Joel B. Pollak

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Articles by Joel B. Pollak

First Black Journalist to Interview George Zimmerman

On Tuesday evening, the Fusion Network will air George Zimmerman’s first post-trial interview with a black journalist. Fusion Special Correspondent Derrick Ashong sat down with Zimmerman to record the interview, portions of which are already live on Fusion’s website, and

First Black Journalist to Interview George Zimmerman

Republicans are Blowing the Lewinsky Scandal, Again

The mainstream media are furious that Republicans have dared to bring up the Monica Lewinsky scandal, which led to President Bill Clinton’s impeachment fifteen years ago. Not only is it old news, they say, but it is manifestly unfair to

Republicans are Blowing the Lewinsky Scandal, Again

Khamenei: Nuclear Talks Will 'Lead Nowhere'

The talks on a “final” nuclear agreement begin Tuesday in Geneva between Iran and the P+5 powers (the UN Security Council plus Germany). And already, Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is pouring cold water on the negotiations, saying that they

Khamenei: Nuclear Talks Will 'Lead Nowhere'

Joe Wilson Was Right, Part 2

On Monday, Fox News Channel’s The Kelly File took up my article from Friday in which I reported that California’s state Obamacare exchange, Covered California, is recruiting illegal aliens to enroll in the program. I cited the Covered California website, where

Joe Wilson Was Right, Part 2

Charles Barkley's Content-Free Obama Interview

Former NBA star Charles Barkley and President Barack Obama have one thing in common: they are both big talkers who never quite managed to deliver.  The “celebrity interview” of the president dates back to Leonardo di Caprio’s fawning conversion with

Charles Barkley's Content-Free Obama Interview

Don't Forget Foreign Policy in 2014

In response to Bullet Points for GOP Success in 2014: One of the most important points in Republicans’ favor heading into the 2014 midterm elections is foreign policy. Though Republicans have diverse opinions on America’s role in the world, and

United Auto Workers May Drop 'Auto' After VW Defeat

The United Auto Workers (UAW) union, long an institution in the American automotive industry, may no longer focus on automobile workers in the wake of its stunning rejection by Volkswagen workers last week in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Instead, the union may

United Auto Workers May Drop 'Auto' After VW Defeat

Netanyahu's Party Ties His Hands on Concessions to Palestinians

Members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party have won a crucial court battle over the party’s internal rules that allow the leader of the central committee, in this case Deputy Minister of Defense Danny Danon, to require

Netanyahu's Party Ties His Hands on Concessions to Palestinians

The Folly of California's Climate Change Policies–Continued

David Dayen of Politico Magazine asks: “Can Anybody Save California?” The thrust of his article is an attempt to shift blame from politicians (especially President Barack Obama) to climate change. (Dayen makes little note of the federal government’s role, and

The Folly of California's Climate Change Policies–Continued

South Africa's Anti-Israel Hysteria–and Why You Should Care

Once again, dear reader, we delve deep into the obscure and ill-conceived debate among South Africans about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. South Africa’s position makes no difference to the region: the African National Congress government has long since discredited itself as

Overemphasis on Climate Change Has Made California's Water Crisis Worse

President Barack Obama offered the desperate farmers and farmworkers of the drought-stricken Central Valley a desultory relief package last week: $1 billion for a “climate resilience fund,” plus “summer meals” and various other kinds of aid. For a president who

Overemphasis on Climate Change Has Made California's Water Crisis Worse

Obama Abandons Egypt and Israel

The Egyptian military is reported to be creating a 500-meter buffer zone on its own side of the border with Gaza, and is already destroying tunnels used by Hamas to smuggle goods and weapons. (Several Palestinian homes have apparently been

Obama Abandons Egypt and Israel

To Obama, Israeli Lives Are Worth Less

A friend pointed out an obvious contradiction in the Obama administration’s policy towards terrorism. In a series of “goodwill” gestures aimed at enticing the Palestinians to keep negotiating, President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry have forced Israel

Big Labor Loses Big in Volkswagen UAW vote in Tennessee

On Friday, Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga, TN dealt a major blow to the United Auto Workers (UAW) and to Big Labor in general when they voted 712-626 to reject the union. The loss is only the latest setback for the

Big Labor Loses Big in Volkswagen UAW vote in Tennessee

Blue State Blues: The Joys of Aural Sex

My two-bedroom apartment in Santa Monica overlooks a sort of courtyard/alleyway that is surrounded by several dozen other apartments. On still summer nights, there is a couple–no one knows quite who they are–who make love with their windows open. They

Blue State Blues: The Joys of Aural Sex

Here's Where Obama Can Stick His $1 Billion

No, not there. Rather, a better use for the $1 billion that President Barack Obama pledged today to a “climate resilience fund” would be to invest in a desalination plant that could help alleviate some of California’s periodic water shortages.

Covered California is a Model–for Obamacare's Failure

Covered California, the Golden State’s Obamacare exchange, was meant to be a model of how well the policy could work under the best conditions. “By proving it can work here, that will be a beacon to the nation,” said an

Covered California is a Model–for Obamacare's Failure

Summers Blasts Weak Economic Recovery

Larry Summers, who once chaired President Barack Obama’s National Economic Council, criticized the current economic recovery on Thursday evening, telling an audience at Harvard that while the Obama administration helped the country avoid a “depression” in 2009, the pace of

Summers Blasts Weak Economic Recovery

President Obama Spending Valentine's Day Alone

Attention broken-hearted and lonely Americans: President Barack Obama feels your pain. He’s happily married, of course, but in solidarity with the lovelorn–those victims of romantic inequality–he’s spending Valentine’s Day alone. Well, not entirely alone–he’s set to enjoy a guys’ weekend

