I can't say for sure that we're seeing the effects of the writer and actors strikes on the release of content, but it's a definite possibility, given the death of new options on Max. That said, there are still a ton of great movies to stream if you're willing to dig through the crates and go back a few years—and some worthy new-to-Max options, including Dicks: the Musical and a documentary about basketball legend/senator Bill Bradley.

Dicks: The Musical (2023) 

Dicks takes the tropes of musical theater and gives them the South Park treatment by infusing a self-aware, cheesy set-up with provocative, for-adults comedy. Craig and Trevor are the dicks of the title, a couple of alpha male salesmen who decide they’re actually "fucking identical twins" even though they don't look alike. Their logical next move is to trick “their” parents into getting back together. It's like The Parent Trap, if the dad was gay. The supporting cast includes Nathan Lane, Megan Mullally, Bowen Yang, and Megan Thee Stallion, which really should be enough to earn your attention.

Rolling Along: Bill Bradley (2024)

American icon Bill Bradley tells his own story in documentary Rolling Along. Much of the film is composed of footage from Bradley’s one-man show, in which he recounts his remarkable life: He was a hall-of-fame basketball player who led the Knicks to two championships before turning to politics and getting elected to the U.S. Senate, where he served three terms and changed American life at least as much as he changed the sport of basketball. If you want hard-won wisdom from a guy who crammed at least three lifetimes into one, check it out.

Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine (2015)

It's easy to get hyperbolic about Steve Jobs and the fandom/cult he inspired—the influence of Apple on our culture is hard to overstate—but this documentary avoids the obvious by adopting a just-the-facts style and drawing no conclusions about its subject's life. It doesn't gloss over Jobs' many faults, nor overstate his obvious virtues. Stream it on your new Vision Pro.

A Ghost Story (2017)

If you're hoping for some mindless horror movie thrills, A Ghost Story is not the right choice. If you're looking for a dreamlike film about heartbreak and the inexorable crush of time (in other words, an A24 horror film), this is your jam. A Ghost Story earned a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes for its deliberate pace, outstanding performances, and its willingness to take cinematic risks. It's strictly arthouse, but there is a ghost in it. It wears the traditional "sheet with eyeholes cut in it" garb and is more like a representation of grief and loss than a traditional spirit, but still, a ghost is a ghost.

Wedding Crashers (2005)

Meant as a throwaway raunchy comedy, the passage of time has turned Wedding Crashers into a movie about shifting societal values. Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson are hilarious as pals whose weekends are spent crashing strangers' wedding receptions for the free booze and access to single women. There's plenty of wild-partying, but they're ultimately good dudes; the creators of Wedding Crashers knew that it wouldn't be funny if the leads were overly predatory or misogynist, and their antics are refreshingly hate-free. But just when you're feeling relaxed, there's a scene where Vaughn's character is sexually assaulted, and it's played for laughs, so not everything has aged well. It's completely jarring in 2024, especially because I saw Wedding Crashers when it came out, and a series of "Ha ha! A man got raped!" jokes didn't even register as weird at the time.

Last week's picks

The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019) 

First-time director Joe Talbot blew the doors off the cinema world with this visionary feature. Jimmie and Monty are best friends who live in San Francisco in the near future. Gentrifiers live in the house Jimmie’s grandfather built, and he wants it back. That spare story opens into a film that mixes fantasy and reality to explore what the modern world is doing to tradition, family, community, and love. 

Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me (2013)

Formed in 1972, rock band Big Star was as important and influential as The Beatles, but hardly anyone noticed them while they were around—despite its title, their debut album, “#1 Record” sold less than 10,000 copies. It wasn’t until after they’d broken up that their collected works were rediscovered and went on to influence basically every worthwhile rock musician, from Kurt Cobain to Elliott Smith to The Replacements. This documentary chronicles Big Star’s troubled career and the lives of its members, and tries to answer a burning question: “Why wasn’t Big Star the biggest band on earth?”

Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins (2019)

Fearless journalist and commentator Molly Ivins’ life’s work was speaking truth to power. Through recollections of the people she knew and inspired—Rachel Maddow, Paul Krugman, Dan Rather, and more—and archival footage of her no-bullshit interviews, Raise Hell takes us inside the work and life of a journalistic titan who ruled both print and broadcast journalism for decades.

Our Idiot Brother (2011)

Our Idiot Brother isn’t perfect, but the cast is so charming, and the story so refreshingly bullshit-free, you’ll forgive any faults. Paul Rudd plays Ned Rochlin, the “idiot” of the tile. He is as trusting, loving, and loyal as the golden retriever he loves, but his steadfast belief in the goodness of others leads to prison, a romantic break-up, and being forced to back to his mother’s house. An indie-style family comedy without the cynicism that’s so pervasive in the genre, Our Idiot Brother is a gem. 

