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JUEVES 4 DE FEBRERO DE 2021 | Año XLVI | Número 15.907 | EDICIÓN MADRID | Precio: 1,70 euros
Suu Kyi se expone a tres años de cárcel tras el golpe P6
MYANMAR
“Tras las mascarillas se nos ha olvidado sonreír” SALMA HAYEK
P31
EL EXTESORERO ESCRIBE A LA FISCALÍA SOBRE LA CAJA B DEL PP
ELECCIONES EN CATALUÑA
La confesión de Bárcenas
“Hasta las 9.00 del 14-F no sabremos si la votación es viable”
“Desde 1982 existió institucionalizado un sistema de financiación del PP con percepciones en b” JOSÉ ANTONIO HERNÁNDEZ, Madrid El extesorero nacional del PP Luis Bárcenas, condenado en el caso Gürtel a 29 años de cárcel, entregó ayer un escrito a la Fiscalía Anticorrupción a cinco días del comienzo del juicio sobre la
“Rajoy era perfecto conocedor de estas actuaciones. Le mostré los papeles y los destruyó”
financiación ilegal del PP, en el que es el principal acusado. El documento, una confesión en toda regla, reconoce la existencia de una caja b. Bárcenas asegura que mostró a Rajoy en 2009 los documentos de la financiación ilegal y
“Recibieron complementos salariales Rajoy, Cospedal, Trillo, García-Escudero, Cascos, Acebes, Arenas...”
que el entonces líder del partido los metió en una trituradora de papeles sin saber que el tesorero tenía una copia. Además, Bárcenas sugiere que algunas donaciones estaban vinculadas a la adjudicación de contratos por Admi-
nistraciones del PP, un delito de cohecho que aún está en investigación. El extesorero asegura que su silencio de los últimos años se debió a que le prometieron que su mujer, Rosalía Iglesias, no ingresaría en prisión. PÁGINAS 14 A 16
Un presidente de Junta Electoral ve riesgo de ausencias en las mesas J. GARCÍA / B. CIA, Barcelona Santiago García, presidente de la Junta Electoral de Zona de Barcelona, confía en que se pueda votar con garantías en las elecciones autonómicas catalanas del 14 de febrero, pero la pandemia no lo pone fácil y admite que habrá que contener el aliento. “A las 9.00 de ese día sabremos si las elecciones son viables”, asegura. “El gran riesgo es que no se constituyan algunas mesas electorales”, admite, porque haya ciudadanos que no se presenten. PÁGINA 19
La ‘ley trans’ abre una nueva brecha entre PSOE y Podemos en el Gobierno
Mario Draghi, ayer en el palacio del Quirinal, donde se reunió con el presidente italiano, Sergio Mattarella.
Mario Draghi suma apoyos para liderar un Ejecutivo de unidad
El salvador del euro, al rescate de Italia DANIEL VERDÚ, Roma Mario Draghi confirmó ayer al presidente italiano, Sergio Mattarella, su disponibilidad para liderar el Gobierno tras la dimisión de Giuseppe Conte. Draghi llamó a la unidad por el bien del país y busca un apoyo amplio en ambas Cámaras. Puede contar con el Partido Democrático y con la Italia Viva de Renzi, pero una parte del
Movimiento 5 Estrellas, el partido con mayor representación, se resiste a apoyarle. El expresidente del Banco Central Europeo es uno de los italianos con más prestigio en décadas. Hace diez años, se erigió en salvador del euro al pronunciar unas palabras que aplacaron a los mercados: “Haremos lo que haga falta”. PÁGINAS 2 A 4 EDITORIAL EN LA PÁGINA 10
/ ETTORE FERRARI (AP)
PILAR ÁLVAREZ, Madrid La tramitación de una ley trans ha abierto una nueva brecha política entre PSOE y Podemos. El cambio de sexo legal con una mera declaración y el acceso a tratamientos hormonales desde la pubertad, incluidos en el borrador de Igualdad, no gustan en La Moncloa. El PSOE considera el texto una propuesta de máximos de Podemos. PÁGINA 26
España descarta la vacuna de AstraZeneca para los mayores de 80 años PABLO LINDE, Madrid La vacuna de AstraZeneca empezará a llegar a España este mes. Sin embargo, Sanidad ha descartado administrarla a los mayores de 80 años, que recibirán las de Pfizer y Moderna. Esa decisión puede alterar la estrategia de vacunación, especialmente si se decide no emplear tampoco las dosis de AstraZeneca para los mayores de 65 años. PÁGINA 24
FINANCIAL TIMES NEWS PROY IDER OF THE Y EAR
THURSDAY 4 FEBRUARY 2021
UK£2.90 Channellslands £350; Republicof Ireland €350
Draghi steps on to political stage with clifficult’ task to rescue Italy
Brieflng ►Global vaccinations outpace infections The munber of Covid-19 inoculations has pulied ahead of the total number of cases conñrmed worldwide, highlighting advances in taming the virus despite concern over new variants.-
pace e
►PMrefrains from liftíng lockdownearly
•- ECB s ex-chief accepts malicíate » Quest to forge coalition •>Economy ravaged by pandemic
Boris Johnson has resisted any urge to ease lockdown rest ricdons or to promise to open schools in England before March 8 despite the rateat which vaccinations are prógressing.—p a g e 2
MILES JOHNSON ANO D AVID E G H IG LIO N E — ROME
►Migra nt rislc as settiement date looms
