Lag in Tallying SCIENTISTS FRET - static01.nyt.com · 8/3/2020 · PAGE A15 NATIONAL A15-19, 22...
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U(D54G1D)y+%!?!#!$!z Election officials in New York City widely distributed mail-in ballots for the primary on June 23, which featured dozens of hard- fought races. The officials had hoped to make voting much easi- er, but they did not seem prepared for the response: more than 10 times the number of absentee bal- lots received in recent elections in the city. Now, nearly six weeks later, two closely watched congressional races remain undecided, and ma- jor delays in counting a deluge of 400,000 mail-in ballots and other problems are being cited as exam- ples of the challenges facing the nation as it looks toward conduct- ing the November general elec- tion during the pandemic. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and other officials are trading blame for the botched counting in the city, and the Postal Service is com- ing under criticism over whether it is equipped to handle the sharp increase in absentee ballots. Election lawyers said one area of concern in New York City was that mail-in ballots have prepaid return envelopes. The Postal Service apparently had difficulty processing some of them cor- rectly and, as a result, an un- known number of votes — per- haps thousands — may have been wrongfully disqualified because of a lack of a postmark. Thousands more ballots in the city were discarded by election of- ficials for minor errors, or not even sent to voters until the day before the primary, making it all but impossible for the ballots to be returned in time. In recent days, President Trump has also jumped into fray, repeatedly citing the primary in New York City for his unfounded claims that mail-in voting is sus- ceptible to fraud. There is no evi- dence that the primary results were tainted by criminal malfea- sance, according to a wide array of election officials and representa- tives of campaigns. Still, candidates and political analysts are warning that govern- ment officials at all levels need to take urgent action to avoid a nightmare in November. “This election is a canary in the coal mine,” said Suraj Patel, a Democrat running for Congress in a district that includes parts of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens, who has filed a federal Lag in Tallying Mail-In Ballots Raises Alarms New York City Is Still Deciding June Races By JESSE McKINLEY In April, with hospitals over- whelmed and much of the United States in lockdown, the Depart- ment of Health and Human Serv- ices produced a presentation for the White House arguing that rap- id development of a coronavirus vaccine was the best hope to con- trol the pandemic. “DEADLINE: Enable broad ac- cess to the public by October 2020,” the first slide read, with the date in bold. Given that it typically takes years to develop a vaccine, the timetable for the initiative, called Operation Warp Speed, was in- credibly ambitious. With tens of thousands dying and tens of mil- lions out of work, the crisis de- manded an all-out public-private response, with the government supplying billions of dollars to pharmaceutical and biotechnolo- gy companies, providing logistical support and cutting through red tape. It escaped no one that the pro- posed deadline also intersected nicely with President Trump’s need to curb the virus before the election in November. The ensuing race for a vaccine — in the middle of a campaign in which the president’s handling of the pandemic is the key issue after he has spent his time in office un- dermining science and the exper- tise of the federal bureaucracy — is now testing the system set up to ensure safe and effective drugs to a degree never before seen. Under constant pressure from a White House anxious for good news and a public desperate for a silver bullet to end the crisis, the government’s researchers are fearful of political intervention in the coming months and are strug- gling to ensure that the govern- ment maintains the right balance between speed and rigorous regu- lation, according to interviews with administration officials, fed- eral scientists and outside ex- perts. Even in a less politically charged environment, there would be a fraught debate about how much to accelerate the process of trials and approval. The longer that vaccines are tested be- fore being released, the likelier they are to be safe and effective. But with 1,000 people dying each day in the United States, schools finding it difficult to re- open and the deep recession