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El monólogo de Fernán Gómez leído en el Prado era de Pérez Reverte P27
CULTURA
España no pasa del empate con Grecia en el camino al Mundial P32 33 FÚTBOL
Y
El cierre del canal de Suez amenaza al comercio global El bloqueo del paso marítimo por el buque encallado se prolonga MARC ESPAÑOL, El Cairo La Autoridad del Canal de Suez anunció ayer la suspensión de la navegación en la estratégica vía marítima hasta desencallar el buque portacontenedores Ever Given. Ante la falta de avances en la operación para remolcar el barco, uno de los más grandes del
Junts frustra la investidura de Aragonès en primera votación CAMILO S. BAQUERO ÀNGELS PIÑOL, Barcelona Junts per Catalunya frustrará la investidura de Pere Aragonès como presidente de la Generalitat en primera votación porque sus 32 diputados se abstendrán tras el debate de hoy. Fuerza así una segunda sesión, prevista para el martes. La decisión agría aún más la relación con ERC. PÁGINA 16
El fichaje de Toni Cantó por el PP genera tensión entre Casado y Ayuso ELSA GARCÍA DE BLAS JUAN JOSÉ MATEO, Madrid El fichaje de Toni Cantó ha provocado el primer pulso entre la dirección nacional del PP y el equipo de la presidenta madrileña, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, en el camino hacia las elecciones del 4 de mayo. PÁGINA 14
La moción da al PSOE la alcaldía de Murcia P
ÁGINA
15
mundo, el sector se prepara para un cierre prolongado, que podría durar semanas. Este bloqueo amenaza con lastrar las cadenas de suministro del comercio global. Dos de las mayores navieras del mundo, Moller-Maersk y Hapag-Lloyd, han anunciado que estudian desviar sus barcos a través de la ruta africana. Si se alarga la interrupción, las compañías deberán decidir si optan por desviarse alrededor del cabo de Buena Esperanza, lo que lleva alrededor de una semana más que la ruta de Suez. Las cadenas de suministro del mundo ya habían sufrido un duro golpe con la crisis del coronavirus. Ahora, el bloqueo en el canal de Suez, una de las principales arterias del transporte marítimo, supone otro revés para el comercio global. El anuncio de la suspensión se produjo mientras se reanudaba el intento de desencallar el megabuque, que con sus 400 metros de eslora mantiene la circulación bloqueada en ambas direcciones tras un accidente provocado el martes por el mal tiempo. El tráfico marítimo diario a través del canal de Suez se valora en 9.600 millones de dólares (8.150 millones de euros). PÁGINA 39
LAS HORAS BAJAS DE ANGELA MERKEL. La canciller alemana —en la foto, ayer en una sesión del Parlamento— encara el final de su mandato en un momento de debilidad. La marcha atrás en las restricciones de Semana Santa, el lento ritmo de vacunación y los malos resultados de la CDU en las regionales han deteriorado su imagen y la de su partido a seis meses de las elecciones. / STEFANIE LOOS (AFP) PÁGINA 2
La UE revisa su plan de vacunas por los retrasos de AstraZeneca Los 27 recurren a un arbitraje tras el incumplimiento en las entregas y harán un nuevo reparto de dosis de otros laboratorios BERNARDO DE MIGUEL, Bruselas Los líderes de la UE revisan su estrategia de vacunación contra la covid ante los sucesivos incumplimientos de las entregas de AstraZeneca. Los jefes de Estado y de Gobierno de la UE iniciaron ayer una cumbre virtual, que continúa hoy, marcada por el deterioro de la relación con la farmacéu-
tica. La Comisión Europea ya ha emprendido los trámites para un proceso de arbitraje ante un fiasco que deja en posición delicada a
Sanidad debate cerrar los bares en las zonas con más incidencia P24
los países miembros que apostaron por esa vacuna. La situación ha llevado a replantear el reparto de dosis de otros laboratorios que sí están disponibles. La cumbre prevé además dar un espaldarazo al certificado de vacunación, ideado para facilitar la movilidad dentro de la Unión. PÁGINA 22 EDITORIAL EN LA PÁGINA 10
Muere Tavernier, maestro de un cine comprometido y libre ÁLEX VICENTE, París Bertrand Tavernier falleció ayer a los 79 años, según anunció el Instituto Lumière. El director francés firmó películas comprometidas con las causas justas, aunque también partidarias de la licencia poética, y fue maestro de un cine a escala humana que siempre se mantuvo pegado a la realidad social. Entre sus obras figuran La vida y nada más y Hoy empieza todo. PÁGINA 28
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Why investors are willing to overlook past costly failures - big read , page 21
Will central bankers’ digital currency plans leave bitcoin behind? - pag e 23
America’s divisions show no sign of resolving —edward lu ce , page s
India deals blow to global Covid fight by blocking vaccine exports » Covax supplier must pause shipments •> Dozens of countries h it» Biclen doubles jabs target
Briefing ►Iiwarteng looks at backing Liberty Steel The business secretary has said he is lookingathow state help could be given to Liberty Steel's UK assets in their “entirety” as the count ty’s third-larges t steel group teeters - pages; greensill sill, page 10
►Navalny alleges abuse by prison guards Jailed Russian activist Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s most prominent critic, has accused guards of “abusing” him by withholding medical treatment and “torturing” him with sleep deprivation. - page 4
STEPHANIE
F IN D L A Y - N E W D E L H I M IC H A E L P E E L — B R U S S E L S D O N A T O P A O L O M A N C IN I — R O M E
