134 pointsby andsoitisJun 18, 2026

9 Comments

AvicebronJun 19, 2026
positive news?
GolfPopperJun 19, 2026
In the sense that the arsonist who has set the building on fire has been stopped from also lighting a wooden bucket on fire right now, sure, positive news.
bnm04Jun 19, 2026
On Wednesday, June 17th the Senate passed the Saving the OOI Act with unanimous consent. This bill prohibits dismantling the OOI. The bill had not yet passed the House.
63Jun 19, 2026
For those unfamiliar, this implies they would have been able to override a presidential veto, so the administration backtracking is just saving the president the embarassment of a defiant congress/disunified party.
daveguyJun 19, 2026
If the administration cares about embarrassment, I've got some bad news.
tedd4uJun 19, 2026
Trump cares about winning, and appearing invincible, a lot. That’s why in close races, he only endorses near the end when he’s sure who’s going to win.
Terr_Jun 19, 2026
Right, the operative word is less "embarrassment" than "impotence".
ornornorJun 19, 2026
[flagged]
tomhowJun 19, 2026
Please don't do this here.
emsignJun 19, 2026
So many close races, so many near misses.
colechristensenJun 19, 2026
The administration cares about itself feeling embarrassment.

What it feels embarrassment about doesn't necessarily have much to do with what a normal healthy adult would feel embarrassment about.

Think of him like an emotionally damaged child.

tzsJun 19, 2026
When Trump vetoed a drinking water project for Colorado that had passed both the House and Senate by unanimous consent they failed to override it. Don’t underestimate how afraid Republicans in Congress are of angering Trump.
throw0101aJun 19, 2026
> Don’t underestimate how afraid Republicans in Congress are of angering Trump.

Or his armed insurrectionists^W supporters.

cadamsdotcomJun 19, 2026
Widespread worldwide outrage can bring about change.

This seems to be good news without a catch. Am I missing something?

fnordpigletJun 19, 2026
The catch is they’re still the administration.
AIcanbitemeJun 20, 2026
It'll be a long time before the Republicans leave power, the mail-in voting EO will assure that.
Johnny_BonkJun 19, 2026
Hahaha I felt the same way, im like now way this is just a clean nice win, im starting to feel .... hopeful??
enraged_camelJun 19, 2026
That wasn't what brought this change: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48593357
adonovanJun 19, 2026
I agree. This is a most unexpected ray of hope.
softwaredougJun 19, 2026
The only small catch is that NSF did not acknowledge it was illegally withholding funds Congress authorized for the array. And so who knows what might change in the future.

Still Congress seemed willing to pressure the administration on the issue and was about to pass a law directly earmarking the project.

0ckpuppetJun 19, 2026
oh to be young again
arjieJun 19, 2026
This is fantastic. Glad to see we’ll be keeping the sensors.
ggmJun 19, 2026
Would it not make sense for the non US funding to rise matched by an independent commission to manage the data harvesting costs and maintenance?
softwaredougJun 19, 2026
The context behind this is head of OMB Russell Vought thinks impoundments - not paying out congressionally authorized funds - is constitutional. So this seems like a legitimate retreat on one of many impoundment issues. It required real pressure from Congress as they try to harden appropriations against an OMB willing to use almost every tactic to not disburse funds.

But impoundment issues persist in NASA and other science agencies in particular.

Still, it’s a hopeful sign that the constitutional system is not broken completely

dangJun 19, 2026
Related (I think). Have there been others?

U.S. pulling ocean sensors a 'shock' for Canadian research as El Niño nears - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48560847 - June 2026 (271 comments)

U.S. to dismantle system tracking Atlantic currents that are at risk of collapse - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48392232 - June 2026 (487 comments)

r721Jun 19, 2026
dangJun 20, 2026
Added above. Thanks!
jauntywundrkindJun 19, 2026
I ran into this lovely cross-survey paper three months ago, and was so thankful: an amazing incredible view of reality, a depth of understanding. It was such a horror to think of ripping up such amazing science!

Past, present and future of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation Josep L. Pelegrí

https://doi.org/10.3989/scimar.05592.109

alfienightshiftJun 19, 2026
That’s such a big movement, keep going