Photo: Science Photo Library RF
1 NATO Readying For Annual Nuclear Exercise
NATO is starting its annual nuclear exercise "Steadfast Noon" today. The nuclear drills involve up to 60 aircraft, including advanced fighter jets, surveillance and tanker aircraft. The U.S. will provide B-52 bombers flying from Minot Air Base in North Dakota. Aircraft will fly over Belgium, the UK and the North Sea. This comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested he might use nuclear weapons in Ukraine...while his officers have suggested strikes against the United States. On a related note, as word of Russia’s latest strikes in Kyiv this morning has come, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the US Oksana Markarova told “CBS Face the Nation” yesterday that Putin's threats should be taken seriously and the repercussions of a nuclear attack would endanger all of Europe. She also said unified opposition to Russia should be a global priority.
2 Biden Calls Jan. 6 Video, Testimonies 'Devastating'
President Biden is calling the testimony and new video released from the January 6th committee, "devastating." Biden made the comment while wrapping up his West Coast tour, adding that he had been going "out of his way" to not comment. “I think the testimony and the video are actually devastating, and I’ve been going out of my way not to comment,” Biden told reporters. “I mean, the case has been made, it seems to me, fairly overwhelming.” He never-before-seen footage from the 2021 Capitol riot showed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer making urgent phone calls for help as rioters breached the Capitol.
3 Radioactive Waste Found On Missouri School Grounds
A new report is revealing a Missouri elementary school is contaminated with high levels of radioactive waste. Apparently, tests of soil samples from Jana Elementary School in Florissant showed high levels of radioactive lead, including inside the school's cafeteria, library and playground. The school sits in a flood plain that was contaminated by waste from nuclear bombs made during World War II. The Hazelwood School District in a statement said it's consulting with attorneys and experts to "determine next steps." Dust samples taken inside the school were also found to be contaminated. "I was heartbroken," says Ashley Bernaugh, president of the Jana parent-teacher association who has a son at the school. "It sounds so cliché, but it takes your breath from you." The school board will discuss the report in a closed session today.