The global rollout of Covid-19 vaccines has suffered a setback after India, the world’s biggest supplier to the intem atioualCovax scheme, banned exports as it prioritised its own vaccinations in response to an accelerating second wave of corona virus infections. The Serum Institute of India, the larg est m anufacturer of vaccines in the world, has been told to halt exports for up to two to three months, acco rding to twopeople familiar with the situation. The ban on shipments, which is also likely to delay at least 5ni doses to the UK, was issued as President Joe Biden hailed the US rollout effort and doubled his inoculations target from 100m to 200m by t he end of April. “I know its ambitious," Biden said at his first w hite House press conference yesterday. “I believe we can do it ” The US may even exceed Biden’s new goal w ith dmgmakers including John son & Johnson, Pfizer and Moderna all steadily increasing their manufacturing pace. Meanwhile, EU divisions over vaccine distribution were laid bare at a summit yesterday when A ustrian chancellor Sebastian Kura’s request for a larger share of 10m extra doses of the BioNTech/Pfizer jab was rebuffed by fellow leaders in the bloc. The EU, like India, is a big vaccine production hub and has already exported 77m d oses —Lnchiding 21m to the UK - while its own vaccina tion programme haslagged behind. Faced with another wave of i nfections, the EU and India are under domestic pressure to secure local supplies, but international public health officials have warned that export controls risk doing more damage in the long run. Gavi, the UN-backed international vaccine alliance, said that India’s tighter controls would have a direct impact on the Covax scheme, set up with the World Health Organization to ensure die equi-
►Nationwide staff can ‘work anywhere’ Aft erastaff survey, the British mortgage lender hassaid it will allow mostof its.13,000 officebased staff to carry on working from hom eifthey w ishtodoso after the pandemic.—p a g e 12
►Companies to lose business rates relief T housands of companies will he refused busi ness rates relief after ministers pledged to legislate to stop appeals against bills for the property-based tax because of disruption duringthe pandem ic.- p a g e 2
►China hits back over retailers' rem arks H&M and Nike are facing a backlash from Chinese state media over historical statements on forced labourinXinjiang, days after around ofwestem sanctions stoked geopolitical tensions.- p a g e »
►Facebook’sZuckerberg denies riot role Appearing before a House of Represe ntatives pane 1 via video link, Facebook’s chief deniedthat thesocial media group played a main role in paving the way for the storming of the US Capitol on January 6 .- pages
►Serie A clubs lurch into crunch TV talks
A police officer enforces virus-fighting m easures hi A m ritsar as India suffers a second wave of Covid infections PalSn^VEPA-EFE/ Shutters-tcdc
table global distribution of a t least 2bn Covid-19 vaccine doses in 2021. The WHO said Covax was in discussion with the Indian government to ensure some shipments could becompleted in March and April. Africa is heavily dependent on receiv ing v accines from th e Covax p ro gramme. John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said: “There is abso lutely no need for us as humanity to go into a vaccine w ar to fight tills pan demic, We trill all be losers.” The Serum Institute is contracted to manufacture 550m Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine doses and 550m Novavax vac cine doses for Covax in 2021 and 2022, more than 80 per cent of the facility’s currentsigned contracts.
Novavax said it was n o t affected by the export control moves since it did not plan to request authorisation for its vac cine, which is still in clinical trials, until the second quarter of the year. “We trust that questions regarding export licences trill be sorted out soon,” it added. A straZeneca did n o t respond to request for comment. India’s foreign ministry dec lined to comment, India is experiencing a sharp rise in new corona virus cases and is preparing
There is absolutely no need for us as humanity to go into a vaccine war to fight this pandemic’
to expand its vaccination campaign to people aged 45 and above on April 1. New Delhi wants to assess demand for inoculations in the next stage of the roll out before clearing export shipments, experts said. “Everything other than India is on hold for the time being; India is the priority,” said a person briefed on the vaccine export ta Iks. In addition to its Covax contracts, the Serum Institute has bilateral supply agreem ents w ith several countries, including the UK. Matt Hancock, the health secretary, said last week that 5m doses of Astra Zeneca’s jab ordered by Britain front tire Serumlnstitutehad beendelayed. News & analysis page 6 Sorlot’s vaccine headaches page T1 David Pilling page 23
Legal and General is latest big investor likely to shun Deliveroo’s bumper IPO ATT R A C T A M O O N EY A N D T IM B R A D SH A W
Consumers unwrap the painful reality of Brexit Three months after Britain left the EU the problems with sending paresis across borders is becoming evermore apparent. Even the most Innocuous of goods, like model trains, have been hit by the new bureaucracy. Packages sit for weeks in huge warehouses waiting for checks. Some never arrive, while others face unexpected customs fees. The convotuted border systems are straining both family and business relations across Europe.
