“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

LLOYD A. WILLIAMS-PENDERGRAFT

JUN 18, 2024

1

1

Share

Image source: Photo courtesy of National Nuclear Security Administration / Nevada Site Office, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Tuesday, (06/18/2024)

Sovaida Ma’ani Ewing, the writer of this article, is an author and a humanitarian after my own heart. Her words, warnings, and their meanings fit my own views of present day-to-day human life perfectly well. Her recognition of our long-lost curiosity and attention to the maniacal world around us in favor of inattention and ignorance — sleepwalking, as she calls it — a society unaware or concerned about critical human issues, such as ‘all things nuclear’ that has the nuclear power to destroy human and most all other life on planet Earth in a matter of days.

What I doubt about her correctional conclusion of hope, though, that I am certain will never happen. Her book, “Building a World Federation: The Key to Solving Our Global Crises” was written nearly a decade ago, and, as might have been expected — even by her — the ‘global crises’ have only grown considerably greater. Although she pointed out that human nuclear agreements have never worked before, meaning that a world-wide agreement of world leaders to subjectively, humanitarianly, socially, and judicially save us from exterminating ourselves will never happen without an uprising and unification by the masses of us around the world demanding our world leaders step down along with their greed and egotistical world-dominating agendas, or an unlikely other-worldly unknown intervention from above and beyond our normal human mindset(s). What are the odds of that happening? ~llaw

Are We Sleepwalking Our Way Into a Nuclear War?

Disarmament

Written by Sovaida Ma’ani Ewing

Jun 18, 2024

The threat of nuclear war is at the highest level it has been since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. However, there is a crucial difference: in 1962, most of us were alert to the threat and its existential nature. Today, by contrast, many of us are oblivious to our history or have simply forgotten it, which poses a huge danger: that of sleepwalking our way into a nuclear war with catastrophic consequences for our country and all of humanity.

This danger is exacerbated by three factors.

The first is the proliferation of nuclear arms and the renewed interest on the part of non-nuclear weapons states to acquire nuclear weapons. The war in Gaza has stirred fears that Iran will race for the bomb and join the nuclear weapons’ club. There are good reasons for such a fear: Recent reports quote the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as saying that Iran is now enriching uranium up to 60 percent, considerably more than the 3.67% permitted under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The IAEA also believes Iran already possesses enough fissile material to make three nuclear weapons. Moreover, the breakout time (the time required to produce enough fissile material at the 90 percent concentration needed for nuclear weapons, not taking into account the time needed to build a deliverable nuclear warhead) is now zero. The fact that the Iran has prevented the IAEA, the world’s nuclear watchdog, from properly monitoring its nuclear activities since early 2021 only exacerbates these concerns. Added to all this are Iran’s own threats that she will reconsider her nuclear stance if her nuclear facilities are threatened.

These fears have a potentially cascading effect: they are likely to spur other countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE, to seek nuclear capabilities of their own starting with civilian capabilities. Indeed, Saudi Prince Mohammad has already stated that were Iran to build nuclear weapons, Saudi would follow suit. Alas, the more nuclear weapons the world has, the greater the chance they will be used intentionally or accidentally.

A similar scenario is playing out further afield in Asia where China’s assertion of territorial claims to disputed islands in the South China Seas like the Paracels and Spratlys and their adjacent waters rich in reserves of natural resources and its claims to the islands of Senkaku/Diaoyu in the East China Sea, coupled with China’s stated desire to absorb Taiwan, are making other countries in the region fearful of China’s power. Japan and South Korea are particularly nervous, especially given the nuclear threat from North Korea. Their fears have been exacerbated by America’s uneven support of Ukraine in the face of Russian territorial aggression. Even though the United States is bound by a trilateral cooperation agreement to defend Japan and the Republic of Korea under its nuclear umbrella they are worried that the support they have been promised may not be forthcoming. These factors taken together are leading both countries to float the idea of acquiring their own nuclear weapons.

The second factor exacerbating the threat of nuclear war is that the guardrails in the form of a treaty regime so painstakingly crafted by the international community designed to reduce the number of nuclear weapons have been crumbling. The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty collapsed in 2019. The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty is defunct; and while the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START Treaty) — the last Treaty governing nuclear weapons between the U.S. and Russia– is theoretically in effect until 2026, Russia has suspended its participation in the Treaty and has allegedly not complied with her obligations under it since 2023.

The third factor enhancing the threat of nuclear war is the escalating rhetoric of countries like Russia. In early May of this year, Russia sent a clear warning that its arsenal of nuclear weapons was always in a state of combat readiness and announced that it would be holding military drills with troops based near Ukraine to prepare for the possible use of tactical nuclear weapons. This was Russia’s most explicit threat to date that it might use such weapons in Ukraine.

The combination of these three factors should serve to wake us up to the reality facing us before it’s too late. We can no longer afford to be complacent about the dangers of nuclear war, especially as we know, from past experience, that conflicts can escalate rapidly, spin beyond our control and lead to unintended consequences. It’s time we stopped and considered the price humanity would have to pay if we had even a “limited” nuclear war – limited geographically or in time. Experts suggest that using even one percent of our nuclear weapons would have a severe impact on the world’s climate, leading to a nuclear winter and a global famine in which 2 billion people―a quarter of the world’s population―would be at risk of starvation. These are unacceptable costs. Are we really willing to pay them?

As we stand on the precipice of unprecedented horror and untold suffering, we have a choice to make: we can continue our self-destructive dive into the abyss or work assiduously as a community of nations to build a global system of collective security that will ensure global peace and security. Such a system should be grounded in collectively agreed-upon international rules which are enforced even-handedly against any nation that threatens the peace using an international standing force that acts at the behest of, and in service to, the international community.

About Sovaida Ma’ani Ewing

Sovaida Ma’ani Ewing is the founder and director of The Center for Peace and Global Governance (cpgg.org), a virtual think tank and online forum that pools and proposes principled solutions to pressing global problems through publications, podcasts, lectures, workshops and targeted consulting. Sovaida Ma’ani Ewing is an international lawyer turned independent scholar who writes and lectures in the area of collective security and global governance. She is the author of five books including “Collective Security Within Reach” (2008) with a foreword written by an Under-Secretary General of the United Nations. It offers concrete recommendations for action by world leaders, national and international, to solve some of the pressing global problems of our time including the proliferation of nuclear weapons, the equitable distribution of energy resources, terrorism and the international use of force. In 2015 her book “Building a World Federation: The Key to Solving Our Global Crises” was published.

Subscribed

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

There are 6 categories, including 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, as do ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links in each category about 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.)

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, (06/18/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Nuclear powers are deepening their reliance on their nukes, a watchdog group says – TPR

The Public’s Radio

Russia and the United States have together almost 90% of all nuclear weapons, SIPRI said. … All Things Considered. Listen Live | 89.3. Listen Live | …

Nuclear powers are deepening their reliance on their nukes, a watchdog group says

KUOW

Russia and the United States have together almost 90% of all nuclear weapons, SIPRI said. … All Things Considered. 3:00 PM PDT. Today, Explained. 6:00 …

US Department of Energy says spent nuclear fuel could remain in Vernon until 2046

Vermont Public

All Things Gardening · Brave Little State · Homegoings · But Why · The … Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel Federal Nuclear Waste Policy …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Senate poised to send bill boosting nuclear power to Biden’s desk – The Hill

The Hill

“America can and should be a leader when it comes to deploying nuclear energy technologies, and this bipartisan legislation puts us on a path to …

DOE Announces $900 Million to Accelerate the Deployment of Next-Generation Light-Water …

Department of Energy

Anticipated Funding Aims to Promote Advanced Reactor Orderbook and Prepare Domestic Nuclear Industry for Deployments.

DOE floats $900M to build advanced reactors – E&E News by POLITICO

E&E News

Money from the Biden administration comes as Congress prepares to bolster the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Coalition orders snap party room meeting, sparking speculation Peter Dutton could … – ABC

ABC

… nuclear power policy. Coalition members were alerted to the meeting on … Australia’s newest warship breaks down, undergoing emergency mechanical …

Labor, Green, and Health Groups Demand FEMA Recognize Climate Emergency

Common Dreams

nuclear power · white storks in nest · ‘Momentous Day for Nature’: EU Adopts First-of-Its-Kind Habitat Restoration Law. One campaigner called the …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Nuclear powers are deepening their reliance on their nukes, a watchdog group says – NPR

NPR

“We have not seen nuclear weapons playing such a prominent role in international relations since the Cold War,” said Wilfred Wan, director of the …

Countries Spent $91 Billion on Nukes. Here’s why | Vantage with Palki Sharma – YouTube

YouTube

Countries Spent $91 Billion on Nukes. Here’s why | Vantage with Palki Sharma Is the world on the brink of a nuclear war again?

Ukraine war latest: Huge explosion reported in Russian city – as Putin ‘sacks four defence ministers’

Sky News

A total of 78 nations call for the “territorial integrity” of Ukraine to be the basis for any peace agreement to end Russia’s two-year war.

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Nuclear Threats on the Rise as Geopolitical Relations Deteriorate – IDN-InDepthNews

IDN-InDepthNews

In the ongoing war in Ukraine, the on-again, off-again nuclear threats have come from Russia and in the conflict in Gaza, the threats have come both …

NATO escalates nuclear tensions with Russia – ICAN

International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons

… nuclear threats, the NATO Secretary General is flaunting a nuclear response. … Daily Mail: Putin warns West of nuclear war risk · AboutBanning Nuclear …

Are We Sleepwalking Our Way Into a Nuclear War? | Citizens for Global Solutions

Citizens for Global Solutions

Added to all this are Iran’s own threats that she will reconsider her nuclear stance if her nuclear facilities are threatened. These fears have a …

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

LLOYD A. WILLIAMS-PENDERGRAFT

JUN 18, 2024

1

Share

In this photo released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, Feb. 2, 2024, Russian troops load an Iskander missile onto a mobile launcher during drills at an undisclosed location in Russia.

LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Monday, (06/17/2024)

“The group said that figures show a $10.7 billion increase in global spending on nuclear weapons in 2023 compared with 2022, with the United States accounting for 80% of that increase. The U.S. share of total spending, $51.5 billion, is more than all the other nuclear-armed countries put together.” (excerpt from the article)

This is astonishing but not surprising to me. Mainly it is irresponsible and borders on irresponsible insanity. The U.S. always spends more on military budgets on military party, but any increase on nuclear war power is useless, because just about any single nuclear endowed country (5 of the 9 are no doubt capable) with these weapons of mass destruction can create “Armageddon”, and if one does, others will retaliate and WWIII will wipe out substantially all life on planet Earth.