The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (1966) 

You can watch Sergio Leone’s mid-60s masterpiece over and over, and notice something new with each viewing. On the surface, it’s the story of a trio of cowboys trying to find (and steal) a fortune in buried gold. But it’s really about a battle between demi-gods. Through Leone's lens, the Good, Bad, and Ugly of the title are bigger than the Western mountains, and their epic struggle plays out like an ancient myth against the backdrop of the Civil War. You can check out the other two iconic Sergio Leone-Clint Eastwood team-ups, A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More, on Max too.

You can get this Seido Japanese 8-piece knife set with a gift box on sale for $119.97 right now (reg. $429) through February 4. The knives are made with strong, high-carbon stainless steel and have a 15-degree blade angle for a sharp cut. This eight-piece set includes an eight-inch chef’s knife ideal for all-around use; an eight-inch bread knife to delicately slice through baked goods; an eight-inch slicing knife for meat, fruits, and veggies; a cleaver to hack through bones and tough meat; two Santoku knives with thin blades with a non-stick granton edge; a boning knife for narrow cuts around bones; and a paring knife for small, precise cuts.

You can get this Seido Japanese master chef’s 8-piece knife set on sale for $119.97 right now (reg. $429) until February 4 at 11:59 p.m. PT, though prices can change at any time.

Health savings accounts (HSAs) and flexible spending accounts (FSAs) are two common types of tax-advantaged accounts that can be used to pay for medical expenses. While they share some similarities, there are important differences between HSAs and FSAs that you should understand when deciding which option may be better for you.

What is an HSA?

A health savings account (HSA) is a tax-advantaged savings account designed specifically for medical expenses. To be eligible to open an HSA, you must be enrolled in a high-deductible health plan (HDHP). Contributions to an HSA can be made with pre-tax dollars, the funds grow tax-free, and withdrawals for qualified medical expenses are also tax-free.

Some key advantages of HSAs include:

• Contributions are tax-deductible or pre-tax.

• Funds roll over year to year if you don't spend them.

• Once the account reaches a certain balance, you can invest the funds for added growth potential.

• The account is portable—you keep it even if you change employers or health plans. Here's my guide to opening an HSA without an employer.

What is an FSA?

A flexible spending account (FSA) also allows tax-free payment of medical expenses. Unlike an HSA, an FSA is tied to your employer's plan year and you must actively re-enroll each year to contribute. FSA funds do not roll over; you must estimate expenses for the upcoming year and use all contributed funds by the end of the plan year or remaining amounts will be forfeited.

Some potential advantages of an FSA include:

• Access to full annual contribution amount at start of plan year.

• Can be used in conjunction with other types of non-high deductible health plans.

• May include dependent care FSA for childcare expenses.

Key differences between an HSA and an FSA

There are several key differences to consider when deciding between an HSA and FSA:

• Rollover. HSA funds roll over year to year, FSA funds are forfeited if not used by end of plan year.

• Eligibility. HSAs require a high deductible health plan, whereas FSAs can be used with many plan types.

• Contribution Limits. HSAs have higher annual limits on contributions.

• Investing. HSA funds can be invested once the balance reaches a certain threshold.

Tips for using HSA and FSA accounts

If you have the option, here are some tips to make the most of an HSA or FSA account:

• Take advantage of tax-free contributions and withdrawals for medical expenses.

• Determine the right amount to contribute based on predictable expenses.

• Save receipts! You'll need to provide documentation if audited by the IRS.

• Check if your employer offers an HSA or FSA match to increase contributions.

• Use HSA investment options to grow your balance long-term if you don't need the funds immediately.

• Make sure to spend FSA funds by the end of the plan year to avoid losing remaining balances.

As a general rule, healthier and younger people with few prescriptions or medical conditions should opt for an HSA. If you're seeking frequent medical care or paying for regular medications, an FSA might be more suited for you.

As you evaluate your options, compare the key differences between these accounts and consider your expected healthcare expenses, tax situation, employer benefits, and financial priorities. It's worth doing the math. Understanding the unique advantages of an HSA versus FSA will help you decide which approach may be a better fit for your needs.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is standing firm in the face of efforts to get her to step down from the blockbuster election crimes case against former President Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants.

Trump and others have demanded DA Willis be removed from the 34-count felony election crimes case on the basis of allegations made in a court filing by one of Trump’s co-defendants. Willis is accused of an “improper” relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she hired as part of the Trump election crimes team.

