The New York Times - USA (2020-12-02)

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A Brooklyn trial was postponed
after the defense lawyers said
they were unwilling to spend
weeks in a cramped courtroom. In
Manhattan, a woman summoned
for jury duty told the court she had
been sick with the coronavirus
and was symptomatic. Another
trial, in the Bronx, was canceled
when four courthouse staff mem-

bers tested positive.

Since October, state and federal

court officials have taken extraor-

dinary measures to restart crimi-

nal trials in New York City. They

have constructed plexiglass

boxes with special air filters in

court. They have asked witnesses

to testify in face shields and have

spread jurors out in courtroom

galleries.

But those efforts have not

stopped the virus from disrupting

nearly every step of the process.

The state and federal courts in the

city have been able to complete

only nine criminal jury trials since

the pandemic hit in March, offi-

cials said. Last year, there were

about 800 criminal trials in the

city.

For months, the logistical prob-

lems have threatened the ability

of hundreds of defendants to se-

cure their constitutional right to a

speedy trial. Now, as a second

wave of the virus threatens the re-

gion, the delays are worsening —

and officials foresee the backlog of

unresolved cases continuing to

grow.

9 Trials in 9 Months: Virus Wreaks Havoc on New York’s Courts

By NICOLE HONG

and JAN RANSOM

Backlog Is a Threat to

Health and Justice

Continued on Page A

ADRIANA ZEHBRAUSKAS FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

The New Mexico State University band in October. Practicing again was an achievement. Page A8.

Back on the Field, Safely

STEPANAKERT, Nagorno-Ka-

rabakh — As a dilapidated old van

pulled up at a hillside checkpoint,

an Azerbaijani soldier inside

scrubbed furiously at his fogged-

up window, then cast a glowering

look at an Armenian standing just

a few feet away.

Just days before, they were on

opposite sides of a bitter war. But

now the Russian peacekeeper

next to them was in charge. He

waved the van through toward

Azerbaijani-held territory to the

right. The Armenians traveled on

to Armenian-controlled land to

the left.

The vicious war between Azer-

baijan and Armenia over the dis-

puted mountain enclave of Nagor-

no-Karabakh has settled into a

tense truce enforced by heavily

armed Russian troops. For Rus-

sia, long a provocateur in the

broader Caucasus region, the

peacemaker role is a switch — a

new test and opportunity for a

country struggling to maintain its

influence in the former Soviet

lands.

“They say that things will be

OK,” said Svetlana Movsesyan, 67,

an ethnic Armenian who re-

mained in the Nagorno-Karabakh

capital of Stepanakert, even after

narrowly escaping an Azerbaijani

strike on the market where she

sells dried fruits and honey. “I be-

lieve in Vladimir Vladimirovich

Putin.”

In Fragile Caucasus Truce, Putin

Trades Iron Fist for a Deft Touch

By ANTON TROIANOVSKI and CARLOTTA GALL

Continued on Page A

President Trump has discussed

with advisers whether to grant

pre-emptive pardons to his chil-

dren, his son-in-law and his per-

sonal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani,

and he talked with Mr. Giuliani

about pardoning him as recently

as last week, according to two peo-

ple briefed on the matter.

Mr. Trump has told others that

he is concerned that a Biden Jus-

tice Department might seek retri-

bution against the president by

targeting the oldest three of his

five children — Donald Trump Jr.,

Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump —

as well as Ms. Trump’s husband,

Jared Kushner, a White House

senior adviser.

Donald Trump Jr. had been un-

der investigation by Robert S.

Mueller III, the special counsel,

for contacts with Russians offer-

ing damaging information on Hil-

lary Clinton during the 2016 cam-

paign, but he was never charged.

Mr. Kushner provided false infor-

mation to federal authorities

about contacts with foreigners for

his security clearance, but was

given one anyway by Mr. Trump.

