NukeTalk

Nuclear weapons aren't just a national security issue; they are also a human rights issue. Building a safer future requires an examination of past and present nuclear policy. NukeTalk investigates nuclear weapons policy by looking at the human impact of nuclear weapons. And brings the stories of those affected to you. NukeTalk is hosted by Ploughshares.

Atomic Assembly: Savannah River Site, South Carolina 05/01/2024

Atomic Assembly: Savannah River Site, South Carolina The US government poured $8 billion dollars down the drain when politics and poor planning left its efforts to dispose of Cold War-era plutonium at the Savannah River Site a failure. Now, it wants to produce plutonium pits at the site. Guests include Tom Clements (Savannah River Site Watch) and Taylor Barnes (Field Reporter for Inkstick Media). /episode/index/show/pressthebutton/id/31059268

Atomic Assembly: Oak Ridge, Tennessee 04/16/2024

Atomic Assembly: Oak Ridge, Tennessee It was the uranium enriched at the Y-12 plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee that was used in Little Boy, the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in August of 1945. Today, every single weapon in the US’ nuclear arsenal, all 5,000, has parts that were built or maintained at Y-12. Guests include Tanya Kardile (Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance) and Emily Strasser (author of Half-life of a secret: Reckoning with a hidden history). /episode/index/show/pressthebutton/id/30851198

Atomic Assembly: Amarillo, Texas 04/02/2024

Atomic Assembly: Amarillo, Texas The Pantex Plant sits just 17 miles northeast of Amarillo, Texas. It's the only remaining assembly and disassembly plant for nuclear weapons in the United States. Guests include Barbara Kent (downwinder and advocate), Kaysie Kent (downwinder and advocate), and Lucie Genay (author of Under the Cap of Invisibility: The Pantex Nuclear Weapons Plant and the Texas Panhandle). /episode/index/show/pressthebutton/id/30651348

Atomic Assembly: Rocky Flats, Colorado 03/13/2024

Atomic Assembly: Rocky Flats, Colorado In 1989, a team of FBI agents raided and shut down the Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant after nearly 3 years of investigation into its environmental and waste practices. It was the first-ever raid of one government agency by another. Featured guests include Kristen Iversen (Author of Full Body Burden: Growing Up in the Nuclear Shadow of Rocky Flats), Jon Lipsky (Former FBI Special Agent who led the Rocky Flats raid), and Dr. Deborah Segaloff (Colorado Physicians for Social Responsibility). /episode/index/show/pressthebutton/id/30350793

Atomic Assembly: Hanford, Washington 02/28/2024

Atomic Assembly: Hanford, Washington Over 80 years ago, Hanford was miles and miles of open farmland. Now, it’s known as the most contaminated site in the Western Hemisphere. This episode features Steve Olson, author of the book Apocalypse Factory: Plutonium and the Making of the Atomic Age, and Britany Lindley, staff attorney at Hanford Challenge. /episode/index/show/pressthebutton/id/30140588

The Holiday Episode: Nuclear Weapons and Human Rights 12/19/2023

The Holiday Episode: Nuclear Weapons and Human Rights The holiday season here! So is Human Rights Day. Listen to this special holiday episode about the intersections between justice, human rights, and nuclear weapons. Guests include Mary Dickson (Downwinder and Activist) and Lilly Adams (Union of Concerned Scientists). /episode/index/show/pressthebutton/id/29135028

In Conversation with Charles Oppenheimer 10/06/2023

In Conversation with Charles Oppenheimer We're not quite done with Oppenheimer yet! In this bonus episode, Ploughshares Fund President Dr. Emma Belcher sits down with Charles Oppenheimer, grandson of J. Robert Oppenheimer. The two discuss how growing up in New Mexico, the site of the Trinity Test, and being an Oppenheimer shaped his views on nuclear weapons. They also discussed how the film helped organize and raise awareness of those working on nuclear elimination, as well as bringing nuclear issues back into the public eye. /episode/index/show/pressthebutton/id/28199981

Pop Culture in the Atomic Age 09/06/2023

Pop Culture in the Atomic Age In the years between Oppenheimer the man and Oppenheimer the movie, nuclear weapons have carved out a lasting place for themselves in popular culture. These depictions are not just plot points—they’re opportunities to educate and call for action. Guests include Alex Wellerstein (Nuclear Weapons Historian and Professor at the Stevens Institute of Technology) and John Pope (Chief Audience Officer of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists). /episode/index/show/pressthebutton/id/27948432

