Alexandra Toma joined Jeff Farias to discuss nuclear weapons in the FY2011 budget, progress on the Srategic Arms Reduction Treaty, why the nuclear "status quo" is unsustainable, vulnerable fissile materials, nuclear terrorism, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, the nonproliferation agenda in the Senate.

The show was recorded live on Thursday, Feb. 4.

Alex is the Program Director of the Connect U.S. Fund, and co-chairs the Fissile Materials Working Group.

Priscilla Lewis and Sue Veres Royal, US in the World

(Co-authored by Taylor Marie Young)

It shadows Haiti like a swooping albatross, a qualifier that both explains and disregards the island nation and its people so concisely: the poorest nation in the Western hemisphere. If countries had subtitles, this would be Haiti's.

The Copenhagen conference came and went, and the consensus amongst civil society leaders working on climate change is that there is whole lot to be done, and it needs to happen soon.

On Monday, February 1, the Administration will transmit to Congress two important documents that will affect the work of the Connect U.S. community:  the 2011 budget and the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR).  The Pentagon plans an 11:00 am briefing on the two, which should be streamed live on http://www.pentagonchannel.mil/.   Comptroller Robert Hale for DoD will speak for budget, and QDR will be presented by Michelle Flornoy, the Under-Secretary of Defense for Policy.

The Connect U.S. community has a real opportunity to highlight the issues that are most important to us: climate change and its impact on developing countries; human rights; nonproliferation; and striking a balance between State/USAID and the Defense Department.

A widget I created for Crisis Camp activists to share updates from victims of the Haitian earthquake and aid agencies on the ground. Crisis Camps were set up nationwide to develop tech and social media tools for Haitian relief efforts.

Representative Ahn "Joseph" Cao (R-LA) and Representative Russ Carnahan (D-MO) will launch the American Engagement Caucus on Thursday. The new bipartisan group will focus on working effectively with other countries to address global issues, and we're excited for the potential of this group to promote more responsible U.S. global engagement.

The Connect U.S. Fund is seeking an intern to support our operational activities building a community of organizations working for more responsible U.S. global engagement.

The part-time, unpaid internship requires 2-3 days per week of work in our office, located in Washington, DC. Interested undergraduate students should email their resumes, along with a brief cover letter, to jobs@connectusfund.org.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Short-listed candidates will be contacted directly; please, no phone calls.