Object

Depleted Uranium Fuel Rods (Idaho Crash Cargo)

Packed into 24-ton Type B light casks aboard a heavy-haul truck that slams head-on into Idaho's Goldfield Tunnel amid the Seven Devil Mountains, these depleted uranium fuel rods radiate peril just 20 miles from Elk Horn's 20,000 souls. C.J. detonates the alert in the Outer Oval's hush, ripping Bartlet from Charlie's tax-filing glee; urgency surges into the Roosevelt Room as Josh demands feeds, Larry piles on crash grimness, and national dread eclipses VP intrigue.

3 appearances

Purpose

Nuclear reactor fuel components transported under strict radiological safeguards

Significance

Bursts as radiological apocalypse incarnate, hijacking Oval mentorship and Roosevelt politicking into fevered crisis drills—Bartlet snaps to commander, experts scramble, staff pivots from Hoynes vendettas to containment fury, amplifying presidential duty's savage pull.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

3 moments

S3E17 · Stirred

Bartlet Joyfully Files Charlie's Taxes, Shattered by Crisis Alert

Central to C.J.'s urgent wire service report of crash in Goldfield Tunnel, head-on collision spilling rods near Elk Horn—elevates tax banter to national threat, symbolizing sudden peril yanking White House into hazard containment mode.

Before: Secure in heavy-haul truck en route

After: Spilled hazardous cargo in tunnel wreckage

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S3E17 · Stirred

C.J. Interrupts with Urgent Idaho Uranium Crash Alert

Central hazard in C.J.'s briefing as crashed cargo in Goldfield Tunnel truck, evoking radiological dread near Elk Horn; galvanizes Bartlet's orders, embodying distant peril invading Oval sanctuary to ignite federal response.

Before: Secure in heavy-haul vehicle per wire reports

After: Spilled in tunnel crash wreckage, threatening contamination

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S3E17 · Stirred

C.J. Interrupts with Idaho Uranium Truck Crash Alert

Depleted uranium fuel rods are centrally referenced by C.J. as the hazardous cargo aboard the crashed truck, their proximity to a populated town amplifying national dread and derailing the room's political focus into urgent radiological peril.

Before: Securely transported in casks en route through Idaho

After: Potentially compromised post-crash, radiating threat 20 miles from town

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