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VOL. CLXVIII . . . No. 58,411 © 2019 The New York Times Company NEW YORK, TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2019 U(D54G1D)y+%!$!?!#!} LAM YIK FEI FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES Demonstrators and riot police clashed Monday as a general strike led to more protests. Page A4. In Hong Kong, a Strike and a Counterstrike WASHINGTON — Law en- forcement officials have sounded the alarm for months: Home- grown terrorism, including by white supremacists, is now as big a threat as terrorism from abroad. But the mass shooting in El Paso last weekend, the largest domes- tic terrorist attack against His- panics in modern history, has made it glaringly clear how poorly prepared the country is to fight it. The United States spent nearly 20 years intensely focused on threats from Islamic extremists. The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, rerouted the machinery of government to fight against threats of violence from the Mid- dle East, Pakistan and Afghani- stan. But those attacks have waned in recent years, replaced by violence from white suprema- cists — an increasingly internet- driven phenomenon of lone wolves, not groups, that will prove immensely difficult to combat. On Monday, President Trump Fight Turns to Domestic Terror Without a Clear Path to Follow This article is by Sabrina Tav- ernise, Katie Benner, Matt Apuzzo and Nicole Perlroth. Continued on Page A14 NEW DELHI — India’s Hindu nationalist government on Mon- day unilaterally wiped out the au- tonomy of the restive Kashmir re- gion, sending in thousands of army troops to quell any possible unrest the move would bring in a disputed territory fought over by India and Pakistan. The government authorities severed internet connections, mo- bile phone lines and even land lines, casting Kashmir into an in- formation black hole that made it very difficult to discern what was unfolding. For years, India’s Hindu nation- alists have wanted to curtail the special freedoms enjoyed by Kashmir, a mountainous, predom- inantly Muslim territory that has turned into a tinderbox between India and Pakistan, both of which wield nuclear arms. On Monday, Amit Shah, India’s home minister, announced in a quick speech, which belied years of steady plotting, that the central government was removing the special, somewhat autonomous status that served as the founda- tion for Kashmir joining India more than 70 years ago. While international human rights groups swiftly condemned the action, Hindu nationalists cel- ebrated, saying this could bring Hindu-Led India Puts Clamp on Muslim Kashmir This article is by Jeffrey Gettle- man, Suhasini Raj, Kai Schultz and Hari Kumar. Continued on Page A6 WASHINGTON — President Trump on Monday denounced white supremacy in the wake of twin mass shootings over the weekend, and citing the threat of “racist hate,” he summoned the nation to address what he called a link between the recent carnage and violent video games, mental illness and internet bigotry. But he stopped well short of en- dorsing the kind of broad gun con- trol measures that activists, Dem- ocrats and some Republicans have sought for years, such as tougher background checks for gun buyers and the banning of some weapons and accessories such as high-capacity magazines. And while he warned of “the perils of the internet and social media,” he offered no recognition of his own use of those platforms to promote his brand of divisive politics. Instead, he focused on a rising intolerance that he has been slow to condemn in the past. “In one voice our nation must condemn racism, bigotry and white supremacy,” Mr. Trump said at the White House. “These sinis- ter ideologies must be defeated.” It seemed unlikely that Mr. Trump’s 10-minute speech, com- ing after one of the most violent weekends in recent American his- tory, would reposition him as a unifier when many Americans hold him responsible for inflaming racial division. He took no respon- sibility for the atmosphere of divi- sion, nor did he recognize his own reluctance to warn of the rise of white nationalism until now. Speaking at a lectern beneath a portrait of George Washington in the Diplomatic Reception