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After a brutal summer surge,driven by the highly contagiousDelta variant, the coronavirus isagain in retreat.

The United States is recordingroughly 90,000 new infections aday, down more than 40 percentsince August. Hospitalizationsand deaths are falling, too.

The crisis is not over every-where — the situation in Alaska isparticularly dire — but nationally,the trend is clear, and hopes arerising that the worst is finally be-hind us.

Again.Over the last two years, the pan-

demic has crashed over the coun-try in waves, inundating hospitalsand then receding, only to returnafter Americans let their guarddown.

It is difficult to tease apart thereasons that the virus ebbs and

flows in this way, and harder stillto predict the future.

But as winter looms, there arereal reasons for optimism. Nearly70 percent of adults are fully vac-cinated, and many children under12 are likely to be eligible for theirshots in a matter of weeks. Fed-eral regulators could soon autho-rize the first antiviral pill forCovid-19.

“We are definitely, without adoubt, hands-down in a betterplace this year than we were lastyear,” said Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, di-rector of the Center for EmergingInfectious Diseases Policy andResearch at Boston University.

But the pandemic is not overyet, scientists cautioned. Nearly2,000 Americans are still dyingevery day, and another wintersurge is plausible. Given howmany Americans remain unvacci-

HOPES ARE RISINGAS BRUTAL SURGESTARTS TO RECEDE

INFECTIONS DOWN 40%

Virus Unpredictable, butExperts Cite Reasons

for Optimism

By EMILY ANTHES

Curbside Covid-19 testingfrom a van in Manhattan.

GABRIELA BHASKAR/THE NEW YORK TIMES

Continued on Page A12

WASHINGTON — A panel of in-dependent medical experts onThursday unanimously recom-mended Moderna booster shotsfor many of those who had re-ceived the company’s coronavirusvaccine, paving the way tosharply expand the number ofpeople eligible for an additionalshot in the United States.

The advisory panel to the Foodand Drug Administration voted 19to 0 in favor of emergency author-ization of a half-dose booster, atleast six months after the seconddose. Those eligible for the extrashot would include people over 65and other adults considered athigh risk — the same groups noweligible for a Pfizer-BioNTechbooster.

The F.D.A. typically follows thepanel’s advice, and should rulewithin days.

The recommendations come asthe nation is seeing a decline in co-ronavirus cases but still facesnearly 90,000 new infections androughly 2,000 deaths per day. TheBiden administration has castbooster shots as an additional toolin the battle against the pandemic,while acknowledging that control-ling the disease’s spread dependsupon vaccinating tens of millionsof Americans for the first time.

In a speech at the White Houseon Thursday, President Bidenonce again sought to rally busi-nesses to support vaccinationmandates that he said would helpreduce the ranks of the unvacci-nated in the United States, callingthe number of people who havenot gotten even a first shot “unac-ceptably high.” Mr. Biden encour-aged Americans to seek out boost-er shots when they become eligi-ble, calling them “free, availableand convenient.”

More than seven million peoplein the United States have alreadyobtained booster doses of the Pfi-zer-BioNTech vaccine, and morethan a million have received thirddoses of Moderna’s, even thoughonly Moderna recipients with im-mune deficiencies are officially el-igible.

Thursday’s vote was consider-ably smoother than the one thepanel held last month, after a cha-otic and at times acrimonious de-bate on whether the F.D.A. shouldauthorize booster shots for Pfizer-BioNTech recipients.

On Friday, the same expertcommittee will meet to discussand vote on whether the roughly15 million people who received thesingle-dose Johnson & Johnsonvaccine should also be eligible forbooster doses. Its members arealso supposed to discuss a new

Panel at F.D.A.Backs BoosterFrom Moderna

Half Dose for Many —Vote on J.&J. Is Next

By SHARON LaFRANIEREand NOAH WEILAND

Continued on Page A13

For nearly a decade, the presi-dent of the Washington FootballTeam sent emails to a friend inwhich he casually joked about Na-tive Americans and racial and po-litical diversity, griped about ref-erees and league initiatives to im-prove player safety, and arrangedtickets and perks for his corre-spondent. He also thanked theman for getting a fine lifted and forunderstanding the team’s thorni-est troubles.

