z En representación del Presidente, su esposa Beatriz Gutiérrez fue recibida ayer en El Vaticano por el Papa Francisco.

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TrabajE y vaCaCIONE... ¡al MIsMO TIEMpO!BEnito JiménEz

y Rolando ChaCón

En tiempos de pandemia, Hi-dalgo y Coahuila se alistan para renovar 84 Alcaldías y el Congreso, respectivamente, el próximo domingo.

Los árbitros y organiza-dores de los comicios garanti-zan que todo será desinfecta-do continuamente. A los vo-tantes se les dará cubrebocas y hasta caretas si así lo desean e incluso podrán llevar su propio bolígrafo o marcador para emitir su voto.

El ciudadano tendrá que quitarse el cubrebocas por un instante para ser identificado y cotejado con su credencial de elector y en ese instante no deberá hablar. Las me-didas sanitarias serán obli-gatorias y la fuerza pública conminará a los ciudadanos a respetar las normas.

En un ejercicio que se ve como una prueba rumbo a las elecciones nacionales del 2021, en ambos estados, des-de principios de septiembre y hasta el miércoles, se reali-zan actos proselitistas.

Tras ser suspendidas a causa de la crisis por el Covid, las campañas se han limitado

de los funcionarios de casilla, pero que tomará la tempera-tura del votante, aplicará gel antibacterial y vigilará que exista sana distancia.

página 12

PatRiCia miRanda

Laborar y vacacionar: dos con-ceptos que algunos viajeros han aprendido a conjugar al advertir que el trabajo remoto y las clases en línea seguirán siendo una constante.

Lo anterior ha propiciado que tendencias como la del

“workcation” –que reúne el tra-bajo (work) y las vacaciones (vacation) en un mismo viaje– esté cobrando fuerza. Tanta, que la golpeada industria del turismo la ha retomando co-mo una de las estrategias para darle pelea al Covid.

La intención es que, tras las juntas y lecciones a distan-cia, adultos y niños realicen

actividades recreativas como suelen hacerlo en vacaciones.

Resorts en la Riviera Ma-ya y Nayarit, en la Península de Baja California y Ciudades Patrimonio y Pueblos Mágicos

han agregado a su catálogo, opciones para trabajar y estu-diar desde un edén.

De Viaje(gente 7)

Para saberQuizá, en tus travesías, cada vez escuches más sobre:

n JOMO (Joy of Missing Out). Tendencia que alienta a disfrutar al máximo lo que cada quien decida hacer en cualquier momento, sin estar pendiente de lo que hagan los demás. Se dice, surge co-mo respuesta al FOMO.

n FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). Es el miedo a perderse de algo o quedar fuera de... n “After home-schooling”.Actividades que resorts ofre-cen para complementar la formación de quienes están estudiando en casa.

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Están acéfalas 17 dirigencias en las entidades hacia elección 2021

ERika hERnándEz

La nueva dirigencia nacional de Morena encontrará un partido desorganizado y en-frentado en los estados.

De acuerdo con un re-porte interno, en 17 comités de los estados no tienen pre-sidente, y, en cinco, no hay di-rigencia ni consejos estatales desde el 2015.

En los 10 restantes, aun-que existe dirección, las pug-nas entre grupos, derivadas de la disputa nacional y lo-cal, así como su estructura incompleta, los tiene parcial-mente inmovilizados.

La lucha por la presiden-cia y secretaría general del Comité Ejecutivo Nacional (CEN) de Morena impidió que desde el 2019 el partido renovara a todos sus órganos de dirección, y en esas con-diciones arrancó el proceso electoral 2021.

En mayo, ante el desor-den y fractura en los estados, la dirigencia nacional enca-bezada por Alfonso Ramí-rez Cuéllar anuló el nombra-miento de delegados aproba-dos por Yeidckol Polevnsky y designó a otros 14, pero sin atribuciones, únicamente pa-ra realizar un diagnóstico de la situación del partido.

“Tenemos una situación realmente crítica, complica-da, muy difícil. Lo que nece-sitamos es echar a andar de emergencia una estructura electoral y organizativa muy sólida a nivel nacional y en las entidades para sacar ade-lante el proceso electoral”, reconoció Ramírez Cuéllar.

La secretaria de organi-zación, Xóchitl Zagal, consi-deró que el CEN tendrá tres meses para organizar al par-tido en los estados e impulsar la unidad, pues a partir de enero se elegirán los candida-tos a los más de 21 mil cargos que se jugarán el 6 de junio.

