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Joe Biden asume en una entrevista que Putin es un asesino P3
EE UU
El Atlético, eliminado tras perder contra el Chelsea (2-0) P32 CHAMPIONS
La política se embarra ante la batalla electoral por Madrid Sánchez y Casado se acusan de corrupción y orillan el debate de la pandemia J. CASQUEIRO / X. HERMIDA Madrid / Cartagena La moción de censura presentada la semana pasada en Murcia por Ciudadanos y PSOE, neutralizada por el PP con el apoyo de tres tránsfugas, ha descolocado la
política nacional y ha desencadenado el adelanto electoral en la Comunidad de Madrid. Los partidos se atacan desde entonces con insultos. El pleno del Congreso vivió ayer un ambiente casi de campaña, aunque aún queda mes y
El Gobierno denuncia que el PP compra a tránsfugas para mantener el poder
medio para las elecciones del 4 de mayo. El presidente, Pedro Sánchez, y su Gobierno libraron una batalla dialéctica cargada de descalificaciones mutuas con Pablo Casado y los diputados del PP. Mientras el Congreso se enfan-
gaba en la peor de las broncas, orillando el debate sobre la gestión de la pandemia, en el Parlamento murciano se debatía la fracasada moción de censura con descalificaciones y acusaciones aún más duras. PÁGINAS 14 A 17
Los populares sacan los Los ‘náufragos’ de Vox GAL para defenderse del y Ciudadanos salvan espionaje ilegal a Bárcenas al Gobierno de Murcia
Y
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El Ejecutivo promete a la UE atajar el empleo público temporal El Gobierno reformará este año el Estatuto de la Función Pública C. PÉREZ / G. R. PÉREZ, Madrid El Ejecutivo se ha comprometido ante Bruselas, en el marco de las reformas asociadas a los fondos europeos, a acometer una reforma del Estatuto de la Función Pública antes de fin de año, según fuentes gubernamentales, para reducir el número de interinos. Esa promesa responde a la presión de Bruselas para rebajar la temporalidad. PÁGINA 38 EDITORIAL EN LA PÁGINA 10
Ábalos propone bonificaciones fiscales de hasta el 90% al alquiler de vivienda JOSÉ LUIS ARANDA, Madrid El ministro de Transportes, Movilidad y Agenda Urbana, José Luis Ábalos, planea bonificar hasta en un 90% los alquileres en zonas tensionadas si el propietario rebaja el precio al menos un 10%. Su fórmula no convence a Unidas Podemos, que insiste en fijar límites de precios. PÁGINA 40
La nueva técnica no requiere óvulos ni esperma ANGUSTIOSO RESCATE DE UNA PATERA. Una niña de cinco años que viajaba en una precaria embarcación llegó con parada cardiorrespiratoria por hipotermia al puerto de Arguineguín, en Gran Canaria, donde miembros de la Cruz Roja lograron reanimarla sobre el asfalto del muelle. La pequeña fue hospitalizada junto a otros ocho menores y se encontraba anoche en estado crítico. / ÁNGEL MEDINA G. (EFE) PÁGINA 19
El músico y expresidente de la SGAE, absuelto tras 10 años de investigación
El fin del calvario para Teddy Bautista CARLOS MARCOS, Madrid El músico Teddy Bautista ha pasado 10 de sus 77 años defendiéndose ante la justicia, desde que el 1 de julio de 2011 la Guardia Civil irrumpió en la sede de la Sociedad General de Autores (SGAE) y lo detuvo junto a otras nueve personas por un supuesto entramado fraudulento. Ayer, la Audien-
cia Nacional lo absolvió a él y al resto de los acusados por el presunto desvío de fondos. En 2016, se archivó otra causa por apropiación indebida. La investigación de la SGAE queda sin culpables. “Me siento reconfortado por la ratificación de lo que yo ya sabía, pero han pasado 10 años”, declaró Bautista. PÁGINA 27
Seudoembriones a partir de células de la piel MANUEL ANSEDE, Madrid El laboratorio del científico argentino José Polo ha creado por primera vez seudoembriones humanos sin emplear óvulos ni espermatozoides, sino células de la piel reprogramadas para volver a un estado embrionario. PÁGINA 26
DIDIER REYNDERS Comisario de Justicia
“El certificado de la covid estará en marcha en verano, quizá en junio” P23
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Protecting half the country must be the priority - R O B E R T SHRIMSLEY, PAGE 23
Voting rights battle reignites old conflicts in US states - b i g r e a d , p a g e
A rt of the deal Crypto-crusaders find new paths to
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H ealth critic Cummings takes a swing