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T he UK’s larg est fund m anager has become the latest big investor to say it plans to skip Deliveroo’s initial public offering next w eek as a backlash gath ers pace against its dual-class share structure and itstreatm entofw orkers. Legal and General Investment Manage ment, which oversees £1.3tn in assets, told the Financial Tunes it was ‘'‘unlikely to participate” in the IPO, either in its active or passive portfolios. Several large investors have voiced concern over the company’s proposed shareholder structure, which will give its founder enhanced voting power. Some also see potential regulatory' risk as governments around the world take a closer look at the gig economy model, further threatening the food delivery company’s ability to turn a profit.
M&G, A berdeen Standard Invest ments and Aviva investors, which col lectively oversee m ore than £ l t n in assets, have told the FT they will shun next week’s listing, which is expected to be the UK’s largest IPO in a decade. The governm ent hopes Deliveroo, which is targeting a m arket capitalisa tion of up to £8.8bn, trill herald a wave of tech IPOs in t he City of London. Rishi Sunak, die chancellor, endorsed the company's decision to list in Londonthe day after he recommended a series of changes to the UK’s listing rules that would allow companies with dual-class share structures to obtain premium status.gLvingthem entry to tiieFTSEloo. If tiie Deliveroo IPO goes as planned, Will Shu, co-founder and chief execu tive, will hold a stake w orth about £50 Om while re taming 57 pe r cent of the voting rights. LGIM said it was pushing
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VACCINE OPEN TO EVERY ADULT IN APRIL
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latimes.com
FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 2021
USC settles sex abuse claims School will pay more than $1.1 billion to ex-patients who sued campus gynecologist George Tyndall. By Matt Hamilton and Harriet Ryan
Expecting a jump in supply, California will dramatically expand eligibility for shots. By Luke Money and Colleen Shalby California is dramatically expanding the eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines, offering the shots to virtually all residents 16 and older beginning next month, the state announced Thursday. Residents who are at least 50 years old can get vaccines starting April 1, and all Californians 16 and older will be eligible starting April 15. State officials said the dramatic move is based on expected increases in vaccine supply. “There’s not just light at the end of the tunnel; there’s bright light at the end of the tunnel,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said during a news conference in Santa Ana. Among those who will become eligible starting next Thursday is Newsom himself. “I look forward to getting the best shot — and the best vaccine is the next one available,” Newsom, 53, said. California’s move to universal adult eligibility would come about two weeks before the May 1 target set by the Biden administration. A growing number of states, including Alaska, West Virginia and Mississippi, have previously expanded eligibility to residents 16 and older. As has been the case throughout the rollout, eligibility does not guarantee immediate access to an appointment. The timing of scheduling appointments also remains somewhat of an open question. The California Department of Public Health said Thursday that residents could go through their doctor’s office to begin booking their shots, so long as the actual appointments are on or after the day they become eligible, April 1 or 15. Depending on their eligibility, residents will be able to reserve an appointment through the state’s My Turn scheduling site on April 1, April 15 or later. Dr. Nancy Gin, regional medical director of quality and clinical analysis with [See Vaccine, A6]
Dania Maxwell Los Angeles Times
AUDRY NAFZIGER, left, hugs Lucy Chi after speaking during a Thursday news conference in downtown
L.A. about the $1.1-billion settlement and their claims against USC gynecologist George Tyndall.
Survivors say the payout is justice for abuse ignored A diverse group of women were united in trauma, with cases from 1989 to 2016. By Laura Newberry Some were born in China, some in the San Fernando Valley. Some started at USC as the Berlin Wall fell, some were there when Donald Trump was campaigning for president. They were white, Black, Latina and Asian. They were straight, gay, lesbian and bisexual. After USC, they became doctors, stay-at-home mothers, law enforcement
officials, professors, accountants and lawyers. What united them is a sorority of shared trauma in harrowing experiences in the exam rooms of the university’s student health clinic. On Thursday, USC announced that it would provide these former patients of gynecologist Dr. George Tyndall a total of more than $1.1 billion in compensation, the largest sex abuse payout in the history of American higher education. “I started shaking, I started crying,” said Brennan Heil, a 2019 graduate, of learning the news from an [See Victims, A7]
Richard Vogel Associated Press
DR. GEORGE Tyndall listens during his arraign-
ment at Los Angeles Superior Court on July 1, 2019.
Archaeologist on quest to recover Thai relics in U.S. Mysterious journey of two stone slabs is about to come to an end
Another disparity of the pandemic Access to outpatient care may have worsened for people of color, study finds. CALIFORNIA, B1
Biden takes stock of U.S. challenges At the president’s first news conference, he fields questions on the filibuster, Afghanistan and migrants at the border. NATION, A5
A debacle at Echo Park Lake Mayor stays out of the debate as police clear encampment. Steve Lopez sees plenty to blame. CALIFORNIA, B1 Weather Sunny and cool. L.A. Basin: 68/50. B12 Printed with soy inks on partially recycled paper.
