The Social Costs of an AI-Led Nuclear Energy Renaissance 

Jayita Sarkar | Carnegie Endowment for International Peace  

Technology firms are among the major backers of efforts to spur a nuclear energy renaissance in the United States to fuel data centers that run AI and cryptocurrency operations. While this creates hopes for a nuclear energy expansion, there are social costs that need to be addressed to ensure that these plans do not encounter challenges over the next few years caused by public opposition. 

Putin’s top ally warns if Trump gives missiles to Ukraine it could lead to ‘nuclear war’   

Joe Sommerlad | The Independent 

Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, a loyal ally of Russia’s Vladimir Putin, has warned President Donald Trump that the U.S. handing subsonic Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine would mean “nuclear war.” Trump is reportedly considering a request by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the Tomahawks, which have a 1,500-mile range that would enable Kyiv to strike much deeper into Russian territory, hitting strategic targets such as the invader’s enemy infrastructure, military bases, and munitions factories. 

Inside the Story of America’s Failure to Disarm North Korea   

Ankit Panda and Catherine Putz | The Diplomat 

In this episode of the Diplomat’s Asia geopolitics podcast, hosts Ankit Panda and Katie Putz welcome Joel Wit, a distinguished fellow at the Stimson Center, to the show to discuss his book “Fallout: The Inside Story of America’s Failure to Disarm North Korea” and the complexities surrounding the United States’ efforts, over decades, to forestall the development of North Korea’s nuclear program. 

Why big tech's nuclear plans could blow up 

Mike Wendling | BBC 

Eager to find new energy sources to power artificial intelligence, big tech companies are betting on nuclear – even though there are still huge questions over public perception, cost and, perhaps most importantly, the time it will take for a potential new nuclear technology to become viable. 

Nuclear weapons safety oversight in decline with Trump, Biden inaction   

Patrick Malone | Seattle Times  

The lone independent federal agency responsible for ensuring safety at U.S. nuclear weapons sites will lose its ability to issue recommendations for safer work by January if the Trump administration doesn’t replenish its board, which this month dwindles to one member. The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board ensures adequate public health and worker safety by scrutinizing hazardous work conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy and its contractors that produce and maintain the nuclear arsenal. 

Seoul to build its first public nuclear fallout shelter as North Korea’s threats grow   

Park Chan-kyong | South China Morning Post 

A plan to construct South Korea’s first civic nuclear bunker in the country’s capital has raised eyebrows, as critics question both its practicality and potential to inflame public anxiety amid growing threats from the nuclear-armed North. Seoul Metropolitan Government’s plan reflects both the growing unease over Pyongyang’s advancing nuclear arsenal and broader global instability, analysts say. ... The project has its detractors, however, who accuse the mayor of exploiting security anxieties for political gain ahead of next year’s local elections, where he is expected to run for another term.