AND WERE OUSTED RAISED CONCERNS OFFICIALS … ·  · 2018-04-06into the Red Arrow Diner on Tues-...

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VOL. CLXVII . . . No. 57,924 © 2018 The New York Times Company NEW YORK, FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2018 U(D54G1D)y+#![!,!=!: MARSEILLE, France — No or- dinary preacher, El Hadi Doudi is perhaps France’s leading propo- nent of fundamentalist Islam. His influence extends throughout Eu- rope, where his lawyer says the cleric is the only imam authorized to issue fatwas. Over 37 years, he has often berated Jews, women and the modern world, yet the au- thorities have tolerated his hard- line sermons and occasionally cul- tivated him as an ally. That was until now. The government of President Emmanuel Macron appears poised to expel the preacher in one of the most striking examples of its hardening stance toward radical Islam. Mr. Macron has al- ready used his huge majority in Parliament to inscribe into law some government tactics searches and seizures, house ar- rests, shutting down mosques — that had been applied before only as part of the state of emergency put in place after terrorist attacks in Paris killed 130 people in No- vember 2015. The case of Imam Doudi, 63, who was born in Algeria and is not a French citizen, is part of a high- profile effort by the Macron ad- ministration to intensify scrutiny of Muslim clerics and, in some cases, to deport them. Some ana- lysts say that Mr. Macron is using it to display toughness, as Euro- pean governments struggle for tools to battle radical Islam, and as he fends off political challenges from the far right. “They want to make an exam- ple of him,” said Vincent Geisser, an Islam expert at the University of Aix-Marseille. “It’s got more to do with communicating firm- Macron’s Fight on Radical Islam May Lead to Exile of Vocal Imam By ADAM NOSSITER Continued on Page A10 WASHINGTON — At least five officials at the Environmental Protection Agency, four of them high-ranking, were reassigned or demoted, or requested new jobs in the past year after they raised concerns about the spending and management of the agency’s ad- ministrator, Scott Pruitt. The concerns included unusual- ly large spending on office furni- ture and first-class travel, as well as certain demands by Mr. Pruitt for security coverage, such as re- quests for a bulletproof vehicle and an expanded 20-person pro- tective detail, according to people who worked for or with the E.P.A. and have direct knowledge of the situation. Mr. Pruitt bristled when the offi- cials — four career E.P.A. employ- ees and one Trump administra- tion political appointee — con- fronted him, said the people, who were not authorized to speak pub- licly. The political appointee, Kevin Chmielewski, was placed on ad- ministrative leave without pay, ac- cording to two of the people with knowledge of the situation. Mr. Chmielewski was among the first employees of Donald J. Trump’s presidential campaign, serving as a senior advance official. The two people, who are administration of- ficials, said that Mr. Chmielewski OFFICIALS AT E.P.A. RAISED CONCERNS AND WERE OUSTED PUSHBACK ON EXPENSES Sinking Morale as Pruitt’s Stewardship Comes Under Scrutiny This article is by Eric Lipton, Ken- neth P. Vogel and Lisa Friedman. ILANA PANICH-LINSMAN FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES Immigrants newly released from detention at the United States border stop briefly at a relief center before moving on. Page A16. Waiting in South Texas MANCHESTER, N.H. — John Kasich had been here before. This much he pointed out, twice, before anyone had a chance to wonder why he was back. “Wow!” he called out, stepping into the Red Arrow Diner on Tues- day for an unannounced stop, emitting the kind of surprise that only a politician can summon over three dozen people eating lunch. “It was just this crowded the last time.” Mr. Kasich sidled up beside the counter, squatting to greet a young customer, Sophia Bauer, whose name he seemed to hear as “Sylvia.” “How old are you?” he asked. “Five? Are you going to be in first grade? Do you have a dog? Oh, re- ally?” Soon, Sophia was being tickled by the two-term Republi- can governor of Ohio. He led her by the hand toward a booth in the corner, where a televi- sion crew was waiting. “Isn’t that cool?” he said. The two peered into the