Kiggans and a nearly identical group of House Republicans wrote to their House colleagues last month seeking positive changes to the clean energy tax credit phaseout plan that came out of committee work on the reconciliation bill. Instead, the House-passed version of the bill imposes a faster phaseout timeline, including a repeal of tax credits for projects that don’t begin construction within 60 days of the bill’s enactment.
The Republican lawmakers in support of IRA’s clean energy credits asked that the Senate alter that provision — along with a foreign entity of concern provision that was again called “overly prescriptive” — and maintain tax credit transferability throughout the credits’ lifetime. The group said that though they were “proud to have worked to ensure that the bill did not include a full repeal of the clean energy tax credits,” they remain “deeply concerned about those provisions.”
The tax credit phaseout schedule included in the House-passed bill, “would cause significant disruption to projects under development and stop investments needed to win the global energy race,” the letter said. The lawmakers said the overall approach to the tax credit changes “jeopardizes ongoing development, discourages long-term investment, and could significantly delay or cancel energy infrastructure projects across the country.”
The group recommended the 60-day timeline and the bill’s “placed in service” standard should be replaced with a “commence construction” requirement. The group said that due to permitting delays and other issues outside of project developers’ control, it is hard for the businesses to be sure when their projects will be “placed in service.” Swapping that language with a “commence construction” provision would give companies more flexibility to understand if they are eligible for certain credits and give “the investment clarity and lead time required for energy projects to succeed,” according to the Republican lawmakers.
“Our position has always been that the energy tax code should be modernized in a way that promotes fiscal responsibility and business certainty,” the letter said. “Fully realizing that balance requires improvements to the House-passed version of … the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”
Kiggins was joined on the letter by Reps. Andrew Garbarino, Mike Lawler and Nick LaLota of New York; Mark Amodei of Nevada; Don Bacon of Nebraska; Brian Fitzpatrick and Rob Bresnahan of Pennsylvania; Juan Ciscomani of Arizona; Gabe Evans of Colorado; Young Kim and David Valadao of California; and Thomas Kean Jr. of New Jersey. Garbarino reportedly slept through the full House vote on the bill — which passed by a single vote — but later said he looks forward to supporting the bill’s passage when it comes back from the Senate.
Utilities and renewable energy experts have said the current 60-day timeline would “trigger a scramble” to do as much as possible within that window, while other clean energy experts called the House-passed bill “unworkable” in its current form.
Democrat Judge Rules Against Trump Over Use Of National Guard In California Riots
A federal judge on Thursday blocked the Trump administration from deploying the National Guard to Los Angeles, and has directed Trump to ‘return control of the California National Guard to Governor Newsom.’
Judge Charles Breyer a Clinton appointee, issued his ruling late Thursday, after Newsom requested to immediately restrict the troops’ power on the ground, and suggested that at minimum, federal law required Trump to alert the governor’s office.
Breyer repeatedly emphasized during a hearing earlier that Trump is exercising presidential authority – not that of a King (playing right into the current protests, of course).
“That’s the difference between a constitutional government and King George,” said Breyer. ““It’s not that a leader can simply say something and then it becomes it. It’s a question of is a leader, a president or the governor, following the law as set forth in both the Constitution and statutes.”
“That’s what a president, a governor or any leader must act under. Otherwise, they become something other than a constitutional officer.“
Breyer also agreed with Newsom’s legal argument that Trump’s deployment was legally defective.
That said, as Politico‘s Kyle Cheney points out, Breyer gave the Trump admin until Noon Friday, which “should be enough time for Trump to seek emergency appeal at the 9th Circuit and perhaps Supreme Court.”
