Science Week returns to Idaho – Idaho National Laboratory

Idaho National Laboratory

… Nuclear Science Week, which takes place the third week of October every year … “It exposes children to things they might not … View All News.

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Peter Dutton says nuclear ‘will make electricity cheaper’ but critics say Coalition costings a ‘fantasy’

The Guardian

It also assumes that locating nuclear power plants at retiring coal-plant sites reduces the new transmission infrastructure required and that laws …

The Coalition reveals the cost of its nuclear power plan – but the devil is in the missing detail

The Conversation

A successful transition to clean energy is vital to Australia’s prosperity. But the Coalition’s latest nuclear salvo leaves many unanswered …

The glaring gaps and unanswered questions in the Coalition’s nuclear plan and costings

The Guardian

The Australian Energy Market Operator (Aemo) looks at three scenarios for the electricity grid and Frontier based its modelling on two of them – …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Russia launches massive attack on Ukraine’s energy sector, minister says – CNN

CNN

Russia launched a new widespread attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure overnight, forcing the country to implement emergency power outages, …

UPDATE 1 – Moldova declares state of emergency over expected halt in Russian gas supplies

SeeNews

… energy minister Sebastian Burduja said. Romania’s nuclear power producer Nuclearelectrica [BSE:SNN] and hydro power supplier and producer …

Dutton’s nuclear plan a ‘heroic’, cherrypicked ‘recipe for higher energy bills’, experts say

ABC

Energy analysts say the Coalition’s nuclear plan will be more expensive, burn more carbon, result in a smaller economy, and be more disruptive …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Does Putin’s New ‘Oreshnik’ Missile Transform Rules of Nuclear Warfare?

Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

Newsweek spoke to John Erath, senior policy director for the Center for Arms Control and Proliferation, about whether Russia’s use of the Oreshnik …

Wargaming Nuclear Deterrence and Its Failures in a U.S.–China Conflict over Taiwan – CSIS

CSIS

A CSIS-MIT team ran a wargame 15 times to simulate a Chinese invasion of Taiwan when both sides could use nuclear weapons.

Switzerland plans revamp of Cold War-era nuclear bunker network | Reuters

Reuters

Switzerland wants to update its network of ageing nuclear shelters, which are increasingly seen as an asset at a time of greater global …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Vladimir Putin chillingly boasts new horror weapon ‘will make nukes virtually redundant’

Daily Express

… attack on Belarus or any critical threat to Russia’s sovereignty. Putin has often threatened or hinted at the prospect of a nuclear confrontation …

Ukraine has documented over a hundred attacks by Russia near nuclear facilities

Odessa Journal

“There have been over 120 cases of Russian missiles or drones flying over or near nuclear plants. Initially, the primary threat came from drones, but …

AI ‘godfather’ Geoffrey Hinton says AI will one day unite nations against a common existential threat

Business Insider

… nuclear war. Citing similar concerns … The United States and China are already beginning to collaborate on existential threats related to AI

IAEA Weekly News

13 December 2024

Read the top news and updates published on IAEA.org this week.

https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_165x110/public/3rdtfmission.jpg?itok=OoK_PN12

13 December 2024

IAEA Task Force Confirms Japan’s ALPS Treated Water Release Continues to Comply with International Safety Standards

The discharge of the ALPS treated water from Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) is progressing in line with international safety standards, the Task Force set up by the IAEA confirmed this week following its latest four-day mission to Japan. Read more →

https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_165x110/public/discoverychanneliaea.jpeg?itok=tj5w5umI

12 December 2024

Discovery Channel to Launch Educational Series on Nuclear Science with IAEA

The Discovery Channel is to air a series of short films about nuclear science and technology, made together with the IAEA, as part of a new strategic partnership to educate the public on nuclear-based solutions to global issues. Read more →

https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_165x110/public/dg-oslo.jpeg?itok=Ijnc8Dec

11 December 2024

IAEA Director General Calls for Diplomacy and Dialogue to Reduce Nuclear Tensions at Nobel Peace Prize Forum

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi delivered the keynote address at the Nobel Peace Prize Forum 2024, calling for diplomacy and dialogue to reduce nuclear tensions and prevent proliferation. Read more →

https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail_165x110/public/oncologycapacitiesindonesiaimpactreviewphoto2.png?itok=0ku77Lyy

10 December 2024

Indonesia Launches New National Cancer Control Plan Building on Review Mission Recommendations

Indonesia has used conclusions and recommendations gathered during two recent IAEA missions to inform the development of its new National Cancer Control Plan. Read more →

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9 December 2024

Dominican Republic Successfully Eradicate Mediterranean Fruit Fly Infestation in Record Time

In record time, the Dominican Republic was able to successfully contain a new incursion of the Mediterranean fruit fly, a highly destructive pest threatening agricultural production worldwide in 2024. Read more →

LLAW’s All Things Nuclear #829, Thursday, (12/12/2024)

NUCLEAR INSANITY & THE LAST DAYS OF HUMAN DEPRAVITY . . . ~ LLAW

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Dec 12, 2024

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See details of image and credits in the Al Jazeera article ~llaw)

LLAW’s NUCLEAR WORLD NEWS TODAY AND THEIR RISKS & CONSEQUENCES TOMORROW

There are four linked related articles to this must-read article from Melissa Parke, the Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), and this story, that brought a tight throat and tears to my eyes, ought to convince us all that “All Things Nuclear”, especially nuclear weapons of war — which now, in my estimation, includes all nuclear power plant facilities as well as nuclear waste —around the world must be eliminated from human existence rather than the other way around.

