Trump and Kim “in love”, but have few options now that discussions have collapsed
 Trump and Kim’s Cozy Relationship Makes Nuclear Talks Tougher The leaders, who “fell in love” during their first summit, have few options now that discussions have collapsed. Bloomberg, By Youkyung Lee, 20 May19,Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un often explain their surprisingly warm relationship in the language of romance. They “ fell in love” during the first-ever summit between a U.S. president and a North Korean leader in Singapore last year, Trump said. A top North Korean diplomat similarly describes the chemistry between the two leaders as “mysteriously wonderful.”
Since the breakup of the most recent round of talks in Hanoi in February, however, Kim has registered his displeasure not as a lover scorned, but as a dictator at the helm of an increasingly advanced nuclear arsenal. Over one week in May, he personally oversaw the trials of at least two short-range ballistic missiles capable of striking all of South Korea, where some 28,500 U.S. troops are based. The back-to-back launches broke an almost 17-month pause in major weapons testing and likely violated United Nations resolutions banning North Korea from firing ballistic missiles—but crucially, it didn’t violate Kim’s pledge to Trump to halt testing of long-range missiles that could strike the continental U.S. The act was both aggressive and subtle, showing the U.S. that North Korea was willing to play ball but refused to be played. In securing the unprecedented meeting with Trump and entering direct negotiations with the U.S. president, Kim left himself few options if the conversations were to go poorly. The U.S. has been in a similar position since Trump tweeted just after the Singapore meeting that North Korea was “no longer a nuclear threat.” Both leaders must now walk a delicate line to save face and avoid what neither of them wants: nuclear war. Kim’s primary goal going into the Hanoi summit was considerably more mundane. He was seeking to make North Korea a normal country in the eyes of the world and to remove sanctions that are crushing the economy and stoking popular unrest. According to the UN, its 2018 harvest was the worst in a decade, leaving 40 percent of the population in need of food assistance. …….. Current South Korean President Moon Jae-in is caught between the two leaders. Seoul is within the range of both missiles fired in early May, and Moon doesn’t want to disrupt his own fragile relationship with Kim by appearing to side with Trump. In his speech, Kim urged Moon to stop being an “officious mediator,” using a Korean slang term—ojirap—that’s rarely used by public figures in official settings and almost never by a younger person referring to an elder. The South Korean government “must defend the interest of the nation,” Kim said. Moon helped broker the first summit between Trump and Kim, in a pair of dramatic meetings with the North Korean leader on the Koreas’ militarized border, and is now pushing for a third by appealing to common human decency. …… The second missile test, on May 9, occurred while Trump’s top nuclear envoy, Stephen Biegun, was in Seoul to meet with South Korean officials. There’s been no indication that the U.S. is willing to accept what many North Korea watchers agree is Kim’s true goal: admission into the exclusive club of accepted nuclear-armed states. ………. The more time passes, the more sophisticated Kim’s arsenal becomes, shrinking Trump’s margin of error in responding to threats and increasing the danger of miscalculation. There’s also the risk that Trump and Kim learn they’re not as close as they thought they were. …. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-20/trump-and-kim-got-too-serious-too-fast-in-nuclear-discussions |
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Illness and death legacy of employment in America’s nuclear weapons business
As US modernizes its nuclear weapons, NCR looks at the legacy of one Cold War-era plant, National Catholic Reporter, May 20, 2019 by Claire Schaeffer-Duffy
USA’s nuclear waste dome ‘leaking’ radioactive sludge into the Pacific
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US ‘nuclear coffin’ on island in the Pacific could be ‘leaking’ radioactive sludge into the sea, By Christopher Carbone https://www.foxnews.com/science/us-nuclear-coffin-leaking-radioactive-sludge Radioactive waste from Cold War nuclear weapons tests could be leaking into the Pacific Ocean.