in- flicting economic pain across the country, the desire to find a way to return to normal life is powerful and transcends partisan politics and borders. On Sunday, Russia announced that it planned to start a nationwide inoculation cam- paign in October with a vaccine that had yet to complete clinical trials, the latest evidence of the SCIENTISTS FRET AS WHITE HOUSE RUSHES VACCINE EYEING SAFETY VS. NEED Fears of Pressure to Hand an ‘October Surprise’ to the President This article is by Sharon LaFra- niere, Katie Thomas, Noah Weiland, Peter Baker and Annie Karni. Continued on Page A9 BILL INGALLS/NASA, VIA AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE — GETTY IMAGES NASA astronauts returned to Earth on Sunday, parachuting into the Gulf of Mexico to end a flight by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Page A17. Making a Splashdown When Liz Herring arrived at George Washington University as a freshman in 1966, she entered a capital city in the throes of the civil rights movement. Just three years after a quarter-million peo- ple had crowded the National Mall to hear the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Congress was debating civil rights legislation as violent protests continued across the country. Yet, little of that political unrest reached Kappa Alpha Theta, the all-white sorority the future sena- tor from Massachusetts would soon pledge. Yearbook photos show Ms. Herring in a group of smiling young women, corsages pinned to their white dresses, hair perfectly flipped up at the ends. The young Ms. Herring, who fought her mother to attend col- lege away from her conservative hometown, went to rush parties and meetings, charity events and the annual “goat show,” a sketch comedy performance for all of the Greek organizations, where a master of ceremonies defended sororities as a “unifying force” for the school. No Black woman had ever been offered acceptance into any of the sororities on campus. More than half a century later, the young college coed, who now goes by Senator Elizabeth War- ren, led the charge in Congress to require the Pentagon to rename bases that honor Confederate mil- itary leaders. She spent much of her time on the trail during the Warren’s Path To Awakening On Racial Bias By LISA LERER and SYDNEY EMBER Continued on Page A22 This month, many colleges around the country plan to wel- come back thousands of students into something they hope will re- semble normal campus life. But they face challenges unlike any other American institution — con- taining the coronavirus among a young, impulsive population that not only studies together, but lives together, parties together, and, if decades of history are any guide, sleeps together. It will be a hugely complex and costly endeavor requiring far more than just the reconfiguring of dorm rooms and cafeterias and the construction of annexes and tent classrooms to increase social distancing. It also crucially in- volves the creation of testing pro- grams capable of serving commu- nities the size of small cities and the enforcement of codes of con- duct among students not eager to be policed. Who will be tested for the coro- navirus and how quickly can they get results? Will mask wearing be mandated? And what will happen to tailgating, keg parties and sneaking into your partner’s dorm room? Colleges are mapping strategies as varied as the con- trasting Covid regulations en- acted by the states, reflecting the culture and leadership of their schools. Syracuse is vowing to play the strict parent, requiring students to sign codes of conduct with pen- alties for violating Covid-19 rules more severe than the punishment for smoking marijuana. But the University of Kentucky is presenting a more lenient front, adopting existing honor codes that urge students to “promote personal responsibility and peer accountability.” And the University of Texas- Austin has prohibited students from holding parties on or off cam- pus, banned overnight guests in dorm rooms and warned students Colleges Cram for a Test: ‘Can We Open Safely?’ By ANEMONA HARTOCOLLIS and SHAWN HUBLER Moving into the dorms last week during a staggered return to N.C. State University in Raleigh. GERRY BROOME/ASSOCIATED PRESS Just Getting Students to Stay 6 Feet Apart Poses a Challenge Continued on Page A8 For Graham Ivan Clark, the on- line mischief-making started early. By the age of 10, he was playing the video game Minecraft, in part to escape what he told friends was an unhappy home life. In Minecraft, he became known as an adept scammer with an explo- sive temper who cheated people out of their money, several friends said. At 15, he joined an online hack- ers’ forum. By 16, he had gravi- tated to the world of Bitcoin, ap- pearing to involve himself in a theft of $856,000 of the cryptocur- rency, though he was never charged for it, social media and le- gal records show. On Instagram posts afterward, he showed up with designer sneakers and a bling-encrusted Rolex. The teenager’s digital misbe- havior ended on Friday when the police arrested him at a Tampa, Fla., apartment. Florida prosecu- tors said Mr. Clark, now 17, was the The Troubled Online Path of a Teen ‘Mastermind’ This article is by Nathaniel Pop- per, Kate Conger and Kellen Brown- ing. From Minecraft Tricks to Huge Twitter Hack Continued on Page A18 The city’s Board of Elections said it had a staff shortage. VICTOR J. BLUE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES Continued on Page A19 An illustrated guide to how schools will try to control the virus when students return, this fall or in the future. PAGE A5 TRACKING AN OUTBREAK A4-11 Back to School, Gingerly The link is already a point of pride, but some Italians fear it will not be enough to revive the aging port city. PAGE A14 INTERNATIONAL A12-14 A New Bridge for Genoa Six of our critics offer their thoughts on the visual album called “Black Is King,” a work rooted in “The Gift,” her “Lion King”-inspired effort. PAGE C1 ARTS C1-8 Analyzing Beyoncé’s Latest As federal agents withdraw from a city, demonstrators shift their focus back to local law enforcement and their crimi- nal justice system. PAGE A15 NATIONAL A15-19, 22 Portland Turns to Original Foe Lenders don’t make a lot on loans under $100,000, but there are programs to help, enhancing communities and buoy- ing buyers in the process. PAGE B1 BUSINESS B1-7 A Little Mortgage, a Big Boost A surge in virus cases. Joblessness and a broken unemployment claims system. And, it’s hurricane season. PAGE A4 Florida’s Summer of Dread Briefings by Kayleigh McEnany, the press secretary, have grown less infor- mative and lost viewers. PAGE A18 An Official Voice Less Heard Telenovelas, Mexican soap operas, enjoy renewed popularity as viewers seek relief in a familiar genre. PAGE A12 Mexico’s TV Comfort Food Recognizable by his walrus mustache, Wilford Brimley specialized in cantan- kerous characters. He was 85. PAGE D7 OBITUARIES D7-8 Star of ‘Cocoon’ and TV Ads On social media, competitors are shar- ing their experiences in the wake of a documentary that highlights verbal and physical abuse by coaches. PAGE D1 SPORTSMONDAY D1-6 Gymnasts’ Fight Goes Global Charles M. Blow PAGE A20 EDITORIAL, OP-ED A20-21 It was a weekend of chaos on TikTok — unleashed on Friday night when President Trump said, while aboard Air Force One, that he might ban the video app. The surprise announcement sent influencers in droves onto livestreams to give possibly pre- mature teary and heartfelt good- byes to their fans, asking them to join them on apps like Instagram, YouTube and Triller. For agencies that manage talent on the plat- form, it was a long weekend of hand-holding and downloading TikTok archives for posterity. Some users, in a last-hurrah bid for virality, reposted TikToks they said had previously been removed by the service for violating nudity or profanity guidelines. Others tried to make light of the situation. Addison Easterling, 19, a TikTok star who dropped out of Louisiana State University to pur- sue a full-time influencer career, posted a video of herself pretend- ing to knock on the college’s doors to let her back in. “Me at LSU to- morrow,” she captioned it. Trump’s Talk of Banning TikTok Inflames Gen Z By TAYLOR LORENZ Both Creators and Fans Feel a World Shake Continued on Page A16 Late Edition VOL. CLXIX .... No. 58,774 © 2020 The New York Times Company NEW YORK, MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2020 Today, humid, partly cloudy, high 88. Tonight, humid, thunderstorms, low 72. Tomorrow, wind and rain from Tropical Storm Isaias, high 75. Weather map appears on Page B8. $3.00
Transcript of Lag in Tallying SCIENTISTS FRET - static01.nyt.com · 8/3/2020 · PAGE A15 NATIONAL A15-19, 22...
C M Y K Nxxx,2020-08-03,A,001,Bs-4C,E1
U(D54G1D)y+%!?!#!$!z
Election officials in New YorkCity widely distributed mail-inballots for the primary on June 23,which featured dozens of hard-fought races. The officials hadhoped to make voting much easi-er, but they did not seem preparedfor the response: more than 10times the number of absentee bal-lots received in recent elections inthe city.
