May 13th, 2008 · A U.S. official says a preliminary review of thousands of documents shows North Korea has fully accounted for its plutonium development program. But the papers may not convince skeptics that the disarmament process is moving ahead.
Apr 24th, 2008 · CIA officials brief Congress Thursday about intelligence that links North Korea to a Syrian nuclear program. The CIA will tell lawmakers that North Korea was helping Syria build a plutonium-based nuclear reactor.
Nov 16th, 2007 · PU239, which premieres Nov. 17 on HBO, is a film about a post-Russian nuclear plant worker who gets a lethal dose of radiation. With days to live, he decides to steal some weapons-grade plutonium to sell, to provide financial security for his wife and son.
Mar 14th, 2007 · North Korea says it is ready to shut down its main nuclear reactor, which has produced plutonium for its nuclear weapons program. But the country is also calling on the United States to lift financial sanctions. Mohamed El Baradei, head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, returned from the country Wednesday.
Nov 22nd, 2006 · Iran recently asked the International Atomic Energy Agency for technical assistance with a new reactor the country is building. The controversial reactor could be used to extract plutonium for nuclear weapons. The U.S. is opposed to the aid.
May 18th, 2006 · The U.S. is pushing countries around the world to accept new restrictions on their nuclear programs. An American diplomat at a conference in Geneva has proposed a treaty to ban the production of plutonium and highly enriched uranium. Security analyst Joe Cirincione talks with Steve Inskeep about the proposal.
Aug 5th, 2005 · The U.S. government has spent billions of dollars cleaning up highly toxic plutonium waste in Hanford, Wash., where much of the fuel for the nation's nuclear weapons was produced. Over budget and behind schedule, the project has ground to a halt. Some worry the government will give up on cleaning up the site completely.
Aug 4th, 2005 · The United States stopped making plutonium-238, one of the most toxic substances known to man, 15 years ago. But now, citing national security needs, the government is preparing to start making it again at a site in the Idaho desert.