According to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, a concrete dome that was built on Runit Island in the late 1970s to contain waste from massive atomic bomb tests conducted after World War II could be leaking toxic sludge into the sea. The island nation was where 67 American nuclear weapons tests were conducted, which included the 1954 “Bravo” hydrogen bomb, the most powerful ever detonated by the U.S. and about 1,000 times bigger than the A-bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. In the Marshall Islands, many residents were forced to leave their land and thousands of others were exposed to radioactive fallout. “I’ve just been with the president of the Marshall Islands [Hilda Heine], who is very worried because there is a risk of leaking of radioactive materials that are contained in a kind of coffin in the area,” Guterres, who is touring the South Pacific to raise awareness about climate change, told AFP. Radioactive soil and ash from the blasts were put into the crater and capped with an 18-inch thick concrete dome that was seen as a temporary fix at the time. Now, cracks have developed in the concrete and there are fears that it could break apart in the event of a tropical cyclone. “A lot needs to be done in relation to the explosions that took place in French Polynesia and the Marshall Islands,” the U.N. chief said. “This is in relation to the health consequences, the impact on communities and other aspects. Of course, there are questions of compensation and mechanisms to allow these impacts to be minimized.” |
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“Dark money” bankrolling advertising campaign to keep Ohio nuclear plants open
Who’s behind the campaign and just what will HB6 do? Learn more in this conversation with Dayton Daily News reporter Laura Bischoff.
Bischoff said House Bill 6 is a controversial energy bill that would cost consumers about $300 million a year in surcharges. “The money would go into a new fund that probably half, or a little more than that, would likely go to save two aging nuclear power plants that are slated to close: Davis Besse and Perry,” Bishcoff said.
Both plants are owned by FirstEnergy Solutions, which used to be part of Akron-based FirstEnergy. FirstEnergy Solutions is in bankruptcy proceedings and has said it will have to shut down the nuclear plants because of its financial situation. …..
Bischoff has dug into who’s bankrolling the ad campaign to convince the general public that legilsation to help keep the nuclear plants open is a good idea.
“There is this group called Generation Now,” Bischoff said. “It is a dark money group. They are bankrolling most of ads, a little over $2 million worth of ads have been placed so far.” Bischoff notes there are groups funding ads against the bill as well. “Americans for Prosperity, Ohioans against nuclear bailouts and some consumer group have spent about $300,000. It’s all over the airwaves. People are hearing it, seeing it, wondering what’s going on with it.”
…….. Bischoff also tabulated that FirstEnergy and its PAC (political action committee), since 2014, have contributed $1.35 million to Ohio political candidates and FirstEnergy has donated another $1.5 million to political parties.
Bischoff explained that House Bill 6 would remove renewable energy efficiency standards and programs that have been part of state law for the past 10 years………
Bischoff estimated 120 different witnesses have testified about this proposed legislation, including a gentleman from Vermont, whom she later tracked down.
“I wonder why would some guy from Vermont travel all the way to Ohio to give testimony,” Bischoff said. The man shared the story of a nuclear plant closing in the small town where he lives and talked about the devastation the closing caused. Bischoff found out it is the second time he has testified for a nuclear bailout bill in Ohio. Pressing the man further, she discovered that his travel expenses were covered by the Nuclear Energy Institute, of which FirstEnergy is a dues-paying member.
Bischoff said Speaker Householder had hoped to bring House Bill 6 up for a vote the week of May 20th, but at this point he has indicated they are still working on it. https://www.wksu.org/post/ads-flood-airwaves-debate-continues-over-nuclear-bailout-bill#stream/0
Ionising radiation as a cause of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Radiation Model for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Announced by the National CFIDS Foundation, https://finance.yahoo.com/news/radiation-model-chronic-fatigue-syndrome-announced-national-cfids-195900691.html NEEDHAM, Mass., May 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ –The National CFIDS Foundation, of Needham, Massachusetts, has provided details regarding its radiation model for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, a disease that affects millions in the United States. According to Alan Cocchetto, Medical Director for the National CFIDS Foundation, “Our latest model has now identified two key compounds, known as hydroperoxides, that appear to result from cellular injury due to radiation exposure. We believe this finding is of critical importance to the disease process that is present in our patients.”