Briefing ►Governance shake-up targets bonuses Bigcompcmieswithinsufficientcashreserveswillbe barred from payingdividends and bonuses in sweeping over ha ul of Britain’s audit and corporate governance regim e.- p a g e 2: h e l e n t h o m a s , p a g e 12
Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson's ex chief adviser, to o k a swipe at the health departm ent yesterday as he revealed the terms of a deal struck between him and hisformerboss during asdence and technology committee meeting. In his first public appearance since being fired last November, Cummings said he took on the job of right-hand m an only after the PM agreed to double the science budget and pledged not to allowasecond Brexit referendum, The comments, which included Cum mings telling MPs th a tth e Department of Health was “a smoking ruin in terms of procurem ent”, reveal the extent of influence Cummings had exerted over Johnson. Full story pace 3
►Spac fund raisings top 2020 record Blank-cheque groups have in the first quarter of this year already su rpassed2020 s fundraising record, reflecting tire insatiableappetite for spedalpurpose acquisition companies amonginvestors - p a g e 9
►Biden hears Irish plea lor US support Ireland’s prime minister has told US president Joe Biden that Britain and EU must “stand by what has been agreed” on post-Brexit rules on trade for Noithem lreland.—page 4
►Dignity in the red, despite rise in deaths
Parliament TV
The British funeral director sank to a loss last year even though the virus pandemiccaused a sharp rise in the death toll. Dignity fell to apre-tax loss tax of £19.6m in the year to December 25.—page 12
►Ex-Blackwater head faces Libya beat ErikPrince, die US private security contractor and ex-head of Blackwater, tried to help a rebel general t ake control of Libya and “ at die very least” helped evadean armsembargo, UN inspectors said.—pages
NHS vaccine targets in peril after ‘significant reduction’ in supplies
►US warns China over Iran oil shipments W ashingtonhastold Beijing diatitw ill enforce Trump-era sanct ions against Iranian oil as shipments from die Islamic regime to China have soared, a senior USofficialsaid.- p a g e 6
►Greensills jettisoned shares in 2019
•^jabs for under-50s delayed • AstraZeneca blamed for shortfall • Hancock plays down threat S A R A H N E V IL LE AND SEBASTIAN PAYNE - L O N D O N H A N N A H K U C H L E R — NEW Y O R K
The UK’s coronavirus vaccine p ro gramme was throw n off course yester day as the NHS warned of a “significant reduction” in supplies and ordered a freeze on newjabappointments in April. NHS staff were told that “volumes for first doses will be significantly con strained” and the start of inoculations for the under-50s would be delayed. One senior government figure blamed AstraZeneca for failing to m eet its sup ply commitments. AstraZeneca did no t im m ediately respond to arequest for comment. The development is a big setback for a programme that has been one of the few successes of the government's Covid-19
response. It cam e hours after Nadhim Zaliawi, vaccines minister, announced th a t all 50 to 54-year-olds would be called fortheir jabs. The NHS also trum peted passing the milestone of 25m Brit ons inoculated with a first dose, includ ing 95 per cent of people aged 65-plus. Most of the UK s vaccine programme Is being provided by Oxford/AstraZeneca, with other jabs from BioNTech/ Pfizer andM odem am akingup the rest. M odema is due to supply “a few hu ndred diousand” doses next month. But one person briefed on the m atter said it would initially supply about 20 per cent fewer vials to the UK as it tries to scale up production at its Swiss site. Moderna did not respond to a request for comment. W hitehall officials said there were “significant manufacturing
issues” w ith b o th A straZ eneca and Modema, with only Pfizer due to meet its deliverycominitments. Shortages coidd be worsened by dis ruption to supplies from Europe. Ursula von d e r Leyen yesterday said em er gency controls would be pu t on vaccine production and distribution if needed as the EU dealt with the “crisis of the cent ury”. The European Commission presi dent added that “all options” were open in a sign of concern the EU has exported jabs to the UKandUSbut received none. Moderna, which has sold 7m doses to the UK and is on track to deliver the first “few hundred thousand” doses, puts its vaccine into vials at a plant run by supplier Rovi in Spain. Export con trols could also hit t he jabs produced at Pfizer’s plant in Belgium.
