Dylan Spaulding
@dkspaulding.bsky.social
Senior Scientist, Union of Concerned Scientists, Global Security Program. Views are my own. Blog: blog.ucsusa.org/author/dylan-spaulding/
In a 1950 short story in Colliers, Ray Bradbury imagined a stark post-nuclear scene. It was set on August 4th, 2026. @wellerstein.bsky.social writes: "one wonders how frustrated someone like him would be at the fact that so many very basic problems from his time... still remain on the table."
Bomb shadows of the future
Ray Bradbury's "There Will Come Soft Rains" (1950)
doomsdaymachines.net
This is spot on. NNSA is impeding the DNFSB from carrying out out critical safety oversight while speeding up hazardous processes like Pu pit production. A fire last month in a glovebox at LANL maybe one of the last we hear about until/unless a much worse accident occurs.
🇵🇸Martin “Doomsday” Pfeiffer🖖🏳️🌈@nuclearanthro.bsky.social · 5d ago🚨Important🚨 Trump Regime making "widespread revisions to nuclear safety capabilities" whilst (illegally) undermining nuclear weapons safety oversight Enable my work patreon.com/nuclearanthro paypal.me/nuclearanthro Have not seen reported by MSM. #PhDLife Free post accessible 2 all #NukeSky 1/e
".. whatever future you’re hoping to build, it depends on our ecosystems not being bombed and radiated to high hell. Voters need to understand that — and so do the people seeking our votes.."
Chanda Prescod-Weinstein 🌌@chanda.blacksky.app · 5d agoI wrote about how nuclear weapons are still a problem and it's a problem if the people who have the nuclear codes can't be trusted not to use them "And importantly, scientists need to understand then, who it is we make a deal with when we compromise on our values in order to get funding." ⚛️🧪🔭
On par for this administration in which knowledge and expertise are passé and DOGE kids with bad LLMs are driving the bus:
US government map of Africa mislabels every country at global conference
State department ‘takes full responsibility’ for erroneous, widely shared chart displayed at Aids conference in Brazil
theguardian.com
One of the most active regions in the Gironde fires is approaching one of France's nuclear research sites, CEA CESTA, which houses the French megajoule laser. In addition to a heavy aerospace/defense industry presence around Bordeaux, another instance of defense meeting climate change head on.
the crew jettisoned two of the bombs roughly 75 and 50 miles off the coast (they planned to jettison all three but ran out of time). Despite an extensive and secret three-month search, neither atomic bomb was ever located or recovered. The Air Force did not publicly disclose their loss until 1977.
![The official Department of Defense summary of this accident:
"Two weapons were jettisoned from a C-124 aircraft on July 28 off the east coast of the United States. There were three weapons and one nuclear capsule aboard the aircraft at the time. Nuclear components were not installed in the weapons. The C-124 aircraft was enroute from Dover AFB, Delaware when a loss of power from number one and two engines was experienced. Maximum power was applied to the remaining engines; however, level flight could not be maintained. At this point, the decision was made to jettison cargo in the interest of safety of the aircraft and crew. The first weapon was jettisoned at 4,500 feet altitude. The second weapon was jettisoned at approximately 2,500 feet altitude. No detonation occurred from either weapon. Both weapons are presumed to have been damaged from impact with the ocean surface. Both weapons are presume [sic] to have submerged almost instantly. The ocean varies in depth in the area of the jettisonings. The C-124 landed at an airfield in the vicinity of Atlantic City, New Jersey, with the remaining weapon and the nuclear capsule aboard. A search for the weapons or debris had negative results."](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:iwbebt5r65c67xl5vy5iviwj/bafkreigcjdldbmvbl32sfj4aqkreg56xwo3cwar7g5exiiuaycengsz7ni)
"If the daily missile exchanges with Iran finally give way to resumed negotiations, there is no question Iran will seize on the concessions made to Riyadh and insist on the same." This wouldn't be relevant, would it?: www.forbes.com/sites/danale...
Trump Administration Live Updates: U.S. Signs Deal to Help Saudis Obtain Nuclear Power
nytimes.com
Los Alamos: "The most recent amended complaint—more than 280 pages filed last month—alleges a culture of corner-cutting, retaliation and blurred financial lines between the firm created for the federal cleanup contract and its parent companies" www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_n...
LANL nuke waste cleanup contractor's ex-employees allege safety lapses, retaliation
As of June, 15 former employees of Los Alamos National Laboratory cleanup contractor N3B had joined the federal lawsuit
santafenewmexican.com
I'm extraordinarily lucky to work with brilliant folks like @lauraegrego.bsky.social at @ucs.org. This article nicely zooms out on why we do what we do, how we achieve a future that's better for all, not just some, and the importance of science in providing context for how to get there.