“La intromisión del Tri-bunal en la vida interna del partido fue demasiado agre-siva, por lo que la falta de re-novación sí impacta en la es-

tructura en el País.“Desde 2015 tenemos las

dirigencia electas y hay un desgaste de todos. Durante año y medio se mantuvieron pasivos porque no había una conducción ni abastecimien-to de material, pero estamos en una buena coyuntura para activar a los militantes en ca-da distrito electoral”, afirmó.

RetOS y AdveRtenciAS Para Zagal, entre los princi-pales retos de la nueva diri-gencia están el manejo de los recursos, la planeación en los estados para contar con un padrón real y un despliegue territorial para conformar co-mités seccionales, a fin de te-ner ocho activistas por cada sección electoral, que en el País suman 70.

Así como lograr ternas de los mejores candidatos para el 2021, por lo que, ahora sí,

–dijo– el partido tendrá que reservarse el derecho de ad-misión y no aceptar a mili-tantes de partidos no aliados.

Mientras que para Ramí-rez Cuéllar al partido le falta crearse una identidad propia que trascienda los periodos gubernamentales, además de que presente una oferta polí-tica a la sociedad.

“Nos urge construir es-pacios de convivencia para una diversidad de puntos de vista que existen, de intere-ses locales y regionales. Ver cómo podemos atender a la militancia”, abundó.

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z Las autoridades electorales de Hidalgo durante una visita a una bodega con materiales que se usarán el día de la votación.

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Solicita AMLO al Papadisculpa por Conquista

a 50 personas por acto, los debates fueron en línea y las redes sociales se convirtieron en los principales escaparates de los candidatos para mos-trarse barriendo calles, plan-tando árboles y visitando co-merciantes.

En Coahuila, se dispuso que exista un “Auxiliar Co-vid”, que no formará parte

JoRgE RiCaRdo

En una carta enviada al Pa-pa Francisco, el Presidente Andrés Manuel López Obra-dor insistió en que el Jefe de la Iglesia Católica, el Rey de España y el Estado Mexica-no ofrezcan una disculpa a los pueblos indígenas por la Conquista de hace 500 años.

“Ellos merecen no sólo esa actitud generosa de nues-tra parte sino el compromiso sincero de que nunca, jamás, se cometerán actos irrespe-tuosos a sus creencias, cul-turas y, mucho menos, se les juzgará o marginará por mo-

tivos económicos o racismo”, señala en el documento que entregó su esposa Beatriz Gutiérrez al Papa.

También planteó que en 2021, al cumplirse 700 años de la fundación de Tenochti-tlan, 500 de la Conquista y 200 de la Independencia de México, la Iglesia Católica reivindique a los sacerdotes rebeldes José María Morelos y Miguel Hidalgo.

El Presidente también pidió al Jefe del Vaticano el préstamo de tres códices y mapas para exponerlos en 2021, en la conmemoración de la Independencia.

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Previo al 12 de octubre, la es-tatua de Cristóbal Colón fue retirada de su glorieta en Pa-so de la Reforma durante la madrugada de ayer para ser rehabilitada.

Sin embargo, desde el Gobierno de la Ciudad de México se cuestiona la perti-

nencia de que la efigie regre-se a su pedestal cuando se van a cumplir 500 años de la Conquista.

“Vale la pena hoy una re-flexión hacia el próximo año de lo que significa Colón”, in-dicó Claudia Sheinbaum, Jefa de Gobierno.

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Porfirio Muñoz Ledo se de-claró ayer presidente legíti-mo de Morena.

Luego de que el INE in-formó un empate técnico en-tre él y Mario Delgado en la segunda encuesta para de-finir la dirigencia de More-na, el diputado sostuvo que llegará hasta donde tope en la lucha para ser reconocido como el ganador.

Durante un encuentro virtual con simpatizantes, Muñoz Ledo los convocó a que lo acompañen el lunes a tomar posesión del cargo, en la sede del partido, y a protes-tar contra el intento de hacer-lo a un lado.

“Voy a asumir, como decía López Obrador, soy el presi-dente legítimo, y legalmente voy a pelear”, manifestó en una segunda charla con sim-patizantes.

