An online takedown of Marie Kondo by author-journalist Barbara Ehrenreich has been widely condemned as racist and xenophobic. Ehrenreich says it was a joke gone wrong.
Ehrenreich tweeted Monday that she saw Kondo's popularity as a sign of America's decline and wished that the Japanese "de-cluttering guru" would "learn to speak English." She later tweeted that she was "sorry" if she had offended anyone and called her previous comment a missed attempt at "subtle humor."
Ehrenreich is a prominent liberal who writes often about the working class, notably in the best-selling "Nickel and Dimed."
Prize-winning novelist Rebecca Makkai was among those calling Ehrenreich's first tweet racist. She also lamented comments by such fellow liberals as Katha Pollitt, who cited Kondo's speaking Japanese as "adding to her fairy-like delicacy and charm."
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AP) — President Donald Trump said Sunday that he is “inclined” to keep ExxonMobil out of Venezuela after its top executive was skeptical about oil investment efforts in the country after the toppling of former President Nicolás Maduro.
“I didn’t like Exxon’s response,” Trump said to reporters on Air Force One as he departed West Palm Beach, Florida. “They’re playing too cute.”
During a meeting Friday with oil executives, Trump tried to assuage the concerns of the companies and said they would be dealing directly with the U.S., rather than the Venezuelan government.
Some, however, weren’t convinced.
“If we look at the commercial constructs and frameworks in place today in Venezuela, today it’s uninvestable,” said Darren Woods, CEO of ExxonMobil, the largest U.S. oil company.
An ExxonMobil spokesperson did not immediately respond Sunday to a request for comment.
Also on Friday, Trump signed an executive order that seeks to ensure that Venezuelan oil revenue remains protected from being used in judicial proceedings.
The executive order, made public on Saturday, says that if the funds were to be seized for such use, it could “undermine critical U.S. efforts to ensure economic and political stability in Venezuela.” Venezuela has a history of state asset seizures, ongoing U.S. sanctions and decades of political uncertainty.
Getting U.S. oil companies to invest in Venezuela and help rebuild the country’s infrastructure is a top priority of the Trump administration after Maduro's capture.
The White House is framing the effort to “run” Venezuela in economic terms, and Trump has seized tankers carrying Venezuelan oil, has said the U.S. is taking over the sales of 30 million to 50 million barrels of previously sanctioned Venezuelan crude, and plans to control sales worldwide indefinitely.
Kim reported from West Palm Beach, Florida.
President Donald Trump boards Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
