ON WAY TO PARTY IN CRUCIAL RACES AS LIMO CRASHES … · 2019-11-11 · ror, their worst fears were...

VOL. CLXVIII . . . No. 58,109 © 2018 The New York Times Company NEW YORK, MONDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2018

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RUTLAND, N.D. — When Sen-ator Heidi Heitkamp, a Democrat,and her Republican opponent,Representative Kevin Cramer, putSunday’s annual Uffda Day cele-bration on their schedules thisyear, they most likely thoughtthey would get an earful from vot-ers about tariffs here in the heartof North Dakota’s soybean belt.

But the Scandinavian food festi-val in this town of 155, a fixture onNorth Dakota’s political calendar,instead served as a snapshot ofthe nation’s changing electorallandscape, illustrating why theSenate majority leader, Mitch Mc-Connell, was so eager to ramthrough Brett M. Kavanaugh’s Su-preme Court nomination ahead ofthe midterm election.

Voter after voter brought up thepolarizing Supreme Court battleto the two candidates as theymade their way around the lefseand other Norwegian delicacies;the comments reflected the coun-try’s divide, with Republicansthanking Mr. Cramer for standingby Justice Kavanaugh and Demo-crats offering hugs to Ms.Heitkamp to show their apprecia-tion for her opposition.

The intense interest, even in afarm-focused state far from Wash-ington, reflects the extent towhich the partisan divide overJustice Kavanaugh has trans-formed the political debate in justa matter of weeks. With less than amonth to go until the election, thebattle for control of the Senate hasbeen nationalized by the show-down over the Supreme Court,and for the moment has left Dem-ocrats alarmed and Republicanselated.

The news could shift quickly inthe month before the election;change is perhaps the only con-stant in the Trump era. But in ayear in which crucial Senate raceswill play out in a series of heavilyrural states that President Trumpcarried, a riveting, made-for-tele-vision clash over gender, politicsand privilege is hardly what Dem-ocrats like Ms. Heitkamp hadhoped would frame the finalstretch of the election.

“The smart political vote wouldhave been to vote for Kavanaugh,”

COURT SHOWDOWNINVIGORATES G.O.P.IN CRUCIAL RACES

DEMOCRATS PUT TO TEST

Endangered Senators in Red States Shift Focus

to Local Issues

By JONATHAN MARTIN

Supporters of Heidi Heitkampat the Uffda Day parade.

ANNIE FLANAGAN FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Continued on Page A18

SCHOHARIE, N.Y. — The 17friends had all piled into a whitestretch limousine for what wassupposed to have been a birthdaycelebration at an upstate NewYork brewery. But they neverreached their destination.

The massive vehicle, speedingdownhill on Saturday, approachedthe intersection of two highwaysthat residents had long warnedwas notoriously dangerous.

And in just a few seconds of ter-ror, their worst fears were real-ized: The limousine lost control,careening through the intersec-tion and striking an empty car.

The crash killed all 18 occupantsof the limousine, including thedriver, as well as two pedestrians,in an accident that left deep tiretracks in the ground and the smalltown about 40 miles west of Al-bany, reeling.

Four sisters, two brothers andat least three young couples wereamong the dead.

“That limo was coming downthat hill probably over 60 milesper hour,” said Jessica Kirby, 36,the manager of the Apple BarrelCountry Store, where she saidcustomers were hit near the park-ing lot. “All fatal.”

“I don’t want to describe thescene,” she added. “It’s not some-thing I want to think about.”

Federal investigators arrivedon Sunday in the town and werescouring the scene for clues aboutthe cause of the crash. The NewYork State Police said autopsieswere underway on all the pas-sengers and the driver of the lim-ousine, including toxicology,though they cautioned that the in-vestigation was in its early stages.