The United States atomic bombing of Japan in 1945 toll of deaths and other horrendous statistics in Ms. Parke’s story posted here should tell us all that the Earth, including human and most other life, will become uninhabitable in the event of any close to something like a nuclear WWIII.

An added negative comment about the previous U.S. president Donald J. Trump administration is an additional alert that should turn on the light-bulb warnings in all of our heads everywhere on planet Earth, because this attitude toward nuclear war cannot be tolerated. We should all understand now that “A nuclear war cannot be won.” ~llaw

Al Jazeera logo and symbol, meaning, history, PNG

Opinions|Nuclear Weapons

It’s time the world understands a nuclear war cannot be won

We all need to listen to the survivors of nuclear war, and support their struggle to convince all nuclear states to give up their arsenals.

  • Melissa ParkeExecutive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) (See more about Melissa Park and ICAN at the end of the article. ~llaw)

Published On 12 Dec 202412 Dec 2024

men in suits hold up a medal and a certificate in an ornatee hall
Chairman of the Nobel Committee Jørgen Watne Frydnes stands with, Terumi Tanaka, Shigemitsu Tanaka and Toshiyuki Mimaki, from left, representatives of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner Nihon Hidankyo, or the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, hold the award during the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony at the City Hall in Oslo, Norway, Tuesday, Dec 10, 2024 [AP Photo/Kin Cheung]

When United States President Ronald Reagan and his Soviet counterpart Mikhail Gorbachev met in Geneva in 1985 they agreed “A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.” It was the prelude to the beginning of the end of the Cold War nuclear arms race and subsequent deep cuts in American and Soviet – later Russian – arsenals.

Since then, the original five nuclear weapons states have reaffirmed this statement, most recently in 2022.

But some disagree and hark back to the military strategies of the 1950s that envisaged the use of nuclear weapons by troops on the battlefield to win wars. A recent example is former Trump administration official, David Lasseter, who argued “the Department of Defense (DoD) is not doing nearly enough to ensure the American warfighter is able to fight, survive, and win on a nuclear battlefield”.

The timing of such comments could not be more inopportune: as the Nobel Peace Prize is about to be awarded to Nihon Hidankyo – an organisation of hibakusha, the survivors of the US bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – for their lifelong campaigning for the elimination of nuclear weapons.

The 1945 atomic bombs that killed more than 200,000 people in Japan would today be called “tactical” nuclear weapons. The survivors of those “tactical” nuclear weapons are the real experts on what nuclear war means. They crawled through the rubble of the world’s first, and thankfully only, nuclear war. It is cynical indeed for armchair warriors, particularly those with ties to the companies building nuclear weapons, to advocate strategies based on unproven theories, not real-life experience.

The hibakusha alive today were children when their cities were devastated by American atomic bombs 80 years ago. Their average age is now 86.

Sumiteru Taniguchi, who died in 2017, was 16 years old when Nagasaki was attacked. At the time of the explosion, he was riding his bicycle. “In the flash of the explosion,” he recounted, “I was blown off the bicycle from behind and slapped down against the ground.” When he lifted his head, he saw that the children who had been playing all around him just moments before were dead.

He suffered severe burns and his wounds quickly became infected. He spent almost four years in hospital recovering from his injuries, including 21 months lying on his stomach. He had to have 10 surgeries later in life to remove growths from the scarred areas of his body. The pain and discomfort from the injuries never went away.

It is estimated that 38,000 children were killed in the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The fact that so many children were killed, maimed and harmed in other lingering ways in the attacks motivated the survivors, like Taniguchi, who served as chair of the Nagasaki Council of A-Bomb Sufferers for many years, to devote their lives to working to ensure no one ever again has to suffer as they did.

The testimony of the survivors graphically shows that the idea that nuclear war can be fought and won on the battlefield is dangerous, grotesque nonsense that makes nuclear war more likely. As Annie Jocobsen’s recent book Nuclear War: A Scenario made clear, the use of a nuclear weapon would quickly escalate and result in a major exchange that would not just kill tens or hundreds of thousands near the explosions, but would end the world as we know it in a matter of minutes. It would cause a nuclear winter that would lead to the collapse of food production, famine and the deaths of billions of people. The impact on global biodiversity and the economy is nearly impossible to imagine.

In response to nuclear threats that Russia has made during the Ukraine conflict, the co-chair of Nihon Hidankyo, Terumi Tanaka, who was 13 when Nagasaki was bombed, says the use of nuclear weapons would spell “the end of the human race” and that leaders like President Putin “don’t realise the extent of the damage that can be done”.

The leaders of all the nuclear-armed countries need to ignore the siren voices that tell them nuclear war can be fought and won and instead listen to the hibakusha who are urging them to eliminate their arsenals before it is too late.

After Nihon Hidankyo was told it had won the Peace Prize, another of its co-chairs, Toshiyuki Mimaki, from Hiroshima, said the award would help bring the end of nuclear weapons closer, saying, “It would be a great force to appeal to the world that the abolition of nuclear weapons can be achieved … Nuclear weapons should absolutely be abolished.”

The hibakusha achieved a major step towards this goal when they played a leading role in the creation of the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, the TPNW. The treaty bans nuclear weapons and all activities associated with them outright. It came into force in 2021 and half of all countries have already signed or ratified it.