We are addicted to something called ‘deterrence’, a thought-to-be way of preventing nuclear war by domination and fear threats in place of such things as human agreements, pacts, treaties, and common sense that have all essentially been tossed out as an honest, cooperative way to prevent global conflicts of war — especially nuclear war. As I have said before, ‘deterrence’ cannot sustain its purpose, partly because of economic reasons as well as the capitalistic power-mongering egos of our world leaders. All I can say tonight is that we have chosen the wrong kind of leadership to guide ourselves since the caveman days, and now look what we’re up against for our admiration of powerful, wealthy, and ruthless leadership all around the world.

The following article ought to help us all understand that nuclear “doomsday” is seething right around the corner, most likely inevitable . . . ~llaw

Nuclear powers are deepening their reliance on their nukes, a watchdog group says

JUNE 17, 20244:29 AM ET

By 

The Associated Press

Russian Defense Ministry Press Service/AP

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — The world’s nine nuclear-armed states continue to modernize their nuclear weapons as the countries deepened their reliance on such deterrence in 2023, a Swedish think tank said Monday.

“We have not seen nuclear weapons playing such a prominent role in international relations since the Cold War,” said Wilfred Wan, director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute’s weapons of mass destruction program.

Earlier this month, Russia and its ally Belarus launched a second stage of drills intended to train their troops in tactical nuclear weapons, part of the Kremlin’s efforts to discourage the West from ramping up support for Ukraine.

In a separate report, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, ICAN, said the nine nuclear-armed states spent a combined total of $91.4 billion on their arsenals in 2023 – equivalent to $2,898 per second. The Geneva-based coalition of disarmament activists won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017.

WORLD

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

The group said that figures show a $10.7 billion increase in global spending on nuclear weapons in 2023 compared to 2022, with the United States accounting for 80% of that increase. The U.S. share of total spending, $51.5 billion, is more than all the other nuclear-armed countries put together.

“There has been a notable upward trend in the amount of money devoted to developing these most inhumane and destructive of weapons over the past five years,” said Alicia Sanders-Zakre, Policy and Research Coordinator with ICAN.

The next biggest spender was China at $11.8 billion, she said, with Russia spending the third largest amount at $8.3 billion.

“All this money is not improving global security, in fact it’s threatening people wherever they live,” Sanders-Zakre said.

SIPRI estimated that some 2,100 of the deployed warheads were kept in a state of high operational alert on ballistic missiles, and nearly all belong to Russia or the U.S. However, it said that China is also believed to have some warheads on high operational alert for the first time.

“Regrettably we continue to see year-on-year increases in the number of operational nuclear warheads,” said Dan Smith, SIPRI’s director. He added that the trend will likely accelerate in the coming years “and is extremely concerning.”

WORLD

New Pentagon report claims China now has over 500 operational nuclear warheads

Russia and the United States have together almost 90% of all nuclear weapons, SIPRI said. The sizes of their military stockpiles seem to have remained relatively stable in 2023, although Russia is estimated to have deployed around 36 more warheads with operational forces than in January 2023, the watchdog added.

In its SIPRI Yearbook 2024, the institute said that transparency regarding nuclear forces has declined in both countries in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and debates around nuclear-sharing arrangements have increased in importance.

Washington suspended its bilateral strategic stability dialogue with Russia, and last year Moscow announced that it was suspending its participation in the New START nuclear treaty.

Of the total global inventory of an estimated 12,121 warheads in January, about 9,585 were in military stockpiles for potential use. An estimated 3,904 of those warheads were deployed with missiles and aircraft — which is 60 more than in January 2023 — and the rest were in central storage.

In Asia, India, Pakistan and North Korea are all pursuing the capability to deploy multiple warheads on ballistic missiles, the institute said. The United States, Russia, France, UK and China already have that capacity, enabling a rapid potential increase in deployed warheads, as well as the possibility for nuclear-armed countries to threaten the destruction of significantly more targets.

SIPRI stressed that all estimates were approximate, and the institute revises its world nuclear forces data each year based on new information and updates to earlier assessments.

• nuclear weapons
• russia
• china
• united states

Subscribed

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

There are 6 categories, including 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, as do ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links in each category about 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.)

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, (06/17/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Nuclear powers are deepening their reliance on their nukes, a watchdog group says

Little Rock Public Radio

All Things Considered. Next Up: 6:30 PM Marketplace. 0:00. 0:00. All Things … Russia and the United States have together almost 90% of all nuclear …

Nuclear powers are deepening their reliance on their nukes, a watchdog group says

Nevada Public Radio

All Things · Culture · Food and Drink · The Guide · Desert Air · All Things … Russia and the United States have together almost 90% of all nuclear …

Nuclear powers are deepening their reliance on their nukes, a watchdog group says – NHPR

NHPR

Weekend All Things Considered. Next Up: 6:00 PM Live from the Word Barn … Russia and the United States have together almost 90% of all nuclear weapons …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Bill Gates says “support for nuclear power is very impressive in both parties” amid new plant …

CBS News

Gates and his energy company TerraPower are spearheading a major project that broke ground in Kemmerer, Wyoming last week — a nuclear power plant that …

US as many as 15 years behind China on nuclear power, report says | Reuters

Reuters

But after two large plants in Georgia came online in 2023 and 2024 billions of dollars over budget and delayed by years, no U.S. nuclear reactors are …

Bill Gates Says He’s Ready to Put Billions Into Nuclear Power – Bloomberg

Bloomberg

Bill Gates said he’s prepared to plow billions of dollars into a next-generation nuclear power plant project in Wyoming to meet growing US …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Russia-Ukraine war live: emergency blackouts to intensify, warns Ukrainian energy official

The Guardian

Global spending on nuclear weapons is estimated to have increased by 13% to a record $91.4bn during 2023, according to calculations from the …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Kremlin calls NATO chief’s nuclear weapons remark an ‘escalation of tension’ – Reuters

Reuters

President Vladimir Putin has said Russia is technically ready for nuclear war, and that Moscow could use nuclear weapons to defend itself in extreme …

Nuclear-armed nations are deepening their reliance on their nuclear weapons – NBC News

NBC News

“We have not seen nuclear weapons playing such a prominent role in international relations since the Cold War,” said Wilfred Wan, director of the …

Watchdog warns reliance on nuclear weapons rising amid global tension – Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera

SIPRI notes the effects of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza in reducing international security.

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Telegraph: NATO in talks to put more nuclear weapons on standby, Stoltenberg says

The Kyiv Independent

The threats have failed to materialize, and Russia continues to wage its all-out war without its nuclear arsenal. Stoltenberg also urged NATO members …

Nuclear powers are deepening their reliance on their nukes, a watchdog group says – NPR

NPR

The Geneva-based coalition of disarmament activists won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017. ‘Doomsday Clock’ signals existential threats of nuclear war, …

Ok, Doomer! The NEVER podcast – Biological threats: Going viral

European Leadership Network

Responding to new technological threats without nuclear weapons · Nuclear … In this episode, we explore nuclear war, the first man-made existential …

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

LLOYD A. WILLIAMS-PENDERGRAFT

JUN 17, 2024

1

Share

An image shows the TerraPower and GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Natrium technology, which features a sodium fast reactor combined with a molten salt energy storage system. (TerraPower)

LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Sunday, (06/16/2024)

CNN. in this story refers, to Bill Gates as a philanthropist. He may been at one point in his professional life, but philanthropy includes this qualification in its definition: A philanthropist “helps create a better world”.

Anyone who promotes anything nuclear, including an alternative kind of nuclear power plant is definitely not, in my opinion, a philanthropist. But for the edification of others I have posted a short 4 minute interview this evening about Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates’ view of the coming nuclear power world along with questions about known problems with all nuclear power plants as well as the unique uranium fuel this plant intends to use. The answers offered by Bill Gates are, at best, highly optimistic. ~llaw

Bill Gates explains his vision for nuclear power

Fareed Zakaria, GPS

Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates talks to CNN’s Fareed Zakaria about building a nuclear power plant in Wyoming and the future of nuclear energy.

03:45 – Source: CNN

Subscribed

---

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

There are 6 categories, including 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, as do ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links in each category about 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.)

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, (06/16/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEW

Lots of ‘misinformation’ surrounding nuclear energy: James Morrow – YouTube

YouTube

… about the different ways in which CSIRO … appear to have gotten it wrong on things like the longevity of nuclear … “The End of Everything,” with …

Video: Bill Gates explains his vision for nuclear power | CNN Business

CNN

… about building a nuclear power plant in Wyoming and the future of nuclear energy … Things · Chasing … All times are ET. Factset: FactSet Research …

– YouTube

– YouTube

… Things newsletter, and we’ll give you the 5 … All is Not Well Between Macron and Meloni. … Russian Nuclear Submarine Docks in Cuba: Putin’s Warning to …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Video: Bill Gates explains his vision for nuclear power | CNN Business

CNN

Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates talks to CNN’s Fareed Zakaria about building a nuclear power plant in Wyoming and the future of …

U.S. Pushes to Triple Nuclear Energy Production by 2050 | OilPrice.com

Oil Price

This Monday Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced that she intends to reopen a nuclear power plant to meet the state’s decarbonization goals.

Here’s Why AI Companies Are Looking To The Nuclear Option – YouTube

YouTube

/2024/06/10/desperate-for-power-ai-companies-look-to-the-nuclear … TerraPower CEO Chris Levesque on next-generation nuclear power. CNBC …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Russian nuclear submarine spotted off UK coast sparks emergency meeting amid defence fears

The Mirror

The nuclear–powered attack submarine Kazan was detected by the RAF as it sailed just off the UK’s west coast amid fears it was probing for …

Nuclear War

NEW

Russian Military Expert Suggests Kremlin Plans Nuclear Strikes on US Ships – Newsweek

Newsweek

Russian military expert Igor Korotchenko recently suggested on state-owned TV that the Kremlin plans to attack U.S. ships with nuclear weapons.

US attack sub, Canada navy patrol ship arrive in Cuba on heels of Russian warships

Reuters

The Admiral Gorshkov frigate and the nuclear-powered submarine Kazan, half submerged with its crew on deck, sailed into Havana harbor on Wednesday …

Nuclear Fears In Focus At Ukraine Peace Summit | Barron’s

Barron’s

… nuclear disaster and returning deported children from Russia as countries outlined building blocks towards ending the war.

