A Radioactive Waste of Money

A Radioactive Waste of Money

Can a single example illustrate why the federal budget is so hard to get under control? A somewhat obscure nuclear processing plant on the Savannah River in South Carolina might do the trick. The Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility, known by the awkward acronym MOX,...
Saber-Rattling on the Korean Peninsula

Saber-Rattling on the Korean Peninsula

North Korea has a dramatic flair for stringing along the world. Whether it’s reactivating a long-dead plutonium reactor in the face of mounting sanctions or forcibly suspending one of the last major cooperative efforts with South Korea, Pyongyang seems intent on...
Our Nuclear Insecurity Complex

Our Nuclear Insecurity Complex

Back in July, an 82-year-old nun and two fellow peace activists breached the security at the Y-12 nuclear weapons facility in Tennessee. The red-faced federal officials who subsequently promised thorough oversight proclaimed they had “no tolerance” for...
More Lucky than Brilliant

More Lucky than Brilliant

If you were born before 1950, you probably remember what happened in October 1962. If you were born after that fateful month, you’re lucky. Exactly half a century ago, the United States and the Soviet Union reached the brink of a deadly nuclear showdown during...