Podcast / Start Making Sense / Mar 18, 2026

From the Straits of Hormuz to the Streets of Minneapolis—Plus, Mamdani and the Midterms

On this episode of Start Making Sense, John Nichols analyzes the politics of the Iran war, and Maurice Mitchell talks about political movements and voting.

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From the Straits of Hormuz to the Streets of Minneapolis, plus Mamdani and the Midterms / Start Making Sense
byThe Nation Magazine

Trump’s war in Iran is bringing economic chaos and suffering to much of the world, but for American voters, the biggest effect is the soaring price of gasoline – and the political implications for Republicans in the midterms are clear to everyone. Meanwhile Minneapolis has shown how Americans can resist unjust and illegitimate power.

Also: The Working Families Party is organizing voters not just to win a Democratic majority in Congress but for a movement election, a historic expansion of the electorate that includes a demand for significant change. Maurice Mitchell, the party’s National Director, explains.

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Commercial vessels are pictured offshore in Dubai on March 11, 2026.

(AFP via Getty Images)

On this episode of Start Making Sense, John Nichols analyzes the politics of the Iran War, and Maurice Mitchell talks about political movements and voting.

Trump’s war in Iran is bringing economic chaos and suffering to much of the world, but for American voters the biggest effect is the soaring price of gasoline—and the political implications for Republicans in the midterms are clear to everyone. Meanwhile, Minneapolis has shown how Americans can resist unjust and illegitimate power.

Also: The Working Families Party is organizing voters not just to win for a Democratic majority in Congress but for a movement election, a historic expansion of the electorate that includes a demand for significant change. Maurice Mitchell, the party’s national director, explains.

Subscribe to The Nation to support all of our podcasts: thenation.com/podcastsubscribe.

The Nation Podcasts
The Nation Podcasts

Here's where to find podcasts from The Nation. Political talk without the boring parts, featuring the writers, activists and artists who shape the news, from a progressive perspective.

From the Straits of Hormuz to the Streets of Minneapolis, plus Mamdani and the Midterms / Start Making Sense
byThe Nation Magazine

Trump’s war in Iran is bringing economic chaos and suffering to much of the world, but for American voters, the biggest effect is the soaring price of gasoline – and the political implications for Republicans in the midterms are clear to everyone. Meanwhile Minneapolis has shown how Americans can resist unjust and illegitimate power.

Also: The Working Families Party is organizing voters not just to win a Democratic majority in Congress but for a movement election, a historic expansion of the electorate that includes a demand for significant change. Maurice Mitchell, the party’s National Director, explains.

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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Even before February 28, the reasons for Donald Trump’s imploding approval rating were abundantly clear: untrammeled corruption and personal enrichment to the tune of billions of dollars during an affordability crisis, a foreign policy guided only by his own derelict sense of morality, and the deployment of a murderous campaign of occupation, detention, and deportation on American streets. 

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Jon Wiener

Jon Wiener is a contributing editor of The Nation and co-author (with Mike Davis) of Set the Night on Fire: L.A. in the Sixties.

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Podcast / Tech Won’t Save Us / Mar 18, 2026 From the Straits of Hormuz to the Streets of Minneapolis—Plus, Mamdani and the Midterms On this episode of Tech Won’t…

Podcast / Tech Won't Save Us

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