Miss.

N.C.

Okla.

Va.W.Va.

La.

Mich.

Mass.Idaho

Fla.

Neb.

Wash.

N.M.

S.D.

Texas

Calif.

Ala. Ga.

Pa.

Mo.

Colo.

Utah

Tenn.

Wyo.

N.Y.

Kan.

Alaska

Nev.

Ill.

Vt.

Mont.

Iowa

S.C.

N.H.

Ariz.

N.J.

Md.

Maine

Hawaii

Del.

R.I.

Ky.

Ohio

Wis.

Ore.

N.D.

Ark.

Ind.

Minn.

Conn.

New York City(five boroughs)33,348 deaths

Harris County6,513 deaths

Maricopa County10,157 deaths

Cook County10,982 deaths

Wayne County5,114 deaths

Los Angeles County24,433 deaths

Miami-Dade County6,472 deaths

King County1,617 deaths

1,000 10,000Total Covid-19 deaths by countyas of 1 p.m. Tuesday

The pace of every 100,000 deaths nationwide

CHARLIE SMART, LAUREN LEATHERBY AND BILL MARSH/THE NEW YORK TIMESSource: Reports from state and local health agencies

FEB. 22,2021

JAN. 19,2021

DEC. 14,2020

SEPT. 22,2020

MAY 27,2020

FEB. 29, 2020: FIRST REPORT OF A U.S. DEATH

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

89days

118days

to reach200,000

to reach300,000

to reach400,000

to reach500,000

to reach600,000

At least

to reach100,000

U.S. deaths

83days

36days

34days

113days

According to a New York Times database of Covid-19 fatalities, the countryis nearing a death toll of 600,000. The first reported coronavirus death wason Feb. 29, 2020, in Washington State. Several people are now known tohave died earlier in February, and scientists believe others died from thevirus before then, when the cause was unknown.

A Once Unfathomable Toll

C M Y K Nxxx,2021-06-16,A,001,Bs-4C,E1

U(D54G1D)y+?!,!@!$!#

The governors of New York andCalifornia, the states hit earliestand hardest by the pandemic, tri-umphantly announced on Tues-day that they had lifted virtuallyall coronavirus restrictions onbusinesses and social gatheringsas both states hit milestones invaccinating their residents.

In New York, where 70 percentof adults have received at leastone dose of the vaccine, the orderfrom Gov. Andrew M. Cuomomeans that restaurants will nolonger be forced to space tablessix feet apart, movie theaters willbe allowed to pack their auditori-ums without spacing seats apart,and entering commercial build-ings won’t require a temperaturecheck.

“This is a momentous day, andwe deserve it because it has beena long, long road,” Mr. Cuomo saidat the World Trade Center inLower Manhattan on Tuesday,adding that the changes meant a“return to life as we know it.”

In California, where 72 percentof adults have received at leastone dose of the vaccine, Gov. Gav-in Newsom called Tuesday “re-opening day,” as he lifted similarcapacity limits on businesses andsocial distancing requirements,with some exceptions.

Businesses in both states, how-ever, will still have the option of re-quiring health precautions ontheir premises. The two gover-nors, both Democrats who are fac-ing political difficulties, madetheir announcements at eventsthat seemed more like rallies thannews conferences.

For all the celebration, however,the nation was also poised toreach 600,000 dead from the co-ronavirus, a grim reminder of thevirus’s painful toll even as Ameri-cans begin to enjoy a summerwith significantly fewer limita-tions, if any, on their ability to live,work and socialize. More than63,000 have died from the virus inCalifornia, while in New York thatnumber has reached nearly53,000 — the two highest totals inthe country.

Yet both governors took the op-portunity to look ahead.

In a 45-minute speech, Mr.Cuomo, who is facing multiple in-vestigations and the possibility ofan impeachment proceeding,highlighted many of his pet infra-structure projects, embraced po-litical supporters and announceda display of fireworks statewidescheduled for Tuesday night.

