- Social:
Harvard University
Associate at the Project on Managing the Atom in the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School; former reporter in the London Bureau of Time magazine
PROFILE
Eben Harrell
Guest
FROM Eben Harrell
To the Point
Hunting Down Nuclear Waste Leads to a 'Plutonium Mountain' Sixty years ago, the former Soviet Union started conducting nuclear tests in a remote area of Eastern Kazakhstan. Much of the plutonium residue never disappeared. When the Soviets pulled out it was left behind and went unprotected for years. Only in recent years has there been an effort to secure it. Last October, scientists marked the completion of a 17-year operation. They had reduced one of the largest nuclear security threats since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Eben Harrell, Associate at the Project on Managing the Atom at Harvard's Kennedy School, has reported on what's now called "Plutonium Mountain."
To the Point
Chernobyl 25 Years Later: Lessons for Fukushima Twenty-five years ago today, reactor number 4 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in what's now Ukraine melted down. Some 600,000 workers were exposed to massive amounts of radiation and the radioactive plume caused sickness and death elsewhere in the northern hemisphere. In the months after the disaster, a massive sarcophagus was built over the power plant. But the core is still molten, the sarcophagus is starting to crumble and there's concern that its collapse could release another radioactive cloud. Eben Harrell is a writer and reporter in the London bureau of Time magazine.
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To the Point
Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.
To the Point
What is Trump's plan for Middle East peace? On his first foreign tour, President Trump has promised "peace" between Israel and the Palestinians. Are there any details for re-starting talks that have been stalled for the past three years?
To the Point
Will the Senate write a healthcare bill in secret? While Democrats and Republicans argue White House relations with Russia, another question is being decided behind closed doors: who gets help buying health insurance and who doesn't? We hear how the pros and cons are being shrouded in secrecy.
To the Point
Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.