Mario Draghi has accepted a request from Italy’spresidentto attempt to form a nationai unity government as the country battles to contain the Covid-19 pandemic and the most severe economiccrisis in its postwar history. Mr Draghi, a former president oí the European Central Bank who hasbuilt a reputation as one oí the coniinent’s most highly regarded public officials, called íor unity yesterday befóte starting consuitations with Italy's political parties after receiving a mándate from President Sergio Mattarella. “I thank tile president oí the republic íor the trust he has granted me. It is a diffkult moment,” Mr Draghi said in a brief speech delivered at the country’s presidential palace as he outlined the extent oí the task facing the ettrozone’s tkird-largest eeononry. “Deíeating the pandemic, conxpletlng the vaccination campaign, ofíe ring answers to citizens, relaunching the country: diese are the challenges we face,”he said. Mr Draglri, who has no history in elec toral poliücs, has been thruston to the political stage at a time when Italy has recorded more than 88,000 deaths duringthe Covid-19 pandemic. He must now attempt to win enough support arnong lawmakers to form a unity government. Failure would in all likeúhood trigger snap elections that Mr Mattarella has warned would cause signiftcant uncertainty in the middle oí the pandemic. Mi' Draghi said hewaseonfidentdiat a “responsible response” wouid emerge aft er consultad ons with party leaders as he attempted to forge a new coalition. He also made explicit reference to the “extraordinary resources oí the EU” that were avaiiable to Italy as the result oí the -C200bn inloans and grants the country is expected to receive as part of thebloc’s post-pandemic recovery ftind. The former ECB president was
Thousands of eligible European migrants risk being cut off from rights to live, woilcand claim benefits in t he UK t hrough ignorance of the need to apply to remain in Britain ahead of a June deadline.—p a g e 3
►Sturgeon faces attacks ontwo fronts First minister Nicola Sturgeon is under pressme over the slow rollout ofScotland’s vaednes vviiile also facing criticism from former Scottish National party leader Alex Salmond- p a g e 2
►Eurozone rocked by jump in inflation The eurozone has experienced its highest level of inflation since the pandemic hit last year, ending a five-month spell of falling prices, and the fastest jump in more than a decade.- p a c e í
►Ma revamps Ant to su it Beijing wishes
►Issa brothers outline plans for Asda
Mario Draghi yesterday: a ‘responsible response* would emerge from party leaders Alfrs-iandra Tarantiiw/Ftod/’ AFPyia Getly
Inside
drafted in by Mr M attarella after attempts to revive a coalition led by Giuseppe Conte, the former prime minister, collapsed tliis week, leaving Italy lacking a stable government at the height of agrave nationai crisis. Mi- Draghi must now begin consultations with parties from across tlie political spectrum. Some face painful decisions: backing his possible government could cause a backlash among their supporters. TOachieve a majority he will ahnost cem inly have to per-
W ill Italy’s new leader rise to the ch a lle n g e ? - a n a l y s is , p a c e 6 Draghi’s expertiseshould reassure the m arkets -
f t v ie w . p a g e
n
suade one of either the anti-migrant League party, led by Matteo Salvini, or the formerly anti-euro Five StarMovement to suppo rt liim. Mr Salvini did not rule out supporting a Draghi government but said his back ing would be conditional on the policies that were proposed. Yet Mr Salvini has repeatedly called for elections that would allow him to capitaiise on his party’s strength in nationai opinión polis. Edoardo Rixi, a League MP, told the Financial Times that supporting Mr Draghi would be“an effort and abig gamble. On the onehand weappreciate his skills, on the other we fear a govern ment that does not protect the nationai interest.” Vito Crimi, the ínter im leader of the
Five Star Movement, has mled out supporting a technocratic government led by Mr Draghi. However, several Five Star MPs said the party was divided and mightsplit over the issue. Italy’s centre-left Democratic party and Italia Viva, the small spin-off party ied by former pióme minister Matteo Renz i, are seen as certain to support the former ECB president. Danieia Sbrollini, an Italia Viva MP, said she believed it was lilcely that Mr Draghi would win enough support to form a government. “There will be a Draghi majority and it will be crossparty,”she said. “Mario Draghi represents authority, the most pro-European choice that could be made, and therefore a guarantee in the eyesofEuropeand the world."
Johnson threatens to use emergeney powers to foil trade barrier in Irish Sea
Mr Johnson told MPs yesterday lie would iegislate if necessaryoruse emer geney override powers - Article 16 in the Northern Ireland protocol, which forras part of the UK’s 2019 Brexit treaty with Brussels — to maintain the free flow of trade between Great Britain and tlie región. “We do think it’s very important the protocol does not place unnecessarybarriers—or barriere oí any kind - down the Irish Sea," he said during prime m inister’s questions. His comments will raise pressure on
Maros Sefcovic, European Conunission vice-president, to agree to demands from London and Belfast to ease checks on trade across thelrishSea. MichaelGove, Cabinet Office minster, wrote to Mr Sefcovic ahead oía meeting yesterday, waniing that the European Commission’s handling of the Northern Ireland issuehad raised tensions. Mr Gove said he wanted “grace períods” to allow the free flow of trade in certain goods across the Irish Sea to be extended from the end of March un til January 2023, pending pennanent Solu tions. The ext ra time would cover supermarkets and their suppliers, clúlled meatproducts, pareéis and medicines. Mr Sefcovic is under pressure after Brussels last week briefly invoked the Article 16 override mechanism to allow Brussels to block sliipment of vaccines from the EU into Northern Ireland.
