As chilling maps circulate online, claiming to reveal seven key locations in the United States that a foreign leader would allegedly target with nuclear weapons, anxious readers are left wondering how close we might be to the unthinkable. With missiles already traded between rival nations in the Middle East and a grinding war in Eastern Europe, every new headline feels like a countdown. People want to know which cities, which bases, which lives could be erased in an instant, but officials stay deliberately vague, speaking in cautious terms about deterrence and defense while refusing to confirm or deny the most frightening projections. As memories of past presidential decisions resurface and angry reactions from abroad are replayed on every screen, many are left asking whether quiet suburbs or bustling coasts are truly safe anymore, or if this is just the calm before a storm no one can full…