camera. The governor smiled. Then Sophia was dis- missed. “All right, Sylvia,” he said. Ohio Is Lovely, But a Primary Tempts Kasich By MATT FLEGENHEIMER Continued on Page A13 He strode up and down a busy Brooklyn street on Wednesday, lunging at passers-by — someone pushing a cart, someone holding a young child’s hand — with a curved silver pipe resting on his fingers like the barrel of a gun. Neighbors and police officers knew the man, Saheed Vassell, as the broom handler for a local bar- bershop, an idiosyncratic fixture on the block who was mentally ill and liked to drink outside. Patrol officers chatted with him and sometimes bought him Jamaican food. They had taken him to the hospital to be treated for mental illness a number of times in recent years. But the plainclothes anti-crime officers who answered a smart- phone alert for someone waving a silver gun on Wednesday didn’t know him at all, the police said. Given nothing more than what 911 callers told a dispatcher — that a black man with a brown jacket and bluejeans was pointing at peo- ple with something that looked like a gun — they screeched to a stop at the corner where Mr. Vas- sell spent most days and, after he crouched and aimed the pipe at them, almost instantly shot and killed him. Police officials argued it hardly mattered which officers answered the call or what training they had. Any officers facing what appeared to be a gun aimed at them would have little choice but to fire, these officials said. Security camera vid- eos from nearby businesses showed Mr. Vassell, 34, just mo- ments before his death, startling people on the street and jabbing the pipe into one man’s chest. But the killing may reveal a more pervasive problem: the shortcomings of a neighborhood policing program that Mayor Bill de Blasio has pitched as a cure for excessive police force, but which often plays no role in the hurried encounters that determine whether someone lives or dies. Community policing officers fo- cus on meeting residents and get- ting to know their concerns. But they are very often not the ones rushing to reports of armed peo- ple or stickups in progress. The of- ficers who answer those fast-mov- ing calls — many of them part of specialty units, like the anti-crime officers who responded Wednes- day — have little more to go on than a dispatcher’s relay of a 911 call and what they see in front of them, telescoped into split sec- onds. Too often, skeptics of the may- or’s plan say, that means someone who looks dangerous but actually needs help is met with an onrush of officers who know nothing about him. Police officials have not definitively answered ques- tions about whether the respond- ing officers said anything before opening fire. Several witnesses said they did not. Locals Knew He Was Mentally Ill. Officers Who Shot Him Didn’t. This article is by Benjamin Muel- ler, Jan Ransom and Luis Ferré- Sadurní. The fatal shooting of Saheed Vassell on Wednesday raises questions about community policing. TODD HEISLER/THE NEW YORK TIMES Continued on Page A20 WASHINGTON Scott Lloyd’s unadorned job title be- trays little hint of the power he has over the pregnant teenagers in his custody. As director of the Office of Ref- ugee Resettlement, he oversees the assistance program for the tens of thousands of refugees who still seek shelter in the United States, even with the Trump ad- ministration’s crackdown. But as the government official who is also responsible for the care of young, undocumented immi- grants who enter the United States without their parents, he spends much of his time trying to stop those who want an abortion. He has instructed his staff to give him a spreadsheet each week that tells him about any unaccom- panied minors who have asked for one and how far along they are in their pregnancy. In at least one case he directed staff to read to one girl a description of what hap- pens during an abortion. And when there’s a need for counsel- ing, Mr. Lloyd’s office calls on someone from its list of preferred “life affirming” pregnancy re- source centers. Last fall Mr. Lloyd’s refusal to let a 17-year-old in Texas leave the shelter where she was living to get an abortion drew an admonish- ment from a federal judge who said she was “astounded” the gov- ernment had been so insistent on keeping someone from obtaining a constitutionally protected pro- cedure. Last week another