Nagasaki: On the Other Side of Grief 08/29/2023

Nagasaki: On the Other Side of Grief It was only three days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima that another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. In the years since, those impacted have been able to transform grief into a lasting legacy through their stories and art. Guests include Dr. Masao Tomonaga (Nagasaki Hibakusha and former Director of the Japanese Red Cross Nagasaki Atomic Hospital) and Ravi Garla (Strategic Communications Consultant at the Nuclear Threat Initiative. /episode/index/show/pressthebutton/id/27884319

Hiroshima: The Story that Almost Wasn't 08/14/2023

Hiroshima: The Story that Almost Wasn't The Bomb. The Aftermath. The Cover-up. And everything after. Guests include Dr. Yuki Miyamoto (DePaul University and second generation Hiroshima Hibakusha) and Lesley M.M. Blume (journalist, historian, and author of Fallout: The Hiroshima Cover-up and the Reporter Who Revealed it to the World). /episode/index/show/pressthebutton/id/27747642

The Trinity Test: Sunny With a 100% Chance of Radiation 08/07/2023

The Trinity Test: Sunny With a 100% Chance of Radiation The US dropped the first atomic bomb on itself. And then they called it the Trinity Test. Guests include Tina Cordova (Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium), Mary Martinez White (Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium), and Dr. Joseph Shonka (Senior health physicist and nuclear engineer). /episode/index/show/pressthebutton/id/27685782

Fact, Fiction, Film 07/31/2023

Fact, Fiction, Film Does Oppenheimer have a post-credit scene? Yes, and you’re living it. Hosts Angela Kellett and Jacqueline Hsing review Christopher Nolan’s film Oppenheimer and discuss what’s fact, what’s fiction, and what’s missing from the narrative. /episode/index/show/pressthebutton/id/27615933

The Shadow of Oppenheimer 07/24/2023

The Shadow of Oppenheimer Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is officially out, so it’s time to travel back to 1945 and examine who was left behind in the pursuit of a false sense of security. This story starts with one man: J. Robert Oppenheimer. But the people affected total in the millions. And the fallout of that decision continues to this day. Ploughshares Fund’s podcast is back for its second season titled “The Shadow of Oppenheimer.” Hosts Angela Kellett and Jacqueline Hsing are joined by nuclear policy experts in the field this week to give an understanding of what you need to know ahead of (or after) watching the film Oppenheimer. These nuclear policy experts explore how modern nuclear weapons have increased in capacity and destruction compared to their predecessors, the amount of money going into the US nuclear stockpile compared to compensation programs for radiation-exposed people, and how the nuclear field is mobilizing in response to Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Guests include Matt Korda (Federation of American Scientists), Allen Hester (Friends Committee on National Legislation), Istra Fuhrmann (Peace and Security Funders Group), and Dr. Emma Belcher (Ploughshares Fund). /episode/index/show/pressthebutton/id/27552204

How Many People Have to Die From Nuclear Weapons Until We Get It? 06/26/2023

How Many People Have to Die From Nuclear Weapons Until We Get It? This week, Tina Cordova, co-founder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinder Consortium and sixth-generation native New Mexican, has the microphone in the final episode of this season. In this conversation with Ploughshares Fund President Emma Belcher, Tina Cordova discusses the financial damage that goes hand-in-hand with the physical and emotional toll that impacted communities experience, how these are passed down through generations of families, and how the effects of the Trinity Test — the first ever nuclear weapons test — is still felt today by those in New Mexico. And please stay tuned for season 2 of Press the Button: "The Shadow of Oppenheimer." /episode/index/show/pressthebutton/id/27280095

History Repeating Itself: Hanford Downwinders and Fukushima Daiichi Downwinders (Part Two) 06/16/2023

History Repeating Itself: Hanford Downwinders and Fukushima Daiichi Downwinders (Part Two) Continue hearing the story of Hanford and Fukushima Daiichi downwinders with Trisha Thompson Pritikin and Dr. Yuki Miyamoto. In part two of this conversation, they discuss the generational health effects passed down from radiation exposure and the litigation process the Fukushima Daiichi downwinders are currently undergoing. /episode/index/show/pressthebutton/id/27178086

History Repeating Itself: Hanford Downwinders and Fukushima Daiichi Downwinders (Part One) 06/12/2023