The TPNW provides the pathway under international law for all nuclear-armed states to get rid of their weapons. This year’s Nobel Peace Prize underlines that the governments of these countries have no more excuses – they should listen to Nihon Hidankyo and the hibakusha, join the treaty and eliminate their arsenals.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.


  • Melissa ParkeExecutive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN)Melissa Parke is Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), winner of the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize. She formerly worked for the United Nations in Gaza, Kosovo, New York and Lebanon and served as Australia’s Minister for International Development.

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(Please note that the Saturday and Sunday NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS are also added below by category, to Monday’s news posts in order to maintain continuity of nuclear news as well as for research for the overall information provided in “LLAW;s All Things Nuclear”.)

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

  1. All Things Nuclear
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Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’s NUCLEAR WORLD’s NEWS, Thursday, (12/12/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Iran’s nuclear phoenix may yet rise from the ashes of Gaza, Lebanon, Syria – The Hill

The Hill

… about causing “an all-out war” in the Middle East. In Blinken’s own … Iran is fully intent on achieving nuclear breakout and on amassing a sizable …

Nuclear energy bill goes to Ohio governor with state park fracking provisions – WOSU

WOSU

All Things Considered. Next Up: 6:00 PM Marketplace. 0:00. 0:00. All Things … Nuclear energy bill goes to Ohio governor with state park fracking …

Sodium-cooled prototype fast breeder reactor could massively boost energy production

Interesting Engineering

… about all things that fall under science and tech. News energy. POPULAR ARTICLES. 1. space · New nuclear electric propulsion partnership to bring fast …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

As energy needs grow nationwide, some officials look to nuclear energy as a solution

YouTube

As tension over the proposed Maryland Piedmont Reliability Project continues to rise, some lawmakers are looking to Governor Wes Moore to explore …

S&P 500 Nuclear Leader Constellation Energy Tops Indexes After Upgrade

Investor’s Business Daily

Nuclear energy leader Constellation Energy led the S&P 500 early Thursday after receiving a stock upgrade and price target hike.

Critics say Diablo Canyon nuclear plant produces too much power at too high a price

KPBS

San Diego county’s nuclear power plant, San Onofre, was closed more than 10 years ago. But the Diablo Canyon plant is still cranking out gigawatts …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

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Ukraine Faces Rising Risk of Nuclear Plants Incident, US Warns – Bloomberg

Bloomberg

IAEA’s board of governors convened emergency meeting in Vienna. The turbine hall of the Rivne Nuclear Power Plant in Varash, Ukraine.&nbsp. The …

Ukraine Faces Rising Risk of Nuclear Plants Incident, US Warns | Financial Post

Financial Post

… power grid have increased the probability of a catastrophic nuclear … emergency meeting of the United Nations atomic watchdog. Author of the …

Nuclear Energy: A Missed Opportunity for Maine

The Maine Wire

… emergenciesNuclear is one of the safest energy sources when measured by fatalities per unit of electricity produced. Myth: Nuclear waste is …

Nuclear War

NEWS

It’s time the world understands a nuclear war cannot be won – Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera

We all need to listen to the survivors of nuclear war, and support their quest to rid the world of all nuclear weapons.

WATCH LIVE: Pentagon holds news briefing as U.S. warns Russia may use new missile …

PBS

Within hours of the attack on the military facility, Russian President Vladimir Putin took the rare step of speaking on national TV to boast about the …

Amid Russian bombing, Ukraine is planning more nuclear reactors – The Economist

The Economist

RUSSIAN MISSILES have knocked out roughly half of Ukraine’s pre-war electricity-generation capacity. But because Russia has refrained from blowing …

Nuclear War Threats

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European nations threaten ‘snap back’ sanctions on Iran – JNS.org

JNS

European nations threaten ‘snap back’ sanctions on Iran. The threat comes after IAEA head Rafael Grossi confirmed Tehran has sharply increased uranium ..

Russia’s nuclear policy adjustment sends clear signal – China Military

China Military

… nuclear threats, supported by military nuclear exercises and missile tests. … nuclear strike and making Europe feel the “chill” of a nuclear war.

Editorial: Voices of Japan’s A-bomb survivors must drive world’s elimination of nukes – The Mainichi

mainichi.jp

Russia, which has continued its war on Ukraine, has repeatedly made nuclear threats, lowering the hurdle for the weapons’ use. China, meanwhile .

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

Grizzly bears and the Yellowstone Supervolcano, that’s what got readers’ attention in 2024

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Stories about bears, wolves, bison and elk, and their home on the range, Yellowstone Park, paid the bills at the Gazette this year.

LLAW’s All Things Nuclear #828, Wednesday, (12/11/2024)

NUCLEAR INSANITY & THE LAST DAYS OF HUMAN DEPRAVITY? ~ LLAW

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Dec 11, 2024

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Photo: Fei Huang via Getty Images

LLAW’s NUCLEAR WORLD NEWS WE FACE TODAY AND THEIR RISKS FOR TOMORROW

This article by Heather Williams is long but still a resolute and purposeful study of the limited future of AI, especially in the field of nuclear command, control, and communication (or decision-making) if we, as humans, want to maintain control of our very existence. As she quotes from U.S. Strategic Command General Anthony Cotton early on in the transcript, the premier concept of the use of AI for help with human intelligence is to control it. He said: “It’s not about . . . having a machine present forces to the president of the United States. It’s just the opposite of that.”