According to Gail Kansky, National CFIDS Foundation President, “As I understand it, these compounds make for the perfect storm from a disease standpoint since they adversely affect the ability of the body to function properly at many levels. We believe this to be a major tipping point in our understanding of this disease and I truly expect this to have a significant impact on our patients with regards to diagnostic testing and future therapies that will result from these efforts. As such, we are very pleased to be moving full steam ahead on this with our research groups.”
Two decades ago, Chernobyl scientists had identified Chronic Fatigue Syndrome as a characteristic aftermath of radioecological catastrophe establishing the first link between radiation exposure and the development of the disease. In 2010, the National CFIDS Foundation became the first organization to report the presence of internal radiation and chromosome damage in its own patient cohort.
According to the National CFIDS Foundation, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is also known as Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) as well as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME). Founded in 1997, the goals of the National CFIDS Foundation are to help fund medical research to find a cause and to expedite appropriate treatments for the disease. Since its inception, the National CFIDS Foundation has provided $4 million dollars in self-directed research grants to global scientists. The National CFIDS Foundation, an all volunteer 501(c)(3) federally approved charity, is funded solely by individual contributions. Additional information can be found on the web at www.ncf-net.org or in The National Forum newsletter. The Foundation can be reached at 781-449-3535.
Eight in Ten Support Nuclear Arms Control with Russia, Disagree with Trump Decision to Withdraw from Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
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A new in-depth survey on U.S. nuclear weapons policy finds that 68% of voters (Republicans 59%, Democrats 74%), support Congressional legislation prohibiting the President from using nuclear weapons first without Congressional approval and a declaration of war. An overwhelming 8 in 10, of Republicans as well as Democrats, do not support a policy shift in the Trump administration’s Nuclear Posture Review that explicitly declares the U.S. would consider using nuclear weapons first and specifies examples of non-nuclear attacks that would prompt such consideration. The study was conducted by the Program for Public Consultation (PPC) and the Center for International and Security Studies (CISSM) at Maryland, with consultation by the Center for Public Integrity. Support for nuclear arms control remains very robust across party lines. More than 8 in 10 (83%, Republicans 84%, Democrats 83%), favor the US continuing to have arms control treaties with Russia. Eight in ten (82%, Republicans 77%, Democrats 89%) favor the United States agreeing to extend the New START Treaty. “A large bipartisan majority opposes ideas for making nuclear threats a more usable instrument of policy and favors continuing efforts to constrain and reduce nuclear weapons through arms control treaties,” comments Steven Kull, director of PPC. ………. The public is not convinced that having intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) is necessary. Six in ten, including a majority of Republicans, favor phasing out the 400 US land-based ICBMs that are aging and are vulnerable to a first strike. However, only one-third favor unilaterally reducing the net number of strategic warheads in the U.S. arsenal to 1050 rather than adding warheads to U.S. submarines and bombers if the Russians still have 1550 warheads (the number allowed under New START). Overwhelming bipartisan majorities agree that the US must have a nuclear arsenal destructive enough that no country could think that there would be any advantage in attacking the United States with nuclear weapons. A plurality (49%) also agree that this minimum requirement is sufficient, and that the US does not need a nuclear arsenal which could also respond in-kind to any nuclear attack. However, when asked about a proposal in line with that requirement, in which the US would put low-yield nuclear weapons on submarines so that it can retaliate against a Russian attack using a similar weapon, two thirds were in favor. Contact: Steven Kull (PPC) 301-254-7500, skull@umd.edu |
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Danger of war – Israel vs Russia – could lead to nuclear war
  Israel vs. Russia: The Middle East War That Could Become a Nuclear Train WreckYes, this could happen. The National Interest, by Michael Peck 20 May 19, As always with the Arab-Israeli (or Iranian-Israeli) conflict, the real danger isn’t the regional conflict, but how it might escalate. In the 1973 war, the Soviets threatened to send troops to Egypt unless Israel agreed to a cease-fire. The United States responded by going on nuclear alert. |
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Donald Trump says he would not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons
 Trump warns Iran it will never be allowed to build nuclear arsenal, US president insists he wants to avoid Tehran conflict after weeks of escalating tensions, Ft.com 20 May 19
Donald Trump said he would not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons, while insisting he wanted to avoid war with the Islamic republic after weeks of escalating tensions. The US president has kept Tehran on edge by mixing threats with statements playing down the odds of a conflict, as foreign policy analysts speculate that Mr Trump is less keen on military conflict than some of his hawkish advisers. “I don’t want to fight. But you do have situations like Iran, you can’t let them have nuclear weapons — you just can’t let that happen,” Mr Trump said in an interview with Fox News. He had earlier warned Tehran to stop threatening America, and suggested that the US would destroy Iran if there was a military conflict. “If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again!” he tweeted.
