Trump recently tweeted he was directing the DoD to start testing our nuclear weapons on an equal basis [with other countries] www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/u...

As the US prepares to spend as much as $38 billion to produce hundreds of new explosive cores, called plutonium pits, to arm new nuclear weapons, our new analysis argues new pits aren’t necessary to maintain the existing US nuclear arsenal. Read our report: act.ucsusa.org/4kZ4X9p

The last 100 days have been an unprecedented assault on American science. Our scientists. Our institutions. And the people around the world who rely on it. We must stand united and speak up. Our collective future depends on it. #ScienceMatters www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPlu... savesciencenow.org

Not sure why this took years to publish but I am happy it finally saw the light of day. My contribution makes the case against extending US nuclear deterrence guarantees to cover first use in a conventional war with China over Taiwan.

My colleague Dr. Chanese Forté appeared on the Travis Smiley show discussing her work on the impacts of nuclear weapons production, testing & development all too easily lead to exposure to harmful radiation, which happens all to often to indigenous communities. Listen here: youtu.be/zH3DWGv2D9s?...

We have some great work being done here @ucsusa.bsky.social by Kendall Fellow @lmcclure.bsky.social (now faculty at UNC). Check out her work on community engaged research around the Hanford Facility, which remains one of the most contaminated and complex legacies of US nuclear weapons production.

"Shocking" (not) news of the day: the US Air Force, after completely mismanaging a massive, unneeded effort to build high-priced, destabilizing, vulnerable land-based, nuclear-armed missiles, is looking to extend the life of the ones they already have until 2050: gulfnews.com/world/americ...

Important new piece from my colleague Dr. Chanese Forté, who interviews Dr. Amanda Nichols & Mary Olson on why federal radiation regulations can no longer ignore women & girls. TL/DR: Women & girls are more radiosensitive - more likely to face harm from radiation: blog.ucsusa.org/chanese-fort...

🚨The Trump administration has illegally seized power not granted to it by the US Constitution and is actively disregarding the rule of law.

I am wondering what happens to retired government employee pensions if millions of government workers are laid off and are no longer paying into the pension system? Anybody know?

Will the DOGE, which is willy-nilly ignoring laws, regulations, guidelines, codes and any other normal procedure, gain access to US nuclear weapons secrets? Two members of Congress wrote to the Department of Energy, responsible for the nuclear stockpile, appropriately worried about the possibility.

THRILLED to see the Times supporting @aliciaguzman.bsky.social's great reporting in New Mexico. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/11/u...

Yesterday the NNSA held a hearing on the future of Los Alamos National Lab, where the government plans to resume bulk production of plutonium pits for use in new nuclear weapons for the 1st time since the end of the Cold War. The hearing got a little rowdy: www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_n...

🚨 The Trump administration is attempting to seize power beyond what the Constitution allows—giving Elon Musk, an unelected billionaire, unchecked influence. As a federal scientist, expert, or civil servant, you have rights. Don’t let them bully you. These resources can help: act.ucsusa.org/4hqSJoz

If you're thinking Trump's space-based missile defense proposal is a good idea, think again. youtu.be/fEkXTV69yo4?...

If President Trump is serious about negotiating with China on nuclear arms control, @gkucs.bsky.social has some advice to bring China to the negotiating table:

Today the Senate Armed Services Committee held a quite disturbing confirmation hearing on the nomination of Pete Hegseth to be secretary of defense. Hegseth refused to meet with Democratic senators on the committee before the hearing, a breach of long-held protocol, but is sadly not surprising.

There's still time to apply for the Science for Public Good Fund! We're looking to fund projects that aim to advance equitable, science-based policy and/or emphasize local and community impacts. Applications are open now through January 6. ➡️Apply here: act.ucsusa.org/41DXmXm

Under Trump, the US may return to full-scale explosive testing of nuclear weapons. It would be a lose-lose-lose for the US, the budding nuclear arms race, and humanity itself. My colleague Jenn Knox explains exactly why here: blog.ucsusa.org/jknox/we-nee...

My colleague @lauraegrego.bsky.social has this insightful piece in support of a proposed new UN study on the effects of nuclear war. It has been 36 years since the last such study, and the science has improved. The US should vote in favor and ask it allies to as well. blog.ucsusa.org/lgrego/why-t...

What is radiation? Where does it come from? What are the health impacts of radiation exposure? Check out UCS’s activist guide for understanding radiation, radioactive materials, and the threats they pose to human health.

My colleague Lilly Adams explains how House Speaker Mike Johnson is opposing a clear majority of Congress, including many Republicans, who want to expand & extend benefits to the many people in the US harmed by US efforts to develop, test & produce nuclear weapons. blog.ucsusa.org/lilly-adams/...

UCS statement on the inspiring news that Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese organization of Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombing survivors, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, from my @ucsusa.bsky.social colleague @gkucs.bsky.social. A thoughtful call by the Nobel committee www.ucsusa.org/about/news/n...