Ursula von der Leyen w arned th a t Brussels could si am emergency controls on vaccine distribution outside the EU
In a le tte r to NHS staff, Emily Lawson, NHS chief commercial officer, who is leading the vaccines rollout, and Dr Nikki Kanani, medical director for pri mary care, said there would be a “signi ficant reduction in weekly supply availa ble from m anufacturers” in the week beginning March 29. H ealth secretary M att H ancock played down the intervention, saying it was “a normal operational letter”. The UK will need to carryout a mini mum of 2m jabs a week in April to hit its goalof delivering second doses within l l weeks of the first jab, according to a Financial Times analysis. News & analysis page 3 Von der Leyen hints at curbsp a ge 4 AstraZeneca defends checks page 9 Brooke Masters page23
Fed raises US growth forecast to 6.5% but signals no rates rise before 2024 JAMES P O L I T I - W A S H IN G T O N C O L B Y S M IT H — N E W Y O RK
Living replicas of embryos open way for researchers Scientists trying to help understand miscarriages and birth defects have for the first time grown living reproductions of human embryos In the Jab. Their creations have all the cell types, biochemical activity and overall structure o f real embryos. But the researchers say the reproductions are not perfect replicas and are not suitable to implant into a womb, allaying fears that that their work may lead to human engineering and cloning.
First living models*, page4
Federal Reserve officials sh arp ly upgraded theft growth forecasts for the world’s largest economy but signalled th a t they expected to keep in terest rates dose to zero tuitil at least 2024. The median estimate from Fed officials now predicts th a t the US will expand 6.5 per cent this year, compared with 4.2 per cent in its December forecast. The rosier projections came at the end of a two-day m eeting of th e Federal OpenMarket Committee yesterday. The meeting was held against a back drop of growing optim ism for the US econom y in th e wake of Joe Biden’s S1.9tn fiscal stimulus and the country’s swift vacdnationi'ollout Core inflation is expected to rise to 2.2 p er cent - above the central bank’s 2 per
cent target - compared with a smaller rise to 1.8 per cent predicted in Decem ber. The unem ploym ent rate is now forecast to fall to 4.5 per ce nt by the end of the year, instead of 5 p e rc en t “Following a moderation in the pace of die recovery, indicators of economic activity and employment have turned up recently, although the sectors most adversely affected by the pandem ic remain weak,”the FOMC said. The Fed panel made no changes to its ultra-loose m onetary policy yesterday, pledging to maintain rock-bottom inter est rates until diseconom y reached full employment, with inflation hitting 2per cent and on track to exceed that target. It also reiterated th a t it would con tinue to buy bonds at the rateof$120bn a m onth until “substantial fu rth er progress” was made towards its goals. “The pat h of the economy will depend
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significantly on the course of die virus, including progress onvaccinadons. The ongoing public health crisis continues to weigh on economic activity, employ ment, and inflation,” the FOMC said. The sharp upgrade to th e Fed's sum mary of projections will test its willing ness to keep th at stance in the years to come, and will intensify investor debate over when the central bank will start removing its support for t he economy. In December, the m edian of Fed offi cials’ estimates did not signal a rise in interest rates until a t least 2024, an overall assessment that was unchanged yesterday despitetlie better outlook. But four out o ils Fed officials are now forecasting a rate increase in 2022, while seven are expecting one in 2023, signalling that US central bankers are turning more hawkish. Day In th e m a rk ets page 14
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Late Edition Today, cloudy, rain, heavy afternoon, high 49. Tonight, rain, snow later, windy, cold, low 32. Tomorrow, snow and rain early, clear, cold, high 40. Weather map appears on Page A28.