President Obama Spending Valentine's Day Alone

Obamacare Recruiting Illegals in California

In 2009, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) apologized profusely to the White House for shouting, “You lie!” as President Barack Obama told Congress that Obamacare would not cover illegal immigrants. Now it would appear that the White House owes Wilson an

Obamacare Recruiting Illegals in California

Golf, Not Drought, Brings Obama to California

President Barack Obama will arrive in Fresno, California today to meet local communities to discuss the severe drought-one of the worst in recorded history. California has seen water allocations to farmers cut to zero. Analysts have puzzled over why the

Golf, Not Drought, Brings Obama to California

Forget the 'New World Order'–Here Comes the 'New Equilibrium'

More than twenty years ago, President George H.W. Bush pledged a “new world order” as he sent U.S. troops to the Persian Gulf: a world “freer from the threat of terror, stronger in the pursuit of justice, and more secure

Why AIPAC is in Trouble–and Why It Matters

Richard Baehr has published a masterful analysis of the decline of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which recently had to back away from Iran sanctions for the first time in two decades. It did so to preserve the

Why AIPAC is in Trouble–and Why It Matters

Are Republicans Still Alive in California?

The remarkable victory by Kevin Faulconer in the special election for San Diego mayor on Tuesday–by a margin of nine points, far more than almost anyone had expected–raises questions about the state of the Republican Party in California. If the

Are Republicans Still Alive in California?

Why is Obama Going to Fresno?

On Friday, President Barack Obama will travel to Fresno, California, the heart of the state’s hard-hit farming region. Usually, when the president travels to California, it’s to raise money. So observers are scratching their heads. The president “can’t make it

CA High-Speed Rail Won't Be as 'High-Speed' as Promised

The California High-Speed Rail Authority released its draft business plan last week, and opened public comment on the plan on Tuesday. Among the more interesting revelations is a projection, in comments of the official Peer Review Group appended to the

CA High-Speed Rail Won't Be as 'High-Speed' as Promised

GOP Candidate for IL Governor Hit with Gay Harassment Accusations

Illinois state treasurer and gubernatorial candidate Dan Rutherford, one of the few Republicans to hold statewide office, is facing new accusations that he had inappropriate relationships with male subordinates. One manager sued Rutherford for sexual harassment Monday, and on Wednesday

GOP Candidate for IL Governor Hit with Gay Harassment Accusations

Are You Ready for the Gay Romance Novel?

I receive dozens of emails from publicists every week. I answer about one or two a month. Until recently, the last one to which I responded was from SeekingArrangement.com’s in-house publicist about how the high cost of Obamacare premiums was

Are You Ready for the Gay Romance Novel?

White House, Press Corps Cover up Obama's 'Alex de Tocqueville' Gaffe

President Barack Obama, supposedly the smartest man ever to hold the office and often described as a “professor” of constitutional law, described one of the most important political thinkers of the past three hundred years as “Alex” de Tocqueville yesterday

5 Lessons for the GOP from Faulconer's Win in San Diego

Kevin Faulconer is the new mayor of San Diego, and the only Republican mayor of a large American metro area. He did not just win Tuesday’s special election against Democrat David Alvarez–he won in a landslide, upsetting the expectations of

San Diego Elects Republican to Replace Bob Filner

11:06 p.m. PST: Faulconer’s lead narrows very slightly, to just under 10 points, 55.24% to 44.76%, with 85.9% of precincts counting. It’s not just a win for the Republican: it’s an unexpected landslide victory. The San Diego Union-Tribune has called the

San Diego Elects Republican to Replace Bob Filner

NPR Tosses Obama Softball Question on Obamacare Delay

National Public Radio’s Scott Horsley had the opportunity to ask President Barack Obama a question Tuesday about the latest White House-ordered delay in Obamacare–namely, to excuse businesses with 50 to 99 employees from the employer mandate. At the press conference

NPR Tosses Obama Softball Question on Obamacare Delay

Tennessee Republicans: No State Cash for VW if Unions Win Election

Tennessee Republicans, who control a two-thirds supermajority in the state legislature and essentially govern alone, have warned Volkswagen that if the United Auto Workers (UAW) win an election this week to represent VW’s new plant in Chattanooga, the company cannot

Tennessee Republicans: No State Cash for VW if Unions Win Election

If You Can't Kill the Terrorists, Sue Them

The Tower has a fascinating profile of Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, the founder of Shurat HaDin, an Israeli legal non-profit that helps victims of terror sue the terrorists, organizations, and governments responsible for deadly attacks and incitement. Shurat HaDin also fights against

Report: Former Obama Labor Sec'y Accused of Unreported Jet Flights

A lawsuit filed in federal court in California reportedly accuses former Obama administration Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis of accepting free private jet flights, paid for by a powerful local union, during her confirmation and without disclosing the flights as

Report: Former Obama Labor Sec'y Accused of Unreported Jet Flights

Auto Workers vs. Unions at Tennessee Volkswagen Plant

On Wednesday, workers at Volkswagen’s new plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee will vote on whether they wish to be represented by the United Auto Workers (UAW), the union that critics say brought the American auto industry to its knees. Auto manufacturing,

Auto Workers vs. Unions at Tennessee Volkswagen Plant

Iran's Phony Nuclear Concessions

Even as Iran steps up its aggressive rhetoric to the point of directly threatening the U.S. and Israel, the media are falling for the latest in the regime’s diplomatic feints: namely, concessions that would allow U.N. inspectors greater access to

Iran's Phony Nuclear Concessions

Dry Times Make Bad Water Law

In law school, students are often told: “Hard cases make bad law.” That is, drawing general principles from the most complex cases may not always be a good idea. In the same way, the California drought could offer a new

Dry Times Make Bad Water Law