VOL. CLXV . . . No. 57,071 © 2015 The New York Times SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015

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F.B.I. IS TREATING RAMPAGE AS ACT OF TERRORISM

By MICHAEL S. SCHMIDTand RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA

WASHINGTON — On the dayshe and her husband killed 14people and wounded 21 others inSan Bernardino, Calif., a womanpledged allegiance to the IslamicState in a Facebook post, officialssaid Friday, as the F.B.I. an-nounced that it was treating themassacre as an act of terrorism.

“The investi-gation so far hasdeveloped indi-cations of radi-calization by thekillers, and ofpotential inspi-ration by for-eign terroristorganizations,”the F.B.I. direc-tor, James B.Comey, said at anews confer-ence here. But he said that in-vestigators had not found evi-dence that the killers were part ofa larger group or terrorist cell.The couple died in a shootoutwith the police on Wednesday.

“There’s no indication thatthey are part of a network,” hesaid.

The woman, Tashfeen Malik,declared allegiance to the IslamicState on Facebook at roughly thetime of the shooting on Wednes-day, according to a Facebookspokesman. At a news confer-ence in San Bernardino, DavidBowdich, the F.B.I. assistant di-rector in charge of the Los Ange-les office, said he was aware ofthe post, which was taken downby Facebook on Wednesday, buthe would not elaborate.

“There’s a number of pieces of

TOP AND BOTTOM RIGHT, JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGES; BOTTOM LEFT, JIM WILSON/THE NEW YORK TIMES

A HOME REVEALED Images of the residence of Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik in Red-lands, Calif. Reporters and photographers crammed into the townhouse on Friday. Page A15.

NEW CLUES FOUNDWoman Said to Have

Posted a Facebook

Pledge to ISIS

Continued on Page A14

TashfeenMalik

By MICHAEL BARBARO and TRIP GABRIEL

The Republican candidates forpresident angrily demanded onFriday that the United States faceup to a new world war, one thathas breached its borders, threat-ened the safety of Americans andbrought the menace of Islamicterrorism deep into the home-land.

With striking unanimity, theyaccused President Obama andhis fellow Democrats of shrinkingfrom a long-overdue assault onthe Islamic State and its frighten-ingly effective tools of global re-cruitment.

Their aggression reflected the

degree to which the diffuse andchaotic campaign is being reor-dered as the threat of terrorismmoves from the capitals of for-eign lands to San Bernardino,Calif., a working class city out-side Los Angeles.

“Our nation is under siege,”Gov. Chris Christie of New Jerseysaid at a cafe in rural Iowa.“What I believe we’re facing isthe next world war. This is what

we’re in right now, already.”The rising tide of bellicosity

gripped the Republican presiden-tial field, as the initial restraintand calls for prayers that fol-lowed the shootings gave way torevelations that the massacremay have been inspired by the Is-lamic State.

Senator Ted Cruz of Texasseethed with disgust for Demo-crats, declaring, “This nationneeds a wartime president.”

“Whether or not the currentadministration realizes it, or iswilling to acknowledge it,” headded, “our enemies are at warwith us.”

Their language was almost

Shootings in California Reshape the Campaigns

Aggressive Warnings

From Republicans

on Terror Threat

Continued on Page A17

By WILLIAM K. RASHBAUMand VIVIAN YEE

In his three terms as a UnitedStates senator from New Yorkand his decades of influence as aRepublican power broker,Alfonse M. D’Amato has seenand done just about everything.

Go undercover to buy two vialsof crack cocaine in WashingtonHeights? Check. Shut down partsof the government while conduct-ing a nearly 24-hour filibuster toprotect financing for a Long Is-land interest? Been there, donethat.

But Mr. D’Amato, 78, has sel-dom crossed the line that he didon Friday: Senator Pothole as agovernment witness, testifyingagainst a fellow Republican andfriend.

Mr. D’Amato took a star turn atthe federal corruption trial ofDean G. Skelos, the former ma-jority leader of the New YorkSenate, and his son, Adam B.Skelos, recounting on Friday howhe decided to personally warnSenator Skelos that his son wasoften a no-show at work, in a po-sition that prosecutors said hehad gotten through his father.And when Adam Skelos did showup, his presence was disruptive.

