The US government poured $8 billion dollars down the drain when politics and poor planning left its efforts to dispose of Cold War-era plutonium at the Savannah River Site a failure. Now, it wants to produce plutonium pits at the site. Guests

Atomic Assembly: Oak Ridge, Tennessee

23 days ago 46m 7s

It was the uranium enriched at the Y-12 plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee that was used in Little Boy, the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima in August of 1945. Today, every single weapon in the US’ nuclear arsenal, all 5,000, has parts that were bui

Atomic Assembly: Amarillo, Texas

Apr 3rd, 2024 45m 44s

The Pantex Plant sits just 17 miles northeast of Amarillo, Texas. It's the only remaining assembly and disassembly plant for nuclear weapons in the United States. Guests include Barbara Kent (downwinder and advocate), Kaysie Kent (downwind

Atomic Assembly: Rocky Flats, Colorado

Mar 13th, 2024 36m 19s

In 1989, a team of FBI agents raided and shut down the Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant after nearly 3 years of investigation into its environmental and waste practices. It was the first-ever raid of one government agency by another. Featured

Atomic Assembly: Hanford, Washington

Feb 28th, 2024 37m 57s

Over 80 years ago, Hanford was miles and miles of open farmland. Now, it’s known as the most contaminated site in the Western Hemisphere. This episode features Steve Olson, author of the book Apocalypse Factory: Plutonium and the Making of the

The Holiday Episode: Nuclear Weapons and Human Rights

Dec 19th, 2023 26m 51s

The holiday season here! So is Human Rights Day. Listen to this special holiday episode about the intersections between justice, human rights, and nuclear weapons. Guests include Mary Dickson (Downwinder and Activist) and Lilly Adams (Union of

In Conversation with Charles Oppenheimer

Oct 10th, 2023 24m 21s

We're not quite done with Oppenheimer yet! In this bonus episode, Ploughshares Fund President Dr. Emma Belcher sits down with Charles Oppenheimer, grandson of J. Robert Oppenheimer. The two discuss how growing up in New Mexico, the site of the

Pop Culture in the Atomic Age

Sep 6th, 2023 31m 46s

In the years between Oppenheimer the man and Oppenheimer the movie, nuclear weapons have carved out a lasting place for themselves in popular culture. These depictions are not just plot points—they’re opportunities to educate and call for actio

Nagasaki: On the Other Side of Grief

Aug 30th, 2023 15m 22s

It was only three days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima that another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. In the years since, those impacted have been able to transform grief into a lasting legacy through their stories and art. Guests in

Hiroshima: The Story that Almost Wasn't

Aug 15th, 2023 33m 11s

The Bomb. The Aftermath. The Cover-up. And everything after. Guests include Dr. Yuki Miyamoto (DePaul University and second generation Hiroshima Hibakusha) and Lesley M.M. Blume (journalist, historian, and author of Fallout: The Hiroshima Cover

The Trinity Test: Sunny With a 100% Chance of Radiation

Aug 7th, 2023 29m 50s

The US dropped the first atomic bomb on itself. And then they called it the Trinity Test. Guests include Tina Cordova (Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium), Mary Martinez White (Tularosa Basin Downwinders Consortium), and Dr. Joseph Shonka (

Fact, Fiction, Film

Jul 31st, 2023 14m 7s

Does Oppenheimer have a post-credit scene? Yes, and you’re living it. Hosts Angela Kellett and Jacqueline Hsing review Christopher Nolan’s film Oppenheimer and discuss what’s fact, what’s fiction, and what’s missing from the narrative.

The Shadow of Oppenheimer

Jul 24th, 2023 25m 55s

Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is officially out, so it’s time to travel back to 1945 and examine who was left behind in the pursuit of a false sense of security. This story starts with one man: J. Robert Oppenheimer. But the people affected t

How Many People Have to Die From Nuclear Weapons Until We Get It?

Jun 26th, 2023 32m 31s

This week, Tina Cordova, co-founder of the Tularosa Basin Downwinder Consortium and sixth-generation native New Mexican, has the microphone in the final episode of this season. In this conversation with Ploughshares Fund President Emma Belcher,

History Repeating Itself: Hanford Downwinders and Fukushima Daiichi Downwinders (Part Two)

Jun 16th, 2023 26m 2s

Continue hearing the story of Hanford and Fukushima Daiichi downwinders with Trisha Thompson Pritikin and Dr. Yuki Miyamoto. In part two of this conversation, they discuss the generational health effects passed down from radiation exposure and

History Repeating Itself: Hanford Downwinders and Fukushima Daiichi Downwinders (Part One)

Jun 12th, 2023 24m 10s

This week, Trisha Thompson Pritikin and Dr. Yuki Miyamoto have the microphone. In part one of this conversation, they discuss the parallels between the Hanford and the Fukushima Daiichi downwinders, and how radioactive iodine can impact the bod

Turning Words Into Action

Jun 5th, 2023 32m 7s

This week, Jasmine Owens from the Physicians for Social Responsibility has the microphone. In past episodes, we’ve discussed how nuclear frontline communities are often indigenous or comprised mainly of people of color. Jasmine Owens goes beyon

Nuclear Weapons are the Ultimate Colonizers

May 25th, 2023 30m 30s

This week, Mari Faines from Global Zero and Haleema Saadia, Lecturer at the National University of Modern Languages (NUML), have the microphone. It’s not often discussed how racism intersects with our security priorities and how more often than

Holding the Government Accountable for its Nuclear Legacy

May 22nd, 2023 24m 43s

This episode, Lilly Adams, senior outreach coordinator at the Union of Concerned Scientists and co-founder of Nuclear Voices has the microphone. Lilly Adams is one of the many advocates who are bringing voices impacted by nuclear weapons to lig

Marshall Islands: A Fourth of the Nation in Arkansas

May 15th, 2023 21m 57s

This week, Benetick Kabua Maddison, Executive Director of Marshallese Educational Initiative, has the microphone. More than 15,000 Marshallese live in northwest Arkansas — the largest community of Marshallese people outside the Marshall Islands

Under the Clouds of Radiation

May 2nd, 2023 32m 17s

On this week’s episode, Mary Dickson, a radiation-exposed person harmed by nuclear testing, has the microphone. She discusses the lack of visibility that many downwinders face, the physical and mental toll caused by having to continuously advoc

Climate Change isn’t a Distant Threat for the Marshall Islands

Apr 24th, 2023 29m 11s

This week, the microphone is passed to Selina Leem, climate change activist and Marshall Islands native. From 1946-1958, the US detonated 67 atomic bombs on the Marshall Islands, resulting in disastrous health, environmental, and cultural

Taking Back the Narrative

Apr 18th, 2023 39m 23s

This season on Press the Button, we’re handing the microphone to members of communities impacted by nuclear weapons so they can share their stories and their experiences the way they want to tell it. This episode features Shampa Biswas, Pr

Episode 200: Ukraine Special Report

Feb 28th, 2023 37m 43s

February marked the one-year anniversary of Russia’s brutal and unjust invasion of Ukraine. In this special report, Tom Collina sits down with Rose Gottemoeller, former Deputy Secretary General of NATO, to talk about the New START Treaty and R

China Spy Balloon is (Mostly) Hot Air

Feb 13th, 2023 34m 57s

In early February, the world watched as a Chinese “spy balloon” floated across the United States, sparking a furor that led President Biden to postpone a high-level US visit to Beijing. This week, Tom Collina talks with Sahil Shah, senior fel