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As the global economy heats upand tries to put the pandemicaside, a battle for the young andable has begun. With fast-track vi-sas and promises of permanentresidency, many of the wealthynations driving the recovery aresending a message to skilled im-migrants all over the world: Helpwanted. Now.

In Germany, where officials re-cently warned that the countryneeds 400,000 new immigrants ayear to fill jobs in fields rangingfrom academia to air-condition-ing, a new Immigration Act offersaccelerated work visas and sixmonths to visit and find a job.

Canada plans to give residencyto 1.2 million new immigrants by2023. Israel recently finalized adeal to bring health care workersfrom Nepal. In Australia, wheremines, hospitals and pubs are allshort-handed after nearly twoyears with a closed border, thegovernment intends to roughlydouble the number of immigrantsit allows into the country over thenext year.

The global drive to attract for-eigners with skills, especiallythose that fall somewhere be-tween physical labor and aphysics Ph.D., aims to smooth outa bumpy emergence from the pan-demic.

Covid’s disruptions havepushed many people to retire, re-sign or just not return to work. Butits effects run deeper. By keepingso many people in place, the pan-demic has made humanity’s dem-ographic imbalance more obvi-ous: Rapidly aging rich nationsproduce too few new workers,while countries with a surplus ofyoung people often lack work forall.

New approaches to that mis-match could influence the world-wide debate over immigration.European governments remaindivided on how to handle newwaves of asylum seekers. In theUnited States, immigration policyremains mostly stuck in place,with a focus on the Mexican bor-der, where migrant detentionshave reached a record high. Still,many developed nations arebuilding more generous, efficientand sophisticated programs tobring in foreigners and help thembecome a permanent part of theirsocieties.

“Covid is an accelerator ofchange,” said Jean-ChristopheDumont, the head of internationalmigration research for the Organi-zation for Economic Cooperationand Development, or O.E.C.D.“Countries have had to realize theimportance of migration and im-migrants.”

The pandemic has led to severalmajor changes in global mobility.

WEALTHY NATIONSCOMPETE TO LUREFOREIGN WORKERS

SHORTAGES IN PANDEMIC

Easing Visa Restrictionsto Fill Gaps in Aging

Labor Forces

By DAMIEN CAVEand CHRISTOPHER F. SCHUETZE

A teacher showing immigrant students how to weld at Bildungskreis Handwerk, a regional training hub in Dortmund, Germany.LAETITIA VANCON FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Continued on Page A5

The disgraced financier, jailedin Manhattan on federal sex traf-ficking charges involving teenagegirls, was found unconscious onthe floor of his cell one morning inJuly 2019, a strip of bedsheet tiedaround his bruised neck.

In the hours and days that fol-lowed that suicide attempt, Jeff-rey Epstein would claim to be liv-

ing a “wonderful life,” denying anythoughts of ending it, even as hesat on suicide watch and faceddaunting legal troubles.

“I have no interest in killing my-self,” Mr. Epstein told a jailhousepsychologist, according to Bureauof Prisons documents that havenot previously been made public.He was a “coward” and did not likepain, he said. “I would not do thatto myself.”

But two weeks later, he did justthat: He died in his cell on Aug. 10,2019, in the Metropolitan Correc-

tional Center, having hanged him-self with a bedsheet, the medicalexaminer ruled.

After a life of manipulation, Mr.Epstein created illusions until thevery end, deceiving correctional

officers, counselors and speciallytrained inmates assigned to moni-tor him around the clock, accord-ing to the documents — amongmore than 2,000 pages of FederalBureau of Prisons records ob-tained by The New York Times af-ter filing a Freedom of Informa-tion Act lawsuit.

The detailed notes and reportscompiled by those who interactedwith Mr. Epstein during his 36days of detention show how he re-

Lies, Agitation and Despair Filled Epstein’s Final Days in JailThis article is by Benjamin Weiser,

Matthew Goldstein, Danielle Ivoryand Steve Eder.

Federal Records Showan Anxious Inmateand Poor Oversight

Continued on Page A12

For decades, lawmakers andimmigrant advocates in New YorkCity have pushed for legislationthat would allow legal residentswho are not citizens to vote in mu-nicipal elections, a right they hadin school board elections until theboards were abolished in the early2000s.