Nuclear War Threats

NEW

No One Has Right To Threaten The World With Nuclear War: Zelensky| Dawn News English

YouTube

… , urging world leaders to stand against nuclear threats. “No one has the right to threaten the world with nuclear war,” he emphasizes …

Ukraine Peace Summit Declaration Urges Full POW Exchange and Condemns Nuclear Threats

Kyiv Post

“The ongoing war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine continues to cause large-scale human suffering and destruction, and to create risks and …

Putin’s nuclear arsenal is crumbling. Ukraine can take it out for good – MSN

MSN

It’s high time that the West’s more timid leaders understood that the nuclear threats coming out of Moscow are all “bluff and bluster”, …

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

Yellowstone to Katmai: 7 National parks with active volcanoes in USA – Asianet Newsable

Asianet Newsable

While the caldera is dormant, the park’s volcanic history is evident. Image credits: Pixabay. Find Next One · Opening/webstories/entertainment …

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

LLOYD A. WILLIAMS-PENDERGRAFT

JUN 16, 2024

1

Share

A nuclear power plant in Crystal River, Florida. While the public have warmed to nuclear in recent years, spiraling project costs have made private equity cautious. | BLOOMBERG

LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Saturday, (06/15/2024)

This Bloomberg article, reprinted by “The Japan Times”, indicates the world’s global investors and banks are not going to support the next generational attempt to rely on nuclear power to resolve not only the shortage of energy, but also the concept of investing in nuclear power to solve the CO2-caused climate change/global warming issue. So where will the unaffordable nuclear industry find financing? Obviously, from you, the taxpayer demanded of you under penalty of law by your country’s government.

This ought to tell the average citizen everywhere that new nuclear power plants are not only a terrible idea from a world-wide health and safety issue, but also a financial disaster simply waiting to destroy economies everywhere. If the capitalists expected to capitalize nuclear energy, chances are it will never be financed, and therefore our collective world leaders should abort their concept of eliminating increased CO2 by 2050 pie-in-sky thumb-sucking pacifier to us all. They told the lie; they know it’s never going to happen; and they should come clean and admit they are wrong. But they won’t.

So that means we are all living on borrowed time that we all have long known is running short. We have been fed similar lies over a few decades before to reduce CO2 and other greenhouse gasses, and no progress was ever made, and this one is the same, only worse, and most likely the last because our borrowed time has run out . . . To survive we must learn to relive a different, older kind of life, but that’s not going to happen either until it’s too late; in fact it is probably already too late. ~llaw

Building nuclear power is a bridge too far for world’s private investors

BY JONATHAN TIRONE
BLOOMBERG

Jun 15, 2024

The next generation of nuclear reactors will need to be financed by taxpayers because private investors aren’t willing to bear the risks associated with building new plants.

That was the warning from bankers at a meeting of industry and government officials in Prague this week. The Nuclear Energy Agency event underscored the hard decisions Western economies soon need to make to keep one of their biggest clean energy sources going. While the public have warmed to nuclear in recent years, spiraling project costs have made private equity cautious.

Officials have estimated that the world needs to spend $5 trillion to triple nuclear-power generation over the next 25 years. The problem is that years of delays and billion-dollar budget overruns at European and the U.S. projects are spooking investors, and scores of reactors already running on borrowed time will need to be replaced. No private investors want to take on construction risks, said Simon Taylor, a financier at the Cambridge Nuclear Energy Center.

“We’re at a critical juncture of in the history of nuclear energy,” said William Magwood, director general of the Nuclear Energy Agency. “We have to move quickly. Financing is critical.”

Earlier this year, Electricite de France said its nuclear project at Hinkley Point in the U.K. would cost as much as £10 billion ($13 billion) extra to build and take several years longer than planned. In the U.S., Southern’s Vogtle nuclear facility came in more than $16 billion over budget and seven years behind schedule.

“Unfortunately, the nuclear industry has been its own worst enemy,” said Anurag Gupta, chief risk officer at Sequoia Investment Management.

While some private capital has gone toward designing small modular reactors — factory-built units theoretically cheaper to build than traditional plants — those projects have also been plagued by delays pushing full commercialization years later than expected. That leaves nuclear advocates struggling for investor support with the technology at hand.

Rothschild & Co.’s Steven Vaughan, an adviser for U.K.’s proposed Sizewell C nuclear plant, echoed the view that investors are wary of taking on exposure to construction risk.

Equity investment interest in Sizewell, currently owned by the U.K. government and minority stakeholder EDF, has been muted, with Centrica suggesting it could become a stakeholder.

Compounding nuclear power project risks are the long life span of the assets and the uncertain development of electricity markets. Historically, nations alleviated that risk by building reactors themselves. That’s still the case in China and Russia — the two countries building the most plants.

“It’s hard for any investor to think about market design 50 years into the future,” said Iain Smedley, chairman of global banking at Barclays. “It’s therefore very important they’re comfortable with the social contract.”

Some delegates in Prague suggested economies need to think about nuclear power beyond simply profit and loss. It’s an emissions-free energy source that can help meet climate targets, as well as supporting a skilled workforce.

“There is a vast need for state involvement,” said Marcin Kaminski, risk manager building Poland’s first reactors at Polskie Elektrownie Jadrowe.

Subscribed

---

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

There are 6 categories, including 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, as do ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links in each category about 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.)

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, (06/15/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Bill Gates is going nuclear: How his latest project could power U.S. homes and AI – WGBH

WGBH

That’s a lot of what the next six years are all about. Taillights …

Parenting advice: My mom’s new neighbors are a nightmare. I think it’s time to go nuclear on them.

slate.com

My last straw was when they decided to light a barrage of loud fireworks for no reason at all. That is illegal at this point in the year, as we are …

What’s next for the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act now that it’s expired? – KUER

KUER

The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act expired on Friday, June 7, leaving many people who were affected by nuclear … All Things Considered. Next Up: …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Nuclear Energy—A Technology That Must Be Continued – POWER Magazine

POWER Magazine

… nuclear power during an energy conference in Poland in June 2024. Echols talked about how Georgia was able to overcome many challenges to build …

Nuclear Power – Down To Earth – Down To Earth

Bill Gates is going nuclear: How his latest project could power U.S. homes and AI | News

WLIW

The new facility, designed by the Gates-founded TerraPower, will be smaller than traditional fission nuclear power plants and, in theory, safer …

Building nuclear power is a bridge too far for world’s private investors – The Japan Times

The Japan Times

That was the warning from bankers at a meeting of industry and government officials in Prague this week. The Nuclear Energy Agency event underscored …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Power station emergency response drill deemed a success – Salem News

Salem News

… nuclear power plant, requiring first responders, officials and the county Emergency Management Agency to practice what to do based on a scenario …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Trump Worries AI Deepfakes Could Trigger Nuclear War | TIME

Time

Former President Donald Trump discussed with Logan Paul how AI deepfakes could cause nuclear war, and how America should respond.

Putin soldiers surrender after counterattack as G7 leaders agree to $50bn Kyiv loan

The Independent

That is a red line drawn by the US president, who does not want to have America pulled into a direct conflict with nuclear-armed Moscow. … war, won’t …

US sends Nuclear Submarine to Cuba amid Russian Warship Deployment – YouTube

YouTube

US sends Nuclear Submarine to Cuba amid Russian Warship Deployment | Vantage with Palki Sharma The US has sent a nuclear-powered fast attack …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Putin’s nuclear threats induce ‘escalation paralysis’ in Washington – Washington Times

Washington Times

The Russian president’s barbaric war in Ukraine has “backfired in spectacular ways,” according to retired CIA officer and Threat Status contributor …

German Defense Minister Pistorius: Putin’s nuclear threats should not be taken too seriously

unn.ua

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that Putin’s nuclear threats should not be taken too seriously, as his hybrid warfare strategy is to …

NATO discusses nuclear policy, security threats from Russia, China: Report – YouTube

YouTube

NATO discusses nuclear policy, security threats from Russia, China: Report | National Report. 2.8K views · 6 hours ago #NEWSMAX #News #BreakingNews

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

Yellowstone Volcano Observatory 2023 annual report | U.S. Geological Survey – USGS.gov

USGS.gov

The Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (YVO) monitors volcanic and hydrothermal activity associated with the Yellowstone magmatic system, …

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

LLOYD A. WILLIAMS-PENDERGRAFT

JUN 15, 2024

1

Share

FILE – An aerial photo shows the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, California’s last nuclear power plant, in Avila Beach, Calif., June 20, 2010. On Thursday, June 13, 2024, former state and federal officials joined environmentalists to spotlight soaring cost estimates for keeping the plant running beyond 2025. (Joe Johnston/The Tribune via AP, File)

LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Friday, (06/14/2024)

This late story is an important last-minute fill-in article and cannot be found in the daily “TODAY’S NUCLEAR WORLD’S NEWS” selections posted, as always, below. But it is about PG&E and the California fight over extending the nuclear power plant’s operating future beyond its scheduled shutdown next year, which, if extended, would be one of the most irresponsible decision California ever made if the Diablo Canyon plant were allowed even 5 more years of operation. And now PG&E (the plant’s evil owner) is asking for twice the money originally estimated, and also the extension of its ultimate shutdown 20+ years hence to 2050.

But the backstory is not about money, which is the basic political argument, of course, against extending the plant’s life. Though the argument should be entirely about nuclear safety, but money, sadly, always comes first in virtually all scenarios. There are a few points about the multiple nuclear dangers and other negative issues of continuing to operate the plant, but it is a small part of the argument.

I have long responded to those negative issues over the years as well as several times in this blog. I am also writing a novel I call “El Nuclear Diablo”, which deals with a potential North American issue of a national nuclear power plant grid-system failure that puts the entire continent at a developing risk of nuclear radiation poisoning, beginning with this very power plant fictionalized. Also, if you read Annie Jacobsen’s new best-selling book “Nuclear War: A Scenario”, you will learn what happens should an invading nuclear armed country (North Korea in her story) drops a nuclear bomb on an operating nuclear power plant. The nuclear power plant she chose? PG&E’s “Diablo Canyon” — the same one I am writing about . . . ~llaw

Read on:

U.S. NEWS

California legislators break with Gov. Newsom over loan to keep state’s last nuclear plant running

BY  MICHAEL R. BLOOD

Updated 3:14 PM PDT, June 13, 2024

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The California Legislature signaled its intent on Thursday to cancel a $400 million loan payment to help finance a longer lifespan for the state’s last nuclear power plant, exposing a rift with Gov. Gavin Newsom who says that the power is critical to safeguarding energy supplies amid a warming climate.

The votes in the state Senate and Assembly on funding for the twin-domed Diablo Canyon plant represented an interim step as Newsom and legislative leaders, all Democrats, continue to negotiate a new budget. But it sets up a public friction point involving one of the governor’s signature proposals, which he has championed alongside the state’s rapid push toward solar, wind and other renewable sources.