judge barred him from trying to prevent any girl in his care from getting an abortion, but government lawyers have asked for a stay and plan to appeal. How Mr. Lloyd, an appointee of President Trump, turned a small office in the Department of Health and Human Services that pro- vides social services to refugees into a battleground over abortion rights is part of the larger story of the Trump administration’s push to enact rules that favor socially conservative positions on issues New Front in Abortion Battle: A Small U.S. Office By JEREMY W. PETERS Shaping Rules to Favor Social Conservatives, Under the Radar Continued on Page A17 IMPERILED As top aides eye the exits and ethical questions swirl, a growing crisis makes the fate of Scott Pruitt uncertain. PAGE A15 Continued on Page A14 Scott Pruitt of the E.P.A. AARON P. BERNSTEIN/GETTY IMAGES The yearbook of the Florida school where a gunman struck will record the tragedy and the good days. PAGE A12 NATIONAL A12-18 Two Stories in One Book Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil says he will still run for president again even though the nation’s top court rejected his bid to remain free. PAGE A6 INTERNATIONAL A4-11 Brazilian’s Jail Term to Begin Japan’s new prosperity has rekindled an interest in the 1980s, when the coun- try’s economy truly boomed. PAGE B1 BUSINESS DAY B1-7 Intoxicating Era Bubbles Back Several women have spoken out against Richard Meier’s sexual misconduct, and they say the firm seemed powerless to stop him. PAGE A24 NEW YORK A19-21, 24 More Women Accuse Architect April has come in like a turtle this year, but there are spots, like the orchid show, above, in the Bronx, where things are beginning to blossom. PAGE C13 WEEKEND ARTS C1-28 Spring in Her Steps The surgeon general urged more people to keep on hand a drug that can save victims of opioid overdoses. PAGE A13 A Lifesaving Advisory The Pentagon is spending about $1 million to secure detention camps for Islamic State prisoners, broadening its involvement in northern Syria. PAGE A11 Getting Deeper in ISIS Fight In a time of mass shootings, companies are rethinking safety measures and some are ramping up. PAGE B1 Revisiting Office Security A day after dislocating his left ankle, Tony Finau was tied for second place behind Jordan Spieth after the first round of the Masters. PAGE B8 SPORTSFRIDAY B8-12 Hobbling Into Contention Paul Krugman PAGE A23 EDITORIAL, OP-ED A22-23 Four women were ejected from a sumo ring as they tried to help a man who had collapsed. Some see a metaphor for Japan’s gender inequality. PAGE A4 A Sumo Tradition Questioned WASHINGTON — President Trump said Thursday that the United States would consider slapping an additional $100 billion in tariffs on the Chinese, escalat- ing a potentially damaging trade dispute with Beijing. Mr. Trump said in a statement that he was responding to “unfair retaliation” by China, which pub- lished a list on Wednesday of $50 billion in American products that would be hit by tariffs, including soybeans and pork. That move was a direct reaction to the $50 bil- lion in tariffs on Chinese goods that the White House detailed on Tuesday. “Rather than remedy its mis- conduct, China has chosen to harm our farmers and manufac- turers,” Mr. Trump said, adding that he has instructed the United States trade representative to de- termine if another $100 billion in tariffs were warranted and, “if so, to identify the products upon which to impose such tariffs.” The announcement came one day after some of Mr. Trump’s ad- visers tried to calm markets and tamp down fears of a trade war be- tween the world’s two largest economies, saying that the tariff threats were the first step in a ne- gotiation process. Mr. Trump said in his statement that the potential for new tariffs would not preclude discussions with the Chinese “to protect the technology and intel- TRUMP ESCALATES FIGHT WITH CHINA IN TARIFF THREAT ANOTHER $100 BILLION President Doubles Down a Day After Advisers Pushed for Calm By ANA SWANSON and KEITH BRADSHER Continued on Page A8 NAFTA After months of stalemate, American negotiators are eager for quick progress on the North American trade deal. PAGE A9 Late Edition Today, mostly cloudy, high 56. To- night, considerable cloudiness, low 36. Tomorrow, a mix of snow and sleet, some accumulation possible, high 39. Weather map, Page B16. $3.00

