Nuclear Weapons Budget Gets Boost in U.S. Spending Bill
Joe Gould and Aaron Mehta | Defense News
Congress could, in the coming days, finalize a nuclear weapons budget that adds $458 million in 2019 over last year, after a conference committee released a compromise funding plan on Monday.
U.S. Refuses to Certify Russian Plane for Open Skies Treaty Inspection
TASS
Russia seeks the US side’s explanations for its refusal to certify Russia’s advanced Tu-214ON surveillance plane for inspections under the Open Skies Treaty, Chief of Russia’s Nuclear Risk Reduction Center Sergei Ryzhkov told the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper on Wednesday.
Israeli Minister: Iran Could Face Military Answer to Nukes
Associated Press
An Israeli Cabinet minister says if Iran chooses to continue pursuing a nuclear program it will face a “military” answer. Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz was responding Wednesday to the Iranian nuclear chief’s warning that the Islamic Republic’s program stands ready to build advanced centrifuges and further enrich uranium.
Moon Vows Efforts to Restart Denuclearization Process at Summit With North Korea
Yonhap News Agency
South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Thursday restarting North Korea’s denuclearization process will be a key objective of his upcoming summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, adding that he remains optimistic.
U.S.: N. Korea Denuclearization Must Keep Pace With Progress in Inter-Korean Ties
Nike Ching | VOA News
The United States said Wednesday the denuclearization of North Korea must follow the same speed as the advancement of inter-Korean relations, after Seoul announced the opening of a new liaison office.
White House Hobbles Nuclear Weapons Safety Agency
Patrick Malone | Scientific American
The Trump administration, acting in an open partnership with the profit-making contractors that control the industrial sites where U.S. nuclear bombs are made and stored, has enacted new rules that limit the authority and reach of the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, created by Congress in 1988 amid broad public concerns over civil and military nuclear safety lapses.