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The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant’s radiation levels have significantly dropped since the cataclysmic meltdown in Japan 14 years ago. Workers walk around in many areas wearing only surgical masks and regular clothes.It’s a different story for those who enter the reactor buildings, including the three damaged in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. They must use maximum protectionfull facemasks with filters, multi-layered gloves and socks, shoe covers, hooded hazmat coveralls and a waterproof jacket, and a helmet.As workers remove melted fuel debris from the reactors in a monumental nuclear cleanup effort that could take more than a century, they are facing both huge amounts of psychological stress and dangerous levels of radiation.The Associated Press, which recently visited the plant for a tour and interviews, takes a closer look. Cleaning 880 tons of melted fuel debris A remote-controlled extendable robot with a tong had several mishaps including equipment failures before returning in November with a tiny piece of melted fuel from inside the damaged No. 2 reactor.That first successful test run is a crucial step in what will be a daunting, decades-long decommissioning that must deal with at least 880 tons of melted nuclear fuel that has mixed with broken parts of internal structures and other debris inside the three ruined reactors.Akira Ono, chief decommissioning officer at the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, which manages the plant, says even the tiny sample gives officials a lot of information about the melted fuel. More samples are needed, however, to make the work smoother when bigger efforts to remove the debris begin in the 2030s.A second sample-retrieval mission at the No. 2 reactor is expected in coming weeks.Operators hope to send the extendable robot farther into the reactor to take samples closer to the center, where overheated nuclear fuel fell from the core, utility spokesperson Masakatsu Takata said. He pointed out the target area as he stood inside the inner structure of the No. 5 reactor, which is one of two reactors that survived the tsunami. It has an identical design as No. 2. Hard to see, breathe or move Radiation levels are still dangerously high inside the No. 2 reactor building, where the melted fuel debris is behind a thick concrete containment wall. Earlier decontamination work reduced those radiation levels to a fraction of what they used to be.In late August, small groups took turns doing their work helping the robot in 15- to 30-minute shifts to minimize radiation exposure. They have a remotely controlled robot, but it has to be manually pushed in and out.“Working under high levels of radiation (during a short) time limit made us feel nervous and rushed,” said Yasunobu Yokokawa, a team leader for the mission. “It was a difficult assignment.”Full-face masks reduced visibility and made breathing difficult, an extra waterproof jacket made it sweaty and hard to move, and triple-layered gloves made their fingers clumsy, Yokokawa said.To eliminate unnecessary exposure, they taped around gloves and socks and carried a personal dosimeter to measure radiation. Workers also rehearsed the tasks they’d perform to minimize exposure.The mission stalled early on when workers noticed that a set of five 1.5-meter (5-foot) pipes meant to push the robot into the reactor’s primary containment vessel had been arranged in the wrong order.A camera on the robot also failed because of high radioactivity and had to be replaced.The workers’ highest individual radiation dose was more than the overall average but still far below anything approaching a 100-millisievert five-year dose limit.Even so, a growing number of workers are concerned about safety and radiation at the plant, said Ono, the decommissioning chief, citing an annual survey of about 5,5,00 workers.In 2023, two workers splashed with contaminated sludge at a water treatment facility were hospitalized, though they had no health problems. Making sure it’s safe Yokokawa and a plant colleague, Hiroshi Ide, helped in the 2011 emergency and are team leaders today. They say they want to make the job safer as workers face high radiation in parts of the plant.On the top floor of the No. 2 reactor, workers are setting up equipment to remove spent fuel units from the cooling pool. That’s set to begin within two to three years.At the No. 1 reactor, workers are putting up a giant roof to contain radioactive dust from decontamination work on the top floor ahead of the removal of spent fuel.To minimize exposure and increase efficiency, workers use a remote-controlled crane to attach pre-assembled parts, according to TEPCO. The No. 1 reactor and its surroundings are among the most contaminated parts of the plant. What’s next? Workers are also removing treated radioactive wastewater. They recently started dismantling the emptied water tanks to make room to build facilities needed for the research and storage of melted fuel debris.After a series of small missions by robots to gather samples, experts will determine a larger-scale method for removing melted fuel, first at the No. 3 reactor.Experts say the hard work and huge challenges of decommissioning the plant are just beginning. There are estimations that the work could take more than a century. The government and TEPCO have an initial completion target of 2051, but the retrieval of melted fuel debris is already three years behind, and many big issues remain undecided.Ide, whose home in Namie town, northwest of the plant, is in a no-go zone because of nuclear contamination, still has to put on a hazmat suit, even for brief visits home.“As a Fukushima citizen, I would like to make sure the decommissioning work is done properly so that people can return home without worries,” he said. This story has been corrected to remove erroneous reference to burns in the 2023 incident. Mari Yamaguchi, Associated Press