Transcript of AND WERE OUSTED RAISED CONCERNS OFFICIALS … ·  · 2018-04-06into the Red Arrow Diner on Tues-...

VOL. CLXVII . . . No. 57,924 © 2018 The New York Times Company NEW YORK, FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2018

C M Y K Nxxx,2018-04-06,A,001,Bs-4C,E2

U(D54G1D)y+#![!,!=!:

MARSEILLE, France — No or-dinary preacher, El Hadi Doudi isperhaps France’s leading propo-nent of fundamentalist Islam. Hisinfluence extends throughout Eu-rope, where his lawyer says thecleric is the only imam authorizedto issue fatwas. Over 37 years, hehas often berated Jews, womenand the modern world, yet the au-thorities have tolerated his hard-line sermons and occasionally cul-tivated him as an ally.

That was until now.The government of President

Emmanuel Macron appearspoised to expel the preacher inone of the most striking examplesof its hardening stance towardradical Islam. Mr. Macron has al-ready used his huge majority inParliament to inscribe into lawsome government tactics —searches and seizures, house ar-rests, shutting down mosques —

that had been applied before onlyas part of the state of emergencyput in place after terrorist attacksin Paris killed 130 people in No-vember 2015.

The case of Imam Doudi, 63,who was born in Algeria and is nota French citizen, is part of a high-profile effort by the Macron ad-ministration to intensify scrutinyof Muslim clerics and, in somecases, to deport them. Some ana-lysts say that Mr. Macron is usingit to display toughness, as Euro-pean governments struggle fortools to battle radical Islam, and ashe fends off political challengesfrom the far right.

“They want to make an exam-ple of him,” said Vincent Geisser,an Islam expert at the Universityof Aix-Marseille. “It’s got more todo with communicating firm-

Macron’s Fight on Radical IslamMay Lead to Exile of Vocal Imam

By ADAM NOSSITER

Continued on Page A10

WASHINGTON — At least fiveofficials at the EnvironmentalProtection Agency, four of themhigh-ranking, were reassigned ordemoted, or requested new jobs inthe past year after they raisedconcerns about the spending andmanagement of the agency’s ad-ministrator, Scott Pruitt.

The concerns included unusual-ly large spending on office furni-ture and first-class travel, as wellas certain demands by Mr. Pruittfor security coverage, such as re-quests for a bulletproof vehicleand an expanded 20-person pro-tective detail, according to peoplewho worked for or with the E.P.A.and have direct knowledge of thesituation.

Mr. Pruitt bristled when the offi-cials — four career E.P.A. employ-ees and one Trump administra-tion political appointee — con-fronted him, said the people, whowere not authorized to speak pub-licly.

The political appointee, KevinChmielewski, was placed on ad-

ministrative leave without pay, ac-cording to two of the people withknowledge of the situation. Mr.Chmielewski was among the firstemployees of Donald J. Trump’spresidential campaign, serving asa senior advance official. The twopeople, who are administration of-ficials, said that Mr. Chmielewski

OFFICIALS AT E.P.A.RAISED CONCERNSAND WERE OUSTED

PUSHBACK ON EXPENSES

Sinking Morale as Pruitt’sStewardship Comes

Under Scrutiny

This article is by Eric Lipton, Ken-neth P. Vogel and Lisa Friedman.

ILANA PANICH-LINSMAN FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Immigrants newly released from detention at the United States border stop briefly at a relief center before moving on. Page A16.Waiting in South Texas

MANCHESTER, N.H. — JohnKasich had been here before. Thismuch he pointed out, twice, beforeanyone had a chance to wonderwhy he was back.

“Wow!” he called out, steppinginto the Red Arrow Diner on Tues-day for an unannounced stop,emitting the kind of surprise thatonly a politician can summon overthree dozen people eating lunch.“It was just this crowded the lasttime.”

Mr. Kasich sidled up beside thecounter, squatting to greet ayoung customer, Sophia Bauer,whose name he seemed to hear as“Sylvia.”

“How old are you?” he asked.“Five? Are you going to be in firstgrade? Do you have a dog? Oh, re-ally?” Soon, Sophia was beingtickled by the two-term Republi-can governor of Ohio.

He led her by the hand toward abooth in the corner, where a televi-sion crew was waiting. “Isn’t thatcool?” he said. The two peeredinto the camera. The governorsmiled. Then Sophia was dis-missed. “All right, Sylvia,” he said.

