#NIH director Jay Bhattacharya says, "What came before [at the NIH] was politicization, and what we’re doing now is depoliticization.” https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/science-research-policy/2026/08/31/nih-director-says-lot-critics-call-much-it (#paywalled) I care about this for two reasons. 1. It's a good example of a justification which would be valid if true, but which isn't true. (I'm writing about these in a work-in-progress.) 2. It's a preview of what #Democrats will say when they return to office. If we can bracket the complexity that the Dem statement will be true and false on different points and to different degrees than the Bhattacharya statement, we can see the reaction to Bhattacharya's statement as a preview of the reaction to the Dem version to come. #USPol #USPolitics