Editorial - The HighWire

The UN’s “Non-Binding” Pandemic Declaration: Sequence In, Shot Out

Updated 2:36 PM EDT, Wed October 21, 2026

On October 12, with little to no media coverage, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Political Declaration on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response. The vote was 153 in favor and 3 against. The United States, Israel, and Argentina voted no, and New Zealand and Paraguay abstained. The scant headlines moved on within a day,…Continue reading The UN’s “Non-Binding” Pandemic Declaration: Sequence In, Shot Out

The Kind of People Who Build Bridges for Animals

Updated 6:14 AM EDT, Tue October 20, 2026

Three mule deer wandered up to a brand-new bridge near Grass Lake, in the far north of California, and walked across it. The bridge was built just for them, and other animals, and a trail camera caught them taking advantage of it. Remarkably, the bridge was not even finished being built when they used it.…Continue reading The Kind of People Who Build Bridges for Animals

From Lockdowns to Large Language Models: How AI Became the Post-COVID Companion We Never Asked For

Updated 5:54 AM EDT, Mon October 19, 2026

The Trillion-Dollar AI Boom Built on a Generation Already Isolated by COVID The date was May 11, 2023, and the federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency officially ended in the United States. An entire generation of children and adolescents had been artificially masked and forced onto devices for their education and socialization. Already struggling with mental…Continue reading From Lockdowns to Large Language Models: How AI Became the Post-COVID Companion We Never Asked For

Understanding Solar Geoengineering: Separating Science, Speculation, and the Debate Over Climate Intervention

For decades, the idea of deliberately manipulating Earth’s climate seemed confined to science fiction. Today, geoengineering has become the subject of government research programs, academic studies, private investment, and public debate. One proposed form of climate engineering is solar geoengineering, or more formally, Solar Radiation Modification (SRM). It would attempt to cool the Earth by…Continue reading Understanding Solar Geoengineering: Separating Science, Speculation, and the Debate Over Climate Intervention

Updated 9:22 AM EDT, Thu September 3, 2026

Behind the Meter, Beyond the Pledge

In a lonely stretch of rural West Texas called Pecos County, construction crews are clearing the land for a power plant unlike almost any other in the United States. The New York Times investigated the site in August, revealing that Cleanview satellite images showed that the ground there was already being scraped bare. The project…Continue reading Behind the Meter, Beyond the Pledge

Updated 11:25 AM EDT, Wed September 2, 2026

The Invisible Lighthouse

On the rooftop of a seven-story building on Long Island, scientist Justine Haupt has installed what her lab calls a lighthouse. Unlike a typical lighthouse, the purpose of Haupt’s project is not to warn ships. Instead, it catches single particles of light, one at a time, that have been fired thirteen miles away through the…Continue reading The Invisible Lighthouse

Updated 3:07 PM EDT, Mon August 31, 2026

Net Zero Just Lost Its Political Magic As Data Centers Killed the “Existential Threat” Talking Point Overnight

The great chilling effect on political will to permanently alter society with net zero goals in an effort to halt climate change is being noticed. The New York Times writes in its article titled How Should Democrats Talk About Climate Change the following: “In California, Xavier Becerra, a Democrat, emerged as the front-runner to be…Continue reading Net Zero Just Lost Its Political Magic As Data Centers Killed the “Existential Threat” Talking Point Overnight

Updated 5:14 AM EDT, Sun August 30, 2026

The Last Clean Ore: AI’s Great Book Harvest

Something strange has been transpiring in secondhand bookshops around the world. Over the past several months, bookstore owners from Northumberland to Galway to Wellington have received enormous orders from buyers that they have never heard of, for large quantities of books that have nothing in common. The orders are not for a themed collection, and…Continue reading The Last Clean Ore: AI’s Great Book Harvest

Updated 5:07 AM EDT, Thu August 27, 2026

Fauci Takes the Fifth. Farrar Slips Out the Door.

A Senate committee recently voted to hold former NIAID Director Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress, referring him to the Justice Department for possible criminal prosecution. This long-awaited, if partial victory, which occurred on August 6, marks the sharpest turn yet in a long reckoning over Fauci and his catastrophic shenanigans. Specifically, how he…Continue reading Fauci Takes the Fifth. Farrar Slips Out the Door.

Updated 3:29 AM EDT, Tue August 25, 2026