The dispute unfolded in Sacramento as environmentalists and antinuclear activists warned that the estimated price tag for keeping the seaside reactors running beyond a planned closing by 2025 had ballooned to nearly $12 billion, roughly doubling earlier projections. That also has raised the prospect of higher fees for ratepayers.

Operator Pacific Gas & Electric called those figures inaccurate and inflated by billions of dollars.

H.D. Palmer, a spokesperson for the California Department of Finance, emphasized that budget negotiations are continuing and the legislative votes represented an “agreement between the Senate and the Assembly — not an agreement with the governor.”

The votes in the Legislature mark the latest development in a decades-long fight over the operation and safety of the plant, which sits on a bluff above the Pacific Ocean midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Diablo Canyon, which began operating in the mid-1980s, produces up to 9% of the state’s electricity on any given day.

The fight over the reactors’ future is playing out as the long-struggling U.S. nuclear industry sees a potential rebirth in the era of global warming. Nuclear power doesn’t produce carbon pollution like fossil fuels, but it leaves behind waste that can remain dangerously radioactive for centuries.

A Georgia utility just finished the first two scratch-built American reactors in a generation at a cost of nearly $35 billion. The price tag for the expansion of Plant Vogtle from two of the traditional large reactors to four includes $11 billion in cost overruns. In Wyoming, Bill Gates and his energy company have started construction on a next-generation nuclear power plant that the tech titan believes will “revolutionize” how power is generated.

In 2016, PG&E, environmental groups and plant worker unions reached an agreement to close Diablo Canyon by 2025. But the Legislature voided the deal in 2022 at the urging of Newsom, who said the power is needed to ward off blackouts as a changing climate stresses the energy system. That agreement for a longer run included a $1.4 billion forgivable state loan for PG&E, to be paid in several installments.

California energy regulators voted in December to extend the plant’s operating run for five years, to 2030.

The legislators’ concerns were laid out in an exchange of letters with the Newsom administration, at a time when the state is trying to close an estimated $45 billion deficit. Among other concerns, they questioned if, and when, the state would be repaid by PG&E, and whether taxpayers could be out hundreds of millions of dollars if the proposed extension for Diablo Canyon falls through.

Construction at Diablo Canyon began in the 1960s. Critics say potential earthquakes from nearby faults not known to exist when the design was approved could damage equipment and release radiation. One fault was not discovered until 2008. PG&E has long said the plant is safe, an assessment the NRC has supported.

Last year, environmental groups called on federal regulators to immediately shut down one of two reactors at the site until tests can be conducted on critical machinery they believe could fail and cause a catastrophe. Weeks later, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission took no action on the request and instead asked agency staff to review it.

The questions raised by environmentalists about the potential for soaring costs stemmed from a review of state regulatory filings submitted by PG&E, they said. Initial estimates of about $5 billion to extend the life of the plant later rose to over $8 billion, then nearly $12 billion, they said.

“It’s really quite shocking,” said attorney John Geesman, a former California Energy Commission member who represents the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility, an advocacy group that opposes federal license renewals in California. The alliance told the state Public Utilities Commission in May that the cost would represent “by far the largest financial commitment to a single energy project the commission has ever been asked to endorse.”

PG&E spokesperson Suzanne Hosn said the figures incorrectly included billions of dollars of costs unrelated to extending operations at the plant.

The company has pegged the cost at $8.3 billion, Hosn said, adding that “the financial benefits exceed the costs.”

Subscribed

---

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

There are 6 categories, including 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, as do ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links in each category about 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 3 Yellowstone Caldera bonus stories available in this evening’s Post.)

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, (06/14/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Bill Gates is going nuclear: How his latest project could power U.S. homes and AI

Nevada Public Radio

That’s a lot of what the next six years are all about. Taillights trace the path of a motor vehicle at the Naughton Power Plant, Jan. Natalie Behring …

Bill Gates is going nuclear: How his latest project could power U.S. homes and AI | Iowa Public Radio

Iowa Public Radio

That’s a lot of what the next six years are all about. Taillights trace the path of a motor vehicle at the Naughton Power Plant, Jan. Natalie …

Bill Gates is going nuclear: How his latest project could power U.S. homes and AI – NPR

NPR

And, you know, that’s fantastic. That’s a lot of what the next six years are all about.

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Bill Gates is going nuclear: How his latest project could power U.S. homes and AI – NPR

NPR

The billionaire philanthropist tells Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep his new TerraPower nuclear plant is safer than traditional builds.

5 Reasons Nuclear Is a Good Neighbor | Department of Energy

Department of Energy

Would you believe that you can find all of those qualities in a nuclear power plant? Just ask the vast majority of people who live in communities …

Schumer’s Embrace of New Nuclear Power is a Dangerous Betrayal of Clean, Safe …

Food & Water Watch

Nuclear energy is dangerous. It poses alarming risks to public health and the safety of our air and waterways, and there is no legitimate solution for …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

NRC staff agrees that scalable emergency planning zones for small modular reactors are feasible

Daily Energy Insider

… nuclear plant, which would include multiple small modular reactors (SMRs), at TVA’s Clinch River Nuclear Site in Tennessee. “This rulemaking is …

UPDATED: 8-year-old girl was unresponsive on flight before emergency landing in Peoria

WGNO

California legislators break with Gov. Newsom over … FILE – An aerial photo shows the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, California’s last nuclear.

South Korea and US hold emergency call over Putin’s likely visit to North Korea

Yahoo News

Is it energy? Is it capabilities that allow them to advance their nuclear or missile products? We don’t know. But we’re concerned by that and watching …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin’s soldiers surrender after counter attack as G7 leaders …

The Independent

That is a red line drawn by the US president, who does not want to have America pulled into a direct conflict with nuclear-armed Moscow.

Mystery as Russia Abruptly Flips Nuclear Drill Scenario – Newsweek

Newsweek

The district’s involvement in Russia’s nuclear drills comes amid rising tensions between Russia and the West over Putin’s ongoing war in neighboring …

US Nuclear Attack Submarine Surfaces in Cuba Behind Russian Fleet – Newsweek

Newsweek

A U.S. Navy fast-attack submarine arrived in Cuba’s Guantanamo Bay on Thursday, hard on the heels of a Russian flotilla’s arrival in Havana 24 …

Nuclear War Threats

NEW

Russia Protest Demands Nuclear Weapons Be Aimed at US Cities – Newsweek

Newsweek

Nuclear war · Threat · Russia-Ukraine War. Russia … The protest occurred amid Russia’s repeated threats to use nuclear … Isaacs explained the gravity …

Don’t let Putin bolster weak hand in Ukraine with nuclear bluff – Washington Times

Washington Times

… nuclear war with the West … nuclear war with the West. In his annual State of the Nation address, Mr … Putin’s impetuous nuclear threats, threats …

U.S. Nuclear Arsenal and Related Threats | C-SPAN Classroom

C-SPAN

… Nuclear Arsenal and Threats From Adversaries … U.S. Considers Expanded Nuclear … Bell Ringer: Nuclear-Armed Nations · Bell Ringer: Cold War Deterrence …

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

Video analysis of Iceland 2010 eruption could improve volcanic ash forecasts for aviation safety

ScienceDaily

Caldera · Yellowstone Caldera · Krakatoa. Story Source: Materials provided by University of Cambridge. The original text of this story is licensed …

7 national parks the USA with active volcanoes | Times of India – IndiaTimes

Times of India – IndiaTimes

Volcano parks · Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii · Yellowstone National Park, Idaho · Mount Rainier National Park, Washington · Lassen Volcanic …

5 WTF Facts About Napoleon Hiding in Plain Sight on His Wikipedia Page | Cracked.com

Cracked.com

… volcano that could erupt at any moment. The Yellowstone Supervolcano is a 43-mile-by-28-mile caldera below Yellowstone National Park that erupts …

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

LLOYD A. WILLIAMS-PENDERGRAFT

JUN 13, 2024

1

Share

Russian Navy Admiral Gorshkov frigate arrives at the port of Havana, Cuba. /Reuters

LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Thursday, (06/13/2024)

Suddenly, potential nuclear war has turned urgently serious. The news is everywhere, full of questions with no answers, so I have returned to my old standby for accurate information, Sky News . . . This Post is set up so you can pick and choose their ‘Key Points’ links of your choice if you want to examine specific issues more thoroughly; or you can read the entire story if you have the time and the curiosity. I will leave opinions, facts and the discussion of issues and circumstances to “Sky News” reporting for now. (Let me just add this: I hope Russia’s movement of ships to Cuba is not a more serious move than the old Cuban Missile crisis in October of 1962) . . . ~llaw

Ukraine-Russia war: Biden and Zelenskyy sign 10-year security deal; Putin’s plan ‘has failed’, Germany says; Russia tells West not to ‘worry’ as its warships arrive in Cuba

Russia reassures the West as its warships arrive in Cuba – while its troops elsewhere practise the electronic launch of missiles in tactical nuclear drills. Meanwhile, world leaders gather in Italy today for a G7 meeting – with the US and Ukraine signing a 10-year security deal.

Thursday 13 June 2024 23:00, UK

• LIVE
• Russia
• Ukraine

Why you can trust Sky News

Key points

• US and Ukraine sign 10-year security agreement  View post
• Putin’s plan to wait for world’s support to stop has failed, Germany says  View post
• No reason for West to worry about Russian warships in Cuba, Kremlin insists  View post
• Moscow warns France it is getting too deeply involved in conflict
    View post
• Russia practises electronic missile launches during tactical nuclear drills  View post
• Sunak to set out £240m Ukraine aid package as G7 to focus on Russia  View post
• NATO to crack down on Russian spies after sabotage  View post
• Big picture:Everything you need to know about the war right now  View post
• Your questions answered: Are there any signs of an underground resistance in Russia?  View post
• Live reporting by Emily Mee

---

Subscribed

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

There are 6 categories, including 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, as do ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links in each category about 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.)

