Tag Archives: nuclear weapons

Scientists Tick Doomsday Clock Closer To Midnight

The New York Daily News reports: “It is 100 seconds to midnight.” That was the ominous message laid out by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Thursday morning as officials unveiled the 2020 setting for the Doomsday Clock. “Both the nuclear and climate conditions are worsening,” Rachel Bronson, president and CEO of the Bulletin, said at a press conference. “Leaders …

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Trump Golfs As Iran Withdraws From Nuclear Deal

The New York Times reports: Iran’s government said it was ending all its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal and that it would no longer limit its enrichment of uranium. The announcement came after Iran’s National Security Council held an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss the country’s nuclear policy in the aftermath of Maj. Gen. Qassim Soleimani’s assassination. But …

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White House: US Would Respond To Any NK Missile

Reuters reports: The United States would be very disappointed if North Korea tested a long-range or nuclear missile and would take appropriate action as a leading military and economic power, White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien said on Sunday. Washington has many “tools in its tool kit” to respond to any such test, O’Brien said in an interview with …

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“Unstoppable” Russian Missile Flies 27X Speed Of Sound

Agence France-Presse reports: A new intercontinental weapon that can fly 27 times the speed of sound became operational Friday, Russia’s defense minister reported to President Vladimir Putin, bolstering the country’s nuclear strike capability. Putin has described the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle as a technological breakthrough comparable to the 1957 Soviet launch of the first satellite. The new Russian weapon and …

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Trump Shrugs Off North Korean Threat Of Christmas Gift: Maybe He’s Sending Me A Vase, Not A Missile

Reuters reports: President Donald Trump on Tuesday brushed off North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s warning of a “Christmas gift”, saying the United States would “deal with it very successfully” and that perhaps it would be a “nice present”. “We’ll find out what the surprise is and we’ll deal with it very successfully,” Trump told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort. …

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John Bolton Rips Trump On North Korea Policy

Jonathan Swan reports at Axios: In his sharpest criticism yet of his old workplace, John Bolton suggested the Trump administration is bluffing about stopping North Korea’s nuclear ambitions — and soon might need to admit publicly that its policy failed badly. Driving the news: Bolton told me in an interview that he does not think the administration “really means it” …

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US Braces For Major North Korean Missile Test

The New York Times reports: American military and intelligence officials tracking North Korea’s actions by the hour say they are bracing for an imminent test of an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching American shores, but appear resigned to the fact that President Trump has no good options to stop it. If the North goes ahead with the test in …

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US Watching For North Korean “Christmas Missile”

The Associated Press reports: The U.S. is closely watching North Korea for signs of a possible missile launch or nuclear test in the coming days that officials are referring to as a “Christmas surprise.” Earlier this month, the North conducted what U.S. officials say was an engine test. North Korea described it as “crucial” and experts believe that it may …

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Congress Pressures Trump On Russian Nuke Treaty

Reuters reports: U.S. lawmakers of both parties are pressuring the White House to extend the last remaining restraints on U.S. and Russian nuclear weapons deployments by demanding intelligence assessments on the costs of allowing the New START treaty to lapse. The demands, contained in three bills that may be harmonized this week, reflect doubts about whether the Trump administration has …

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North Korea “Successfully” Tests Long-Range Missile

The Associated Press reports: North Korea said Saturday that it successfully performed another “crucial test” at its long-range rocket launch site that will further strengthen its nuclear deterrent. The test possibly involved technologies to improve intercontinental ballistic missiles that could potentially reach the continental United States. The announcement comes as North Korea continues to pressure the Trump administration for major …

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Pentagon Tests Previously Banned Ballistic Missile

Here’s one more thing to worry about: “On Thursday, Dec. 12, 2019, at 8:30 a.m. Pacific Time, the U.S. Air Force, in partnership with the Strategic Capabilities Office, conducted a flight test of a prototype conventionally-configured ground-launched ballistic missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California,” Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Robert Carver said in a statement. Such a missile was prohibited …

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North Korea: Denuclearization Talks Are Off The Table

Reuters reports: North Korea’s ambassador to the United Nations said today that denuclearization is off the negotiating table with the United States and lengthy talks with Washington are not needed, the starkest statement yet emphasizing the gulf between the two sides ahead of a year-end deadline set by Pyongyang. U.S. President Donald Trump sought to play down a recent surge …

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Putin Offers Nuclear Treaty Extension: No Preconditions

Reuters reports: Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Moscow is prepared to immediately extend the only remaining nuclear arms reduction pact with the United States. Speaking at a meeting with military officials, Putin said that Russia has repeatedly offered the U.S. to extend the New START treaty that expires in 2021 but that it hasn’t heard back. “Russia is …

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North Korea Rumbles About “Christmas Gift” For Trump

The Associated Press reports: North Korea on Tuesday repeated its assertions that the Trump administration is running out of time to salvage nuclear negotiations, saying it’s entirely up to the United States to choose what “Christmas gift” it gets from the North. The statement, attributed to a senior diplomat, came as North Korea continues to dial up pressure on Washington …

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REPORT: North Korea Building Nuke-Launching Sub

NBC News reports: Satellite photos indicate North Korea is building a ballistic missile submarine and may be making preparations to test a submarine-launched missile, according to an analysis of the commercial images by experts at a Washington-based think tank. The photos of Sinpo South Shipyard taken Monday appear to confirm reports by North Korean state media of a “newly built …

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The Chosen One Denies Wanting To Nuke Hurricanes

USA Today reports: President Donald Trump on Monday described as “ridiculous” a report that he discussed using nuclear weapons to alter the course of hurricanes. Trump, who is meeting with world leaders at the G-7 in France, took to Twitter to swipe at an Axios report that he had raised the idea with senior Homeland Security and national security officials …

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Axios: Trump Has Suggested Nuking Hurricanes

Jonathan Swan reports at Axios: President Trump has suggested multiple times to senior Homeland Security and national security officials that they explore using nuclear bombs to stop hurricanes from hitting the United States, according to sources who have heard the president’s private remarks and been briefed on a National Security Council memorandum that recorded those comments. Behind the scenes: During …

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Putin Orders Reciprocal Response After US Missile Test

Reuters reports: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday ordered a like-for-like response to a recent U.S. missile test, which he said showed that Washington aimed to deploy previously banned missiles around the world. The Pentagon said on Monday it had tested a conventionally-configured cruise missile that hit its target after more than 500 km (310 miles) of flight, its first …

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Norway Detects Radioactive Iodine From Russian Blast

Reuters reports: Norway’s nuclear safety authority is analyzing amounts of radioactive iodine detected in the air in northern Norway in the days after a deadly explosion during a rocket engine test over the border in Russia. Russia’s state nuclear agency, Rosatom, said on Saturday that five people killed in the blast were its staff members, and the accident involved “isotope …

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Kremlin Boasts Of Winning New Arms Race After Nuke Missile Accident Leaks Radiation On Northern Russia

Reuters reports: The Kremlin boasted on Tuesday it was winning the race to develop new cutting edge nuclear weapons despite a mysterious rocket accident last week in northern Russia that caused a temporary spike in radiation levels. Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear agency, has said that the Aug. 8 accident occurred during a rocket test on a sea platform in the …

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