iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Stephen Young @atomicwonk.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

The Kennedy Center is SO dangerous! If you go there, you might be changed forever! Terrifying! www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/...

theatlantic.com

The Kennedy Center Is the Most Terrifying Building in America

This place is much too dangerous.

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Jon B. Wolfsthal @jonatomic.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

My dear friend and mentor Jack Mendelsohn died in August. He was like a second father to me. His career touched hundreds of people, and he helped enhance US and global security. I miss him every day. @matthew-bunn.bsky.social and I drafted tribute. www.armscontrol.org/act/2026-09/...

armscontrol.org

Reducing Nuclear Dangers Through Diplomacy: Jack Mendelsohn (1934-2026) | Arms Control Association

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Stephen Schwartz @atomicanalyst.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Thirty years ago today, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty opened for signature at the United Nations. President Bill Clinton signed that day, as did representatives of 70 other states, including nuclear-weapon states China, France, the Russian Federation, and the United Kingdom.

A color photograph of President Bill Clinton sitting at a desk during a ceremony at the United Nations on September 24, 1996, to sign the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. Clinton is wearing a brown suit, white dress shirt, and red patterned tie. A small UN flag is on the desk in the foreground.

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Ann Finkbeiner @annfinkbeiner.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

2/2 Garwin: "Let's look at the assertion that something can't at the same time be ineffective and destabilizing.. . .Go to a toy store and buy a plastic gun. You know it is a toy but point it at the head of a policeman. .and see what happens. It is both ineffective and destabilizing."

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Ann Finkbeiner @annfinkbeiner.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

email from Garwin:"In fact, Henry asked 'How can the Soviet statement that SDI will not work be consistent with the Soviet demand to limit SDI?'"

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Union of Concerned Scientists @ucs.org · 23/09/2026

“President Trump’s statement to the UN clearly constitutes an implied threat to use overwhelming nuclear force against Iran and the Iranian people broadly. This would be a nuclear genocide. Any threat to use nuclear weapons is unacceptable, and his decision to do so should be strongly condemned..."

ucs.org

President Trump’s Implied Threat of Nuclear Annihilation Increases Global Risks of Nuclear Proliferation

President Trump’s threats to annihilate Iran with nuclear weapons are dangerous, making it likelier that other countries seek nuclear weapons for protection.

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Stephen Young @atomicwonk.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Henry Kissinger & Dick Garwin were debating missile defense. Garwin argued deploying a system was ineffective (it won't work) & dangerous (as adversaries will respond). Kissinger said it's impossible for it to be both. Garwin said "imagine you buy a squirt gun and charge a policy officer."

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 21/09/2026

LMFAO -- Trump is holding an event at the White House right now but there's no audio because the press pool isn't there. The Newsmax host notes that this is an example of Trump's attacks on the press "backfiring just a little bit"

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Stephen Young @atomicwonk.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

As my colleague @gkucs.bsky.social pointed out, "As the Pentagon watches 50 years of investments in forward deployed bases in the Middle East get destroyed in a few months by cheap Iranian drones, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink proudly announces the Pentagon is prepared to win a war in outer space."

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Peter Baker @peterbakernyt.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Trump praises North Korea's dictator as "unthreatening and respectful” and says he has ordered the Pentagon to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea because they are "hostile" to Pyongyang. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/16/u...

nytimes.com

Trump Orders Pentagon to Curtail Military Exercises With Ally South Korea

In a social media post, the president scolded South Korea for not helping denuclearize Iran, and also praised North Korea and its leader.

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Patti Olivier 💙VOTE BLUE @patti3333.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Well folks Marge is over on Twitter posting this Does she still have friends in DC?

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Dylan Spaulding @dkspaulding.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

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.

ucs.org

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

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Stephen Schwartz @atomicanalyst.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Today in 1982, an estimated 750,000-1,000,000 people marched through New York City from the United Nations to Central Park to demand a US-Soviet freeze on testing, production, and deployment of new, dangerous, and expensive nuclear weapons—at the time, the largest political protest in US history.

A black and white photograph of the some of the tightly-packed crowd at the rally on the Great Lawn in Central Park. Near the center, a standing woman holds up and waves an American flag whose stars have been replaced with the peace symbol.

An aerial color photograph looking west-southwest showing the Great Lawn in Central Park almost completely filled with people, with thousands more visible amidst the trees and on side pathways. The American Museum Natural History is in the background at the top.