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, (06/13/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEW

Ukraine-Russia war: Russia practises missile launches in nuclear drills – as G7 leaders … – Sky News

Sky News

… Everything you need to know about the war right now; Your questions answered: Are there any signs of an underground resistance in Russia? Live …

Russia launches joint nuclear drills with Belarus – The Hill

The Hill

… nuclear missiles Nuclear weapons russia Russia Vladimir Putin … things to watch for Biden’s G-7 trip to Italy … all Hill.TV See all Video. Top Stories …

It’s the Regulation, Stupid | The Breakthrough Institute

The Breakthrough Institute

… nuclear energy is a safe technology that is necessary to address climate change. … all nuclear reactors. The agency enacted … things like thermal …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

‘Without nuclear, it will be almost impossible to decarbonize by 2050’, UN atomic energy chief

UN News – the United Nations

Although nuclear energy is widely used for electricity production, it has often faced an image problem, particularly in the wake of accidents such …

Microsoft’s Gates breaks ground on novel nuclear power plant in Wyoming | County 17

County 17

The pilot Natrium nuclear power plant in Kemmerer will be the first of what TerraPower officials hope will be a worldwide fleet of new nuclear energy …

Uranium Price Surge Reveals a World Returning to Nuclear Power: Big Take – Bloomberg

Bloomberg

Nuclear power is back in vogue as countries confront mounting pressure to hit climate goals and overcome energy supply strains caused by …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Repairs of nuclear power units in Ukraine may extend outages – Euromaidan Press

Euromaidan Press

After several massive Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power system, Ukrenergo was forced to introduce controlled emergency blackouts in all regions of …

Nuclear War

NEW

Ukraine-Russia war: Russia practises missile launches in nuclear drills – as G7 leaders … – Sky News

Sky News

Russian troops have practised the electronic launch of missiles in drills on how to deploy tactical nuclear weapons, according to defence …

live: G7 plans to use frozen Russian assets to fund Kyiv as nine dead in missile strike

The Independent

… war effort. Most of the money would be … Russia practiced electronic missile launches during tactical nuclear drills … Footage shows Russian sailors …

On Putin’s Orders, Russia Fires Electronic Missile During Nuclear Drills | Watch First Visuals

YouTube

7:53. Go to channel · Gravitas: Putin’s Russia is ready for world nuclear war. Here is the war plan | World News | WION. WION New 338K views · 4:01.

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

NATO chief says the alliance is adapting its nuclear arsenal to security threats | Reuters

Reuters

NATO chief says the alliance is adapting its nuclear arsenal to security threats … nuclear weapons in … Ukraine and Russia at Warcategory · Study …

Are Russia’s nuclear threats a bluff or a real danger? – NZZ

NZZ

The threat of using nuclear weapons is a central component of Russian warfare against Ukraine. It is an instrument that has been quite successful …

Mystery as Russia Abruptly Flips Nuclear Drill Scenario – Newsweek

Newsweek

Russia’s nuclear drills relocated closer … threats from the West. The Russian Defense … Israel at War Vladimir Putin Russia-Ukraine War Donald Trump.

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

Is A Cataclysmic Eruption Of Yellowstone’s Supervolcano Actually Overdue? – TwistedSifter

TwistedSifter

The Yellowstone Caldera is a 43-by-28-mile crater located in northwestern Wyoming. It’s filled with geyser basins, hot springs, and other telltale …

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

LLOYD A. WILLIAMS-PENDERGRAFT

JUN 12, 2024

1

Share

LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Wednesday, (06/12/2024)

The following “Bulletin f the Atomic Scientists” long discussion today indicates to me that the Russia/Ukraine war has become the most likely circumstance to suddenly turn into all out nuclear war with the Russian/Belarus considering what are called ‘tactical’ nuclear weapons, defined by Russia as “non-strategic.” and the beginning of military training operations with Belarus. Regardless of what these weapons are called, they make the atomic bombs that decimated Japan little more than, say, 4th of July fireworks compared to dynamite.

NATO’s threats, similar to the United States’, make for an extremely contentious split of how nuclear weapons could become weapons of war, which has never happened since 1945, and only once in world history.

But any kind of nuclear use, no matter how destructive the weapons may or may not be, will instantly create a full-blown nuclear war by retaliation and the suddenly forgotten long-time concept that nuclear ‘deterrence’ that nuclear armed Nations have used as a sense of fear to prevent nuclear war rather than ordinary common sense or the meaningless useless treaties and other agreements among nuclear armed countries. And then there is the Middle East conflict, adding to the world-wide tension. But the possibility or probability of WWII seems to be, at least for now, between the United States and Russia along with their allies. ~llaw

Read on . . .

Why the West should take Russia’s nuclear threats more seriously

By Giles David Arceneaux | June 12, 2024

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned of nuclear conflict during his annual speech to the nation on February 29, 2024. On June 5, he said the West was wrong to assume Russia would never use nuclear weapons and that the Kremlin’s nuclear doctrine should not be taken lightly. (Credit: Kremlin.ru)

Russian nuclear threats have returned to the forefront of the war in Ukraine, but this time with a new feature: exercises involving tactical nuclear weapons.

These exercises come in response to Western powers signaling broader support for Ukraine. On April 29, for instance, French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed his position that France remains open to sending ground troops to Ukraine to bolster European security against Russian aggression. Shortly after, the United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary, David Cameron, announced that the UK government would support Ukraine using UK-supplied weapons against Russian territory.

In response, Russia characterized these statements as a “completely new round of escalation of tension” and announced on May 6 that it would conduct drills simulating the use of tactical nuclear weapons, or—as Russia describes them—“non-strategic” nuclear weapons. Although these drills constitute a new kind of nuclear threat, they have been dismissed as not credible by a growing number of European countries. But the fine line between skepticism and complacency could pose significant risks for crisis stability in Europe.

Threat or bluff? Russia’s ordering of drills on May 6 mark the first public announcement of military exercises involving tactical nuclear weapons since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The exercises—first conducted on May 7-9 and later expanded to include nuclear bombers on May 27-31—also included Belarus, who agreed to host Russian tactical nuclear weapons in June 2022. By overtly training with tactical nuclear weapons which are specifically designed for battlefield nuclear use and incorporating Belarus into the exercises, Russia has stepped closer to the nuclear threshold and opened new pathways for nuclear escalation.

Despite the new and explicit attention to operational exercises involving tactical nuclear weapons, however, leaders in countries ranging from Lithuania to Ukraine have joined a group of skeptical observers that dismiss the most recent round of Russian threats as a bluff.

The outright dismissal of Russia’s nuclear threats has an intuitive appeal. Nuclear saber-rattling has endured as a persistent but seemingly trivial feature of Russian policy, as evidenced by the lack of nuclear weapons use despite continued and expanding Western support for Ukraine. But whether or not Russia will use nuclear weapons is the wrong way to frame the question; it mischaracterizes the nature and purpose of Russian threats.

The promise to commit national suicide by using nuclear weapons against one or several nuclear-armed states certainly lacks credibility: Russia is not likely to attempt a nuclear first-strike against France, the United Kingdom, or any other NATO member in Europe. The fundamental purpose of Russia’s nuclear behavior, however, is not to aimlessly bluster and hope for deterrent effects but to generate uncertainty and increase the risk that a range of Western actions might trigger nuclear escalation, whether intentionally or inadvertently.

Russia’s current behavior is best described as nuclear shielding, in which a state hides behind the protection of its nuclear arsenal to conduct other forms of aggression. Such behavior lays the groundwork for a crisis to spiral out of control and potentially cross the nuclear threshold. In doing so, Russia is forcing its Western adversaries to choose whether such risks are worth taking in support of Ukraine.

Russian nuclear policy is not built on a series of bluffs. Rather, it captures a fundamental pillar of deterrence theory dating back to the heyday of the Cold War: Threats that leave something to chance and force the adversary to face potentially uncontrollable risks that entail unacceptable costs.

Contrary to the perspective that Russian nuclear threats are empty and ineffective, nuclear weapons have played an essential role in enabling Russia’s war against Ukraine. To the extent that such threats have deterred or slowed Western support—an effect acknowledged by US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan—Russia has successfully leveraged its nuclear arsenal to conduct its conventional invasion of Ukraine.

Understanding the role that Russia’s nuclear weapons have had in the war in Ukraine is therefore essential for crafting policy that enables Western support for Ukraine. It is equally essential for also identifying and mitigating the risks of such support.

Nuclear weapons in Russia’s invasion. The first way in which nuclear weapons have shaped the war in Ukraine is by enabling Russian leaders to invade Ukraine in the first place. With a nuclear shield behind which to hide, Russia could plan on attacking Ukraine without a significant likelihood of Western powers directly intervening to repel a Russian invasion. Such a projection dramatically reduces the potential costs of conflict and, in effect, likely facilitated Russia’s offensive plans and emboldened its aggressive behavior.

RELATED:

France wants to extend its nuclear umbrella to Europe. But is Macron ready to trade Paris for Helsinki?

In late 2021, Russian leaders began referencing fears of eastward NATO expansion and called for robust security assurances from Western countries. Such requests ring hollow from the country that had already violated the 1994 Budapest Memorandum—in which Russia pledged to recognize Ukraine’s territorial integrity—by annexing the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. In practice, however, Russia used these statements to shroud its revisionist aims and begin signaling resolve over the conflict in Ukraine to Western audiences by forcing security issues into the conversation.

Shortly thereafter, Russian President Vladimir Putin built upon the narrative of potential NATO expansion to issue overt nuclear threats. In a news conference, Putin warned that NATO countries would face a greater risk of being drawn into a conflict with Russia “against [their] will” if Ukraine joined NATO. Putin acknowledged that the combined might of NATO’s conventional forces and Russia’s conventional forces are “incomparable,” but then proceeded to note that “Russia is one of the world’s leading nuclear powers” and there would be “no winners” in a NATO-Russia conflict. These comments, which came only two weeks before Russia launched its full-scale conventional invasion, had the clear goal of deterring external involvement in Russia’s forthcoming war.

Zapad-2021—the military exercise Russia used to disguise its military buildup before attacking Ukraine—also provided a chance for Russia to strengthen the credibility of its threats with military actions, rather than just words. Before the invasion of Ukraine, several analysts noted that Zapad-2021 intentionally sought to illustrate to Western audiences the severe costs and escalation risks of a war with Russia, with an emphasis on the nuclear risks of such a conflict. By pairing Russia’s destabilizing rhetoric with the largest iteration of the Zapad series of exercises to date, Moscow was able to increase the perceived risks of escalation that would follow if external actors challenged Russia’s subsequent invasion of Ukraine.

Through these measures, Russia used nuclear threats to initiate its invasion of Ukraine. By clearly associating the political crisis over Ukraine with nuclear threats and conducting major military exercises with potential implications for strategic stability, Russia created sufficient uncertainty and risk of escalation to bolster its deterrent threats and reduce the likelihood of a major Western response. From behind its nuclear shield, Russia was enabled to attack Ukraine.

Leveraging its nuclear posture. The second effect of Russia’s nuclear threats has been the prevention of decisive Western support for Ukraine. Although Ukraine’s partners have provided significant assistance since 2022, concerns of nuclear escalation have resulted in a cautious, incremental approach to Western support. Even to this day, nuclear weapons continue to slow down the Western response to the Russian aggression in Ukraine.

