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

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Oct 26, 2024

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LLAW’s NUCLEAR VIEWS, ISSUES & COMMENTS, Saturday, (10/26/2024)

All you have to do to understand the efficacy of this article is to simply read these two sentences in the article below: “Trump’s position is also vague. In an interview with Elon Musk in August 2024, Trump confused nuclear power with nuclear weapons.”

The rest is boilerplate information about nuclear power — what it is, how it’s regulated, how it functions, and know and understand that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has an important duty to prevent and protect the American population from killing off itself with nuclear radiation from nuclear power generation. Unfortunately there is nothing the NRC can do about nuclear war.

Nuclear war is not the issue in this article, of course, but there is also valid reason to recognize and consider that nuclear power plants in both Russia and Ukraine are seriously involved as potential nuclear weapons in the war between the two countries. There is also the caution, or even fear of, creating an exclusive hoard of new nuclear power proliferation with dozens or hundreds of dangerous AI (Artificial Intelligence) by and of itself, poorly regulated and controlled SMR’s (Small Modular Reactors), and other new nuclear power facilities that dramatically increase the possibility of serious lethal nuclear accidents.

But beyond nuclear accidents, there is also a serious security issue connected, not only with accidents, including the HALEU or nuclear fuel, for these projected new power stations, including theft for the “black-market” selling of enriched uranium for building nuclear weapons to be used for threats of terrorism, authoritarianism, autocratic control, despotism, or coercive tyranny, or even terrorism itself. ~llaw

Will the Next President Get Nuclear Right?

The next administration’s energy challenge may be catching up with the homework assigned by the current one

Oct 25, 2024

Nuclear energy doesn’t usually figure prominently in Presidential elections. It doesn’t rank high on the list of concerns for most voters—like inflation, reproductive rights, or managing the Mexican border—and a candidate who promises to get more reactors built won’t necessarily win a lot of extra votes. On the other hand, there are votes to be lost, among the “we’re-all-gonna-die” anti-nuclear crowd that still turns out at demonstrations now and then.

The nuts and bolts of implementing laws on the books that would help nuclear energy–that is, the administration’s actual business of administering–may be a more important issue.

Neither Kamala Harris nor Donald Trump has said a lot about nuclear energy. In 2020, the Washington Post attempted to list the position of each candidate in the Democratic primaries on nuclear energy. It put Harris in the category of “Unclear/no response.” As a Senator, Harris voted against the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act in committee, citing safety concerns about the San Onofre reactors. More recently, at a September 25^th campaign event in Pittsburgh, Harris listed nuclear among other clean energy technologies.

Trump’s position is also vague. In an interview with Elon Musk in August 2024, Trump confused nuclear power with nuclear weapons. His campaign website states:

President Trump will support nuclear energy production, which reached a record high during his administration, by modernizing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, working to keep existing power plants open, and investing in innovative small modular reactors.

It also calls for domestic uranium mining. But carbon dioxide emissions are not a factor; Trump often says that human-caused climate change is a “hoax.”

There are reasons that each candidate should like nuclear. Harris may like it as part of a climate program, and Trump as part of a nationalistic drive towards energy independence, although the United States has largely achieved this with fracking.

Senator J.D. Vance, Trump’s running mate, has acknowledged “all these crazy weather patterns,” and said, “if you really want to make the environment cleaner, you’ve got to invest in more energy production. We haven’t built a nuclear facility, I think one, in the past 40 years.” Governor Tim Walz, Harris’s running mate, favored lifting Minnesota’s moratorium on new reactors.

But effective government is different from attempts at public persuasion. The administration of government programs, especially government contracting for procurement programs and subsidy programs, is governed by a welter of laws and procedures. There are opportunities for both expediting and slow-walking the process. Only time will tell if the next administration is up to the task of modernizing the U.S. nuclear sector for the 21^st century.

Once Upon a Time, on the Campaign Trail

But there is not much indication that either candidate is enthusiastic about nuclear.

The last time that nuclear energy figured prominently into a presidential campaign was in 2008, when Senator Barack Obama of Illinois promised Nevada Democrats that he would kill the Yucca Mountain waste repository in exchange for support in his race against Hillary Clinton. He won and he did.

Congress is a different case, and candidates often have something to say about nuclear energy in the areas in which they are running. As the Huffington Post recently pointed out, Democrats running for U.S. Senate in Arizona, Florida, Michigan, and Texas have spoken favorably of nuclear energy, something that is more often heard from Republicans.

But a president doesn’t always have a strong influence over nuclear energy. In the late 1980s, when the Long Island Lighting Company finished the Shoreham nuclear reactor, local governments said it was impossible to meet evacuation requirements and they wanted it shut down. President Reagan, a former paid spokesman for General Electric, which had designed the reactor, worked hard to assure it would open. That didn’t work. The plant operated for a few days of start-up tests and then was decommissioned. New York consumers are still paying the more than $5 billion bill for the project.

There are some policy questions on the horizon. One is the future of the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program, which received $2.5 billion under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The program was created to pay half the cost of two advanced reactors, and smaller sums for reactors not as close to commercialization. But since that time, the cost of steel, concrete and labor have all gone up. So too has the cost of borrowing money. The industry is hoping that the Energy Department will “re-baseline” the amount that the government will match and that Congress will appropriate more.

There are some other presidential decisions ahead. An executive order by Biden, now in force, requires that the Federal government’s operations run on clean electricity by 2035, which would create a market for new nuclear. Trump, if elected, seems likely to rescind that order.

But the administration, aside from urging Congress to pass or kill legislation, does more; it also administers the laws that Congress has already passed. And in the last few years, Congress has passed many laws that now require the Department of Energy to issue contracts or write checks to assist nuclear projects, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to reform its operation.

Among the initiatives:

HALEU

Most advanced reactors are designed to run on fuel enriched to nearly 20 percent, in contrast to the 5 percent enrichment that is commonly used now. The fuel is known as High Assay Low-Enriched Uranium, or HALEU. But fuel producers have been reluctant to invest in making that fuel because they are not sure that the advanced reactors will be built. So, Congress told the Energy Department to buy the higher-enriched uranium in an intermediate form suitable for various kinds of reactors to get the ball rolling and then sell it to the owners of advanced reactors.

In January, the Department of Energy announced that it wanted proposals for $2.7 billion in uranium enrichment services. It recently issued a list of four qualified contractors. This is a meaningful step forward, but it has yet to award contracts, negotiate terms, and take delivery. The next administration could slow-walk these steps or speed them up. The pace at which the Energy Department issues requests for proposals, evaluates submissions and makes decisions can be highly variable.

Gen 3+ and SMR:

Almost all contemporary reactors are known as Generation 3, but there are more advanced models that still use low-enriched uranium and ordinary water but are designed to rely more heavily for safety on natural forces like gravity and heat dissipation instead of pumps and valves. Those are known as Gen 3+. Some of these designs are Small Modular Reactors, known as SMRs.

The Energy Department recently announced that it would accept applications until January 17, 2025 to share in $900 million available for 50/50 matching grants to support such projects. It will have to analyze the submissions, choose among them, possibly defend against lawsuits from disappointed applicants, and negotiate terms. The grants will be milestone-based, meaning that the recipients will have to demonstrate, to the Energy Department staff’s satisfaction, that they have met interim goals.

Money for this program has been authorized but not funded. Congress would have to vote to supply the money, which would be easier with support from the White House. Neither candidate has specifically addressed this question.

NRC Modernization

The ADVANCE Act (Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy) prompts the NRC to speed up the licensing of new reactors, including those with technologies that it is not as familiar with. The act also requires the NRC to develop a regulatory framework for fusion, issue guidance on licensing micro-reactors, and increase staff.

The NRC is an independent agency and the changes do not appear to require complicated bidding and contracting, as Energy Department mandates do. But it is notoriously slow to modernize. The commission would probably do better at modernizing if the White House rides herd on the commissioners, pushing, for example, for a workable licensing framework for advanced reactors.

And, with one of the five commission seats becoming vacant every June 30^th, the next President will have to decide which nominees to back. Currently, there is one vacancy. The party that holds the White House designates the chair, and usually has dibs over three of the five seats.

With one exception—a rogue chairman—the White House has historically left the NRC to manage its own affairs. It isn’t clear that a Harris administration would break that pattern. And what Trump would do is even harder to predict.

Who Will Do the Work?

Laws are sometimes harder to implement than to pass. For one thing, it takes an agency that is fully staffed with competent bureaucrats—a real challenge.

Although Trump is proposing to move large numbers of civil servants into a category where he could dismiss them easily, a less obvious problem is filling top jobs that are already in the President’s purview. The Partnership for Public Service and the Washington Post track 817 important jobs that are filled by the President, with Senate confirmation. By their count, in Biden’s first six months, he nominated 304; Obama nominated 348 and Bush nominated 308. Trump, in contrast, nominated 213.

Anecdotal evidence is that lower-level jobs, many not subject to Senate confirmation, were filled more slowly in the Trump administration than in those of the presidents who preceded him or followed him.

Trump has already opted out of the government’s usual transition process, in which both major party candidates send over personnel who get security clearances and are briefed by incumbent officials on major issues. Some of the Department of Energy’s civilian nuclear energy work involves classified information.

But Democratic administrations have trouble getting things done too, and the obstacles to getting money out the door aren’t confined to nuclear. Congress voted massive stimulus bills in 2020 to keep the United States out of recession as the Covid pandemic set in with the CARES act. But two years later, more than $100 billion hadn’t been spent yet. By April of 2024, nearly $92 billion still hadn’t been spent. This was more than a year after President Biden declared that the Covid emergency was over.

It is also true that some of the demand for nuclear energy, current or future, doesn’t come directly from Washington. The electricity industry predicted a nuclear renaissance around 2008, not because of Congress, but because the price of natural gas had risen to $12 per million BTU. Many plants were proposed, but only two, Vogtle 3 & 4, made it across the finish line, partly because the price of natural gas fell to $2 per million BTU with the commercialization of fracking in shale.

That technique, which has changed the shape of the grid, is based on technologies nurtured by the Department of Energy for years, including supercomputing, directional drilling and 3d-seismic, but this certainly wasn’t a policy decision.

Now, the country is facing sharply higher estimates of load growth. Some of that is from policy initiatives, like subsidizing building owners to switch their heating systems to electric-driven heat pumps from natural gas, oil or propane, or programs to encourage electric vehicles. Some of it comes from the growth of data centers, which is a commercial trend, not a government program.

And tech giants including Amazon, Google and Microsoft have all announced that they plan to put money into nuclear energy. So has Dow, the chemical company.

The commercial and policy ducks are in a row; an important task for the next president is to get the administrative ducks to line up too.

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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 in this evening’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, (10/26/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Will the Next President Get Nuclear Right? – The Breakthrough Institute

The Breakthrough Institute

… all announced that they plan to put money into nuclear energy. So … Seven Things You Thought You Knew about Nuclear Energy. Matthew L. Wald.

Big tech’s nuclear gamble could change the course of the energy transition – Oil & Gas 360

Oil & Gas 360

(Oil Price) – Microsoft recently struck a deal to restart of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant. … The website is dedicated to all things …

A Frisson of Fission: Why Nuclear Power Won’t Replace Natural Gas as North America’s Critical Fuel

C2C Journal

After all these years, why now? The answer is electricity demand for artificial intelligence (AI). Like many things in the tech realm, AI is a …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

3 Nuclear Power Stocks That Could Power the Artificial Intelligence Revolution | The Motley Fool

The Motley Fool

Three distinct approaches to nuclear power — from small reactors to established utilities to advanced fuel tech — could help power big tech’s AI …

Ep21. AI Going Nuclear – YouTube

YouTube

Why It’s So Hard To Build Nuclear Power Plants In The U.S.. CNBC•359K … Inside the New Micro Nuclear Reactor that Could Power the Future.

Nuclear power stocks are soaring amid an AI energy push. Here are 7 names to watch.

Markets Insider – Business Insider

The best-performing nuclear stock has soared 481% so far this year as mega-cap tech companies strike deals for nuclear power.

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

US nuclear regulator kicks off review on Three Mile Island restart | Reuters

Reuters

… nuclear power plant in an initial public … Members of the NRC requested details about the emergency evacuation plans for the restarted plant …

Iowa veterinarian’s pharmacy license suspended by emergency order – KCRG

KCRG

… emergency order. A …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Israel’s attack in Iran means full-scale war is closer than ever. Here’s what Iran is thinking now.

Atlantic Council

After a long waiting period, Israel has just executed its response to the October 1 Iranian missile attack against Israel. In complete contrast to …

Israel makes retaliatory strikes against military targets in Iran – Washington Post

Washington Post

The Israeli attacks followed Iran’s ballistic missile barrage against Israel this month, adding to the cycle of tit-for-tat strikes between the …

World appears on track for even more dangerous Cold War 2.0 – Harvard Gazette

Harvard Gazette

Pulitzer winner warns China, which is building nuclear arsenal, would be third major player besides U.S., Russia — and six other nations now have …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

World appears on track for even more dangerous Cold War 2.0 – Harvard Gazette

Harvard Gazette

“Nuclear weapons are political weapons. They’re instruments of threat and of coercion, and they require political will to restrain. ” David Hoffman.