‘Most people don’t know we’ve set up a doomsday system’: physicist Laura Grego on satellites, nuclear weapons and the battle for our skies
Elon Musk is trying to own it, competing powers are trying to fight in it and nobody seems to be regulating it. So who does space really belong to?
theguardian.com
"Spaulding argued that if the study supports NNSA’s position, releasing it would serve both the agency’s interests and the public interest."
UCS: NNSA redacted unclassified docs on plutonium pits - ExchangeMonitor
According to UCS, the document is an unclassified summary of a recent JASON study – a publicity-averse scientific advisory board for the U.S. military –
exchangemonitor.com
"This is not energy strategy. Ninety percent of the San Juan Basin is already leased. Chaco is not what stands between this country and its energy needs. It is what connects this generation of people to our ancestors." - Acoma Pueblo Gov. Charles Riley Everyone should comment.
santafenewmexican.com
"In a press statement released on July 15, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) announced that the NNSA redacted the summary of its congressionally mandated study on the aging of plutonium, in response to a Freedom of Information Act request" www.gpb.org/news/2026/07...
Nuclear watchdogs seek answers on plutonium pit need before comment deadline
Groups say the NNSA withheld key plutonium pit aging study as public comments on its environmental review close midnight on July 16.
gpb.org
Today is the deadline to submit comments on the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for plutonium pit production. See pitpeis.com for toolkits and info on how. It’s important, especially as the NNSA withholds key information that could inform the scope of the program.
Nuclear watchdogs seek answers on plutonium pit need before comment deadline
Groups say the NNSA withheld key plutonium pit aging study as public comments on its environmental review close midnight on July 16.
gpb.org
In response to a Freedom of Information Act request submitted by the Union of Concerned Scientists, the NNSA chose to fully redact an unclassified summary of a recent, congressionally mandated, study on the aging of plutonium in the United States’ nuclear arsenal.
NNSA Fully Redacts Vital Documents on Nuclear Weapon Cores
The NNSA fully redacted a study on plutonium aging in the U.S. nuclear arsenal, in response to a FOIA request from UCS
ucs.org
A new study shows that the NNSA may severely underestimate the risk from plutonium fires at Los Alamos and Savannah River. Geographic limits are much larger and latent cancer fatalities may be 10-100 times worse than NNSA assumes. 🧵
Consequence Analysis of Major Fires at Plutonium Pit Production Facilities
As the United States reestablishes large-scale plutonium pit production, federal agencies have published environmental impact studies estimating radiological consequences from major facility fires ...
tandfonline.com
July 8th marks the anniversary of the Russell-Einstein manifesto - a document that only seems to become more important with time. I wrote this piece last year to recognize its ongoing relevance. If you've never heard of it, please check it out:
The Russell-Einstein Manifesto: A Call to Avoid Nuclear War Resonates 70 Years Later
Sadly, a 1955 call to renounce war or risk annihilation signed by Albert Einstein and philosopher Bertrand Russell remains just as relevant today.
blog.ucs.org
For more on the impact and continuing relevance of the Russell-Einstein Manifesto, see this 2025 blog post by @dkspaulding.bsky.social of the @ucs.org:
The Russell-Einstein Manifesto: A Call to Avoid Nuclear War Resonates 70 Years Later
Sadly, a 1955 call to renounce war or risk annihilation signed by Albert Einstein and philosopher Bertrand Russell remains just as relevant today.
blog.ucs.org
@ucs.org has published an interactive tracker, documenting Trump's attacks on science and research. This onslaught may end up being one of the most damaging legacies of this admin., with impacts that are not yet appreciated by all, but that will reverberate far down the road.
New UCS Tool Tracks Trump Administration's Attacks on Science
The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) today launched the Attacks on Science Tracker, a new interactive platform documenting attacks on federally funded or conducted science, scientific integrity and...
ucs.org
Interesting speculation from MIT on how Burevestnik works with commentary from @armscontrolwonk.bsky.social, who sums it up: "kind of useless.... It might be a bad idea, it's almost certainly a terrible idea," he said. "But it's not an impossible idea."
Report: Russia's nuclear-powered 'Skyfall' missile is dirty and dangerous
MIT researchers think they've worked out exactly how Russia's Burevestnik nuclear-powered missile flies. "It's almost certainly a terrible idea," one analyst said. "But it's not an impossible idea."
npr.org
Los Alamos continues to trim away administrative controls to speed up plutonium work, now to include the frequency of Pu inventories. For a facility that saw an exodus of criticality safety workers a decade ago due to violations, this is troubling. Admin controls are an important part of safety.