Tensions have risen sharply in recent few weeks, with Iran saying it will no longer comply with elements of the 2015 nuclear accord it signed with world powers, including the US, and Washington deploying an aircraft carrier strike group to the region. …….
Mr Trump’s key foreign policy advisers, national security adviser John Bolton and secretary of state Mike Pompeo, have referred to unspecified “escalatory action” from Tehran, fuelling speculation that the hawkish pair are trying to convince the president to go to war with Iran.
This has led some lawmakers to grow concerned that the administration is seeking to enter into a conflict without congressional approval. Several senators were last week given details of the administration’s intelligence on Iran, with more lawmaker briefings expected this week. …… https://www.ft.com/content/0192edae-7b0a-11e9-81d2-f785092ab560
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Former Nuclear Regulatory Commission chairman now sees nuclear power as harmful
Washington Post 17th May 2019 , Gregory Jaczko served on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission from 2005 to 2009, and as its chairman from 2009 to 2012. Nuclear power was supposed to save the planet. The plants that used this technology could produce enormous amounts of electricity without the pollution caused by burning coal, oil or natural gas, which would help slow the catastrophic changes humans have forced on the Earth’s climate.influence of the industry on the political process. Now I was serving on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, where I saw that nuclear power was more complicated than I knew; it was a powerful business as well as an impressive feat of science. In 2009, President Barack Obama named me the agency’s chairman.
Iowa Science Group Launches Effort to Push Presidential Candidates on Nuclear Issues
 Iowa Residents Overwhelmingly Want Presidential Candidates to Share Views on Nuclear Weapons https://www.ucsusa.org/press/2019/iowa-residents-overwhelmingly-want-presidential-candidates-share-views-nuclear-weapons-0 May 20, 2019Science Group Launches Effort to Push Candidates on Nuclear Issues
A recent Zogby Analytics poll found that 82 percent of Iowa residents want presidential candidates, who are already passing through the Hawkeye State, to lay out their positions on nuclear weapons. “Nuclear war seems like something we no longer should have to worry about,” said David Wright, a physicist and co-director of the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. “But the prospect of a nuclear war is higher now than it has been in decades. The United States and Russia are abandoning arms control treaties and developing new nuclear weapons considered more usable in a conflict.” Aware of the increased risk, mayors around the country, including Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie, U.S. Vice-President of Mayors for Peace, are joining forces to call on Congress and the president to take steps to reduce the risks of a nuclear exchange. “We’re putting future generations at risk by even considering the use of nuclear weapons,” said Mayor Cownie. “We must urge our elected officials in Washington to understand that nuclear warfare is not an option.” The Zogby poll shows that public attention is increasingly focused on these issues, finding:
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US Congress ‘s continued search for nuclear trash dump – but they still let ’em keep making it!
 Congress continues search for nuclear waste dump, https://www.graydc.com/content/news/Congress-continues-search-for-nuclear-waste-dump-510161521.html By Kyle Midura | WASHINGTON (Gray DC) 20 May 19, – More than 70,000 tons of nuclear waste has no place to go. Congress agreed to take care of it decades ago, but lawmakers can’t agree on where to send it. Waste from 42 years of operation at Yankee Nuclear in Vermont remains on-site years after the shuttered plant stopped generating power. For now, it’s being held in large, thick cannisters known as dry casks.Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) said that’s a direct result of Congress failing to fulfill its promise to create a national dump for used fuel. “Every place where we have a nuclear plant including Vermont has in effect become a long-term storage plant,” he said, “that’s not viable.”