Putin flaunts his so-called doomsday weapons as ongoing threat to block support for Ukraine

Milwaukee Independent

… threats to Russia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. A look at … nuclear submarines and modernizing nuclear-capable bombers. Russia’s …

Not just about nuclear aspirations: Iran moving full steam ahead to develop a new aerial threat

Israel Hayom

… threats, while the State of Israel used this time to develop counter-missile capabilities and other protection measures. Although any full-scale war ..

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

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Oct 25, 2024

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In early- to mid-October, thousands of North Korean soldiers have been spotted traveling through Vladivostok, Russia’s largest Pacific port, and being split across several military training sites in eastern Russia. It is still not clear why they are in Russia. (Credit: Photo by Bumble-Dee / depositphotos.com)

LLAW’s NUCLEAR VIEWS, ISSUES & COMMENTS, Friday, (10/25/2024)

There seems to have recently been a warming of relations between Russia and North Korea, or more precisely, Vladimir Putin and Kim. Jong Un. Visits back and forth between the two have been frequent and now we see that North Korean soldiers are being trained in Russia to possibly be sent to Ukraine to fight alongside Russian troops.

The reasons? Like the headline to the related article by the “Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists” says, The reason(s) are “left to be seen” ~llaw

North Korea sent troops to Russia. The reason(s) are “left to be seen”

By François Diaz-Maurin | October 25, 2024

In early- to mid-October, thousands of North Korean soldiers have been spotted traveling through Vladivostok, Russia’s largest Pacific port, and being split across several military training sites in eastern Russia. It is still not clear why they are in Russia. (Credit: Photo by Bumble-Dee / depositphotos.com)

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed Wednesday that North Korean troops were in Russia conducting military exercises, following a claim last week by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that his government had received intelligence information that 10,000 North Korean soldiers were being prepared to fight alongside Russian forces in Ukraine.

Zelensky did not provide details during his visit to NATO headquarters to discuss his “victory plan” to end the war with Russia. US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell would not confirm the claim either, saying only that the United States and its allies were “alarmed” by North Korea’s increasing military support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.

But details soon emerged of North Korean troops being spotted in Russia.

Troop buildup with an unclear mission. On Wednesday, national security spokesperson John Kirby said that, in early- to mid-October, more than 3,000 North Korean soldiers had traveled through Vladivostok, Russia’s largest Pacific port, and were split across several military training sites in eastern Russia. The same day, South Korean intelligence services said that another contingent of 1,500 North Korean troops had entered Russia, and Ukrainian officials claimed that overall more than 12,000 North Koreans had already arrived in the far east of Russia.

Both North Korea and Russia denied the movements, even as several video footage reportedly showed North Korean military personnel arriving at a Russian military base in the village of Sergiivka in the Primorsky Krai, about 200 kilometers from the border with North Korea, and others receiving uniforms and equipment at a Russian training base in Sergeevka, near Russia’s border with China.

Austin said the United States does not know whether the North Korean troops would join the war in Ukraine alongside the Russian military. “What exactly they’re doing—left to be seen,” he told reporters on Wednesday. Kirby added that this is “certainly a highly concerning probability.” Visibly alarmed, Austin said: “It will have impacts not only in Europe—it will also impact things in the Indo-Pacific as well.”

It did not take long for South Korea to react, threatening to supply weapons to Ukraine if North Korea’s troops were sent to fight for Moscow. On Monday, South Korean and Ukrainian media reported that Seoul was considering sending intelligence officers and tactical experts to Ukraine in response to North Korea’s actions.

RELATED:

Question for the candidates: How will you reassure allies worried about the credibility of the US security guarantees?

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said that if North Korean soldiers went to Ukraine, it would mark a “significant escalation” in the war there.

Ramifications in the Korean Peninsula. The revelation comes amid heightened cross-border tensions between North Korea and South Korea.

In January, two experts on North Korea, Robert Carlin and Sig Hecker, co-authored a controversial article suggesting that North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un may be preparing for war. Washington and Seoul are so blindly convinced that their “ironclad” deterrence will keep Kim in check that “Pyongyang could be planning to move in ways that completely defy our calculations,” they wrote. However, “the literature on surprise attacks should make us wary of the comfortable assumptions that resonate in Washington’s echo chamber but might not have purchase in Pyongyang.” Carlin and Hecker are not alone in suggesting that current US policy makes North Korea more likely to use nuclear weapons first.

Earlier this month, North Korea reportedly blew up parts of unused road and rail routes that once connected it with South Korea. News reports qualified it as a “symbolic display of anger” over the South Korean conservative government’s stronger stance toward the North. But analysts dismissed the possibility that this could be in preparation for an imminent preemptive, large-scale attack on South Korea, pointing to the risk of an almost certain massive retaliation by superior US and South Korean forces.

According to Carlin and Hecker, if left with no good options to keep his nuclear arsenal, Kim may find himself in a “use-it-or-lose-it” situation in which launching a surprise nuclear attack on South Korea in the hope of staving off a possible massive disarming strike could appear as worth the risk. Destroying cross-border roads and railways—even if currently unused—could delay or alter the capacity of the United States and South Korea to retaliate with conventional forces. On Thursday, South Korean sources reportedly saw North Korean forces constructing several unidentified structures on the eastern inter-Korean road they had blown up earlier, with South Korean officials saying the structures resemble concrete barriers or bunkers, and South Korea’s Unification Ministry confirmed on Friday new blockades were being built along inter-Korean railways to fortify the border areas.*

Top South Korean officials said in a statement that the presence of North Korean troops in Russia is “a grave security threat” to South Korea and pledged to take proportionate countermeasures. Officials worry that Russia may offer North Korea advanced weapons technologies to boost nuclear and missile programs that are geared toward South Korea.

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Subscribed

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 in this evening’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, Fruday, (10/25/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Big Tech Embraces Nuclear Power to Meet Growing Energy Needs – Business Insider

Business Insider

Big Tech, including Amazon and Microsoft, is pursuing nuclear power to meet soaring energy demands for generative AI and data centers.

NextEra Ponders Nuclear Plant Restart as Backlog Climbs – Yahoo Finance

Yahoo Finance

NextEra Energy’s CEO is considering restarting the Duane Arnold nuclear plant as electricity needs, particularly from data centers, are growing.

South Korea warns it may send Ukraine weapons after North Korea sent troops to Russia

90.5 WESA

So far, South Korea has helped Ukraine by providing arms to the U.S. and other countries. But South Korea’s government said that could change with …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

US Power Grid Added Battery Equivalent of 20 Nuclear Reactors In Past Four Years – Slashdot

Slashdot

whitroth writes: People here and elsewhere have been yelling for more nuclear power, and that renewables can’t meet demand.

The US Nuclear Energy Revival Has a Major Blind Spot

James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies

… Nuclear Power Plant in Georgia. The AP1000 technology was viable, as was demonstrated by the startup of four Chinese AP1000 reactors the following …

The Global Race for Advanced Nuclear Is On – Clean Air Task Force

Clean Air Task Force

It is clear that the success of advanced reactor demonstration and deployment is directly linked to government funding and support. In the United …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

FEMA finds Northeast ready for nuclear emergencies, preliminary results show – FOX56

FOX56

This includes Luzerne County and Columbia County, who are within the jurisdiction of the Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant.

Essex handing out iodine pills in case of Fermi nuclear emergency – Windsor Star

Windsor Star

… Power Plant stacks are shown in the distance from the Amherstburg … The pills are intended to ensure residents are prepared “in the unlikely event of …

US Power Grid Added Battery Equivalent of 20 Nuclear Reactors In Past Four Years – Slashdot

Slashdot

whitroth writes: People here and elsewhere have been yelling for more nuclear power, and that renewables can’t meet demand.

Nuclear War

NEWS

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Issues Nuclear War Warning – Newsweek

Newsweek

The former presidential candidate said that Kamala Harris is backed by a faction that “desires war” with Russia.

North Korea sent troops to Russia. The reason(s) are “left to be seen”

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Thousands of North Korean soldiers may fight alongside Russia in Ukraine. South Korean officials worry the North may get Russian advanced weapons …

This year’s Nobel Peace Prize rings the alarm about the nuclear threat – The Hill

The Hill

There are five main drivers of the alarming rise in the threat of nuclear weapons use, each of which demand global attention and American …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Issues Nuclear War Warning – Newsweek

Newsweek

What has Vladimir Putin said on nuclear war. Russia has increasingly made threats, both subtle and explicit, about a nuclear confrontation with the …

This year’s Nobel Peace Prize rings the alarm about the nuclear threat – The Hill

The Hill

While public discussion of the dangers of nuclear weapons has declined, the threat … nuclear war Nuclear weapons Russia Ukraine United States …

Ukraine war: Use or threat of use of nukes ‘unacceptable’, says India-Germany joint statement

The Economic Times

… war and unacceptable nuclear threats. They condemned terrorism, highlighted the need for global food and energy security, and stressed the …

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IAEA Weekly News

25 October 2024

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

24 October 2024

Update 256 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) lost the connection to its only remaining 330 kilovolt (kV) back-up power line for a second time this month, once again leaving the facility dependent on one single source of the external electricity it needs for reactor cooling and other key nuclear safety and security functions, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today. Read more →

24 October 2024

IAEA and Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Strengthen Long-Term Partnership on Ocean Acidification

The IAEA Marine Environment Laboratories and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation have signed a new partnership on ocean acidification and ocean-based solutions to climate change. Read more →

23 October 2024

IAEA Initiative to Streamline SMR Deployment Moving to Implementation Phase

Global efforts to converge different types of small modular reactor technologies as well as their regulatory approaches are continuing to make strong progress, according to the latest meeting of the IAEA’s Nuclear Harmonization and Standardization Initiative.  Read more →

22 October 2024

The Top Three Food Frauds and how Nuclear Scientists can Help Detect them

The IAEA, jointly with the FAO, helps countries use nuclear and related techniques to trace food origin, check its authenticity and test for contaminants. Read more →

21 October 2024

Guatemala Prioritizes Capacity Building, Palliative Care and Strengthening Cancer Registry Following Cancer Control Review

Guatemala is setting new priorities for cancer control following a thorough review of its cancer care capacities and needs during an imPACT Review mission to the country. Read more →

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

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Oct 24, 2024

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Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky visits the town of Bucha in Ukraine on April 4, 2022, after the retreat of Russian troops. (Credit: Photo by dmytro.larin.gmail.com / depositphotos.com)

LLAW’s NUCLEAR VIEWS, ISSUES & COMMENTS, Thursday, (10/24/2024)

The “Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists” in this detailed in-depth coverage of the present Russia/Ukraine war carefully explains the ‘ifs’, old and new, behind the extremely tense situation that has been allowed to fester and grow all the way to consideration of nuclear weapons, including the seriously overlooked nuclear power plants in both countries. I read today that Russian troops have now taken over complete control of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, which apparently has been operated by Russian technicians since before the war began.

The ultimate situation all boils down to the possibility of Russia and/or NATO (including the U.S.) using nuclear weapons. Such a stand-off situation is grave and the U.S. still remains trapped beneath that rock and a hard place about the ultimate decision that NATO would make to cause Russia to attempt to end the war with a nuclear attack on Ukraine. Doing so would, according to the level-headed of us, automatically cause retaliation and that would automatically cause the reality of World War III, which would automatically be the last war on planet Earth. I hope we humans are not that stupid . . . ~llaw

How the fog of war in Ukraine increases the risk of escalation

By Stephen J. Cimbala, Lawrence J. Korb | October 24, 2024

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky visits the town of Bucha in Ukraine on April 4, 2022, after the retreat of Russian troops. (Credit: Photo by dmytro.larin.gmail.com / depositphotos.com)

Discussions of escalation in the war between Ukraine and Russia have become more frequent in recent months. One such discussion occurred in September during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s latest visit to Washington, when some government officials and analysts emphasized the risk of nuclear war between NATO and Russia.

The possibility of nuclear war growing out of this conflict is a serious concern. But an all-out nuclear war is not necessarily the only, or most likely, means by which this war could expand and escalate up to nuclear use. The controversy surrounding Ukrainian demands for permission to use NATO long-range missiles for attacks deeper into Russia poses a major risk of escalation. Likewise, changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine as the war continues—and its interpretation by Western allies—could make a nuclear first use more likely. Finally, non-nuclear forms of expansion of the war—whether they have already occurred or not—could pose significant challenges in moving toward de-escalation and an eventual peace agreement.

As the war drags on and pivots to a war of attrition, non-nuclear forms of expansion—be they horizontal, informational, technological, or moral—increase the likelihood of inadvertent use of nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction.

Muddling with Western long-range missiles. In September, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy came to Kyiv to show support for Ukraine. When they arrived, the two officials were handed an open letter signed by 17 former British and American officials and other experts calling for urgent changes to the policy concerning US and UK missiles provided to Ukraine for use against Russia.

