VOL. CLXVIII . . . . No. 58,425 © 2019 The New York Times Company NEW YORK, TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2019

C M Y K Nxxx,2019-08-20,A,001,Bs-4C,E1

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ADAM DEAN FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

An accident in Thailand, which has the most motorcycle deaths per capita in the world. The poor are especially in danger. Page A4.A Love of Speed and a Lack of Law Enforcement

White House officials have be-gun preparing options to help bol-ster the American economy andprevent it from falling into a reces-sion, including mulling a potentialpayroll tax cut and a possible re-versal of some of PresidentTrump’s tariffs, according to peo-ple familiar with the discussions.

Mr. Trump continues to insistthe economy is “doing tremen-dously well,” and he and his advis-ers publicly dismiss any notion ofan impending recession. But be-hind the scenes, Mr. Trump’s eco-nomic team is pulling togethercontingency plans in the event theeconomy weakens further.

Officials inside the administra-tion have drafted a white paperexploring a payroll tax reduction,which would seek to boost theeconomy by immediately inject-ing more money into workers’paychecks. In 2011 and 2012, theObama administration employeda two-year payroll tax cut in an ef-fort to stimulate what was a slug-gish recovery from the recessionthat ended in 2009.

The payroll tax discussion wasfirst reported Monday by TheWashington Post.

Such a cut would require con-gressional approval. Administra-tion officials said the idea had notbeen pushed with Mr. Trump andtried to tamp talk of it down.

A White House official saidmore tax cuts were on the table,“but cutting payroll taxes is notsomething that is under consider-ation at this time.” Another senioradministration official cautionedthat a payroll tax cut was not un-der serious consideration.

It is also unlikely that Mr.Trump would abruptly reversecourse on the tariffs he has im-posed on Chinese goods, which hehas said repeatedly are hurtingChina but not affecting Americanconsumers.

Still, the fact that the WhiteHouse is even discussing ways tostimulate an economy that Mr.Trump on Monday called “verystrong” underscores a growingconcern in the administrationabout slowing economic growth.The United States is in its longesteconomic expansion on record,but economists are increasinglywarning that a recession looms.

Stocks churned last week afterthe bond market flashed a warn-ing signal that has historicallypresaged a recession. The manu-facturing sector has fallen into arecession on its own amid a globalgrowth slowdown that manyeconomists attribute in part to Mr.Trump’s trade war with China.

Cutting payroll taxes would bean attempt to further strengthen

AT WHITE HOUSE,RUSHING TO FINDRECESSION SHIELD

PAYROLL TAX CUT EYED

Concerns Growing OverSigns the Economy Is

Slowing Down

This article is by Maggie Ha-berman, Jim Tankersley and AnnieKarni.

Continued on Page A13

WASHINGTON — Fivemonths after American-backedforces ousted the Islamic Statefrom its last shard of territory inSyria, the terrorist group is gath-ering new strength, conductingguerrilla attacks across Iraq andSyria, retooling its financial net-works and targeting new recruitsat an allied-run tent camp, Ameri-can and Iraqi military and intelli-gence officers said.

Though President Trumphailed a total defeat of the IslamicState this year, defense officials inthe region see things differently,acknowledging that what remainsof the terrorist group is here tostay.

A recent inspector general’s re-port warned that a drawdown thisyear from 2,000 American forcesin Syria to less than half of that, or-dered by Mr. Trump, has meantthat the American military hashad to cut back support for Syrianpartner forces fighting ISIS. Fornow, American and internationalforces can only try to ensure thatISIS remains contained and awayfrom urban areas.

Although there is little concernthat the Islamic State will reclaimits former physical territory, a ca-liphate that was once the size ofBritain and controlled the lives ofup to 12 million people, the terror-ist group has still mobilized asmany as 18,000 remaining fight-ers in Iraq and Syria. Thesesleeper cells and strike teamshave carried out sniper attacks,ambushes, kidnappings and as-sassinations against securityforces and community leaders.

The Islamic State can still tap alarge war chest of as much as $400million, which has been hidden ineither Iraq and Syria or smuggledinto neighboring countries forsafekeeping. It is also believed tohave invested in businesses, in-cluding fish farming, car dealingand cannabis growing. And ISISuses extortion to finance clandes-tine operations: Farmers in north-ern Iraq who refuse to pay havehad their crops burned to theground.