El INE le recordó a Mu-ñoz Ledo que aceptó los li-neamientos para la realiza-ción de la encuesta y firmó que aceptaría los resultados.

página 5

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DOMINGO 11 DE OCTUBRE DE 2020 // CIUDAD DE MÉXICO // AÑO 37 // NÚMERO 13009 // Precio 10 pesosDIRECTORA GENERAL: CARMEN LIRA SAADEDIRECTOR FUNDADOR: CARLOS PAYÁN VELVER

Bailarines escenifi can la leyendaen la cima de una chinampa, respetando las medidas para evitar contagios de Covid-19. La obra teatral forma parte de

la promoción de los festejos por el Día de Muertos que tendrán lugar en esa alcaldía de la Ciudad de México, el 1 y 2 de noviembre. Foto Ap

La Llorona vuelve a Xochimilco No impedirá que su

nombre fi gure en la nueva encuesta, pero impugnará ante el TEPJF, advierte

A diferencia de una elección, este proceso no se defi ne con votos, sino con estadística, revira INE

El ex embajador reta a Córdova a rectifi car fallo de empate técnico con Delgado, o renunciar

Admitir derrota, piden Citlalli Hernández y 80 diputados al coordinador de bancada en San Lázaro

Amenazas y acusaciones avivan guerra por liderazgo de Morena

NÉSTOR JIMÉNEZ, GEORGINA SALDIERNA Y REDACCIÓN / P 3

SRE: asegura51.5 millones de dosis para cubrir a 20% de la población

La actividad de la pandemia sube 2% en el país; llega a 814,328 cifra de contagios: Ssa

Con 10 millones de casos y 366,702 muertos, AL es la región más golpeada

Pagó México 159.8 mdd de anticipo por vacuna Covax

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Israel-Serbia: ecosde confl ictos pasadosROBERT FISK

Pueblos indígenas, a las puertas de la castástrofe por el Covid-19: estudio● La crisis de salud agudizará desigualdades, dicen Serapaz, Fundar y Centro Tlachinollan ● Falta de estrategia oficial se suma a que 40% de nativos son enfermos mayores de 60 años

FERNANDO CAMACHO / P 26

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NUEVA ERA / AÑO.04 /NO. 1223 /

DOMINGO 11 DE OCTUBRE DE 2020

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EL ASPIRANTE A LA PRESIDENCIA DE MORENA EXIGE QUE LORENZO CÓRDOVA LO DECLARE GANADOR O QUE RENUNCIE. EL 8 DE

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It was springtime at President Trump’sMar-a-Lago club, and the favor-seekerswere swarming.

In a gold-adorned ballroom filled with Re-publican donors, an Indian-born industri-alist from Illinois pressed Mr. Trump totweet about easing immigration rules forhighly skilled workers and their children.

“He gave a million dollars,” the presidenttold his guests approvingly, according to arecording of the April 2018 event.

Later that month, in the club’s diningroom, the president wandered over to one ofits newer members, an Australian card-board magnate who had brought along a re-porter to flaunt his access. Mr. Trumpthanked him for taking out a newspaper adhailing his role in the construction of anOhio paper mill and box factory, whosegrand opening the president would attend.

And in early March, a Tennessee real es-tate developer who had donated lavishly tothe inauguration, and wanted billions inloans from the new administration, met thepresident at the club and asked him for help.

Mr. Trump waved over his personal law-yer, Michael D. Cohen. “Get it done,” thepresident said, describing the developer as“a very important guy,” Mr. Cohen recalledin an interview.

Campaigning for president as a Washing-ton outsider, Mr. Trump electrified rallieswith his vows to “drain the swamp.” But hedid not merely fail to end Washington’s in-sider culture of lobbying and favor-seeking.He reinvented it, turning his own hotels andresorts into the Beltway’s new back rooms,where public and private business mix andspecial interests reign.

As president-elect, he had pledged to stepback from the Trump Organization and re-cuse himself from his private company’s op-eration. As president, he built a system ofdirect presidential influence-peddling unri-valed in modern American politics.

Federal tax-return data for Mr. Trumpand his business empire, which was dis-closed by The New York Times last month,showed that even as he leveraged his imageas a successful businessman to win thepresidency, large swaths of his real estateholdings were under financial stress, rack-ing up losses over the preceding decades.

But once Mr. Trump was in the WhiteHouse, his family business discovered a lu-crative new revenue stream: people whowanted something from the president. An

SwarmingFor Favors

In a SwampTrump BuiltGuests Seeking Access

Paid Millions, Taxes Show

This article is by Nicholas Confessore,Karen Yourish, Steve Eder, Ben Protess,Maggie Haberman, Grace Ashford, Mi-chael LaForgia, Kenneth P. Vogel and Mi-chael Rothfeld.

Continued on Page 24

Many patrons of President Trump’s hotels and resorts were not shy about showcasingtheir access to the president’s realm. Hundreds of social media posts show guests

enthusiastically documenting time spent at the properties, which Mr. Trump has visitedon nearly 400 days of his presidency. Some of them represented companies, special-

interest groups and foreign governments with matters before the administration.Graphic, Pages 24-25.