History Repeating Itself: Hanford Downwinders and Fukushima Daiichi Downwinders (Part One) This week, Trisha Thompson Pritikin and Dr. Yuki Miyamoto have the microphone. In part one of this conversation, they discuss the parallels between the Hanford and the Fukushima Daiichi downwinders, and how radioactive iodine can impact the body. Trisha Thompson Pritikin is a Hanford Downwinder and author of the book The Hanford Plaintiffs. Dr. Yuki Miyamoto is a second generation Hiroshima Hibakusha and an associate professor at DePaul University, where she uses comparative ethical framework to examine nuclear discourse. /episode/index/show/pressthebutton/id/27128349

Turning Words Into Action 06/05/2023

Turning Words Into Action This week, Jasmine Owens from the Physicians for Social Responsibility has the microphone. In past episodes, we’ve discussed how nuclear frontline communities are often indigenous or comprised mainly of people of color. Jasmine Owens goes beyond these conversations to answer the overarching question: how can the anti-nuclear community become more equitable? /episode/index/show/pressthebutton/id/27049446

Nuclear Weapons are the Ultimate Colonizers 05/25/2023

Nuclear Weapons are the Ultimate Colonizers This week, Mari Faines from Global Zero and Haleema Saadia, Lecturer at the National University of Modern Languages (NUML), have the microphone. It’s not often discussed how racism intersects with our security priorities and how more often than not they are set at the expense of people of color. And when it is, the focus gets stuck on individuals rather than the underlying systemic inequalities that give power and privilege to certain voices. In this conversation, Mari Faines and Haleema Saadia discuss how racism manifests in nuclear weapons policy, and how we can address head on the institutional issues that plague nuclear weapons policy and the entire security structure. /episode/index/show/pressthebutton/id/26953530

Holding the Government Accountable for its Nuclear Legacy 05/22/2023

Holding the Government Accountable for its Nuclear Legacy This episode, Lilly Adams, senior outreach coordinator at the Union of Concerned Scientists and co-founder of Nuclear Voices has the microphone. Lilly Adams is one of the many advocates who are bringing voices impacted by nuclear weapons to light and pushing for legislation to address these issues. In past episodes, we’ve talked about compensation for nuclear harm that are set to be expired if action isn’t taken — Lilly Adams pinpoints what exact obstacles are in the way and how we can better engage impacted communities in a more meaningful and genuine manner. /episode/index/show/pressthebutton/id/26915955

Marshall Islands: A Fourth of the Nation in Arkansas 05/15/2023

Marshall Islands: A Fourth of the Nation in Arkansas This week, Benetick Kabua Maddison, Executive Director of Marshallese Educational Initiative, has the microphone. More than 15,000 Marshallese live in northwest Arkansas — the largest community of Marshallese people outside the Marshall Islands. Benetick Kabua Maddison discusses how the United States’ nuclear testing program in the Pacific resulted in this mass migration and why the Compact of Free Association (COFA), the agreement between the US and Marshall Islands designed in part to mitigate damages from nuclear testing, must be re-negotiated so the Marshallese people can receive justice and the resources they were promised. /episode/index/show/pressthebutton/id/26845128

Under the Clouds of Radiation 05/01/2023

Under the Clouds of Radiation On this week’s episode, Mary Dickson, a radiation-exposed person harmed by nuclear testing, has the microphone. She discusses the lack of visibility that many downwinders face, the physical and mental toll caused by having to continuously advocate for oneself and others, and why the fight for justice is nowhere near over. /episode/index/show/pressthebutton/id/26710890

Climate Change isn’t a Distant Threat for the Marshall Islands 04/24/2023

Climate Change isn’t a Distant Threat for the Marshall Islands This week, the microphone is passed to Selina Leem, climate change activist and Marshall Islands native. From 1946-1958, the US detonated 67 atomic bombs on the Marshall Islands, resulting in disastrous health, environmental, and cultural consequences that the Marshallese people are still burdened with today. Leem shares her first-hand experience of growing up with the consequences of this nuclear legacy and climate change, and how this has all shaped her activism. /episode/index/show/pressthebutton/id/26636676

Taking Back the Narrative 04/17/2023

Taking Back the Narrative This season on Press the Button, we’re handing the microphone to members of communities impacted by nuclear weapons so they can share their stories and their experiences the way they want to tell it. This episode features Shampa Biswas, Professor of Politics at Whitman College and a 2022 Ploughshares Fund Equity Rises grantee. She is working to transform nuclear studies by putting race, colonialism, gender, disability, ecological thinking, and intersectionality right at the center of that study. She explains how intersectional thinking in nuclear policy changes the nature of the conversation, why current thinking surrounding the concept of security can be dangerous, and the ways in which the nuclear field can engage with young people. /episode/index/show/pressthebutton/id/26569785

