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Tactical Word Use Has Long History In American Politics, Scholars Say

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In this Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013, file photo, a sign marks the entrance to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. (David Goldman/AP)
In this Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013, file photo, a sign marks the entrance to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. (David Goldman/AP)

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is denying a report from The Washington Post that the Trump administration is prohibiting health officials from using several words, including "fetus," "transgender" and "science-based."

Historians Ed Ayers (@edward_l_ayers) and Brian Balogh (@historyfellow) tell Here & Now's Jeremy Hobson the U.S. government has a long history of guiding the use of certain words. Ayers and Balogh are co-hosts of the podcast BackStory, which is produced at the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.

This segment aired on December 21, 2017.

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