MAR-A-LAGO TELEVISION JOURNALIST

MAR-A-LAGO U.S. AMBASSADOR TO THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

MAR-A-LAGO TEXAS EVANGELIST

TRUMP INTERNATIONAL IN WEST PALM BEACH AVIATION EXECUTIVE

TRUMP INTERNATIONAL HOTEL IN WASHINGTONAUTHOR AND LIFE COACH

MAR-A-LAGO CHINESE BILLIONAIRE

MAR-A-LAGO EVANGELICAL LEADER

MAR-A-LAGO CARDBOARD MAGNATE

MAR-A-LAGO REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER

MAR-A-LAGO TRUMP-ALIGNED FOREIGN POLICY GROUP

MAR-A-LAGO INDIAN-BORNILLINOIS INDUSTRIALIST

MAR-A-LAGO FLORIDAENTREPRENEUR

TRUMP INTERNATIONAL HOTEL IN WASHINGTON ROMANIAN POLITICIANTRUMP INTERNATIONAL

HOTEL IN WASHINGTON KUWAITI AMBASSADOR

MAR-A-LAGO U.S. AMBASSADOR TO SOUTH AFRICA

ILLUSTRATION BY THE NEW YORK TIMES

The social network’s tone has longreflected corporate America: staid,monolithic, white. Now Black users arecalling out marginalization in the work-place and on the site itself. PAGE 1

SUNDAY BUSINESS

Black LinkedIn Speaks Up

Marilynne Robinson PAGE 4

SUNDAY REVIEW The storm turned roadways into rapidsin areas that had averted the wrath ofLaura just weeks ago. PAGE 30

Hurricane Batters LouisianaSix writers in six states reveal theirfavorite drives and hikes to see thefoliage explode in color. PAGE 8

AT HOME

Call of the Leaves

Crises abound, yet stocks have contin-ued to generate strong returns. Invest-ors had better be ready for anything.Mutual Funds & E.T.F.s. PAGE 11

Holding On to Your Money

In Madison, Wis., thousands ofpeople have gone to parks to de-liver their ballots during Saturdayvoting festivals. In Milwaukee,Facebook feeds are inundatedwith selfies of Democrats insert-ing ballots into drop boxes. Andalong the shores of Lake Superior,voters in Wisconsin’s liberalnorthwest corner still trust thePostal Service to deliver ballots.

Of all the mini-battlegroundswithin Wisconsin — perhaps themost pivotal state in Novemberfor both President Trump and Jo-seph R. Biden Jr. — the motherlode of absentee ballots is comingin Dane County, a Democraticstronghold that includes Madison.As of Friday, the number of sub-mitted ballots there amounted tomore than 36 percent of the coun-ty’s total 2016 election vote, a signof significant enthusiasm; thatfigure is 10 percentage pointshigher than in any other county inthe state.

In Wisconsin’s Republicanheartland, the suburban countiesthat ring Milwaukee, the absenteeturnout is only at about the stateaverage so far. And in the dozensof rural counties where PresidentTrump won huge victories fouryears ago, ballots are being re-turned at a far slower rate than inthe state’s Democratic areas.

The yawning disparities in vot-ing across Wisconsin and severalother key battlegrounds so far areamong the clearest signs yet thisfall that the Democratic embraceof absentee voting is resulting inhead starts for the party ahead ofElection Day. For Republicans,the voting patterns underscorethe huge bet they are placing onhigh turnout on Nov. 3, even asstates like Wisconsin face safetyconcerns at polling sites given thespikes in coronavirus cases.

The Democratic enthusiasm to

ABSENTEE VOTINGFROM DEMOCRATSFAR OUTPACES ’16

TURNOUT IN KEY STATES

Patterns Seem to ShowRepublicans Avoiding

Mail-In Ballots

This article is by Reid J. Epstein,Nick Corasaniti and StephanieSaul.

Continued on Page 20

MONTEVALLO, Ala. — Per-haps no one was more surprisedto learn that Joyce Jones wantedto defund the police than JoyceJones herself.

On Aug. 11, Ms. Jones was in thefinal stretch of her campaign formayor of Montevallo, a town of6,674 people in central Alabama,when she appeared in a candidateforum alongside her opponent,Rusty Nix. The moderator askedboth candidates how they wouldwork with the town’s police de-partment. Ms. Jones said she wasgrateful for the work of Monteval-lo’s law enforcement, and that asmayor she would consider addingsocial programs to help the townnot just respond to crime (ofwhich there is little in Montevallo)but prevent it, too.

