A nuclear catastrophe is unfolding in Japan. The information as of 2:00 p.m., March 16, is that two nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan have cracks in the shell designed to contain the radiation inside. There have been partial meltdowns of nuclear fuel in three reactors. The fuel in an unprotected storage pool has caught fire twice and the crisis is nowhere near over.

As of 4:00 pm, March 15, a major nuclear disaster is underway in Japan. In the wake of Friday’s devastating earthquake, a fire in a cooling pond for spent fuel rods and three major explosions have hit the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, located on the country's east coast. There are widespread reports of elevated radiation levels and many residents have fled the area.

The Bush administration is bringing the Korean peninsula to the brink of war. U.S. threats against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (the DPRK, or North Korea) and Washington’s withdrawal from the 1994 nuclear accords have led to a dramatic escalation of tensions. A growing tide of demonstrations against the presence of U.S. troops has rocked South Korea.