Now, nearly six weeks later, twoclosely watched congressionalraces remain undecided, and ma-jor delays in counting a deluge of400,000 mail-in ballots and otherproblems are being cited as exam-ples of the challenges facing thenation as it looks toward conduct-ing the November general elec-tion during the pandemic.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo andother officials are trading blamefor the botched counting in thecity, and the Postal Service is com-ing under criticism over whetherit is equipped to handle the sharpincrease in absentee ballots.
Election lawyers said one areaof concern in New York City wasthat mail-in ballots have prepaidreturn envelopes. The PostalService apparently had difficultyprocessing some of them cor-rectly and, as a result, an un-known number of votes — per-haps thousands — may have beenwrongfully disqualified because ofa lack of a postmark.
Thousands more ballots in thecity were discarded by election of-ficials for minor errors, or noteven sent to voters until the daybefore the primary, making it allbut impossible for the ballots to bereturned in time.
In recent days, PresidentTrump has also jumped into fray,repeatedly citing the primary in
New York City for his unfoundedclaims that mail-in voting is sus-ceptible to fraud. There is no evi-dence that the primary resultswere tainted by criminal malfea-sance, according to a wide array ofelection officials and representa-tives of campaigns.
Still, candidates and politicalanalysts are warning that govern-ment officials at all levels need totake urgent action to avoid anightmare in November.
“This election is a canary in thecoal mine,” said Suraj Patel, aDemocrat running for Congress ina district that includes parts ofManhattan, Brooklyn andQueens, who has filed a federal
Lag in TallyingMail-In Ballots
Raises Alarms
New York City Is StillDeciding June Races
By JESSE McKINLEY
In April, with hospitals over-whelmed and much of the UnitedStates in lockdown, the Depart-ment of Health and Human Serv-ices produced a presentation forthe White House arguing that rap-id development of a coronavirusvaccine was the best hope to con-trol the pandemic.
“DEADLINE: Enable broad ac-cess to the public by October2020,” the first slide read, with thedate in bold.
Given that it typically takesyears to develop a vaccine, thetimetable for the initiative, calledOperation Warp Speed, was in-credibly ambitious. With tens ofthousands dying and tens of mil-lions out of work, the crisis de-manded an all-out public-privateresponse, with the governmentsupplying billions of dollars topharmaceutical and biotechnolo-gy companies, providing logisticalsupport and cutting through redtape.
It escaped no one that the pro-posed deadline also intersectednicely with President Trump’sneed to curb the virus before theelection in November.
The ensuing race for a vaccine— in the middle of a campaign inwhich the president’s handling ofthe pandemic is the key issue afterhe has spent his time in office un-dermining science and the exper-tise of the federal bureaucracy —is now testing the system set up toensure safe and effective drugs toa degree never before seen.
Under constant pressure from aWhite House anxious for goodnews and a public desperate for asilver bullet to end the crisis, thegovernment’s researchers arefearful of political intervention inthe coming months and are strug-gling to ensure that the govern-ment maintains the right balancebetween speed and rigorous regu-lation, according to interviewswith administration officials, fed-eral scientists and outside ex-perts.
Even in a less politicallycharged environment, therewould be a fraught debate abouthow much to accelerate theprocess of trials and approval. Thelonger that vaccines are tested be-fore being released, the likelierthey are to be safe and effective.
But with 1,000 people dyingeach day in the United States,schools finding it difficult to re-open and the deep recession in-flicting economic pain across thecountry, the desire to find a way toreturn to normal life is powerfuland transcends partisan politicsand borders. On Sunday, Russiaannounced that it planned to starta nationwide inoculation cam-paign in October with a vaccinethat had yet to complete clinicaltrials, the latest evidence of the
SCIENTISTS FRETAS WHITE HOUSE
RUSHES VACCINE
EYEING SAFETY VS. NEED
Fears of Pressure to Handan ‘October Surprise’
to the President
This article is by Sharon LaFra-niere, Katie Thomas, Noah Weiland,Peter Baker and Annie Karni.