Davis highlights productivity gains at PF-4 through reduced administrative burdens - ExchangeMonitor
Efforts to reduce administrative burdens and streamline operations at Los Alamos National Laboratory's PF-4 plutonium facility have increased the amount
exchangemonitor.com
In a story for Source NM, northern New Mexico journalist Alicia Inez Guzmán, recently a NYT fellow reporting on the $1.7-trillion-effort to modernize America’s nuclear arsenal, delves into the fed's decision to stop paying to test Los Alamos National Laboratory's Rio Grande runoff.
Testing the waters: Feds stop paying to sample LANL runoff • Source New Mexico
The Buckman Direct Diversion is now paying to test drinking water from the Rio Grande after the feds stopped picking up the tab
buff.ly
"Ignorance is a wasting disease, a death of a thousand cuts. A gradual 'falling behind' the rest of the world, not only in the ability to advance basic science, but also in the ability to educate, innovate, and retain the best and the brightest minds." —Ben Santer, always with the bangers
The wasting disease threatening US science and ‘Patient Earth’
Ignorance is a wasting disease, a death of a thousand cuts. A gradual “falling behind” the rest of the world, not only in the ability to advance basic science, but also in the ability to educate, inno...
thebulletin.org
Impressions on the recent NPT review conference from my colleague, @gkucs.bsky.social: "If justice delayed is justice denied, how much longer should the non-nuclear states wait?"
Nuclear Injustice in New York
What happened at this year's review conference of the parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons?
blog.ucs.org
When we subcontract our military and space programs, perhaps we shouldn't be surprised to see "surge pricing".
Ankit Panda@nktpnd.bsky.social · 2mo ago"Within weeks of the United States launching its bombing campaign, SpaceX executives met Pentagon officials and argued the military had been paying about $5,000 for connection per terminal while effectively using a higher tier of service worth closer to $25,000" www.reuters.com/business/aer...
Just as the US is poised to see a huge increase in nuclear waste production from Pu pit production, the people responsible for handling it are gone. Per GAO, DOE-Environmental Management has 45% vacancy. All the facility oversight positions at WIPP are vacant. What could go wrong?
The Trump Administration Pushed Out Nearly Half of Its Nuclear Waste Cleanup Team
Critical positions have vacancy rates of over 50%.
notus.org
A final public hearing on the environmental impacts from plutonium pit production will occur in Washington DC, Weds, May 20th, 2pm, Southwest Library, Large Meeting Room 900 Wesley Pl, SW, Washington, DC 20024
Public rips NNSA pit plan as ‘retroactive rubber stamp’ - ExchangeMonitor
SANTA FE, N.M. — Residents, advocates and technical experts said here last week that a National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) environmental
exchangemonitor.com
A recent hearing in North Augusta, South Carolina drew large local opposition to new nuclear warhead production in and around their communities. By: @tkbarnes.bsky.social inkstickmedia.com/rare-referen...
Rare Referendum on Nuclear Warheads Begins in South Carolina
In South Carolina, local opponents and supports of a pit producing plutonium for nuclear warheads will get a say.
inkstickmedia.com
There's opportunities for the crop of progressive candidates winning state and local office to challenge endless war, even if they aren't the ones who vote on the Pentagon budget. Example? This sharp resolution from Georgia lawmakers opposing warhead production: www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/...
legis.ga.gov
This is a good and important read on the decline of.. well, everything in the US.
As a Ukrainian journalist, I’ve covered the US for 20 years. I find it increasingly shocking
The long read: My country has been under occupation, dogged by corruption and war. Yet even I’ve been bewildered by the way the US seems to be fracturing
theguardian.com
Check out this video based on an article UCS Global Security Program Senior Scientist Dylan Spaulding was interviewed for on plutonium pit production issues. You can make a difference: pledge to be a voice for peace and science.
Pledge to Be a Voice for Peace and Science
In 2026 the National Nuclear Security Administration will begin accepting public comments on their draft environmental impact statement addressing the production of new plutonium pits, the explosive c...
secure.ucs.org
404 Media@404media.co · 3mo agoTrump’s proposed 2027 budget would almost double the budget for plutonium pits, the chemical filled metal sphere inside a nuclear warhead that kicks off the explosion in a nuclear weapon. @evystadium.bsky.social has more. Story by @mjgault.bsky.social: www.404media.co/trump-2027-b...