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PARIS — In the Babel Tower ofFrench politics, everyone agreesat least on this: Crime is out ofcontrol.

The leader of the far rightwarned recently that France wasa “security shipwreck" sinkinginto “barbarity.” A traditional con-

servative conjured up the ultravi-olent dystopia of “A Clockwork Or-ange.” On the left, the presumedGreen Party candidate in the nextpresidential contest described theinsecurity as “unbearable.”

And in the middle, PresidentEmmanuel Macron’s ministerswarned of a country “turning sav-age” — the “ensauvagement” ofFrance — as they vowed to get

tough on crime and combat the“separatism” of radical Muslims.

The only catch? Crime isn’t go-ing up.

The government’s own datashow that nearly all major crimesare lower than they were a decadeago or three years ago. Despite aone-year spike, the 970 homicidesrecorded in 2019 were lower thanthe 1,051 in 2000. Over all, crime

rose in the 1970s through themid-1980s before declining andstabilizing.

But like elsewhere, and mirror-ing the campaign in the UnitedStates, the debate over crimetends to be a proxy — in France’scase, for debates about immigra-tion, Islam, race, national identityand other combustible issues that

French Politicians Agree Crime Is Rising. The Data Says It Isn’t.By NORIMITSU ONISHI

and CONSTANT MÉHEUT

Continued on Page A12

HILARY SWIFT FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Fans found a way to watch Tiger Woods, left, and Justin Thomas as the U.S. Open began. Page B9.Outside Observers

C.D.C. CONTROVERSY Guidanceon who should get a test was notwritten by scientists. PAGE A6

Two drug companies that areleading the race to develop co-ronavirus vaccines bowed to pub-lic pressure on Thursday, aban-doning their traditional secrecyand releasing comprehensiveroad maps of how they are evalu-ating their vaccines.

The companies, Moderna andPfizer, revealed details about howparticipants are being selectedand monitored, the conditions un-der which the trials could bestopped early if there were prob-lems, and the evidence re-searchers will use to determinewhether people who got the vac-cines were protected fromCovid-19.

Moderna’s study will involve30,000 participants, and Pfizer’s44,000.

Companies typically sharethese documents after their stud-ies are complete. The disclosureswhile the trials are still underway,a rare move, are aimed at address-ing growing suspicion amongAmericans that PresidentTrump’s drive to produce a vac-cine before the election on Nov. 3could result in a product that wasunsafe.

The plan released by Modernaon Thursday morning included alikely timetable that could reachinto next year for determiningwhether its vaccine works. It doesnot jibe with the president’s opti-mistic predictions of a vaccinewidely available to the public inOctober.

Pfizer’s plan does not appear toestimate when its results could beavailable. Its chief executive hassaid repeatedly that the companyhopes to have an answer as earlyas October. Moderna has said onlythat it could have a result beforethe end of the year.

Moderna’s 135-page plan, orprotocol, indicated that the com-pany’s first analysis of early trialdata might not be conducted untillate December, though company

2 Firms SharePlans on Trials

For a Vaccine

Moderna and Pfizer Tryto Quell Public Fears

By DENISE GRADY and KATIE THOMAS

Continued on Page A8

New Jersey officials agreed onThursday to make the state one ofthe first to adopt a so-called mil-lionaires tax to alleviate shortfallscaused by the pandemic, intensi-fying a national debate overwhether to increase taxes on therich to help address widening in-come gaps.

Gov. Philip D. Murphy, a Demo-crat, announced a deal with legis-lative leaders to increase statetaxes on income over $1 million bynearly 2 percentage points, givingNew Jersey one of the higheststate tax rates on wealthy peoplein the country. The agreementalso includes an annual rebate ofas much as $500 for families mak-ing less than $150,000.

“We do not hold any grudge atall against those who have beensuccessful in life,” said Mr. Mur-phy, a former executive at the in-

vestment bank Goldman Sachs.“But in this unprecedented time,when so many middle-class fam-ilies and others have sacrificed somuch, now is the time to ensurethat the wealthiest among us arealso called to sacrifice.”