The article is a must read for all of us who care about our future from both “all things nuclear” as well as Artificial Intelligence (AI). But still, let us hope that this same strategic control from humanity itself applies as well to our counsel of reelected incoming president here in the United Sates of America. ~llaw

Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) | ALNAP

Updating Nuclear Command, Control, and Communication

Photo: Fei Huang via Getty Images
Photo: Fei Huang via Getty Images

Published December 10, 2024

In the coming years, the United States’ nuclear arsenal is likely to change in two important ways. First, recent statements by Biden administration officials suggest the United States may expand its nuclear modernization plans. In a speech on August 1, 2024, former acting assistant secretary of defense for space policy Vipin Narang stated, “Absent a change in the nuclear trajectories of the PRC, Russia, and North Korea, we may reach a point where a change in the size or posture of our current deployed forces is necessary.” The reason for a potential expansion is the rapidly changing strategic landscape, and the growth of Russian and Chinese arsenals with no arms control agreements to constrain them or prevent arms racing. To maintain a credible deterrent for the new strategic landscape, the argument goes, the United States should revisit and potentially expand its nuclear modernization plans.

Updating nuclear command, control, and communication will be an essential piece of nuclear modernization plans. Nuclear command, control, and communication enables the president to decide when, where, and how to use nuclear weapons and communicate that decision to strategic forces. Nuclear command and control is often described as the “fourth leg” of the nuclear triad, which includes intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), and nuclear-capable aircraft. But that description of a “fourth leg” isn’t quite right: nuclear command and control is more like the top of the three-legged stool holding all the other legs together. Without a credible nuclear command and control system, nuclear deterrence would be undermined.

The second change is technological: in a speech on October 28, 2024, the commander of the U.S. Strategic Command General Anthony Cotton outlined a new approach for incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies to inform nuclear decisionmaking. At an event at CSIS on November 19, 2024, General Cotton expanded on this vision to explain how artificial intelligence could be useful in increasing efficiency in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, as one example. He said explicitly, “It’s not about . . . having a machine present forces to the president of the United States. It’s just the opposite of that.”

AI integration is now an unavoidable reality in many of the capabilities that feed into the nuclear command, control, and communication system of systems, particularly for threat identification and tracking. In practice, this could look like reliance on AI in threat tracking, information processing, and verification, with the important caveats that this could be certified and verified.

If Nuclear Command and Control Fails, Deterrence Fails

The overarching objective of nuclear command, control, and communication is to support presidential decisionmaking in a crisis. This requires providing accurate information about nuclear use and/or incoming threats, facilitating communication with advisers, and executing nuclear strikes. According to the 2022 U.S. Nuclear Posture Review, the main functions of nuclear command, control, and communication are, “detection, warning, and attack characterization; adaptive nuclear planning; decision-making conferencing; receiving and executing Presidential orders; and enabling the management and direction of forces.” While nuclear command, control, and communication is indeed a highly technical issue, ultimately it is about enabling the president to make the hardest decision of their presidency.

In the event a president was faced with a decision of whether or not to use nuclear weapons, they would likely confer with close military and political advisors and be presented with a series of preplanned targeting options but could also request other options through a rapid adaptive planning process. If the decision was made to use nuclear weapons, this would be communicated to the appropriate military commands, which would authenticate the orders. The nuclear command, control, and communication system would then generate an emergency action message, correlated to a specific option in a code book, which would be transmitted to military commanders and operators who would unlock codes for a weapon system with multiple officers authenticating the order before executing. From even this brief summary of the nuclear command, control, and communication process, one thing should be obvious: it relies heavily on electronic communications to get information to the president, relay the president’s decision, and authentic orders.

The United States’ current nuclear command, control, and communication system is a complex system of systems and largely a legacy of the Cold War. It includes ground-based phased array radars and overhead persistent infrared satellites (OPIR) to identify and track incoming threats, an Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) system to support crisis communication, along with a survivable and secure architecture, known as the “thin line,” which should be able to function in an electromagnetic pulse (EMP)–contaminated environment. The system also includes aircraft with the ability to serve as a nuclear command post, such as the E6-B, which is currently being upgraded.

Modernizing the U.S. nuclear arsenal will also require updating nuclear command, control, and communication. Due to political and budgetary constraints, the modernization programs for the three legs of the triad are not staggered but all occurring concurrently, with the rollout of new capabilities expected in the late 2020s and early 2030s. The replacement programs are already facing challenges. The Sentinel program, for example, is estimated to cost at least 81 percent more than anticipated with a delay of several years. One of the primary reasons for the cost overrun has been command and control, as the program requires replacing command centers and command and control facilities.

Nuclear command, control, and communication modernization is currently focused on updating and increasing resilience in current systems to include satellite, aircraft, and communication technology. But nuclear command, control, and communication modernization also includes plans to replace many legacy systems. For example, the FY 2025 budget request included $1.05 billion for research, development, testing, and evaluation of its Evolved Strategic SATCOM (ESS) program, which will replace AEHF in 2032, intending to be jam-resistant and survivable.

Two Peer Competition Challenges for Nuclear Command, Control, and Communication

Many of our assumptions about nuclear command and control remain rooted in the Cold War and are simply outdated and don’t apply to the new strategic landscape. For example, there is a widespread belief that the president will only have 10–30 minutes to make a decision about nuclear use; but that is perhaps the least likely scenario in an environment where nuclear risks include low-yield tactical nuclear use in a regional conflict with no direct threat to the U.S. homeland. And while much attention has been given to whether or not the United States should incorporate AI into nuclear command, control, and communication, these debates risk missing the bigger picture: AI will have a role to play in this new nuclear command, control, and communication system, but it should be tied to strategic objectives and the new threat environment.

