Hasan Minhaj Doesn't Know We Could All Get Nuked Tomorrow (Here's Why) with Annie Jacobsen
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Feb 4, 2026 Annie Jacobsen, investigative journalist and author who specializes in national security, walks through a minute-by-minute nuclear war scenario. She discusses blast mechanics, launch-on-warning risks, submarine and command vulnerabilities. Short, stark conversations cover automated retaliation, recall impossibility, and why modern postures make today uniquely dangerous.
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Immediate Blast To Long Nuclear Winter
- A one-megaton thermonuclear detonation would create unbearable immediate destruction and fires across miles and produce a mushroom cloud that lofts human debris hundreds of miles up.
- Soot from thousands of fires could blot out sunlight for nearly a decade, causing global agricultural collapse and mass starvation.
Launch-On-Warning Forces Split-Second Choices
- 'Launch on warning' means the U.S. may launch its nuclear forces after detecting incoming missiles rather than waiting for impact.
- That doctrine forces decisions in minutes and keeps weapons on hair-trigger alert, increasing the risk of catastrophic mistakes.
Retaliation Is Disproportionately Massive
- A limited strike against the U.S. would likely trigger an overwhelming retaliatory response rather than a proportional one.
- Annie Jacobsen reports officials expect dozens to thousands of warheads launched in response, not matched tit-for-tat strikes.
