Can a Chinese Car Company Make It in America?

Jessica Mendoza (0:00)

Hey, this is Jessica Mendoza, host of The Journal Podcast, our show about money, business and power. If you're looking for more deeply reported stories like we share every day, consider becoming a subscriber to The Wall Street Journal. Visit subscribe.wsj.com/thejournal, all lowercase, to subscribe now.

Alex Ossola (0:23)

The vice president defends the ICE agent who killed a woman in Minneapolis. Plus, Chinese car company Geely is considering a big push in the US. We'll look at the challenges in its way.

Ryan Felton (0:34)

There was just a congressional hearing a few weeks ago about what was described as China's threats to the American auto industry. The top lobbying group is urging the Trump administration to prevent Chinese companies from coming here. Given that political reality, it's not just tariffs that might be the thing that holds it up.

Alex Ossola (0:51)

And Iran's internet shuts down amid widespread unrest. It's Thursday, January 8th. I'm Alex Ossola for The Wall Street Journal. This is the PM Edition of What's News, the top headlines and business stories that move the world today. In Minneapolis, there's a deepening political divide after an ICE officer yesterday shot and killed a 37-year-old woman, Renee Nicole Good. The Trump administration says the agent fired in self-defense after Good tried to run over officers. But state and city officials dispute that version of events. Videos from the scene have raised questions about whether Good was trying to flee rather than harm someone. Now, Minnesota officials say the FBI has shut them out of the investigation into the shooting. Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat, said an investigation that doesn't include state law enforcement can't be trusted.

Tim Walz (1:42)

It feels very, very difficult that we will get a fair outcome. And I say that only because people in positions of power have already passed judgment from the president to the vice president to Kristi Noem have stood and told you things that are verifiably false.

Alex Ossola (2:05)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the state's law enforcement agency doesn't have any jurisdiction in the investigation. Vice President JD Vance, speaking in the White House briefing room today, defended the agent responsible for yesterday's shooting. He also criticized Good.

JD Vance (2:20)

I can believe that her death is a tragedy while also recognizing that it's a tragedy of her own making and a tragedy of the far left who has marshaled an entire movement, a lunatic fringe against our law enforcement officers.

Alex Ossola (2:33)

Meanwhile, protests against ICE have continued in the city. ICE GO HOME!

WSJ National Affairs reporter Joe Barrett is on the ground in Minneapolis and joins me now. Joe, you were just at some of the protests there. What are they like?

Joe Barrett (2:49)

There were probably dozens of protesters and more than a hundred border patrol agents and other federal agents lined up preventing them from getting into the parking lot of this very large building, the Whipple Federal Building, where the border patrol is based their operations in Minneapolis. People are yelling and screaming, so emotions are running very high. But just since it's a random Thursday, not a huge, huge amount of people there.

Alex Ossola (3:14)

Just generally in the city, what's the vibe like right now?

Joe Barrett (3:19)

This is a city that faced the whole George Floyd protests, and they're feeling like it's happening again. Their city has been taken over by this national event, and people are on edge. You just don't know where ICE is going to show up next. People are coming out onto the streets and blowing their whistles and trying to let their neighbors know about it. Everybody's saying things like they just don't feel like this entire operation is necessary. They don't feel like they're being made more safe by getting these people who've been here for years out of the country. So yeah, go home, basically, we're fine. I spoke with a woman who lives across from Powderhorn Park, which saw an encampment during the George Floyd protests, and she says she lives about five blocks from where this shooting happened yesterday. She and her daughter came to the protest today, and she said her daughter was really trying to engage with some of these guys. I saw several conversations between people and the Border Patrol agents, and she said she was asking them, do you have any pets? Where do you live? Where are you from? Trying to make a connection with these people and not just vilify them. Of course, there were plenty of people there that were just screaming at them, but there's also sort of the Minnesota nice way of doing these kinds of things.

Alex Ossola (4:26)