The growth of China’s arsenal, along with ongoing expansion in Russian and North Korean nuclear capabilities in the absence of arms control has prompted the rethinking of nuclear modernization plans. For example, the 2023 bipartisan Strategic Posture Commission concluded “the nuclear force modernization POR [program of record] is absolutely essential, although not sufficient to meet the new threats posed by Russia and China.” Just as the administration evaluated plans for modernization of the triad in a two-peer environment, the United States should evaluate nuclear command, control, and communication modernization plans for this new environment.

There are at least three important trends in the emerging strategic environment with implications for nuclear command, control, and communication. First, the United States’ adversaries are primarily interested in nuclear weapons for coercive purposes to support their regional ambitions. This has been particularly notable in Russia’s attempts at nuclear bullying in Ukraine to include nuclear drills and repeated mention of Russia’s nuclear arsenal. Additionally, both Russia and China are expanding their arsenals with dual-capable intermediate-range systems. The regional focus on nuclear risks differs somewhat from Cold War concerns when there was a fear among U.S. political and military leaders about a disarming first strike, which came with short decisionmaking time in a use-it-or-lose-it scenario.

Adversaries’ reliance on nuclear weapons for regional coercion could have implications for nuclear command, control, and communication and presidential decisionmaking time. As previously mentioned, many experts continue to rely on Cold War assumptions that the president would only have 10–30 minutes to make a decision about nuclear use. This assumption underpins many of the criticisms of the current nuclear decisionmaking process, arguing that no single individual should be expected to make a reasonable decision in such a short period of time and this policy should be revisited, or the United States should increase reliance on AI to get the president the necessary information in the compressed timeline. But these arguments are based on a Cold War model that assumed the Soviet Union would be launching a major attack on the U.S. homeland, putting at risk the ICBM and air legs of the nuclear triad. While the United States cannot rule out the possibility of future threats to the U.S. homeland, this is not the most likely scenario now. A 2024 report by the Congressional Research Service noted that “although the prompt launch options may have dominated U.S. planning during the Cold War, they may no longer dominate U.S. nuclear war plans.”

But the regional focus of adversaries’ nuclear threats could complicate nuclear decisionmaking in other ways by thickening the fog of war, a second trend with implications for nuclear command, control, and communication. The United States’ adversaries are already colluding on a host of issues and should be expected to enable each other in a crisis, as North Korea and Iran have done in Russia’s war in Ukraine. A more dangerous scenario would be an adversary taking advantage of a crisis in another theater to pursue their own regional ambitions and threaten U.S. allies. Russia, Iran, and increasingly China rely on disinformation as part of a wider strategy to undermine U.S. alliances and sow plausible (or implausible) doubt about their intentions. All these factors add to greater complexity and uncertainty, with a deluge of information and potentially conflicting signals, which would be problematic for presidential decisionmaking.

A third implication of the new two-peer environment on nuclear command, control, and communication is new vulnerabilities, particularly in the space and cyber domains. A study by the Nuclear Threat Initiative found that nearly 90 percent of nuclear weapons systems will get new digital components as part of modernization to include nuclear command, control, and communication. Technology is an important trait of two peer competition. China has already launched cyberattacks on U.S. critical infrastructure, such as attacks on ports and power grids, and the FBI has warned that China has pre-positioned cyber assets with the “ability to physically wreak havoc on our critical infrastructure at a time of its choosing.” Additionally, as revealed earlier this year, Russia appears to be developing a capability to put a nuclear weapon in space, which would put at risk not only U.S. (and others’) military satellites but also commercial and communication assets used every day by the general public. What this means for nuclear command, control, and communication is that resilience will have to be a priority in the modernization process to include building in redundancies and ensuring a continuous means of communication and operations.

Nuclear Command, Control, and Communication Needs to Evolve Faster

The priority for nuclear command, control, and communication modernization, like legacy systems, should remain to facilitate presidential decisionmaking in a crisis, but these crises could look very different from crises of the past. Presidential decisionmaking could be complicated by an influx of information and confusion created by a multiple adversary environment, potentially involving multiple theaters. With these new challenges in mind, nuclear command, control, and communication modernization efforts should consider at least five options for responding to the new strategic landscape.

First, while many of the criticisms of sole authority overstate the time constraints, they do raise valid questions and concerns about the president’s familiarity with nuclear issues. A crisis should not be the first time a president has to consider the risks of nuclear use. Historically, some presidents have been extremely well-versed in nuclear issues and have taken a personal interest in understanding the risks associated with nuclear weapons. As Ankit Panda argued in a recent Project Atom study, deterrence strategies and nuclear postures should consider, “how current and future presidents may weigh response options.” Part of nuclear command, control, and communication modernization, therefore, should also include review and revision of the presidential briefings on nuclear issues at the start of a term, along with exercises for presidential advisors who would be called upon in the event of a nuclear crisis.