Since 2022, Russia’s declaratory threats have become increasingly paired with changes in operational military behavior on the battlefield. In practice, Russia has slowly but steadily altered its nuclear posture to create greater risks for Western powers in considering a greater involvement in the war in Ukraine. This stands in stark contrast with NATO’s nuclear posture, which has remained unchanged since the war began.

Three days after Russia’s 2022 attack, Putin ordered Russia’s nuclear forces to assume a “special combat readiness” and increase the arsenal’s alert status. Only two months later, Russia successfully tested the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, which possesses a short boost phase that complicates tracking and increases its chances of defeating ballistic missile defenses. Alongside this demonstration of improved nuclear capability, Yury Borisov, the director general of the Roscosmos State Corporation, announced that the Sarmat had been placed on combat duty, while Putin warned that Western powers should “think twice” about threatening Russia.

Since these initial displays of greater operational nuclear preparedness, Russia has only rattled its nuclear saber more loudly.

The most notable example of Russia leveraging its nuclear posture to intentionally create greater escalation risks has been the increasing salience of tactical nuclear weapons in Russia’s threats. In March 2023, Putin announced that Russia would develop a “special storage facility for tactical weapons on Belarusian territory,” where Russia would station some of its tactical nuclear weapons assigned specifically to battlefield missions.

The recent drills involving Russia and Belarus exercising their roles in a nuclear mission capitalize on their new nuclear sharing agreement. They mark a notable step up the escalatory ladder to serve as a renewed deterrent signal to Western countries. Through these exercises, Russia is showing a greater commitment to taking risks in the nuclear arena and challenging its adversaries to accept such risks if they plan to oppose Russia in Ukraine more directly.

RELATED:

Wargame simulated a conflict between Israel and Iran: It quickly went nuclear

In the background, other trends in Russia’s nuclear posture exacerbate the dangers posed by tactical nuclear weapons activities.

Russia is currently engaged in a decades-long modernization effort that implies a greater focus on regional warfighting strategies. Putin’s rhetoric in October 2022 revealed a meaningful shift in this regard, as his speech broadened the conditions under which Russia would use nuclear weapons from when “the very existence of the state is under threat” to anytime “the territorial integrity… independence and freedom” of Russia are at stake. A February 2024 report purporting to have obtained leaked Russian military files further suggests that tactical nuclear first-use is a serious option for Russia, and the thresholds for nuclear use might be lower than previously thought.

The greater emphasis on tactical nuclear weapons in military planning and an apparent reduction of barriers to nuclear use have created significant escalation risks in the war in Ukraine. In effect, these actions are precisely the concerns expressed by US President Joe Biden when he stated in October 2022 that the “prospect of Armageddon” was the highest it had been since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, largely due to the possibility of Russia deploying tactical nuclear weapons.

Countering Russia’s nuclear shadowing. Russia has not used nuclear weapons in its war in Ukraine, but that does not mean its nuclear threats are merely bluffs. To the contrary, evolutions in the rhetoric, capabilities, and posture underpinning Russian nuclear threats indicate that Moscow is slowly—but surely—working to undermine strategic stability and increase the credibility of its threats.

Recent research shows that frequent nuclear threats—even if extreme and seemingly excessive—are indicative of issues about which the threatening state deeply cares, and such threats are often associated with aggressive action. Russia’s statements and behaviors related to nuclear weapons in Ukraine suggest that even if the likelihood of nuclear escalation is low, it cannot be dismissed outright.

The overriding policy implication of this analysis is not that Western allies should abandon their efforts to support Ukraine. Rather, they should purposefully calibrate responses to mitigate the risks of nuclear escalation.

Deterrence can be framed as a competition in risk-taking, in which conflicting parties attempt to coerce their opponent into backing down. Therefore, to compete with Russia, Western countries must accept at least some level of risk and force Russia to consider how to respond to Western actions. The challenge is to determine which competitive risk-taking measures can stymie Russian advances without triggering a massive escalatory response.

For example, Putin almost certainly has thresholds that—if crossed or simply approached—could prompt the use of nuclear weapons. At the same time, Western allies have provided significant aid to Ukraine without trigging a Russian nuclear response. The level of support provided to Ukraine undoubtedly crossed the threshold of what Russia would have deemed acceptable. However, in the same way the West has been reluctant to decisively intervene, Russia has not strongly reacted against Ukraine’s external partners.

The West’s incremental approach to provide support shows that Russian aggression can be meaningfully countered without incurring unacceptable levels of risk. Notably, even the recent approval for Ukraine to use Western-supplied weapons against Russian territory has been met with a limited Russian response.

Western countries should not be immobilized by fear of Russian threats, but they should nevertheless take the risks of conflict seriously. Despite an emerging narrative that Russian nuclear threats are not credible, these threats continue to pose tangible risks for crisis stability. As Putin recently stated, the West would be wrong to completely ignore Russia’s doctrine and threats to use nuclear weapons first in a conflict.

Before Russia invaded Ukraine, many Western states were skeptical of US warnings regarding an imminent Russian attack. This skepticism was clearly misplaced, however, and Western leaders should avoid repeating such complacency in response to Russia’s nuclear threats. The outright rejection of Russian threats could lead the West to stumble into a nuclear crisis and force decisions in the face of massive risk and significant uncertainty.

Russia can be opposed, but Western policymakers must be prudent in their actions to manage the potentially low—yet very real—risks of nuclear escalation.

Editor’s note: The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the US Air Force, the US Defense Department, or the US government.

---

Subscribed

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

There are 6 categories, including 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, as do ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links in each category about 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.)

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, (06/12/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

He brought us Microsoft. Now, he brings us nuclear energy – Morning Brew

Morning Brew

… nuclear plant outside of a small town in Wyoming … Morning Brew delivers quick and insightful updates about the business world every day of the week …

Nuclear Power Is Hard. A Climate-Minded Billionaire Wants to Make It Easier. – Yahoo

Yahoo

Today, every U.S. nuclear plant uses light … “A lot of things could go wrong or delay us. But … The stock market rally has been all about large caps.

U.S. citizens detained abroad still face tax fines. Lawmakers want to change that | WQCS

WQCS

“But that is not indicative of what happens every day in Congress.” Hill said he’s “optimistic that we can enact this this year,” but says the …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Vattenfall takes the next step for new nuclear power at Ringhals in Sweden

Vattenfall

Vattenfall has taken another step forward in the planning of new nuclear reactors next to the nuclear power plant Ringhals in Sweden.

ETF Trends

… nuclear power plants. And for those who believe in the nuclear narrative, a handful of ETFs provide avenues for exposure to nuclear and uranium mining …

New nuclear power option touched on during meeting with Kentucky lawmakers – WEKU

WEKU

And sometimes that goes beyond the traditional forms of coal, hydro, solar, wind, and nuclear power. During an interim legislative committee meeting …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEW

FEMA holds emergency preparedness exercise at Beaver Valley Power Station – WTRF

WTRF

Power Station. This was to assess to ability of Pennsylvania and West Virginia to respond to an emergency at the nuclear facility. FEMA officials …

Prime Minister Orders Emergency Inspection of Infrastructure after Buan Earthquake

KBS WORLD

… nuclear power plants, electricity, communications and transportation. He also called for preparations for emergency situations. The prime minister …

This is only a test…. – Fredericksburg Free Press

Fredericksburg Free Press

… emergency response plans, policies, and procedures as they pertain to Nuclear Power Plant accidents. Officials say a full participation exercise …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Russia broadens tactical nuclear weapons drills – Reuters

Reuters

… War Two will not escalate into a nuclear war. Advertisement · Scroll to continue. But he also said he did not rule out changes to Russia’s nuclear …

Ukraine-Russia war – live: Blasts across Kyiv in major missile attack as US lifts ban on Azov Brigade

The Independent

… war-torn country. Ukraine’s air defence … Russian and Belarusian troops have started the second stage of tactical nuclear drills in Russia, Russia’s …

Time to Rethink the U.S. Nuclear Arsenal – Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft

Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft

Most of the nuclear arms control agreements that helped stave off a nuclear confrontation during the Cold War lie in tatters, and the last major U.S.- …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Why the West should take Russia’s nuclear threats more seriously

Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

Russian nuclear threats have returned to the forefront of the war in … nuclear use have created significant escalation risks in the war in Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin starts fresh tactical nuclear drills in chilling threat to West – World News

The Mirror

Vladimir Putin starts fresh tactical nuclear drills in chilling threat to West. A joint exercise between allies Russia and Belarus was carried out …

Putin drafts biggest ally to ramp up nuclear drills amid Western ‘threats‘ | World News – Metro

Metro

Vladimir Putin and Belarusian president Aleksandr Lukashenko are ramping up nuclear exercises amid ‘threats‘ by the West against Russia.

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

7 National Parks With Active Volcanoes – TheTravel

TheTravel

Yellowstone’s Caldera: How To See This National Park Volcano. Yellowstone’s Caldera has long been a topic of speculation. Let us be your guide to …

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

LLOYD A. WILLIAMS-PENDERGRAFT

JUN 12, 2024

1

Share

Bill Gates shakes the hand of Wyoming governor Mark Gordon (in the cowboy outfit) at the TerraPower groundbreaking ceremony a few miles south of Kemmerer, Wyoming. /image courtesy of WyoFile.com

LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Tuesday, (06/11/2024)

Here is the latest on TerraPower’s intent to build this 1st of its kind plant and hopefully “mass produce” future ones by employing a new kind of state-of-the-art small nuclear reactor power plants (SMRs) that will cool the plant with, Natrium (the plants name), a sodium-based cooling system along with a molten salt waste storage system.

But there are plenty of pros and even more cons, including ensuring the kind of nuclear fuel it will use, which is refined uranium to near nuclear bomb standards. Russia (and perhaps a few military facilities) is the only market for this rare uranium fuel, and Russia may well refuse to sell the fuel to TerraPower — in fact Russia has already delayed TerraPower’s plans for two years by withholding the sale of this fuel to operate the planned 1st demonstration of the new power plant. And so it goes, but TerraPower says they are beginning construction now regardless of fuel availability and regulatory approval of the plant design, partly because the cooling system has never been used before.

But no matter how we frame, color, or present nuclear poser plants, nuclear bombs, and all other things nuclear, the unredeemable element is that they all use nuclear fuel (refined uranium), which I believe is the most dangerous product ever created by mankind, and if we continue to use it (in any form), it will eventually destroy humanity and other life on a global scale, and we are right now, this very day, staring it in the face. We ought to know better. We were put on notice in August of 1945. ~llaw

(My comments above are a refresher for those of you who may have read one or more of my Posts on this very subject in previous evenings of my “All Things Nuclear” blog. But there are also numerous related links, as well as two other same subject news stories in the “Nuclear Power” nuclear news section of today’s news below, to this and other stories, of course, at the end of this article.)