Continued on Page A9
BILL INGALLS/NASA, VIA AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE — GETTY IMAGES
NASA astronauts returned to Earth on Sunday, parachuting into the Gulf of Mexico to end a flight by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Page A17.Making a Splashdown
When Liz Herring arrived atGeorge Washington University asa freshman in 1966, she entered acapital city in the throes of the civilrights movement. Just threeyears after a quarter-million peo-ple had crowded the National Mallto hear the Rev. Dr. Martin LutherKing Jr., Congress was debatingcivil rights legislation as violentprotests continued across thecountry.
Yet, little of that political unrestreached Kappa Alpha Theta, theall-white sorority the future sena-tor from Massachusetts wouldsoon pledge. Yearbook photosshow Ms. Herring in a group ofsmiling young women, corsagespinned to their white dresses, hairperfectly flipped up at the ends.
The young Ms. Herring, whofought her mother to attend col-lege away from her conservativehometown, went to rush partiesand meetings, charity events andthe annual “goat show,” a sketchcomedy performance for all of theGreek organizations, where amaster of ceremonies defendedsororities as a “unifying force” forthe school. No Black woman hadever been offered acceptance intoany of the sororities on campus.
More than half a century later,the young college coed, who nowgoes by Senator Elizabeth War-ren, led the charge in Congress torequire the Pentagon to renamebases that honor Confederate mil-itary leaders. She spent much ofher time on the trail during the
Warren’s PathTo AwakeningOn Racial Bias
By LISA LERERand SYDNEY EMBER
Continued on Page A22
This month, many collegesaround the country plan to wel-come back thousands of studentsinto something they hope will re-semble normal campus life. Butthey face challenges unlike anyother American institution — con-taining the coronavirus among ayoung, impulsive population thatnot only studies together, but livestogether, parties together, and, ifdecades of history are any guide,sleeps together.
It will be a hugely complex andcostly endeavor requiring farmore than just the reconfiguringof dorm rooms and cafeterias andthe construction of annexes andtent classrooms to increase social
distancing. It also crucially in-volves the creation of testing pro-grams capable of serving commu-nities the size of small cities andthe enforcement of codes of con-duct among students not eager tobe policed.
Who will be tested for the coro-navirus and how quickly can theyget results? Will mask wearing bemandated? And what will happento tailgating, keg parties andsneaking into your partner’s dormroom? Colleges are mapping
strategies as varied as the con-trasting Covid regulations en-acted by the states, reflecting theculture and leadership of theirschools.
Syracuse is vowing to play thestrict parent, requiring studentsto sign codes of conduct with pen-alties for violating Covid-19 rulesmore severe than the punishmentfor smoking marijuana. But theUniversity of Kentucky ispresenting a more lenient front,adopting existing honor codesthat urge students to “promotepersonal responsibility and peeraccountability.”
And the University of Texas-Austin has prohibited studentsfrom holding parties on or off cam-pus, banned overnight guests indorm rooms and warned students
Colleges Cram for a Test: ‘Can We Open Safely?’By ANEMONA HARTOCOLLIS
and SHAWN HUBLER
Moving into the dorms last week during a staggered return to N.C. State University in Raleigh.GERRY BROOME/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Just Getting Students to Stay 6 Feet ApartPoses a Challenge
Continued on Page A8
For Graham Ivan Clark, the on-line mischief-making startedearly.
By the age of 10, he was playingthe video game Minecraft, in partto escape what he told friends wasan unhappy home life. InMinecraft, he became known asan adept scammer with an explo-
sive temper who cheated peopleout of their money, several friendssaid.
At 15, he joined an online hack-ers’ forum. By 16, he had gravi-tated to the world of Bitcoin, ap-pearing to involve himself in a
theft of $856,000 of the cryptocur-rency, though he was nevercharged for it, social media and le-gal records show. On Instagramposts afterward, he showed upwith designer sneakers and abling-encrusted Rolex.