VOL. CLXX . . . No. 59,001
$3.00
NEW YORK, THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021
© 2021 The New York Times Company
A PIVOTAL RESET For Europeans, RAMPAGE IN GEORGIA DEEPENS FEARS ON CHINA POLICY Vaccine Doubts OF RISING ANTI-ASIAN HATRED IN U.S. Grow Louder BY BIDEN’S TEAM Pause in AstraZeneca DIPLOMACY, NOT TARIFFS Shots Adds to Worry Supporting U.S. Tech and Searching for Allies to Rein In Beijing By DAVID E. SANGER and MICHAEL CROWLEY
WASHINGTON — President Biden is engineering a sharp shift in policy toward China, focused on gathering allies to counter Beijing’s coercive diplomacy around the world and ensuring that China does not gain a permanent advantage in critical technologies. At first glance, it seems to adopt much of the Trump administration’s conviction that the world’s two biggest powers are veering dangerously toward confrontation, a clear change in tone from the Obama years. But the emerging strategy more directly repudiates the prevailing view of the last quarter century that deep economic interdependence could be counted on to temper fundamental conflicts on issues like China’s military buildup, its territorial ambitions and human rights. It focuses anew on competing more aggressively with Beijing on technologies vital to long-term economic and military power, after concluding that President Donald J. Trump’s approach — a mix of expensive tariffs, efforts to ban Huawei and TikTok, and accusations about sending the “China Continued on Page A12
STEFANI REYNOLDS FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
Antony J. Blinken, President Biden’s secretary of state.
By ROGER COHEN
PARIS — It’s said that the European Union grows stronger through crises. The bloc’s attempt at a coordinated vaccination program, less a rollout than a roller coaster, has tested that theory, and now the suspension of the AstraZeneca shots in many countries threatens to turn widespread disarray into an outright debacle. “I feel like we are being used as guinea pigs,” said Khady Ballo, 21, a law student in the southern French town of Montpellier. “I would not get the AstraZeneca vaccine even if it is approved again.” Although it seems likely that the European Medicines Agency, the 27-member union’s top drug regulator, will quickly pronounce the AstraZeneca vaccine safe, millions of Europeans have been shaken by the back-and-forth and will be more hesitant about vaccination. “Before this, I was so pro-vaccines I would have dipped children into them,” said Maria Grazia Del Pero, 62, who works in tourism in Milan. But now, “I would not get AstraZeneca because that would be like playing Russian roulette.” Providing vaccines for the E.U.’s 450 million people was never going to be a simple task, especially as the union hardly had a coordinated health policy before the pandemic. But bureaucratic delay and confusion in procuring vaccines from pharmaceutical companies, followed by slow authorization, followed by delivery problems, followed by the sudden panic over the AstraZeneca shot, has left European governments on the defensive and Europeans reeling. In France, the government has swerved from lauding the AstraZeneca inoculation a few days ago to suspending it. The reaction to this confusion was swift, even if the government insists there is no established medical cause for fear. A poll by the Elabe Institute published Tuesday showed that only 20 percent of French people now Continued on Page A9
NICOLE CRAINE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
One of the three massage parlors in the Atlanta area where eight people, including six women of Asian descent, were killed Tuesday.
Success, Visibility, and Now a Sense of Danger Man, 21, Charged By SABRINA TAVERNISE
When Alex Wan moved to Atlanta in 1971, he was the only student of Asian descent in his class. His grandmother grew Chinese cabbage and melons in their garden because there was nowhere close to buy them. There was no Chinese church, so services were held in people’s homes. Over the years, Asian immigrants and their children have settled not only in the city of Atlanta, but in bustling enclaves outside. The populations of nearby Duluth and Johns Creek, both upscale suburbs, are now about a quarter Asian. Mr. Wan, whose parents came to the United States from Taiwan in the late 1960s, went on
Women Running for Mayor Say Cuomo Shows Need for Change By EMMA G. FITZSIMMONS
In the race to become mayor of New York, there is a glass ceiling, unbroken but not unmentioned by the several women running for the position this year: The city has had 109 mayors, not one of them a woman. So at gatherings like a recent fund-raiser for Kathryn Garcia, a Democratic hopeful, that barrier has been top of mind. The online fund-raiser, which was attended by dozens of women, many of them veterans of city government, was held last week on International Women’s Day. But Ms. Garcia’s mission was particularly relevant for another reason, too: Earlier that day, two high-powered lawyers were named to lead an independent investigation of sexual harassment accusations made against Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. It was a moment that Ms. Garcia, the city’s former sanitation commissioner, leaned into. “New York’s governor is reminding us it is time to see more women in positions of power,” Ms. Garcia told the group. “In 2021, there is no right man for the job of mayor.” The women running for mayor have all touched upon the historic nature of their political campaigns, highlighting it in fund-