Over the past several months,ISIS has made inroads into asprawling tent camp in northeastSyria, and there is no ready plan todeal with the 70,000 people there,including thousands of familymembers of ISIS fighters. Ameri-can intelligence officials say the AlHol camp, managed by SyrianKurdish allies with little aid or se-curity, is evolving into a hotbed ofISIS ideology and a huge breedingground for future terrorists. TheAmerican-backed Syrian Kurdishforce also holds more than 10,000ISIS fighters, including 2,000 for-eigners, in separate makeshiftprisons.

At Al Hol, the Syrian Kurds’ “in-ability to provide more than ‘min-imal security’ at the camp has al-lowed the ‘uncontested conditionsto spread of ISIS ideology’ there,”

After ‘Defeat,’ISIS Rekindles In Middle East

Killing and Recruiting as U.S. Draws Down

This article is by Eric Schmitt,Alissa J. Rubin and Thomas Gib-bons-Neff.

Continued on Page A5

Planned Parenthood said Mon-day that it would withdraw fromthe federal family planning pro-gram that provides birth controland other health services to poorwomen rather than comply with anew Trump administration rulethat forbids referrals to doctorswho can perform abortions.

Planned Parenthood receivesabout $60 million annuallythrough the federal program,known as Title X. The funds haveenabled the group to provide more

than 1.5 million low-income wom-en each year with services likebirth control and pregnancy tests,as well as screenings for sexuallytransmitted diseases and breastand cervical cancer. In some ruralcommunities, Planned Parent-hood is the only provider of suchservices.

In states like Utah, wherePlanned Parenthood is the onlyorganization receiving Title Xfunds, and Minnesota, wherePlanned Parenthood serves 90percent of the Title X patients,those seeking care may face longwaits for appointments, the groupsaid, while other patients may de-lay care or go without. Over all,Planned Parenthood gets more Ti-tle X money than any singlegroup, and it serves 40 percent ofall Title X patients.

The group’s decision to stop ac-

Planned Parenthood Opts Out Over Trump RuleBy PAM BELLUCK Loss of $60 Million for

Low-Income Women

Continued on Page A14

SAN FRANCISCO — China hasadopted Russia’s playbook forspreading disinformation onFacebook and Twitter, deployingthose tactics in its increasinglyheated information war over theprotests that have convulsedHong Kong.

In recent weeks, Facebook andTwitter accounts that originatedin China acted in a coordinatedfashion to amplify messages andimages that portrayed HongKong’s protesters as violent and

extreme, the two social mediacompanies said on Monday. OnFacebook, one recent post from aChina-linked account likened theprotesters to ISIS fighters. And aTwitter message said, “We don’twant you radical people in HongKong. Just get out of here!”

Facebook and Twitter said they

had now removed the accounts,the first time that the social mediacompanies have had to take downaccounts linked to disinformationin China.

Facebook said it eliminated sev-en pages, three Facebook Groupsand five accounts involved in thedisinformation campaign aboutHong Kong protesters. Twitter de-leted 936 accounts and said itwould ban state-backed mediafrom promoting tweets afterChina Daily and other state-backed publications placed ads on

Social Media: China’s Disinformation BullhornBy KATE CONGER Posts Claim West Backs

Hong Kong Protesters

Continued on Page A6

The New York City police offi-cer whose chokehold led to EricGarner’s death in 2014 was firedfrom the Police Department andstripped of his pension benefits onMonday, ending a bitter battle thathad cast a shadow over the na-tion’s largest police force.

Commissioner James P.O’Neill’s decision to dismiss theofficer, Daniel Pantaleo, came fiveyears after Mr. Garner’s dyingwords — “I can’t breathe” —helped to galvanize the BlackLives Matter protests that led tochanges in policing practices inNew York and around the country.

Officer Pantaleo had held on to

his job as the Staten Island districtattorney and the Justice Depart-ment declined to charge him witha crime in the face of calls by theGarner family and their support-ers that the city punish him andother officers involved.