STOCK MARKETS
CURRENOES
GEORGE PARKER — LONOON AR TH U R B E E S L E Y - DUBLIN
State flushed with success on £1bn stake In start-ups A tó te rnaker, a broadband províder and a company that makes reusable cups are among new buslnesses to have beneflted from the Future Fund, the scheme devised by cháncete Rishl Sunak that has provlded convertible loans worth a total of £1bn to more than 1,000 Brítisb start-ups. The State has become a sharehotder as part of the Treasury's foray into the ventura capital market throuoh one of its coronavlrus support schemes. Analysis^PAGE2
Boris Joluison has raised thestakes in a bitter dispute witb Brussels over postBrexit mies in Northern Ireland, wai ning that he could invoke emergeney measures to ensure there was no “barrier o f any ldnd in th e Irish Sea”.
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Datawatch Who should lead Italy?
Ita lia n p o litics is
% who think the followlng would be good prime ministers Giuseppe Conte______________
out of th e me>ss,
Mario Draghi_______________
Italiana in equal
in tu rm o il again. To lead the nation
proportions
Cario Cottarelli
support Giuseppe
Paolo Genfiloni
Contef the- form er prime minister,
P a rió Fnanceschtni
Marta Cartabia
■■■■■■■ Lu ig i Di M a io
Responden* were allowed te choose mo re than one answer
0 10 20 30 Source: SWG (Jan 2Q 2021)
40
50
and Mario Diaghi. the form er ECB president asteed to fo r m a u n ity govamment.
RONALD PHILLIPS GREAT ENGLISH F uft NII üft E
Mr Gove told Mr Sefcovic that th e Irish reaction to the threat of border Controls on the island of Ireland “was even more negativo than I expected Atiene Foster, Northern Ireland flrst minister and leader of the Democratic Unionist party, has argued that excessive bureaucracy on trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland has left unió nists feeling cut off from part of their own country. The Irish government, meanwhile, signalled it was open to “flexibiiity” in implementing the protocol and the extensión ofgraceperiods. But Simón Coveney, Ireland’s foreign minister, dismissed a fresh push by the DUP to scrap the protocol entirely. “Those who are calling for doing away ■with the protocol entirely, I think, are completelyunrealistic. That is notgoing tohappen,”hesaid.
1.203
INTEREST RATES prev
Dow Jones Irvfl
CAC40
0.30
Feb 3
3826.31
© THE FINANCIAL TIMES LTD 2021 No: 40,623 *
S&PSCO
prev %thg
3837.89
For the latest news go to www.ft.com
In a striking change from the supemiarket’s previously conservative approach, Asda’s new owners, Mohsiu and Zuber Issa, plan to raise £3Sbn in debtto fund the transaction.—p a g e 12
World Markets
Subscribe In prlnt and oniine www.ft.comAubscribenow Tel: 0800 0281407
Jack Ma’s Ant Group is to be subject to stricter capital requiremeuts having reached a dea] with Chínese regulators after they raised issuesthat halted itsinitial public offering last year.- page 11
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krices ar-:>lat-esi for etirtion
Data prcMirigdby IVkmwigsdar
COMMODITIES Feb 3
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56.09
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58.71
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latimes.com
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2021
© 2021
Pressure grows for teachers to return to class Federal, state officials join pediatricians in urging reopenings, while unions stress need for vaccines. By Howard Blume, Deborah Netburn, Luke Money and Rong-Gong Lin II
Myung J. Chun Los Angeles Times
YOUTH leader Laureana Paiz helps kindergartner Kai Williams with an after-school lesson Tuesday at Rio
Vista Elementary School in El Monte as part of a program for children of essential workers and those at risk.
COLUMN ONE
Desperate search for sense of smell For most, COVID’s olfactory effect is temporary. For others, it can be a nightmare. By Brittny Mejia n her quest to overcome one of COVID19’s strangest symptoms, Mariana CastroSalzman was willing to try anything. The 32-year-old visited an oncologist and got a CT scan of her head. She saw an ear, nose and throat doctor. Took steroids. Went to a neurologist who put her on anti-anxiety medication.
I
Brian van der Brug Los Angeles Times
SUSAN Newirth lost her sense of smell after getting COVID-19. Now, many things smell terrible to her.
COVID is Biden’s top job, voters say
She began sniffing essential oils every day. A homeopath prescribed bath flowers, supplements and chaga mushrooms. And yet, nearly a year after recovering from the coronavirus, her senses of smell and taste are still scrambled. Onions and garlic evoke a nausea that has nothing to do with their actual scent. Coffee smells like a burned tire, but worse. Because of the distorted smells, a condition known as parosmia, she has endured headaches, lost weight and repeatedly broken down in tears. “It’s like a mind game, because you remember all the smells and tastes, but [See Smell, A6]
The battle over reopening California schools intensified Wednesday when Gov. Gavin Newsom and the Biden administration said campuses can safely reopen without teachers being vaccinated — and unions pushed back, calling for school workers to be immunized as part of any sweeping reopening effort to return students to classrooms. Echoing the debate, the Southern California chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics called for schools to open immediately, asserting that the harms of keeping children out of school outweigh the risks of reopening. Meanwhile, United Teachers Los Angeles accused officials of playing politics with the lives of its members, students
Vaccine foes vow further actions Faction that shut down Dodger Stadium site says more disruption planned. CALIFORNIA, B1
Federal vaccine centers to open Sites in East L.A. and Oakland will serve areas where transportation is limited. CALIFORNIA, B1
GO L D E N G L O B E N O M I NAT I O N S
Majority in California poll cite coronavirus relief as the priority.