The tax deal comes at a momentwhen the country is enduring itsworst economic crisis in decadesand Washington has been unableto agree on a stimulus bill to pro-vide more help to cities and states,which have resorted to cuts inservices and other fiscal maneu-vers to stay solvent in the face ofmounting deficits.

Projected state revenues haveplummeted, including declines ofas much as $31 billion in Califor-nia, $10 billion in New Jersey and$3.4 billion in Florida.

In Washington, Democrats whocontrol the House are standingfirm on a goal of providing $2.2trillion in aid to local and stategovernments, a figure rejected astoo generous by President Trumpand Senate Republicans, whohave indicated that they do notwant to send money to Democrat-ic-run states and cities that theysay have been mismanaged.

With no signs of a break-through, state leaders, includingMr. Murphy and New York’s gov-ernor, Andrew M. Cuomo, who isalso a Democrat, have repeatedlystressed the urgent need for fed-

NEW JERSEY ADDS MILLIONAIRES TAX TO EASE A CRUNCH

SHORTFALLS FROM VIRUS

Deal Intensifies NationalFight Over Efforts to

Cut Income Gaps

By TRACEY TULLY

Continued on Page A5

Gov. Philip D. Murphy said thewealthiest must also sacrifice.

NOAH K. MURRAY/ASSOCIATED PRESS

BRUSH CREEK, Calif. — Of thehundreds of homes rendered toash by a ferocious wildfire thismonth in the mountains on thenortheastern edge of California,one had particular historical sig-nificance. Mountain House, a for-mer stagecoach hotel with its sa-loon-style second-story balconyand steep roof, was a relic of thegold rush, a stop on the way to themining towns that dot the thicklyforested slopes and canyons of theSierra Nevada.

The gold rush, the seminal peri-od that helped transform a thinly

populated territory into the mag-net of talent and adventure-seek-ers that California would become,sent hundreds of thousands ofpeople into the hills — “wanderersfrom the whole broad earth,” inthe words of one 19th-century ob-server.

But the state’s wildfires, whichare still burning, are challengingthe survival of some of thesetowns, among the oldest and moststoried of the frontier settlementsin California. A fabled Americanway of life, the tight-knit mountaintowns of the West, feels increas-ingly precarious in the era of cli-mate change and the fast-movingand often unstoppable fires thatcome with it.

The far-flung communities ofthe Sierra have long attracted rug-ged go-it-alone types: gold

SMOLDERING RISKIN RUGGED SIERRA

A Wilderness Life LongDefined by Dangers

By THOMAS FULLER

Continued on Page A20

Capt. Chase Beckman, deputystate fire marshal, surveyeddamage in Berry Creek, Calif.

MAX WHITTAKER FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

WASHINGTON — PresidentTrump argued this week that thedeath toll from the coronaviruswas actually not so bad. All youhad to do was not count statesthat voted for Democrats.

“If you take the blue statesout,” he said, “we’re at a levelthat I don’t think anybody in theworld would be at. We’re reallyat a very low level.”

The statement was as jarringas it was revealing, indicative ofa leader who has long seemed toview himself more as the presi-dent of Red America rather thanthe United States of America. Onthe pandemic, immigration,crime, street violence and otherissues, Mr. Trump regularlydivides the country into the partsthat support him and the partsthat do not, rewarding the for-mer and reproving the latter.

While presidents running forre-election typically look at themap of the country through apartisan lens, they ostensiblytake off such a filter when itcomes to their duties to govern,or at least make the effort to looklike they do. But that is an axiomMr. Trump has rarely observedas he rails against “Democratcities” and “badly run bluestates.” And he has sought topunish them with tax policiesand threats to withhold federalfunding, while devoting far moretime and attention to red states.

“President Trump views anduses politics as a popularitycontest, rewarding those heconsiders personally loyal tohim,” said David Lapan, a formersenior official in Mr. Trump’sDepartment of Homeland Securi-ty who is now at the BipartisanPolicy Center. “This isn’t highschool, and lives are at stake,often with tragic results.”

