In a moment that reveals how deeply political the science of immunity has become, Moderna's mRNA-based influenza vaccine has received federal approval in the United States after an unusual regulatory reversal — the FDA having initially refused even to review the application earlier this year. The vaccine, mFlusiva, is now cleared for adults 50 and older, arriving at a time when Moderna urgently needs new commercial footing as its pandemic-era revenue fades. The episode is less a simple story of scientific progress than a window into the fractured relationship between public health institutions