Focus Features
Phil Bray Netf lix
By David Lauter WASHINGTON — As President Biden settles in at the White House, Californians have a singular message for the new administration: Take care of the coronavirus. That’s the clear takeaway from a new statewide poll by the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies that asked California voters to choose three priorities from a list of 13 issues. Relief from the virus topped the list — picked by 56% of voters — and was the only priority a majority agreed upon. Biden’s fellow Democrats overwhelmingly named coronavirus relief as their chief concern, with just over 7 in 10 choosing it, far ahead of other party priorities such as healthcare, climate change and race relations. The virus also topped the list for slightly more than half of the state’s large bloc of nonpartisan voters. The poll’s findings — along with similar surveys taken elsewhere in recent days — help justify the Biden administration’s intense focus on tackling the coronavirus. Although Biden has taken steps to reverse Trump administration policies on immigration, climate change and healthcare, the president and his top aides have mostly kept [See Poll, A5]
and their families. The ferment over reopening has become more urgent in the state’s counties as coronavirus infection rates and other health metrics trend in a positive direction — which could soon allow for the reopening of campuses that have been closed since last March in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties, among others. Already, 18 counties outside of Southern California are permitted to open elementary campuses under recently adopted state guidelines. [See Schools, A12]
ANALYSIS
Recall looms as biggest test for Newsom By John Myers SACRAMENTO — After weeks of subsisting on a diet of bitter criticism over COVID-19 vaccine distribution problems, frustrating changes to regional reopenings and a lack of statewide action to get kids back in classrooms, Gov. Gavin Newsom gorged on a bit of political comfort food Wednesday while surrounded by loyal Democrats to announce a new vaccination partnership with the federal government. The praise was dished out in generous portions. “I cannot tell you how lucky we are in California to have Gavin Newsom as our governor,” Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said. “He is out hustling for Californians every day.” But Newsom must also hustle to stop — or at least weaken — the campaign to force a special election this fall in which voters could remove him from office. Born out of fierce partisanship, the recall effort now hinges on Newsom’s leadership. And though a pair of public polls this week found voters haven’t given up on Newsom, the surveys suggest the pandemic has sharply weakened his standing. “This should be a temporary problem for the governor that he should be able to overcome,” said Mark [See Analysis, A7]
Charges after Myanmar coup HBO
Disney+
THE FILM “Promising Young Woman,” clockwise from top left, has generated buzz, but many TV nomi-
nees, including “The Queen’s Gambit,” “The Mandalorian” and “Lovecraft Country,” have created more.
Small screen outshines big one As awards season starts, TV emerges as larger cultural force LORRAINE ALI TELEVISION CRITIC
Here’s what Wednesday’s Golden Globe nominations tell us: Television delivered the blockbusters — and many of the conversation pieces — of 2020. Film, less so. Television was long considered the lower form of entertainment, but the COVID-19 pandemic and its stay-athome rules hastened TV’s challenge to film as the more vibrant and resonant medium. It took a decade or more of platform fragmentation and a boom of creative, daring and sometimes deeply flawed programming, but it’s safe to say
Some clarity in awards season It’s a confusing time for the film business. The HFPA’s Globe picks help shape the narrative ahead of the Oscars. CALENDAR, E1
It’s ridiculous, but it matters Columnist Glenn Whipp explains the absurdity and importance of this list of nominees and who votes on it. CALENDAR, E1
that television is now the bolder, sexier, more glamorous medium than film. Just ask Nicole Kidman (nominated for “The Undoing”), Cate Blanchett ( “Mrs. America”) and every other “movie” star who’s made the jump. The flip has upended a generationsold hierarchy. Look no further than the Globes’ top categories. Chances are you’ve watched drama series nominees “The Mandalorian,” “The Crown,” and/or “Ozark,” and you’ve at least heard of “Lovecraft Country.” (No matter if you missed “Ratched.” So did everyone else, except apparently the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn.) Now consider nominees in the motion picture drama [See Globes, A9]
Deposed leader is accused of having illegal walkie-talkies, a move meant to keep her in custody. WORLD, A3
Capitol honors for slain officer In their tribute, congressional leaders say Brian Sicknick’s Jan. 6 sacrifice will not be forgotten. NATION, A4
Organizers urge Games to go on Despite the pandemic, IOC and Tokyo officials say once-delayed Olympics should still happen. SPORTS, B6 Weather Mostly sunny. L.A. Basin: 68/49. B10
BUSINESS INSIDE: Grocers are resisting ‘hero pay’ while raking in pandemic profits. A8
Nxxx,2021-02-04,A,001,Bs-4C,E1
CMYK
Late Edition Today, plenty of sunshine, seasonable, windy, high 40. Tonight, clouding up, low 32. Tomorrow, cloudy, rain, wintry mix for some at first, high 42. Weather map, Page A20.
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G.O.P. Leader Criticizes Freshman for Remarks But Doesn’t Punish Her Greene, Conspiracy Theorist, Will Face House Vote — Cheney Keeps Post This article is by Catie Edmondson, Jonathan Martin and Nicholas Fandos.
