President Vladimir Putin said Russia has no plans to violate existing agreements on nuclear testing, but signaled that he’s ready to order them if Donald Trump moves forward with threatened US atomic weapons trials. https://t.co/uqcWYfNnbS ...

Nuclear Policy & International Relations - The U S president announced instructions to the Department of War to start nuclear weapons testing on an equal basis, process to begin immediately [1] - Announcement came unexpectedly, unclear what kind of nuclear tests or urgency [2] - Other nuclear superpowers like Russia and China haven't detonated live nuclear weapons since the 1990s, and the U S hasn't since 1992 (33 years ago) [3] - Resuming testing could trigger reciprocal testing and arms buildup from Russia, China, India, and Pakistan [18] - Russia has been threatening the use of nuclear weapons since 2022 when they invaded Ukraine [18] Nuclear Arsenal & Deterrence - The core purpose of a nuclear arsenal is deterrence, ensuring America's enemies consider the consequences before acting against the U S [7] - The vice president suggested America's nuclear weapons may not be functioning properly, later walking back the statement [8][9] - The U S relies on simulations and subcritical tests for its nuclear force [17] - Testing a nuclear weapon creates a message of doubting nuclear capability and showing swagger, which could set off a chain of events [25] Potential Risks & Motivations - A provocative new movie released on Netflix, "House of Dynamite," portrays a nightmare scenario where the U S is vulnerable to a nuclear attack [4][5] - An internal memo from the Pentagon argued against the doomsday scenario depicted in the movie [6] - Even an underground test would leak radioactive material, be extremely expensive, and allow adversaries to gather significant data [18]

Joining us now is Democratic Congressman Eugene Vinman of Virginia. He is a member of the Armed Services Committee. >> Congressman, um it it struck me that the sound that we just played, the lawmakers sound just insensed and I raped and I'm wondering if you share that same sentiment because as I was as this story was unfolding today, um to me this is about secrecy.This is about the sidelining of career military leaders. It's about a lack of transparency. And I just bring your attention to Admiral Hoy.Okay, ...

Does Trump's nuclear testing raise the stakes - or are we already in an arms race? https://t.co/PVzhrCwICf ...

Nuclear Arms Control & International Relations - The US, Russia, and China have not engaged in underground nuclear testing since 1996, approaching 30 years [2] - The US has conducted over 1,000 underground nuclear tests, while China has only done 40 [2] - A US "golden dome" missile defense system costing $1 trillion to $2 trillion would provoke an offensive weapon response from Russia and China [3] - Extending the New Start treaty for one year beginning in February 2026 is crucial for maintaining nuclear arms control [5][6] - Failure to extend New Start could lead to an arms race with increased offensive and defensive weapon development by the US and its rivals [6] Domestic Policy & Government Shutdown - A government shutdown could cause 1 million people in Massachusetts to lose SNAP benefits [12] - $5 billion is available at the Department of Agriculture to address the food crisis resulting from the shutdown [12] - In Massachusetts, one-third of SNAP recipients are children, one-third are elderly, and one-third are disabled [13] - House Republicans are hindering negotiations by not being present in Washington [15]

Let's now bring in MSNBC National Affairs Island analyst and a partner and chief political columnist at Puck, John Hileman, as well as MSNBC senior national security reporter, David RH. And David, let's let's start right there uh with this sort of seemingly almost out of nowhere announcement from President Trump about uh the nuclear testing that he's ordered up. You know, seems as if in response to what Vladimir Putin had said earlier in the day.But the United States, as we've been noting, has not done this ...

So shortly before his meeting with President Xi Jinping, President Trump announced the United States will resume testing nuclear weapons. In a social media post, Trump wrote that he has ordered the Pentagon to resume testing on an equal basis with Russia and China. The US conducted its last nuclear weapons test in 1992. Former President George HW Bush signed a moratorum on testing that year. Here's what the president said on Air Force One overnight when asked about his social media post. >> We have more nuc ...