Overview

• The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act was expanded to cover downwinders from the Trinity test and Manhattan Project waste sites in states including Utah, New Mexico, Idaho, Arizona, Missouri, Tennessee, Kentucky and Alaska.
• The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists moved its Doomsday Clock to 89 seconds to midnight to highlight escalating nuclear dangers driven by U.S.–Russia tensions and stalled arms-control efforts.
• The U.S.–Russian New START treaty is set to expire in early 2026 without a successor agreement, potentially enabling both nations to increase deployed warheads on existing missile systems.
• The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty remains inactive after key nuclear powers, notably the U.S., Russia and China, failed to ratify its ban on all nuclear explosions.
• Observers warn that failing to shore up arms-control frameworks could prompt countries such as Iran, South Korea and Poland to pursue independent nuclear capabilities.