ERIN SCHAFF/THE NEW YORK TIMES
A Somber Farewell Brian D. Sicknick, the officer who died from injuries sustained during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, lay in honor in the Rotunda. Page A16.
Shadowy Force Promising Vaccine News Gives Rise to Hopes works especially well when secLures Afghans doses are delayed. Better Protection and ondAfter a sputtering launch, vacciin the United States is To Fight, or Die As coronavirus infections More Shots Change nation speeding up: More than 27 million By KATIE THOMAS and REBECCA ROBBINS
By FAHIM ABED and THOMAS GIBBONS-NEFF
MAZAR-I-SHARIF, Afghanistan — A network of shadowy power brokers and warlords, bankrolled by the Afghan government and the national police force, is luring disadvantaged people into joining militias, sometimes under false pretenses, out of a growing desperation to hold territory around highways in the country’s north, according to former militia members and local officials. These key arteries, which are the few means of road travel between the provinces, have increasingly become the front line for an emboldened Taliban insurgency. To protect them, local officials in Balkh Province are manning highway outposts with often untrained Afghans, who are given little more than a rifle and the promise of a paycheck if they survive. Others have been offered construction jobs, only to arrive and realize there is no repair work to be done. The militia members are dropped in areas too dangerous to flee and only picked up weeks or months later, dead or alive. The crooked recruitment practice is the latest indication that Afghanistan’s security forces have been hollowed out by degrading morale and poor recruitment as Taliban attacks continue at an unrelenting pace across the country. It also signals a resurgence of warlordism, a distinct echo of a past civil war when the country was fractured into territories ruled over by strongmen and a Continued on Page A11
surged around the country in early November — and as the prospect of a long, dark winter loomed — it was not clear if any of the vaccines in development would pan out. Now, three months later, the picture is very different. Two highly effective Covid vaccines are rolling out around the country. Three others appear to be slightly less robust, but still offer strong, and in some cases complete, protection against severe disease and death.
Pandemic Picture
In the past week alone, Novavax and Johnson & Johnson reported that their vaccines offered good protection, including against new, more contagious variants of the coronavirus. And a new analysis from the University of Oxford suggests its vaccine, developed with AstraZeneca, has the potential to slow transmission and
Americans have received a first dose, and more than six million have been fully vaccinated. That pace has accelerated enough that President Biden, facing criticism that his administration’s goal of giving out 100 million shots in his first 100 days in office was too modest, last week revised the target upward to 150 million shots. “We’ve come a long way,” said Akiko Iwasaki, an immunologist at Yale University. “We’re still livContinued on Page A6
The nearly 1,400-foot tower at 432 Park Avenue, briefly the tallest residential building in the world, was the pinnacle of New York’s luxury condo boom half a decade ago, fueled largely by foreign buyers seeking discretion and big returns. Six years later, residents of the exclusive tower are now at odds
ANNA MONEYMAKER FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
Representative Kevin McCarthy sees infighting in his party.
Trump Loyalists May Undercut Biden’s Agenda on Immigration By ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS and MICHAEL D. SHEAR
WASHINGTON — After a Texas judge last week temporarily blocked President Biden’s order to pause deportations for 100 days, immigration agents did not hesitate to use the brief window to break with the incoming president’s new tone. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents moved a 40year-old Cameroonian asylum seeker to a facility in Louisiana and prepared to deport him, despite his claims of torture in his home country. “This is not what the Biden administration stands for,” Henry Hollithron, the man’s lawyer, said in an interview. “That is definitely a holdover from the Trump era.” President Donald J. Trump often complained about what he called a “deep state” inside the government working to thwart his agenda. But Mr. Biden and his secretary of homeland security, Alejandro N. Mayorkas, are already
encountering their own pockets of internal resistance, especially at the agencies charged with enforcing the nation’s immigration laws, where the gung-ho culture has long favored the get-tough policies that Mr. Trump embraced. Mr. Mayorkas, who was confirmed on Tuesday after a nearly two-week delay by Republicans unhappy about his immigration views, will find a Department of Homeland Security transformed since he was its deputy secretary in the Obama administration. Liberal immigration activists and former Trump administration officials rarely agree on much, but both parties say Mr. Mayorkas will struggle to get buy-in for Mr. Biden’s immigration agenda from the thousands of border and immigration agents in his 240,000-person department. “There are people in ICE that agree with Trump’s policies.,” said Continued on Page A14
McKinsey Will Pay $573 Million For Role in Driving Opioid Sales THE NEW YORK TIMES
Taking On Human Rights Crises President Biden may struggle to wield influence in places like Myanmar. News Analysis, Page A9.