In Atlanta’s Flourishing Asian Communities, Many Are Shaken to become the first person of Asian descent elected to the Atlanta City Council. The speed and scale of that change is a story of American success: immigrants starting businesses, building churches, sending their children to school and, eventually, gaining power through political representation. But now, along with success and visibility has come something else — fear. Amid a rising tide of anti-
Asian violence nationally, the shooting death of eight people, six of them women of Asian descent, has shaken Asians in Atlanta like nothing in his memory. “Whatever the justification was, the fact is, it was Asian women who were killed,” said Mr. Wan, who is 53. He said one of the shooting sites was less than a mile from his house. “Everything that’s been swirling around, all this antiAsian sentiment has come to a head with the worst possible thing — murders.” He added: “The Asian population has become a very easy and very visible target.” The fear, of course, has radiated far beyond Atlanta. Nearly 3,800 Continued on Page A18
JAMES LEVINE, 1943-2021
Making the Case to Be New York City’s First raising pitches and on social media. And more recently, they have underscored the need to end the male-dominated political culture that gave rise to the sexual harassment scandal surrounding Mr. Cuomo. Many of the governor’s strongest critics have been women. Two Democrats, Ms. Garcia and Maya Wiley, were among the first mayoral hopefuls to urge Mr. Cuomo to resign. A third, Dianne Morales, has called for his impeachment. With only three months left until the June 22 Democratic primary for mayor, the political world is abuzz over Mr. Cuomo’s scandals. Two of the race’s more prominent male candidates, Andrew Yang and Eric Adams, have taken a more cautious approach to addressing Mr. Cuomo’s political straits, only recently saying that he should step aside until the investigations are complete. The governor’s problems have given the female candidates more ammunition to make their case that it is time for a woman to lead New York City. Continued on Page A20
INTERNATIONAL A10-15
ANDREA MOHIN/THE NEW YORK TIMES
The conductor James Levine rehearsing with the Met Opera in 2013. He made his debut in 1971.
A Lionized Maestro, Toppled by a Sex Scandal By ANTHONY TOMMASINI
James Levine, the guiding maestro of the Metropolitan Opera for more than 40 years and one of the world’s most influential and admired conductors until allegations of sexual abuse and harassment ended his career, died on March 9 in Palm Springs, Calif. He was 77.
ACWORTH, Ga. — A gunman’s rampage that killed eight people, including six women of Asian descent, in the Atlanta area this week has set off a new wave of fear and outrage among AsianAmericans, coming in a year of anti-Asian violence across the country. The suspect who was charged on Wednesday with the killings at three spas told detectives that he had frequented massage parlors in the past and had carried out the attacks as a way to eliminate temptation. Investigators said they had not ruled out a racial motive, even as the suspect, a 21-year-old white man from the Atlanta suburbs, denied being driven by such bigotry. He told the police that he had a “sexual addiction” and saw the spas as an outlet for something “that he shouldn’t be doing,” said Capt. Jay Baker of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. “He was attempting to take out that temptation,” Captain Baker said. All but one of the victims were women. Still, around Atlanta and throughout the country, officials and community leaders said it could not be ignored that most of those killed in the rampage had been of Asian descent. “Racially motivated violence should be called out for exactly what it is and we must stop making excuses and rebranding it as economic anxiety or sexual addiction,” Representative Marilyn Strickland, a Democrat of Washington State, said on the floor of Congress on Wednesday. “As a woman who is Black and Korean I am acutely aware of how it feels to be erased or ignored.” In Washington, President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the first woman and the first Asian-American to hold the office, weighed in on the rampage. Mr. Biden noted that the motive for the killings had yet to be determined, but he spoke of “the brutality against Asian-Americans for the last couple months,” which he called “very, very troubling.” Continued on Page A19
BUSINESS B1-7
Feeling Better After a Shot
Revisiting the 2020 Rescue
Scouting the Underdogs
Scientists were intrigued after some long-term Covid-19 patients said they noticed improvements in their symptoms after being vaccinated. PAGE A8
The Federal Reserve crossed red lines to bolster markets last March. Is there enough momentum to fix the weaknesses the episode exposed? PAGE B1
NATIONAL A16-22
Fed Projects Patience
Long before the glory of the Final Four, it’s the potential for first-round upsets that makes the N.C.A.A. tournament a must-watch event. So who do you like? We look at six possibilities. PAGE B9
Putting It Into Words
Hunted nearly to extinction, the mountain gazelle is making a surprising comeback in southern Turkey. PAGE A10
This year’s college admissions essays became a platform for high school seniors to share reflections on the pandemic, race and loss. PAGE A21
President Biden said it would be tough to meet a May 1 deadline to withdraw all remaining troops. PAGE A14
pended and then fired him in 2018, a precipitous fall from grace at the age of 74. He fought back with a defamation lawsuit. Before the scandal emerged, Mr. Levine was a widely beloved maestro who for decades helped define the Met, the nation’s largest performing arts organization, expanding its repertory and burContinued on Page A24
This article is by Richard Fausset, Campbell Robertson, Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs and Sean Keenan.