That man was Jeff Pash, who —as the longtime general counsel ofthe N.F.L. and a top adviser toCommissioner Roger Goodell —would become responsible for in-vestigating the team that hadbeen run by the very executive hegrew close to.

Pash appeared to engage will-ingly in the back-and-forth, some-times reassuring the Washingtonexecutive, Bruce Allen, who waswith the club from 2009 to 2019,not to worry about troubles thatwould eventually rock the teamand the league, including reportsabout harassment of the club’scheerleaders.

A trove of 650,000 emails gath-ered in the league’s investigationof workplace misconduct in theWashington Football Team’s frontoffice has already resulted in theresignation of Jon Gruden ascoach of the Las Vegas Raiders,after The New York Times pub-lished messages in which he maderacist, sexist and homophobic re-

Lawyer for N.F.L. Had Cozy TiesTo Team Official Under Scrutiny

By KEN BELSON and KATHERINE ROSMAN

Continued on Page A15

It was looking like a great yearfor Netflix. It surpassed 200 mil-lion subscribers, won 44 Emmysand gave the world “Squid Game,”a South Korean series that be-came a sensation.

That has all changed. Inter-nally, the tech company that revo-lutionized Hollywood is now in anuproar as employees challenge

the executives responsible for itssuccess and accuse the streamingservice of facilitating the spread ofhate speech and perhaps incitingviolence.

At the center of the unrest is“The Closer,” the much-anticipat-ed special from the Emmy-win-ning comedian Dave Chappelle,which debuted on Oct. 5 and wasthe fourth-most-watched pro-gram on Netflix in the UnitedStates on Thursday. In the show,

Mr. Chappelle comments mock-ingly on transgender people andaligns himself with the author J.K.Rowling as “Team TERF,” an acro-nym for trans-exclusionary radi-cal feminist, a term used for a

group of people who argue thatone’s gender identity is fixed atbirth.

“The Closer” has thrust Netflixinto difficult cultural debates, gen-erating the kind of critical newscoverage that usually attendsFacebook and Google.

Several organizations, includ-ing GLAAD, the organization thatmonitors the news media and en-tertainment companies for bias

Chappelle Show Raises Question ‘Is It Art?’ but Also ‘Is It Hate?’By JOHN KOBLIN External and Internal

Criticism for Netflix

Continued on Page A14

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Armedclashes between sectarian mili-tias transformed Beirut neighbor-hoods into a deadly war zone onThursday, raising fears that vio-lence could fill the void left by thenear-collapse of the Lebanesestate.

Rival gunmen, chanting in sup-port of their leaders, hid behindcars and dumpsters to fire auto-matic weapons and rocket-pro-pelled grenades at their rivals. Atleast six people were killed and 30wounded. Residents cowered intheir homes, and teachers herdedchildren into the hallways andbasements of schools to protect

them from the shooting.It was some of the worst vio-

lence in years to convulse Beirut,aggravating the sense of instabil-ity in a small country already buf-feted by devastating political andeconomic crises and inviting rec-ollections of its civil war thatended more than three decadesago.

Since the fall of 2019, Lebanon’scurrency has plummeted morethan 90 percent in value, battering

the economy and reducing Leba-nese who were comfortably mid-dle class to poverty. The WorldBank has said Lebanon’s eco-nomic collapse could rank amongthe three worst in the world sincethe mid-1800s.

Grave fuel shortages in recentmonths have left all but thewealthiest Lebanese strugglingwith prolonged power blackoutsand long lines at gas stations. Thecountry’s once vaunted banking,medical and education sectorshave all suffered profound losses,as professionals have fled to seeklivelihoods abroad.