Creaks, Leaks and Complaints in a Towering Symbol of Luxury By STEFANOS CHEN
WASHINGTON — The top House Republican refused on Wednesday to punish Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene for spreading false and bigoted conspiracy theories and endorsing political violence against Democrats, condemning the Georgia freshman’s previous comments but declining to take away her posts on influential congressional committees. After days of public silence and private agonizing over what to do about Ms. Greene — who has endorsed the executions of top Democrats, suggested that school shootings were staged and said that a space laser controlled by Jewish financiers started a wildfire — the minority leader, Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, issued a tortured statement that harshly denounced her past statements but then argued that she should face no consequences for them. “Past comments from and endorsed by Marjorie Taylor Greene on school shootings, political violence, and anti-Semitic conspiracy theories do not represent the
values or beliefs of the House Republican Conference,” Mr. McCarthy said. The contortions over what to do about Ms. Greene came days after Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the most powerful Republican in Washington, denounced her as a threat to his party and as more senators followed his lead. The feuding played out behind closed doors well into Wednesday evening, as House Republicans debated stripping Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the No. 3 House Republican, of her leadership post, as a penalty for her vote Continued on Page A16
with the developers, and one another, making clear that even multimillion-dollar price tags do not guarantee problem-free living. The claims include millions of dollars of water damage from plumbing and mechanical issues; frequent elevator malfunctions; and walls that creak like the galley of a ship — all of which may be connected to the building’s main selling point: its immense height, according to homeowners, engi-
NATIONAL A13-20
New Yorkers Seethe in Their Trophy Homes neers and documents obtained by The New York Times. Less than a decade after a spate of record-breaking condo towers reached new heights in New York, the first reports of defects and
TRACKING AN OUTBREAK A4-7
BUSINESS B1-7
complaints are beginning to emerge, raising concerns that some of the construction methods and materials used have not lived up to the engineering breakthroughs that only recently enabled 1,000-foot-high trophy apartments. Engineers privy to some of the disputes say many of the same issues are occurring quietly in other new towers. The disputes at 432 Park also highlight a Continued on Page A18
By MICHAEL FORSYTHE and WALT BOGDANICH
McKinsey & Company, the consultant to blue-chip corporations and governments around the world, has agreed to pay $573 million to settle investigations into its role in helping “turbocharge” opioid sales, a rare instance of it being held publicly accountable for its work with clients. The firm has reached the agreement with attorneys general in 47 states, the District of Columbia and five territories, according to five people familiar with the negotiations. The settlement comes after lawsuits unearthed a trove of documents showing how McKinsey worked to drive sales of Purdue Pharma’s OxyContin painkiller amid an opioid epidemic in the United States that
has contributed to the deaths of more than 450,000 people over the past two decades. McKinsey’s extensive work with Purdue included advising it to focus on selling lucrative highdose pills, the documents show, even after the drugmaker pleaded guilty in 2007 to federal criminal charges that it had misled doctors and regulators about OxyContin’s risks. The firm also told Purdue that it could “band together” with other opioid makers to head off “strict treatment” by the Food and Drug Administration. The consulting firm will not admit wrongdoing in the settlement, to be filed in state courts on Thursday, but it will agree to court-orContinued on Page A17
THURSDAY STYLES D1-6
Who Gets Which Vaccine?
A ‘Brain Double’ for Bezos
The Royals of Real Estate
A growing menu of approved vaccines has started debates about which categories of people and age groups should be given which shots. PAGE A7
Andy Jassy, who is set to become Amazon’s chief, has spent years absorbing lessons from Jeffrey P. Bezos. PAGE B1
Celebrities in Beverly Hills have come to trust a charming, brash power couple when buying and selling homes. PAGE D1
INTERNATIONAL A8-12
Lies aren’t new, but Kevin Roose writes that the extent to which Americans have embraced them may be. PAGE B1
Musical Tradition at Risk
Italy Turns to Familiar Guide
The pandemic has paused regular jam sessions of a unique genre known as mountain music. PAGE A13
Mario Draghi, credited with saving the euro, agreed to try to form a government to lead a country in crisis. PAGE A8
A Policing Push Loses Steam
France Faulted on Pollution
Many New York City mayoral candidates have grown wary of a movement to “defund” law enforcement. PAGE A19
A Paris court said the government had failed to meet its commitments on greenhouse gas emissions. PAGE A12
Hot Yoga at Home
The Country’s Reality Crisis
ARTS C1-6
42 Nominations for Netflix The Golden Globes have found a whole lot to like on the streaming service, in a year in which most of the top films have been released online. PAGE C1
SPORTSTHURSDAY B8-10
Guidance on Olympic Games Tokyo organizers unveiled preliminary plans for athletes and visitors, but left many questions unanswered. PAGE B10
Women Move the Chains The Super Bowl will feature two female coaches and a female official. They hope that stops being news. PAGE B9
Barred from studios, yogis are steaming up basements, expensive inflatable domes and even bathrooms. PAGE D1 EDITORIAL, OP-ED A22-23
Gail Collins
PAGE A23
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DJIA 30723.60 À 36.12 0.1%
NASDAQ 13610.54 g 0.02%
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2021 ~ VOL. CCLXXVII NO. 28 STOXX 600 407.27 À 0.3%
10-YR. TREAS. g 7/32 , yield 1.129%
OIL $55.69 À $0.93
WSJ.com GOLD $1,832.20 À $1.70
Heavy Rains, Melting Snow Deluge Parts of Europe
What’s News Business & Finance cKinsey has reached a $573 million settlement with states over its work advising OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and other drug manufacturers to aggressively market opioid painkillers. A1