Ohio Is Lovely,But a PrimaryTempts Kasich

By MATT FLEGENHEIMER

Continued on Page A13

He strode up and down a busyBrooklyn street on Wednesday,lunging at passers-by — someonepushing a cart, someone holding ayoung child’s hand — with acurved silver pipe resting on hisfingers like the barrel of a gun.

Neighbors and police officersknew the man, Saheed Vassell, asthe broom handler for a local bar-bershop, an idiosyncratic fixtureon the block who was mentally illand liked to drink outside. Patrolofficers chatted with him andsometimes bought him Jamaicanfood. They had taken him to thehospital to be treated for mentalillness a number of times in recentyears.

But the plainclothes anti-crimeofficers who answered a smart-phone alert for someone waving asilver gun on Wednesday didn’tknow him at all, the police said.Given nothing more than what 911callers told a dispatcher — that ablack man with a brown jacketand bluejeans was pointing at peo-ple with something that lookedlike a gun — they screeched to astop at the corner where Mr. Vas-sell spent most days and, after hecrouched and aimed the pipe atthem, almost instantly shot andkilled him.

Police officials argued it hardlymattered which officers answeredthe call or what training they had.Any officers facing what appearedto be a gun aimed at them wouldhave little choice but to fire, these

officials said. Security camera vid-eos from nearby businessesshowed Mr. Vassell, 34, just mo-ments before his death, startlingpeople on the street and jabbingthe pipe into one man’s chest.

But the killing may reveal amore pervasive problem: theshortcomings of a neighborhoodpolicing program that Mayor Billde Blasio has pitched as a cure forexcessive police force, but whichoften plays no role in the hurriedencounters that determine

whether someone lives or dies.Community policing officers fo-

cus on meeting residents and get-ting to know their concerns. Butthey are very often not the onesrushing to reports of armed peo-ple or stickups in progress. The of-ficers who answer those fast-mov-ing calls — many of them part ofspecialty units, like the anti-crimeofficers who responded Wednes-day — have little more to go onthan a dispatcher’s relay of a 911call and what they see in front of

them, telescoped into split sec-onds.

Too often, skeptics of the may-or’s plan say, that means someonewho looks dangerous but actuallyneeds help is met with an onrushof officers who know nothingabout him. Police officials havenot definitively answered ques-tions about whether the respond-ing officers said anything beforeopening fire. Several witnessessaid they did not.

Locals Knew He Was Mentally Ill. Officers Who Shot Him Didn’t.This article is by Benjamin Muel-

ler, Jan Ransom and Luis Ferré-Sadurní.

The fatal shooting of Saheed Vassell on Wednesday raises questions about community policing.TODD HEISLER/THE NEW YORK TIMES

Continued on Page A20

WASHINGTON — ScottLloyd’s unadorned job title be-trays little hint of the power he hasover the pregnant teenagers in hiscustody.

As director of the Office of Ref-ugee Resettlement, he overseesthe assistance program for thetens of thousands of refugees whostill seek shelter in the UnitedStates, even with the Trump ad-ministration’s crackdown. But asthe government official who isalso responsible for the care ofyoung, undocumented immi-grants who enter the UnitedStates without their parents, hespends much of his time trying tostop those who want an abortion.

He has instructed his staff togive him a spreadsheet each week

that tells him about any unaccom-panied minors who have asked forone and how far along they are intheir pregnancy. In at least onecase he directed staff to read toone girl a description of what hap-pens during an abortion. Andwhen there’s a need for counsel-ing, Mr. Lloyd’s office calls onsomeone from its list of preferred“life affirming” pregnancy re-source centers.

Last fall Mr. Lloyd’s refusal tolet a 17-year-old in Texas leave theshelter where she was living to get

an abortion drew an admonish-ment from a federal judge whosaid she was “astounded” the gov-ernment had been so insistent onkeeping someone from obtaininga constitutionally protected pro-cedure. Last week another judgebarred him from trying to preventany girl in his care from getting anabortion, but government lawyershave asked for a stay and plan toappeal.