Mr. D’Amato testified that hedrove to meet with the state sen-ator at his district office in Rock-ville Centre, on Long Island, in

the hopes of helping Mr. Skelos“understand what was takingplace, so that he might be able toremedy it, speak to his son.”

Mr. D’Amato, who has longbeen a supporter of Mr. Skelos,has headed an influential lobby-ing firm since he left Congress in1999. The firm, Park Strategies,had nearly $8 million in billings inNew York State in 2014, accord-ing to the Joint Commission onPublic Ethics.

During his hour on the witnessstand, Mr. D’Amato displayed a

mix of charm and command, an-swering questions in his familiarLong Island accent. His testimo-ny centered on what prosecutorshave called a no-show job forAdam Skelos, 33, at a medicalmalpractice insurance companythat was represented by ParkStrategies. A partner at the firm,Gregory V. Serio, who workedwith the insurance company,Physicians’ Reciprocal Insurers,told Mr. D’Amato in 2013 thatAdam Skelos had been hired by

D’Amato in Rare Role: Testifying Against Friend

BRYAN R. SMITH FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Alfonse M. D’Amato on Friday after appearing at the trial ofState Senator Dean G. Skelos and Adam B. Skelos in New York.

Continued on Page A20

By NEIL MacFARQUHAR

MOSCOW — Hundreds of long-distance truckers blocked alengthy section of the ring roadcircling the capital on Friday toprotest a new national toll, in thefirst sign that Russia’s economicwoes might be eroding the broadsupport for President Vladimir V.Putin’s government.

The direct object of their irewas Igor Rotenberg, the scion ofa billionaire oligarch clan close toMr. Putin, who owns half of anew, GPS-based system that,when fully operational, willcharge truckers fees on all fed-eral highways.

Their larger anger, however,was reserved for what theycalled the government’s failure toalleviate the devastating effectsof inflation and recession overthe past year, prompted by thesteep drop in oil prices, sanctionsthe West imposed over Ukraineand retaliatory sanctions theKremlin imposed on Westernfood imports.

“There is no economic pro-gram at all — where is all themoney?” said Vladimir Roma-nov, 65, the part-owner of a small

Unusual Protest

In Russia Hints

At Deeper Ire

Continued on Page A10

By JANE PERLEZ

BEIJING — As top leaders metat a lush Bali resort in October2013, President Xi Jinping of Chi-na described his vision for a newmultinational, multibillion-dollarbank to finance roads, rails and

power grids across Asia. UnderChinese stewardship, the bankwould tackle the slow develop-ment in poor countries that washolding the region back from be-coming the wealth center of theworld.

Afterward, the United Statessecretary of state, John Kerry,caught up with Mr. Xi in the corri-dor. “That’s a great idea,” Mr.Kerry said of the bank, accordingto Chinese and American aidesbriefed on the encounter.

The enthusiasm didn’t lastlong, as the Obama administra-tion began a rear-guard battle tominimize the bank’s influence.

The United States worries thatChina will use the bank to set theglobal economic agenda on itsown terms, forgoing the environ-mental protections, human

rights, anticorruption measuresand other governance standardslong promoted by its Westerncounterparts. American officialspoint to China’s existing record ofloans to unstable governments,construction deals for unneces-sary infrastructure, and villagersabruptly uprooted with little com-pensation.

But the administration suf-fered a humiliating diplomaticdefeat last spring when most of

Beijing’s Rival to World Bank

Moves Forward Without U.S.

Continued on Page B8

ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO/A.P.

President Xi Jinping wants toexpand Beijing’s global role.