Breyer stays his order until noon tomorrow, which should be enough time for Trump to seek emergency appeal at 9th Circuit and perhaps Supreme Court. https://t.co/RjvefxZcSOpic.twitter.com/AbXYVumPaE
Israeli Airstrikes On Tehran Will Continue ‘For Days’, Netanyahu Warns As Iran Counterattacks
LIVE FEED from Al Jazeera:
* * *
Update (2115ET): Al Jazeera and regional media have reported at least six large explosions were observed in the Iranian capital of Tehran, as Israel confirms it has launched ‘Operation Rising Lion’ – which importantly Netanyahu in a televised address said “will continue for as many days” until the Iranian ‘nuclear threat’ is removed, and “as long as necessary”.
There are unconfirmed reports that Iranian jets have been scrambled and that the Islamic Republic’s inevitable retaliation has begun. Iran possesses an immense ballistic missile arsenal, many which can be launched from underground silos and deep below ground ‘missile cities’. Developing:
ISRAEL BELIEVES IT KILLED SOME IRAN GENERALS, ATOMIC SCIENTISTS
ISRAEL MILITARY OFFICIAL COMMENTS ON KILLINGS OF IRAN OFFICIALS
Prime Minister Netanyahu:
“Moments ago, Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, a targeted military operation to roll back the Iranian threat to Israel’s very survival.
This operation will continue for as many days as it takes to remove this threat.” pic.twitter.com/3c8oF1GCYa
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) June 13, 2025
There are also reports of large blasts heard in Natanz city, home to a key nuclear site, according to Iranian state TV. Hawkish Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has issued a short tweet saying “Game on”.
Update 8:35pm: AP cites an Israeli official who says that the targets are Iran Nuclear and Military sites; Meanwhile Iran has suspended all flights into its international airport, while Israel has closed all airspace.
Netanyahu: ‘Operation Rising Lion’ Launched
Ongoing rockets/missiles near or on Baghdad International Airport , sources in the airport confirmed to me hearing ongoing explosions
NYT quoting an Iranian official: Three residential buildings demolished in the Shahrak Shahid Mahallati neighborhood in Tehran, where senior military leaders reside
ISRAEL OFFICIAL CONFIRMS ATTACK TARGETED IRAN NUCLEAR SITES: AP
IRAN SUSPENDS FLIGHTS AT TEHRAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT: TASNIM
The Israeli defense forces add that dozens of IAF jets complete the first stage of Iran strikes.
Israeli PM Netanyahu says comments that Israel is attacking Iran’s nuclear program, is seeking to remove the ballistic missile threat and that strikes will last until last threat is removed.
NETANYAHU: WE ARE AT A DECISIVE MOMENT IN ISRAEL’S HISTORY
NETANYAHU: WE TARGETED IRAN’S MAIN ENRICHMENT FACILITY IN NATANZ
NETANYAHU: SEEKING TO REMOVE BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT
It also appears that the reason Israel targeted specifics residential buildings is because as we expected, it was conducting targeted assassinations:
NETANYAHU: WE TARGETED IRAN’S LEADING NUCLEAR SCIENTISTS WORKING ON THE IRANIAN BOMB, WE ALSO STRUCK THE HEART OF IRAN’S BALLISTIC MISSILE PROGRAMME
Meanwhile, the US State Department is pretending like it had zero involvement in this latest neocon-inspired debacle.
*RUBIO SAYS US IS NOT INVOLVED IN ISRAEL STRIKES AGAINST IRAN
*RUBIO: IRAN SHOULD NOT TARGET U.S. INTERESTS OR PERSONNEL
*RUBIO: ISRAEL TOOK UNILATERAL ACTION VS IRAN
Good luck with Iran buying that.
* * *
Futures and yields are tumbling, and gold and oil are surging following reports of successive explosions in Iran as a result of what Al Arabiya reports are Israeli airstrikes; Axios has confirmed that the Israeli Air Force conducted a strike in Iran, “attacking its biggest and best-armed adversary, without clear backing from the U.S.” It was not immediately clear who Israel is targeting.
