NH #802: SPECIAL – Nuclear Weapons: What They Do, What We Can Do About Them – Dr. Ira Helfand, Alistair Burnett

NH #802: SPECIAL – Nuclear Weapons: What They Do, What We Can Do About Them – Dr. Ira Helfand, Alistair Burnett

What we’re up against.

This Week’s Featured Interview #1:

• Dr. Ira Helfand is a co-founder and Past President of Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), the Immediate Past President of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), a member of the International Steering Group of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), and currently works with Back From the Brink. At the recent Outrider Nuclear Media Summit, he presented a brief yet harrowing speech on nuclear weapons – what they would actually do to human beings and the planet if used . It was so stunningly powerful I knew I needed to have it as well as him on the show.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT – DR. IRA HELFAND TO JOIN NUCLEAR HOTSEAT:

• Dr. Helfand will be joining Nuclear Hotseat as a Monthly Commentator as of December, 2026. We look forward to learning everything he can share with us and bring to you, the listeners.

This Week’s Featured Interview #2:

Alistair Burnett, Media Director, International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons

• Alistair Burnett is Head of Media for the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). Regular listeners to Nuclear Hotseat will recognize him from his monthly ICAN Update commentary, where he provides news on the latest progress on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). He’s based with ICAN in Geneva, Switzerland, and when we’ve seen each other in past years at the United Nations, we’ve both been in work mode overdrive with no chance to talk.
  
  Here, you learn more about the man, his journalistic background, the history of the TPNW, and what is planned for the upcoming meetings on the Treaty at the United Nations November 30-December 4, 2026. With your help, I’ll be attending to cover it for you.

Activist Shout-Out

FIRST WE BOMBED NEW MEXICO: The Aftermath

ONE-WEEK THEATRICAL SCREENING & LOS ANGELES PREMIERE
to QUALIFY FOR OSCAR CONSIDERATION!
NOVEMBER 20-26, 2026

• Los Angeles Premiere: November 20-26, 2026
  Lumiere Cinema, 9036 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90211
  7 PM screenings plus two matinees (1:00 pm, 4:00 pm) every day!
• SPECIAL Q&A:
 Downwinder Tina Cordova and the film’s director Lois Lipman speak after the 7 PM screenings on November 20 and 21, and after the 1 pm matinee on November 21st.

LINK to Nuclear Hotseat interview with director Lois Lipman – NH #688, August 28, 2024