Second, like in the Cold War, in the new strategic environment, the president will be particularly hungry for concrete information and answers to complicated questions. Questions the president might ask include: Was the attack authorized or unauthorized? What is happening in the conventional conflict? What are our allies saying? How do I know the information you are giving me is accurate? For this reason, the intelligence community has an important role to play in collecting information before a crisis and confirming it during one. The Director of National Intelligence should not only increase the collection and analysis of adversaries’ nuclear strategies and employment doctrines, as recommended by the Strategic Posture Commission, but also be part of nuclear command, control, and communication modernization discussions to understand what questions the president might be asking in a crisis and to ensure intelligence can be relayed with confidence.

Third, to facilitate the transmission of all this information, some of which might be processed using AI, communication channels will need increased bandwidth. Modern presidents are used to 5G-speed communication, whether that be in their official duties or their personal lives. Even in a regional crisis, communication assets may be compromised and limit the ability to get accurate information to the president in a digestible format. John Harvey recommended, “To support consultations among allies, partners and potentially adversaries, in addition to senior military and advisors in complex conflict scenarios involving, say, combined offense and defense, nuclear and conventional operations . . . will require global, secure, high-quality voice, video and data transmissions that are resilient in stressed nuclear environments and go well beyond what was required for the Cold War mission.” Bandwidth should be a priority.

Fourth, nuclear command, control, and communication modernization will need to take a hybrid approach to AI integration. Experts such as Lowther and McGiffin call for increasing reliance on AI in nuclear command, control, and communication to include not only detecting an attack but also, potentially, preprogramming a response in the event of an incapacitated leadership. On the other hand, experts such as Saltini fear that AI models would be dangerous in nuclear command, control, and communication because of “their opaque nature, unpredictability, and susceptibility to cyber-attacks.” General Cotton’s comments suggest a more hybrid approach, explaining, “AI will enhance our decision-making capabilities. But we should never allow artificial intelligence to make those decisions for us.” Identifying the opportunities and risks of AI integration in NC3 is an ongoing exercise.

As a final consideration, given the rapid rate of technological change and adversaries’ advances in space and cyber threats, systems currently in prototype could be obsolete by the time they reach production. The current nuclear modernization efforts have not set an encouraging precedent for delivering programs on time and to budget, but the entire nuclear enterprise has been neglected for decades and cannot readily be “switched on” to innovate to keep up with the threat. As described by former STRATCOM commander General Hyten, “A lot of elements of the nuclear enterprise, we don’t have time—everything is just in time.” Nuclear command, control, and communication modernization should be survivable in a new technological environment, but it should also be flexible allowing for the new strategic environment.

Moving Towards Persistent, Flexible Modernization

The Department of Defense is already exploring new ways to be more adaptable. One example of this is ESS, which uses alternate acquisition pathways to encourage partnership with private sector innovation teams for different segments of development to allow for rapid prototyping and development. Another example is the Space Development Agency’s business model to harness commercial satellite development in delivering a new layer of low Earth orbit satellites, which will be operational in late 2024 and include 28 satellites for use by Indo-Pacific Command. At the same time, nuclear command, control, and communication modernization should not focus on future threats at the expense of current or legacy ones. For example, the United States cannot rule out the prospect of threats to the homeland over the next decade and therefore should continue to allow for presidential decisionmaking within a compressed timeline. The United States should not assume undue risk in the process of evolving faster.

The United States might need to confront an uncomfortable reality: to stay apace with the technological and threat environments, nuclear command, control, and communication modernization will not be an isolated endeavor, but rather a constant and persistent mission. For example, the Strategic Posture Commission called for prioritizing adaptive cyber defenses for nuclear command, control, and communication, along with strategic delivery platforms and warheads. This is not a one-and-done project. It will require constant innovation and evolution.

Heather Williams is director of the Project on Nuclear Issues and senior fellow with the Defense Studies Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.

This commentary was made possible by the support of Lockheed Martin Space.


Commentary is produced by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a private, tax-exempt institution focusing on international public policy issues. Its research is nonpartisan and nonproprietary. CSIS does not take specific policy positions. Accordingly, all views, positions, and conclusions expressed in this publication should be understood to be solely those of the author(s).

© 2024 by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. All rights reserved.


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ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ACCESS TO “LLAW’a ALL THINGS NUCLEAR” RELATED MEDIA:

(Please note that the Saturday and Sunday NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS are also added below by category, to Monday’s news posts in order to maintain continuity of nuclear news as well as for research for the overall information provided in “LLAW;s All Things Nuclear”.)

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

  1. All Things Nuclear
  2. Nuclear Power
  3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
  4. Nuclear War
  5. Nuclear War Threats
  6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There is one Yellowstone Caldera bonus story available in today’s Post.)
  7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’s NUCLEAR WORLD’s NEWS, Wednesday, (12/11/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Forget Small… What about Micro Nuclear Energy? | Watch – MSN

MSN

nuclear energy debate rages on. It’s not considered the go-to solution in the renewable energy transition. Solar, wind, and hydro are getting all …

President Trump Must Put the Nuclear Enterprise on a Wartime Footing

The Heritage Foundation

Further, the next NNSA Administrator should ignore everything that is not weapons-related. The Secretary of Energy can focus on renewable energy …

US Navy christens nuclear submarine USS Arkansas

Navy Times

… all things Navy. SIGN UP NOW. Sections. Navy Times Logo Pay & Benefits … — The nuclear submarine Arkansas was christened Saturday, almost a …2/11/2024)

Nuclear Power

NEWS

US offers six companies contracts to make uranium fuel for nuclear plants – Reuters

Reuters

The U.S. Energy Department said on Tuesday it is offering initial contracts to six companies to produce domestic uranium fuel for conventional …

It’s time to embrace nuclear energy | Tim Palmer – YouTube

YouTube

Tim Palmer explains why we need to embrace alternative sources of energy as we navigate the problem of climate change. Why are we so averse to …

Widening countries look to steal a lead in next generation nuclear power stations | Science

Science|Business

Central and eastern European countries have emerged as early movers next generation nuclear power plants, laying plans to deploy small modular …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Farley Nuclear Plant to test sirens on Wednesday – WDHN

WDHN

DOTHAN, Ala (WDHN) — The Farley Nuclear Plant in Columbia will test its emergency sirens and mobile alert system on Wednesday, December 11.