Episode 200: Ukraine Special Report 02/28/2023

Episode 200: Ukraine Special Report February marked the one-year anniversary of Russia’s brutal and unjust invasion of Ukraine. In this special report, Tom Collina sits down with Rose Gottemoeller, former Deputy Secretary General of NATO, to talk about the New START Treaty and Russia’s move to suspend the treaty. Alex Hall also talks with Andrea Gittleman, the policy director at the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide. She talks about how nuclear weapons have enabled Russia to violate human rights in Ukraine. /episode/index/show/pressthebutton/id/26085546

China Spy Balloon is (Mostly) Hot Air 02/13/2023

China Spy Balloon is (Mostly) Hot Air In early February, the world watched as a Chinese “spy balloon” floated across the United States, sparking a furor that led President Biden to postpone a high-level US visit to Beijing. This week, Tom Collina talks with Sahil Shah, senior fellow and program manager at the Council on Strategic Risks. He discusses the balloon, the postponement of the US visit, and how this event affects Chinese threat perceptions. On Early Warning, Alex Hall talks with Connor Murray from Council for a Livable World. They discuss prospects for further New START negotiations and the potential fall-out if US and Russia fail to find consensus before the treaty expires. /episode/index/show/pressthebutton/id/25914156

The Legacy of Beatrice Fihn 02/06/2023

The Legacy of Beatrice Fihn After nine years as Executive Director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), Beatrice Fihn is stepping down. She talks with Ploughshares President Emma Belcher to reflect on her time leading the organization, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and her hopes for the future. On Early Warning, Lauren Billet sits down with Tong Zhao, senior fellow at Carnegie’s Nuclear Policy Program. He discusses the leaked memo by a high-ranking US general predicting a war between the US and China by 2025 and how it furthers the narrative of the “China threat”. /episode/index/show/pressthebutton/id/25847949

90 Seconds to Midnight 01/31/2023

90 Seconds to Midnight The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists’ have set this year’s clock at 90 seconds to midnight — the closest to midnight it has ever been. Why is the clock so close to midnight and how do we come back from the brink? To answer these questions, Tom Collina talks with Dr. Rachel Bronson, President and CEO of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. On Early Warning, Angela Kellett sits down with Lilly Adams, senior outreach coordinator at the Union of Concerned Scientists. They discuss reports that officers who worked in a nuclear missile base have been diagnosed with blood cancer and how nuclear weapons have a long history of negative impacts on people. /episode/index/show/pressthebutton/id/25787304

Two Years of Biden's Foreign Policy 01/23/2023

Two Years of Biden's Foreign Policy We’re now halfway through the Biden Administration’s first term, so it’s time to take stock of the Administration’s national security and nuclear policies. Tom Collina sits down with Matt Duss, former foreign policy advisor to Senator Bernie Sanders and visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP). They discuss Biden’s foreign policy over the past two years. On Early Warning, Alex Hall talks with Dr. Ellen Kim, deputy director of the Korea Chair at The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). She discusses South Korean President Yoon’s recent remarks that South Korea might consider developing its own nuclear arsenal. /episode/index/show/pressthebutton/id/25702770

Russia’s Long Game in the War 01/17/2023

Russia’s Long Game in the War As the war in Ukraine spills from 2022 into 2023, Tom Collina sits down with Kimberly St. Julian-Varnon, PhD student from the University of Pennsylvania, to discuss ongoing developments. She talks about what’s happening in the war in Ukraine right now, what we could expect in the coming year, and how the crisis is turning into a long-term stand-off. On Early Warning, Lauren Billet talks to Marylia Kelley, Executive Director of Tri-Valley CAREs. They discuss President Eisenhower’s military industrial complex speech and where we currently see unprecedented spending on the military and nuclear weapons development. /episode/index/show/pressthebutton/id/25635915

North Korea's Nuclear New Year 01/09/2023

North Korea's Nuclear New Year To start off the new year, Tom Collina sits down with Ankit Panda, Stanton Senior Fellow in the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the author of Kim Jong Un and the Bomb: Survival and Deterrence in North Korea. He discusses Kim’s plans to increase the production of nuclear weapons and what kind of US diplomatic efforts we might see in response. On Early Warning, Angela Kellett talks with John Pope, Chief Audience Officer at the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. They discuss the historical significance of the Doomsday Clock as the Bulletin prepares to unveil this year’s clock setting on January 24th. /episode/index/show/pressthebutton/id/25547850

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