As the country has plunged intoever deeper dysfunction, its politi-cal elite has resorted to increas-ingly bitter infighting. A huge ex-

Warfare in Beirut Punctuates Lebanon’s DescentBy BEN HUBBARD

and MARC SANTORAAt Least 6 Killed Amid

Deepening Economicand Political Crises

Fighters supporting two Shiite Muslim parties taking their positions during sectarian clashes in Beirut, Lebanon, on Thursday.ANWAR AMRO/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE — GETTY IMAGES

Continued on Page A6

WASHINGTON — The chair-man of the House inquiry into theJan. 6 attack on the Capitol saidthe committee would move nextweek to recommend that StephenK. Bannon, a former top adviser toPresident Donald J. Trump, facecriminal contempt charges for re-fusing to cooperate with its inves-tigation.

The move would escalate whatis shaping up to be a major legalbattle between the select commit-tee and the former president overaccess to crucial witnesses anddocuments that could shed lighton what precipitated the assault,when a pro-Trump mob stormedthe Capitol and disrupted Con-gress’s formal count of the votesthat confirmed President Biden’selection.

The fight will test how far Con-gress will be able to go in pressingforward on the investigation in theface of stonewalling by the formerpresident. Should the House ulti-mately approve the referral, as ex-pected, the Justice Departmentwould decide whether to accept itand pursue a criminal case.

So far, the Biden administrationhas taken the unusual step of re-fusing to honor Mr. Trump’sclaims of executive privilege,which can shield White House de-liberations or documents involv-ing the president from disclosure.

Mr. Bannon informed the panellast week that he would defy asubpoena, in accordance with a di-rective from Mr. Trump, who hastold former aides and advisersthat they should not cooperate be-cause the information requestedis privileged.

“Mr. Bannon has declined to co-

Bannon FacingContempt VoteBy Jan. 6 Panel

By LUKE BROADWATERand KATIE BENNER

Continued on Page A14

MEG MCLAUGHLIN/QUAD CITY TIMES, VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS

After rejecting a contract proposal, some 10,000 employees went on strike on Thursday. Page B1.Workers at John Deere Walk

A show at the Met looks at artists whoredrew the map of the provocative artmovement. Above, “Untitled” by CeciliaPorras and Enrique Grau. PAGE C1

WEEKEND ARTS C1-16

Surrealism Across the GlobeNew York’s food delivery workers areforming watch groups to deter robberswho covet their electric bikes. PAGE B1

BUSINESS B1-6

Banding Together for SafetyA predawn blaze in a partly abandoned13-story building killed at least 46 in theport city of Kaohsiung. PAGE A4

INTERNATIONAL A4-8

Dozens Die in Taiwan Fire

A horrific collision on the Olympic BMXtrack this summer in Tokyo left ConnorFields with serious brain trauma, afractured memory and a lot of questionsabout the future. PAGE B10

SPORTS B7-10, 12

The Crash and the RecoveryIn the Middle East and Latin America,companies are increasing production asU.S. and European companies cut backover climate concerns. PAGE A10

NATIONAL A9-15

Rise of State-Owned Oil

Theresa Rebeck PAGE A17

OPINION A16-17

When the Dodgers and Giants met inGame 5 on Thursday, it was just thesixth time that teams with 100 or morevictories faced off in a do-or-die post-season game. PAGE B8

First to 110 Wins Moves OnDemocrats believe that even if newsafety-net programs aren’t permanent,they will become so popular that Con-gress won’t allow them to end. PAGE A11

Betting on Temporary Benefits

Federal prosecutors say Mark Forknerdeceived the F.A.A. about the troubled737 Max airliner. PAGE B3

Pilot Indicted in 737 InquiryA jury found that Robert Durst, subjectof HBO’s “The Jinx,” killed a friend in2000 because of what she knew abouthis wife’s disappearance. PAGE A9

Real Estate Scion Sentenced

Before a climate change summit, aUnited Nations conference on biodiver-sity got underway this week. PAGE A5

2nd Potential Existential Crisis

Late Edition

VOL. CLXXI . . . No. 59,212 + © 2021 The New York Times Company NEW YORK, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2021

Today, clouds and sunshine, unsea-sonably warm, high 77. Tonight,mostly cloudy, low 66. Tomorrow,cloudy, showers and thunderstorms,high 78. Weather map, Page B12.

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