USC has agreed to pay more than $1.1 billion to former patients of campus gynecologist George Tyndall, the largest sex abuse payout in higher education history. The huge sum was revealed Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court as lawyers for a final group of 710 women suing the university told a judge they had settled their claims for $852 million. USC previously agreed to pay thousands of other alumnae and students $215 million in a 2018 federal class-action settlement. A group of about 50 other cases were settled for an amount that has not been made public. The sole full-time gynecologist at the student health clinic from 1989 until 2016, Tyndall was accused of preying on a generation of USC women. After The Times exposed his troubled history at the university three years ago, the 74-yearold was stripped of his medical license and arrested. He has pleaded not guilty to dozens of sexual assault charges and is awaiting trial. USC President Carol Folt, who was appointed in 2019 to reform the university in the wake of the scandal, said in a letter to the school community that she hoped the settlement “provides some relief to the women abused by George Tyndall.” “I am deeply sorry for the pain experienced by the women who trusted him as a physician and appreciate the courage of all who came forward,” she wrote. The USC settlement dwarfs recent payouts in other university scandals. Michigan State University paid $500 million in connection with Larry Nasser’s sexual abuse of gymnasts and others, while Penn State settled claims related to Jerry Sandusky’s sexual abuse for [See Tyndall, A7]
By Jennifer Lu
Al Seib Los Angeles Times
L.A. COUNTY sheriff’s deputies move an inmate at Men’s Central Jail. A high
court decision Thursday makes pretrial release much more likely for defendants.
State’s top justices order reform of the bail system It’s unconstitutional to jail a defendant who poses no risk but can’t afford to pay, they say. By Maura Dolan SAN FRANCISCO — For years, California legislators and judges have tried to reform the state’s money bail system to reduce discrimination against the poor. On Thursday, four
months after voters rejected such a reform, the California Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional to require defendants to remain behind bars simply because they cannot afford bail. In a unanimous decision, the state’s top court told judges to favor pretrial release and consider a person’s ability to pay before setting bail. Thursday’s ruling is likely to lead to many more people being released without bail before they go to trial.
Judges may keep criminal defendants locked up only when “clear and convincing” evidence shows there is no other way to protect the public and ensure the defendants’ return for court appearances. “The common practice of conditioning freedom solely on whether an arrestee can afford bail is unconstitutional,” Justice MarianoFlorentino Cuéllar wrote for the court, ruling that it violated both state and federal [See Bail, A6]
The intricately carved sandstone slab immediately caught the eye of archaeologist Tanongsak Hanwong. He was conducting research for his doctorate at Burapha University in Thailand when he found an article about two Thai antiquities at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, one featuring the Hindu and Buddhist god Yama seated on a buffalo over a Kala monster face motif. The image looked exactly like one he had studied in a college class decades ago, a black-and-white slide photographed in 1959 at Prasat Nong Hong, a temple in northeastern Thailand. Tanongsak remembered it because it was unique: Yama, lord of death, rarely decorated Khmer temples in Thailand. A second architectural lintel also was found in the museum’s online records. Both came from temple sites that Thailand had registered in the mid-1930s as national ancient monuments. They were protected property. Which raised the question: What were the two 1,500pound stone lintels doing in an American art museum? It’s no secret that some of the Khmer civilization’s most significant artifacts end up outside Cambodia and Thailand, often through unscrupulous channels. In 2008, federal agents raided four Southern California museums, including the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, after investigators traced the smuggling of Bronze Age artifacts from the Ban Chiang archaeological site in Thailand to a tax fraud scam involving museum donations. Two decades before that, the Art Institute of Chicago returned a lintel that had disappeared from the Phanom Rung temple in the 1960s. And the Asian Art Museum’s first benefactor, Avery [See Lintels, A4]
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Biden Laces Into G.O.P. On ‘Un-American’ Bids To Limit Voting Rights Georgia Republicans 1st News Conference Pass Broad Curbs — Defends Record on Ballot Access on Migrants By NICK CORASANITI
DOUG MILLS/THE NEW YORK TIMES
President Biden during the first formal news conference of his administration in the East Room of the White House on Thursday.
New York Gave On Google Podcasts, Unfiltered Streams of Hate misinformation and incitements Drug Executive violence in recent months, podLax Moderation Even to casts — historically fueled by a He had already been banned Access to Tests from Twitter, but on his podcast he as Other Platforms spirit of good-natured anarchy — By REGGIE UGWU
This article is by J. David Goodman, Luis Ferré-Sadurní and Jesse McKinley.