TRACKING AN OUTBREAK A4-9
Thriving in a War Zone
Afghan Pullout Lags
His death was confirmed on Wednesday morning by Dr. Len Horovitz, his physician. He did not specify the cause, and it was unclear why the death had not been announced earlier. Mr. Levine had been living in Palm Springs. After investigating accounts of sexual improprieties by Mr. Levine with younger men stretching over decades, the Met first sus-
With 8 Counts of Murder
EDITORIAL, OP-ED A26-27
Gail Collins
PAGE A26
Economic estimates show rates at near zero for years, along with faster growth and higher inflation. PAGE B1 THURSDAY STYLES D1-6
SPORTSTHURSDAY B8-11
ARTS C1-6
An Eyesore No More Maya Lin’s redesign of the Neilson Library at Smith College is interwoven with her own life story. PAGE C1
The Scents of a Shoe Salesman
For Best Picture, All Bets Off
By day, Carlos Powell sold footware; by night, he attracted a following of perfume enthusiasts on YouTube. PAGE D1
Kyle Buchanan charts the possible paths to an Oscar victory for the eight nominees in the category. PAGE C1
Race Bias on Concussions A new representative for two former N.F.L. players claims race-based benchmarks have been used to deny Black players’ dementia claims. PAGE B10
U(D54G1D)y+#!?![!$!#
THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021 ~ VOL. CCLXXVII NO. 63
* * * * *
DJIA 33015.37 À 189.42 0.6%
NASDAQ 13525.20 À 0.4%
STOXX 600 424.91 g 0.4%
10-YR. TREAS. g 6/32 , yield 1.641%
OIL $64.60 g $0.20
Thirst for Gas Has Hit Peak, Agency Says
What’s News
The world’s demand for gasoline isn’t likely to return to prepandemic levels, the International Energy Agency forecast, as a global shift to electric vehicles and a rise in fuel efficiency offset growing consumption in developing countries. B1
Business & Finance hortages and transport bottlenecks have mounted world-wide, with supply disruptions dealing setbacks to companies in a range of industries. A1
S
IEA expects global electric-vehicle sales to reach more than 12 million by 2026, with more than half of all EVs being owned in China. By 2026, electric cars and buses are forecast to displace about one million barrels of oil per day.
The pandemic has upended global fuel consumption. The IEA foresees crude demand recovering but the agency doesn’t think gasoline consumption will return to 2019 levels again.
Electric-vehicle fleets, cumulative growth 60 million
2019 level 26.6 million barrels a day
The Fed kept its easymoney policies in place and vowed to maintain them until the U.S. economy recovers further, while highlighting an improved outlook. A1
FORECAST
The FAA has stripped Boeing’s authority to inspect and sign off on several newly produced 787 Dreamliners. B1
Rest of world
50
Japan
40
Europe
30
U.S.
China
10 0 2015
’20 ESTIMATE
Expected compound annual growth in gasoline demand, select countries
Amazon said it is expanding its telehealth service nationwide this summer and opening the service to other companies. B1
–3%
–2
China India Nigeria Malaysia Indonesia U.A.E. Brazil
USING MORE 1 Russia Iran South Korea U.S. Germany Japan U.K. France
–1
USING LESS GASOLINE
II-VI submitted a new takeover offer for Coherent valued at roughly $7 billion, stoking a bidding war for the firm. B1 A French regulator rejected a plea from ad firms and publishers to block Apple’s plan to curb tracking of individuals’ mobile-app usage. B1
2%
Oil companies wrote off a record $105 billion in 2020, as the value of their oil and gas assets took a hit, and oil prices declined. Some companies expect the pandemic to have lasting economic effects.