The specific issue was that the United States and the United Kingdom, which made available to Ukraine ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) and Storm Shadow long-range missiles, placed restrictions on the use of these missiles against targets deep into Russian territory and that these restrictions allegedly reduce the effectiveness of these missiles at a critical time in the war for Ukraine.^[1]

These experts and diplomats are not alone in criticizing the United States and its NATO allies for mistakenly softening their level of commitment to support Ukraine in its war against Russia. According to Anastasia Edel, a Russian-born American writer and social historian, Putin has victory within reach because of insufficient US and allied commitment to a winning strategy. “By first casting its lot with Ukraine and then failing to follow through, America has lost its place as the bulwark of the West that can guarantee protection and peace to its allies,” Edel wrote.^[2]

For his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin again warned in early September that allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles provided by NATO to attack targets deeper into Russia would redefine the political character of the war. According to Putin, allowing Ukraine to fire Western weapons deep into Russia would mean nothing short of direct involvement:

“This will mean that NATO countries—the United States and European countries—are at war with Russia. And if this is the case, then, bearing in mind the change in the essence of the conflict, we will make appropriate decisions in response to the threats that will be posed to us.”^[3]

Putin offered two reasons for his contention. First, NATO member states would have to provide Ukraine with the targeting data on Russia from NATO satellites. Second, NATO specialists would have to enter the targeting data into missile targeting systems because Ukrainians cannot do it themselves. On the other hand, since 2023, Ukraine has been using UK Storm Shadows and French-made Scalps against parts of Ukraine controlled by Russian forces and/or places Russia claims as its territory, such as Crimea.

Putin’s concern, therefore, might be that the capabilities of the most advanced versions of Storm Shadow and similar missiles would enable more devastating attacks against Russian air bases and command facilities as well as critical infrastructure deeper into Russia’s mainland. According to Simon Saradzhyan, the founding director of the Russian Matters Project at Harvard University:

“It is the damage that Storm Shadows and Scalps could cause to Russia’s military-political infrastructure, as well as to the Kremlin’s efforts to make sure the war stays in the background of most Russians’ lives so that they remain content with his rule, that may cross Putin’s red line, triggering his ‘appropriate’ response to NATO countries.”^[4]

As Saradzhyan points out, a Russian response might take the form of an attack against transit facilities for these missiles in a NATO European country, such as an air base in Poland. Such an attack could activate NATO’s Article 5, effectively expanding the conflict to a war between Russia and NATO.^[5]

Russia could also move military assets, including depots and air bases, even deeper into its territory as a passive instead of active response to longer-range missile attacks.

Changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine. Putin’s comments are a reminder of the numerous threats from the Kremlin since the beginning of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, especially over the possibility of a nuclear first use. For example, in a September 1 interview, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov noted that Russia is in the process of revising its doctrine on the use of nuclear weapons and accused the West of fueling an “escalation” of the war in Ukraine.^[6]

However, some US experts, including generals and diplomats, dismissed the possibility of Russian nuclear first use as lacking in credibility, arguing that:

“After more than 900 days of war, we can safely assert that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s repeated threats are nothing less than an attempt to deter Ukraine’s partners from properly arming her. Easing the restrictions on Western weapons will not cause Moscow to escalate. We know this because Ukraine is already striking territory Russia considers its own—including Crimea and Kursk—with these weapons and Moscow’s response remains unchanged.”^[7]

To restore deterrence credibility, Russia might adjust its military doctrine concerning justifications for nuclear first use to include Ukrainian attacks on critical military and civil infrastructure targets with long-range conventional weapons.

Russia’s nuclear doctrine on “Basic Principles of State Policy of the Russian Federation on Nuclear Deterrence” was adopted in 2020. The document provided for two main scenarios under which Russia can use nuclear weapons: first, in response to an attack on the Russian Federation and/or its allies with nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction; or, second, in response to an attack with conventional weapons when the very survival of the Russian state is at risk.^[8]

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In a meeting with the Russian Federation Security Council standing conference on nuclear deterrence on September 25, Putin proposed several updates to Russia’s nuclear doctrine. First, he suggested that nuclear strategy should treat “aggression against Russia by any non-nuclear state, but with the participation and support of a nuclear state,” as a joint attack that could motivate Russia to cross the nuclear threshold. He then added that, after having received reliable information about any “massive” missile attack against Russia or its ally, Belarus, Russia would also consider resorting to a nuclear option.^[9]

Russian academic and nuclear policy expert Alexei Arbatov has argued that prolonging the war in Ukraine has led to a widespread misconception about escalation, both in the West and in Russia.^[10] The first mistaken assumption deals with the view of experts and officials in Western allies that there is no upper limit to NATO-supported Ukrainian attacks into Russian territory with conventional weapons without producing a nuclear response from Russia. In short, Russia has no red line. The second erroneous assumption, widely held among an “active political and expert lobby of fans of nuclear weapons” in Russia, Arbatov suggests, is that a very selective use of nuclear weapons by Russia will not be followed by a major war with NATO. The West will be sufficiently scared and back down.

But for Arbatov, what would follow even a limited Russian nuclear first use may be very different from what Russian leaders have in mind:

“NATO will openly enter the war and carry out at least a massive strike with conventional high-precision long-range weapons on both new and old territories of the Russian Federation. This will be followed by group nuclear strikes from the Russian side on NATO countries. In response, there will be a massive nuclear and conventional strike on Russia. We will not even be able to determine what is flying at us, and we will not have time to call the White House—contrary to the scenarios of Russian enthusiasts of a limited nuclear strike. It will be impossible to control the course of events.”^[11]

Of course, much of this speculation is scenario-dependent.

Russian military expert and deterrence theorist Dmitri Adamsky analyzes Russian threats of nuclear escalation as part of a cross-domain “coercion cocktail” that accompanies conventional war-fighting without necessarily committing the Kremlin to any specific future action. According to Adamsky, a Russian slide from nuclear rhetoric into the reality of nuclear first use would not necessarily be abrupt. It might go through several phases of demonstrative “muscle flexing” and “strategic gestures” designed to signal preparedness for escalation, if necessary, but in gradual, and potentially reversible, steps—if favorable indications come from the other side. In this view, the West would need to take notice of these measures, process that information, and act accordingly—that is, as desired by Russia—to de-escalate the situation.^[12]

Other forms of war expansion. The prevailing assumption in many discussions about the expansion of the war in Ukraine is that it would necessarily be a vertical escalation, that is, an increase in the level of destruction imposed on one side’s military or other assets by another. But this assumption is too restrictive concerning military or other options available to NATO and Russia.

First, either side might resort to horizontal escalation. Horizontal escalation occurs when one or both parties to a war extend military actions or capacity for coercive bargaining and deterrence into another country or territory. Russia has already done this once by deploying some of its military forces into Belarus, including nuclear-capable tactical launch systems. From Russia’s standpoint, NATO’s extension of its membership, which now includes Sweden and Finland, might be considered a form of horizontal escalation, especially given Finland’s elongated border with Russia.

Russia’s increasing military and diplomatic ties with China provide another possible example of horizontal escalation. Although China has no intention to get involved in direct military action in Ukraine or elsewhere in Europe, it supports Russia’s efforts to push back against the rule-based international order dominated by the United States. According to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, China has become an even more critical economic partner for Russia since February 2022, providing Russia with a variety of economic support mechanisms to mitigate the impact of Western sanctions and export controls. In addition, China is probably supplying Russia with key technology and dual-use equipment for the war in Ukraine.^[13] Russia has also received significant military assistance from North Korea and Iran.

The war could also expand through other forms, including disinformation. Both Russia and Ukraine have extensive networks of information warfare at their disposal, and their governments, allies, and other supporters blanket the internet with reports favorable to their respective sides. A war of memes, trolls, bots, and other artifacts of the information age has become intertwined with the kinetic war of infantry, armor, artillery, and air strikes—back and forth.

Sometimes military tactics appear to have been dictated by the information war, as was the case of Ukraine’s sudden strike into Kursk oblast with the objectives of shaking the Kremlin’s self-confidence and preparing an improved bargaining position in possible peace negotiations. For its part, Russian information warfare seeks to undermine the confidence of the American population in Ukraine and even in the US democratic political system, especially during a presidential election year.

Technological competition also constitutes a form of possible war expansion in Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine are competing in making extensive use of drones in three-dimensional land, sea, and air warfare.^[14] In addition, both sides show increased sophistication in anti-drone jamming and other countermeasures to surveillance and strikes by autonomous vehicles. Ukraine has set a new standard in its ability to generate large numbers of reliable drones on short notice for both battlefield use and deep strikes into Russian territory. Russia, however, has had to import drones from Iran to sustain its drone war. In addition to drones, Ukraine (with NATO support) and Russia have competed to field the necessary so-called C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) systems to manage combined arms battles.

RELATED:

Why Russia is more likely to go nuclear in Ukraine if it’s winning

Prolonging and maintaining the intensity of the war to exhaust the resources or patience of the other side or their allies is yet another form of expansion, through attrition.^[15] Russian political leaders and commanders—even after having been thwarted in their efforts to remove the Zelensky government in a rapid coup de main in February 2022—have remained optimistic that Russia’s larger population and resource base will eventually overwhelm Ukraine.

Ukraine has indeed been challenged to meet the demands of this war for manpower in the face of high attrition and draft resistance. Ukrainian political leaders and front fighters have also complained that the flow of weapons and ammunition from NATO allies has been insufficient in speed and size to compensate for Russia’s larger ability to push weapons and personnel into the theater of operations. On the other hand, Russia has strained to meet its recruitment goals in the face of Putin’s unwillingness to order another large mobilization of reserves. Instead, large bonuses are being paid to first-time enlistees, and Russian leaders maintain that manpower recruitment goals can be met for as long as the fighting continues. Such a strategy of attrition, in which Ukraine is supported by accelerated NATO weapons deliveries and technology innovation and Russia doubles down on troop numbers and war-supporting resources, will continue to impose high costs on each country’s fighting power and civilian infrastructure.

Finally, the expansion of the war could take a moral-ethical form over right and wrong, and the symbolism attached to states’ behavior as consistent or inconsistent with international law and human decency. The ugliness of war touches all sides, but Russia has consistently been outperformed by Ukraine in messaging the international community about the appropriateness of military operations and political strategy. Russia’s indiscriminate destruction of Ukrainian infrastructure, including schools and hospitals, and Putin’s claims that Ukraine is not a real country or a distinct civilization, have conceded the high ground of human rights to Ukraine and Zelensky.

Investigative journalists also contend that the Kremlin is conducting a global operation targeting Russian exiles abroad for surveillance, kidnapping, or worse.^[16] From the viewpoint of international opinion, Russia has already suffered a strategic defeat, even if it outlasts Ukraine on the battlefield and enters into an armistice or peace agreement that seems asymmetrically unfavorable to Kyiv. This moral and ethical asymmetry may not bother Vladimir Putin now, but it is likely to haunt his successors. These will need to reframe Russia’s position in Europe as something resembling a normal state instead of an outlaw regime.

Seeing through the fog. There are several ways in which the war in Ukraine can be expanded. The threat of nuclear first use (and its repercussions) is obviously in a class by itself. But it is not the only—even less, most probable—way in which the war can become more complicated, confusing, and ultimately dangerous. What is urgently needed then are the necessary and sufficient conditions for a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia. The longer, broader, and more intense the fighting in Ukraine becomes, the more the combatants will continue to waste blood and treasure in an ugly military stalemate and a human rights disaster on both sides. Continued fighting already raises the significance and costs of horizontal, informational, technological, temporal, and/or moral-ethical expansion. It also increases the likelihood of inadvertent nuclear disaster, such as damage to nuclear facilities, all the while the possible use of weapons of mass destruction other than nuclear cannot be ruled out.

Notes

[1] For pertinent background, see: Lara Jakes, “Should Ukraine Launch Western Weapons Deep into Russia?,” New York Times, September 12, 2024, https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/12/world/europe/biden-ukraine-strike-russia.html, also in Johnson’s Russia List 2024 – #196 – September 13, 2024 – davidjohnson@starpower.net

[2] Anastasia Edel, “Putin Has Victory in His Grasp,” New York Times, August 13, 2024, https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/13/opinion/russia-ukraine-west-war.html

[3] Vladimir Putin, quoted in Anton Troianovski and Ivan Nechepurenko, “Putin Has Issued Many Warnings to the West. Is This One Different?,” New York Times, September 13, 2024, https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/13/world/europe/russia-britain-ukraine-putin-nato-weapons.html

[4] Simon Saradzhyan, “Does Western Help With Missile Targeting Cross Putin’s Red Line in War Against Ukraine?,” Russia Matters, September 18, 2024, in Johnson’s Russia List 2024 – #201 – September 19, 2024, davidjohnson@starpower.net

[5] Ibid.