Room, Mr. Trump read from a teleprompter as he denounced the bilious anti-Hispanic manifesto of the suspect in the El Paso shoot- ing, which killed 22 people, as be- ing “consumed by racist hate.” He also called it part of an “evil conta- gion” spreading online. “These barbaric slaughters are an assault upon our communities, ASSAILING HATE, BUT NOT GUNS Trump, in Speech, Says Little About Putting Curbs on Weapons By MICHAEL CROWLEY and MAGGIE HABERMAN A vigil at Horizon High School in El Paso for Javier Amir Rodriguez, a 15-year-old student who was fatally shot at a local Walmart. ADRIANA ZEHBRAUSKAS FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES Continued on Page A12 The politics of American gun violence follow a predictable pattern in most cases: outraged calls for action from the left, somber gestures of sympathy from the right, a subdued presidential state- ment delivered from a prepared text — and then, in a matter of days or even hours, a national turning of the page to other matters. But after a white supremacist gunman massacred 22 people in El Paso, the political world hur- tled on Monday toward a more expansive, and potentially more turbulent, confrontation over racist extremism. Though the gun lobby was again on the de- fensive, it was not alone; so were social media companies and websites like 8chan that have become hives for toxic fantasies and violent ideas that have in- creasingly leaked into real life, with fatal consequences. Perhaps most of all, President Trump faced intense new criti- cism and scrutiny for the plain echoes of his own language in the El Paso suspect’s anti-immi- grant manifesto. Mr. Trump’s usual methods of deflection sputtered on Monday: His early-morning tweets attack- ing the news media and calling vaguely for new background checks on gun purchasers did little to ease the political pres- sure. A midmorning statement he recited from the White House — condemning “white suprema- cy” and warning of internet- fueled extremism, but declining to address his own past language or call for stern new gun regula- tions — did nothing to quiet the chorus of censure from Mr. Backlash to Extremism Pressures President Continued on Page A15 By ALEXANDER BURNS NEWS ANALYSIS The legitimacy of the appointment of Pedro R. Pierluisi of Puerto Rico is already being challenged. PAGE A16 New Governor Faces Suit At the start of 2018, there were no wild dogs in Mozambique’s Gorongosa Na- tional Park. Now there are 50. PAGE D1 Running Wild, Customarily A jailhouse lawyer propelled a case to the Supreme Court questioning a law that allows 10-to-2 jury verdicts. PAGE A9 NATIONAL A9-16 Crusading Behind Bars For many Asian couples, the Greek island of Santorini has become the ultimate destination for pre-wedding photographs. PAGE A5 INTERNATIONAL A4-8 Basking in the Golden Light As lawyers for cities and counties push a plan for a nationwide settlement of opioid lawsuits, states push back, say- ing they should lead the way. PAGE B6 BUSINESS B1-6 Fight Over Opioid Lawsuits The snakelike duodenoscope is crucial for diagnosing and treating some dis- eases, but it has a big drawback. PAGE D1 SCIENCETIMES D1-8 A Hospital Hazard The acquisition, by the parent company of GateHouse Media, would create a publishing giant in control of more than 260 newspapers. PAGE B6 $1.4 Billion Deal for Gannett A compelling action hero of sorts has been wallowing in carnage on a Central Park stage, Ben Brantley says. PAGE C1 An Electrifying ‘Coriolanus’ The police say jilted love was the motive for the murder of an au pair and her employer in Maplewood, N.J. PAGE A17 NEW YORK A17, 20 A Brutal Crime of Passion A Philadelphia Union player grabbed an on-field microphone on Sunday and urged action on gun violence. PAGE B7 SPORTSTUESDAY B7-10 Mic Grab Draws Attention Michelle Goldberg PAGE A19 EDITORIAL, OP-ED A18-19 IT’S THE LAW A federal act passed before Google.com existed helps to shield hate groups. PAGE B1 PARALLELS Like ISIS recruits, white nationalists are attracted to an apocalyptic ideology. PAGE A7 Aisha Harris explains why she loved the film comedy in her youth, and why it still works for her today. PAGE C1 ARTS C1-8 ‘Superbad’ Is Still Superfun WASHINGTON — The trade war between the United