The president of Regeneron, a pharmaceutical company with longstanding ties to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, received special access to coronavirus testing last year as the first wave of the pandemic tore through New York and tests were severely limited. The company requested tests from the state for its president, Dr. George Yancopoulos, and his family after a “member of his household became infected with Covid-19,” a company spokeswoman said. State officials granted the request and tested the family at home in March. By then, New York had already become the epicenter of the pandemic, with a frightened populace suddenly confronted with a widespread shutdown in the face of a virus that little was known about. On April 1, Governor Cuomo then announced that Regeneron would create 500,000 kits for testing samples and provide them free of charge to New York State. The company, which would eventually become a critical player in the efforts to lower the risk of hospitalization and death among high-risk Covid-19 patients, said Dr. Yancopoulos was not involved in the donation of the kits. The unusual and preferential treatment granted to Dr. Yancopoulos was also extended to Mr. Cuomo’s relatives, including his mother, Matilda Cuomo, and brother, the CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, and at least one of his sisters, as well as other influential people, according to people with direct knowledge of the effort. Revelations that the governor’s Continued on Page A20
could give full voice to his hateful conspiracy theories. The podcaster argued that the man in Atlanta who had confessed to killing eight people at massage parlors last week, including six women of Asian descent, was the one who had truly been victimized — the casualty of a supposed Jewish plot. “Your heart goes out to the guy,” he said. The remarks, emblematic of a longstanding online network of white supremacists and pro-Nazi
Tighten the Reins groups, weren’t hidden in some dark corner of the internet, but could be found on Google Podcasts, the search giant’s official podcast app that was released for Android in 2018 and expanded to Apple devices last year. As leading social networks like Facebook and Twitter have taken some steps to limit hate speech,
stand as one of the last remaining platforms for the de-platformed. After Twitter last November suspended the account of Steve Bannon, the onetime adviser to former President Donald J. Trump, for suggesting that several officials be beheaded, he continued to enjoy large audiences with his podcast, available on both Apple’s and Google’s services. But even in the world of podcasting, Google Podcasts — whose app has been downloaded Continued on Page A19
Kashia Campbell earned top grades from her patient care technician program at Florida Career College. So she was shocked to find that, upon graduation, she was blocked from the exam to get certified in the field. The problem was a $6,500 private loan she had taken out from
By MICHAEL D. SHEAR and ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS
WASHINGTON — President Biden said on Thursday that Republican efforts to limit voting rights were “sick” and “un-American,” vowing to prevent states from taking what he called “despicable” actions that undermine democracy by making it harder for people to cast ballots. Speaking to reporters in the East Room of the White House for his first formal news conference, Mr. Biden said he would do “everything in my power” to pass voting rights legislation now under consideration in the Senate. But when asked about ending the Senate rule that requires 60 votes to approve most legislation — one of the biggest obstacles to the voting rights bill and much of the rest of his agenda — the president was more cautious, suggesting he was open to change but not committing himself to it. The 60-vote threshold imposed
JOHN MOORE/GETTY IMAGES
The president vowed to speed placement of migrant children. by the filibuster was being “abused in a gigantic way,” Mr. Biden said, reiterating his support for a proposal that would require senators to keep talking in order to block legislation — a shift in practice that could deter routine use of the rule. “I strongly support moving in that direction,” he said. But he also signaled more directly than he has previously that he might eventually back more far-reaching proposals to limit or abolish the filibuster if doing so turned out to be essential for passage of a voting rights measure and other key elements of his agenda in a Senate that is currently divided 50 to 50. “If there’s complete lockdown and chaos as a consequence of the Continued on Page A16
With Marijuana Deal, New York Could Create $4 Billion Industry By LUIS FERRÉ-SADURNÍ RAJANISH KAKADE/ASSOCIATED PRESS
A Drop in Vaccine Exports India is sending less of the AstraZeneca vaccine abroad as infection rates rise at home. Page A7.
Students Crushed by Private Loans From For-Profit Colleges By SARAH BUTRYMOWICZ and MEREDITH KOLODNER
Georgia Republicans on Thursday passed a sweeping law to restrict voting access in the state, introducing more rigid voter identification requirements for absentee balloting, limiting drop boxes and expanding the Legislature’s power over elections. The new measures make Georgia the first major battleground to overhaul its election system since the turmoil of last year’s presidential contest. The legislation, which followed Democratic victories that flipped the state at the presidential and Senate levels, comes amid a national movement among Republican-controlled state legislatures to mount the most extensive contraction of voting access in generations. Seeking to appease a conservative base that remains incensed about the results of the 2020 election, Republicans have already passed a similar law in Iowa, and are moving forward with efforts to restrict voting in states including Arizona, Florida and Texas. Democrats and voting rights groups have condemned such efforts, arguing that they unfairly target voters of color. They say the new law in Georgia particularly seeks to make voting harder for the state’s large Black population, which was crucial to President Biden’s triumph in Georgia in November and the success of Senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in the January runoff elections. Mr. Biden joined Georgia Democrats on Thursday in denouncing efforts to limit voting, calling Republicans’ push around the country “the most pernicious thing.” “This makes Jim Crow look like Jim Eagle,” he said at his first formal news conference since taking office. Though the law is less stringent than the initial iterations of the bill, it introduces a raft of new restrictions for voting and elections in the state, including limiting drop boxes, stripping the secretary of state of some of his authority, imposing new oversight of county election boards, restricting who can vote with provisional ballots, and making it a crime to offer food or water to voters waiting in lines. The law also requires runoff elections to be held four weeks after the original vote, instead of the current nine weeks. The law does not include some of the harshest restrictions that Continued on Page A15
the college to help her cover tuition. Florida Career College demanded that she pay more of her loan before it would release her transcript, something she said she had not been told previously. The transcript was a prerequisite for the certification exam, and she ended up in a lower-paying job earning $10 an hour. Four years later, she can pay only $50 a month on her school loan.