The government developed Nevada’s Yucca Mountain to be the repository for the country’s spent fuel, planning to bury it deep underground and within thick barriers designed to be impenetrable. President Donald Trump is trying to revive that plan. Welch would like to see Yucca Mountain used as a permanent site – though he said political opposition in the state may make that impossible — and is working on a bill to move forward with a temporary site in Texas. “Bottom line: after spending 15 billion dollars on Yucca, I think that is a bad place to be permanently storing the nuclear waste in this country,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Sanders said he’s concerned by the potential for earthquakes at the site given geological fault lines in the area. He opposes further expansion of nuclear – especially while the search for a permanent repository continues. Like many of his fellow Senators seeking the democratic nomination – Sanders signed onto a bill allowing a state like Nevada to say ‘no’ to storing nuclear waste in its backyard. “We need to find a permanent solution which is not going to be Yucca,” Sanders said. “The science says it’s safe, but we’ve got to make sure it’s correct and let Nevada have its day in court,” said Baker Elmore, Senior Director of Federal Programs for the Nuclear Energy Institute. He argues the best path forward is to create temporary storage sites, and finalize plans for a permanent repository as soon as possible. After decades of waiting, Elmore says the country appears to be getting closer to signing-off on a plan. “I’m excited because we’re finally getting around to having a meaningful conversation on this issue,” he said. |
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Sweden: Vattenfall determined to close 2 aging nuclear reactors
A Tiny Hole at Sweden’s Oldest Atomic Plant Upends Nuclear Revival
Industry and lawmakers in Sweden want Vattenfall to reverse a decision to close two aging reactors. Bloomberg, By Jesper Starn, May 20, 2019
A hole just a few millimeters deep at Sweden’s oldest nuclear plant is upending the debate about whether to revive the technology to ensure that the Nordic region’s biggest economy has enough power.
Regulators assume such a small gap exists at the Ringhals-2 plant on the nation’s west coast because repairs to similar cavities were made earlier in the decade on about half of an area covering 700 square meters (7,535 square feet). The owner Vattenfall AB won’t carry out more costly repairs and its permit expires at the end of the year.
While the state-controlled power company doubts that further faults exist, it would rather scrap the plant than uproot the meter-thick slab of concrete surrounding the massive steel plates that make up the reactor containment……..
For the moment, Vattenfall isn’t budging on the decision it made in 2015 to wind down operations at the plant, which includes two reactors that began operations in 1975 and 1976. Those reactors lack the independent core cooling systems required by the regulator for all nuclear plants to operate after 2020. Vattenfall invested 900 million kronor ($93 million) to upgrade two younger reactors at the site.
“I regard it as completely ruled out, both technically and financially,” to reverse the decision to close the Ringhals reactors, Torbjorn Wahlborg, the company’s head of generation, said in an interview. “It would require such a big investment and long halts.”
At its peak, nuclear energy accounted for about half of the nation’s power. Hydroelectric plants covered the rest. Now it’s 40% and wind parks being built in the north of the country are seen as a major future source. The problem is that the growth of wind has not been able to match the decline in capacity at reactors and fossil-fuel plants and Sweden is already depending on imports to meet demand on cold winter days.
In 2016, five political parties formed a long-term energy agreement that lowered nuclear taxes enough to allow life-span extensions of six reactors built in the 1980s until the 2040s, while four older reactors would be shut. But the largest opposition party, the Moderates, is now threatening to abandon that agreement unless it’s renegotiated to be more supportive of nuclear power. It has the support of the Christian Democrats, which is also part of the accord.
The Liberals, which were not part of the deal, has also proposed to extend the lifespan of Ringhals 1 and 2, and may get support from the nationalist Sweden Democrats, which also wants to invest in nuclear. The Moderates and the Christian Democrats have called for a review to be made into the possibility to stop the closure of the two reactors.
Still, it would be an uphill battle to garner enough support for any new energy plan, as the remaining parties in the agreement together with the Left Party have a majority in parliament. It all hinges on the governing Social Democrats. It wants nuclear power to be gradually phased out, but is under pressure from Swedish industry to change its stance.