The nature of Mr. Trump’s con-

cern about any potential criminal

exposure of Eric Trump or Ivanka

Trump is unclear, although an in-

vestigation by the Manhattan dis-

trict attorney into the Trump Or-

ganization has expanded to in-

clude tax write-offs on millions of

dollars in consulting fees by the

company, some of which appear to

have gone to Ms. Trump.

Presidential pardons, however,

Trump Said to Discuss Pardons

For His Children and Giuliani

By MAGGIE HABERMAN and MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT

Continued on Page A

WASHINGTON — Attorney

General William P. Barr acknowl-

edged on Tuesday that the Justice

Department has uncovered no

voting fraud “on a scale that could

have effected a different outcome

in the election,” a striking repudia-

tion of President Trump’s ground-

less claims that he was defrauded.

The statement from Mr. Barr af-

firming Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s win

served as a particularly harsh

blow to Mr. Trump’s efforts to

overturn the results of the elec-

tion. Mr. Barr has advanced Mr.

Trump’s political agenda perhaps

more than any other cabinet

member, bringing the Justice De-

partment as close to the White

House as it has been since Water-

gate.

His comments came as other

Republicans separated them-

selves on Tuesday from Mr.

Trump’s charged complaints

about the election. A Georgia elec-

tions official angrily denounced

the violent threats and har-

assment directed at elections

workers and urged the president

to “stop inspiring people to com-

mit potential acts of violence.”

“Someone’s going to get hurt,”

the official, Gabriel Sterling, said

at a news conference. “Someone’s

going to get shot. Someone’s going

to get killed.”

And Senator Mitch McConnell,

Republican of Kentucky and the

majority leader, who has refused

to recognize Mr. Trump’s election

loss, moved closer to overtly ac-

cepting the reality that Mr. Biden

would be in the White House next

year as he discussed the

prospects for more pandemic

stimulus in 2021.

“After the first of the year, there

is likely to be a discussion about

some additional package of some

size next year, depending upon

what the new administration

wants to pursue,” Mr. McConnell

IN BLOW TO TRUMP,

BARR SEES NO BASIS

FOR FRAUD CLAIMS

Repudiation by Loyalist Attorney General

— G.O.P. Allies Start to Move On

By KATIE BENNER and MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT

Attorney General William P.

Barr had been quiet recently.

AL DRAGO FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Continued on Page A

his Treasury secretary nominee,

Janet L. Yellen, called the damage

done so far “an American trage-

dy” that could lead to long-term

devastation if not quickly cor-

rected.

“Right now, the full Congress

should come together and pass a

robust package for relief to ad-

dress these urgent needs,” Mr. Bi-

den said.

But he acknowledged that any

stimulus agreement would neces-

sarily fall far short of the trillions

of dollars that Democratic leaders

have insisted on for months, say-

ing that “any package passed in a

lame-duck session is lucky to be at

best just a start.”

Mr. Biden’s nominees made it

clear that they were thinking ex-

pansively about how to revive the

economy and looking beyond just

restoring lost jobs and livelihoods

to finding ways to widen economic

wealth, broaden opportunities

and repair safety net programs.

“This is a moment of urgency

and opportunity unlike anything

we’ve faced in modern times,”

said Cecilia Rouse, Mr. Biden’s

Biden Urges a ‘Robust’ Stimulus as Risks Mount

This article is by Jim Tankersley,

Alan Rappeport, Jeanna Smialek,

Emily Cochrane and Luke Broad.

WASHINGTON — President-

elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Tues-

day introduced the economic

team he will rely on to help rebuild

the U.S. economy at a perilous mo-

ment, with coronavirus cases

soaring, the Federal Reserve

chair warning of challenging

months ahead and lawmakers in

Congress still struggling to reach

agreement on a rescue package.

Mr. Biden, speaking in Dela-

ware, called on Congress to pass a

substantial relief package to help

keep businesses, households and

local governments afloat, while

Republicans Still Resist,

but Bipartisan Group

Offers Compromise

Continued on Page A

In California,

Hospitals Face

Bed Shortages

Katie Phelps, 27, waiting for a coronavirus test in Los Angeles last week. California is averaging nearly 15,000 new cases a day.

