The media is now advising people on how to survive a nuclear attack


It's not every day that you scroll through your Twitter timeline, see an article about what to do "in case of a nuclear attack," and think, Huh, that seems like it'd be useful and relevant information for my life right now. But after North Korea reportedly succeeded in miniaturizing a nuclear weapon to fit on its missiles and President Trump subsequently promised to rain "fire and fury" down on Pyongyang, you might be in a different state of mind than usual:
NBC News' well-timed tweet actually refers readers to an article written in April — aka a more innocent time — and suggests "sheltering in place, beneath as many layers of protection as possible." While that might actually not do much to protect you, it does encapsulate the media's ominous coverage of the recent turn of events between America and North Korea.
For the time being, at least, you might as well "sleep well," as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Wednesday. "If we were really about to launch a massive, bloody war with North Korea that could potentially kill tens of thousands of innocent civilians in South Korea and elsewhere […] one would expect to see a major mobilization happening across the political, military, and diplomatic arms of the U.S. government," Vox points out. "We're not seeing anything like that. What we do have is a belligerent statement from President Trump that he made while on vacation in New Jersey."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Then again, you can always err on the safe side and befriend a prepper.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
The Miami Showband massacre, 50 years on
The Explainer Unanswered questions remain over Troubles terror attack that killed three members of one of Ireland's most popular music acts
-
Tea app hack: user data stolen from women's dating safety app
In The Spotlight Data leak has led to fears users could be targeted by men angered by the app's premise
-
The Assassin: action-packed caper is 'terrific fun'
The Week Recommends Keeley Hawes stars as a former hitwoman drawn out of retirement for 'one last job'
-
Samsung to make Tesla chips in $16.5B deal
Speed Read Tesla has signed a deal to get its next-generation chips from Samsung
-
FCC greenlights $8B Paramount-Skydance merger
Speed Read The Federal Communications Commission will allow Paramount to merge with the Hollywood studio Skydance
-
Tesla reports plummeting profits
Speed Read The company may soon face more problems with the expiration of federal electric vehicle tax credits
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new high
Speed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year
-
Economists fear US inflation data less reliable
speed read The Labor Department is collecting less data for its consumer price index due to staffing shortages
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement