China Is Overtaking America. Plus. . .

It’s Wednesday, August 13. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: Is Trump’s takeover of D.C. lawful? Why is Reuters carrying water for Hamas? Bari Weiss speaks to Amanda Knox. And more.

But first: Are China’s electric vehicles about to take over the world?

The near future of America is going to be shaped by our war for global supremacy—and our main adversary is China.

Right now, things aren’t looking good for the U.S. China is hoarding rare earth minerals, controlling critical supply chains, and stealing intellectual property.

Oh, and they’re also coming for America’s electric cars.

Not long ago, we were the undisputed champion of this field, thanks to Elon Musk’s Tesla. The company was a potent symbol of America’s propensity to have the best ideas—and then to make them happen.

But then Tesla opened a gigafactory in Shanghai, and now, perhaps predictably, it’s lost the crown to a Chinese company—which, as Ethan Dodd reports in our lead story today, makes cars every bit as good then sells them to the world for less money. It’s put America’s entire automotive industry into a tailspin.

“It’s the most humbling thing I’ve ever seen,” said Ford CEO Jim Farley—who, on Monday, announced that his company would spend $2 billion to convert a 70-year-old manufacturing plant in Louisville, Kentucky, into a facility that will focus solely on electric vehicles.

But the proliferation of Chinese EVs isn’t just an economic threat; it’s a threat to national security. The Israeli military has banned them from its bases, because of fears that they could gather surveillance data and pass it on to Beijing. The UK has made a similar move.

It seems as though our allies are catching on to the possibility that EVs could well become another weapon in the cold war against China.

With all the praise that has been showered on BYD’s vehicles, we wondered how they stacked up against a Tesla. So we asked Michael Dunne, the author of a forthcoming book about the battle for EV supremacy, to give two cars a spin around the block—the BYD Seal and the Tesla Model 3—and then tell us: Which car, Chinese or American, is better?

Read his piece to find out.

—Joe Nocera

You know the name of Amanda Knox, the American who was wrongfully imprisoned in Italy for a murder she did not commit. But you don’t know the whole story. In the most recent episode of Honestly, Amanda—who has a new book out—charts her ordeal, how she was smeared by the press, how she survived prison, and why she now chooses forgiveness. Yesterday Bari was overheard in The Free Press office saying, “This is one of the best conversations I’ve ever had on the pod.”

• Spirit Airlines, just months out of bankruptcy, has warned it may not survive another year without fresh cash—citing weak demand and mounting financial pressures. The budget carrier is exploring asset sales and other measures to stay afloat, raising fears of mass flight cancellations during peak travel seasons.

• As Trump prepares to meet Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said that his country will not sacrifice the parts of its Donbas region that are currently controlled by Russia—an idea the Kremlin has proposed. “For Russians, Donbas is a springboard for a future new offensive,” Zelensky claimed.

• The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) can regain “high-level IT access” to several government databases, an appeals court ruled yesterday. The case was brought by a group of unions including the American Federation of Teachers and the National Federation of Federal Employees. This decision means that DOGE will have access to information linked to Americans’ Social Security benefits, addresses, employers, and student debt.

• In June, the U.S. and China agreed to a truce in an escalating trade war, set to expire August 12; yesterday, both sides extended the pause another 90 days. The delay buys time to negotiate over rare earths and fentanyl—both of which China exports to the U.S. But core disputes remain, for example over Beijing’s industrial policies—which the White House argues are unfair to other nations.

• The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that consumer prices rose 2.7 percent in July—less than expected—despite Trump’s tariffs, easing fears of accelerating inflation. The report comes after Trump fired BLS commissioner Erika McEntarfer, claiming that weaker-than-expected employment statistics for July had been “manipulated.”

• Families of Israeli hostages in Gaza are calling for a nationwide strike to push for a ceasefire deal with Hamas, accusing the government of waging “an endless war without purpose.” The plea comes as Netanyahu makes plans to expand operations in the Gaza Strip—which some fear could endanger the roughly 20 hostages who are still alive. Israel’s largest labor union, Histadrut, has refused to join, saying past strikes failed to shift policy.

• The identity of the gunman who opened fire at CDC headquarters in Atlanta last week, killing a 33-year-old police officer before killing himself, has been confirmed. The shooter was identified as 30-year-old Patrick Joseph White. “Evidence in this event indicates that the shooter had recently verbalized thoughts of suicide, which even led to law enforcement being contacted several weeks prior to the incident,” the director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Tuesday. Investigators also found writings expressing his opposition to Covid-19 vaccines.

• The Trump administration is planning to establish a 600-member “quick reaction force” that would be deployed to U.S. cities facing civil unrest—within an hour of complaints. The force would be part of the National Guard, and would have outposts in both Alabama and Arizona. Critics question the move, citing falling crime and no major protests, while Defense Department officials warn it could strain resources.