She awoke the next morning tofind her phone clogged with so-cial-media notifications. “ ‘Defundthe police,’” she remembered. “Itwas like a wildfire.” Citizens on

one of the local Facebook groupsaccused Ms. Jones, who was run-ning to be the town’s first Blackmayor, of using the “same lan-guage” in her answer as the BlackLives Matter movement, implyingthat she had a hidden agenda.“Very few people will actually say‘Defund the police,’” one manwarned.

Montevallo’s elections are non-partisan, and there was a timewhen they felt that way. Candi-dates would run on proposals likeupdating the sewage systems,beautifying Main Street and start-ing a townwide recycling pro-gram.

But as Ms. Jones, a 44-year-oldlifelong Montevalloan, was find-ing, not even her tiny town wasimmune from the divisions roilingthe Trump era, the political trem-ors that once would have felt out ofplace in casual conversations atLucky’s supermarket, not to men-

National Divisions Tear a HoleIn a Small Town’s Civil Politics

By ELAINA PLOTT

Continued on Page 23

When the pandemic forcedDick’s Sporting Goods to close itshundreds of stores in March, theretailer hustled to set up curbsidepickup within two days. Its initialattempt, though, was just this sideof a children’s lemonade stand.

“When you drove up, there wasa sign in the window with a phonenumber, and people used the land-line to call the stores and they’ddeliver it out,” Lauren Hobart,president of Dick’s, said of the“very scrappy” operation. Emailand text alerts would come later.

Scrappy or not, curbside pickupnot only rescued Dick’s sales dur-ing the lockdowns, it has alsoemerged as many retailers’ beststrategy for long-term survival inthe e-commerce age. And whatstarted as a coronavirus stopgapis likely to have a permanent im-pact on the way people shop,along with giving them a new rea-son to continue to visit belea-guered physical stores.

The popularity of curbsidepickup reveals that the future of

retail is not just more packagespiling up on people’s doorsteps.Beyond satisfying the need forcontactless shopping in the pan-demic, it taps into Americans’ de-sire to drive to a store, a pull thatcan be just as strong as, or even

stronger than, the convenience ofhome delivery.

“Americans are used to theircars and actually do like stores, sothis is kind of a hybrid whereyou’re getting the best of bothworlds,” said Oliver Chen, a retail

analyst at Cowen.As of August, about three-

fourths of the top 50 store-basedretailers in the United States of-fered curbside pickup, accordingto Coresight Research, an advi-sory and research firm that spe-cializes in retail and technology.Anything from a sweater to a bookis now as easy to pick up as a sand-wich.

Target said its curbside salesgrew more than 700 percent in thelast quarter, while Best Buy re-ported nearly $5 billion in onlinerevenue in the second quarter, acompany record, and said 41 per-cent of that had come from curb-side or in-store pickup.

The rise in curbside pickup,part of a larger surge in e-com-merce sales, has implications forpreserving retail jobs, thoughworkers’ duties are likely to trans-form. It is also helping to keepbrick-and-mortar spaces relevantwhen thousands of storefrontshave emptied out as morecustomers move online.

Curbside allows certain big-boxretailers to convert their stores

Shoppers Stream to Curbside, Transforming Economics of RetailBy SAPNA MAHESHWARIand MICHAEL CORKERY

Adrian Decena, a Target employee in the Bronx. Analysts expectworkers’ duties to change as stores serve as fulfillment centers.

AMR ALFIKY/THE NEW YORK TIMES

Continued on Page 5

BERLIN — Early in the pan-demic, as thousands of Americantroops began NATO maneuvers inGermany, Attila Hildmann did aquick YouTube search to see whatit was all about. He quickly cameacross videos posted by Germanfollowers of QAnon.

In their telling, this was noNATO exercise. It was a covert op-eration by President Trump to lib-erate Germany from ChancellorAngela Merkel’s government —something they applauded.

“The Q movement said theseare troops that will free the Ger-man people from Merkel,” said Mr.Hildmann, a vegan celebrity cookwho had not heard of QAnon be-fore last spring. “I very muchhope that Q is real.”

In the United States, QAnon hasalready evolved from a fringe in-ternet subculture into a massmovement veering into the main-stream. But the pandemic is su-percharging conspiracy theoriesfar beyond American shores, andQAnon is metastasizing in Europeas well.