Strikes on Tehran reportedly targeted air-defenses and other military sites throughout the city. pic.twitter.com/T3WX4Re1Gq
As Axios adds, sirens are sounding across Israel on Thursday night. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz declared a special state of emergency across the entire country, and said he expects retaliation after the preemptive Iran strike.
Smoke seen rising from several sites across the Iranian capital of Tehran, following strikes by the Israeli Air Force. pic.twitter.com/9DkweHmHIJ
“Following the State of Israel’s preemptive strike against Iran, a missile and drone attack against the state of Israel and its civilian population is expected in the immediate future,” Katz said.
An Israel Defense Forces spokesperson said only “necessary” activities should take place in Israel starting Friday morning local time. That includes a ban on “educational activities, gatherings and workplaces, with the exception of essential businesses.”
Ahead of the Israeli strikes, the US notified several allies in private on Thursday that Israeli strikes were imminent and made clear it was not involved, one of the Axios sources said.
Sure enough, moments after the airstrikes, CNN reported that Trump is convening a cabinet level meeting.
Meanwhile, as Trump said earlier today, his administration already told Israel it would not participate in any strikes on the nuclear program, however, the U.S. has previously helped defend Israel from Iranian attacks and would likely do so again if this strike kicks off a retaliatory cycle according to Axios.
In doing so, the US president will likely lose substantial backing from those who do not want to be associated with neocons. But at least Lindsay Graham will have wonderful things to say about Trump.
While it is unclear what the targets of Iran’s airstrikes are, some have speculated that since the targets are residential buildings that these are targeted assassinations.
… while Oil (where we recently warned that the record shorts will be badly burned)…
… and gold are soaring.
The question now is whether this is all performative theater, like the two cases of “non-war” a year ago when the two sides exchanges violently dramatic if completely ineffective strikes against each other, or if this is the real thing and shortly Iran’s nuclear facilities will be a pile of rubble.
Russia Relocates Strategic Bombers To Protect From Ukraine Drone Swarms
Following Ukraine’s long-range drone assault on June 1st which was dubbed ‘Operation Spider’s Web’ – and which resulted in the destruction of at least several aircraft, including strategic bombers – Russia has relocated dozens of strategic bombers to remote airbases, new satellite imagery shows.
Ukraine had claimed that during the daring operation airbases Murmansk, Irkutsk, Ryazan, and Ivanovo, were hit, damaging or else completely destroying up to 41 aircraft, including Tu-95s, Tu-22M3s, and A-50s. However, Russian media sources have repeatedly said these numbers are exaggerated, and in some instances have claimed decommissioned and inactive planes were hit.
The Russian military is scrambling to reduce the vulnerability and exposure of the country’s most advanced and expensive aircraft, as Ukrainian drones have continued to come over the border on a nightly basis, sometimes in waves of hundreds.
The air force’s bomber fleet is also likely to be rotated more often, including to remote or even previously inactive airfields.
According to analysis of the new satellite imagery in the Amsterdam-based Moscow Times:
Satellite imagery analyzed by the OSINT research group AviVector shows that all Tu-160 bombers previously stationed at the Belaya airbase in Irkutsk and the Olenya airbase in Murmansk had vacated their positions by early June.
Two of those bombers were redeployed to Anadyr in the Chukotka region, three to Yelizovo in the Kamchatka region and another three to the Borisoglebskoye airbase in the republic of Tatarstan.
Tu-22M3 and Tu-95MS aircraft were also relocated from Murmansk to bases in Tatarstan and the Amur and Saratov regions, as well as to Mozdok in the republic of North Ossetia — a facility that had not been actively used by the Russian military in recent years.
Example of the new satellite imagery evaluated by AviVector…
For another example of what looks like a Moscow decision to move these valuable military assets as far away from Ukraine as possible is as follows:
Located on the desolate Chukotka Peninsula, the airfield is around 410 miles from Alaska and was set up during the Cold War.