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Stephen Young @atomicwonk.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

My colleague @gkucs.bsky.social interviewed officials from multiple countries a different points during the recent NPT Review Conference in NY. His takeaway: "The nuclear weapons states thwarted every effort to hold them accountable" for their failure to disarm, as mandated by the treaty.

blog.ucs.org

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?

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Stephen Young @atomicwonk.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Daniel Ellsberg, famed releaser of the Pentagon Papers and long-time advocate for eliminating the threat of nuclear war, is the subject of the movie "An Ordinary Insanity," which is having on on-line premier Thursday, June 4. Sign up below to see it.

anordinaryinsanity.com

AN ORDINARY INSANITY - Official Film Site

Renowned whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg provides a powerful wake-up call about the danger of nuclear war and how we can reduce the threat.

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Alex Wellerstein @wellerstein.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

Late in 2025 I saw a presentation on philanthropic contributions to various issues, which gave the following numbers for these issues: $10B — climate change $900M — AI safety $200M — biological threats $45M — nuclear security To just give a sense of orders of magnitudes...

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Dylan Spaulding @dkspaulding.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

“The claim that we need new pits just to maintain a safe and reliable arsenal just doesn’t hold water,” scientist Dylan Spaulding wrote... “The reality is NNSA has thousands of existing plutonium pits in reserve and should investigate options for re-use before one more pit is produced.”

scdailygazette.com

Nuclear watchdogs toured a planned SC plutonium plant. Here's what they saw. • SC Daily Gazette

Nuclear watchdogs received a rare tour of a partially built plutonium recycling facility at South Carolina’s federal nuclear site.

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Union of Concerned Scientists @ucs.org · 23/04/2026

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.

secure.ucs.org

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...

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Dylan Spaulding @dkspaulding.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

“It’s disappointing to see the NNSA pushing out a legal fig leaf, with what amounts to a belated justification for decisions taken years before, which violates the intent and purpose of such analyses under the National Environmental Policy Act.”

ucs.org

U.S. Nuclear Agency Releases Environmental Impact Statement, a “Legal Fig Leaf” for Plutonium Pit Program Decisions

The NNSA released its draft environmental impact statement for production of plutonium pits for nuclear weapons, UCS calls it a "legal fig leaf"

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vsamsondc.bsky.social @vsamsondc.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

"Guetlein said external groups are 'not estimating what I’m building.'...'It sure would be good to get that estimation you have,' Carbajal replied, adding that 'to my understanding, we have not seen that whatsoever.'” aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/lawmakers-se...

aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org

Lawmakers seek more details, cost information from Golden Dome program manager

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Scoville Fellowship @scovillepf.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

The United States Can Still Reach the Stars. President Trump’s New Budget Can’t. Via The Equation from the @ucs.org by Scoville Fellow ’25 Sean Manning. blog.ucs.org/sean-manning...

blog.ucs.org

The United States Can Still Reach the Stars. President Trump’s New Budget Can't.

NASA is attempting to return humans to the moon at the same time that its budget is being slashed. The military, meanwhile, gets a huge increase.

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Edwin Lyman @nucsafetyucs.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

Talk about a Good Friday news dump: the NRC has quietly voted to phase out the crucial, force-on-force security inspections that have helped ensure #nuclear plants remain protected against terrorist attacks since the aftermath of 9/11. Worst NRC ever. www.nrc.gov/docs/ML2609/...

nrc.gov

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Stephen Schwartz @atomicanalyst.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

I'll believe it when I see it, but it is nevertheless good to hear the head of the program saying this publicly now, before too many commitments have been made and too much taxpayer money has been wasted. Congress (read: Democrats) need to hold him to this unequivocal declaration in the years ahead.

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Stephen Young @atomicwonk.bsky.social · 15/04/2026

Today Gen. Guetlein, head of Trump's infeasible, wildy expensive Golden Dome anti-missile program, said this: "If boost phase intercept from space is not affordable and scalable, we will not produce it because we have other options to get after it.” armedservices.house.gov/calendar/eve...

armedservices.house.gov

Hearings | House Armed Services Committee

The purpose of this hearing is to receive updates on Department of Defense missile defense and defeat programs, and review the associated policy, priorities, and requirements.

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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 07/04/2026

Tucker Carlson: "It's vile. It begins w/ a promise to use the US military to commit a war crime. Those people who are in direct contact w/ the president need to say 'No. I'll resign. I'll do whatever I can do legally to stop this, bc this is insane. And if given the order, I'm not carrying it out'"

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Steven T. Dennis @steventdennis.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

First unalloyed pushback from a Senate Republican is, unsurprisingly, from Lisa Murkowski.