THE CHINA FACTOR

Aspirations in Finance

AUSTRALIA’S ACTION The countryhas had no mass killings since a1996 rampage spurred a tighten-ing of gun laws. PAGE A16

ESCALATION OF HATE Muslimssay they are experiencing a waveof threats. PAGE A17

Economic woes are souring many vot-ers on President Nicolás Maduro’s gov-ernment and lifting the opposition’schances in elections on Sunday. PAGE A9

INTERNATIONAL A3-10

Venezuelans Prepare to VoteThe United States economy added211,000 jobs in November, all but guar-anteeing that policy makers at the Fedwill increase interest rates. PAGE B1

BUSINESS DAY B1-9

Jobs Report Lifts UncertaintyTheater isn’t necessarily better in Lon-don than it is in New York, but its dis-tinct pleasures and surprises can bethrilling, not least all of the acting roy-alty. Judi Dench and Kenneth Branaghare rarities in New York, and they aloneare worth the price of admission to “TheWinter’s Tale.” THIS WEEKEND

TRAVEL

The Footlights of London

New York City officials are looking to anew wave of correction officers to helpclear out a culture of brutality. PAGE A19

NEW YORK A19-20

New Rikers Guards Bring HopeUnder Benjamin Millepied, the ParisOpera Ballet, above, seems to havefound a fresh style. A review. PAGE C1

ARTS C1-8

Troupe Shifts Direction

A New York hospital formed in 1869 willno longer include Roosevelt in its name.It is now Mount Sinai West. PAGE A19

Hospital Sheds a Famous NameDavid Alan Grier’s character was ahighlight of “The Wiz Live!” on NBC. ACritic’s Notebook. PAGE C1

A Commanding Lion

Next week, Cuba and the United Stateswill discuss American claims for assetsseized in the Cuban revolution. PAGE A4

U.S.-Cuba Talks Are PlannedOPEC said it would keep producing oilat high levels, even as world leaders dis-cuss how to rely less on oil. PAGE B1

OPEC Vows to Churn Away

A firing at Purdue raises questions aboutwhether coaches can support athletes’rights, Joe Nocera writes. PAGE B10

SPORTSSATURDAY B10-15

The Rights of CoachesSome potential supporters are troubledby Marco Rubio’s backing by a majordonor to gay rights causes. PAGE A18

NATIONAL A12-18

Evangelicals Hesitant on Rubio

Gail Collins PAGE A23

EDITORIAL, OP-ED A22-23

All decent people feel sorrow and righteous furyabout the latest slaughter of innocents, in California. Lawenforcement and intelligence agencies are searching formotivations, including the vital question of how the mur-derers might have been connected to international ter-rorism. That is right and proper.

But motives do not matter to the dead in California,nor did they in Colorado, Oregon, South Carolina, Virgin-ia, Connecticut and far too many other places. The atten-tion and anger of Americans also should be directed atthe elected leaders whose job is to keep us safe but whoplace a higher premium on the money and political powerof an industry dedicated to profiting from the unfetteredspread of ever more powerful firearms.

It is a moral outrage and a national disgrace thatpeople can legally purchase weapons designed specifi-cally to kill with brutal speed and efficiency. These areweapons of war, barely modified and deliberately mar-keted as tools of macho vigilantism and even insurrec-tion. America’s elected leaders offer prayers for gun vic-tims and then, callously and without fear of consequence,reject the most basic restrictions on weapons of mass kill-ing, as they did on Thursday. They distract us with argu-ments about the word terrorism. Let’s be clear: Thesespree killings are all, in their own ways, acts of terrorism.

Opponents of gun control are saying, as they do afterevery killing, that no law can unfailingly forestall a spe-cific criminal. That is true. They are talking, many withsincerity, about the constitutional challenges to effectivegun regulation. Those challenges exist. They point outthat determined killers obtained weapons illegally inplaces like France, England and Norway that have strictgun laws. Yes, they did.

But at least those countries are trying. The UnitedStates is not. Worse, politicians abet would-be killers bycreating gun markets for them, and voters allow thosepoliticians to keep their jobs. It is past time to stop talkingabout halting the spread of firearms, and instead to re-duce their number drastically — eliminating some largecategories of weapons and ammunition.

It is not necessary to debate the peculiar wording ofthe Second Amendment. No right is unlimited and im-mune from reasonable regulation.

Certain kinds of weapons, like the slightly modifiedcombat rifles used in California, and certain kinds ofammunition must be outlawed for civilian ownership. It is possible to define those guns in a clear and effective way and, yes, it would require Americans who own thosekinds of weapons to give them up for the good of theirfellow citizens.

What better time than during a presidential electionto show, at long last, that our nation has retained its senseof decency?

EDITORIAL

The Gun Epidemic

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