The supersonic Tu-160 bombers can carry nuclear weapons and are by far the most expensive in Russia’s inventory, with a price tag of around $500 million per unit. By comparison, the B-52 Stratofortress, the mainstay of the US’s bomber fleet, has an estimated value of roughly $94 million.
‘Spider’s Web’ added some insult to injury given that in some cases some of Russia’s most high-dollar aircraft were hit by “cheap drones” which had first been shipped into Russia “right under the nose” of Russian security forces.
The drones had been activated once near the airbase targets while on modified wooden cabins mounted on the back of lorries. It seems that in many cases the very truck drivers were seemingly unaware of their role in the elaborate covert operation.
The organization “Tęczowe Opole” had created the exhibit to present photos and accounts of young homosexual, bisexual, and transgender people from the Opole region, and displayed it in the Sejm during an action-packed day as lawmakers were in full attendance to debate the confidence vote in Prime Minister Donald Tusk, writes the Do Rzeczy news portal.
In the footage now circling social media, a uniformed officer warned Braun to stop. “Mr. MP, I am calling you to order. Please do not destroy the exhibition,” he could be heard saying.
Another person present at the time asked Braun: “What are you doing, Mr. MP? This is an exhibition,” to which the MP replied, “I am preventing public scandal.”
Kiedy to miała być zwykła nudna wycieczka szkolna do Sejmu, ale Sejm akurat zawierał naraz Grzegorza Brauna i wystawę LGBT: pic.twitter.com/sqJSKeflAs
The footage also showed high school children who were apparently on a trip to the Sejm, with some commenters indicating they were amused by his actions.
In response to his actions, Speaker of the Sejm Szymon Hołownia told press that Braun will no longer be allowed to enter the Sejm.
“It is not the first time that MEP Braun has committed vandalism on the premises of the Chancellery of the Sejm. Until now, the Marshal’s Guard could use physical force against persons covered by immunity when someone’s health or life is at risk. From now on, the Marshal’s Guard will also use it in a situation when such a person destroys property on the premises managed by the Chancellery of the Sejm,” said Hołownia.
🇵🇱 Polish MEP and former presidential candidate Grzegorz Braun destroyed a pro-LGBT exhibition this afternoon in the Polish parliament. pic.twitter.com/XOi7EMr38o
“I have also decided that Braun will not be allowed to enter the Sejm. I do not intend to allow him to build his pathological popularity on xenophobia, on insulting people of a different sexual orientation, on hatred,” he added.
On the same day, Grzegorz Braun welcomed former MP Jacek Wilk to the Confederation of the Polish Crown at a press conference in the Sejm.
“We are breaking taboos, breaking monopolies in public and political life, and together with Jacek Wilk, a member of the Sejm of the 8th term, and I hope also of the following terms, we have been doing this together for years,” Braun said.
As noted by Do Rzeczy, Grzegorz Braun was removed from the Confederation of Freedom and Independence after he announced his run in the presidential elections.
Known for his anti-Semitic, homophobic, and nationalist views, Braun managed to secure 6.3 percent in the first round of Poland’s presidential election in May. The self-proclaimed monarchist has reportedly said he wants Jesus crowned king of Poland, and in his most recent stunt, took a doctor hostage for over an hour because he believed an abortion she had performed had been illegal.
Smartmatic Accused Of Deleting Evidence In $2.7B Fox News Defamation Case: Court Docs
Executives at voting software firm Smartmatic ordered the deletion and doctoring of key evidence tied to the company’s $2.7 billion defamation case against Fox News, according to claims in a bombshell court filing made Wednesday in New York.
In a new legal memorandum filed with the New York Supreme Court, Fox News accused Smartmatic executives – including CEO Antonio Mugica – of “spoliation of records” related to the high-stakes lawsuit, which stems from Fox’s coverage of the 2020 election.
The conservative network pointed to explosive internal communications to support its claims.