How Mr. Lloyd, an appointee ofPresident Trump, turned a smalloffice in the Department of Healthand Human Services that pro-vides social services to refugeesinto a battleground over abortionrights is part of the larger story ofthe Trump administration’s pushto enact rules that favor sociallyconservative positions on issues

New Front in Abortion Battle: A Small U.S. OfficeBy JEREMY W. PETERS Shaping Rules to Favor

Social Conservatives,Under the Radar

Continued on Page A17

IMPERILED As top aides eye theexits and ethical questions swirl,a growing crisis makes the fate ofScott Pruitt uncertain. PAGE A15

Continued on Page A14

Scott Pruitt of the E.P.A.AARON P. BERNSTEIN/GETTY IMAGES

The yearbook of the Florida schoolwhere a gunman struck will record thetragedy and the good days. PAGE A12

NATIONAL A12-18

Two Stories in One Book

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil sayshe will still run for president again eventhough the nation’s top court rejectedhis bid to remain free. PAGE A6

INTERNATIONAL A4-11

Brazilian’s Jail Term to Begin

Japan’s new prosperity has rekindledan interest in the 1980s, when the coun-try’s economy truly boomed. PAGE B1

BUSINESS DAY B1-7

Intoxicating Era Bubbles Back

Several women have spoken out againstRichard Meier’s sexual misconduct, andthey say the firm seemed powerless tostop him. PAGE A24

NEW YORK A19-21, 24

More Women Accuse Architect

April has come in like a turtle this year,but there are spots, like the orchidshow, above, in the Bronx, where thingsare beginning to blossom. PAGE C13

WEEKEND ARTS C1-28

Spring in Her Steps

The surgeon general urged more peopleto keep on hand a drug that can savevictims of opioid overdoses. PAGE A13

A Lifesaving Advisory

The Pentagon is spending about $1million to secure detention camps forIslamic State prisoners, broadening itsinvolvement in northern Syria. PAGE A11

Getting Deeper in ISIS Fight

In a time of mass shootings, companiesare rethinking safety measures andsome are ramping up. PAGE B1

Revisiting Office Security

A day after dislocating his left ankle,Tony Finau was tied for second placebehind Jordan Spieth after the firstround of the Masters. PAGE B8

SPORTSFRIDAY B8-12

Hobbling Into Contention

Paul Krugman PAGE A23

EDITORIAL, OP-ED A22-23

Four women were ejected from a sumoring as they tried to help a man whohad collapsed. Some see a metaphor forJapan’s gender inequality. PAGE A4

A Sumo Tradition Questioned

WASHINGTON — PresidentTrump said Thursday that theUnited States would considerslapping an additional $100 billionin tariffs on the Chinese, escalat-ing a potentially damaging tradedispute with Beijing.

Mr. Trump said in a statementthat he was responding to “unfairretaliation” by China, which pub-lished a list on Wednesday of $50billion in American products thatwould be hit by tariffs, includingsoybeans and pork. That movewas a direct reaction to the $50 bil-lion in tariffs on Chinese goodsthat the White House detailed onTuesday.

“Rather than remedy its mis-conduct, China has chosen toharm our farmers and manufac-turers,” Mr. Trump said, addingthat he has instructed the UnitedStates trade representative to de-termine if another $100 billion intariffs were warranted and, “if so,to identify the products uponwhich to impose such tariffs.”

The announcement came oneday after some of Mr. Trump’s ad-visers tried to calm markets andtamp down fears of a trade war be-tween the world’s two largesteconomies, saying that the tariffthreats were the first step in a ne-gotiation process. Mr. Trump saidin his statement that the potentialfor new tariffs would not precludediscussions with the Chinese “toprotect the technology and intel-

TRUMP ESCALATESFIGHT WITH CHINAIN TARIFF THREAT

ANOTHER $100 BILLION

President Doubles Downa Day After Advisers

Pushed for Calm

By ANA SWANSONand KEITH BRADSHER

Continued on Page A8

NAFTA After months of stalemate,American negotiators are eagerfor quick progress on the NorthAmerican trade deal. PAGE A9

Late EditionToday, mostly cloudy, high 56. To-night, considerable cloudiness, low36. Tomorrow, a mix of snow andsleet, some accumulation possible,high 39. Weather map, Page B16.

$3.00