Continued on Page A20

20 DEAD UPSTATEAS LIMO CRASHESON WAY TO PARTY

A NOTORIOUS JUNCTION

Speeding Vehicle BarrelsDown a Hill 40 Miles

West of Albany

This article is by Jesse McKinley,Shane Goldmacher and Luis Ferré-Sadurní.

Late Edition

DAVANT, La. — In the exact spot whereHurricane Katrina demolished the Plaque-mines Parish Detention Center, a new $105million jail now hovers 19 feet above themarsh, perched atop towering concrete pil-lars. Described by a state official as the “TajMahal” of Louisiana corrections, it has somuch space that one of every 27 parish resi-dents could bunk there.

But on an average day in the first half ofthis year, more than 40 percent of its 872beds went unoccupied, making it one of theemptiest jails in the state, records show.And because of its isolated, flood-prone lo-cation, the jail still must be evacuated be-fore any major storm or risk becoming anaccidental Alcatraz.

There is but one reason the Plaqueminesjail was rebuilt on endangered land, withneedless capacity, at immense cost: Thesheriff wanted it that way. But unlike mostnew jail construction, his project did nothave to be financed through bond sales orother local revenues, with voters able tohold him accountable. Rather, because theold jail was destroyed by a natural disaster,the cost was covered by federal taxpayers,through a Federal Emergency Manage-ment Agency program that is required bylaw to distribute billions in aid but exerts

little control over how the money is spent.FEMA’s public assistance program has

provided at least $81 billion in this mannerto state, territorial and local governmentsin response to disasters declared since1992, according to a New York Times analy-sis of federal data. But an examination ofprojects across the country’s ever-expand-ing flood zones reveals that decisions to re-build in place, often made seemingly in defi-ance of climate change, have at times leftstructures just as defenseless against thenext storm.

Other efforts have required enormouslyexpensive engineering to ensure protec-tion. Yet in some instances, restrictions onconstruction in flood plains have effectivelyprohibited FEMA from safeguarding its

Ignoring Climate Science, FEMA Is Mired in Cycle of RepairsBy KEVIN SACK and JOHN SCHWARTZ

The Plaquemines Parish Detention Center was rebuilt on flood-prone land after being destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.EDMUND D. FOUNTAIN FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Spending Billions, Over andOver, in Vulnerable Areas

Continued on Page A14

LONDON — Jamal Khashoggi,a prominent Saudi dissident, mettwo friends for lunch last Mondayin London to discuss a newspapercolumn he had drafted lamentingthe lack of free speech in the Arabworld. “Everyone is fearful,” he

wrote.But Mr. Khashoggi appeared to

have little fear about his plans forthe next day: to pick up a docu-ment from the Saudi consulate inIstanbul. He brushed aside warn-ings from his friends that his criti-cism of the kingdom’s rulers haddrawn their enmity, making theconsulate dangerous territory.

The consular staff, he assured

them, “are just ordinary Saudis,and the ordinary Saudis are goodpeople,” recalled one of his lunchcompanions, Azzam Tamimi.

On Tuesday afternoon, Mr.Khashoggi entered the consulate.He has not been seen since.

Turkish investigators say that ateam of 15 Saudi agents killed himinside the consulate, several offi-

Saudi Critic Went to the Consulate, and VanishedBy DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK

and BEN HUBBARD

Continued on Page A10

When Charles Myers, the chair-man of a financial advisory firm,hosted four relatively unknownDemocratic congressional candi-dates at his Midtown Manhattanhome last month, he netted moremoney than he can remember col-lecting from an event that wasn’theadlined by a presidential candi-date.

“More than ever in my 26-yearcareer on Wall Street, donors arewilling to look way beyond con-cerns of overregulation fromDemocrats,” said Mr. Myers, alongtime Democratic fund-raiser.They just want to elect “Demo-crats to serve as a check” on Presi-dent Trump.

