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A Brooklyn trial was postponedafter the defense lawyers saidthey were unwilling to spendweeks in a cramped courtroom. InManhattan, a woman summonedfor jury duty told the court she hadbeen sick with the coronavirusand was symptomatic. Anothertrial, in the Bronx, was canceledwhen four courthouse staff mem-

bers tested positive.Since October, state and federal

court officials have taken extraor-dinary measures to restart crimi-nal trials in New York City. Theyhave constructed plexiglassboxes with special air filters incourt. They have asked witnessesto testify in face shields and havespread jurors out in courtroomgalleries.

But those efforts have notstopped the virus from disrupting

nearly every step of the process.The state and federal courts in thecity have been able to completeonly nine criminal jury trials sincethe pandemic hit in March, offi-cials said. Last year, there were

about 800 criminal trials in thecity.

For months, the logistical prob-lems have threatened the abilityof hundreds of defendants to se-cure their constitutional right to aspeedy trial. Now, as a secondwave of the virus threatens the re-gion, the delays are worsening —and officials foresee the backlog ofunresolved cases continuing togrow.

9 Trials in 9 Months: Virus Wreaks Havoc on New York’s CourtsBy NICOLE HONGand JAN RANSOM

Backlog Is a Threat toHealth and Justice

Continued on Page A5

ADRIANA ZEHBRAUSKAS FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

The New Mexico State University band in October. Practicing again was an achievement. Page A8.Back on the Field, Safely STEPANAKERT, Nagorno-Ka-

rabakh — As a dilapidated old vanpulled up at a hillside checkpoint,an Azerbaijani soldier insidescrubbed furiously at his fogged-up window, then cast a gloweringlook at an Armenian standing justa few feet away.

Just days before, they were onopposite sides of a bitter war. Butnow the Russian peacekeepernext to them was in charge. Hewaved the van through towardAzerbaijani-held territory to theright. The Armenians traveled onto Armenian-controlled land tothe left.

The vicious war between Azer-baijan and Armenia over the dis-puted mountain enclave of Nagor-no-Karabakh has settled into a

tense truce enforced by heavilyarmed Russian troops. For Rus-sia, long a provocateur in thebroader Caucasus region, thepeacemaker role is a switch — anew test and opportunity for acountry struggling to maintain itsinfluence in the former Sovietlands.

“They say that things will beOK,” said Svetlana Movsesyan, 67,an ethnic Armenian who re-mained in the Nagorno-Karabakhcapital of Stepanakert, even afternarrowly escaping an Azerbaijanistrike on the market where shesells dried fruits and honey. “I be-lieve in Vladimir VladimirovichPutin.”

In Fragile Caucasus Truce, PutinTrades Iron Fist for a Deft Touch

By ANTON TROIANOVSKI and CARLOTTA GALL

Continued on Page A13

President Trump has discussedwith advisers whether to grantpre-emptive pardons to his chil-dren, his son-in-law and his per-sonal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani,and he talked with Mr. Giulianiabout pardoning him as recentlyas last week, according to two peo-ple briefed on the matter.

Mr. Trump has told others thathe is concerned that a Biden Jus-tice Department might seek retri-bution against the president bytargeting the oldest three of hisfive children — Donald Trump Jr.,Eric Trump and Ivanka Trump —as well as Ms. Trump’s husband,Jared Kushner, a White Housesenior adviser.

Donald Trump Jr. had been un-der investigation by Robert S.Mueller III, the special counsel,

for contacts with Russians offer-ing damaging information on Hil-lary Clinton during the 2016 cam-paign, but he was never charged.Mr. Kushner provided false infor-mation to federal authoritiesabout contacts with foreigners forhis security clearance, but wasgiven one anyway by Mr. Trump.