Mr. Newsom, who is facing a re-call campaign, but has seen his ap-proval ratings improve as the pan-

‘MOMENTOUS’: NEW YORK AND CALIFORNIA OPENLifting Most Limits

on Businesses andSocial Events

By LUIS FERRÉ-SADURNÍand SHAWN HUBLER

Continued on Page A15

It is a number that once seemedunimaginable.

In the next few days, the UnitedStates will surpass 600,000 deathsfrom Covid-19, the highest knowndeath toll in the world. The mile-stone approaches even though vi-rus cases and deaths in this coun-try have sharply fallen, vaccina-tions have been distributedwidely, and many people haveshed their masks and resumedprepandemic lives.

Yet the coronavirus remains ag-onizingly present for those whoknew the hundreds across thecountry still dying of it each day.

In April, one of the victims wasToni Gallo, 67, of Valparaiso, Ind.,who had been sick with the virusfor five months. “The world haslost a loving shining star,” her obit-uary read. On May 26, the corona-virus claimed the life of FrankSanchez Jr., a 61-year-old Armyveteran from Nekimi, Wis.; hewas a union leader and lover ofmusic who had built a successfulD.J. business with his wife. Lastweek, Officer Ryan Barham, 43, ofthe Susanville, Calif., police diedfrom the virus, the departmentannounced.

Though the sheer number ofdeaths in the United States ishigher than anywhere else, thecountry’s toll is lower, on a percapita basis, than in many Euro-pean and Latin American coun-tries, including Peru, Brazil, Bel-gium and Italy. It is 10 times thetoll that former President DonaldJ. Trump once predicted.

“It’s a tragedy,” said StephenMorse, a professor of epidemiolo-gy at the Columbia UniversityMedical Center. “A lot of that trag-edy was avoidable, and it’s stillhappening.”

In the early days of the pan-demic, federal officials hadshocked the country by announc-ing at a White House briefing thateven with strict stay-at-home or-ders, the virus might kill as manyas 240,000 Americans.

“As sobering a number as thatis, we should be prepared for it,”Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’stop infectious disease expert, saidat the time.

The first known death from thecoronavirus in the United Statesoccurred in February 2020. By theend of that May, 100,000 peoplehad been confirmed dead, an av-erage of more than 1,100 deathseach day.

Over the next four months, thenation recorded another 100,000deaths. Then the pace of casu-alties accelerated: The next100,000 deaths came in about

Nation Approaching600,000 Deaths,Despite Progress

By DAN LEVINand JULIE BOSMAN

Continued on Page A14

WASHINGTON — An hour be-fore President Donald J. Trumpannounced in December thatWilliam P. Barr would step downas attorney general, the presidentbegan pressuring Mr. Barr’s even-tual replacement to have the Jus-tice Department take up his falseclaims of election fraud.

Mr. Trump sent an email via his

assistant to Jeffrey A. Rosen, theincoming acting attorney general,that contained documents pur-porting to show evidence of elec-tion fraud in northern Michigan —the same claims that a federaljudge had thrown out a week earli-er in a lawsuit filed by one of Mr.Trump’s personal lawyers.

Another email from Mr. Trumpto Mr. Rosen followed two weekslater, again via the president’s as-

sistant, that included a draft of abrief that Mr. Trump wanted theJustice Department to file to theSupreme Court. It argued, amongother things, that state officialshad used the pandemic to weaken

election security and pave theway for widespread electionfraud.

The draft echoed claims in alawsuit in Texas by the Trump-al-lied state attorney general thatthe justices had thrown out, and alawyer who had helped on that ef-fort later tried with increasing ur-gency to track down Mr. Rosen atthe Justice Department, saying he

In Emails, Trump Pressed Justice Dept. on False Election ClaimsBy KATIE BENNER Flouting Norms in Effort

to Subvert the Vote

Continued on Page A17

With concerns rising over vio-lent crime in New York City, theRev. Al Sharpton posed a sensitivequestion to several mayoral can-didates at a recent forum inHarlem: Would they consider em-bracing the stop-and-frisk polic-ing tactic as part of their publicsafety strategy?