The contrast with his prede-cessors in moments of nationalcrisis could hardly be more stark.After the terrorist attacks ofSept. 11, 2001, President GeorgeW. Bush invited the Democraticsenators from New York, HillaryClinton and Chuck Schumer, tothe Oval Office to collaborate on

Even in Crisis,President Sees

Red vs. Blue

NEWS ANALYSIS

By PETER BAKER

Continued on Page A15

WASHINGTON — When Don-ald J. Trump first ran for the WhiteHouse, he promised to “come upwith a great health plan,” one thatwould repeal the Affordable CareAct but replace it with somethingbetter while maintaining its big-gest selling point: protecting peo-ple with pre-existing medical con-ditions.

Once elected, he swore he had a“wonderful plan” and would be“putting it in fairly soon.”

On Tuesday night, PresidentTrump was at it again, during atown-hall-style meeting broad-cast on ABC, where he wasschooled by Ellesia Blaque, an as-sistant professor of Africana andethnic literatures at KutztownUniversity in Pennsylvania. She

told him she had a congenital ill-ness, demanded to know what hewould do to keep “people like mewho work hard” insured — andcut him off when he tried to inter-rupt her.

“We’re going to be doing ahealth care plan very strongly,and protect people with pre-exist-ing conditions,” Mr. Trump toldher, adding, “I have it all ready,and it’s a much better plan foryou.”

After four years, during theworst health crisis in a century,the unkept promise may be catch-ing up to Mr. Trump. There stilldoes not seem to be any plan, be-cause other than abolishing theAffordable Care Act — which re-

Trump Has ‘Great’ Health Plan,But He Still Can’t Say What It Is

By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG

Continued on Page A14

Our critics present their picks from themostly online version of the LincolnCenter staple. Above, “Swimming OutTill the Sea Turns Blue.” PAGE C1

WEEKEND ARTS C1-12

Best of New York Film FestivalThe proposed sales come as PresidentTrump’s strategists try to paint him astough on China. PAGE A10

INTERNATIONAL A9-12

U.S. Pushes Taiwan Arms DealsStudents will return to New York Citypublic schools on a rolling basis, begin-ning with pre-K next week. PAGE A4

TRACKING AN OUTBREAK A4-8

City Delays In-Person Classes

Some businesses are finding goodworkarounds to get employees testedfor the coronavirus in a timely manner.Still, cost remains an issue. PAGE B1

BUSINESS B1-8

The Secrets to Speedy Testing

Joseph R. Biden Jr. warned againstletting a trade deal with the E.U. under-mine the Irish peace accord. PAGE A12

Biden’s Message to BritainIsrael is going into a second lockdown,which takes effect on the eve of RoshHashana, the Jewish New Year. PAGE A7

Holy Days With Restrictions

The Big Ten’s reversal on playing col-lege football this fall puts players atrisk. The Pac-12 should resist the pres-sure. Sports of The Times. PAGE B9

SPORTSFRIDAY B9-12

Can the Pac-12 Stand Firm?

Dan Coats PAGE A23

EDITORIAL, OP-ED A22-23

How a landmark Florida referendumvote was undone illustrates how adominant political party can exert itspower after the polls close. PAGE A13

Ex-Felons Shut Out at the Polls

EMILY KASK FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

The Gulf Coast was hit with an unexpected fury, and many were just beginning to reckon with the damage left behind. Page A20.Aftermath of a Hurricane

The director of the F.B.I. warned aHouse committee that Moscow wasactively pursuing a disinformationcampaign. PAGE A16

NATIONAL A13-21

F.B.I. Warns of Russia Threat

A new study shows that hospitals arecharging private insurance companies2.5 times what they get from Medicarefor the same care. PAGE A21

‘Runaway’ Hospital Pricing

Late Edition

VOL. CLXX . . . . No. 58,820 © 2020 The New York Times Company NEW YORK, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2020

Today, morning showers, variableclouds, breezy, cooler, high 66. To-night, mostly clear, cool, low 49. To-morrow, mostly sunny, cool, high 64.Weather map appears on Page B12.

$3.00