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Finance minister Katsunobu Kato hints that country’s more than $1tn in Treasuries gives it leverage in negotiations Japan’s finance minister has publicly identified the country’s more than $1tn holdings of US Treasuries as a “card” in its trade negotiations with the Trump administration, in a rare baring of teeth by America’s closest ally in Asia. Speaking during a television interview on Friday, Katsunobu Kato was asked whether Japan would use its traditional stance as a non-seller of Treasuries as a tool in trade talks with Washington. “It does exist as a card,” said Kato, adding that “whether or not we...

President Donald Trump dropped a late-night truth bomb on Truth Social, absolutely obliterating the radical Left’s latest impeachment obsession — and warning Republicans it’s time to start playing offense.In a fiery post just before midnight, Trump called out the Democrat Party for spiraling into chaos and weaponizing impeachment once again — this time without even pretending to have a reason.Trump revealed that two little-known Democrat congressmen have already started whispering about impeachment — without even being able to say why.

Workers at the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant construction site in the UK have reported a significant rat infestation, raising health and safety concerns. The rat problem is causing disruption to the major energy project and prompting calls for immediate action from trade unions to address the issue. ... The U.K. has ambitious nuclear power plans and is developing several small- and large-scale projects. While opposition, high costs, and other factors have slowed development in the past, EDF has been facing another problem at its Hinkley Point C construction – a rat infestation. In early April, the Unite and...

NASA updates the UN that it has detected on its radars: "Three unusual heat spots were observed in the Bandar Abbas area. There is concern that an underground nuclear facility in the area may have been damaged."

Policymakers on both sides of the political aisle increasingly advocate for affordable, reliable, and clean energy. This is for good reason – modern society requires energy that is affordable and available on demand. Environmental concerns are also very important. Together, affordability, reliability, and cleanliness form the three pillars of ideal energy policy. Two new analyses evaluate competing electrical power sources and produce an affordable, reliable, and clean scorecard. The two analyses – one published by Northwood University and the Mackinac Center, and the other published by my public policy organization, The Heartland Institute – independently reach near-identical findings. Both analyses...

A new report from GlobalData, a data and analytics group, projects global nuclear power capacity will hit 494 GW by 2035. The group’s “Nuclear Power Market, Update 2025–Market Size, Segmentation, Major Trends, and Key Country Analysis to 2035” said capacity gains will be tied to advancements in deployments of small modular reactors (SMRs), along with the continuing worldwide shift to cleaner forms of energy. The report released April 21 said recent gains in nuclear power have been driven by moves toward more low-carbon baseload power. Measures promoting energy security, in addition to interest in decarbonization of industrial sectors, also is...

Chinese researchers have successfully detonated a hydrogen-based explosive device in a controlled field test, triggering devastating chemical chain reactions without using any nuclear materials, according to a study published last month. The 2kg (4.4lbs) bomb generated a fireball exceeding 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,832 degrees Fahrenheit) for more than two seconds – 15 times longer than equivalent TNT blasts – without using any nuclear materials, it said. Developed by the China State Shipbuilding Corporation’s (CSSC) 705 Research Institute, a key player in underwater weapon systems, the device uses a magnesium-based solid-state hydrogen storage material. Chinese researchers have successfully detonated a hydrogen-based...

The United States imposed new sanctions on five Iranian entities and one individual accused of supporting Iran’s nuclear program. IRNA - The United States Department of the Treasury issued new sanctions against Iran just two days after President Donald Trump announced plans for discussions with Tehran regarding its nuclear program. In a statement on Wednesday, the Treasury identified five Iranian entities and one individual as targets for their alleged support of Iran’s nuclear program. Among the designated groups were the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and its subsidiary, the Iran Centrifuge Technology Company. The sanctions also included Majid Mosallat, head...

Billionaire fund manager Bill Ackman, a staunch President Trump ally, has warned the world is on the brink of a “self-induced economic nuclear winter” – as he begged the commander in chief to pause his sweeping tariffs. “The President has an opportunity on Monday to call a time out and have the time to execute on fixing an unfair tariff system. Alternatively, we are heading for a self-induced, economic nuclear winter, and we should start hunkering down,” Ackman wrote in a lengthy X post Sunday night. “May cooler heads prevail.” Ackman, who endorsed Trump’s run for President, issued the stark...

https://www.heritage.org/press/new-heritage-documentary-exposes-stunning-threats-chinas-growing-nuclear-advantageThe Heritage Foundation released a new documentary today exposing the vulnerabilities of America’s aging nuclear arsenal—and the growing threat posed by China’s comparative nuclear strength and rapidly-expanding capabilities.The 13-minute documentary highlights how America’s tactical nuclear weapons—designed for precision and limited destruction—are nearly four decades old and ill-equipped to counter China’s modern advancements.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — With the promise of newer, cheaper nuclear power on the horizon, U.S. states are vying to position themselves to build and supply the industry’s next generation as policymakers consider expanding subsidies and paving over regulatory obstacles. Advanced reactor designs from competing firms are filling up the federal government’s regulatory pipeline as the industry touts them as a reliable, climate-friendly way to meet electricity demands from tech giants desperate to power their fast-growing artificial intelligence platforms. The reactors could be operational as early as 2030, giving states a short runway to roll out the red carpet, and...