Bill Gates is breaking ground on a nuclear power plant in Wyoming

Nation Jun 10, 2024 6:34 PM EDT

Bill Gates and his energy company are starting construction at their Wyoming site for a next-generation nuclear power plant he believes will “revolutionize” how power is generated.

Gates was in the tiny community of Kemmerer Monday to break ground on the project. The co-founder of Microsoft is chairman of TerraPower. The company applied to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in March for a construction permit for an advanced nuclear reactor that uses sodium, not water, for cooling. If approved, it would operate as a commercial nuclear power plant.

The site is adjacent to PacifiCorp’s Naughton Power Plant, which will stop burning coal in 2026 and natural gas a decade later, the utility said. Nuclear reactors operate without emitting planet-warming greenhouse gases. PacifiCorp plans to get carbon-free power from the reactor and says it is weighing how much nuclear to include in its long-range planning.

READ MORE: Biden administration will lend $1.5 billion to restart Michigan nuclear power plant, a first in the U.S.

The work begun Monday is aimed at having the site ready so TerraPower can build the reactor as quickly as possible if its permit is approved. Russia is at the forefront for developing sodium-cooled reactors.

Gates told the audience at the groundbreaking that they were “standing on what will soon be the bedrock of America’s energy future.”

“This is a big step toward safe, abundant, zero-carbon energy,” Gates said. “And it’s important for the future of this country that projects like this succeed.”

Advanced reactors typically use a coolant other than water and operate at lower pressures and higher temperatures. Such technology has been around for decades, but the United States has continued to build large, conventional water-cooled reactors as commercial power plants. The Wyoming project is the first time in about four decades that a company has tried to get an advanced reactor up and running as a commercial power plant in the United States, according to the NRC.

It’s time to move to advanced nuclear technology that uses the latest computer modeling and physics for a simpler plant design that’s cheaper, even safer and more efficient, said Chris Levesque, the company’s president and chief executive officer.

TerraPower’s Natrium reactor demonstration project is a sodium-cooled fast reactor design with a molten salt energy storage system.

“The industry’s character hasn’t been to innovate. It’s kind of been to repeat past performance, you know, not to move forward with new technology. And that was good for reliability,” Levesque said in an interview. “But the electricity demands we’re seeing in the coming decades, and also to correct the cost issues with today’s nuclear and nuclear energy, we at TerraPower and our founders really felt it’s time to innovate.”

A Georgia utility just finished the first two scratch-built American reactors in a generation at a cost of nearly $35 billion. The price tag for the expansion of Plant Vogtle from two of the traditional large reactors to four includes $11 billion in cost overruns.

READ MORE: Bill Gates and top investors launch $1 billion clean energy fund

The TerraPower project is expected to cost up to $4 billion, half of it from the U.S. Department of Energy. Levesque said that figure includes first-of-its-kind costs for designing and licensing the reactor, so future ones would cost significantly less.

Most advanced nuclear reactors under development in the U.S. rely on a type of fuel — known as high-assay low-enriched uranium — that’s enriched to a higher percentage of the isotope uranium-235 than the fuel used by conventional reactors. TerraPower delayed its launch date in Wyoming by two years to 2030 because Russia is the only commercial supplier of the fuel, and it’s working with other companies to develop alternate supplies. The U.S. Energy Department is working on developing it domestically.

Edwin Lyman co-authored an article in Science on Thursday that raises concerns that this fuel could be used for nuclear weapons. Lyman, the director of nuclear power safety with the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the risk posed by HALEU today is small because there isn’t that much of it around the world. But that will change if advanced reactor projects, which require much larger quantities, move forward, he added. Lyman said he wants to raise awareness of the danger in the hope that the international community will strengthen security around the fuel.

NRC spokesperson Scott Burnell said the agency is confident its current requirements will maintain both security and public safety of any reactors that are built and their fuel.

Gates co-founded TerraPower in 2008 as a way for the private sector to propel advanced nuclear energy forward to provide safe, abundant, carbon-free energy.

WATCH: Bill Gates on vaccine equity, boosters, climate, his foundation and Epstein meetings

The company’s 345-megawatt reactor could generate up to 500 megawatts at its peak, enough for up to 400,000 homes. TerraPower said its first few reactors will focus on supplying electricity. But it envisions future reactors could be built near industrial plants to supply high heat.

Nearly all industrial processes requiring high heat currently get it from burning fossil fuels. Heat from advanced reactors could be used to produce hydrogen, petrochemicals, ammonia and fertilizer, said John Kotek at the Nuclear Energy Institute.

It’s significant that Gates, a technological innovator and climate champion, is betting on nuclear power to help address the climate crisis, added Kotek, the industry group’s senior vice president for policy.

“I think this has helped open people’s eyes to the role that nuclear power does play today and can play in the future in addressing carbon emissions,” he said. “There’s tremendous momentum building for new nuclear in the U.S. and the potential use of a far wider range of nuclear energy technology than we’ve seen in decades.”

Left: File photo by Ritzau Scanpix/Mads Claus Rasmussen via Reuters

Related

• Russia to build a small nuclear power plant in UzbekistanBy Associated Press
• Biden administration will lend $1.5 billion to restart Michigan nuclear power plant, a first in the U.S.By Ed White, Associated Press
• Iran announces start of construction on new nuclear power plantBy Associated Press
• Russia’s invasion of Ukraine highlights vulnerability of nuclear power plantsBy John Yang, Courtney Norris
• As climate talks continue, nuclear power remains in disputeBy Angela Charlton, Associated Press
• U.S. eyes building nuclear power plants for moon and MarsBy Keith Ridler, Associated Press
• Demand for clean energy inspires new generation to innovate nuclear powerBy PBS NewsHour
• Cheap natural gas is putting nuclear power out of business

Go Deeper

• bill gates
• energy
• nuclear power
• terrapower
• wyoming

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

There are 6 categories, including 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, as do ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links in each category about 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.)

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, (06/11/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

U.S. citizens detained abroad still face tax fines. Lawmakers want to change that | WVTF

WVTF

“But that is not indicative of what happens every day in Congress.” The Treasury Department — which includes the IRS — said in a statement it’s “ …

U.S. citizens detained abroad still face tax fines. Lawmakers want to change that – NPR

NPR

It doesn’t have to be a major nuclear policy treaty. … All Things Considered · Wild elephants may have … You may customize which cookies you accept in …

Savannah River Site looks to train thousands of workers on the job – Marketplace.org

Marketplace.org

… Nuclear Solutions. He pointed to the key … These 300 square miles — just about the same size as all … These days, it’s a place where you’ll want to do …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Bill Gates is breaking ground on a nuclear power plant in Wyoming | PBS NewsHour

PBS

Gates and his energy company are starting construction for a next-generation nuclear power plant he believes will “revolutionize” how power is …

Microsoft’s Gates breaks ground on novel nuclear power plant in Wyoming – WyoFile

WyoFile

The pilot Natrium nuclear power plant in Kemmerer will be the first of what TerraPower officials hope will be a worldwide fleet of new nuclear …

What’s New About America’s Next Nuclear Power Plant? Everything – Bechtel

Bechtel

Located near a retiring coal-fired power station, Natrium is an advanced nuclear reactor that uses a sodium-based technology developed by …

alert

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

Jordan hosts first meeting of regional project to improve response to nuclear emergencies

Arab News

AMMAN: The Jordan Atomic Energy Commission, in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency, on Monday hosted the inaugural meeting …

Amherstburg running training exercise for nuclear emergency – CTV News Windsor

CTV News Windsor

The worker centre would be utilized during any local large-scale emergency, including a Nuclear Emergency at the Fermi II Plant. The Emergency …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Russia’s New Threat To Attack NATO Military Bases If…: Nuclear War Risk Rising? | Ukraine | F-16

YouTube

Russia issues a severe warning to NATO as Ukraine prepares to receive U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets. Andrey Kartapolov, chairman of the Russian …

Russia Doubles Down On Threat to Change Nuclear Doctrine – Newsweek

Newsweek

The warnings come amid rising tensions between Russia and the West over Putin’s ongoing war in neighboring Ukraine. Russia’s nuclear doctrine lays out …

Russia begins second stage of tactical nuclear weapon drills with Belarus – Reuters

Reuters

… War Two will not escalate into a nuclear war. Advertisement · Scroll to continue. Putin also said he did not rule out changes to Russia’s nuclear …

Nuclear War Threats

NEW

Russia Doubles Down On Threat to Change Nuclear Doctrine – Newsweek

Newsweek

“Putin stated that Russia’s nuclear doctrine calls for Russia to only use nuclear weapons in the event of ‘exceptional cases’ of threats to Russia’s …

How the Battle of Khasham Fueled Russia’s Nuclear War Threats in Ukraine – 19FortyFive

19FortyFive

How the Battle of Khasham Fueled Russia’s Nuclear War Threats in Ukraine. The Battle of Khasham, initiated by Russian mercenaries, only heightened …

Putin issues chilling threat as he claims Europe ‘defenceless and unprepared for nuclear war‘

GB News

Putin issues chilling threat as he claims Europe ‘defenceless and unprepared for nuclear war‘ … threats posed to both our country and the Union State …

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

LLOYD A. WILLIAMS-PENDERGRAFT

JUN 10, 2024

1

Share

A deactivated nuclear Titan II Intercontinental Ballistic Missile / Photo by Brendan Smialalowski/AFP

LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Monday, (06/10/2024)

This is the same incredibly morbid, costly, and deceitful fear-mongering method of ‘deterrence’ through increasing nuclear weapons of mass destruction and then threatening the rest of the world that you will use them in nuclear war that I have been alluding to for the past two days. It is all supposed to remain a necessary lie, just a threat and nothing more, but this kind of avoiding war inevitably has to stop sometime or else some country or other will eventually use their massive stockpile out of financial bankruptcy and/or sheer desperation. ~llaw

US Mulls Increased Deployment of Nuclear Weapons Amid Rising Threats

JOE SABALLA JUNE 10, 2024

1 MINUTE READ

The US has floated the idea of fielding more strategic nuclear weapons in the future to deter growing threats from Russia, China, and other adversaries.

Speaking at an arms control event last week, National Security Council official Pranay Vaddi said Moscow and Beijing’s rejection of nuclear arsenal limitation highlights the increased need to employ a more competitive approach to prepare for these threats.

