Episode 470 | The HighWire with Del Bigtree delivers a powerful episode covering vaccine messaging, an impending global food crisis, autism communication rights, and cutting-edge stem cell science.

First, One of the most powerful human events The HighWire has covered centers on the film Spellers, and the communication method that allows non-speaking individuals with autism to express themselves through spelling. Dawnmarie Gaivin, AT-ACP, founder of the Spellers Freedom Foundation, joins Del, along with Spellers cast member Elizabeth Bonker, for an inspiring conversation exposing the growing battle over the right to communicate.

As Robert F. Kennedy Jr. works to reconstitute the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), we examine the new media narrative being deployed against so-called anti-vaxxers and what it signals about the next phase of the public health debate.
Then, Jefferey Jaxen reports on the growing fertilizer supply crisis linked to instability around the Strait of Hormuz, a key global chokepoint through which roughly one-third of the world’s fertilizer ingredients move. What could this mean for food supply, energy, fuel prices, and the risk of a broader international food crisis?

Finally, Del sits down with Ed Clay, a former MMA fighter whose family health crisis led him deep into the world of stem cell therapies and cancer research. He now leads one of the biggest clinics in the world doing this work — in Mexico. It’s a jaw-dropping conversation about why this science is happening outside the United States and what it could mean for the future of medicine.

Guests: Dawnmarie Gaivin, AT-ACP, Elizabeth Bonker, Ginnie Breen, Ed Clay,

Airdate: April 2, 2026