But according to a CNN exclusive by Zachary Cohen, Willis has decided she’s not going anywhere:

Willis has faced immense public scrutiny since allegations first surfaced that she has benefitted financially from a romantic relationship with lead prosecutor Nathan Wade. Despite calls by some legal experts to recuse herself from the case to protect its integrity, she is not expected to do so, the sources told CNN.

Instead, Willis is preparing to counter arguments from Trump and other co-defendants, not by necessarily disputing claims about the relationship but by arguing that defense attorneys seeking to remove her are wrong on the law, sources said.

Despite her relative public silence since the allegations surfaced, Willis has been personally involved in crafting her office’s formal response, according to a source familiar with her role.

On Thursday afternoon’s edition of CNN’s Inside Politics, Dana Bash spoke to Cohen about his reporting:

DANA BASH: Exclusive. We are learning. Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis has no plans to step down from Georgia and the election subversion case there against Donald Trump.

Sources tell CNN that Willis is worried if she leaves, it would effectively end the case. CNN’s Zachary Cohen brought us this exclusive reporting and joins us now. So much drama. What are you hearing from the people around Fani Willis about why she is standing firm?

ZACHARY COHEN: Well, look, this is messy. There’s no two ways about it. But look, Willis is digging in. That’s what my sources says. She is not going to voluntarily take herself out of this case.

Which really does set up the sort of legal showdown, especially over the next two weeks. We know Willis hasn’t really directly addressed these allegations, that she was in this improper romantic relationship with her top prosecutor. She’s really been quiet.

But behind the scenes, I’m told that she’s been intimately and directly involved in writing this written response, that she has a deadline tomorrow to turn that in and file that in court. So we’re going to see how she addresses this for the first time, potentially as early as tomorrow.

She has you know, my sources are saying that she will focus on the merits, the legal merits and the legal arguments rather than address the allegations directly. She’s going to basically say that the lawyers who are accusing her of these allegations and jumping this idea that she should be disqualified, they don’t know what they’re talking about.

So remains to be seen. She’s also going to be potentially testifying in an open hearing on February 15th. So a really big two weeks for Fani Willis coming.

DANA BASH: Yeah, a really big two weeks. And this is of course, what Donald Trump wants is to be talking about her and not the case. So that’s going to be a consideration I’m sure.

Willis has addressed the criticism publicly, but not the allegations themselves.

Watch above via CNN’s Inside Politics.

Republican Senate candidate and MAGA darling Kari Lake is entering the 2024 campaign season at a massive financial disadvantage compared to her competitors.

To date, Lake has raised just $2 million to fund her U.S. Senate campaign, which immediately follows her failed 2022 bid to be the Grand Canyon State’s governor. Worse yet, she has just $1 million in the bank and owes over $300,000 in debt.

This compares most unfavorably to both independent incumbent Senator Krysten Sinema and Lake’s Democratic counterpart, Ruben Gallego, who have around $11 million and $7 million put away, respectively.

#AZSen Republican candidate Kari Lake’s campaign committee raised $2.1 million in Q4, burned $1.02 million, and had $1.08 million remaining and $307.8K in unpaid vendor invoices. pic.twitter.com/JvBTkrGkE2

— Rob Pyers (@rpyers) January 31, 2024

Lake’s fundraising being dwarfed by both of her opponents could be an especially ominous sign for her campaign given her claim to being among the leaders of an enthusiastic movement and her tendency to scare off independent voters. The disclosure of her financial struggles comes amid related reporting on her political ally Donald Trump’s own financial mismanagement of his funds.

According to Lake, she prevailed in her 2022 gubernatorial campaign but was denied the office by voter fraud and an unsecured electoral system. “We did everything right, and we saw the disaster of election day in Arizona,” declared Lake while announcing her bid for the upper chamber of Congress.

She has had no success in challenging the results of the election in court or GOP-led audits, but not for lack of trying.

Polls indicate that the 2024 race will be close, and is complicated by uncertainty over whether Sinema — who was elected as a Democrat — will run for reelection.

Lake advisor Garrett Ventry downplayed the importance of the Republican’s paltry fundraising numbers by telling Politico that “Kari Lake had one of the strongest fundraising quarters of any GOP challenger. She is consolidating support with Arizonans and has cleared the field in the primary.”

“Kari is well positioned to win in November, as she is beating her Democrat opponents in the last three polls,” he added.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) used the first day of Black History Month to push a censure resolution on the floor of the House of Representatives against Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) based on an inaccurate translation of a speech.

Taylor Greene promoted her speech on Twitter/X, saying:

Today, I’m introducing a Censure Resolution on Ilhan Omar for admitting she’s working as a foreign agent for a foreign country.