The nature of Mr. Trump’s con-cern about any potential criminalexposure of Eric Trump or IvankaTrump is unclear, although an in-vestigation by the Manhattan dis-trict attorney into the Trump Or-ganization has expanded to in-clude tax write-offs on millions ofdollars in consulting fees by thecompany, some of which appear tohave gone to Ms. Trump.

Presidential pardons, however,

Trump Said to Discuss PardonsFor His Children and Giuliani

By MAGGIE HABERMAN and MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT

Continued on Page A19

WASHINGTON — AttorneyGeneral William P. Barr acknowl-edged on Tuesday that the JusticeDepartment has uncovered novoting fraud “on a scale that couldhave effected a different outcomein the election,” a striking repudia-tion of President Trump’s ground-less claims that he was defrauded.

The statement from Mr. Barr af-firming Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s winserved as a particularly harshblow to Mr. Trump’s efforts tooverturn the results of the elec-tion. Mr. Barr has advanced Mr.Trump’s political agenda perhapsmore than any other cabinetmember, bringing the Justice De-partment as close to the WhiteHouse as it has been since Water-gate.

His comments came as otherRepublicans separated them-selves on Tuesday from Mr.Trump’s charged complaintsabout the election. A Georgia elec-tions official angrily denouncedthe violent threats and har-assment directed at electionsworkers and urged the presidentto “stop inspiring people to com-mit potential acts of violence.”

“Someone’s going to get hurt,”the official, Gabriel Sterling, saidat a news conference. “Someone’sgoing to get shot. Someone’s going

to get killed.”And Senator Mitch McConnell,

Republican of Kentucky and themajority leader, who has refusedto recognize Mr. Trump’s electionloss, moved closer to overtly ac-cepting the reality that Mr. Bidenwould be in the White House nextyear as he discussed theprospects for more pandemicstimulus in 2021.

“After the first of the year, thereis likely to be a discussion aboutsome additional package of somesize next year, depending uponwhat the new administrationwants to pursue,” Mr. McConnell

IN BLOW TO TRUMP, BARR SEES NO BASISFOR FRAUD CLAIMS

Repudiation by Loyalist Attorney General— G.O.P. Allies Start to Move On

By KATIE BENNER and MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT

Attorney General William P.Barr had been quiet recently.

AL DRAGO FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Continued on Page A18

WASHINGTON — President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. on Tues-day introduced the economicteam he will rely on to help rebuildthe U.S. economy at a perilous mo-ment, with coronavirus casessoaring, the Federal Reservechair warning of challengingmonths ahead and lawmakers inCongress still struggling to reachagreement on a rescue package.

Mr. Biden, speaking in Dela-ware, called on Congress to pass asubstantial relief package to helpkeep businesses, households andlocal governments afloat, while

his Treasury secretary nominee,Janet L. Yellen, called the damagedone so far “an American trage-dy” that could lead to long-termdevastation if not quickly cor-rected.

“Right now, the full Congressshould come together and pass arobust package for relief to ad-dress these urgent needs,” Mr. Bi-den said.

But he acknowledged that any

stimulus agreement would neces-sarily fall far short of the trillionsof dollars that Democratic leadershave insisted on for months, say-ing that “any package passed in alame-duck session is lucky to be atbest just a start.”

Mr. Biden’s nominees made itclear that they were thinking ex-pansively about how to revive theeconomy and looking beyond justrestoring lost jobs and livelihoodsto finding ways to widen economicwealth, broaden opportunitiesand repair safety net programs.

“This is a moment of urgencyand opportunity unlike anythingwe’ve faced in modern times,”said Cecilia Rouse, Mr. Biden’s

Biden Urges a ‘Robust’ Stimulus as Risks MountThis article is by Jim Tankersley,

Alan Rappeport, Jeanna Smialek,Emily Cochrane and Luke Broadwater.

Republicans Still Resist,but Bipartisan GroupOffers Compromise

Continued on Page A16

SAN FRANCISCO — For all itssize and economic might, Califor-nia has long had few hospital bedsrelative to its population, a short-fall that state officials now saymay prove catastrophic.