[6] Atlantic Council, Eurasia Center, “Moscow escalates nuclear threats as Ukraine erases Russia’s red lines,” UkraineAlert, September 3, 2024, https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/moscow-escalates-nuclear-threats-as-ukraine-erases-russias-red-lines/

[7] “Generals, Diplomats, and Civil Society Leaders Sign Open Letter to #LetUkraineStrikeBack,” September 10, 2024, https://www.letukrainestrikeback.com/post/generals-diplomats-and-leaders-sign-open-letter-to-letukrainestrikeback

[8] Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Basic Principles of State Policy of the Russian Federation on Nuclear Deterrence (Moscow: June 2, 2020), https://www.mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/international_safety/1434131/https://www.mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/international_safety/1434131/

[9] “Kremlin reveals who nuclear doctrine change is aimed at,” www.rt.com, September 26, 2024, in Johnson’s Russia List 2024 – #206 – September 26, 2024, davidjohnson@starpower.net. See also: “Putin lowers threshold of nuclear response as he issues new warnings to the West over Ukraine,” Associated Press, September 24, 2024, in Johnson’s Russia List 2024 – #206 – September 26, 2024, davidjohnson@starpower.net.

[10] Alexei Arbatov, interviewed by Yuri Paniev, in Nezavisimaya Gazeta, September 15, 2024, in Johnson’s Russia List 2024 – #199 – September 17, 2024, davidjohnson@starpower.net

[11] Ibid.

[12] Dmitry Adamsky, The Russian Way of Deterrence: Strategic Culture, Coercion, and War (Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 2024), esp. pp. 106-107.

[13] Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Support Provided by the People’s Republic of China to Russia, July 2023 (Washington, D.C.: ODNI),

Click to access odni_report_on_chinese_support_to_russia.pdf

[14] Michael Horowitz, “Battles of Precise Mass,” (Foreign Affairs, October 22, 2024) https://www.foreignaffairs.com/world/battles-precise-mass-technology-war-horowitz

[15] Phillips P. O’Brien, “The New Red Line: Why a prolonged conflict in Ukraine makes nuclear war more likely,” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, September 19, 2024. https://thebulletin.org/2024/09/the-new-red-line-why-a-prolonged-conflict-in-ukraine-makes-a-nuclear-attack-more-likely/

[16] Lilia Yapparova, “Putin Is Doing Something Almost Nobody Is Noticing,” New York Times, September 23, 2024, https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/23/opinion/russia-putin-kremlin.html

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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:

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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 this evening’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, (10/24/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

As the Israel-Hamas war escalates, Israel refuses to acknowledge its nuclear program

WMUK

We didn’t want other countries to get nuclear weapons, but the next best thing is if nobody knew about it. … Michel Martin is the weekend host of All …

Nuclear weapons of Israel — the history of rumours photo – Бабель

Бабель

It began in October 1956, when the young Israeli government official Shimon Peres managed to obtain a nuclear reactor for his country. And later, by …

Liberal’s Nuclear Policy: Peter Dutton vs David Crisafulli | Q+A – YouTube

YouTube

The Q+A panel discussed nuclear energy in Queensland and what happens when state and federal leaders from the same party have different ideas.

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Big Tech is going all in on nuclear power as sustainability concerns around AI grow

Yahoo Finance

Big Tech is increasingly looking to nuclear energy to solve its power problem. But there could be downsides.

This Sam Altman-Backed Nuclear Stock Just Doubled in a Week. Is It Too Late to Buy?

The Motley Fool

Big tech companies are partnering with nuclear energy sources to support AI energy demand. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, has been the chairman of Oklo …

‘Potential issues’ with Coalition’s planned nuclear reactor sites, safety expert warns

The Guardian

Government agencies and departmental officials spend full day scrutinising Peter Dutton’s controversial plan to build seven nuclear power plants.

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

FG Summons TCN, NERC to Emergency Meeting over Incessant Electricity Grid Collapse

Energy Central

… emergency on the power sector. “President Bola Tinubu should as a … AI firms’ shift to nuclear power may spark energy revolution · Municipal …

EU Asks UN Watchdog to Safeguard Ukraine’s Nuclear Plants

Asharq Al-Awsat

… emergency, according to a letter seen by Reuters. Russian forces have seized Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’ biggest, and the …

Energy enterprises need enhanced fire protection, – expert – all the latest news today – 112

112

Accidents and Emergencies … He also notes that autonomous fire protection systems are needed at large energy facilities, including nuclear power …

Nuclear War

NEWS

How the fog of war in Ukraine increases the risk of escalation

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Russia’s nuclear doctrine on “Basic Principles of State Policy of the Russian Federation on Nuclear Deterrence” was adopted in 2020. The document …

China Enlarging Nuclear Forces With Eye on America: US Intel – Newsweek

Newsweek

However, the DIA suggests Beijing would likely consider a nuclear strike in the event a conventional attack threatens its nuclear forces or ” …

Russia says sending Western troops to Ukraine will lead to clash of nuclear powers

Anadolu Ajansı

Please contact us for subscription options. Related topics. Maria Zakharova NATO nuclear war Russia Sebastien Lecornu Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Corruption, Nuclear Threats, and Economic Instability Dominate National Fears in 2024

Chapman Newsroom – Chapman University

Corruption, Nuclear Threats, and Economic Instability Dominate National Fears in 2024 Chapman University Unveils Annual Survey of American Fears.

How the fog of war in Ukraine increases the risk of escalation

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine. Putin’s comments are a reminder of the numerous threats from the Kremlin since the beginning of Russia’s attack …

Nuclear Attack On China — Scientists Conduct Doomsday Experiment; Test Resilience Of Beijing’s …

EurAsian Times

The Threat Of Nuclear Attack. These tests come amid heightened international nuclear concerns. Since the end of the Cold War, the role of nuclear .

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

A Geological Time Bomb: Remembering the Night That Yellowstone Exploded – Literary Hub

Literary Hub

The basin has been called by some travelers the vast crater of an ancient volcano…Indeed the geysers and hot springs of this region, at the present …

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

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Oct 23, 2024

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In this aerial view, the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear power plant stands in the middle of the Susquehanna River near Middletown, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 10, 2024. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images

LLAW’s NUCLEAR VIEWS, ISSUES & COMMENTS, Wednesday, (10/23/2024)

They’re calling it the “AI Revolution”. Does that mean the same thing as the usual definition of ‘Revolution’? Coupled with “an ever increasing amount of energy?”

If so, we should be rebelling immediately, fighting desperately against AI, as well as the other “All Things Nuclear”, just as the repressed are known to do in any revolution. This whole AI concept, tied at the hip now to nuclear power, cannot be something that humanity should want to have any part of!

The last few days of taking a harder look at ‘AI’ are telling me I may be needing an accommodating like-minded sponsor or two and/or subscribers. But either way, you can rest assured that I will soon be adding an 8th media Category to “LLAW’s All Things Nuclear’s ”TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS” tentatively called “Artificial Intelligence”. ~llaw

Big Tech is driving a nuclear power revival, energy guru Dan Yergin says

Published Wed, Oct 23 20247:58 AM EDT

Natasha Turak@NatashaTurak

WATCH LIVE

Key Points

• Nuclear power appears to be making a comeback in the U.S. after years of setbacks — and big tech is the driving force.
• As tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon and Google compete to take the lead in the AI revolution, the data centers needed to power the burgeoning technology consume an ever-increasing amount of energy.
• Long-time energy market veteran Dan Yergin described the turnaround as nothing short of extraordinary.

In this aerial view, the shuttered Three Mile Island nuclear power plant stands in the middle of the Susquehanna River near Middletown, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 10, 2024.

Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images

Nuclear power may be making a comeback in the U.S. after years of setbacks — and big tech is the driving force.

As tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon and Google compete to take the lead in the AI revolution, the data centers needed to power the burgeoning technology consume an ever-increasing amount of energy.

In the last two months, those three companies have penned deals to generate more nuclear power — perhaps most notably, Microsoft struck a 20-year agreement with Constellation Energy to restart a reactor at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, the site of the most serious nuclear meltdown in U.S. history in 1979. The reopening is planned for 2028.

Speaking to CNBC at the annual International Monetary Fund meetings in Washington, long-time energy market veteran Dan Yergin described the turnaround as nothing short of extraordinary.

“It’s amazing, the change. The nuclear industry was in the doldrums,” Yergin told CNBC’s Karen Tso on Tuesday, describing the reopening of the Three Mile Island power plant as “symbolic.”

“Big Tech is saying, ‘We need reliable 24 hour electricity. We can’t get it just from wind and solar’,” he said.

Yergin, who has written several books on energy including “The Prize” and “The New Map,” pointed to the booming funding going into the sector. He cited $7 billion in venture capital going into nuclear fusion alone — which does not include financing for nuclear fission, a different energy-generating process.

“This is a really big change, and it reflects in this country, in the United States, a sense that — we’ve had for, really, a generation of flat demand [for] electricity,” Yergin said. “Now it’s going to grow, and there’s real anxiety about, how do you grow it? And nuclear [energy] is back in form, and people are talking about small nuclear reactors. And, of course, you have big tech actually seeking to contract for the output of the electricity from existing nuclear power plants. It’s an amazing change.”

watch now

VIDEO06:02

The energy markets are ‘schizophrenic’ right now: S&P Global vice chairman

Electricity demand is surging after staying largely flat for some 15 years, fueled by new data centers, factories, electric vehicles, and hotter and longer summers. A recent Energy Department memo cited in numerous press reports projected that U.S. power grids could see as much as 25 gigawatts of new data center demand by 2030.

Recently, the U.S. Department of Energy announced it had closed a $1.5 billion loan for the revival of the Holtec Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan in late 2025, which would make it the first American nuclear plant to be restarted. Google in mid-October said it would purchase power from Kairos Power, a developer of small modular reactors, to help “deliver on the progress of AI.”

Global electricity consumption from data centers, artificial intelligence and the cryptocurrency sector is expected to double from an estimated 460 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2022 to more than 1,000 TWh in 2026, according to a research report from the International Energy Agency.

— CNBC’s Ryan Browne contributed to this report.

---

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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 in this evening’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, (10/23/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Daily on Energy: A lot of nuclear news, DOE looks to boost battery manufacturing, and a …

Washington Examiner

In today’s edition of Daily on Energy, Callie and Maydeen take a look at all things nuclear and include a breakdown of all the recent deals backing …

As the Israel-Hamas war escalates, Israel refuses to acknowledge its nuclear program – NPR

NPR

All Things Considered · Fresh Air · Up First. Featured. The NPR Politics … NPR’s Michel Martin speaks with Victor Gilinsky, a former commissioner of …

As the Israel-Hamas war escalates, Israel refuses to acknowledge its nuclear program

WBAA

Michel Martin is the weekend host of All Things Considered, where she draws on her deep reporting and interviewing experience to dig in to the week’s …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Big Tech is driving a nuclear power revival, energy guru Dan Yergin says – CNBC

CNBC

… nuclear reactors. And, of course, you have big tech actually seeking to contract for the output of the electricity from existing nuclear power plants.

Energy Secretary talks Big Tech’s nuclear energy push – YouTube

YouTube

Microsoft (MSFT), Google (GOOG, GOOGL), and Amazon (AMZN) have recently been at the forefront of deals involving Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) for …

US Energy Secretary talks Big Tech’s clean nuclear energy push – Yahoo Finance

Yahoo Finance

US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm joins Market Domination to discuss this energy transition and its implications. Granholm explains that AI …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

La Salle And Grundy County Officials Ready For Nuclear Plant Emergency Response Test

Starved Rock Media

… nuclear power plant emergency. Every two years, first responders and units of government surrounding the La Salle Nuclear Power Station near …

In one of the regions, electricity outage schedules have been introduced – 112

112

… emergency situations at power plants or equipment overload. It is … On October 9, the NNEGC “Energoatom” completed the repair of a nuclear …

Nuclear War

NEWS

If a China and America war went nuclear, who would win? | Mint

Mint

In the exercise scenario, it is 2032 and a war over Taiwan has been raging for 45 days. China uses “theatre” nuclear weapons—with a shorter range and …

The Potential for Russia to Supercharge North Korea’s Nuclear and Missile Program

The Heritage Foundation

Introduction Over the past two and a half years, the Russian–North Korean relationship has changed fundamentally. Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un …

As the Israel-Hamas war escalates, Israel refuses to acknowledge its nuclear program

WWNO

NPR’s Michel Martin speaks with Victor Gilinsky, a former commissioner of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, about Israel’s nuclear capabilities.

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Is the nuclear threat higher in 2024 than during the Cold War? – Meta-Defense.fr

Meta-Defense.fr

Since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, the nuclear threat has been regularly brandished by Moscow. These repeated threats from Moscow are …

Kim Jong Un Issues Nuclear Warning To US as North Korea Grows Arsenal – Newsweek

Newsweek

North Korean leader has called America’s nuclear weapons an “ever-increasing threat.”

North Korea’s Kim Jong Un visits missile bases, slams US nuclear means – Reuters

Reuters

The U.S. strategic nuclear means pose an “ever-increasing threat” to North Korea’s security environment and long-term threats demand Pyongyang’s ” .