As Vattenfall is fully state-owned, the government could adjust its directive to extend the life-span of the reactors. Lobby groups for the forest, metals, chemical and mining industry are calling for an investigation to see if this is possible. This would however be against the spirit of the original agreement, where market-based decisions was a key-part to get parties with opposing views to compromise on energy, according to the Swedish government. …… https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-05-20/swedish-nuclear-plant-s-tiny-hole-nobody-has-seen-halts-revival
“Denuclearization” has different meanings for North Korea and USA
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North Korean missiles: Size does not matter, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, By Duyeon Kim, Melissa Hanham, May 15, 2019 When it comes to dealing with North Korea’s nuclear program, one fundamental challenge (among many) has been a gap in the definitions of very basic terms in the security lexicon. This inability to agree on the basics has complicated negotiations and communications for more than 25 years. While the vague use of the term “denuclearization” has allowed a kind of rapprochement between the United States and North Korea, denuclearization will never actually happen until the parties agree on what it means and how to achieve it.
“Denuclearization” is not the only term in contention, and diplomacy is not the only field in which semantics count. North Korea is playing another hand in this age-old word game: Missiles are being tested, but Pyongyang prefers to call them “rockets.” In North Korea, a rocket can be anything from artillery rounds to a space launch vehicle. Pyongyang fired a short-range ballistic missile, artillery, and multiple-launch rocket systems on May 4 and another barrage on May 9, revealing what the new “tactical guided weapon” they also tested on April 18 and likely November 2018 really is. The regime claims that the firing of these “rockets” is routine and defensive in nature. The activities near Wonson are indeed likely to resemble how North Korea would attempt to repel an invasion from the East. Unfortunately, this exercise included what may be a short-range missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. Washington does not appear to be overreacting to these latest tests, which it should not, and has chosen to focus on the short-range nature of the missile involved. But the Trump administration must not turn a blind eye either. Responses and punishments—proportionate to the significance and gravity of Pyongyang’s actions—can be taken without botching the diplomatic process. The lack of an international response only emboldens the regime to sharpen its gray-zone tactics to push the envelope and gain influence without having to explode nuclear devices or fire long-range missiles. These smaller, solid-fuel missiles matter because—tipped with nuclear warheads or chemical or biological weapons—they threaten South Korea as well as US troops and American citizens in the South. Indeed these may be the first weapons used in a large scale conflict that could pull allies in. They cannot be regarded simply as part of a sovereign country’s right to develop arms. The larger intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) are not the only enemy. Smaller missiles are just as significant. Size does not matter—it’s what you can do with a missile that counts. What’s in a name? For the first time, Washington, Pyongyang, and Seoul are reading from the same script and agree on one thing: these missiles ought not to be called “missiles.” Instead, they are being named “projectiles” and “rockets.” The common thread is to prevent the already fragile diplomatic process from unraveling…… https://thebulletin.org/2019/05/north-korean-missiles-size-does-not-matter/?utm_source=Bulletin%20Newsletter&utm_medium=iContact%20email&utm_campaign=NKmissiles_05152019 |
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Sweden Requests Detention of Assange as WikiLeaks Accuses U.S. of Illegally Seizing His Property
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Sweden Requests Detention of Assange as WikiLeaks Accuses U.S. of Illegally Seizing His Property https://www.democracynow.org/2019/5/20/headlines/sweden_requests_detention_of_assange_as_wikileaks_accuses_us_of_illegally_seizing_his_property MAY 20, 2019 Swedish authorities issued a request Monday for the detention in absentia of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is facing rape charges in Sweden and is currently serving jail time in Britain for skipping bail in 2012. Last week, Swedish prosecutors reopened a sexual assault investigation into Assange which was dropped in 2017 because they said the case could not proceed while Assange was holed up at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, where he lived for seven years before being forcefully removed by British police last month. Assange has denied the accusation, and his lawyer representing him in Sweden said he has not been able to get hold of his client to discuss the detention order. WikiLeaks’ Editor-in-Chief Kristinn Hrafnsson has previously said of Sweden’s case, “Since Julian Assange was arrested on 11 April 2019 there has been considerable political pressure on Sweden to reopen their investigation, but there has always been political pressure surrounding this case. Its reopening will give Julian a chance to clear his name. This case has been mishandled throughout.” Assange must reportedly serve 25 weeks of his British prison sentence before he can be released. Assange now faces possible extradition to both Sweden and the United States, where he is wanted for the publication of leaked documents by Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning which showed evidence of U.S. war crimes in Iraq. In related news, WikiLeaks is reporting that Ecuador will allow U.S. prosecutors to go through and take possession of Assange’s belongings left in their London embassy. Assange reportedly has two manuscripts at his former living quarters; his lawyers have called it an illegal seizure of property.