Groups have sprung up fromthe Netherlands to the Balkans. InBritain, QAnon-themed protestsunder the banner of “Save OurChildren” have taken place inmore than 20 cities and towns, at-tracting a more female and lessright-wing demographic.

But it is in Germany that QAnonseems to have made the deepestinroads. With what is regarded asthe largest following — an esti-mated 200,000 people — in thenon-English-speaking world, ithas quickly built audiences onYouTube, Facebook and the Tele-gram messenger app. Peoplewave Q flags during protestsagainst coronavirus measures.

And in Germany, like in theUnited States, far-right activistswere the first to latch on, makingQAnon an unexpected and volatilenew political element when theauthorities were already strug-gling to root out extremist net-works.

“There is a very big overlap,”said Josef Holnburger, a data sci-entist who has been trackingQAnon in Germany. “Far-right in-fluencers and groups were thefirst ones to aggressively pushQAnon.”

Officials are baffled that aseemingly wacky conspiracy the-ory about Mr. Trump taking on a“deep state” of Satanists and pe-dophiles has resonated in Ger-

Fertile Ground:QAnon ThrivesWith Germans

Similarities to AncientAnti-Semitic Themes

By KATRIN BENNHOLD

Continued on Page 8

In pursuing government actionagainst his rivals, PresidentTrump seeks the power of authori-tarians. News Analysis. Page 20.

Targeting Political Enemies

In his first public appearance in about aweek, the president addressed hun-dreds on the South Lawn. PAGE 29

NATIONAL 19-30

Trump Speaks at White HouseThe 19-year-old Iga Swiatek, above,defeated Sofia Kenin, 6-4, 6-1, in theFrench Open women’s final. PAGE 34

SPORTS 33-35

Her First Title Is a Grand Slam

The Yankees face an off-season of ques-tions after losing to the Rays, who willplay the Astros in the A.L.C.S. PAGE 33

A Long Winter in the Bronx

A best friend dies from Covid-19 compli-cations at 29. And the emotional cost oflove is steep. Modern Love. PAGE 6

Too Much Grief

At historically Black colleges, home-coming is like a family reunion com-bined with a revival. It’s canceled, butlet’s party anyway. PAGE 1

SUNDAY STYLES

Long Live HomecomingWomen became the face of and drivingforce behind protests aimed at topplingPresident Aleksandr G. Lukashenko,and the movement has already shat-tered some gender stereotypes. PAGE 7

INTERNATIONAL 7-18

Shifting Dynamics in Belarus

Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s latest movie, whichwon him the best director award at theVenice Film Festival, is a thriller ani-mated by the ghosts of Japan’s ghastlywartime experiments. PAGE 9

Recalling Japan’s Atrocities

Late Edition

VOL. CLXX . . . No. 58,843 © 2020 The New York Times Company NEW YORK, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2020

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$3.66 DESIGNATED AREAS HIGHER © 2020 WST D latimes.comSUNDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2020

WASHINGTON — As

President Trump skids

deeper into political peril,

anxious Republicans have

started to try to distance

themselves from his fate, ap-

pealing to voters to elect

them as a check on a Joe Bid-

en administration.

As they make closing

arguments in a desperate

bid to keep control of the

Senate, even Trump loy-

alists are chafing when

asked how deep their sup-

port for the president runs.

Senate campaigns,

which previously focused on

electing candidates who

would be loyal to Trump,

now pitch a darker message

to Republican voters — one

that assumes Trump won’t

be there.

“If we lose the Senate,

there will be no firewall to

stop the Democrats from

implementing their ‘Ar-

mageddon’ plan to pack the

courts with activist judges

and to add four new Demo-

crats to the Senate by giving

statehood to DC and Puerto

Rico,” said a fundraising ap-

peal from the Senate Con-

servative Fund. “We can’t al-

low this to happen.”

Senate Majority Leader

Mitch McConnell of Ken-

tucky, one of Trump’s most

loyal lieutenants, abruptly

jumped off the Trump train

last week to stake out a polit-

ically — and medically —

safer position on the co-

ronavirus crisis, Trump’s

biggest political liability.

McConnell said at a news

conference in Kentucky on

Thursday that he had not

been at the White House for

over a month because he did

not think its safety stand-

ards were stringent enough.

“My impression was that

their approach to how to

handle this is different from

mine and what I suggested

that we do in the Senate,

which is to wear a mask and

practice social distancing,”

said McConnell, who is 78

and in an expensive fight for

reelection this year.