Update 264 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

International Atomic Energy Agency

A drone hit and severely damaged an official vehicle of the International Atomic Energy Agency during a rotation today of IAEA teams to Ukraine’s …

IAEA to hold emergency meeting at Kyiv’s request | Report.az

Report.az

The Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will hold an emergency meeting on Thursday at the request of the Ukrainian …

Nuclear War

NEWS

In A First, NATO Ally Warns U.S. Of Nuclear War Over Anti-Russia Move In Ukraine | Watch

YouTube

NATO nation Turkey slams the United States over fresh military aid to Ukraine and said that it could pave for the escalation of war and …

President Trump Must Put the Nuclear Enterprise on a Wartime Footing

The Heritage Foundation

… nuclear weapons themselves, all of which are relics of the Cold War. The modernization process is moving too slowly. Further, the current nuclear …

IAEA Director General’s Speech at the Nobel Peace Prize Forum

International Atomic Energy Agency

War has returned to Europe, and it directly involves a nuclear weapon state. The conflict in Ukraine is also an indirect confrontation between the ..

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

President Trump Must Put the Nuclear Enterprise on a Wartime Footing

The Heritage Foundation

… nuclear deterrent given the nature and composition of modern enemies’ nuclear threats. The incoming administration should not tolerate the …

Updating Nuclear Command, Control, and Communication – CSIS

CSIS

But we should never allow artificial intelligence to make those decisions for us.” Identifying the opportunities and risks of AI integration in NC3 is …

Atomic bomb survivor warns against Putin’s nuclear threats – The Times

The Times

Atomic bomb survivor warns against Putin’s nuclear threats. Terumi Tanaka, 92, a member of the group awarded the Nobel peace prize, says the …

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

The Case Of The Missing Cinders From Yellowstone’s Cinder Pool – National Parks Traveler

National Parks Traveler

Editor’s note: Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.

LLAW’s All Things Nuclear #827, Tuesday, (12/10/2024)

NUCLEAR INSANITY & THE LAST DAYS OF HUMAN DEPRAVITY? ~ LLAW

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Dec 10, 2024

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A modern detonator (left) is much smaller than a 1940s-era detonator. Credit to: Los Alamos National Laboratory (from the article)

LLAW’s NUCLEAR WORLD NEWS WE FACE TODAY AND THEIR RISKS FOR TOMORROW

Since the financial news media simply cannot stop talking about AI/Nuclear merging together and what a “great” idea it is, but since I absolutely disagree, I decided to post a more educational story today while the constant stories about AI/Nuclear and investor money fill the “LLAW’s All Things Nuclear” media pages . . . This article, from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico, surprised me because I had thought that nuclear detonators were huge triggers that took large mechanical force for impact nuclear weapons, or high voltage electronic triggers(for airborne nuclear bomb denotations.

Obviously the nuclear weapons systems of detonating nuclear bombs has come a long way since the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in August of 1946 . . . ~llaw

LANL introduces sleek new look and logo

Small but mighty

Los Alamos National Laboratory serves as the production agency for all detonators.

December 9, 2024

Placeholder Image
A modern detonator (left) is much smaller than a 1940s-era detonator. Credit to: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Placeholder Image

“Extremely small and extremely important.” That’s just one of the ways Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Detonator Manufacturing Office leader Jim Shipley describes the detonators that the Lab builds. Los Alamos is the only place in the country that manufactures detonators for nuclear weapons.

Because different weapons use different types of detonators, Los Alamos currently manufactures seven different types of detonators simultaneously. Five of these types were designed at Los Alamos, and the other two were designed by scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

In 2023, the Lab delivered more than 3,000 detonators to the National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees all aspects of nuclear weapon design, maintenance, and production. “The detonators are built in lots of a few hundred and it typically takes about a year to build a full lot of detonators,” Shipley says.

After building a lot, the team pulls a certain number of detonators out to test them. “The tests ensure they meet the specifications, which are highly exacting as we are a production agency building parts for the nation’s nuclear stockpile,” Shipley says.

Shipley describes the products his division makes as “crucial.”

A nuclear weapon detonates in a carefully choreographed sequence in which detonators trigger the high explosives surrounding the plutonium pit at the core of the weapon. The resulting explosion causes the pit to compress and implode, initiating a nuclear reaction.

The first step of this process begins when an electrical charge or a laser (depending on the type of detonator) within the detonator produces a shockwave that triggers a small amount of included explosive material. This detonator explosive then triggers the larger quantity of high explosives surrounding the pit.

“The way detonators work is fascinating,” says Shipley. “The physics is so complex, and the timescales are so short.”

The Lab is exploring the merits of using detonators that use optical energy instead of electricity to set off the internal explosion. By using radiation at a specific wavelength, an optical detonator removes the hazard posed by electrical initiation and reduces the risk of accidental detonation.

