NukeTalk

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 o...

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 Communication...

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 ).

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).  

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.

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 Shado...

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...

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.

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 Hibaku...

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?

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 th...

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 act...

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 Fre...

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.

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 nucle...

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, colonial...

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 Genocid...

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 thr...

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'...

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, sen...

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 W...

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...

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 W...

…and that's a wrap! Join co-hosts Tom Collina and Lauren Billet as they cover their favorite interviews and stories from the past year. And as an end of the year treat, enjoy a highlight reel that takes you through some of the biggest stories quote by quote.

Since invading Ukraine, Russian President Vladmir Putin has relied on nuclear threats to deter Western intervention and signal his commitment to this war. Ploughshares Fund President Dr. Emma Belcher talks with Dr. Heather Williams, director of the Project on Nuclear Issues and a senior fellow in the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). They...