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Jonathan McDowell @planet4589.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Apparently some are not familiar with the story: Croesus of Lydia asked the Oracle what would happen once he attacked Iran. Oracle predicted: "a great civilization will die". Of course it turned out that the one that died was Lydia, not Iran. Seems relevant...

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Skye @simplyskye.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

AOC: “This is a threat of genocide & merits removal from office. The President’s mental faculties are collapsing & cannot be trusted. To every individual in the President’s chain of command: You have a duty to refuse illegal orders. That includes carrying out this threat”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., attends a news conference in the U.S. Capitol. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

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Alex Wellerstein @wellerstein.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

The reason that the US President has the exclusive authority to order the use of nuclear weapons is because Truman set up the system along those lines after WWII. This is often depicted as either a power grab, or because in the nuclear age such decisions "must" be made quickly. This is false.

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Peter Stefanovic @peterstefanovic.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Nancy Pelosi has called for President Trump to be removed from office

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John Bistline @bistline.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

This is my favorite climate change chart. Japanese monks, aristocrats, and emperors kept meticulous records of cherry blossom festivals for 1,200 years and accidentally built the world's longest climate dataset.

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Stephen Young @atomicwonk.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

My @scovillepf.bsky.social felllow @seantmanning.bsky.social critiques Trump’s proposal to further militarize the US government

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Union of Concerned Scientists @ucs.org · 03/04/2026

The White House has released its 2027 budget proposal – including an astonishing $1.5 trillion in military spending, an unprecedented increase of 66% over the previous year. 🧵

blog.ucs.org

Trump’s Proposed Military Spending Would Be a “Bloody New Deal”

If passed and sustained, President Trump’s new defense budget could become the largest discretionary spending increase in modern US history.

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Rockom Sockom NoBots @rockom.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

WE KEEP US SAFE 3/28/2026 Burnside Bridge Portland, Oregon No Kings protest (Photo: @blcksmthapparel.bsky.social) #nokings #pdx #blcksmth

A mass of over 600 people hold up umbrellas across the Burnside bridge to spell out "We Keep Us Safe" in an aerial photograph on a sunny day.

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Union of Concerned Scientists @ucs.org · 20/03/2026

UCS’s Kendall Fellow Sara Al-Sayed provides historical context on US and Israeli efforts to advance their interests in the Middle East as a necessary foundation for any debate regarding nuclear security in the region. Learn what’s at stake and the multilateral efforts needed for a lasting peace:

blog.ucs.org

The US–Israeli History Behind Their War Against Iran

Any debates about nuclear security in the Middle East need to be set within the broader historical context of US and Israeli efforts to advance their interests in the region.

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Joe Cirincione @joecirin.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

The most effective way to ensure that the HEU has not been diverted for weapons use is through a diplomatic agreement in which Israel & the US would forswear further attacks, and Iran would provide all the information and access to fully account for the stockpile. thebulletin.org/2025/07/iran...

thebulletin.org

Iran can still build nuclear weapons without further enrichment. Only diplomacy will stop it

Iran's stockpile of uranium enriched at 60 percent would be enough to make several relatively unsophisticated nuclear weapons. So why does nobody talk about it?

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DrDinD.bsky.social @drdind.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

Finished listening to "Project Hail Mary" on Audible, and in the words of the lead character Ryland Grace,IT IS AWESOME. The best about science, and a surprisingly optimistic and personal turn on humanity and friendship in the face of apocalypse. What's not to like? Looking forward to the film!

media.tenor.com

a man in a red jacket says thumbs up in front of a project hailmary poster

Alt: a man in a red jacket says thumbs up in front of a project hailmary poster

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Gretchen Goldman, PhD @gretchentg.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

Today we showed up. Feeling proud of scientists and science supporters in this moment. Thank you all. #Standupforscience

Me speaking at the Stand Up for Science rally.

Group posed with UCS posters plus Beaker.

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Union of Concerned Scientists @ucs.org · 02/03/2026

President Trump’s illegal war of aggression against Iran, in cooperation with Israel, actively undermines global security, raises the long-term danger of nuclear proliferation, and risks dragging the US into another dangerous and protracted conflict. Read UCS’s statement: act.ucsusa.org/3N9e4ZE

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Matt Korda @mattkorda.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

🚨 Attache ta tuque! @scientistsorg.bsky.social is hosting our 2nd Open Source Nuclear Analysis Bootcamp in partnership with @stanleycenter.org in Montréal on June 21-26! Come hang out and learn: • Geolocation • Missiles • FOIA • Imagery analysis • Poutine 🍟 • Bagels 🥯 C'est le fun! 👇

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