An Italian court acquitted Shell and Eni, along with the latter’s chief, of bribery in connection with oil-drilling rights in Nigeria. B6
Quarterly write-offs and impairments from 4Q 2019–4Q 2020 of international oil companies* $20 billion 10 0 2010
'15
'20
'25
BP
Shell
Total
Eni
Repsol Equinor Chevron Exxon
*Includes impairments and write-downs for integrated company. Sources: International Energy Agency (gasoline demand, electric vehicles); company reports (write-offs and impairments)
World-Wide Beijing plans to use a meeting between senior U.S. and Chinese officials to press Washington to reverse many of the policies targeting China introduced during the Trump presidency. A1 Russia’s envoy to the U.S. has been summoned to Moscow for consultations, as the Kremlin determines next steps in relations with the U.S. under the Biden administration. A7 The suspect in the killing of eight people, six of whom were women of Asian descent, at massage parlors in the Atlanta area was charged with eight counts of murder. A3 The IRS delayed the main April 15 tax-filing and payment deadlines for individuals until May 17. A3 The House passed legislation to revive the ERA and reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. The bills face uncertain paths in the Senate. A4 House Republicans voted to lift their decadelong ban on earmarks, giving members power to direct U.S. agencies to spend specific amounts on projects in their districts. A4
Beijing to Urge Reversal Of Trump-Era Policies BY LINGLING WEI AND BOB DAVIS Beijing plans on Thursday to press Washington to reverse many of the policies targeting China introduced during the Trump presidency, in the first face-to-face meeting of senior U.S. and China officials since President Biden’s election, people with knowledge of the plans said. The meeting in Alaska gives both sides a chance to reset the stormy relationship between the world’s two largest economies, which are at loggerheads over technology development, human rights, trade and military leadership in Asia.
INSIDE
The Senate confirmed by a unanimous vote Katherine Tai as Biden’s U.S. trade representative. A8 A Japanese court for the first time said the country’s ban on same-sex marriage violates the constitution. A8
CONTENTS Arts in Review... A13 Business News.. B3,6 Capital Account.... A2 Crossword.............. A14 Heard on Street. B12 Markets..................... B11
CHARLOTTE KESL FOR WSJ
Died: John Magufuli, 61, president of Tanzania. A7 Opinion.............. A15-17 Personal Journal A11-12 Sports....................... A14 Technology.......... B4-5 U.S. News............. A2-6 Weather................... A14 World News........ A7-9
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BUSINESS & FINANCE Rising prices for lumber and other raw materials are pushing up housing costs. B1
Shortages and transport bottlenecks have mounted world-wide for makers of everything from cars and clothing to home siding and medical-needle containers, with the By Sean McLain in Tokyo, Christopher M. Matthews in Houston and Costas Paris in New York
the two auto makers saying Wednesday they would halt production at plants in North America. Toyota cited a shortage of petrochemicals, manufacturing of which has been hobbled by last month’s Texas freeze. Honda pointed to a combination of port issues, a semiconductor shortage, pandemic-related problems and the crippling U.S. weather. Samsung, the world’s largest maker of smartphones, said the severe global shortage in chips would hurt its business into the next quarter. Global supply disruptions are creating cost increases and delays for numerous industries, company executives and analysts said, affecting profit Please turn to page A6
Fed Lifts Outlook, Keeps Rate Stance BY PAUL KIERNAN WASHINGTON—The Federal Reserve kept its easy-money policies in place and vowed to maintain them until the U.S. economy recovers further from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, while officials also highlighted an improved outlook for growth. “We will continue to provide the economy the support that it needs for as long as it takes,” Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said at a news conference Wednesday after a twoday central bank policy meeting. The Fed’s policy stance and rosier outlook cheered stock investors, with the Dow Jones
By Jeremy Page, Betsy McKay and Drew Hinshaw The show of hands came after a four-week joint study in the city where the first cases were identified, a mission many hoped would provide some clarity to a world craving answers. For a while, it appeared to. The vote’s results captured headlines: The virus probably
i
i
India’s decision to make black court gowns optional draws cheers, objections THE MIDDLE SEAT Travelers find time is running out on vouchers for canceled trips. A11
YEN 108.84
Supply Woes Slam Global Manufacturing
WUHAN, China—More than a dozen foreign scientists led by the World Health Organization gathered with Chinese counterparts last month to vote on the question: How did the Covid-19 pandemic start?