Amazon, Google, and Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta have joined a growing list of energy-intensive companies calling for governments and utilities to triple nuclear power capacity by 2050, signaling a significant boost for the nuclear industry’s revival. The Financial Times reports that tech giants Amazon, Google, and Meta have stepped forward to support the goal of tripling nuclear power capacity by 2050. The companies, along with oil group Occidental and chemical producer Dow, signed a pledge coordinated by the World Nuclear Association (WNA), an advocacy group for the sector. This move follows a similar pledge made in September by 14 of the...

Iran, Russia & China just conducted massive naval drills in the waters of the Middle East—how concerned should the United States and Israel be? Plus, these same three charter members of what Erick calls the Gathering Storm coalition are holding talks in Beijing this Friday over Iran’s nuclear program. Is the Trump administration planning to flip Russia away from this evil axis? Watch now!

"BERLIN—President Trump’s embrace of Russia is causing Europeans to rethink their security and giving currency to an idea the U.S. has long sought to avoid: a nuclear-armed Germany. Friedrich Merz, who is poised to become Germany’s next chancellor, said Berlin should start talks about expanding the French and British nuclear deterrents to cover Europe, according to an interview the conservative politician did with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung weekly. .... On the nuclear side, researchers and some politicians say Berlin’s fastest route to rebuilding a deterrent could be to replicate its arrangement with the U.S. This could see French nuclear bombers...

French President Macron’s recent speech urging all Europeans to prepare for war with Russia is a dangerous escalation. Delivered live across the continent, his message was clear: Europe must not allow Ukraine to be “given away” to Russia, no matter the cost. But in his haste to push for military action, Macron seems to have forgotten the devastating consequences of war. The rush to mobilize and prepare for a conflict that will only bring destruction is reckless, especially when diplomacy should be the first course of action. Germany’s Foreign Minister Baerbock followed suit, urging Germans to prepare for war, despite...

Researchers have developed a battery that can convert nuclear energy into electricity via light emission, a new study suggests. Nuclear power plants, which generate about 20% of all electricity produced in the United States, produce almost no greenhouse gas emissions. However, these systems do create radioactive waste, which can be dangerous to human health and the environment. Safely disposing of this waste can be challenging. Using a combination of scintillator crystals, high-density materials that emit light when they absorb radiation, and solar cells, the team, led by researchers from The Ohio State University, demonstrated that ambient gamma radiation could be...

Last Energy’s PWR-20 is designed for mass production to scale output to user demand... Washington-based firm has decided to build 30 microreactors in Haskell County, Texas. Last Energy has obtained control of a 200-acre site to provide power to off-takers via a mix of private wire and grid transmission. The facility is expected to serve American data center customers across the state. “Texas is the energy capital of America, and we are working to be No. 1 in advanced nuclear power,” said Governor Abbott. “Last Energy’s microreactor project in Haskell County will help fulfill the state’s growing data center demand....

**SNIP** During a heated segment on Tuesday, Brown said the Trump administration was “trying to claw back several employees who oversaw nuclear weapons,” when Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., reminded her about Brinton. “You talk about nuclear secrets, you had a person who was in charge of nuclear secrets, a man, who dressed up as a woman, would go into the airport and steal women’s luggage, was overseeing those nuclear secrets under the Biden administration and I never heard y’all say a peep about that,” Burchett SAID. Brown shot back, “I don’t know anything about that, I’ll be transparent.” Burchett told...

The drumbeats of war are getting louder. Recent U.S. intelligence reports suggest that Israel is inching closer to launching strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, particularly the heavily fortified Fordow and Natanz sites. If this happens, it could redefine the balance of power in the Middle East–at least for a while. But why now? What has changed to make such an audacious move not only plausible but, in the eyes of Israeli leadership, necessary?

Trump administration officials fired more than 300 staffers Thursday night at the National Nuclear Security Administration — the agency tasked with managing the nation’s nuclear stockpile — as part of broader Energy Department layoffs, according to four people with knowledge of the matter. Sources told CNN the officials did not seem to know this agency oversees America’s nuclear weapons. An Energy Department spokesperson disputed the number of personnel affected, telling CNN that “less than 50 people” were “dismissed” from NNSA, and that the dismissed staffers “held primarily administrative and clerical roles.” The agency began rescinding the terminations Friday morning. Some...