I urge my colleagues to vote to Censure, but I wish I had the votes to expel and deport her.

At the beginning of her speech to introduce the censure, Taylor Greene referred to “Representative Ilhan Omar of Somali– I mean Minnesota.” She also accused Omar of making “treasonous statements”:

Whereas Representative Omar assured the Somalians she spoke to “the U.S. government will only do what Somalians in the U.S. tell them to do. They will do what we want and nothing else. They must follow our orders, and that is how we will safeguard the interest of Somalia.”

Whereas Representative Omar continued, “for as long as I am in U.S. Congress, Somalia will never be in danger. Its waters will not be stolen by Ethiopia or others. Sleep in comfort knowing I am here to protect the interest of Somalia from inside the U.S. system.”

But according to several different experts in Somali, Omar didn’t say that at all. Not only was the originally cited translation inaccurate, there was a lot of missed context. From Minnesota’s Star Tribune:

The speech was held at an event at the Hyatt Hotel in downtown Minneapolis on Jan. 27 to celebrate the recent election in the region of Somalia known as Puntland. Omar’s comments turned to a recent port deal between landlocked Ethiopia and the breakaway republic Somaliland that’s left the entire Horn of Africa on edge.

In the wake of the port deal between the northern region of Somalia and Ethiopia, Omar said in the speech that she’s fielded calls from concerned people who want the United States government to intervene in hopes of nullifying the 50-year agreement.

The right — including Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) — jumped on Omar, who came to the United States as a Somali refugee as a child, after a speech she delivered in Somali in Minneapolis was inaccurately translated. Omar was accused of declaring her loyalty to Somalia based on an inaccurate translation in which she referred to “people who know they are Somalians first, Muslims second.”

Watch the video above via C-SPAN.

Photo by Sarah Rumpf for Mediaite.

Charlie Sykes, the founder and former editor of the Bulwark, announced this week he was ending his five-year run as host of the Bulwark Podcast, which has become the go-to listen for anti-Trump conservatives and liberals alike.

Sykes announced Wednesday he was stepping away from both his daily newsletter and the podcast, which has been a mainstay in the top ten of the top-rated political podcasts in the country.

“Actual personal news: After 5 years of daily podcasts and newsletters, I’m leaving the Bulwark. I’m immensely proud of what we’ve done and of my amazing colleagues,” Sykes announced on X, adding:

Founding and contributing to the Bulwark has been an honor and a privilege. But there’s a season for everything…

On Thursday, Sykes discussed his exit in his newsletter and wrote about how the chaos of Trump years has taken its toll on his mental state and he is ready for a reset. The veteran conservative radio host and political commentator look back at the Bulwark’s journey, writing:

On Xitter yesterday, Bill Kristol remembered how it all began: “The Weekly Standard had just been closed, but on Dec. 21, 2018, I joined @SykesCharlie to tape a podcast for a hoped-for new publication a few of us thought we might launch.” None of us could imagine then what it would become.

But there’s a season for everything, and this seems a good time to get off the daily hamster wheel of crazy.

As much as I love putting out a 2000-word morning newsletter and six podcasts a week —and having conversations with the smartest and most interesting people around — there’s always the risk of being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of idiocracy out there.

“As I mentioned on yesterday’s podcast, I think it’s easy to lose perspective (and sanity) by tracking every development, hot-take, poll, and hair-on-fire outrage,” Sykes added, referring to his conversation with Joe Klein and John Ellis. On his Wednesday podcast, Sykes asked Klein and Ellis to look back on their decades covering American politics and reflect on what has changed most, leading to a profound, but bleak conversation about the tribalism and cynicism that has gripped American politics.

“It turns out that having your face pressed up against the firehouse of hackery, lies, and absurdity is not the optimal way of understanding what is actually happening to us. Losing our minds is not the way to win this fight,” Sykes continued, concluding:

And we have to win this fight, because everything is on the line this year, and it is more important than ever for rational, principled center-right voices to stand athwart the right’s mad rush toward cultism and demagoguery.
Sometimes we can actually get a better perspective by just stepping back a bit.

So, I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to be fully engaged in the struggle – and will continue to write and offer commentary – but at a somewhat more measured pace. (I’m also looking forward to accessing that part of my brain that is not TrumpTrumpTrump.)

My last day here — for both Morning Shots and the podcast will be next Friday, February 9. (Since so many of you have asked, I’m staying with MSNBC, so you may catch me there from time to time.)

He ended by thanking the Bulwark’s listeners and readers for helping to propel the small start-up into a force in contemporary journalism and vowed to continue, writing and commenting, but “at a somewhat more measured pace.”

Read Syke’s full newsletter here.