Direct Lending That Enriches the Schools Ms. Campbell is one of hundreds of thousands of students who have borrowed directly from for-profit colleges. These directlending programs have prolifer-
ated in the last decade, and almost never come with the safeguards guaranteed by federal loans. The colleges can demand payments while students are still in school. They can withhold transcripts for nonpayment. They can impose onerous interest rates, reaching into the double digits. Many students are unable to make their monthly payments, Continued on Page A18
Returning to a Show of Force North Korea’s missile test indicated an effort to gain leverage with the U.S., which faces a difficult choice. PAGE A9
Paid Leave After Miscarriages New Zealand enacted a measure requiring employers to give grieving couples three days off. PAGE A9
U.S.C. to Pay Out $1.1 Billion
Vaccine Gains vs. Brexit Critics
The University of Southern California announced a compensation fund for the former patients of a gynecologist accused of preying on them. PAGE A18
The British prime minister is riding high on a strong rollout of shots, despite a bumpy exit from the European Union and early pandemic missteps. PAGE A4
New Videos of the Capitol Riot Videos obtained by The New York Times show for the first time how the U.S. Capitol Police officer who died on Jan. 6 was attacked. PAGE A14
A ‘Long Overdue’ Overhaul A renewed focus on lifting the fortunes of Black farmers is at the heart of a targeted debt relief program in the Agriculture Department. PAGE A12
where marijuana, but not alcohol, could be consumed, according to details obtained by The New York Times. It would also allow a person to cultivate up to six marijuana plants at home, indoors or outdoors, for personal use. If approved, the first sales of legal marijuana are likely more than a year away: Officials must first face the daunting task of writing the complex rules that will control a highly regulated market, from the regulation of wholesalers and dispensaries, to the allocation of cultivating and retail licenses, to the creation of new taxes and a five-member control board that would oversee the industry. The deal was crafted with an intense focus on making amends in communities impacted by the decContinued on Page A20
TRACKING AN OUTBREAK A4-8
NATIONAL A12-20
INTERNATIONAL A9-11
New York State officials finalized a deal on Thursday to legalize recreational marijuana in the state, paving the way for a potential $4.2 billion industry that could create tens of thousands of jobs and become one of the largest markets in the country. Following several failed attempts, lawmakers in Albany struck an agreement with Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to legalize cannabis for adults 21 and older, a move that officials hope will help end years of racially disproportionate policing that saw Black and Hispanic people arrested on low-level marijuana charges far more frequently than white people. The deal would allow delivery of the drug and permit club-like lounges or “consumption sites”
SPORTSFRIDAY B8-11
WEEKEND ARTS C1-15
BUSINESS B1-7
Torch Starts Toward Tokyo
A Warning on Globalization
A Dazzling Exhibition
A normally jubilant Olympic tradition began amid wide criticism that the Games still pose big risks. PAGE B11
The shutdown of the Suez Canal after a huge ship ran aground, blocking traffic, underscores the world’s heavy reliance on global supply chains. PAGE B1
Julie Mehretu’s work is a testament to how abstraction can embody multiple flows without ever settling down. Above, “Epigraph, Damascus.” PAGE C1
Scrutiny of Gender Inequity A civil rights lawyer will examine the N.C.A.A.’s management of its women’s basketball tournament. PAGE B9
EDITORIAL, OP-ED A22-23
David Brooks
PAGE A23
U(D54G1D)y+#!%!,!?!=
FRIDAY, MARCH 26, 2021 ~ VOL. CCLXXVII NO. 70
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DJIA 32619.48 À 199.42 0.6%
NASDAQ 12977.68 À 0.1%
STOXX 600 423.08 g 0.1%
10-YR. TREAS. g 1/32 , yield 1.614%
OIL $58.56 g $2.62
GOLD $1,724.90 g $8.00
Flow of Migrants Seeking Asylum in the U.S. Accelerates
What’s News Business & Finance
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nitial jobless claims fell to 684,000 last week from 781,000 a week earlier, their lowest level of the pandemic, as stronger hiring and consumer spending drive a U.S. economic revival. A1
U.S. stocks rose, with the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq gaining 0.6%, 0.5% and 0.1%, respectively. B9 Buffett’s Berkshire is pitching Texas lawmakers on a plan to spend $8.3 billion to build power plants that would run during electricity emergencies. B1 GM appointed tech-industry veteran Meg Whitman and NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum as new directors. B2 The Supreme Court ruled that Ford must face productliability claims stemming from serious auto accidents in Montana and Minnesota. A3