“On the eve of filing this lawsuit, and while the U.S. Department of Justice was investigating Smartmatic and its executives for bribery and corruption, Smartmatic’s CEO Antonio Mugica, in writing, ordered Smartmatic’s President Roger Piñate Jr. – who has since been federally indicted for those crimes – to delete WhatsApp mobile messages discussing critical damages issues surrounding the outlandish $2.7 billion the company planned to seek from Fox,” the filing states.
Just days earlier, Fox alleges, “a top Smartmatic executive, again in writing, directed his subordinates to doctor key customer records to manufacture support for the massive damages case Smartmatic had invented.”
The legal salvo also claims Smartmatic employees went on a mass deletion spree.
“[W]hile they should have been retaining documents, key Smartmatic employees deleted their mobile messages, depriving Fox of yet more evidence undermining Smartmatic’s unsupported damages claim,” the document says.
Fox’s attorneys told the court that nearly “two dozen Smartmatic executives and sales personnel deleted data relevant to Smartmatic’s multi-billion-dollar damages claims either shortly before or while this case was pending.” They added: “For many witnesses, the spoliation is pervasive and resulted in the apparent deletion of all, or nearly all, of their mobile data.”
The result? “The destroyed text messages have left serious gaps in the record from individuals who were directly responsible for developing Smartmatic’s farfetched damages story,” the filing reads. “Smartmatic, its CEO, and the high-ranking employees at issue were plainly hoping to leave Fox with nothing to rebut the self-interested testimony of the Smartmatic witnesses who provide the company’s sole evidence of damages. This destruction of evidence should not be rewarded.”
The court filing is just the latest salvo in a long-running war between the media giant and the election tech company.
Smartmatic is suing Fox for $2.7 billion over its coverage of the 2020 election – alleging Fox aired false claims that Smartmatic’s software helped rig the outcome. As The Federalist’s Beth Brelje previously reported, Smartmatic claims in court filings that it “lost business” as a result of the reports.
Fox, for its part, argued in a separate filing last week that Smartmatic was already facing financial struggles prior to the 2020 election. That filing also alleged Smartmatic’s equipment “was not certified,” the firm “didn’t follow bidding requirements,” and its services “were not competitively priced,” according to Brelje.
In its latest ask to the court, Fox is seeking a finding of “intentional spoliation by Smartmatic,” along with “all relief that the Court deems appropriate.” Among other requests, Fox wants the court to issue “adverse inferences that the spoliated evidence undermined Smartmatic’s damages claims,” strike any lost-profits claims from post-2022, and cap Smartmatic’s general damages to “nominal” amounts.
Smartmatic, however, is firing back – accusing Fox of attempting to distract from its own misconduct.
“Fox continues to smear Smartmatic to distract from the truth: Fox lied following the 2020 election and has repeatedly lied to shield itself from accountability in this case,” said Erik Connolly, Smartmatic’s attorney, in a statement to The Federalist.
“Fox’s baseless attacks are nothing more than retaliation, a deliberate effort to avoid addressing its own destruction of evidence,” Connolly added. “Smartmatic has met all of its legal obligations in this case. Unlike Fox, Smartmatic has preserved and produced evidence in accordance with New York law.”
It now goes to the Senate, where it will likely pass along party lines. As in the House, only a majority will be needed to pass it because it is not subject to the 60-vote filibuster threshold.
The seven-page bill eliminates funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio. It also rescinds $15 million from the Institute of Peace and $22 million from the African Development Foundation.
Additionally, it scales back billions of dollars in economic assistance through the U.S. Agency for International Development.
The bill also codifies some of the cuts made by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which was led by Elon Musk. DOGE has saved taxpayers $180 billion, or more than $1,118 per taxpayer, according to its website.
The legislation was sent last week to Congress by the White House in accordance with the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974. Congress has 45 days to approve such requests.
The House Rules Committee advanced the bill to the floor on June 10, 8–4.
