Joel Pollak
Politics • Lifestyle • News • Travel • Writing
I will share my thoughts about American politics, as well as current events in Israel and elsewhere, based on my experiences in the U.S., South Africa, and the Middle East. I will also discuss books and popular culture from the perspective of a somewhat libertarian, religiously observant conservative living in California. I will also share art and ideas that I find useful and helpful, and link to my content at Breitbart News, Amazon, and elsewhere.
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Blinken's Deeply Disturbing Performance at Davos

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is perhaps the most pathetic figure in the entire Biden administration. He's a "Russia collusion" hoaxer who also commissioned the fake "intelligence" letter to suppress reporting on Hunter Biden's laptop, and can't muster the strength to stand up to China, or anyone else -- except Israel.

Israel's apparent dependence on the U.S. for military funding and for munitions has encouraged Blinken and Democrats like him to think they can bludgeon Israel into accepting whatever they want -- to the point of ignoring the Middle East reality, which is not impressed by graduate school policy papers or consulting firm talking points.

Anyway -- Blinken went to Davos, to talk to Tom Friedman -- a "journalist" infamous for his expensive tastes, his total hypocrisy, and his belief that the only acceptable Israeli government is a left-wing one. Friedman went full antisemite a while back -- I know he's a Jew -- in attacking the "Jewish lobby" or some such. He's just a joke.

But in that environment, somehow, Blinken felt he could express his true self -- as if there were no reporters, as if he were just in a tight circle of friends. And he revealed: 1. He sees Israelis as the obstacle to peace, not Palestinians or the Arab world, even after Oct. 7; 2. He's committed to rewarding Hamas for terror with a Palestinian state.

I don't really have words for how insanely stupid these ideas are, but they are apparently what the world's elite love to hear. Which is a timely reminder that Israel's success is not a function of elite collusion but rather the outcome of a determined group of honest misfits who overcame idiocy of this kind from the establishment.

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Time-lapse sunrise at Temescal Falls
00:00:17
This is what is left of my special place in the forest

Burned, then covered in mudslides and rockslides. The river still flows through it. But we have lost so much. I have to believe the spirit still lives on.

00:00:16
The drive home 💔
00:00:46
Breitbart News Sunday: show rundown (July 13, 2025)

This is my first broadcast from the new office and studio in Washington, DC, where I'll be for a couple of years my neighborhood back in L.A. cleans up -- and as we follow the Trump administration from a little closer up than usual.

Topics:

  • The anniversary of the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump
  • The escalating tariff battle with various different trading partners
  • The future of the Middle East peace talks, and ongoing antisemitism
  • The Jeffrey Epstein files and whether they mean anything at all
  • The continued crisis of the Texas floods, and stories of heroism and survival

And more!

Special guests:

  • James Rosen - Newsmax chief Washington correspondent
  • Bob Price - Breitbart News Texas reporter, on the ongoing floods
  • Robert Cahill - Trafalgar Polling, on a new alliance of reliable pollsters
  • Rabbi Yaakov Menken - Coalition for Jewish Values - on Israel & antisemitism

Tune in: 7-10 p.m. ET, 4-7 p.m. PT
Call: 866-957-2874

Weekly Torah reading: Balak (Numbers 22:2 - 25:9)

This week’s portion tells the grand story of the prophet who tried to curse people of Israel and instead ended up blessing them.

I am reminded that these portions continue to be relevant anew, as this particular reading lent the title for Israel’s recent 12 Day War against Iran, “Operation Rising Lion.”

https://www.chabad.org/parshah/torahreading_cdo/aid/2495769/p/complete/jewish/Balak-Torah-Reading.htm

Weekly Torah portion: Chukat (Numbers 19:1 - 22:1)

This week's portion includes the commandment of the red heifer -- one of the classic "irrational" commandments whose fulfillment is an expression of faith. It also includes the regrettable episode in which Moses strikes the rock.

I referred to this story in a wedding speech last night. Why was Moses punished for striking the rock in Numbers, when he struck the rock without incident in Exodus -- both for the purpose of providing water to the people?

The answer is that in the interim, the Jewish people had received the Torah, which is like the marriage contract between the people of Israel and God. In a marriage, you do not resolve things by breaking boundaries, but through love.

The additional reading, from Judges Chapter 11, is the story of Jephthah (Yiftach), a man whom the leaders spurn, but to whom they must turn to save the nation. The parallels to our present political circumstances are striking.

Shabbat Shalom and Happy Fourth of July!

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