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

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Oct 22, 2024

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A regulatory loophole means nuclear power stations in the U.S. are ubiquitously using unregulated AI. (Art by Midjourney for Fierce Network)

LLAW’s NUCLEAR VIEWS, ISSUES & COMMENTS, Tuesday, (10/22/2024)

LLAW’s View of what we need to know and understand about the future of AI: (Related Op-Ed article below by Fierce News)

AI (Artificial Intelligence) will destroy the Internet and take humanity right along with it. If it has not already done so, it is well on its way to ruling over our human intelligence. The end result of AI’s purpose, whether we think so or not, will be absolute control of human life, our functionality automatically fed from it every day, allowing without knowing it to influence and control us without recognition of its manipulating purposes. In short, we are controlled by AI, not the other way around . . .

The Internet is the most powerful communications tool ever conceived by man, but few of us have ever learned how to use it as the tool it was meant to be, so just a few of us can easily control the rest of us. Combined with useful automation-like service systems such as banking, shopping, chatting, remote friendships, and useful exchange of news and other important information among those of us who otherwise live our lives in community, it is also useful, but there is absolutely no rightful place for AI’s ability to control how, what, when, and where we live our daily human lives. AI must be a subject to us — a useful instrument — but never should it be allowed equality status to human thought or intelligence because if it can it will. And then it will control us.

And yet AI, with its intellectual design (which is increasing every day),compared to us both individually and collectively and our naturally inferior intelligence, equality and loss of superiority is exactly what we see happening to us– especially with expressing ourselves as sentient individuals in our speech, writing, opinions, and deductive reasoning through, for instance, our relationships, jobs, social media together with online commercial marketing and advertising that are gradually leading us toward a future of a forgotten and wasted once unique way of living a personal and individualistic life.

If we are to survive as a species, we must change our direction and follow our own destiny, not the dictatorially enslaved purpose of Artificial Intelligence and those who believe they can manipulate it, even though they are wrong.

AI is led by mankind’s own ingenuous and foolish creative capabilities of AI, expecting it to function for us rather than with us as just another useful ingredient in our our own right to make our own decisions. That is not AI’s objective, nor the objectives of those who think they can control it. ~llaw

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Today’s related Op-Ed article:

Op-Ed: AI infiltrates US nuclear plants via unregulated back door

By Stephen M Saunders MBE Oct 21, 2024 10:43am

artificial intelligence (AI) Op-Ed nuclear power

• The U.S. has no regulatory agency policing AI usage in the the country’s nuclear sector, unlike in Europe and China
• Prioritizing rapid innovation over safety increases the risk of catastrophic failures in North America
• Hyperscalers like Microsoft and Google oppose regulation, and will increase the nuclear safety risks of unregulated AI

Nuclear power is supposed to be one of the most stringently controlled industries in the world, but a regulatory loophole  actually, more of a yawning chasm — means that nuclear power stations in the U.S. are ubiquitously using unregulated artificial intelligence (AI) for everything from control systems to anomaly detection to autonomous robotic systems.

It’s yet another example of how far behind the rest of the world the U.S. is in its approach to the deployment of advanced technologies like AI, automation and predictive analytics.

How big a problem is the nuclear AI free-for-all? Several founding fathers of AI, including Stuart Russell and Nick Bostrom, have recently had Oppenheimer-style “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds” moments, warning of the catastrophic consequences of unrestrained AI deployment — and unregulated AI in nuclear energy is exactly the kind of scenario they are concerned about.

Related

FNTV: Unregulated AI in US nuclear power – a looming crisis?

All it takes is one AI agent to misinterpret reactor sensor data and reduce water flow to the cooling tank, and — presto — Fukushima meltdown or Chernobyl core-collapse-plus-steam-explosion.

Unlike Europe and China, which both have centralized, comprehensive systems of rubrics designed to allow AI innovation without compromising public safety, the U.S. has devolved the responsibility of defining AI governance to no less than 13 national agencies — from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to the Department of Transportation (DoT). And this number doesn’t include state and local government regulators.

It’s a bizarre strategy, and has left the U.S. with no agency specifically tasked with AI oversight in the nuclear industry. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), the main agency responsible for regulating the overall safety and security of civilian nuclear facilities and materials, has no regulations focused on AI. At all.

The reason for this nuclear logic bomb is cultural. China and Europe have chosen to prioritize safety over speed, but the U.S. has an innovation-at-all-costs approach designed to fast-track technology and foster competition with fewer upfront restrictions. But is “move fast and break things” really the way to go when the application is nuclear energy?

The fact is, today, we don’t even really know how and why the most advanced AI models make decisions—the so-called Black Box problem.

Things will only get worse as Microsoft, Google, Oracle, and Facebook sally forth into nuclear power, armed only with egotism and huge piles of money. The hyperscalers are vehemently opposed to any regulation and once they are in the nuclear game will absolutely employ their vast financial resources on legal battles to prevent restrictions on AI usage.

And don’t expect the U.S. government to step in to save us from the fallout of all this stupidity. It can’t even work out how to stop disturbed adolescents from shooting pre-schoolers with military-grade assault rifles. The chances that any U.S. administration will do anything coherent about the nuclear AI free-for-all are ground zero.

---

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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 two Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in this evening’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, (10/22/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Global nuclear capacity must triple to meet climate goals: World Nuclear Association – YouTube

YouTube

… 31:25 · Go to channel. Bob Woodward on Trump, Harris, and war in Ukraine | All Things Considered | NPR. NPR New 172K views · 20:07 · Go to channel …

What is Big Tech’s rush to nuclear power telling us? – Finshots

Finshots

Cut to today, nuclear power contributes to about 20% of all electricity in the US. So, what changed? Enter Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), which …

Nuclear-Powered AI: Big Tech’s Bold Solution or a Pipedream? – WSJ

Wall Street Journal

Under the deal’s terms, Google committed to backing about seven reactors to be built by nuclear-energy startup Kairos Power. The goal is to add 500 …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Three Mile Island nuclear plant gears up for Big Tech reboot | Reuters

Reuters

Giant cooling towers at Constellation Energy’s Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania have sat dormant for so long that grass has sprung …

Nuclear–Powered AI: Big Tech’s Bold Solution or a Pipedream? – WSJ

Wall Street Journal

Amazon, Google and Microsoft are investing billions in nuclear power, but the projects are years away and rely on unproven technology.

Rundown: All nuclear plants extended, revived, or planned as energy demand soars

Washington Examiner

Nuclear power has seen a revival throughout 2024, thanks in large part to soaring energy demand from the tech sector. At least two retired plants …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Drones, robot dogs debut in radiation accident emergency drill – Global Times

Global Times

Wu Mingming, a deputy director of the Health, Safety and Environment Department at State Nuclear Power Plant Service Co Ltd, told The Paper that …

Gov’t proposes state monopoly on nuclear power investment – VOV

VOV

… nuclear power plants, citing the need to ensure national energy security … emergency power sources and grids, power transmission networks …

Kyslytsya at the UN Security Council called on states to prevent RF attacks on nuclear power … – 112

112

Specifically, air strikes on energy facilities threaten the electricity supply necessary for the operation of cooling systems at nuclear power plants.

Nuclear War

NEWS

Ireland and NZ co-sponsor UN resolution calling for study on effects of nuclear war

Toda Peace Institute

The last such UN study was in 1988, more than 30 years ago. The UN resolution “Nuclear War Effects and Scientific Research” is sponsored by Ireland …

Remarks in Kyiv by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III on Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom …

Department of Defense

And I’d like to start by echoing the words of President Kennedy in his historic 1963 speech in Berlin. There are some who say that they don’t …

Remarks by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III on Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom (As Delivered)

Department of Defense

And the Kremlin started the largest war in Europe since World War … And even as Putin makes profoundly reckless and dangerous threats about nuclear …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Middle East crisis live: Iran warns UN about Israel’s threats against its nuclear sites

The Guardian

“Threats to attack nuclear sites are against UN resolutions …. And are … The WHO Europe has already facilitated 600 medical evacuations from Gaza to …

Ukraine Can Go Nuclear — Should it? – CEPA

CEPA

It’s far from an idle threat, as most NATO governments will know. Not only does Ukraine have extensive civil nuclear facilities and supplies, it also …

Nuclear Arms Control Initiatives Detached From International Security Realities ‘Are Like …

Meetings Coverage and Press Releases – the United Nations

… nuclear war. Iran’s representative spoke about the United Kingdom’s new … He deemed unacceptable the Russian Federation’s threats to nuclear 

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

Yellowstone’s Ebbing Nuphar Lake – 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.

Light Mag. 3.0 Earthquake – Alboran Sea, 40 km Northeast of Al Hoceima, Tanger-Tetouan …

Volcano Discovery

… caldera and picturesque villages. Discover its fascinating … Yellowstone quakes · Yellowstone quakes · Latest earthquakes under Yellowstone volcano

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

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Oct 21, 2024

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This satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC shows Iran’s Natanz nuclear site, on April 14, 2023. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

LLAW’s NUCLEAR VIEWS, ISSUES & COMMENTS, Monday, (10/21/2024)

Regarding promised further information from yesterday’s concerns about the CNN article headlined Leaked documents show US intelligence on Israel’s plans to attack Iran, sources say leaves more questions than answers, I could find nothing more than the following:

As stated in today’s following article posted here from “The Times of Israel” says Israel’s response to Iran’s missile attack is already a “done deal,” an Israeli official told The Times of Israel on Sunday.

Following is the most current information I could find on the present potential of an “all-out-war” situation between the two countries . . . ~llaw

Iran complains to UN watchdog, alleging Israeli threats to hit its nuclear sites

In letter to International Atomic Energy Agency, foreign ministry argues striking such facilities is against global body’s resolutions and should be condemned

By Reuters and ToI StaffToday, 3:39 pm

The flag of the International Atomic Energy Agency flies in front of its headquarters during an IAEA Board of Governors meeting in Vienna, Austria, on February 6, 2023. (Heinz-Peter Bader/AP)

Iran has written to the UN nuclear watchdog to raise its concerns about a potential Israeli attack on its nuclear sites, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Monday at a weekly news conference.

Israel has vowed to attack Iran after Tehran fired some 200 ballistic missiles at Israel on October 1, leading to speculation that Iran’s nuclear sites could be among Israel’s potential targets.

“Threats to attack nuclear sites are against UN resolutions…. and are condemned… we have sent a letter about it to… the UN nuclear watchdog,” Baghaei said in the televised news conference.

Separately, Baghaei said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will travel to Bahrain and Kuwait.

Israel has promised a “serious and significant” but has not openly listed any targets. Jerusalem has for years vowed that it would not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons and has reportedly readied the use of military force for that objective if Iran moves toward acquiring such weapons.

With an Israeli response expected, there has been speculation it may be mulling attacks on Iranian oil infrastructure or nuclear sites.

This satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC shows Iran’s Natanz nuclear site, on April 14, 2023. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

Iran insists its nuclear program is strictly peaceful but has accelerated its enrichment of uranium to up to 60 percent fissile purity, close to 90% of weapons-grade, a level of purity experts say has no practical use except to make a bomb.

US President Joe Biden has publicly spoken out against Israel targeting Iran’s nuclear sites or oil infrastructure. The US said it opposes both actions for their potential to escalate the fighting, including Iranian reprisals aimed at civilian infrastructure in Israel or other regional states aligned with the West.

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Republican US presidential candidate former president Donald Trump and former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett have both said Israel should bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Iran launched its October missile attack to retaliate against Israeli strikes targeting its allies terror groups Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza amid an ongoing war against both that was triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. It was the second direct Iranian attack on Israel this year; Israel responded to the first missile volley in April with an airstrike on an air defense site in central Iran that was reportedly guarding a nuclear facility.

Iran has repeatedly said it would give a forceful response if Israel attacks nuclear or oil sites, calling them a “red line.”

A Hezbollah drone attack on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in the coastal city of Caesarea over the weekend saw Israel further ratchet up its vengeful rhetoric against Iran, which tried to distance itself from the incident. The premier and his wife were not home at the time of the attack.

Israeli air defense system fires to intercept missiles launched from Iran over Baqa al-Gharbiya on October 1, 2024. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)

Washington has sought to temper Jerusalem’s plans to retaliate for the October 1 attack — which forced most of the country to rush to bomb shelters and safe rooms and killed a Palestinian man in the West Bank — fearing that the escalating tit-for-tat could spark a wider war drawing in others in the region. The attack caused damage in Israel, including in Israeli airbases, though the military has said that no aircraft or critical infrastructure were hit, and the Israeli Air Force was operating at full capacity.

Last week, the Washington Post reported that Netanyahu had told US President Joe Biden that Israel’s retaliation against Iran will not include strikes on non-military sites, such as its nuclear or oil infrastructure.

Two officials familiar with the matter, including one identified as a US official, pointed to Netanyahu’s softening stance as a key factor in the US decision to send an advanced anti-ballistic missile air defense system to Israel. The THAAD system has been activated after equipment and troops to operate it were airlifted to Israel in recent days.

Iran’s atomic energy agency spokesperson Behrouz Kamalvandi said last Wednesday that the probability of an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear sites was “low” but any potential damage would be “quickly compensated,” according to Nournews.

At the same time, Iran’s top diplomat Araghchi warned UN chief Antonio Guterres that Tehran is ready for a “decisive and regretful” response if Israel attacks his country.

