"Congress should require an independent review of the Trump administration’s allegations, and the administration, with support from the CTBTO and independent scientific experts, should engage in talks with China and Russia on voluntary confidence-building transparency measures."

Without the New START treaty, do you think an arms race is on the horizon? SP: I think it’s not on the horizon — it’s taking off. It’s unclear how fast it’s going to go, but I would expect already, as of (last) week, for the U.S. to have plans to upload more missiles...

'Mr. Trump repeated a claim the administration has made before: that prescription drug prices have been reduced by as much as 600 percent. On its face, a 600 percent reduction in drug prices would require a pharmaceutical company to pay you five times over to take a medication."

"Arms control is far from a perfect solution to the nuclear threat. … But arms control can, as a starting point, reduce the likelihood of nuclear war and provide some measure of stability and predictability."

"As part of a new plan to restart large-scale production of plutonium pits for the first time since the Cold War, the NNSA plans to ship nuclear cores across the length of US interstates without clearly informing residents."

If European governments can work to find a way to encourage this conversation now that they're demonstrating meaningful independence from the United States government.

In his blog, UCS’s @gkucs.bsky.social analyzes the recent announcement by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Davos, and what it could mean for US hegemony if other "middle powers" pursue their own strategic partnerships with China.

From Sam Collitt, Carren Jao, Cindy Tsai (2026). State of Chinese Americans Survey 2025. Committee of 100 and NORC at the University of Chicago.

立春！

"If enough members of the European Union decide to join Carney in making an equally clear and irreversible break with the US government, Chinese leaders could become more willing to work with European governments to end the fighting in Ukraine."

Surprised they did not take this step earlier.

A commentary on mega constellations and global geopolitics with references to Ukraine, Iran, China and Russia.

“The court clearly ruled that the Trump administration violated the law in setting up a secretive process with a group of hand-picked climate contrarians to draft a sham ‘climate science’ report,” said UCS President and CEO Dr. Gretchen Goldman.

"Policymakers and regulators at every level of governance must use their authority—and standing—to ensure data centers are powered by clean energy and protect ratepayers by requiring data center operators to pay their fair share of new electricity costs."

The Trump team is dropping the ball on New START, which limits deployments of nuclear weapons. Russia has offered an off ramp without negotations but the US isn't responding. This is a no-brainer, but Trump's ignorance and machismo are likely to result in the shredding of this important treaty.

Hopeful good sense from the prime minister of our neighbor to the north.

Chinese stablecoins highly likely to be denominated in US dollars, not RMB.

A perverse and not commonly discussed consequence of Trump's tariff on raw copper.

"While the date will go unnoticed by most, January 14, 2026, marks a milestone in world history. As of today, the world has gone eight years, four months, and 11 days without a nuclear test—the longest period since the Trinity test without a nuclear explosion."

On Feb. 5th, the last remaining arms control treaty that limits US and Russian nuclear deployments will expire without a follow-on agreement. Russia has offered an off ramp that Trump is ignoring. My colleague, Jennifer Knox, has a new report out on what could happen when those limits are gone:

Bluesky is not allowing me to post this video on impact of US actions in Venezuela on China. If you're interested in the subject here is the url: youtu.be/0bZQ_6l6wzc?...

Ignore the title and tag line. This is a very interesting take on what US observers get wrong about what is happening in the Chinese economy.

My understanding is that the US doesn't have the technology to refine and process rare earths, and won't, anytime soon. Any information to the contrary would be greatly appreciated.

A very cogent explanation of the current operation of global finance which implies, to me, that the US, Chin and Japan, in particular, need cooperative relationships with each. This era of great power competition has to come to an end, and the sooner the better, for everyone.

Hope all of my friends and colleagues in Japan, especially in Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Tokyo, will take the opportunity to see this very powerful and important film.

One unavoidable and less romantic aspect of organizing an International dialogue of great consequence.

My brilliant @ucs.org colleague Chanese Forté interviews two other brilliant folks, Dr. Jan Beyea, and @nucsafetyucs.bsky.social, on the Trump administration's moves to undermine sensible, science-based limits on radiation exposure. Team Trump seems to wants to promote nuclear power at any cost.

"These executive orders are trying to change the agreed-upon scientific model (LNT) and approach to decisionmaking (ALARA)...Over time, doses would increase across society, including in medical facilities."

"At this point, China alone already has 50 percent more production capacity for PV panels than is thought to be necessary to hit an “optimized” Net Zero trajectory for CO2 emissions."

The day after Trump suggested the US would resume explosive nuclear testing "immediately," the US was the only nation to vote against a UN statement affirming the importance of the treaty that prevents it.

In this piece, my colleague @gkucs.bsky.social discusses the implications and potential Chinese response to Trump's recent suggestion that the US will resume nuclear testing. China has much more to gain from testing than the US and its not clear POTUS knows this. @ucs.org #Nukesky

"Sometime in the next few days Xi will receive a briefing from his nuclear weapons laboratories that will almost certainly contain an assessment of what China stands to gain if the existing taboo on explosive nuclear testing is broken by the United States."

"By withholding soybean purchases and rare-earth exports, China extracted relief from U.S. tariffs and delayed export controls, without conceding much in return."

The president has ordered the “Department of War” to immediately resume nuclear testing. Here’s a thread on what you need to know (1/n)

"The Chinese are also pursuing technologies that use less uranium, such as thorium reactors, or recycle spent nuclear fuel. It’s a recognition that China doesn’t have enough domestic uranium for a massive build-out of traditional reactors."

"The GMD test program is like T-ball practice when the real world is major league baseball. It’s irresponsible to say the GMD system provides effective protection when it has not been demonstrated to work in conditions expected in a real conflict…"

🎬🍿Are you planning to watch Kathryn Bigelow's new film, A House of Dynamite, this weekend? Download our free bingo cards to learn more and play along while you watch: act.ucsusa.org/48MjQsO

Our @ucs.org Scoville fellow Sean Manning has this important piece on #HouseofDynamite, laying out exactly how throwing billions or trillions of $$$ at missile defense is not how we solve the nuclear threat. We need solutions that reduce that threat instead. inkstickmedia.com/dont-get-the...

"The problem may not be just that Washington may be failing to assure its Korean ally, but that it no longer considers such assurance—and the nonproliferation it is meant to underwrite—necessary."

"For over a century, Chinese intellectuals grappled with this challenge: how to achieve modernity without losing cultural identity, how to become powerful without abandoning what made China distinctive. That historical chapter may now be closing. China appears to have found that path”