BRYAN DENTON FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

By THOMAS FULLER
and MANNY FERNAND
SAN FRANCISCO — For all its
size and economic might, Califor-
nia has long had few hospital beds
relative to its population, a short-
fall that state officials now say
may prove catastrophic.
California is experiencing its
largest surge in coronavirus cases
with an average of nearly 15,
new cases a day, an increase of 50
percent from the previous record
over the summer.
So even though the state has
some of the country’s most re-
strictive measures to prevent the
spread of the virus, an influx of
people with severe cases of
Covid-19 may force overwhelmed
hospitals to turn patients away by
Christmas, Gov. Gavin Newsom
warned this week.
A dearth of hospital beds has
been a worldwide problem
throughout the pandemic, but Cal-
ifornia, with a population of 40
million, has a particularly acute
shortage. The wealthiest state in
the wealthiest country has 1.8 hos-
pital beds per 1,000 people, a level
that exceeds only two states,
Washington and Oregon, accord-
ing to 2018 data compiled by the
Kaiser Family Foundation. Cali-
fornia has one-third the number of
beds per capita as Poland.
Many hospitals in California
have maintained lower numbers
of beds in part to limit the length of
patient stays and lower costs. But
that approach is now being tested.
In addition to beds, a shortage
of nursing staff will make han-
dling the surge of virus cases “ex-
traordinarily difficult for us in Cal-
ifornia,” said Carmela Coyle, the
head of the California Hospital As-

Continued on Page A

Melissa Clark has long been on a quest

to make the perfect cookie gift box. She

may have done it this year. Above, her

Sparkly Gingerbread treats. PAGE D

FOOD D1-

The Sweetest Gift

Professional women logging on from

home are redefining work wear, shak-

ing up the office attire industry. PAGE B

BUSINESS B1-

So Long, Heels. Hello, Slippers.

Quentin Blakley interacts with strang-
ers on the job in Atlanta and follows a
routine to keep his family safe. PAGE A

TRACKING AN OUTBREAK A4-

Firefighter Keeps Guard Up

With coronavirus cases surging around

the league, Kurt Streeter asks why the

N.F.L. insists on continuing its season.

Sports of The Times. PAGE B

SPORTSWEDNESDAY B8-

A Timeout for the N.F.L.?

A gang of 30 men struck the small city

of Criciúma with guns and explosives,

robbing a bank and briefly taking hos-

tages in a brazen night attack. PAGE A

INTERNATIONAL A9-

Thieves Outgun Police in Brazil

Ray Davies of the Kinks recalls how he

came up with the idea for one of pop

music’s first big hits with an L.G.B.T.

theme five decades ago. PAGE C

ARTS C1-

50 Years of ‘Lo-Lo-Lo-Lo-Lola’

Despite policy differences, progressives

are “moving heaven and earth” to sup-

port two Senate candidates. PAGE A

NATIONAL A14-

Democratic Unity in Georgia

Thomas L. Friedman PAGE A

The $27.7 billion deal is a sign of the EDITORIAL, OP-ED A22-

growing value placed on tools that

facilitate remote work. PAGE B

Salesforce to Buy Slack

Yvette Gentry, the interim chief of

police, won’t be in the job long, but her

city is hoping for progress. PAGE A

Hope for Change in Louisville

A C.D.C. panel recommended that long-
term-care residents and health workers
be the first to get a vaccine. PAGE A

In Vaccine Rollout, Who First?

‘IT HAS TO STOP’A Georgia official criticizes the president for failing to

condemn threats of violence against election workers. PAGE A

Late Edition

VOL. CLXX.... No. 58,895 © 2020 The New York Times Company NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2020

Today,partly sunny skies, chilly, a

brisk wind, high 46. Tonight,mostly

clear skies, low 38. Tomorrow,a

good deal of sunshine, not as chilly,

high 51. Weather map, Page B10.

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