World-Wide Biden, during his first formal news conference as president, defended his approach to the southern border, signaled support for changes to the filibuster and said the U.S. was unlikely to meet a May deadline to withdraw troops from Afghanistan. A1 The Suez Canal remained closed amid efforts to clear a ship blocking the waterway. Shipping experts said a resumption of traffic could be days, if not weeks, away. A1, A6 Lawmakers blamed big tech companies for an array of societal problems during a combative House hearing and excoriated their CEOs for lack of accountability. A4 Israel’s political deadlock is set to continue after Netanyahu and his rivals failed to make decisive gains in the latest national election. A6 Georgia’s governor signed into law changes to the state’s election requirements, including altering how people vote absentee and where people can drop off their ballots. A3 The impeachment inquiry into New York Gov. Cuomo will also examine whether members of his family were given priority access to coronavirus tests, a state lawmaker said. A3 EU leaders gave tentative backing to beefed-up vaccine export controls but said the bloc should tread carefully to avoid threatening international supply chains for shots. A7 USC agreed to pay an additional $852 million to settle sexual-misconduct claims brought against a longtime school gynecologist. A3 CONTENTS Arts in Review A10-11 Business News.. B3,5 Crossword............... A11 Heard on Street. B10 Mansion............. M1-16 Markets...................... B9
Opinion.............. A13-15 Sports........................ A12 Streetwise................ B9 Technology............... B4 U.S. News............. A2-6 Weather................... A11 World News....... A7-8
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ON HOLD: A 34-year-old asylum-seeker from Honduras cradles his 9-month-old daughter as they wait to be taken to a processing center after crossing the Rio Grande into the U.S. from Mexico on a raft in La Joya, Texas. President Biden, at his news conference Thursday, said he sees few short-term options to slow the increase of migrants at the border. A4
Biden Defends Border Stance, Supports Change to Filibuster BY ALEX LEARY AND ANDREW RESTUCCIA WASHINGTON—President Biden defended his approach to the southern border, signaled support for changes to the legislative filibuster and said the U.S. was unlikely to meet a May deadline to withdraw troops from Afghanistan during his first formal news conference since taking office. In the hourlong session Thursday, Mr. Biden, 78 years old, said he expects to run for
re-election with Vice President Kamala Harris on the ticket. The news conference came as Mr. Biden’s administration deals with a surge of migrants crossing the southern border and after mass shootings in Georgia and Colorado that have revived a debate about gun restrictions. The president repeated his call for changes to Senate procedure as he seeks to enact his agenda, which includes massive investments in infrastructure, climate change and edu-
cation, as well as changes to immigration and gun laws. Mr. Biden said he strongly supports a return to the socalled talking filibuster, which requires senators to remain on the floor in objection to legislation, and signaled openness to additional steps. “If there’s complete lockdown and chaos as a consequence of the filibuster, then we’ll have to go beyond what I’m talking about,” Mr. Biden said, without offering specifics. Later, he said he agreed
Jobless Claims Drop to Pandemic Low Point
with former President Barack Obama that the filibuster is a “relic of the Jim Crow era” but didn’t say what other changes he would support. Some fellow Democrats want to eliminate the rule that requires 60 votes in the Senate for most legislation, but others in the party object to getting rid of the filibuster. Democrats hold a narrow majority in the Please turn to page A4 Democrats make case to reverse tax cuts....................... A4
Jobless claims fell to their lowest level of the pandemic last week as stronger hiring and consumer spending drive a U.S. economic revival. Worker filings for unemployment benefits, a proxy for layoffs, fell to 684,000 last week from 781,000 a week earlier. Claims are now at the lowest point since mid-March of last year, before lockdowns triggered millions of layoffs. They are also below the prepandemic high of 695,000, a threshold not crossed for 52 weeks. “The recovery is really hitting full steam again, and all of the conditions will be in place for a real, explosive liftoff in the summer when hopefully we’ve reached a higher vaccination threshold,” said Julia Pollak, labor economist at jobs site ZipRecruiter. The four-week average for jobless claims, which smooths out volatility in the weekly figures, also fell to a pandemic low of 736,000. Still, benefits of the recovery aren’t yet reaching everyone. Millions of people are suffering from spells of long-term unemployment. Total continuing claims, a proxy for the number of people receiving Please turn to page A2 7 million 6
Initial claims for unemployment benefits
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Fears of Suez Canal Delays Mount
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BY COSTAS PARIS AND BENOIT FAUCON The Suez Canal remained shut on Thursday as Egyptian authorities worked to clear a ship blocking the critical waterway and shipping experts warned a resumption of traffic through the channel could still be days, if not weeks, away. The canal, which connects markets from Europe to Asia, is a transit point for oil products refined in Europe and crude oil
H&M Disappears From Apps In China
