07 Mar 2026 Reading time: 2 minutes
MAJOR 20TH EDITION POST!
Eight movies about systems and the people who think they can beat them — until the bill comes due.
Three storylines, spanning thousands of years, intersect and reflect on hope, connection, and the circle of life.
A broke but ambitious single mom lands a lucrative opportunity in pharma sales, but how far will she go to turn a potent new painkiller into a success?
A former collegiate football star spins his uncanny prognostication skills into a new vocation with a renowned but shady “sports consultant.”
A legendary gambler goes all-in when the mob asks him to run a Las Vegas casino, but will a volatile marriage and vicious friend end his winning streak?
Three years after breaking off a romance with his protégé, expert con artist Nicky Spurgeon finds her on the other side of his elaborate new scam.
In 1986, federal agent Robert Mazur poses as a money-laundering businessman to infiltrate the trafficking network of Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar.
An analyst at an investment bank spots a looming catastrophe, and panic travels up the chain of command as the firm scrambles to contain the damage.
A gambler mired in debt thinks another cardsharp may just be his good luck charm as the two head for New Orleans to buy into a high-stakes poker game.
01 Mar 2026 Reading time: 5 minutes 
I’ve already endorsed James Talarico for U.S. Senate. This is the short, explicit “why him, not Jasmine Crockett?”.
1) The GOP wants to face her in the General Election
The Washington Post reports that the Republican machine is boosting Jasmine Crockett ahead of the primary. If the other party’s establishment is spending to shape your nominee, they’re signaling who they think is easier to beat in November.
The Independent previously reported (citing NOTUS and a source familiar with the effort) that Senate Republicans also pushed favorable Crockett polling to help build a “Crockett is surging” narrative, in part to goad/recruit her into the race.
Sources: Washington Post · The Independent
2) Texas needs something to vote for, not just “fight” against energy
Crockett pitches herself as the bigger “fighter”. But Texas is huge, expensive, (still) persuasion-heavy, and (like most areas) craves populism in this moment. What will not work is only being against stuff.
The AP describes a race shattering spending records, and highlights Talarico’s ability to build a statewide operation, including a major fundraising advantage, while also making appeals aimed at disaffected Republicans.
Sources: AP News
3) Follow the money: Crockett is taking corporate PAC + crypto/tech cash
Talarico has sworn off corporate PAC donations in this Senate campaign. The Texas Tribune reports Crockett transferred money from corporate PAC contributions from her House account into her Senate campaign. That means Crockett has taken corporate PAC money for the Senate campaign, unlike Talarico.
🚨 NOTUS also dug into Crockett’s donor mix, including Silicon Valley / crypto donors (like Marc Andreessen and the Winklevoss twins) plus corporate PACs, which is the opposite of the “anti‑corporate” brand she’s running on. Wild.
Sources: Texas Tribune · NOTUS
4) Kicking journalists out and then lying about it is a MAGA move
This is a huge red flag for me: copying the MAGA playbook of treating the press like the enemy.
Semafor reports Crockett’s campaign escalating confrontations with political journalists (including incidents involving an Atlantic reporter and a CNN reporter). In one case, the campaign brushed it off as “silly season” / “no evidence.” Then The Atlantic published audio and a transcript of Crockett’s team telling Atlantic reporter Elaine Godfrey that she had to leave the rally.
I want a nominee who can handle questions in public, tell the truth when challenged, and not import “war on the press” behavior into a Democratic primary.
Sources: Semafor · The Atlantic
5) Israeli Government: “beholden” is not a serious posture
When pressed about Israel, Crockett framed the U.S.–Israel relationship as something we should be beholden to, not something a senator should scrutinize, debate, or condition based on U.S. values and law.
That answer is a bright red flag for me.
And it’s not just the position. Crockett also voted YES on the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act (H.R. 8034), a package that included billions for weapons systems and munitions. If your red line is no more offensive weapons, her record doesn’t match it.
Sources: Bluesky (video clip) · House Clerk (Roll Call 152) · House Appropriations summary of H.R. 8034
In a Vanity Fair interview, Crockett suggested that some Hispanic voters have a “slave mentality”. That is offensive and f’ed up. It is also the kind of rhetoric that talks down to people instead of persuading them.
Then there is the church speech where she argued America needs immigrants for farm labor and said we are “done picking cotton.” That is a weird, demeaning way to talk about labor and immigration, and offensive to multiple groups of people.
Extremely offensive, and unacceptable.
Sources: Vanity Fair · ABC 33/40
7) Stock disclosure: this is an ethics problem
The watchdog group FACT filed an ethics complaint asking the Office of Congressional Conduct to investigate whether Crockett violated disclosure rules by failing to fully disclose stock holdings and debts.
If you are running as anti-corruption, you do not get to play games with transparency.
This is a basic trust issue. Extremely unacceptable.
Sources: FACT complaint (PDF) · House Clerk financial disclosure (2021) · House Clerk financial disclosure (2022) · House Clerk amendment (2022)
8) Ethics and character matter
Crockett’s campaign and pro-Crockett groups have run attack ads against Talarico. Talarico has said he is trying to run a positive race and lower the temperature.
He continues to say he respects Crockett and how he considers her a friend - despite increased attacks and lies by her and her campaign.
Sources: Texas Tribune · Texas Tribune (debate)
Bonus: a longer national scene‑setter
If you want a reported deep‑dive on how this primary is being framed nationally, The Atlantic has a long read on the Talarico vs. Crockett matchup.
Sources: The Atlantic
Bottom line: I’m backing Talarico because I think he’s the better general-election nominee and the better messenger for anti-corruption, working-class politics in a state Democrats have to actually win.
More James Talarico on The Liberty Pear
28 Feb 2026 Reading time: 1 minute
Four movies about pressure — political, personal, and criminal — and what people do when there’s no clean exit.
As the threat of Nazi invasion looms, newly appointed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill rallies a nation to fight for its very survival.
Amid the glittering casinos of Macau, a gambler running from his past — and his debts — becomes fascinated by an enigmatic woman at the baccarat table.
Hired to guard a young girl in Mexico City, a retired CIA operative with a dark past will stop at nothing to rescue her from a kidnapping ring.
Ben Affleck writes, directs and stars in this crime thriller as a Boston bank robber who finds himself in love with the victim of a previous heist. But stolen cash and a stolen heart can lead to the destruction of this prince of thieves.
22 Feb 2026 Reading time: 1 minute
Five TV picks: a weird workplace conspiracy, reality-as-therapy, a Marvel experiment, a twisty limited series, and an all-timer sports drama.
After an embarrassing incident at work, a man (Emmy® winner Tim Robinson) finds himself investigating a far-reaching conspiracy.
Nathan Fielder allows ordinary people to prepare for life’s biggest moments by “rehearsing” them in carefully crafted simulations.
Two super-powered beings living idealized suburban lives suspect that everything is not as it seems.
Two estranged spouses, one a detective and the other a news reporter, vie to solve a murder in which each believes the other is a prime suspect.
Audiences cheer the first season of this poignant and powerful drama. The intimate storytelling and the inspired performances involve the viewer with an authentic portrait of life, love, family, and friendships that really hits home.