However they are initiated, the detonators, the explosives inside them, and the explosives surrounding the pit must all work together to ensure a successful nuclear reaction. Because of this, the scientists who design and produce detonators work closely with the scientists who design and produce explosives. Conveniently, those scientists work at Los Alamos as well, which makes collaborating easier for everyone involved, according to Margo Greenfield, High Explosives Sciences and Technology group leader.

“We collaborate closely with the Detonator Production team,” Greenfield says. “We provide the explosive, we conduct studies of how the detonators and the explosives are aging, and we work together to solve problems.”


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(Please note that the Saturday and Sunday NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS are also added below by category, to Monday’s news posts in order to maintain continuity of nuclear news as well as for research for the overall information provided in “LLAW;s All Things Nuclear”.)

There are 7 categories, with the latest addition, (#7) being a Friday weekly roundup of IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) global nuclear news stories. Also included is a bonus non-nuclear category for news about the Yellowstone caldera and other volcanic and caldera activity around the world that play an important role in humanity’s lives. The feature categories provide articles and information about ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links with headlines concerning the most important media stories in each category, but sometimes fewer and occasionally even none (especially so with the Yellowstone Caldera). The Categories are listed below in their usual order:

  1. All Things Nuclear
  2. Nuclear Power
  3. Nuclear Power Emergencies
  4. Nuclear War
  5. Nuclear War Threats
  6. Yellowstone Caldera (Note: There are no Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in today’s Post.)
  7. IAEA Weekly News (Friday’s only)

Whenever there is an underlined link to a Category media news story, if you press or click on the link provided, you no longer have to cut and paste to your web browser, since this Post’s link will take you directly to the article in your browser.

A current Digest of major nuclear media headlines with automated links is listed below by nuclear Category (in the above listed order). If a Category heading does not appear in the daily news Digest, it means there was no news reported from this Category today. Generally, the three best articles in each Category from around the nuclear world(s) are Posted. Occasionally, if a Post is important enough, it may be listed in multiple Categories.

TODAY’s NUCLEAR WORLD’s NEWS, Tuesday, (12/10/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Artificial Intelligence wants to go nuclear. Will it work? | Georgia Public Broadcasting

Georgia Public Broadcasting

Artificial Intelligence wants to go nuclear. Will it work? December 9, 2024 6:12 PM. By: Geoff Brumfiel. Heard on. All Things Considered. Share this …

Artificial Intelligence wants to go nuclear. Will it work? | Georgia Public Broadcasting

Georgia Public Broadcasting

Artificial Intelligence wants to go nuclear. Will it work? December 10, 2024 8:00 AM. By: Geoff Brumfiel. Heard on. All Things Considered. Share this …

Small but mighty – gov.lanl.discover – Los Alamos National Laboratory

gov.lanl.discover – Los Alamos National Laboratory

… all aspects of nuclear weapon design, maintenance, and production. “The … All Rights Reserved. Learn about the Department of Energy’

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Meta Joins Amazon and Google in Nuclear Power Push for AI – Yahoo Finance

Yahoo Finance

Nuclear energy is controversial (not safe) but reliable and low-carbon emitting. Last year, the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) …

Artificial intelligence wants to go nuclear. Will it work? – OPB

OPB

That allowed the utility to invest the projected $1.6 billion necessary to restart the reactor. Bryan Hanson, chief …

Along Those Lines: Inside the Palisades Nuclear Plant Recommissioning – NRECA

NRECA

Hear from Wolverine Power Cooperative’s Eric Baker and Hoosier Energy’s Donna Walker on co-ops’ role in the Palisades nuclear plant restart.

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

LaSalle County EMA completes federally evaluated nuclear power plant exercise

The Mendota Reporter

OTTAWA – Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) were in LaSalle County recently completing a federally evaluated exercise …

Transnistria to declare state of emergency due to cessation of Russian gas supply – MSN

MSN

Ukraine to receive €7 million to renovate Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Ukrainska Pravda. Ukraine to receive €7 million to renovate Chornobyl …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Belarus has dozens of Russian nuclear weapons and is ready for its newest missile, its leader says

ABC News – The Walt Disney Company

Catch up on the developing stories from around the globe making headlines. MOSCOW — Belarus’ authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko …

Nihon Hindankyo accept Nobel Peace Prize, demand urgent action on nuclear threats

International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons

“Let us work together for a human society, in a world free of nuclear weapons and of wars! ” Terumi Tanaka, survivor of U.S. atomic bombing of …

Belarus has dozens of Russian nuclear weapons and is ready for its newest missile, its leader says

The Washington Post

… War era when it was part of the USSR and hosted Soviet nuclear weapons. … nuclear attack. Speaking Tuesday, Putin charged that “a sufficient …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Nihon Hindankyo accept Nobel Peace Prize, demand urgent action on nuclear threats

International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons

Nihon Hindankyo accept Nobel Peace Prize, demand urgent action on nuclear threats … nuclear war · featured · Japan · impact · Norway · TPNW. You might …

Atomic bombing survivors warn against taking nuclear threat too lightly | SBS News

SBS

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly made nuclear threats in a bid to win the war. In late …

2024 Nobel Peace laureate condemns Russia’s nuclear threats – The New Voice of Ukraine

The New Voice of Ukraine

The nuclear superpower, Russia, threatens to use nuclear weapons in its war … nuclear disarmament Hiroshima global nuclear threats Nagasaki. loading …