
The California State Assembly passed a bill Monday nearly unanimously that would prevent state agencies from selling the Confederate flag “or any similar image.” The bill, AB 2444, was sponsored by Assemblyman Isadore Hall (D-Compton), who was offended to learn from
by Joel B. Pollak6 May 2014, 6:20 AM PST0

Republican gubernatorial candidate Neel Kashkari is slamming GOP rival Tim Donnelly for his inconsistent position on “redevelopment,” a policy the California state legislature ended in 2011 with strong Republican support. “Tim Donnelly says he’s for redevelopment projects. Then he says
by Joel B. Pollak5 May 2014, 2:13 PM PST0

On the heels of 2013’s highly successful “Thanksgivukkah,” and following the drunken revelry of “St. Purim’s Day” this past March, comes the latest in Jewish holiday mashups: “Cinco de Iyar,” which is a combination of Mexican-American “Cinco de Mayo” and
by Joel B. Pollak5 May 2014, 1:47 PM PST0

by Joel B. Pollak5 May 2014, 5:59 AM PST0

Attorneys for “John Doe No. 117,” a British teenager who is filing a lawsuit claiming sexual abuse by X-Men director Brian Singer and Broadway producer Gary Goddard, will present their client’s case Monday in Los Angeles. Singer is facing another suit
by Joel B. Pollak4 May 2014, 4:50 PM PST0

Sunday saw several brush fires break out near homes southern California, from San Diego to Los Angeles, in drought conditions that have local authorities bracing for potentially devastating fires in the months ahead. One fire, which burned across five acres
by Joel B. Pollak4 May 2014, 4:33 PM PST0

Some of the many non-profit organizations to which L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling gave money over the years have returned it–most famously, UCLA, which announced last week that it would give back the portion of a $3 million donation that Sterling and
by Joel B. Pollak4 May 2014, 4:21 PM PST0

In the past few days, as new evidence emerged that the White House was directly involved in misleading the public with the lie that the Benghazi terror attack of Sep. 11, 2012 was motivated by outrage at a YouTube video,
by Joel B. Pollak4 May 2014, 3:03 PM PST0

The National Park Service has issued a warning to amateur pilots that drone aircraft are not permitted in Yosemite National Park. Drones, some of which are available on the civilian consumer technology market, have reportedly been used by hobbyists to
by Joel B. Pollak4 May 2014, 6:02 AM PST0

A U-2 spy plane, one of the key weapons of the Cold War, is apparently responsible for a computer failure in Los Angeles that disrupted air traffic control operations in California and across the nation, NBC news reports. Sources quoted by
by Joel B. Pollak4 May 2014, 5:55 AM PST0

Secretary of State John Kerry opened his remarks to African Union leaders gathered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia this weekend by asking whether some had traveled by donkey. “Thank you, Mr. President, for being here. And thank you, all of you,
by Joel B. Pollak4 May 2014, 5:03 AM PST0

“Illinois, you put me in a happy state.” That was the tagline from Illinois tourism ads in the mid-1980s, which were near-ubiquitous in an era when John Hughes was filming Chicago hits like Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club and, of course,
by Joel B. Pollak2 May 2014, 7:09 PM PST0
Former National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor attempted to deflect Bret Baier’s questions on Fox News’ Special Report Thursday by arguing that what was important about what happened in Benghazi “two years ago” [sic] was less important than what happens in the
by Joel B. Pollak2 May 2014, 5:49 AM PST0

There were many rich moments in former National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor’s interview Thursday on Fox News’ Special Report with Bret Baier about the Benghazi scandal. Certainly his exasperated protest–“Dude, this was like two years ago”–summarizes the callow nature of
by Joel B. Pollak2 May 2014, 5:28 AM PST0

California’s new “jungle” primary system does not boost turnout, but does raise participation by independent voters, the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) reported Thursday. According to the PPIC’s Eric McGhee, the new system, in which all candidates compete together and
by Joel B. Pollak1 May 2014, 2:21 PM PST0

Federal prosecutors are probing yet another Illinois governor, incumbent Democrat Pat Quinn, as reports emerged Thursday that the Department of Justice had asked state officials about his Neighborhood Recovery Initiative Program, which has also been probed by state and local investigations.
by Joel B. Pollak1 May 2014, 12:15 PM PST0

by Joel B. Pollak1 May 2014, 11:58 AM PST0

“What was causing the protests in Cairo that the CIA mentions? The video.” That’s how Slate’s John Dickerson pushes back against the idea that the new White House emails on (sorry, Jay Carney) Benghazi, obtained via a FOIA request by
by Joel B. Pollak1 May 2014, 11:27 AM PST0

In Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein’s celebrated book on the Watergate scandal, All the President’s Men, the figure of Hugh Sloan, Jr. stands out. Sloan was a staffer for President Richard Nixon and an official on his re-election campaign. He
by Joel B. Pollak1 May 2014, 10:46 AM PST0

The happy news that J Street had been denied membership in the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations was something of a surprise. Some liberal Jewish organizations that disagree with J Street vehemently on Israel, including the Anti-Defamation League,
by Joel B. Pollak1 May 2014, 6:48 AM PST0

The California Latino Legislative Caucus is one of several ethnic caucuses in the California state legislature. However, according to investigative journalist Steven Greenhut, it is the only one that is closed to Republicans. Greenhut notes in the San Diego Union-Tribune that
by Joel B. Pollak30 Apr 2014, 12:43 PM PST0

Several Democrats running to succeed veteran Rep. Henry Waxman (D) in California’s 33rd congressional district have released their first television advertisements. First among the ten Democrats to take to the airwaves was Matt Miller, the Clinton administration official-turned-public radio host
by Joel B. Pollak30 Apr 2014, 11:09 AM PST0

Shortly after the government released gross domestic product (GDP) data showing that the U.S. economy grew by only 0.1% in the first quarter of 2014, the host of Marketplace Morning Report, David Brancaccio, called the GDP report “ancient history” because
by Joel B. Pollak30 Apr 2014, 7:50 AM PST0

UCLA announced Tuesday that it would reject a $3 million donation by Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, and would return the portion of that donation that had already been delivered, local CBS news affiliate KNX reports. The announcement is
by Joel B. Pollak30 Apr 2014, 6:00 AM PST0

A year ago, Ed Lasky of the American Thinker speculated that White House security official Ben Rhodes – a speechwriter with no prior national security experience or expertise – was at the heart of the Benghazi scandal, specifically the false talking points spouted on
by Joel B. Pollak29 Apr 2014, 10:51 AM PST0