Now city lawmakers are mov-ing to make noncitizen voting a re-ality — over the objections of May-or Bill de Blasio.

The City Council is planning toapprove a bill that would allowmore than 800,000 noncitizenNew Yorkers to register as mem-bers of political parties and vote inmunicipal elections, providedthey are green card holders orhave the right to work in the

United States.The measure is expected to be

approved on Dec. 9 by a veto-proof margin. It would allow non-citizens to vote in local elections,and would not apply to federal orstate contests. But the measureraises longstanding questionsabout who should be allowed toparticipate in the country’s demo-cratic process.

Supporters maintain that immi-grants who reside in the city le-gally, pay taxes, send their chil-dren to public schools and rely oncity services should have somesay in who becomes mayor or rep-resents them on the City Council.

Opponents say the bill wouldweaken the voting rights of citi-

New York City to Extend RightTo Vote to 800,000 Noncitizens

By JEFFERY C. MAYS and ANNIE CORREAL

Continued on Page A13

A federal jury in Cleveland onTuesday found that three of thenation’s largest pharmacy chains— CVS Health, Walmart and Wal-greens — had substantially con-tributed to the crisis of opioidoverdoses and deaths in two Ohiocounties, the first time the retailsegment of the drug industry hasbeen held accountable in the dec-ades-long epidemic.

After hearings in the spring, thetrial judge will determine howmuch each company should paythe counties.

The verdict — the first from ajury in an opioid case — was en-couraging to plaintiffs in thou-sands of lawsuits nationwide be-cause they are all relying on thesame legal strategy: that pharma-ceutical companies contributed toa “public nuisance,” a claim thatplaintiffs contend covers the pub-lic health crisis created by opioids.

The public nuisance argumentwas rejected twice this month, byjudges in California and Okla-homa in state cases against opioidmanufacturers. The judges foundthat according to the specifics oftheir own states’ public nuisancelaws, the companies’ activitieswere too removed from the over-doses and deaths and that the

Retail ChainsFound at FaultIn Opioid Crisis

By JAN HOFFMAN

Continued on Page A9

FRED RAMOS FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

A vaquita skeleton. The type of porpoise, found off Mexico, numbered 10 at last count. Page A4.On Brink of Extinction

The United States and fiveother world powers announced acoordinated effort to tap into theirnational oil stockpiles on Tuesday,attempting to drive down risinggas prices that have angered con-sumers around the world.

The move appeared to under-whelm oil traders, who had beenexpecting President Biden to an-nounce a larger release fromAmerica’s Strategic PetroleumReserve, which is the biggest inthe world with 620 million barrels.The price of a barrel of crude oilactually rose after the announce-ment in global trading, althoughadministration officials saidprices could fall in coming weeks.

The market reaction under-scored the difficulties Mr. Bidenfaces, both politically and eco-nomically, in his efforts to react tothe fastest increase in U.S. infla-tion in three decades. The presi-dent has seen his approval ratingsslump as gas and food prices haverisen, while Republicans havelaunched a steady series of at-tacks blaming Democrats.

Mr. Biden has shifted his mes-saging on the issue in recentweeks, in hopes of showing con-sumers he understands their fi-

nancial pain. On Tuesday at theWhite House, he cast the releaseof oil from the strategic reserve asan important step toward lower-ing fuel costs for drivers at thestart of the holiday travel season.

“Today we’re launching a majoreffort to moderate the price of oil,an effort that will span the globeand ultimately reach your cornergas station, God willing,” Mr. Bi-den said.

“While our combined actionswill not solve the problem withhigh gas prices overnight, theywill make a difference,” he said. “Itwill take time, but before long youshould see the price of gas dropwhere you fill up your tank.”

Earlier on Tuesday, administra-tion officials said Mr. Biden hadordered the Energy Departmentto tap into 50 million barrels of

As Price of Gas Climbs, Biden Taps Oil ReservesThis article is by Zolan Kanno-

Youngs, Stanley Reed and JimTankersley.