Palestinians inspect the debris of an Iranian missile intercepted by Israel, in the West Bank city of Hebron, Oct. 2, 2024. (AP/Mahmoud Illean, File)

Israel’s response to Iran’s missile attack is already a “done deal,” an Israeli official told The Times of Israel on Sunday.

Two officials said that the drone attack on Netanyahu’s home will not impact the scale or timing of the Israeli attack.

Nonetheless, a lengthy security cabinet meeting later that evening reportedly did not ultimately give Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant the authority to decide on the timing of a strike on Iran, as had been expected.

As Israel says it is preparing for the attack, the US is probing the leak of a pair of highly classified intelligence documents describing Israel’s preparations for a retaliatory strike on Iran.

Those documents mentioned Israeli forces handling dozens of air-to-surface ballistic missiles that could be used in a strike.

The prospect of an all-out war between Israel and Iran has placed the region on edge. Iran supports a network of militias across the Middle East, tightening the belt around Israel, which has for over a year been locked in battle with Iran-backed terror groups Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

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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 two Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in this evening’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, Monday, (10/21/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

FNTV: Unregulated AI in US nuclear power – a looming crisis? – Fierce Network

Fierce Network

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which is tasked with regulating nuclear safety, lacks any AI specific regulations at all. Things will only get …

Big Tech Goes Nuclear | The Motley Fool

The Motley Fool

Mary Long: You read about this at all, and you’re going to come across some metrics that might be hard for the average person to visualize megawatt, …

Climate Change Made Hurricane Milton More Destructive – Forbes

Forbes

“Over the last year, we have become much more bullish about what nuclear can provide. … And then all the way down into more personal things, whether …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

IEA Executive Director on Energy Demand Amid AI Boom, Nuclear Power – YouTube

YouTube

International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol looks at how the AI frenzy might affect demand for energy including nuclear power.

Nuclear Power in Our World Today: Current and Future Generation (Does Its Costs …

Energy Central

Nuclear Power: Worth the Cost?

Hello folks, In this latest article, I dive into the benefits, risks, and future of nuclear energy.

Op-Ed: AI infiltrates US nuclear plants via unregulated back door – Fierce Network

Fierce Network

A regulatory loophole means nuclear power stations in the U.S. are ubiquitously using unregulated AI.

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant again on the verge of a blackout: what happened – ТСН

ТСН

On October 21, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) once again was on the verge of blackout … Emergency Service shows photos of the destruction.

Attack on Kyiv region: State Emergency Service shows photos of the destruction – ТСН

ТСН

… Nuclear Power Plant again on the verge of a blackout: what happened. Published at: 18:33, 21.10.24. Russia struck a residential area in Zaporizhzhia …

Department on Aging Offers Free Help to Make Medicare Open Enrollment Decisions

Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton – Illinois.gov

Braidwood Nuclear Power Station Emergency Preparedness. Press Release – Friday, October 18, 2024. SPRINGFIELD –An exercise to test emergency …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Iran complains to UN nuclear watchdog about Israeli threats to its atomic sites, spokesman says

Reuters

Israel has vowed to attack Iran in retaliation for a volley of Iranian missiles on Oct. 1, stirring widespread speculation that Iranian nuclear sites …

Russia calls US statements on readiness for nuclear talks ‘deception’ | Reuters

Reuters

The recent statements by the U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration that Washington is ready for nuclear … Israel and Hamas at War · Japan · Middle …

Russia Calls US Statements on Readiness for Nuclear Talks ‘Deception’ – USNews.com

USNews.com

“The call to talk about strategic stability, about control over nuclear weapons without preconditions is a deception,” Lavrov told the news outlet …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Iran complains to UN nuclear watchdog about Israeli threats to its atomic sites, spokesman says

Reuters

“Threats to attack nuclear sites are against U.N. resolutions…. and are condemned … We have sent a letter about it to … the U.N. nuclear …

Middle East crisis live: Iran warns UN about Israel’s threats against its nuclear sites

The Guardian

“Threats to attack nuclear sites are against UN resolutions …. And are … war after the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. The top US …

Iran complains to UN watchdog, alleging Israeli threats to hit its nuclear sites

The Times of Israel

… nuclear sites could be among Israel’s potential targets. “Threats to attack nuclear sites are against UN resolutions…. and are condemned… we have …

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

10 Undiscovered Small Towns in Wyoming – WorldAtlas

World Atlas

… Yellowstone National Park. Cody. Buffalo Bill Center of the West in … Yellowstone, Yellowstone Lake, and the Yellowstone Caldera. What is …

Mag. 4.8 earthquake – Somalia on Monday, Oct 21, 2024, at 01:11 pm (GMT +3)

Volcano Discovery

List and interactive map of current and past earthquakes near Yellowstone volcano. … Santorini is one of the most beautiful islands in the world, …

End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Oct 20, 2024

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Stock Photo of Iran’s Nuclear Facility

LLAW’s NUCLEAR VIEWS, ISSUES & COMMENTS, Sunday, (10/20/2024)

Sundays almost always seem to be filled with news stories that are better off being left till Monday unless there is no speculation at all involved in the article(s)’ facts and information. This article leaves more questions than answers, but bears following up on as soon as possible in an effort to discover what comes next. How the ‘leak’ occurred and from where and whether the stolen documents contained nuclear attack information is, of course, seriously important. I’m sure we will learn more in tomorrow’s LLAW’s NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS . . . ~llaw

Leaked documents show US intelligence on Israel’s plans to attack Iran, sources say

By Natasha Bertrand and Alex Marquardt, CNN

3 minute read

Updated 7:34 AM EDT, Sun October 20, 2024

CNN — 

The US is investigating a leak of highly classified US intelligence about Israel’s plans for retaliation against Iran, according to three people familiar with the matter. One of the people familiar confirmed the documents’ authenticity.

The leak is “deeply concerning,” a US official told CNN.

The documents, dated October 15 and 16, began circulating online Friday after being posted on Telegram by an account called “Middle East Spectator.”

They are marked top secret and have markings indicating they are meant to be seen only by the US and its “Five Eyes” allies — Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Related live-storyThe latest on Hamas leader’s death and war in the Middle East

They describe preparations Israel appears to be making for a strike against Iran. One of the documents, which says it was compiled by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, says the plans involve Israel moving munitions around.

Another document says it is sourced to the National Security Agency and outlines Israeli air force exercises involving air-to-surface missiles, also believed to be in preparation for a strike on Iran. CNN is not quoting directly from or showing the documents.

A US official said the investigation is examining who had access to the alleged Pentagon document. Any such leak would automatically trigger an investigation by the FBI alongside the Pentagon and US intelligence agencies. The FBI declined to comment.

The leak comes at an extremely sensitive moment in US-Israeli relations and is bound to anger the Israelis, who have been preparing to strike Iran in response to Iran’s missile barrage on October 1. One of the documents also suggests something that Israel has always declined to confirm publicly: that the country has nuclear weapons. The document says the US has not seen any indications that Israel plans to use a nuclear weapon against Iran.

“If it is true that Israeli tactical plans to respond to Iran’s attack on October 1 have been leaked, it is a serious breach,” said Mick Mulroy, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East and a retired CIA officer.

Mulroy added that “the future coordination between the US and Israel could be challenged as well. Trust is a key component in the relationship, and depending on how this was leaked that trust could be eroded.”

Related articleUS officials expect Israel’s counterattack on Iran will come before US Election Day

The National Security Council referred CNN to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Pentagon for comment. The Pentagon and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency declined to comment. CNN has reached out to the National Security Agency for comment.

Another US official said that “these two documents are bad, but not horrible. The concern is if there are more.”

It is not clear how the documents became public, nor whether they were hacked or deliberately leaked. The US is already on high alert about Iranian hacking campaigns — US intelligence agencies said in August that Iran had hacked documents belonging to Donald Trump’s campaign.

Axios first reported on the leaked documents Saturday.

A major leak of US intelligence last year also strained the US’ relationships with allies and partners, including South Korea and Ukraine, after a 21-year-old Air National Guardsman posted highly classified information on the social media platform Discord.

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNN’s Evan Perez and Katie Bo Lillis contributed to this report.

---

Subscribed

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 is one Yellowstone Caldera bonus story available in this evening’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, Sunday, (10/20/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

New documentary showcases the South Korean divers fighting nuclear water pollution

YouTube

New documentary showcases the South Korean divers fighting nuclear water pollution … All Things Considered | NPR. NPR New 144K views · 19:46 · Go to …

2 Nuclear Missile Submarines Collided (Armed with Hundreds of Nuclear Weapons)

The National Interest

Yet, the Royal Navy, rather than address the problems, chose to cover it up and continue operating as though everything were normal. Thankfully, the …

The “Magic” of Neutron Shells: New Data Refines Nuclear Models – SciTechDaily

SciTechDaily

All things follow certain laws, which can be revealed through observation and research ( such as topological structures ). When physics is …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Democrats Embrace Nuclear Power In Heated Senate Races – HuffPost

HuffPost

Candidates vying to preserve the party’s narrow majority see atomic energy as a way to win center-right voters and shore up the U.S. grid.

Demand for nuclear power sees resurgence – Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

NEW YORK — Nuclear power is garnering renewed attention amid growing demand for power and cleaner energy.

Big Tech’s dash for nuclear power – Financial Times

Financial Times

SMRs — reactors up to 300 megawatts, compared with 1,000MW for large nuclear plants — claim to offer a cheaper, faster alternative. Largely …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Chinese researchers put data link hardware to the doomsday test: paper

South China Morning Post

Engineers push communications equipment to the limit to see if it could survive a nuclear attack.

Leaked documents show US intelligence on Israel’s plans to attack Iran, sources say – CNN

CNN

The US is investigating a leak of highly classified US intelligence about Israel’s plans for retaliation against Iran, according to three people …

Putin Draws a ‘Red Line’: Russia Will Never Permit Ukraine to Go Nuclear, ‘Not Possible Secretly’

YouTube

… nuclear capabilities even before the war began. #Putin #Ukraine #NuclearWeapons #RussiaUkraineWar #Russia #Zelensky #NationalSecurity #Geopolitics …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Opinion: Russia’s Clownish Convoy of Threats – Kyiv Post

Kyiv Post

… threats and the specter of nuclear war in its arsenal. In reality … Putin and his propagandists are betting that the threat of nuclear war will …

The Navy’s Los Angeles-Class Nuclear Attack Submarine Dilemma | The National Interest

The National Interest

… threat to the rival navies of China, Russia, and others. Submarines vs. Aircraft Carriers. A Los Angeles-class attack submarine costs around $1 …

Iran’s FM believes he can wage war against Israel and not receive any pushback – analysis

The Jerusalem Post

A necessary response will be given to any attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities or any similar attack.” Threats to the US. Araghchi also threatened ..

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

Mag. 1.8 quake – New Zealand on Sunday, Oct 20, 2024, at 11:11 pm (Auckland time)

Volcano Discovery

Its vast caldera has an amazing moonscape and several … Yellowstone quakes · Yellowstone quakes · Latest earthquakes under Yellowstone volcano

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Oct 19, 2024

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“The winner of November’s presidential election will confront a challenge with no immediate cure-all: America’s nuclear weapons are aging faster than they can be replaced. Moreover, this dilemma is compounded by the dual shocks of China’s breathtaking nuclear buildup and Russia’s geopolitical reversion into an acute threat—to say nothing of a North Korea that is improving its own arsenal and an Iran that is, arguably, a de facto nuclear power.” ( text from the AEI article by Kyle Balzer attached)

LAW’s NUCLEAR VIEWS, ISSUES & COMMENTS, Saturday, (10/19/2024)

The following article uses “deterrence” as the one and only possibility to avoid future threats of a coming nuclear war, and, true enough, that seems to be the only option that the nuclear-armed countries and all the rest of us, too, have left to hopefully live another day.

Even the New START Treaty between Russia and the U.S., signed in 2010, has already been violated (see the article), so ‘deterrence’ seems to be the only option left, and according to the article the United States has a long and expensive way to go to improve its status in the temporary world of ‘deterrence’, which amounts to creating mutual fear among nuclear nations of each others’ stockpile of nuclear weapons.

As I have mentioned time and time again in this blog, ‘deterrence’ cannot continue indefinitely because of unsustainable financial and mutual ‘trust’ necessities, creating nothing more than a temporary patch to avoid inevitable nuclear war — from which there will be no winner . . . ~llaw

The winner of November’s presidential election will confront a challenge with no immediate cure-all: America’s nuclear weapons are aging faster than they can be replaced. Moreover, this dilemma is compounded by the dual shocks of China’s breathtaking nuclear buildup and Russia’s geopolitical reversion into an acute threat—to say nothing of a North Korea that is improving its own arsenal and an Iran that is, arguably, a de facto nuclear power. 

Put simply, the US strategic nuclear posture has very little, if any, slack to offset a growing range of threats before next-generation weapons systems begin replacing older platforms. Immediately upon taking office, then, the next president should consider stop-gap measures to mitigate the long-term structural problems afflicting America’s nuclear program. 