Veteran Texas Republi-

can Sen. John Cornyn, in his

pitch for an endorsement

from the Houston Chronicle,

scolded Trump for down-

playing the dangers of the

coronavirus. The news-

paper, which had endorsed

Cornyn in the past, ulti-

mately opted to support

Republicansstart politicaldistancingAs Trump’s fortunessink, allies back away,urging voters to savethe Senate as a checkon a President Biden.

By Evan Halper

and Janet Hook

[See Republicans, A7]

While much of California shut

down this spring, Robbie Hall stitch-

ed masks for 12 hours a day in a

sewing factory at a women’s prison in

Chino. For several weeks, Hall and

other women said, they churned out

masks by the thousands but were for-

bidden from wearing them.

The incarcerated seamstresses at

the California Institution for Women

grew increasingly worried: The fabric

they used came from the nearby

men’s prison, where an outbreak

ended up killing 23 inmates. And

their boss regularly visited both

institutions.

“Are we safe with her going over

there and coming back here?” Hall

remembered asking her co-workers

as they sewed.

Then it happened.

In early May, COVID-19 broke out

in the sewing factory, sickening at

least four incarcerated workers, in-

cluding Hall. She spent weeks in the

hospital struggling to breathe.

California’s prison system has

taken drastic measures to combat

the coronavirus, halting rehab pro-

grams, religious services and educa-

tional classes. But correctional au-

thorities kept one type of operation

running through much of the last six

months: prison factories.

Hall was one of thousands of in-

carcerated workers who stayed on

the job in high-risk positions during

the pandemic, making wages that

AT THE CALIFORNIA INSTITUTION for Women in Chino, Robbie Hall earned 60 cents an hoursewing masks in a prison factory. She was hospitalized with a serious case of COVID-19 in May.

Illustration by Alex Tatusian Los Angeles Times

PRISON FACTORIESWERE VIRUS HOTBEDSInmates working for as little as 35 cents an hour felt pressureto stay on the job, even as the coronavirus began to spread

By Kiera Feldman

[See Prisons, A8]

STEPANAKERT, Azer-

baijan — The sirens silent for

the time being, Vartan Abra-

hamian, a 53-year-old social

worker and retired soldier,

returned to seal the broken

windows on his home in the

capital of Nagorno-

Karabakh.

“We’re used to it. For my-

self I’m not worried,” Abra-

hamian said of the hostilities

raging once more in this dis-

puted territory, a mountain-

ous region between Armenia

and Azerbaijan. It lies at the

heart of a seething, decades-

long fight that began during

the chaotic breakup of the

Soviet Union and that flared

up again almost two weeks

ago.

Abrahamian, one of the

about 150,000 ethnic Arme-

nians who claim the enclave

as their own — it’s recog-

nized internationally as part

of Azerbaijan — had fought

in an earlier iteration of the

conflict; now his two sons

were at the front line, con-

tinuing a generational war

that inflects so much of life in

this onetime Soviet splinter

enclave.

“It’s our destiny. It’s our

duty. ... We will never leave

Artsakh,” Abrahamian said,

employing the traditional

Armenian name for

Nagorno-Karabakh.

To walk the streets of Ste-

panakert is to experience

the legacy of that fight, a

conflict that has often been

described as “frozen,” al-

though “smoldering” is per-

haps more accurate: Flower-

lined boulevards lead to ele-

gant cafes but also army sur-

DAVID SAFARYAN surveys the rubble of a home after an airstrike in Stepana-kert, capital of the Nagorno-Karabakh region. He has two sons serving in combat.

Marcus Yam Los Angeles Times

New clashes spring from along-smoldering conflictArmenia, Azerbaijanhave fought decadesover disputed region.

By Nabih Bulos

[See Conflict, A4]

HOUSTON — They go by

names like Oath Keepers,

Wolverine Watchmen and

the Three Percenters. They

chat on Gab, Discord, 4chan

and other social media.

Heavily armed and loyal to

President Trump, many vow

to descend on polling places

Nov. 3 in a far-right show of

unity.

Armed, far-right groups

have long echoed at the frin-

ges of American politics,

drawing white nationalists

and other extremists to their

ranks. But over the last four

years — when conservative

causes have collided with so-

cial justice movements —

their voices have grown

louder, their actions more

brazen. The alleged plot re-

vealed last week by extrem-

ists to kidnap Michigan Gov.

Gretchen Whitmer was a

stunning indication of the

potential for domestic ter-

rorism.

The groups are now turn-

ing their attention to battle-

ground states in the most

consequential election in

generations. Far-right or-

ganizations have rallied

around Trump, positioning

themselves as a counter-

force to movements like the

antifascist known as antifa

and Black Lives Matter,

whom they blame for nation-

wide protests that have

stirred unrest in recent

months. The vast majority of

Black Lives Matter pro-

testers have been nonvio-

lent.

