It's depressing to see adults participate in such a stupid publicity stunt. Their silly clock was at 7 minutes to midnight during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Does anyone think we're in a more dangerous moment now than we were then?
Yes. Then, we had world leaders whose philosophies and policies almost led to war, but who personally didn't really want to go there. Now we have a couple world leaders who don't seem to grasp the significance of their fights, and are just driving their decisions with their own egos.
This "warmongering" was the rationale for advancing the clock dramatically under Reagan, but Reagan's policies led to the collapse of the soviet union, so two years after Reagan's term, the clock was moved to its safest ever levels (17 minutes to midnight).
https://www.investors.com/politics/commentary/the-doomsday-c...
Regarding the saber rattling from current POTUS, stating our nuclear arsenal is the most powerful in the world is a non-statement. It changes nothing other than public perception of his political position. It doesn't reduce or increase the power he wields nor does it reduce or increase the power held by NK.
...ummm....
"North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the “Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.” Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!"
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2018
Weirdly, I don't remember The Doomsday Clock being advanced like this during the last decade, when North Korea was furiously and successfully building its store of warheads. That was evidently a time of perfect pacificity.
Also of concern is the new Russian coastal city killer drone submarines and their new generation of hypersonic reentry ICBMs. It is clear evidence that they do not wish to accept a world where the largest military power has anti missile technology capable of diminishing the effectiveness of the Russian offensive nuclear capability.
A nuclear arsenal isn't the only deterrent between US and Russia. Both countries have decades of experience with nuclear defense. NK is relatively (or possibly absolutely) defenseless. While there would be enormous casualties (which is horrific and sad but is not doomsday), the fight would be extremely one-sided. Nobody else, including Putin, wants to get involved in a global nuclear catastrophe. At worst, US would be slapped with consequences six-ways-from-Sunday: think Germany after WW2. With a sane president, US wouldn't even have to use nukes to quash NK and, you never know, someone might actually calm the president if that time comes.
However, there is always a possibility - a nuke is sabotaged and lands in Russia, or something.
In contrast, inaction is now precisely what will doom us.