California is experiencing itslargest surge in coronavirus caseswith an average of nearly 15,000new cases a day, an increase of 50percent from the previous recordover the summer.

So even though the state hassome of the country’s most re-strictive measures to prevent thespread of the virus, an influx ofpeople with severe cases ofCovid-19 may force overwhelmedhospitals to turn patients away byChristmas, Gov. Gavin Newsomwarned this week.

A dearth of hospital beds hasbeen a worldwide problemthroughout the pandemic, but Cal-ifornia, with a population of 40million, has a particularly acuteshortage. The wealthiest state inthe wealthiest country has 1.8 hos-pital beds per 1,000 people, a levelthat exceeds only two states,Washington and Oregon, accord-ing to 2018 data compiled by theKaiser Family Foundation. Cali-fornia has one-third the number ofbeds per capita as Poland.

Many hospitals in Californiahave maintained lower numbersof beds in part to limit the length ofpatient stays and lower costs. Butthat approach is now being tested.

In addition to beds, a shortageof nursing staff will make han-dling the surge of virus cases “ex-traordinarily difficult for us in Cal-ifornia,” said Carmela Coyle, thehead of the California Hospital As-

In California,Hospitals FaceBed Shortages

By THOMAS FULLERand MANNY FERNANDEZ

Katie Phelps, 27, waiting for a coronavirus test in Los Angeles last week. California is averaging nearly 15,000 new cases a day.BRYAN DENTON FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Continued on Page A6

Melissa Clark has long been on a questto make the perfect cookie gift box. Shemay have done it this year. Above, herSparkly Gingerbread treats. PAGE D4

FOOD D1-8

The Sweetest GiftProfessional women logging on fromhome are redefining work wear, shak-ing up the office attire industry. PAGE B1

BUSINESS B1-7

So Long, Heels. Hello, Slippers.Quentin Blakley interacts with strang-ers on the job in Atlanta and follows aroutine to keep his family safe. PAGE A6

TRACKING AN OUTBREAK A4-8

Firefighter Keeps Guard Up

With coronavirus cases surging aroundthe league, Kurt Streeter asks why theN.F.L. insists on continuing its season.Sports of The Times. PAGE B8

SPORTSWEDNESDAY B8-10

A Timeout for the N.F.L.?A gang of 30 men struck the small cityof Criciúma with guns and explosives,robbing a bank and briefly taking hos-tages in a brazen night attack. PAGE A9

INTERNATIONAL A9-13

Thieves Outgun Police in Brazil

Ray Davies of the Kinks recalls how hecame up with the idea for one of popmusic’s first big hits with an L.G.B.T.theme five decades ago. PAGE C1

ARTS C1-6

50 Years of ‘Lo-Lo-Lo-Lo-Lola’Despite policy differences, progressivesare “moving heaven and earth” to sup-port two Senate candidates. PAGE A17

NATIONAL A14-20

Democratic Unity in Georgia

Thomas L. Friedman PAGE A23EDITORIAL, OP-ED A22-23The $27.7 billion deal is a sign of the

growing value placed on tools thatfacilitate remote work. PAGE B1

Salesforce to Buy SlackYvette Gentry, the interim chief ofpolice, won’t be in the job long, but hercity is hoping for progress. PAGE A20

Hope for Change in LouisvilleA C.D.C. panel recommended that long-term-care residents and health workersbe the first to get a vaccine. PAGE A7

In Vaccine Rollout, Who First?

‘IT HAS TO STOP’ A Georgia official criticizes the president for failing tocondemn threats of violence against election workers. PAGE A19

Late Edition

VOL. CLXX . . . . No. 58,895 © 2020 The New York Times Company NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2020

Today, partly sunny skies, chilly, abrisk wind, high 46. Tonight, mostlyclear skies, low 38. Tomorrow, agood deal of sunshine, not as chilly,high 51. Weather map, Page B10.

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