The Oath Keepers claim

thousands of members, in-

Far-right groupsto stake out pollsOfficials fear violenceby armed extremistswho plan to oversee‘voter integrity.’

By Molly

Hennessy-Fiske

and Jaweed Kaleem

[See Extremists, A10]As California wildfires

get worse, the role of private

firefighting crews helping

well-heeled clients protect

their property has become a

growing issue from Brent-

wood and Malibu to Napa

and Sonoma.

Authorities are now in-

vestigating new allegations

that private crews set illegal

backfires during the de-

structive Glass fire, which

swept through wine country

after igniting Sept. 27.

California Department of

Forestry and Fire Protection

investigators confirmed

that they were examining

the claims but provided few

details about the location of

the backfires or who hired

the crews.

The Glass fire has de-

stroyed numerous wineries

in Napa and Sonoma coun-

ties and hit upscale commu-

nities along Highway 12, one

of the main roads through

wine country.

The investigation is

heightening scrutiny

around the use of private

crews, which has been a re-

peated source of concern

Scrutinyof privatefire crewsincreasesState reviewing claimsthat certain workersillegally set backfiresto battle Glass blaze.

By Hayley Smith

[See Fire crews, A12]

Surprise winnerat French Open Iga Swiatek, 19, is thefirst singles championfrom Poland at a GrandSlam event. SPORTS, D2

Trolls disruptclasses at UCLAOfficials are investigat-ing racist and homopho-bic attacks during onlinesessions. CALIFORNIA, B3

Autumn weatherfun while it lastedL.A. County is in storefor hotter temperaturesand higher fire risk thisweek. CALIFORNIA, B3

Weather ....................... B10

Printed with soy inks onpartially recycled paper.

Voters Guidesection insideLearn about candidatesand propositions as wellas Times endorsements.SECTION AA

VOTERS GUIDE

WASHINGTON — America has never faced

an election like this.

The president, infected by a virus his ad-

ministration failed to tame, spent three days

in the hospital this month for COVID-19.

More than 214,000 Americans have died in

the pandemic, and the coronavirus is still

spreading. Millions more are out of work, with

shops and businesses shuttered in every state.

Wildfires have burned more than 4 million

acres in California, fueled by the fast-warming

climate. Protests and spasms of violence have erupted in

dozens of cities over police abuses and systemic racism.

But the stakes on Nov. 3 are higher. In some ways, the

future of American democracy is on the ballot.

Trailing in the polls, President Trump has refused to say

he will commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses. No

previous U.S. president has threatened not to honor the

integrity of a national election.

Republicans accuse Democrats, without evidence, of

trying to steal or manufacture votes with mail-in ballots.

Democrats accuse Republicans of seeking to suppress

votes, with evidence in some states that lies in plain view.

When Trump won the White House four years ago, he

was something of an accidental president. He lost the

popular vote by almost 3 million votes, but won the elector-

al vote thanks to some 80,000 votes in Wisconsin, Michigan

and Pennsylvania.

A one-term Trump presidency, if it ends in January, may

be remembered as little more than a fluke of history, a brief

detour into conservative populism after eight years of

President Obama.

But if the president wins a second term with a renewed

or stronger mandate, the picture will be very different.

Eight years would be an era — an opportunity for Trump to

place his stamp even more deeply on the nation’s institu-

tions and policies.

He will pass more legislation, appoint more federal

judges, cement his control of the Republican Party and

deepen his purges of the federal bureaucracy, a process an

aide once called “the deconstruction of the administrative

state.”

A second term could make the Trump Revolution per-

manent — or, at least, more

TEST FOR DEMOCRACY

Biden, Trumpon key issues

A look at the candi-dates’ positions onhealthcare, policingand more. PAGES 2-4

National, state,local elections

Key U.S. Senate racesand state and local

candidates and ballotmeasures. PAGES 5-7

EndorsementsA rundown of The

Times editorialboard’s voting recom-

mendations. PAGE 8

Martín Elfman For The Times

At a time of pandemic, the future of the republic is at stake this election

[See McManus, AA5]

DOYLE McMANUS

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2020

■■■ ELECTION 2020 ■■■

352Inmates at Chino

women’s prison infectedwith the coronavirus

85Staffers at Chino

women’s prison infectedwith the coronavirus

15,121Inmates infected

statewide

BUSINESS INSIDE: Building a disposable water bottle with a twist: It’s biodegradable. A13