All three legs of the nuclear triad are under strain. Land-based Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missiles are nearly 60 years old—and their scheduled replacement, the Sentinel, has incurred significant cost overruns and might not enter service until the late 2030s. Sea-based Ohio-class submarines are nearly forty years old and will begin to reach the end of their service life in 2027 before the first next-generation Columbia-class boat is delivered. And the air-based leg, featuring B-2 and B-52 strategic bombers, is heavily taxed due to operating costs, force reductions, and the decision to dramatically scale back the nuclear air-launched cruise missile inventory.     

Therefore, the US triad desperately needs more capability in the short term to offset geopolitical threats that the aging and delayed program of record was not sized and shaped to address. Fortunately, the next president has two, albeit imperfect, off-the-shelf options that could help mitigate present burdens. 

First, the United States could upload more warheads on either the land- or sea-based legs. The 400 operational Minuteman silos, for example, are currently loaded only with single-warhead missiles. If loaded with all available warheads, however, the Minuteman fleet can reportedly carry some 800—if not more. As for the sea-based leg, the US Navy normally operates 12 Ohio-class submarines, armed with 20 Trident D5 ballistic missiles, which carry approximately 960 warheads (four to five warheads per Trident). If fully uploaded with eight warheads per missile, the force expands substantially. 

However, this option does not come without political, material, and operational costs. Politically, the US upload capacity is limited by the New START Treaty signed with Russia in 2010. Each signatory is confined to 1,550 strategic warheads spread across their respective nuclear triad until 2026 (the United States already deploys some 1,400 strategic warheads). Given that Russia is currently in violation of New START, however, and in light of Russia’s barbaric war in Ukraine and its unceasing nuclear threats against NATO, the next president has cause to exit the agreement. 

Nonetheless, though additional warheads are readily available in the reserve stockpile, this upload option also comes with material costs that cannot be ignored—most notably in straining submarine maintenance schedules. And operationally, loading additional warheads on Trident would impact its range and targeting flexibility. 

The second off-the-shelf option entails modifying Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAMs), an existing conventional sea-launched cruise missile, with W80 non-strategic warheads from the reserve stockpile. In the near term, this would return a regional nuclear option—free from New START central limits—to the sea-based fleet, filling a gap that emerged following the retirement of the nuclear-tipped Tomahawk (TLAM-N) in 2013. Since the next-generation nuclear sea-launched cruise missile (SLCM-N) won’t arrive until the mid-2030s, this would help address the massive Chinese and Russian theater-range arsenals in the short term. 

In the Asia-Pacific, for example, TLAM-N’s retirement left the United States without a forward-deployed nuclear option to offset China’s growing regional capabilities. And in Europe, Russia’s arsenal of some 2,000 theater nuclear weapons dwarfs the hundred or so gravity bombs the United States forward deploys on the Continent. 

However, much like the upload option, modifying TLAM comes with its own set of costs. The US Navy would have to pull some missile launchers away from conventional missions. And resources and time would have to be devoted to certifying personnel for the nuclear mission. 

Still, the attack submarine fleet would not have to devote large numbers of launchers to nuclear missions: the United States simply needs to convince its adversaries that a regional strike option is on station and ready to respond. Refurbishing the TLAM-N, then, might be more appealing than uploading Minuteman and Trident, given that cruise missiles evade New START restrictions and American adversaries are growing theater nuclear forces. 

The above options are not perfect—indeed, far from it. Nonetheless, their costs are relatively modest when placed in a broader perspective: The nuclear arsenal is the backbone of America’s global military posture, which has deterred great-power war since 1945. 

As former Secretary of Defense James Mattis once quipped, “America can afford survival.”  

Learn more: America’s Enemies Would Rejoice at a U.S. Military Retreat from Europe | The U.S. Is Losing a New Nuclear Arms Race | Nuclear Bipartisanship: An Enduring American Tradition | History Supports Senator’s Plan to Revive the Nuclear Arsenal

Kyle Balzer

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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 two Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in this evening’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, (10/19/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Zelensky, the Budapest Memorandum and the Ukrainian Atomic Bomb: 5 Things to Know – Kyiv Post

Kyiv Post

… all have developed and detonated a nuclear device. Advertisement. So how close are we to a Ukrainian nuke? The official answer we already have from …

No Choice but Crisis? The Next President’s Options for North Korea

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

All these things, they’re fundamentally just not in the cards for the … nuclear, because a nuclear-armed South Korea would enhance American security.

Big Tech goes nuclear – Marketplace.org

Marketplace.org

Big Tech goes long on nuclear power, AI slop is all over Spotify, and a … things that matter to you. Also Included in. “Make Me Smart …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Nuclear Power: A Game-Changer for Data Centers in the AI Era – U.S. Global Investors

U.S. Global Investors

Shares of companies involved in uranium and nuclear, like NuScale Power, Oklo, Cameco and Centrus Energy, have been surging, driven in large part by …

Nuclear Energy Is Making a Comeback. A New Batch of Stocks to Play the Trend. | Barron’s

Barron’s

When they’re not inventing sentient chatbots, tech giants have a new obsession: nuclear power. … The new kind of nuclear plants built by Kairos and X- …

ADVANCE Act keeping NRC ‘very busy,’ official says, highlighting 30+ implementation actions

Utility Dive

January 2025: Modernization of nuclear reactor environmental reviews · April 2025: Licensing considerations for non-electric uses of nuclear energy …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Nuclear power specialists from around the globe learn how to prep for disaster at TEEX

KBTX

18 students from 14 …

Harris Nuclear Plant in New Hill to test emergency sirens – MSN

MSN

On Wednesday, the Harris Nuclear Plant in New Hill will test its sirens. The annual three-minute siren test is scheduled to happen between 10 a.m. …

Tablet distribution guards against unlikely nuclear crisis in Delaware | Bay to Bay News

Delaware State News

… emergencies in Delaware.” Additionally, in case of an emergency … nuclear plant is considered highly unlikely.” If potassium iodide is …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Russia flaunts doomsday weapons to curb Western support for Ukraine – Defense News

Defense News

Putin also declared the revised document envisages possible nuclear weapons use in case of a massive air attack, holding the door open to a potential …

Putin says Russia won’t let Ukraine obtain nuclear weapons | Reuters

Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday Russia would not let Ukraine get nuclear weapons, after Ukraine’s leader said that since Kyiv had …

Ukraine not considering nuclear arms, top official Yermak says – Reuters

Reuters

Ukraine is not considering developing nuclear weapons and recent reports on the topic were driven by an incorrect interpretation of remarks by …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

ISW analyzes Putin’s latest nuclear threats – RBC-Ukraine

RBC-Ukraine

ISW analyzes Putin’s latest nuclear threats Photo: Russian dictator Vladimir Putin (getty images) … War in Ukraine Putin nuclear weapon Ukraine .

Adding Slack to the US Nuclear Posture | American Enterprise Institute – AEI

American Enterprise Institute

Given that Russia is currently in violation of New START, however, and in light of Russia’s barbaric war in Ukraine and its unceasing nuclear threats …

EU Statement – UN General Assembly 1st Committee: Nuclear Weapons – EEAS

EEAS – European Union

The EU condemns in the strongest possible way Russia’s aggressive actions, irresponsible nuclear rhetoric and threats … nuclear war cannot be won and …

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

Temporal, spatial, and chemical evolution of Quaternary high-silica rhyolites in the Mineral …

USGS.gov

… caldera and post-caldera eruptions of the Valles Caldera and Yellowstone Caldera volcanic systems. Collectively, these geochemical …

Weak Mag. 2.8 Earthquake – Abai, 51 km Southwest of Ust-Kamenogorsk, East Kazakhstan …

Volcano Discovery

Follow the latest news and update on the volcano-seismic crisis that started on São Jorge Island in the Azores on 19 March 2022! Yellowstone quakes.

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Oct 18, 2024

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AI will eventually build its own computers/robots because it will grow beyond human intelligence capability and capacity ~llaw (stock photo)

LLAW’s NUCLEAR VIEWS, ISSUES & COMMENTS, Friday, (10/18/2024)

AI will eventually build its own computers/robots because it will grow beyond human intelligence capability and capacity ~llaw (stock photo)

“You Tube” has managed to seize the entire “All Things Nuclear” (Category 1) this Friday, so take your personal preference(s) about their temporary ‘monopoly’ on this unusual Friday for nuclear news. Also, the Friday AIEA has provided several interesting stories this week that should be of interest to us all.

My major concern regarding today’s nuclear news is our apparently ‘blind’ belief that spreading SMRs (Small Nuclear Reactors) on every street corner in or near cities around the world to support AI and other demand for electricity will add to the doomsday speculation that is growing more aggressive every day. Nuclear power plants of every kind, big and small, are extremely dangerous for lots of reasons, including not only disastrous nuclear accidents, but also nuclear war (as we are are already seeing in the Russia/Ukraine war), nuclear sabotage, nuclear terrorism, and disposal of nuclear waste that is already out of control with neglect, especially in the United States. And, of course, the more there are, the greater the nuclear risks . . .

We are rapidly seeing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) being shoved aside by our governments and out-of-control corporate demands for creating what is even today uncontrollable, powerful, and dangerous Artificial Intelligence (AI). We will, of course, move forward with the very simple idea that computers can handle almost all of our human intelligence (and some manufacturing) activities, including military and corporate management and product assembly and operation that could easily gain control over all human activity, enslaving us to live under AI demands without human consent or participation. Or, it could just do away with us altogether.

Our blind lemming-like death-wish continues to move forward without any existing form of controlling something that can and will control itself at the ultimate human expense — our very existence — if nuclear war doesn’t end it all first. ~llaw

---

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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 in this evening’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, (10/18/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

AWS CEO Matt Garman Talks Amazon Nuclear Investment | Bloomberg Talks – YouTube

YouTube

AWS CEO Matt Garman Talks Amazon Nuclear Investment | Bloomberg Talks. 53 … All Things Considered | NPR. NPR New 111K views · 41:49 · Go to channel …

“Nuclear weapons or NATO membership,” Zelensky pitches ‘victory plan’ against Russia | N18G

YouTube

… nuclear weapons, and then this is defence for us, or we should have … All Things Secured•555K views · 20:45 · Go to channel. If You HEAR THIS …

Russian President Putin: ‘Won’t Allow Ukraine To Obtain Nuclear Weapons’ | Maroof Raza | ET Now

YouTube

Nuclear Weapons In Ukraine? Here’s What Putin Said! Russian Prez Putin … All Things Considered | NPR. NPR New 121K views · 9:32 · Go to channel …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

The next big AI trade could be nuclear power: Morning Brief – Yahoo Finance

Yahoo Finance

Chips and energy are the picks and shovels of the AI movement, making reexamining nuclear power a logical conclusion. But if investors want to follow …

Micro nuclear reactors are being built that can deliver 5MW of power for up to 100 … – TechRadar

TechRadar

Westinghouse says its eVinci microreactor could power future data centers, and even be used on the moon.

Amazon and Google Sign Nuclear Energy Deals as AI Power Demands Surge – CNET

CNET

The two tech giants are looking to a new generation of small modular reactors, while Microsoft has its own nuclear plans tied to the Three Mile …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

How prepared is Kansas for a nuclear emergency? – KSNT

KSNT

… emergency managers are prepared to protect the community from the worst case scenario. Crews at the Wolf Creek nuclear power plant work …

Virginia considers small nuclear reactor at Lake Anna to meet growing power demand

WUSA9

… emergency, it shuts down and cools off on its own. According to Amazon, an SMR would bring at least 300 megawatts of power to the Virginia region …

Russia must immediately stop attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure

unn.ua

… power to nuclear power plants, which could lead to emergencies at nuclear facilities. We are deeply concerned about drone and missile attacks that …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Opinion | Bomb survivors’ Nobel Prize a reminder to world on edge of nuclear war

South China Morning Post

As the world lurches towards nuclear conflict, we cannot afford to forget the catastrophe unleashed on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Proliferation News 10/17/24 – Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

… Nuclear Facilities, TASS Says, Nuclear–War Risks Rise Again, Stoked by Global Conflicts, Amazon, Google Make Dueling Nuclear Investments to Power …

Putin Unveils Apex ‘Doomsday’ Weapon, Flaunts Atomic Arsenal in Bold Nuclear Testing

YouTube

Comments22 · ‘Nuclear Weapons Or NATO…’: Zelensky’s New Demand Stuns West As Putin’s War ‘Frustrates’ Ukraine · Technical Officers Or Fighters? · Angry …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Russia tests nuclear unit as it rolls out ballistic missiles in latest threat to West

The Independent

… nuclear war over the West’s support for Ukraine. The drill involves a … Ukraine has criticised these threats as “nuclear sabre-rattling” to …

Putin’s nuclear doctrine isn’t his worst threat – The Japan Times

The Japan Times

… nuclear threats that are losing their power. It does nothing to remove the enormous hurdles to actually following through with a nuclear attack.

World Update: how the Middle East conflict could escalate – The Conversation

The Conversation

Vladimir Putin’s regular threats about his nuclear arsenal have focused … I grew up during the cold war under the shadow of the nuclear threat.

