Nuclear deterrence is the concept that the mere possession of nuclear weapons, particularly by rival states, prevents their use. The only way to avoid the end of the world, we are told, is to stockpile enough weapons to end the world, several times over. This schizophrenic worldview has turned the United States into a nuclear death cult. 

In this first half of A Doomsday Gap, we'll cover the arc of the deterrence mindset, from Truman's early stockpiling, to Reagan's interstellar force field fantasies, to Obama's atomic cash infusion, to Trump's recent announcement of the military contractor bonanaza known as the Golden Dome. We also look at Broken Arrows, nuclear weapons accidents that do not lead to nuclear conflict. The US military admits to 32 such incidences, though journalist Eric Schlosser uncovered hundreds more. 

Detroit-based artist Shanna Merola unpacks her collage series Nuclear Winter; Archbishop John C Wester returns to outline Catholic Church's anti-nuclear pivot; and artist and geographer Trevor Paglen talks us through the the violence of banal imagery. 

Learn more, make a donation, or find a text-based version of today's program at: timezeropod.com.