My amazing @ucsusa.bsky.social colleague @drchanese.bsky.social published an incredibly helpful set of guides and a glossary to provide an introduction to radiation and its health impacts. It starts with An Activist's Guide to Radiation and Human Health: www.ucsusa.org/resources/ac...

My colleague @dkspaulding.bsky.social has this excellent piece in @bulletinatomic.bsky.social on the NNSA's first new "diamond-stamped" plutonium pit in a decade and the court decision that NNSA must do a full environmental assessment of its pit production plans: thebulletin.org/2024/10/the-...

My colleague @dkspaulding.bsky.social as well as @nukestrat.bsky.social cast some very reasonable doubt about the feasibility of the NNSA's plan to produce in bulk new plutonium pits, following the agency's announcement of the first new pit in over 10 years: www.twz.com/nuclear/firs...

A new court decision will require NNSA to finally consider the cumulative environmental and health impacts of their biggest efforts since the Manhattan Project: plutonium pit production. NNSA skirted the rules and now they are being held accountable - this is a victory for transparency. (1/2)

NNSA announced production of the first warhead-ready plutonium pit. A milestone? Yes, it's the first important step in a long process, but meeting the dangerous and unnecessary goal of 80 pits/year by 2030 is still unattainable - this doesn't change that.

As part of a @bulletinatomic.bsky.social series on key nuclear questions for Harris & Trump, my colleague @lauraegrego.bsky.social has this excellent one: thebulletin.org/2024/09/what...

My colleague Laura Grego has an excellent LTE on the @nytimes.com website today, making the case for why the over-budget, unneeded and dangerous Sentinel ICBM program should be cancelled. You can see it here: www.nytimes.com/2024/09/13/o... [Scroll down a bit!]

Today is the International Day Against Nuclear Tests. Here's what I had to say about why the US should never return to full-scale tests, with @ucsusa.bsky.social

My colleague Jennifer Knox lays out the distressing facts about the unnecessary, expensive & dangerous US program to build new silo-based long-range missiles. Known as Sentinel, the new missile will cost more than $140 billion while increasing the risk of nuclear war: blog.ucsusa.org/jknox/the-pr...

While recent events may seem dismal, my colleague Gregory Kulacki, East Asia Project Manager at the @ucsusa.bsky.social, ends on a hopeful note about the long-term future of #nuclear arms control negations between the United States and China. blog.ucsusa.org/gregory-kula...

Today @ucsusa.bsky.social released a letter from 700+ scientists to Biden & Congress, calling on them to cancel the proposed new long-range, land-based, nuclear-armed missile known as Sentinel, and to scrap such missiles permanently. Here is the letter: ucs-documents.s3.amazonaws.com/global-secur...

live posting of the ACA conference speakers from my colleague @atomicwonk.bsky.social

Tooting my own horn here this morning on a couple of recent media hits. First, I was interviewed for the NPR On Point show talking about the Sentinel ICBM and new nuclear weapons. Madelyn Creedon, chair of the Strategic Posture Commission, also appears: dcs.megaphone.fm/BUR899275008...

Today @bulletinatomic.bsky.social published my piece on the rising cost of the massive effort by NNSA to produce new plutonium pits, the fissile core of nuclear weapons. Those new pits are for new warheads for the vastly over-budget Sentinel missile. thebulletin.org/2024/05/anot...

"With hope, the celebrity of Nolan’s #Oppenheimer will shine a brighter light on how US decisions about these horrible [nuclear] weapons are made." blog.ucsusa.org/gregory-kula...

- The US is again preparing a nuclear arms race where everyone will lose - US defense spending is at a record high, and there is no will in Congress to prevent waste and corruption - Scientists are organizing to fight for a better world #Oppenheimer blog.ucsusa.org/jknox/three-...

Want to know more about Pantex, the nuclear weapons plant threatened by Texas wildfires? Dylan did a whole podcast episode about it with Texas Wants to Know: omny.fm/shows/north-...

Not something you want to hear from Pantex! “Pantex personnel are constructing a fire barrier to protect plant facilities.” From other site

The facility housing much of the US weapons-grade plutonium, Pantex, is surrounded by wildfire and temporarily shut down. Wildfires have similarly threatened Los Alamos in the recent past. Let's hope fire never meets nuclear material. The nuclear complex can't take climate change for granted.

Here’s a satellite view of the Pantex Plant. The 20,000 or so surplus plutonium pits are stored in Zone 4 (upper left). The United States also has about 1,500 bombs and warheads awaiting dismantlement. Most remain at military bases, but an unknown number are in vaults in Zone 12 South (lower right).

Why does the United States still have intercontinental ballistic missiles? Why would we be better off without them? Learn more: blog.ucsusa.org/elliott-negi...