Talking about activating nuclear strikes and moments the world came close to nuclear Armageddon

Podcasters are worried about nukes: A number of podcasts have put out episodes recently discussing issues related to nuclear weapons as concerns surrounding the Trump administration and the threat from North Korea increase. Radiolab (runtime 57:27) looked deeper into what happens if a US President ordered a nuclear attack and if a military officer on the receiving end of the order could refuse it. They looked into the process of checks and balances between the President, representing civilian oversight, and the military, which would have to execute such order. Radiolab interviewed a US Air Force Major who was once placed as the person who would have been on the receiving end of such a phone call from the President, and who once asked about his ability to refuse such an order. The Stuff You Missed In History Class podcast (runtime 30:23) looked into different, scarier incidences. They looked into three moments in history “when the world came perilously close to a full-scale nuclear war, due to false alarms or miscommunication.”