States and China entered a more danger- ous phase on Monday, as Beijing allowed its currency to weaken, Chinese enterprises stopped mak- ing new purchases of American farm goods and President Trump’s Treasury Department formally labeled China a currency manipulator. The escalation shook world markets as investors looked for safe places to park their money. Wall Street suffered its worst day of the year, with the S&P 500 clos- ing down nearly 3 percent. Selling was especially heavy in the trade- sensitive technology, consumer discretionary and industrial sec- tors. Yields on United States Treasuries, which fall as prices rise, dropped as investors sought safety in government-backed bonds. Benchmark indexes in Asia and Europe also fell. On Sunday, the People’s Bank of China, that country’s central bank, took steps to limit the im- pact of Mr. Trump’s next round of tariffs by letting its currency weaken past the psychologically important point of 7 renminbi to the American dollar for the first time in more than a decade. A weaker currency can make goods cheaper to sell abroad, al- lowing businesses and consumers to help offset the added tariffs Mr. Trump plans to impose on Sept. 1. It also harms American exporters trying to compete with China. Chinese officials said the move came in response to market forces, which have reacted to Mr. Trump’s tariff threats by pushing the value of the currency down. In an unusually blunt statement, the central bank put the blame for the currency fall on Mr. Trump’s “uni- lateralism and trade protection- ism measures and the imposition of increased tariffs on China.” Chinese enterprises halted new purchases of American agricul- tural goods in response to Mr. Trump’s decision to impose more tariffs, according to China’s state- run Xinhua News Agency, which called the president’s move a “se- rious violation” of an agreement reached in June with President Xi Jinping. Late Monday, the Treasury took the unusual step of labeling China a currency manipulator — the first time it has done so since 1994. In a statement, the Treasury said that Secretary Steven Mnuchin “will engage with the Interna- tional Monetary Fund to eliminate the unfair competitive advantage created by China’s latest actions.” The action is mostly symbolic, requiring the administration to consult with the International Monetary Fund to try to eliminate the unfair advantage the currency China Deploys Currency As Lever in Trade Feud, Jolting Global Markets Lets Renminbi Weaken in Escalation — U.S. Calls Beijing a Manipulator This article is by Ana Swanson, Alexandra Stevenson and Jeanna Smialek. Shares plunged at the New York Stock Exchange Monday. JOHANNES EISELE/A.F.P. — GETTY IMAGES Continued on Page A8 EL PASO — Jordan Anchondo, 24, gave birth to her baby boy Paul Gilbert two months ago. At an El Paso Walmart, she gave her life to save his. Ms. Anchondo was holding the newborn as she and her husband, Andre Anchondo, 23, shopped late on Saturday morning. A gunman stormed in, opening fire on shop- pers while wearing headphones to dull the loud bursts of gunfire from his AK-47-style rifle. Ms. An- chondo shielded the baby as she was being shot. Her husband tried to shield both of them, relatives said. Ms. Anchondo and her husband were killed. The baby was grazed by a bullet. Paul Gilbert — a mass-shooting orphan — had two broken fingers and was being treated by doctors. His parents were among the 22 victims in one of the deadliest mass shootings in Texas history and one of the latest in a string of attacks that has shaken the na- tion. The victims were as bination- al as El Paso, the sister city of Ciu- dad Juárez in Mexico, part of the daily stream of people who drive and walk across the bridges in border cities to shop. After Wait for Names in Texas, Families Are Left Devastated This article is by Rick Rojas, Manny Fernandez, Simon Romero and Jose A. Del Real. Continued on Page A10 Last month was the hottest ever re- corded, researchers in Europe say, slightly eclipsing July 2016. PAGE A7 Yes, July Was a Scorcher Late Edition Today, afternoon thunderstorms, low humidity, high 82. Tonight, thun- derstorms, partly cloudy, low 72. Tomorrow, thunderstorms, high 85. Weather map appears on Page B8. $3.00
