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Jeff Merkley: “By the end of the 1980s, [the doomsday clock] was six…”

Featuring: Jeff Merkley, Democratic | U.S. Senate from Oregon

The Doomsday Clock is at 85 seconds to midnight. We need to replace New START now. Join us live.

Published February 5, 2026 | Video Starts at 08:31

Back when I first joined Secretary Cap Weinberger's team, the clock was at six minutes. Excuse me, three minutes till midnight. The doomsday clock of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. By the end of the 1980s, [the doomsday clock] was six minutes. So it went backwards three minutes. Safety improved. Shouldn't that be where we want to be today, not 85 seconds from midnight? (08:31–08:35)

CLAIM

Asserts that the doomsday clock was set to six minutes by the end of the 1980s.

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