Top News Members of Germany’s ruling coalition tell Trump to take U.S. nukes home Politico Navy sends ships to Russia’s Barents Sea for first time since 1980s NBC North Korea’s new fertilizer plant seen as linked to Kim Jong Un’s nuclear program Forbes United States Pompeo reaffirms U.S. mission to denuke N.K. after Kim’s return to public eye Yonhap5/4/20 U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has renewed Washington’s goal of denuclearizing North Korea and creating a “bright future” for its people after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s return to the public eye following his 20-day absence. Navy sends ships to Russia’s Barents Sea for first time since 1980s NBC5/5/20 Military tensions between the U.S. and Russia remain high six years after Russia annexed Crimea from neighboring Ukraine. East Asia North Korea’s new fertilizer plant seen as linked to Kim Jong Un’s nuclear program Forbes5/4/20 North Korea leader Kim Jong Un’s ebullient appearance at the opening of a fertilizer plant 30 miles north of Pyongyang opens a new chapter in the non-stop saga of figuring out not only his basic health but also his nuclear program. ANALYSIS: Pinpointing China’s new plutonium reprocessing plant Bulletin of Atomic ScientistsHui Zhang 5/5/20 Over the last decade, China has been actively pursuing plans to recycle its spent nuclear fuel. 16 Japan lenders refrain from investing in nuke-linked companies Kyodo News5/3/20 Sixteen Japanese financial institutions have refrained from investing in and extending loans to companies involved in the manufacturing of nuclear weapons and delivery missiles, according to a Kyodo News survey released Sunday. Middle East Iranian military satellite launchers can be retooled to handle ballistic missiles, think tank IISS warns The National5/4/20 Iran’s satellite launchers could be “easily modified” into ballistic missiles following the first successful mission of a military orbiter, an international think tank has warned. Russia and Europe Members of Germany’s ruling coalition tell Trump to take U.S. nukes home Politico5/3/20 Berlin’s center left is reopening an old debate about whether to remain under Washington’s protective nuclear umbrella. Germany underscores commitment to US nuclear deterrence DW5/4/20 Berlin says the US nuclear umbrella extending into Germany remains part of its adherence to NATO deterrence. Some Social Democrats in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition want rid of German warplanes kept ready. Multilateral Arms Control OPINION: Why nuclear arms control matters today AFSAThomas Countryman 5/4/20 Before 2017, every U.S. president dating back to John F. Kennedy proposed and pursued negotiations with Moscow as a means to regulate destabilizing nuclear arms competition and reduce the risk of the United States and its allies being destroyed in a nuclear war. OPINION: Fulfilling the promise of the NPT Arms Control AssociationDaryl Kimball 5/4/20 As global leaders appropriately focus on the steps necessary to deal with the deadly effects of the coronavirus pandemic, they cannot afford to lose sight of the actions necessary to address the ongoing threat of nuclear proliferation and catastrophic nuclear war—the ultimate pandemic.