“President [Donald] Trump and congressional Republicans campaigned on attacking wasteful spending,” the committee’s chairwoman, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), said. “So the new administration … then found wasteful spending. President Trump then acted and recommended that these funds be permanently canceled. I cannot think of a more textbook scenario of the proper utilization of this process.”
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), the committee’s ranking member, disagreed.
He said the bill does not eliminate “waste or fraud or abuse.”
“It’s gutting essential services that people rely on, gutting programs that save lives,” he said.
He cited the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which seeks to eliminate HIV and AIDS worldwide, as an example.
“This program alone has saved 26 million people from dying of HIV, and enabled more than 8 million babies to be born HIV-free,” McGovern said. “There are now tens of millions of people on lifesaving treatment with PEPFAR accounting for over 90 percent of preventative treatments around the world. Your bill pulls the rug from under this program and caps 20 years of virus progress.”
Ahead of the vote, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) criticized the package as “reckless” and predicted that every Republican would vote for it.
“It’s going to undermine America’s national security, hurt our ability to protect the American people in terms of their health, their safety and their well-being, including by going after a George W. Bush bipartisan initiative that has saved thousands, actually hundreds of thousands, actually millions of lives across the world by combating the HIV and AIDS crisis,” he said, referring to PEPFAR.
Rep. Carlos Giménez (R-Fla.) told The Epoch Times that the PEPFAR matter is “not an issue.”
“Reports of it affecting that are not true,” he said.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) told The Epoch Times that the criticism over it possibly affecting PEPFAR is “saber-rattling.”
Putin Reminds West That Russia Has World’s Most Advanced Nuclear Weapons
Russian President Vladimir Putin during a Wednesday meeting of government ministers and military leaders took the opportunity to remind all other nations, especially the West, that Russia possesses the world’s most advanced nuclear weapons.
He introduced in the public statements that “special attention” must be paid to the continued development of the country’s nuclear triad, in reference to the combination of land-based delivery methods, submarine-launched ballistic missiles and strategic bombers.
“Now, the share of the state-of-the-art weapon systems and equipment in our strategic nuclear forces comes to 95%,” Putin said, according to state media translation. He added Russia is making “good progress” on the nuclear readiness front.
“That is the highest level among all of the world’s nuclear powers,” Putin then emphasized. He said:
Today, our task is to form a new long-term program for the entire complex of systems and weapons models, including, first of all, of course, promising ones, to make maximum use of the experience of the special military operation (the war against Ukraine – ed.), various regional conflicts, and, of course, it is important to take into account global trends in the development of military technologies.
He also assessed general military readiness, saying further: “The dominant force in conducting modern military operations of any scale and intensity remains the ground forces. And it is important to increase their combat capabilities in the shortest possible time.”
Currently, full nuclear triad capabilities are possessed only by three countries in the world — the USA, China and Russia.
American military leaders have tended to acknowledge the diversity and advancement of Russia’s nuclear-delivery systems. One of the latest new systems, the Sarmat ICBM, is boasted by Kremlin sources as being able to travel 11,000 miles (about 18,000km) with a payload of around ten tons.
A month ago, Putin made an unprecedented allegation. He asserted that Ukraine’s Western supporters in NATO were essentially trying to bait Moscow into deploying nuclear weapons in Ukraine. Putin emphasized that Russia exercised restraint in this matter.
During the ceremony of awarding the Hero of Labor medal, Deputy Scientific Director of the Snezhinsk Nuclear Center Yuri Dikov promised Putin:
“They wanted to provoke us, wanted us to make mistakes,” the Russian leader had asserted in the early May Rossiya-1 interview. “And there was no need to use the weapons that you mentioned. I hope that it won’t be necessary,” he added.
“We have enough capabilities and means to finish what we started in 2022 with the result that Russia needs,” Putin concluded. He emphasized that Russia is able to carry through with its military goals without resorting to nuclear arms.
After some days of thought and consideration, Elon apologized: “I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far.”
