Trump Orders Nuclear Test, Newsweek Forgets US History
Newsweek breathlessly covered allegations of Donald Trump 'ordering' nuclear weapons testing, treating it as some unprecedented, terrifying leap. What they conveniently forget to mention is that the United States has conducted over 1,000 nuclear tests since 1945. The vast majority of these — 815, to be precise — were atmospheric, spewing fallout directly into the environment before the 1963
Limited Test Ban Treaty (Source: Arms Control Association). So, while Trump’s alleged consideration of renewed testing is alarming, to frame it as a 'what to know' moment of a novel threat (as implied by the 2018 Newsweek headline from the given link, despite the current date reference) ignores a grim, lengthy chapter of American foreign policy. One might wonder if historical amnesia is a
prerequisite for mainstream media defense reporting. No need to look back when you can just react.