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Proposed nuclear bailout for Ohio
 Statehouse full steam ahead on nuclear plants’ bailout Columbus Dispatch, 20 May 19, Say this much for the proposed bailout by Ohioans of FirstEnergy Solutions’ two Ohio nuclear power plants: The debate shows who really has power at the Statehouse.
Shameless as plant-closing General Motors’ CEO Mary T. Barra is (amid layoffs, her total 2018 compensation was $21.7 million) can anyone imagine Barra asking the Republicans who run Ohio’s General Assembly to boost the sticker price of every car sold in Ohio to save GM’s Lordstown plant? That’s not far from what House Bill 6, the proposed nuclear bailout, would do to the checkbook of an Ohioan who pays an electric bill, whether to DP&L, FirstEnergy, AEP or Duke. The Perry and Davis-Besse nuclear plants, built by what’s now FirstEnergy, can’t produce power as cheaply as ever-more-plentiful natural gas. Without customer subsidies, Perry and Davis-Besse will shut down. Something like St. Paul on the road to Damascus, Ohio’s GOP-run House has suddenly become a convert to clean air. And, in fairness, HB 6 would to an extent promote clean (maybe cleaner) Ohio air. Here’s what the federal Energy Information Administration says: “Unlike fossil fuel-fired power plants, nuclear reactors do not produce air pollution or carbon dioxide while operating.” The federal agency also says this: “However, the processes for mining and refining uranium ore and making reactor fuel all require large amounts of energy.” This, too, though: Nuclear plants produce radioactive waste — something seemingly unmentioned in Ohio House “debate” on HB 6. (Also unmentioned: If the Ohio General Assembly extends the generating lives of Perry and Davis-Besse, that’d create a couple of money-earning assets for creditors owed money thanks to the bankruptcy of FirstEnergy Solutions, a soon-to-be-independent FirstEnergy tentacle.) “Debate” is in quotes because of last week’s attempt by Rep. Nino Vitale, an Urbana Republican who chairs the House committee hearing HB 6, to “save time” by stifling Democrats’ questions. …… On the downside, for HB 6 supporters: The Republican-run Pennsylvania General Assembly appears to have backed off a plan to subsidize the Three Mile Island nuclear plant’s Unit 1, owned by Exelon Corp. (In 1979′s TMI accident, Unit 2, then owned by General Public Utilities, partially melted down and has been shuttered ever since. GPU later merged with FirstEnergy Corp.) ………. At the Statehouse, the actors change. The script doesn’t. Reaching back to the Ohio Gang of Statehouse lobbyists who swarmed around future Republican President Warren G. Harding 100 years ago, utilities, banks and insurance companies more often win than lose General Assembly battles. That’s why, HB 6′s merits aside, every Ohio electricity customer may want to keep his or her checkbook handy.Thomas Suddes is a former legislative reporter with The Plain Dealer in Cleveland and writes from Ohio University.tsuddes@gmail.com https://www.dispatch.com/opinion/20190520/column-statehouse-full-steam-ahead-on-nuclear-plants-bailout |
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1 This Month.
5 January -Webinar-What is Trump’s Golden Dome?
REGISTER AT Massachusetts Peace Action Education
New book – https://www.amazon.com/dp/1923372157?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Now until to February 10, 2026 Radioactive waste storage in France: the debate is finally open! How to participate?
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