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Trump, from Minneapolis to Caracas—Plus, How Capitalism Came to Communist China

On Start Making Sense, Harold Meyerson on Trump’s efforts to overcome collapsing support, and critic John Powers talks about the new TV series “Blossoms Shanghai” by Wong Kar Wai.

Jon Wiener

January 14, 2026

IN FLIGHT – JANUARY 11: U.S. President Donald Trump takes questions from the members of the press aboard Air Force One on January 11, 2026 en route back to the White House from Palm Beach, Florida. The President spent the weekend at his private club Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

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Trump, from Minneapolis to Caracas—Plus, How Capitalism Came to Communist China | Start Making Sense
byThe Nation Magazine

As Trump’s support collapses, he has lashed out in two directions–sending an unprecendented number of ICE agents to Minneapolis, where one of them murdered Renee Good, and sending the military to Venezuela, where he says he has seized control of the oil industry. Harold Meyerson comments.

Also: Twenty Minutes Without Trump: There’s a new TV series about how capitalism came to Communist China, 30 episodes made for Chinese TV by the great Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai, running now on the Criterion Channel. John Powers, critic-at-large on Fresh Air with Terry Gross, explains.

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On this episode of Start Making Sense, Harold Meyerson comments on Trump’s efforts to overcome collapsing support, and critic John Powers talks about the new TV series “Blossoms Shanghai” by Wong Kar Wai.

As Trump’s support collapses, he has lashed out in two directions–sending an unprecedented number of ICE agents to Minneapolis, where one of them murdered Renee Good, and sending the military to Venezuela, where he says he has seized control of the oil industry. Harold Meyerson comments.

Also: Twenty Minutes Without Trump: There’s a new TV series about how capitalism came to Communist China: 30 episodes made for Chinese TV by the great Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai, running now on the Criterion Channel. John Powers, critic-at-large on Fresh Air with Terry Gross, explains.

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.

The Supremes say ‘No” to Trump on Mail Voting, plus the Paramount-Warner Merger Fight / Start Making Sense
byThe Nation Magazine

Only two Justices backed Trump in the Court’s ruling blocking his efforts to enlist the postal service in restricting voting by mail in the midterms. David Cole explains why this is a huge victory, but far from the end of Trump’s effforts to undermine Democratic voting.

Also: The blue state attorneys general have succeeded in blocking the efforts of Trump’s allies at Paramount-Skydance from taking over Warners-Discovery, at least for now, but their lawsuit followed months of protests organized by, among others, Jane Fonda’s Committee for the First Amendment. Rashad Robinson has our analysis – his new book is From Presence to Power: How to take on the Fights that Matter – and Win.

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Jon WienerTwitterJon 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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