The teenager’s digital misbe-havior ended on Friday when thepolice arrested him at a Tampa,Fla., apartment. Florida prosecu-tors said Mr. Clark, now 17, was the
The Troubled Online Path of a Teen ‘Mastermind’This article is by Nathaniel Pop-
per, Kate Conger and Kellen Brown-ing.
From Minecraft Tricksto Huge Twitter Hack
Continued on Page A18
The city’s Board of Electionssaid it had a staff shortage.
VICTOR J. BLUE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
Continued on Page A19
An illustrated guide to how schools willtry to control the virus when studentsreturn, this fall or in the future. PAGE A5
TRACKING AN OUTBREAK A4-11
Back to School, GingerlyThe link is already a point of pride, butsome Italians fear it will not be enoughto revive the aging port city. PAGE A14
INTERNATIONAL A12-14
A New Bridge for GenoaSix of our critics offer their thoughts onthe visual album called “Black Is King,”a work rooted in “The Gift,” her “LionKing”-inspired effort. PAGE C1
ARTS C1-8
Analyzing Beyoncé’s Latest
As federal agents withdraw from a city,demonstrators shift their focus back tolocal law enforcement and their crimi-nal justice system. PAGE A15
NATIONAL A15-19, 22
Portland Turns to Original FoeLenders don’t make a lot on loans under$100,000, but there are programs tohelp, enhancing communities and buoy-ing buyers in the process. PAGE B1
BUSINESS B1-7
A Little Mortgage, a Big Boost
A surge in virus cases. Joblessness anda broken unemployment claims system.And, it’s hurricane season. PAGE A4
Florida’s Summer of Dread
Briefings by Kayleigh McEnany, thepress secretary, have grown less infor-mative and lost viewers. PAGE A18
An Official Voice Less Heard
Telenovelas, Mexican soap operas,enjoy renewed popularity as viewersseek relief in a familiar genre. PAGE A12
Mexico’s TV Comfort FoodRecognizable by his walrus mustache,Wilford Brimley specialized in cantan-kerous characters. He was 85. PAGE D7
OBITUARIES D7-8
Star of ‘Cocoon’ and TV Ads
On social media, competitors are shar-ing their experiences in the wake of adocumentary that highlights verbal andphysical abuse by coaches. PAGE D1
SPORTSMONDAY D1-6
Gymnasts’ Fight Goes Global
Charles M. Blow PAGE A20
EDITORIAL, OP-ED A20-21
It was a weekend of chaos onTikTok — unleashed on Fridaynight when President Trump said,while aboard Air Force One, thathe might ban the video app.
The surprise announcementsent influencers in droves ontolivestreams to give possibly pre-mature teary and heartfelt good-byes to their fans, asking them tojoin them on apps like Instagram,
YouTube and Triller. For agenciesthat manage talent on the plat-form, it was a long weekend ofhand-holding and downloadingTikTok archives for posterity.Some users, in a last-hurrah bidfor virality, reposted TikToks they
said had previously been removedby the service for violating nudityor profanity guidelines.
Others tried to make light of thesituation. Addison Easterling, 19,a TikTok star who dropped out ofLouisiana State University to pur-sue a full-time influencer career,posted a video of herself pretend-ing to knock on the college’s doorsto let her back in. “Me at LSU to-morrow,” she captioned it.
Trump’s Talk of Banning TikTok Inflames Gen ZBy TAYLOR LORENZ Both Creators and Fans
Feel a World Shake
Continued on Page A16
Late Edition
VOL. CLXIX . . . . No. 58,774 © 2020 The New York Times Company NEW YORK, MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2020
Today, humid, partly cloudy, high 88.Tonight, humid, thunderstorms, low72. Tomorrow, wind and rain fromTropical Storm Isaias, high 75.Weather map appears on Page B8.
$3.00