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Qualcomm parlayed the global 5G rollout and Apple’s inclusion of its chips in the latest iPhone models into a jump in earnings. B1 Parler, a moderation-light social media network that went offline after being blackballed by tech giants, has fired its CEO amid a dispute over the platform’s future. B1 Car-insurance rates in the U.S. fell by nearly 4% on average in 2020 amid price adjustments for pandemic-related changes in driving patterns. B1 The S&P 500 and Dow both edged up 0.1%, while the Nasdaq slipped 2.23 points, or less than 0.1%. B11 Daimler plans to spin off its trucks business, news that sent shares up nearly 9%. B2 GM plans to trim output at several plants this month due to a chip shortage in the global car business. B2 Spotify posted strong quarterly subscription growth but offered a conservative outlook for this year. B3
World-Wide Makers of Covid-19 vaccines are racing to create new shots that can better protect people from dangerous new strains after recent testing showed the variants present a biggerthan-expected threat. A1 House Republicans voted to keep Rep. Cheney in party leadership despite her harsh criticism of Trump, while declining to punish a Trump loyalist who made comments embracing conspiracy theories and political violence. A4 The Senate unanimously adopted an organizing resolution that sets ground rules for the chamber and officially gives Democrats control of committees. A4 Biden indicated in a call with House Democrats that he was open to sending $1,400 payments to a smaller group of Americans in the next round of coronavirus relief. A4 Former ECB chief Draghi agreed to try to form a new government in Italy that would combat the pandemic-ravaged country’s economic crisis. A1 The DOJ withdrew a lawsuit that alleged Yale violated federal civil-rights law by discriminating against white and Asian-American applicants. A3 The Supreme Court stopped Holocaust victims and their heirs from seeking compensation in U.S. courts for property allegedly seized by Nazi Germany and Hungary. A3 Myanmar’s Suu Kyi has been remanded in custody for two weeks over allegations of having illegally imported walkie talkies. A9 CONTENTS Arts in Review... A13 Banking & Finance B10 Business News.. B3,5 Crossword.............. A14 Heard on Street. B12 Markets..................... B11
Opinion.............. A15-17 Personal Journal A11-12 Sports....................... A14 Technology............... B4 U.S. News............. A2-7 Weather................... A14 World News....... A8-9
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YEN 105.03
McKinsey Reaches Settlement For Opioid Work BY SARA RANDAZZO AND JONATHAN RANDLES
ON TRACK: A train passes a railroad crossing surrounded by water in Nidderau near Frankfurt, Germany, on Wednesday. Flooding was reported from the Seine in Paris to the Thames in Surrey, England, and more rain was forecast. A9
GameStop Turmoil Produced Huge Gains for Hedge Funds BY JULIET CHUNG Richard Mashaal and Brian Gonick started buying GameStop Corp. shares in September. They aren’t Reddit day traders or Discord users. They are hedge-fund managers in New York. And when the stock surged from less than $10 a share to above $400 and the dust had settled, they were sitting on a profit of nearly $700 million, one of the great fortunes of the January market mania. The GameStop surge is often cast as a triumph of amateurs
Struggling Italy Turns To Former ECB Chief
smaller than those of recent days. Other heavily promoted stocks on Reddit fared better. AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc., for example, rose 15% after a rough Tuesday. The broader S&P 500 rose slightly on the session. Senvest’s interest in the game retailer was piqued by a presentation from the new GameStop chief executive at a conference in January 2020. At the time, most Wall Street analysts had rated the videogame retailer at “hold” or “sell.” The stock also was heavily shorted. Messrs. Mashaal and Gonick would come to
House Battles Roil the GOP
After Exit as CEO, Bezos To Still Plot Amazon’s Path
BY MARCUS WALKER AND GIOVANNI LEGORANO ROME—Former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi, who won praise from financial markets and the European Union after he defused the continent’s debt crisis, agreed Wednesday to try to form a new government in Italy that would combat the pandemic-ravaged country’s economic crisis. Mr. Draghi met with Italy President Sergio Mattarella, who asked him to stitch together a governing coalition. After once promising to do “whatever it takes” to save the euro, Mr. Draghi now faces a similarly tough task in the bloc’s third-largest economy, which is plagued by high debt, chronically low growth and an increasingly frustrated public. The euro’s future could once again hinge on how Mr. Draghi fares in persuading the country’s fractious parties to back him and reversing a long economic decline in the depths of the worst pandemic in a century. Fixing Italy’s economy—the continent’s largest after Germany’s and France’s—is a puzzle that has defied the best efforts of many well-regarded technocrats and politicians since the 1990s. “Consciousness of the emergency entails answers that are up to the challenge,” Mr. Draghi said Wednesday after Mr. Mattarella, Italy’s head of state, tasked him with forming a government. “Defeating the pandemic, completing the vaccination campaign, offering answers to the daily problems of citizens, reviving the country, are the Please turn to page A9
Consulting giant McKinsey & Co. has reached a $573 million settlement with states over its work advising OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP and other drug manufacturers to aggressively market opioid painkillers, according to people familiar with the matter. The deal, reached with 47 states and the District of Columbia and expected to be publicly announced Thursday, would avert civil lawsuits that attorneys general could bring against McKinsey, the people said. The majority of the money will be paid upfront, with the rest dispensed in four yearly payments starting in 2022. McKinsey said last week it is cooperating with government agencies on matters related to its past work with opioid manufacturers, as state and local governments sue companies up and down the opioid supply chain. At least 400,000 people have died in the U.S. from overdoses of legal and illegal opioids since 1999, according to federal data. The consulting firm stopped doing opioid-related work in 2019 and said in December its work for Purdue was intended to support the legal use of opioids and help patients with legitimate medical needs. While some companies have reached deals with individual states to avoid trials, the Please turn to page A4