He further stated that with the absence of an agreement, more nuclear weapons may be required to effectively deter adversaries and protect the American people and allies.

“We may reach a point in the coming years where an increase from current deployed numbers is required. We need to be fully prepared to execute if the president makes that decision,” Vaddi explained.

At present, the US observes a limit of 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads as stipulated in a 2010 treaty with Russia.

Moscow has already suspended its participation in the agreement because of Washington’s support for Ukraine.

‘At a Breakneck Pace’

In 2023, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said he believed there was no need to increase the size of America’s nuclear arsenal to deter the combined forces of Russia, China, and other rivals.

He also announced that the US will abide by the nuclear weapons limits set by its treaty with Russia until 2026.

But Vaddi pointed out that these adversaries are all expanding and diversifying their nuclear arsenals “at a breakneck pace.”

China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran are reportedly “cooperating and coordinating with each other in ways that run counter to peace and stability, threaten the US, our allies and our partners, and exacerbate region[al] tensions.”

Last month, Moscow fueled nuclear war concerns after President Vladimir Putin ordered his military to hold nuclear weapons drills near Ukraine.

Subscribed

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

There are 6 categories, including 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, as do ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links in each category about 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.)

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, (06/10/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

Energy Is the Achilles’ Heel of Taiwan’s National Security | Opinion – Newsweek

Newsweek

Many Taiwanese associate all things nuclear with the island’s previous military dictatorship, which once led a drive for nuclear energy and atomic …

The Absence – and Presence – of Daniel Ellsberg – TomDispatch.com

Tom Dispatch

… all nuclear weapons. He was eager to awaken Congress to scientific data about “nuclear winter” and the imperative of shutting down ICBMs to reduce …

South Korea to restart loudspeaker broadcasts into North to combat trash balloons

Little Rock Public Radio

All Things Considered. Next Up: 5:00 PM … All Streams. Home · News · Arkansas COVID-19 · Local & Regional … nuclear ambitions. The resumption of South …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

Italian interim storage facility takes shape : Waste & Recycling – World Nuclear News

World Nuclear News

Construction has started at the Garigliano nuclear power plant in Italy of a facility for the interim storage of wastes generated through the …

World’s Largest Nuclear Plant Remains Idle – RealClearEnergy

RealClearEnergy

We don’t think it’ll be long before nuclear power once again has a renaissance, as we’ve written about extensively.

Ukraine-France, EDF-Energoatom nuclear cooperation agreements

World Nuclear News

Thursday’s agreement between the two state-owned nuclear power giants covers the study of EDF’s gigawatt-scale EPR and Nuward small modular reactor …

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEW

Radiation event preparedness exercise set for June 11 – Ellwood City Ledger

Ellwood City Ledger

… emergency at the Shippingport nuclear power plant. Beaver Valley Power Station seen in April 2023. “These drills are held every other year to …

FEMA to Conduct Emergency Preparedness Exercise at Beaver Valley Power Station – MSN

MSN

The program aims to protect citizens in the event of a nuclear accident and to educate the public about radiological emergency preparedness. REP …

Appeals filed over judgements | News, Sports, Jobs – reviewonline.com

reviewonline.com

LISBON – Columbiana County emergency responders can expect an emergency at the Beaver Valley nuclear power station … MOST READ. Biden honors US …

Nuclear War

NEWS

Is the risk of nuclear escalation rising between Russia and the west? | Rajan Menon

The Guardian

Besides, that document sets conditions, such as a nuclear attack on Russia or a threat to its existence, that aren’t pertinent to the war in Ukraine.

The YouGov Big Survey on NATO and war: Nuclear weapons and nuclear war

YouGov

Four in ten (41%) say they have considered what they would do in case of a nuclear attack, including 47% of men and 35% of women (35%). More Americans …

Belarus says it is joining nuclear exercises with Russia – Reuters

Reuters

… nuclear analysts said was a warning signal by Putin to deter the West from wading more deeply into the war in Ukraine. Belarusian Defence Minister …

Nuclear War Threats

NEWS

Is the risk of nuclear escalation rising between Russia and the west? | Rajan Menon

The Guardian

Besides, that document sets conditions, such as a nuclear attack on Russia or a threat to its existence, that aren’t pertinent to the war in Ukraine.

U.S. nuclear weapons deployment might increase as threats grow – Fast Company

Fast Company

Growing threats from Russia, China, and North Korea could cause a shift … nuclear weapons to secure victory in Ukraine, where Moscow is waging war.

US Mulls Increased Deployment of Nuclear Weapons Amid Rising Threats

The Defense Post

The US has floated the idea of fielding more strategic nuclear weapons in the future to deter growing threats from Russia, China, …

Yellowstone Caldera

NEWS

An Explosive History | idahofallsmagazine.com

Idaho Falls Magazine

Myth: The supervolcano could explode at any moment, wiping Idaho off the planet. Fact: Will the Yellowstone Caldera erupt during our lifetime?

“End Nuclear Insanity Before Nuclear Insanity Ends Humanity”

LLOYD A. WILLIAMS-PENDERGRAFT

 AND 

DEBORAH HART YEMM

JUN 09, 2024

1

11

Share

Poor Truth returned to the well and disappeared forever, hiding her shame. Painting by Jean-Léon Gérome, 1896

LLAW’s NUCLEAR ISSUES & COMMENTS, Sunday, (06/09/2024)

Note: Continuation with Chapter 5 of my in progress novel “El Nuclear Diablo” has been postponed to next Sunday.)

Thanks for reading All Things Nuclear! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

Our shallow and virtually useless dependence on human law and how easily cast-off treaties and agreements mean nothing between or among rival Nations, and how we depend on something called ‘deterrence’, which is little more than a mutually applicable governmental political and military money sink paid for by each country’s working taxpayers while we build more nuclear weapons for the sake of ‘deterrence’, constantly followed by more costly and more powerful nuclear weapons. Such inanity cannot last forever, of course.

The Gibran free verse presented below about truths and lies is an excellent existential truth about untruths! Gibran, no doubt unintentionally, clearly demonstrates how our human world functions these days, and his verse is incidentally an axiom of the threats of nuclear war. Our world leaders of nuclear armed Nations, use lies as threats to other leaders of nuclear armed Nations in order to avoid nuclear war out of imposing fear, which the governmental, military, and political worlds of today call “deterrence”. So it is that bald-faced lies rather than honest common sense apparently protect us (at least for now) from Armageddon! ~llaw

(Thank you Deborah Hart Yemm for your brilliant post at a time when the world needs it most!)

“The Lie said to the Truth-

Let’s take a bath together,

the well water is very nice.

The Truth, still suspicious,

tested the water and found out

it really was nice.

So they got naked and bathed.

But suddenly, the Lie leapt out of the water

and fled, wearing the clothes of the Truth.

The Truth, furious, climbed out of the well

to get her clothes back.

But the World, upon seeing the naked Truth,

looked away, with anger and contempt.

Poor Truth returned to the well and disappeared

forever, hiding her shame.

Since then, the Lie runs around the world,

dressed as the Truth, and society is very happy.

Because the world has no desire to know

the naked Truth.”

~ Gibran Khalil Gibran

Truth Coming Out Of The Well Painting by Jean-Léon Gérome, 1896

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

There are 6 categories, including 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, as do ‘all things nuclear’ for you to pick from, usually with up to 3 links in each category about 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.)

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, (06/09/2024)

All Things Nuclear

NEWS

This TV movie from the 1980s helped change the course of the Cold War. Here’s how … – WRAL.com

WRAL.com

In its first hour, the people of Lawrence, Kansas, go about their lives as the threat of nuclear war looms. But when the nuke finally comes to …

That Time the Brits Nuked Us – Daily Kos

Daily Kos

Which is all well and good, except for when these things … We also knew a thing or two about low level flying in SAC. … payload (nuclear), 1 free-fall …

South Korea to restart loudspeaker broadcasts into North to combat trash balloons | WVTF

WVTF

All Programs A-Z · All Things Considered · BBC World Service · Fresh Air · Full … nuclear ambitions. The resumption of South Korea’s loudspeaker …

Nuclear Power

NEWS

MSP’s claim of support for nuclear power in Highlands challenged – John O’Groat Journal

John O’Groat Journal

An anti-nuclear campaigner has hit out at a claim made by Highland MSP Edward Mountain that people in the region want nuclear power.

Is Nuclear Power in America Reviving – or Flailing? – Slashdot

Slashdot

Last week America’s energy secretary cheered the startup of a fourth nuclear reactor at a Georgia power plant, calling it “the largest producer of …

Nuclear power plant unit put back into operation may improve energy situation in Ukraine

Yahoo

A 1000 MW unit at one of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants (NPPs) has been put back into operation after planned maintenance.

Nuclear Power Emergencies

NEWS

FEMA to Conduct Emergency Preparedness Exercise at Beaver Valley Power Station

MyChesCo

REP responsibilities include state and local government emergency planning and preparedness activities beyond the boundaries of the nuclear power …

DoE sets goal for small modular reactors | The Manila Times

The Manila Times

These emergencies include severe weather … power plants and liquid fuel plants … Atomic Energy Agency when establishing nuclear power plants.

Nuclear War

NEWS

Europe defenceless and unprepared for nuclear war, warns Putin – Yahoo

Yahoo

Vladimir Putin has warned that Europe is “defenceless” and unprepared for a nuclear conflict with Russia … war with Russia. “Europe does not have a …

live: Biden says Putin won’t stop with Ukraine as ‘Moscow fails in Kharkiv offensive’

The Independent

Vladimir Putin is not going to stop with war in Ukraine, US president Joe Biden said in France, pledging to support Europe against Russia.

The lurking danger of nuclear confrontation – The Sunday Guardian Live

Sunday Guardian

… nuclear war amidst the Cuban Missile Crisis. That time the nuclear warheads were not as potent as now and the delivery systems were not as precise …

Nuclear War Threats

NEW

Putin Offers New Clues About His Red Line in Ukraine War: ISW – Newsweek

Newsweek

The Kremlin has even gone as far as suggesting nuclear action would be taken if there was an existential threat to Russia. The United States …

The lurking danger of nuclear confrontation – The Sunday Guardian Live

Sunday Guardian

instances before and after the Cuban Missile Crisis when the threat of use of nuclear weapons hang upon mankind as the Sword of Damocles. While the …

US considers expanded nuclear arsenal to ‘deter threats‘ from adversaries | ANC – YouTube

YouTube

US considers expanded nuclear arsenal to ‘deter threats‘ from adversaries | ANC. 1.3K views · 7 hours ago #ANCHighlights #ANCAlerts #ANCNews