Author Bob Gleason, an expert on 2012, talked about his extensive research into post-nuclear apocalypse and how current events are aligning to provide a very real possibility of a nuclear event in the United States. It's very difficult to manufacture nuclear bomb fuel, but once you have it, "it's surprisingly easy to cobble together a group of Hiroshima-style nukes," particularly in the case of suicide bombers, who become the triggering mechanism themselves, he warned. A Hiroshima-type bomb would have the initial temperature of several million degrees, and create a fireball/blast wave that would destroy everything in a radius of one mile. "It leaves a kind of vacuum and everything gets sucked in," and is the one true weapon of mass destruction, he said.

It could be difficult to trace the origin of a nuclear attack, he noted. One scenario, called "Catalytic Nuclear War," plays off of this. A "small vengeful power creates the illusion that one of the superpowers is nuking the nations of the Earth," and this could start a devastating nuclear war between two superpowers, he detailed.

The Middle East remains a region of concern, and Gleason recommended getting free from dependence on foreign oil, because we're "bankrolling people who dislike us." He also cited nuclear energy plants as being problematic. He suspects that many nations keep or want such plants (which are not cost efficient over the long term), because they have the potential to contribute nuclear fuel for weapons.

Panic Attacks

First hour guest, Dr. Peter Breggin discussed panic attacks, in which people feel a tremendous sense of anxiety, helplessness, dread, or disaster that can immobilize them. The Upjohn pharmaceutical company labeled the problem as "panic disorder," and successfully pushed Xanax as a treatment. However, Dr. Breggin noted that this only works as a temporary fix, and that people can get non-pharmaceutical relief by focusing on retaking control of their mind when they are in the midst of a panic attack.

News segment guest: Mike Adams