from North African and Black Sea ports. Exporters and customers on both continents were girding for delays, while the cost of renting tankers rose and shippers plotted alternative routes for oil and gas supplies. European and international companies are bracing for possible rising costs and growing supply-chain complications. Singapore’s transport minister told port authorities to prepare for disruptions. “Some draw down on inventories will
become necessary” if the blockage is prolonged, Ong Ye Kung said in a Facebook post on Thursday. Ducati Motor Holding said some customers of its high-end motorcycles, built at a Bologna, Italy, plant, probably won’t get their bikes on time. Tugboats and a dredger resumed work early Thursday to dig out the Ever Given—a 1,300-foot ship operated by Taiwan-based Evergreen Group— partially refloat it and move it out of the way. As the day pro-
India Suspends Export of Shots
JAVED DAR/XINHUA/ZUMA PRESS
The Fed’s Powell said the U.S. can manage its debt at current levels but that fiscalpolicy makers should seek to slow its growth once the economy is stronger. A2
YEN 109.19
BY SARAH CHANEY CAMBON
ADREES LATIF/REUTERS
Boeing was ejected this week from a contest to provide the U.S. with a new antimissile defense system. B1
EURO $1.1764
Weekly total eases on strength in hiring, consumer spending as economy revives
H&M disappeared from a range of China’s leading apps as Chinese consumers continued to rage over the clothing brand’s decision to stop sourcing from the country’s Xinjiang region. A1 Microsoft is in advanced talks to acquire messaging platform Discord for $10 billion or more, according to people familiar with the matter. B1
HHHH $4.00
WSJ.com
BY EVA XIAO HONG KONG—For app users in the world’s most populous country, the world’s biggest seller of fast fashion has effectively ceased to exist. As of Thursday, Hennes & Mauritz AB’s H&M had been wiped off China’s leading ecommerce, ride-hailing, dailydeals and map applications, as Chinese consumers continued to rage over the Swedish clothing brand’s decision to stop sourcing from China’s Xinjiang region. H&M’s swift erasure from Chinese platforms marked an escalation in the kind of retaliation Western companies can face when running up against Beijing on hot-button issues, such as human rights and China’s policies toward ethnic groups in Xinjiang. Criticism of H&M—including calls for boycotts—by Chinese social-media users surged Wednesday, apparently over the company’s statement last Please turn to page A7
India suspended vaccine exports, a move that threatens to disrupt the distribution of doses to the developing world. A7
Inoculated Seniors Cut Loose— And Take Flak From Offspring i
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Adult children struggle to rein in parents who are gleefully resuming social lives BY ROBBIE WHELAN AND JAMES R. HAGERTY As soon as he got his second Covid-19 vaccine shot, Ronald Boorstein, an 85-yearold retired lawyer from Wilmette, Ill., booked a flight to Florida for a date. He met up with Roberta Ru-
bin, 84, who was also recently vaccinated—one of three women with whom Mr. Boorstein regularly goes to dinner—in Vero Beach for two weeks of sunny strolls on the sand and chats about books. Mr. Boorstein has also joined a ROMEO group (RePlease turn to page A8
gressed, people involved in the operation described an increasingly tricky engineering and logistics challenge. The bow of the ship is still wedged deep into one side of the canal, requiring dredging, these people said. The ship needs to be lightened by taking off fuel, ballast water and, possibly, a portion of its conPlease turn to page A6 Energy industry is hit by fallout............................................. A6
Pre-pandemic record was 695,000
Week ended March 20 684,000
1 April
’ 1
Note: Seasonally adjusted Source: U.S. Employment and Training Administration via St. Louis Fed
Powell says U.S. debt levels are manageable........................ A2
AstraZeneca Got Vaccine Right, Rollout Wrong Drugmaker tangles with U.S. over data; production delays draw fire in Europe AstraZeneca PLC promised the world more vaccines, at a lower cost, than any of the more established vaccine makers. It is finding how hard living up to those commitments can be. By Jenny Strasburg, Thomas M. Burton and Joseph Walker A public spat this week with U.S. officials over the precise effectiveness of its Covid-19 shot has upset regulators and chipped away at the drugmaker’s reputation in its biggest market. The fight has heightened doubts among senior U.S. medical officials about the company’s data analysis, threatening to lengthen the regulatory review. That is already months behind schedule after a separate standoff with the Food and Drug Administration in
the fall over disclosures about the vaccine’s U.K. trials. Wednesday evening U.S. time, AstraZeneca revised its estimate of the shot’s efficacy from large-scale U.S. trials based on additional data, saying it was 76% effective in preventing symptomatic Covid-19, down from the 79% it reported from an analysis on Monday. The FDA, which needs to sign off on the vaccine before it is used in the U.S., normally sends staffers to clinical trial sites to assess how data is compiled before any approval. The FDA now expects to dispatch more employees to more sites than normal because of the level of mistrust that has built up, Please turn to page A9 Pfizer begins testing its shot on younger children............... A9