
About a month after word first leaked that the White House wanted to develop a pair of new low-yield nuclear warheads, Defense Secretary James Mattis on Tuesday characterized the proposal as a "bargaining chip" to persuade Russia to freeze what the United States says is a nuclear-capable cruise missile program.In congressional testimony here Tuesday, Mattis told Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) it was "correct" that the proposed low-yield submarine-launched warheads were a "bargaining chip" to bring Russia to the negotiating table…