The message is short and to the point, with no fluff. He apologized, no excuses, no sarcasm, no elaboration. No, he did not take back his views that Trump should do more to back DOGE cuts.
He has doubts about the tariff agenda. He thinks the government needs to be cut to the bone and that is not happening. He has doubts about other cabinet officials.
He let his frustrations get out of control and posted about it. He has apologized, not for his views but for the way he got carried away. Mostly he rejects the personal attacks on Trump and the other matters that he said “went too far.”
And that was enough.
You could feel all the tension in the room fall to normal almost immediately. Even though Trump has said nothing back, it was enough for one man to simply say: I’m sorry.
It made international news, every venue going on about it. It’s not only because there are some political implications that come from reconciliation. It’s because it is astonishing to see someone actually apologize!
Isn’t it amazing? Just a few words that cost absolutely nothing. Still, they are rarely said. People cling to those words like personal treasure, as if saying them is surrendering an important part of self. In a sense, that is true. Which is precisely why we should hear them more.
“I’m sorry” should be added to “please” and “thank you” as magic words. Kids should be taught this, and not just by instruction but by example too. They need to see their parents say a genuine “I’m sorry” to each other. They need to observe adults simply owning their mistakes without excuses.
For some reason, the practice of genuine apology seems to have vanished from the culture.
Maybe it is due to that pop slogan from a 1970 movie: “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” My mother despised that line, which she said was completely wrong. She says love means being always ready to say you’re sorry.
Still, it stuck, as if never say sorry is an act of love. There are exceptions when under legal duress and only as PR theatrics. We often hear “CNN would like to offer an apology about x, y, and z” but we know for sure that this announcement is part of a legal settlement and therefore not sincere.
In one tactic I’ve heard recently: “I owe you an apology.” That’s admitting a debt, not actually apologizing. Just say: I’m so sorry.
Nor is an apology that is immediately followed by a long string of circumstantial excuses and subtle blaming of everyone else a legitimate apology.
Nor is saying “I’m sorry you are upset” or “You don’t like this and I’m sorry about that.”
Those are all just lame ways to use the word without the meaning.
See how many clever ways we invent to keep from saying that thing? Why? It has something to do with the strange pain that comes with the surrender of ego.
Verbalizing contrition without excuse is extremely difficult. You have to do it often to develop the habit. Hardly anyone has it anymore.
The costs are extremely high as a result. Resentment persists and festers, growing worse over time. It’s true in politics and in interpersonal relationships too.
Saying sorry requires humility. Here again, we live in times when that is nearly absent. Today’s influencers believe they thrive on always being right, never wrong. People gain dopamine hits from fighting rather than getting along. It’s a dog-eat-dog world and everyone seems to be trying to either eat or avoid being eaten.
Humility, contrition, and forgiveness as cultural institutions seem nearly extinct. As a result, lost trust is never regained and results in permanent fissures and lifetime wars among people.
Life is too short for all of us for this kind of nonsense, each tick of the clock getting us all closer to our expiration date, at which point none of it matters anyway.
How many times have you heard someone say a version of the following: “I would be glad to make up and go on like nothing happened but not until I get an apology.”
I figured out years ago what this means. It means nothing will ever be fixed. Waiting for someone else to apologize to you means you will be waiting until death. Essentially, there is no experiential basis for waiting for anyone else ever to apologize to you.
There is only one answer: make the first move. “If I did anything wrong, and I’m certain you believe I did, and no question I could have handled the conflict better, I want to sincerely apologize to you and ask for your forgiveness.”
Say that or some version of that—even if you are barely wrong and the other person is hugely wrong—and nothing more. Watch what happens. There is a good chance that in a few days, the same will come back at you. Then you can talk and find some middle ground to go on.
Otherwise, these resentments, conflicts, loathings, and internal hates pile up in our lives like bags of stones in burlap sacks we drag around with us everywhere. They slow us down and dull the human spirit.