Commissioner O’Neill dis-missed Officer Pantaleo just overtwo weeks after a police adminis-trative judge had found him guiltyof violating a department ban on

chokeholds.The commissioner gave an

emotional explanation laced withsympathy not just for Mr. Garner,but for Officer Pantaleo, and saidhe had agonized over the decision.He said he might have made simi-lar mistakes if he had been in Mr.Pantaleo’s place, and noted thatMr. Garner should not have re-sisted arrest when he was stoppedand accused of selling untaxedcigarettes.

Still, the commissioner said, Of-ficer Pantaleo had failed to relax agrip on Mr. Garner’s neck after hetackled him to the ground, and hisrecklessness triggered a fatalasthma attack.

“The unintended consequence

N.Y.P.D. Fires Officer in 2014 Chokehold CaseBy ASHLEY SOUTHALL Fallout From Garner’s

Death Cast a Shadowon Police Relations

Commissioner James P. O’Neill said Monday that the firing had been a tough and overdue decision.DAVE SANDERS FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Continued on Page A18

Nearly 200 chief executives, in-cluding the leaders of Apple, Pepsiand Walmart, tried on Monday toredefine the role of business in so-ciety — and how companies areperceived by an increasinglyskeptical public.

The Business Roundtable is-sued a statement on “the purposeof a corporation.” Breaking withdecades of long-held corporate or-thodoxy, the group said busi-nesses should no longer advanceonly the interests of shareholders.Instead, companies must also in-vest in their employees, protectthe environment and deal fairlyand ethically with their suppliers.

“While each of our individualcompanies serves its own corpo-rate purpose, we share a funda-mental commitment to all of ourstakeholders,” the group, a lobby-ing organization that representsmany of America’s largest compa-nies, said in a statement. “Wecommit to deliver value to all ofthem, for the future success of ourcompanies, our communities andour country.”

The shift comes at a moment ofincreasing distress in corporateAmerica, as big companies facemounting global discontent overincome inequality, harmful prod-ucts and poor working conditions.

On the campaign trail for theDemocratic presidential nomina-tion, Senators Bernie Sanders andElizabeth Warren have been vocalabout the role of big business inperpetuating problems with eco-nomic mobility and climate

Feeling Heat,C.E.O.s Pledge

New Priorities

By DAVID GELLESand DAVID YAFFE-BELLANY

Continued on Page A15

Newark residents say the water crisisgripping the city began long beforeofficials took action last week. PAGE A17

NEW YORK A17-19

Lead Contamination FearsAs fake and illegitimate texts prolifer-ate online, classic books like “1984” getclumsy rewrites. PAGE B1

BUSINESS B1-7

Orwell Didn’t Write That

Kentucky coal miners, owed back payand lined up with other creditors for apiece of a bankrupt company, haveblocked a rail track for weeks. PAGE A10

NATIONAL A10-16

‘No Pay. We Stay.’Stephen Curry, the sharpshooting War-riors guard, will help fund Division I golfat Howard University, expanding oppor-tunities for black students. PAGE B8

SPORTSTUESDAY B8-10

N.B.A. Star Extends His Range

Two days before his suicide, JeffreyEpstein signed a will and put his fortunein a hastily arranged trust. PAGE A18

Epstein Was Prepared for Death

The president’s resolve to push back-ground checks seems to fade after talkswith gun rights advocates. PAGE A13

Trump Retreats on Guns

Rights groups in El Salvador say astrict abortion ban there has led tooverzealous prosecution. PAGE A9

INTERNATIONAL A4-9

Acquittal in Stillbirth Case

On television shows like “Queer Eye,”makeovers, shopping and redecoratingare presented as deeply meaningful,even political, activities. PAGE C1

ARTS C1-8

The New Ethos of Self-Care

Michelle Goldberg PAGE A22

EDITORIAL, OP-ED A22-23

About 8,000years ago,artists wholived near theDanube carvedstrange stoneheads, right,leaving hints forarchaeologists about human migrationand the merger of two cultures. PAGE D1

SCIENCE TIMES D1-6

Puzzles EtchedIn Stone Faces

A San Antonio program with intensivecoaching offers a rare success story inproducing lasting wage gains. PAGE B1

A Jobs Program That Works

Late EditionToday, humid, partly sunny, high 89.Tonight, evening showers orstorms, partly cloudy, low 75. To-morrow, clouds and sunshine, high87. Weather map is on Page A20.

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