The stock market may be boom-ing. Unemployment is hittingrecord lows. Republicans pushed

through $1.5 trillion in tax cuts.But despite all that, for the first

time in a decade, the broader fi-nancial community is on pace togive more money to Democraticcongressional candidates and in-cumbents than their Republicancounterparts, according to datafrom the Center for ResponsivePolitics, a nonpartisan group thattracks campaign donations.

Some of the same grass-rootsenergy coursing through theDemocratic Party — House candi-dates from Kentucky to Montana

Wall St., Booming With Trump,Gets Excited About Democrats

By SHANE GOLDMACHER

Continued on Page A13

WOUNDED SENATE Assessing thedamage of an ugly confirmationfight. On Washington. PAGE A17

Investors in Silicon Valley shunned thenicotine start-up, but have supportedothers, as they confront a delicate ethi-cal dance. PAGE B1

BUSINESS DAY B1-6

Turning Their Back on JuulThe first United States stadium show bythe Korean group BTS was a mixture ofshowmanship and adulation. PAGE C2

ARTS C1-8

K-Pop Fervor and DevotionThe specter of harder times hangs overa rural Australian town, and its church.The worst has yet to come. PAGE A4

INTERNATIONAL A4-11

A Pastor’s Drought Struggle

The artist shredded his painting to pokefun at excessive auction prices, but nowhis works’ value may soar. PAGE C1

Banksy’s Prank Jolts Art WorldMeng Hongwei, the global law enforce-ment group’s president, is being held bythe Chinese authorities. PAGE A9

Detained Interpol Head Quits

A cluster of activist Democrats hasdared to breach what has been an al-most inviolable orthodoxy on both sidesof the aisle. PAGE A18

NATIONAL A12-18

Support Israel? No, ThanksThe Giants scored 30 points for the firsttime in more than two years, but Car-olina won on Graham Gano’s long fieldgoal in the final seconds. PAGE D4

SPORTSMONDAY D1-10

63-Yard Kick Beats the Giants

Ana Mendieta, a Cuban artist, usedmaterials like blood, dirt and fire. Shedied in 1985. Here’s an overdue ac-knowledgement of her work. PAGE D12

OBITUARIES D10-12

Her Art Was Feminist and RawActivists and officials in the state worrythat the national party is taking its eyeoff a heated Senate race. PAGE A19

NEW YORK A19-21

New Jersey Democrats Uneasy

How do you count all the Eastern graysquirrels in Central Park? Walk slowlyand listen for kuks and quaas. PAGE A20

In Search of Fluffy Tails

Charles M. Blow PAGE A23

EDITORIAL, OP-ED A22-23

RIO DE JANEIRO — A far-right candidate who has spokenfondly of Brazil’s onetime militarydictatorship came within a hair-breadth of outright victory in thecountry’s presidential election onSunday, as Brazilians expresseddisgust with politics as usual andendorsed an iron-fisted approachto fighting crime and corruption.

Voters handed a first-round vic-tory to Jair Bolsonaro, who hadstunned the establishment by ris-ing to the top of a crowded presi-dential field despite a history of of-fensive remarks about women,blacks and gay people.

With 96 percent of votes tallied,Mr. Bolsonaro had just under 47percent of the vote; he needed 50percent to avoid a runoff. Hisnearest rival finished far behind,with 28 percent.

With the presidency in sight,Mr. Bolsonaro said Sunday nighthe intended to unite a nation thatis “on the brink of chaos” and said,“Together we will rebuild ourBrazil.”

Brazilians Vent Frustrations in Vote for PresidentBy ERNESTO LONDOÑO

and MANUELA ANDREONI

Supporters of Jair Bolsonaro on Sunday. He faces a runoff, but earned over 45 percent of votes.EVARISTO SA/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE — GETTY IMAGES

Continued on Page A10

Embrace Lightning Rodof Far-Right Populism

Today, damp and misty, cloudy, high69. Tonight, low clouds, humid, low65. Tomorrow, partly sunny, show-ers in areas west, humid, high 76.Weather map appears on Page A16.

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