Hoping to Drive DownCosts for the Holiday

Travel Season

Continued on Page A6

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. —Jurors on Tuesday found the mainorganizers of the deadly far-rightrally in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017liable under state law for injuriesto counterprotesters, awardingmore than $25 million in damages.But the jury deadlocked on twofederal conspiracy charges.

Still, the verdict was a clear re-buke of the defendants — a mix ofwhite nationalists, neo-Nazis andConfederate sympathizers. Theywere found under Virginia law tohave engaged in a conspiracy thatled to injuries during the rally. The“Unite the Right” march began asa demonstration over the removalof a Confederate statue and led tothe death of the counterprotesterHeather Heyer, 32, when she wasstruck by a car driven by one ofthe defendants.

The civil suit, heard in U.S. Dis-trict Court in Charlottesville, wasfiled by four men and five women,including four of the people whowere injured when Ms. Heyer waskilled. The plaintiffs, whose inju-

ries included concussions and ashattered leg, testified that theysuffered from post-traumaticstress disorder, insomnia, the in-ability to concentrate, flashbacksand panic attacks.

All sought compensatory andunspecified punitive damages, in-cluding payment for medical costsas well as $3 million to $10 millionfor pain and suffering dependingon the degree of their injuries.

The most prominent defend-ants included Richard Spencer,once seen as the leader of the alt-right in the United States; JasonKessler, who organized the event;and Christopher Cantwell, a vocalneo-Nazi podcaster who is al-

NINE ARE HELDLIABLE IN RALLY

BY RIGHT WING

$25 MILLION IN DAMAGES

Verdicts in CharlottesvilleMixed — Deadlock on

Federal Charges

By NEIL MacFARQUHAR

Continued on Page A11

Violent clashes at the 2017rally in Charlottesville, Va.

MATT EICH FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Bavarian charm, Christmas knick-knacks and all-you-can-eat restaurantsdraw people every holiday season to thestreets of Frankenmuth, Mich. PAGE D1

FOOD D1-12

On the Menu: Holiday SpiritThe bandleader Jon Batiste has 11nominations, including for best albumand record of the year. PAGE C1

ARTS C1-6

A Top Grammy Contender

Artists and developers are repurposingneglected buildings in once-bustlingneighborhoods, bringing spaces for thearts, affordable housing and smallbusinesses under one roof. PAGE B1

BUSINESS B1-7

Vital Hubs of Black HistoryA judge and district attorney in NewYork cleared a man who was convictedin a 1981 rape, an attack described inAlice Sebold’s memoir “Lucky.” PAGE A15

NATIONAL A7-15

Exonerated After 40 YearsTainted elections in Venezuela showedhow the president can win by excludingand splitting opponents. PAGE A5

INTERNATIONAL A4-6

A Flawed Vote and Maduro

Bret Stephens PAGE A19

OPINION A18-19

Chinese officials insist a missing tennisstar is fine and free, and they’re used tosuch an assertion being enough. Butthere are higher standards of evidencebeyond the country’s borders. PAGE B1

The World Isn’t Buying ItNew York City will no longer work witha nonprofit running homeless sheltersover reports of mismanagement and itschief’s yearly $1 million pay. PAGE A14

Housing Group Is Cut Off

An 8-year-old, who was among scoresof children injured when an S.U.V. bar-reled through a holiday parade on Sun-day, became the latest fatality. PAGE A10

6th Death in Wisconsin Crash

Set mostly in Milan, Ridley Scott’s“House of Gucci” is a borderline-operatictale of family feuding. A review. PAGE C1

Treachery, Italian-Style

Chun Doo-hwan, who seized power in acoup and ruled with an iron fist for mostof the 1980s, was 90. PAGE A16

OBITUARIES A16-17

Reviled South Korean Dictator

Sika Henry is the first Black woman inthe U.S. to achieve pro status. PAGE B8

SPORTS B8-10

Triathlon’s One and Only, So Far

Late Edition

VOL. CLXXI . . . . No. 59,252 © 2021 The New York Times Company NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2021

Today, sunshine, chilly, a lightbreeze, high 47. Tonight, mostlyclear, low 37. Tomorrow, turningmilder although cloudy, high 56.Weather map appears on Page B10.

$3.00