Seoul and Tokyo, at odds, court U.S...................................... A8 Biden’s trade pick wins unanimous approval.............. A8
BY SHAN LI
EURO $1.1982
Industrial Average closing above 33000 for the first time ever. The S&P 500 also ended at a record. Central bankers voted unanimously to maintain overnight interest rates near zero, where they have been set for the past year, and to continue purchasing at least $120 billion a month of Treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities. Mr. Powell said the measures “will ensure that monetary policy will continue to deliver powerful support to the econPlease turn to page A2 Greg Ip: New aid, but not a new paradigm............................ A2 Dow closes above 33000 for first time..................................... B11
Scientists’ mission to Wuhan had limited power for thorough probe
Pandemic Revives Old Courtroom Debate: To Robe, or Not to Robe?
A fight between the European Union and the U.K. over Covid-19 vaccines intensified on Wednesday. A7
HHHH $4.00
WHO’s Hunt for Covid’s Origins Stumbled in China
U.S. officials said the meeting is a way to present the Biden administration’s complaints about Chinese actions, such as its curtailing of freedoms in Hong Kong, naval expansion in the South China Sea, economic pressure on U.S. allies, intellectual-property violations and cybersecurity incursions. The U.S. also plans to sound out Chinese officials about ways the two countries could work together on issues such as climate change and global health. Please turn to page A8
i
GOLD $1,726.80 g $3.80
extreme Texas weather and port backlogs compounding problems for manufacturers already beset by pandemic disruptions. Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Samsung Electronics Co. were the latest multinational companies to chime in about setbacks, with
’25
A continued reduction in consumption is expected in OECD countries as a result of more fuel-efficient vehicles and the displacement by electric vehicles and other fuel types. Demand is projected to be stronger in Asia, driven by middle-class consumers seeking greater mobility.
Global gasoline demand
U.S. antitrust officials are unlikely to mount a Supreme Court appeal seeking to revive the Qualcomm case, people familiar with the matter say. A2
Lordstown Motors’ CEO said the company is cooperating with an information request from the SEC. B3
FORECAST
20
The Dow closed above 33000 for the first time, rising 0.6% to 33015.37. The S&P 500 gained 0.3% to a record and the Nasdaq added 0.4%. B11
WSJ.com
among those who wear their heart on an unwashed sleeve, NEW DELHI—Abhinav tied to tradition in what has Chandrachud, a 35-year-old been a long, steamy battle advocate at the Bombay High over high-court dress codes. Court, goes months before Fraying hems and worn washing his black sleeves signal courtrobe, mandatory attire room experience, say for judges and lawyers some wrapped up in during proceedings of black-robe custom. India’s supreme and On the other side, high courts. lawyers in favor of The one exception, disrobing argue that he recalled, was when the courtroom cosa bird relieved itself tume, a holdover while passing overfrom colonial times, head. “My gown is like is ill-suited for India’s a battle dress,” he blazing summers. said. “It has the blood, “Why should we sweat and tears of the Courtly dress blindly follow the high court. Every batBritish dress code?” tle, every victory and every said Karan Parmar, an advodefeat is in this gown.” cate who practices at the BomMr. Chandrachud was glad bay High Court. “It’s a humid to retrieve his robe as courts country. It’s a hot country.” began to reopen after months While the back and forth of online hearings. He is Please turn to page A9
jumped to humans from an animal; further research was needed on whether it spread on frozen food; a lab leak was “extremely unlikely.” A month on, however, as the WHO-led team finalizes its full report on the Wuhan mission, a Wall Street Journal investigation has uncovered fresh details about the team’s formation and constraints that reveal how little power it had to conduct a thorough, impartial examination—and call into question the clarity its findings appeared to provide. China resisted international pressure for Please turn to page A10 U.K., EU step up battle over vaccines................ A7
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