over professionals. Which it was, to a degree. But it also was a trade that pitted professionals against other professionals— and few have made more money than Senvest Management LLC, Messrs. Mashaal’s and Gonick’s firm. “When it started its march, we thought, something’s percolating here,” said Mr. Mashaal, 55 years old. “But we had no idea how crazy this thing was going to get.” On Wednesday, GameStop swung between gains and losses, closing up 2.7%. For at least one session, trading in the videogame retailer was much
FROM TOP: TOM WILLIAMS/CQ/ZUMA PRESS; J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE/AP
Amazon’s Bezos had been laying the groundwork for a transition from the CEO job for years, according to people who work closely with him. A1
EURO $1.2035
Consulting firm agrees to pay $573 million over its marketing advice to drugmakers
MICHAEL PROBST/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Hedge fund Senvest started buying GameStop shares in September and has emerged as a big winner in the mania surrounding the videogame retailer’s stock. A1
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Rep. Liz Cheney, top, fended off an effort to oust her from GOP leadership, while Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene faces a House vote to strip her of committee assignments. A4
BY DANA MATTIOLI AND SEBASTIAN HERRERA Tuesday’s announcement that Jeff Bezos will become executive chairman of Amazon.com Inc. after more than 26 years as its chief executive was a public jolt. Behind the scenes, the founder had been laying the groundwork for such a move for years, according to people who work closely with him. So much so, that when Mr. Bezos signaled to the board around six months ago that he was ready to move to a new role, the directors weren’t surprised. He had already been involving himself less and less
Super Bowl Tips for Patriots Fans Heartsick Over Brady Breakup i
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Former New England quarterback finds new love in Tampa Bay at age 43 BY ANDREW BEATON
backs to win the Super Bowl. Except Mr. Brady’s last win Quarterback Tom Brady was with New England. dumped the New England PaSusan Elliott has an idea of triots last March after 20 what Pats fans are going years together, packed his bags through, seeing their ex thrive and moved to elsewhere. Ms. ElTampa Bay to be liott lived in Maswith a new partsachusetts for a ner. They appear decade, and her a perfect match. family is flush Mr. Brady will with Patriots dieescort his Tampa hards. She also Bay Buccaneers has a particular on Sunday to the expertise in the same familiar matter. She’s a spot he used to breakup coach. Happily ever after. bring the Patri“They’re freakots—the Super ing out,” says Ms. Bowl. He’ll be leading the Bucs Elliott, who helps people move against Patrick Mahomes and forward after a split. “It rethe reigning champion Kansas minds me of when a person City Chiefs, in a matchup be- leaves a relationship, and they tween the last two quarterPlease turn to page A10
know some of the top-returning hedge funds on Wall Street, including Melvin Capital Management, were bearish on the stock from regulatory disclosures. But as they spoke with management, sussed out competitors and noted the involvement of activists in the stock, including Chewy Inc. co-founder Ryan Cohen, they eventually started Please turn to page A6 Novice day trader gambled, cashed out big........................... B1 Robinhood takes its ad pitch to Super Bowl............................ B1 Heard on the Street: Free trading’s costs in focus...... B12
in day-to-day management, said one of the people. Among the most successful entrepreneurs in history, the famously driven Mr. Bezos developed a hard-charging work culture in Amazon. Over the past several years, the 57year-old has focused much more on high-level strategic decisions, and has made clear he would like to build a legacy for himself that goes well beyond Amazon. Tech founders are often succeeded by their opposites, typically older executives with greater managerial experience. Mr. Bezos wanted someone more like him. Andy Jassy, whom Mr. Be-
zos promoted five years ago to CEO of Amazon’s cloud business and who will take over as CEO of the company later this year, fit the bill. He started his career at Amazon in 1997, acted as Mr. Bezos’s technical assistant early on, and drove the creation of Amazon Web Services, which dominates cloud computing and accounts for the bulk of Amazon’s operating income. “Jeff always made clear that his greatest fear is that ‘if I got hit by a bus, you would pick somebody to succeed me Please turn to page A10 Cloud business reigns at tech firms................................................ B1
Vaccine Makers Shift Sights to New Strains BY PETER LOFTUS AND JARED S. HOPKINS Covid-19 vaccine makers are racing to create new shots that can better protect people from dangerous new strains of the coronavirus after recent testing showed the variants present a bigger-than-expected threat. The chase marks a new phase in vaccine research to fight off the virus, indicating it might shift into a kind of longrunning contest between a changing virus and shots that can keep up, rather than a shorter effort that would once and for all derail the pandemic. When new strains were first identified in the U.K., South Africa and Brazil, the companies said they believed their shots would still protect against Covid-19. Then several studies indicated Covid-19 vaccines, while still working,
aren’t as effective against the variant that spread widely in South Africa. Now Moderna Inc., Pfizer Inc. and its partner BioNTech SE, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax Inc. are designing new vaccines that would target variants of the virus, particularly the variant first identified in South Africa and now detected in other countries including the U.S. On Wednesday, British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline PLC said it was partnering with Germany’s CureVac NV in a deal worth up to €150 million, equivalent to $181 million, to develop Covid-19 vacPlease turn to page A8 Vaccine hesitancy poses hurdle to herd immunity..... A7 U.K.’s rapid vaccination effort shows signs of success....... A8 Tanzania forgoes vaccines, to neighbors’ dismay................... A8