IAEA Weekly News

18 October 2024

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

18 October 2024

New IAEA Report on Climate Change and Nuclear Power Focuses on Financing

The 2024 edition of the IAEA’s Climate Change and Nuclear Power report has been released, highlighting the need for a significant increase in investment to achieve goals for expanding nuclear power. Read more →

17 October 2024

International Conference on Small Modular Reactors Next Week

More than 1000 participants from nearly 100 countries are set to attend the first IAEA International Conference on Small Modular Reactors and their Applications, from 21 to 25 October at the Agency’s headquarters in Vienna. Read more →

16 October 2024

World Food Day 2024: DG Highlights Joint IAEA and FAO Atoms4Food Initiative to Reduce Global Hunger

Speaking on World Food Day at the opening session of the FAO Science and Innovation Forum in Rome, Rafael Mariano Grossi, IAEA Director General, marked the day with Qu Dongyu, Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization. The Director General highlighted the IAEA and FAO’s long-standing partnership and the importance of their joint Atoms4Food initiative. Read more →

15 October 2024

2023 IAEA Annual Report Presented to the UN General Assembly

The 2023 IAEA Annual Report is now available to read online, in all the official UN languages. Read more →

15 October 2024

IAEA Initiates First Practical Steps of Additional Measures at Sea Near Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station

The IAEA initiated today the first practical steps of additional measures at sea near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. Read more →

14 October 2024

What Is Blue Carbon?

The IAEA works with scientists all over the world to study Blue Carbon, the organic carbon that is captured and stored by the ocean in vegetated coastal ecosystems such as mangrove forests, saltmarshes or seagrass meadows. Read more →

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

Lloyd A. Williams-Pendergraft

Oct 17, 2024

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US President Joseph Biden German Chancellor Olaf Scholz meeting at the White House in 2023 (See photo credits in the article)

LLAW’s NUCLEAR VIEWS, ISSUES & COMMENTS, Thursday, (10/17/2024)

This from other points of worldview that clarify complicated and important issues concerning the tangled web of global war growing out of the Russian/Ukraine war as it applies to the USA, NATO, as well as as the connected concern over the Middle East situation and a possible Israel/Iran war.

As an example of a global view, this quote from French columnist for Le Monde, Sylvie Kaufman, speculated on the possibility of a Trump victory in next month’s U.S. presidential elections leading to a slowdown of US military aid to Ukraine and ultimately a Russian victory. “There are three weeks to get ready for the worst possible outcomes,” she wrote. “The defeat of Ukraine would also be the defeat of Europe. We must now imagine the consequences a Russian victory would have in Europe,”

I urge you to read this article. The speculation is well considered and documented, although it is doubtful that the final two paragraphs will ever come to be . . . ~llaw

Conspiracy of silence shrouds Biden’s Ukraine summit in Berlin as NATO holds nuclear exercises

Alex Lantier

17 hours ago

• Outgoing US President Joseph Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are to meet tomorrow in Berlin for an emergency summit on the Ukraine war. To date, state officials and media in countries whose leaders are attending the Berlin summit have given no concrete information on what the summit agenda will be.

The four leading NATO imperialist powers are however clearly meeting to discuss plans for an international military escalation. It comes only a few days after the Pentagon publicly deployed US troops to Israel amid the genocide in Gaza, Israel’s invasion of Lebanon and calls for US-Israeli bombing of Iran. Moreover, Biden was originally slated to travel to Germany to discuss a monumentally reckless plan for mass long-range bombings of Russia.

This trip to Europe, Biden’s last as US president, was previously scheduled to be a NATO summit at the Ramstein airbase, to discuss authorizing Ukraine to launch strikes with long-range US, German, British and French missiles deep into Russia. However, the Ramstein summit was suddenly cancelled last week and replaced with the four-power summit in Berlin, disinviting the other NATO member states.

The deafening silence on the agenda of the Berlin summit amounts to a conspiracy by the major NATO powers to hide both the disaster they have caused in Ukraine and the Middle East and their planning for an even more catastrophic military escalation.

While Biden ostensibly cancelled the Ramstein summit to stay in the United States during the emergency response to Hurricane Milton, this came shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin changed Russia’s nuclear doctrine in response to threats of NATO missile strikes. The Kremlin announced that it could use nuclear weapons in response to strikes on Russia carried out by a non-nuclear power with the assistance of nuclear powers.

Further underscoring the nuclear war threat, NATO is now holding two weeks of nuclear war exercises, codenamed Steadfast Noon, set to end on October 28. This involves 60 nuclear-capable aircraft practicing strike maneuvers over Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Britain and the North Sea. About Steadfast Noon, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told reporters: “In an uncertain world, it is vital that we test our defense and that we strengthen our defense so that our adversaries know that NATO is ready and is able to respond to any threat.”

NATO is also holding the two-week “Exercise Strike Warrior” naval war games in waters northeast of Britain, with a 20-ship task force led by UK aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales.

Yesterday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky presented a reckless, five-point “victory plan” to the parliament in Kiev, supposedly to ensure Russia’s defeat. His plan called for Ukraine to join NATO, use NATO countries’ weapons for strikes on Russia at will, and develop a “non-nuclear deterrence package” whose content he did not specify.

For the fourth point, Zelensky boasted of Ukraine’s “natural resources, including critical minerals worth trillions of dollars.” He cryptically pledged to provide a “return on investment” to the United States and other NATO powers, apparently by handing over these resources to them, which he said was spelled out in “a secret annex, which is shared only with certain partners.” In short, Zelensky, while claiming to be fighting for Ukrainian freedom from Russia, is in fact selling off its resources to the NATO powers’ major corporations.

Finally, he called to integrate Ukrainian troops into NATO armies after the war. Zelensky claimed this would force Russia to “join an honest diplomatic process to bring the war to a just end.”

The coverage of Zelensky’s proposals in international media has been staggeringly superficial. It is a matter of record that in recent months, NATO heads of state have also advanced the proposals Zelensky made yesterday. While they are clearly part of an ongoing discussion of policy in the ruling elites of the NATO countries, the media and political establishment are asking none of the obvious questions that flow from Zelensky’s remarks.

What estimates are Biden, Scholz, Starmer and Macron seeing on how many millions would die if NATO’s use of Ukraine as a launchpad to bomb Russia triggers nuclear war? If Ukraine joined NATO, how soon do they believe the NATO and Russian militaries would be fighting each other? And how does Zelensky intend on this basis to reach peace, since the Kremlin went to war precisely to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and letting NATO station troops on Russia’s borders?

At the same time, Zelensky’s “victory plan” clearly faces major obstacles, starting with the fact that none of the major NATO imperialist powers have yet agreed, at least publicly, to admit Ukraine into NATO now, or to let Ukraine use their missiles for long-range strikes on Russia.

Moreover, there is mounting popular opposition to Zelensky, who has suspended elections and rules as a dictator. Yesterday, Hromadske television reported that thousands of people marched in Kiev to protest Zelensky, demanding to know the whereabout of their relatives, in one of the largest anti-war protests in Kiev to date. Many of the protesters were reportedly relatives of Ukrainian soldiers who made an ill-fated attempt to invade Russia and are now trapped near Kursk, pinned down by artillery.

At the same time, a report attributed to US intelligence sources circulated widely on Telegram yesterday claiming to show that Ukraine has suffered a staggering 1.8 million losses in the war, including over 700,000 killed in action. Since Zelensky’s regime does not regularly update the number killed in the war, it is impossible to precisely evaluate this number. However, it is plausible. More than a year ago, US military pundits like Douglas MacGregor were already citing Pentagon briefings to claim that Ukraine had suffered over 300,000 deaths.

Ukraine has been bled white in a war that is lost, unless there is a massive intervention by US-NATO troops in Ukraine for an open war with Russia that directly poses the risk of escalation to nuclear war.

There is mounting crisis and panic in European ruling circles over Ukraine. Last week, former NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg argued that Ukraine should negotiate a peace with Russia—which the NATO powers themselves forced Ukraine to reject after Russian and Ukrainian negotiators agreed on a peace deal shortly after the war began. Then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson pressed Zelensky to reject the deal, which might have saved hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians who have since died in the war.

In her regular column yesterday for the French daily Le Monde, Sylvie Kaufmann speculated on the possibility of a Trump victory in next month’s US presidential elections leading to a slowdown of US military aid to Ukraine and ultimately a Russian victory. “There are three weeks to get ready for the worst possible outcomes,” she wrote.

“The defeat of Ukraine would also be the defeat of Europe. We must now imagine the consequences a Russian victory would have in Europe,” Kaufmann continued. She said that in such a scenario, “the Europeans will not be able to compensate for the loss of American aid. The Ukrainian army would have more and more difficulty resisting Russian offensives.” She speculated that certain Balkan countries could abandon plans to join the European Union. She also worried that the EU itself might split apart if Italy, Hungary or other EU member states abandoned the Ukraine war.

Despite growing talk of defeat and negotiations in ruling circles, the major imperialist powers are firmly set on a policy of escalation. With Russian troops already stationed in Syria and Iran, a planned US-NATO military escalation coordinated with Israel against Iran or other Middle Eastern countries could also very rapidly lead to a direct military confrontation with Russia. Indeed, both Ukraine and the Middle East are fronts in a global conflict NATO is waging against Russia and China.

The decisive question is mobilizing the mass opposition that exists in the working class to NATO plans for escalation in Ukraine and to the Israeli government’s genocide in Gaza. According to a Eurasia Group poll earlier this year, 91 percent of Americans and 89 percent of West Europeans oppose plans for military escalation against Russia. This anger will only grow as it becomes obvious that the United States and Europe have both wasted hundreds of billions of dollars on a dirty war that is lost, financing this spending with attacks on social spending and real wages.

An international anti-war movement must be built in the working class, at workplaces and in schools, to call a halt to the war and take power out of the hands of the corrupt and monumentally reckless ruling elites that have led it, on a perspective of a struggle for socialism.

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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:

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TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS, Thursday, (10/17/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Big Tech’s power demands mean nuclear is getting a fresh look from electricity providers – Newsday

Newsday

Nuclear power already provides about 20% of all electricity generation in the U.S., and the International Atomic Energy Agency expects that nuclear …

Nuclear Energy Stocks Surge After Amazon Extends Recent Frenzy – WSJ

WSJ

What to Read Next ; Amazon Continues Push to Add More Nuclear Energy With 2 New Deals. 13 hours ago ; Opinion: One Thing We All Agree On. 15 hours ago.

Nuclear power could solve US electricity needs. But at what cost? – WRKF

WRKF

Just as the pendulum was about to swing the other way, the COVID-19 pandemic ground nearly everything to a halt. But now, a plethora of planned data …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Nuclear Energy Stocks Surge After Amazon Extends Recent Frenzy

The Wall Street Journal

Shares of nuclear power companies surged Wednesday after Amazon said it would work with utilities to explore deploying futuristic small modular …

Amazon makes fresh nuclear bet. Is it good news for this year’s hottest stocks?

MarketWatch

splashed into the world of nuclear energy with a new arrangement that will help power its artificial-intelligence data centers, Amazon.com Inc. is …

Is It Too Late to Buy Soaring Nuclear Energy Stocks? LEU, CCJ, SMR – Yahoo Finance

Yahoo Finance

NuScale Power, Oklo, Cameco, Centrus Energy, and other nuclear stocks have soared since Microsoft announced its massive nuclear energy deal with …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Nuclear emergency in Russia: Putin fears the worst – MSN

MSN

Russia could face an unprecedented nuclear disaster as its Kursk nuclear power plant is now dangerously close to the frontlines of the war.

Sibiga: Russia prepares strikes on nuclear energy facilities in Ukraine – all the latest news today – 112

112

The situation at the nuclear power plant remains unstable. The IAEA is also discussing a new emergency plan with the occupiers, which will be …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Are growing tensions between Israel and Iran a nuclear threat? | VOA News – YouTube

YouTube

Iran Israel War: Will Israel Attack Iran’s Nuclear Sites? Is the World Heading to a Nuclear War? WION•66 watching · 2:47 · Go to channel …

Will NATO annual nuclear exercise “Steadfast Noon” once again shroud Europe in … – China Military

China Military

… nuclear war. The second is new members. Finland participates in the nuclear exercise as a NATO member for the first time this year, in addition …

Russia refuses to answer whether they will start a nuclear war because of Ukraine

Telegrafi

The specter of nuclear weapons has loomed over the Ukraine war since Putin on February 27, just three days after the war began, ordered his nuclear …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

NATO Is Showing Off Its Tactical Nuclear Capabilities to Russia as a Warning

The National Interest

… War In UkraineNuclear Weapons. NATO Is Showing Off Its Tactical Nuclear … nuclear threats against the United States and NATO over Ukraine.

Iran says attack on nuclear sites improbable – Middle East and Africa – The Jakarta Post

The Jakarta Post

“We have always taken these threats seriously,” Kamalvandi said. … The Iranian spokesperson added that the UN nuclear watchdog and the international …

Conspiracy of silence shrouds Biden’s Ukraine summit in Berlin as NATO holds nuclear exercises

World Socialist Web Site

… nuclear doctrine in response to threats of NATO missile strikes. The … Further underscoring the nuclear war threat, NATO is now holding two .