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An influx of copy-and-pasted Christian messages has recently taken over TikToks comment sections. Over the past several days, comments about Jesus Christ have surfaced among the top comments on a wide range of unrelated videos. Theres no obvious connection between the accounts posting them, but the pattern is hard to miss. @felixblaz – roku beats – roku beats Jesus died on a cross for you. He defeated death, he defeated your sins. He did this for you, and he gave us the Holy Spirit. Spread the word, reads one of the most frequently repeated comments. Others follow the same script: Jesus died for our sins, weve been given the Holy Spirit, and now its our job to evangelize. Some even admit to being copy-pasted, though the origin of the trend remains unclear. Anyone chronically online knows that TikToks comment section is part of the fun. But the sudden wave of Christian spam is wearing on some users. I was just browsing TikTok in bed this morning before waking up and like you said it’s nearly EVERY video that has 10 or so of these comments, one Reddit user wrote in the r/Christianity subreddit. I have nothing against anyone who is religious or spiritual in any way but absolutely no one is trying to be preached at while they’re just browsing or walking down the street etc, idk what folks think this accomplishes. Other Reddit users have attempted to solve the mystery by suggesting possible explanations. However, no one is certain if the religious messages come from bots, Christians, religious organizations or a combination. Lotta money in the christian right’s been flooding endorsements and advertisers online, you use that money to artificially boost your followers, you appear at the top of youtube. ta daaaaa, you have created a zeitgeist, one Reddit user theorised. Bots, shills, paid comments, and bots and bots, added another. As well as raising questions, the trend has sparked a number of satirical responses. An edited version of the comment, also appearing across viral TikTok videos, references NBA star LeBron James in the same comment format, instead of Jesus Christ. Regardless of where the trend started, religious content is booming across TikToks 1.9 billion global users. Videos featuring the apps top five religious hashtags, including #Jesus, have amassed over 1.2 trillion views. Despite assumptions about waning faith, Gen Z is just as religious as older generations, according to Pew Research’s 2025 studyand on TikTok, the pulpit is louder than ever.
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The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) is set to slash its workforce by more than half, eliminating over 1,300 positions as part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to downsize the federal government. President Donald Trump has characterized the Department of Education as being influenced by “radical zealots and Marxists, and Education Secretary Linda McMahon has publicly acknowledged that the recent workforce reductions at the department are part of a broader plan to dismantle the department entirely. McMahon claims that the recent workforce reduction aims to enhance efficiency and redirect resources. “Today’s reduction in force reflects the Department of Education’s commitment to efficiency, accountability, and ensuring that resources are directed where they matter most: to students, parents, and teachers,” she said in a statement. Partisan divide Despite these assurances, the layoffs affect employees in roles crucial to ensuring compliance with federal education laws, handling student loan oversight, and supporting programs for low-income students and those with disabilities. Critics warn that reducing staff at this scale could significantly weaken the departments ability to uphold equal access to education. A new nationally representative poll commissioned by New America, a nonpartisan think tank based in Washington, D.C., and conducted by Voss Research and Strategy found that most Americans oppose eliminating the Department of Education. The survey revealed that 55% of American adults are against the idea, while only 25% support it, and 17 % remain unsure. The poll also highlighted a stark partisan divide: 89% of Democrats oppose eliminating the department while 51%of Republicans support the move. Independents lean against the cuts as well, with 54% opposing the proposal. Uncertain future for education oversight The cuts at the Education Department are part of a broader effort that has impacted multiple federal agencies, including the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Social Security Administration, with employees reporting increased pressure to accept buyouts. The long-term impact of these cuts remains uncertain. While the administration argues that these reductions will create a leaner, more effective government, many question whether slashing the Education Departments workforce will hinder its ability to serve students, schools, and borrowers. Surely not the path to greatness?
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