The NRC says Japan's nuclear crisis is far worse than the Japanese government has said. Expert Jim Walsh comments. FULL POST

Senior political analyst David Gergen says President Obama needs to take the lead on Libya. FULL POST

Japan's Noriyuki Shikata is asked about the NRC's claim that spent fuel rods are exposed at a quake-damaged reactor.

Many Japanese citizens have lost faith in statements by their government. CNN's Anderson Cooper reports from Tokyo.  FULL POST

Gloria Borger, CNN Senior Political Analyst, joined Eliot and Will In the Arena on Wednesday. Here's what she wrote:

I just spoke with Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who strongly criticizes President Obama for not leading on Libya.

He believes that it’s not too late to institute a no-fly zone over the country we can do it with a coalition of the willing, if either the U.N. Security Council or NATO cannot get unanimous agreement.

He believes that the president –who told Gadhafi that he “must go”– must now follow-up, or others in the region—namely Iran—will see the United States as a nation that will not keep its word, and does not follow through on its declarations.  FULL POST

Here's what I'm thinking about today (Wednesday, 3-16-11):

Several of our viewers are right. No, not about me being terrible and too Fox-like, but that we need to be clear about the differences between radiation and radioactive contamination, and between nuclear explosions and what is going on in Japan.

I’m also very wary of the loose comparisons to Cherynobl. There are way too many differences between Cherynobl and Fukushima. Cherynobl continued to produce fission well into the disaster. Fission has long stopped in Japan. Cherynobl had no containment vessel. Japan does. Cherynobl used carbon-based fuel, intensifying the contamination. Japan does not. And on and on. You get the point. FULL POST

ONLY ON THE BLOG: Answering today’s five OFF-SET questions is Margaret Harding, president of 4 Factor Consulting, LLC.

With almost 30 years of experience in the nuclear industry, she was Vice President of Engineering Quality for GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy. She earned a BS in Nuclear Engineering from Iowa State. Harding served on the Technical Advisory Board for WizNucleus, a start-up IT company providing cyber-security and other IT services to the nuclear industry.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said that radiations levels at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant had increased to “levels that can impact human health.” As you follow the story, what are your main concerns about these nuclear plants in the most devastated areas?

The continuing integrity of the vessel and the containment, as well as, of course, the health and safety of my dedicated colleagues in the Japanese nuclear industry working around the clock to protect their fellow citizens and of Japan’s electric sources.

How well do you know the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant? Are workers routinely rehearsed for this kind of disaster?

I’ve never been to the Fukushima Daiichi plant. And while I’m not personally familiar with Japanese safety drills, I can tell you that everyone involved in nuclear science and technology is committed to a culture of safety. For example, in the United States, operators routinely and frequently participate in training to keep their emergency response skills sharp. FULL POST

Two Numbers of the Day today…

The first Number of the Day is 6.

That’s the number of reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan that are at the center of the world’s attention…reactors that are at various stages of releasing radiation and potentially melting down .

The second Number of the Day is 180.

That's the reported number of workers in power plant heroically trying to stave off further disaster–simultaneously putting out fires, filling spent fuel pools, measuring radiation levels, and watching out for each other.

It is hard to imagine what these folks are going through as they work in what to most of us, is a terrifying environment of complex equipment, fires, burning steam, radiation and the possibility of another explosion at any moment. FULL POST

ONLY ON THE BLOG: We’re checking back in with Ryan McDonald, an American who teaches English in Koriyama and evacuated to Kitakata, Japan. On last Friday’s show (3-11-11,) he talked about the amazing video he shot of the devastating earthquake.

You write, "We are planning an escape route to Niigata then Nagoya then either south or Hong Kong or Thailand." First of all, why did you reach this decision?

Our frame of mind is basically this: Imagine being in a car wreck, then having someone BLAST a bull horn in your ear every 15 minutes for 30 hours straight. Then randomly about 20 times a day for the next 90 hours straight.

Each aftershock or new earthquake is adding to our tension. Today we heard the remaining 50 people left the reactor at the same time there was another small quake at the same time the construction crew outside our apartment was demolishing a building. We've later heard the people only temporarily left while the water was still running, so we are a bit calmer now. FULL POST

NEW FIRE FUELS FEARS - Wednesday broke in Japan with news of a new blaze at the damaged nuclear plant that crews have struggled to control since last week's devastating earthquake and tsunami, adding to radiation fears in a country racing to avoid a full-on nuclear crisis. The fire was discovered Wednesday morning in the northwestern corner of the No. 4 reactor building at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, an official with Tokyo Electric Power Company told reporters.

It was the latest setback for a country struggling to dig its way out of the wreckage wrought by last week's earthquake and tsunami. At least 3,676 people have died, the National Police Agency said Wednesday morning. Another 7,558 people are missing and 1,990 were injured, it said.

In a rare address, Japan's Emperor Akihito told a televised audience Wednesday to not give up hope. FULL POST