The next part of contrition is forgiveness. Hannah Arendt wrote a famous essay about it. She says that “the Discoverer of the role of forgiveness in the realm of human affairs was Jesus of Nazareth. The fact that he made this discovery in a religious context and articulated it in religious language is no reason to take it any less seriously in a strictly secular sense.”
Forgiveness, unlike vengeance, “is the only reaction which does not merely re-act but acts anew and unexpectedly, unconditioned by the act which provoked it and therefore freeing from its consequences both the one who forgives and the one who is forgiven. The freedom contained in Jesus’ teachings of forgiveness is the freedom from vengeance, which encloses both doer and sufferer who in the relentless automatism of the action process, which by itself need never come to an end.”
That’s beautiful but is there any reason to speak of forgiveness without apology? Probably not. This is why the Christian tradition long emphasized confession, whether in a formal sacrament or just personal honesty with one’s maker. Admit it all. Feel contrite. Pledge to do better. That makes all things right.
At that point, we let it go. We move on. As Arendt says, the field of the future is open, refreshed, a blank canvas on which to paint a new image. So long as we hold on to dreams of revenge and the anger of resentment, the canvas cannot accept a new image at all.
Let’s do what we can to bring back the apology, the genuine expression of regret, the Mea Maxima Culpa with the strike of the breast thrice, without excuse, without footnotes, without mitigating words of subtly blaming others. We are all flawed. We all do wrong. A culture in which we are honest about that with each other is one that can build a brighter future.
Elon has shown the way and deserves nothing but praise. Twitter cost him $44 billion but the apology cost him nothing. The latter could ultimately prove more valuable.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times or ZeroHedge.
White House Fears Iranian Response To An Attack Could Overwhelm Israel’s Air Defenses
Iran’s military says it’s ready for anything at a moment President Trump has reiterated that an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear sites could be imminent. Such a strike “could very well happen,” the president said Thursday.
But…“We are ready for any scenario and have a military strategy,” commander-in-chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Hossein Salami responded in speech on state TV.
Also, White House envoy Steve Witkoff has privately warned top Senate Republicans that Iran’s retaliation to an Israeli strike on its nuclear program “could overwhelm Israel’s defenses and cause mass damage and casualties,” Axios reports.
Trump has said that while something ‘dangerous’ could happen ‘soon’ in the Middle East, the US remains “fairly close to an agreement with Iran”– thus this latest messaging is somewhat contradictory.
Is all of the embassy drawdown reporting merely a ploy? CNN and others have been emphasizing all day that staff draw downs from American embassies in Iraq, Kuwait, and Bahrain are in preparation for something serious.
But it remains that this US State Dept ‘order’ could just be an extreme tactic to make Iran feel the pressure. According to more of the latest from Axios:
Witkoff told the Senators that military strikes by Israel are on the table if no agreement is reached.
He then brought up Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities. The U.S. is concerned Israel’s air defenses would not be able to handle an Iranian response involving hundreds of missiles, the sources said.
Such an attack, Witkoff told the group, could cause massive casualties and damage.
Witkoff also raised concerns about Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal during a speech in New York on Wednesday, calling it “as big of an existential threat” for Israel as Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
Among the worries is that Iran’s defense ministry is currently touting the rollout of a new ballistic missile with a 4,000-lb. warhead.
Aside from the damage this could do to Israel, there’s also the question of US military personnel stationed in the region. Has the Pentagon taken steps to protect these locations?
If the US truly believes an Israeli attack on Iran is imminent, we would probably see more urgent repositioning of US troops in the region – but so far there have been scant indicators of this. Prominent Pentagon correspondents have not obtained any statements or issued evidence of force protection or relocation measures. However, military dependents in some regions are being evacuated.
Potentially in harm’s way if a broader Iran-Israel war breaks out…
According to NBC News late in the day Thursday, “If Israel carries out any operation against Iran, it will be carried out without any US military assistance.”