“Is that a serious question,Rev.?” said Maya Wiley, a civilrights lawyer. “We are not goingbackward to what beat us, whatbroke our ankles, busted our jawsand put our kids in jail for pov-erty.”

But Eric Adams, a former policeofficer who, like Ms. Wiley, isBlack, saw the issue differently.

“It’s a constitutional policy giv-en to law enforcement officers,” hesaid, while quickly acknowledg-

ing that the police had been al-lowed to abuse it by stopping peo-ple without probable cause.

The sharp increase in shootingsand homicides in New York hasmade crime the No. 1 issue for vot-ers this year, polls show, but thatconcern is being felt even more

In the Battle for Black Voters,Policing Is a Fundamental Issue

By JEFFERY C. MAYS

Continued on Page A12

Black voters make up morethan a quarter of the electorate.

VICTOR J. BLUE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

After one of Gov. Andrew M.Cuomo’s most trusted aides andclosest friends, Joseph Percoco,was convicted of soliciting and ac-cepting more than $300,000 inbribes from executives with busi-ness before the state, the gover-nor quickly distanced himself.

There would be “no tolerance”for corruption, he said, calling Mr.Percoco’s behavior the opposite ofeverything he hoped his adminis-tration represented.

“The rule of law is paramount,”Mr. Cuomo said in 2018, a fewmonths before Mr. Percoco wassentenced to prison. “Joe Percocois paying the price for violatingthe public trust.”

Privately, however, members ofthe governor’s inner circle — in-

cluding one of his sisters — havefor years been quietly raisingmoney for Mr. Percoco, accordingto interviews and newly obtainedemails.

As recently as last year, thegroup was helping to fund Mr. Per-coco’s appeal of his conviction, af-

Cuomo’s Intimates Raised Funds For Ex-Aide Convicted of Graft

By BRIAN M. ROSENTHALand J. DAVID GOODMAN

Continued on Page A13

Joseph Percoco, left, and Gov.Andrew M. Cuomo in 2013.

MIKE GROLL/ASSOCIATED PRESS

GENEVA — For 70 years,meetings between Americanpresidents and Soviet or Russianleaders were dominated by one

looming threat: thevast nuclear ar-senals that the two

nations started amassing in the1940s, as instruments of intimi-dation and, if deterrence failed,mutual annihilation.

Now, as President Biden pre-pares to meet with PresidentVladimir V. Putin here in Genevaon Wednesday, for the first timecyberweapons are being elevat-ed to the top of the agenda.

The shift has been brewing fora decade, as Russia and theUnited States, the two mostskilled adversaries in the cyber-arena, have each turned to a

growing arsenal of techniques inwhat has become a daily, low-level conflict. But at summitmeetings, that sort of joustingwas usually treated as a side-show to the main superpowercompetition.

No more. The rising tempo and

Biden’s Priority in Facing PutinIs Digital, Not Nuclear, Threat

By DAVID E. SANGER

Continued on Page A7

Vladimir V. Putin won’t admitRussia uses cyberweapons.

MAXIM BLINOV/SPUTNIK, VIA GETTY IMAGES

NEWSANALYSIS

Martin Yan, whose PBS show taughtmany Americans how to cook Chinesefood, is as energetic as ever. PAGE D1

FOOD D1-8

Not Slowing DownThe net worth of MacKenzie Scott, whoannounced $2.74 billion in new grants,has increased to roughly $60 billion,according to Forbes. PAGE B1

BUSINESS B1-7

Difficult to Give It All AwayThe Southern Baptists elected a moder-ate pastor from Alabama, narrowlyheading off a takeover by the denomi-nation’s insurgent right wing. PAGE A18

NATIONAL A11-18

Moderate Leader for Baptists

Baseball Reference has added Negroleagues stats to its site, letting fans putthe game’s numbers in context. PAGE B10

SPORTSWEDNESDAY B8-12

Updating Baseball’s StatisticsIsrael hit Gaza with airstrikes after aprovocative Jewish gathering in Pales-tinian areas of Jerusalem. PAGE A10

INTERNATIONAL A4-10

Rocket Attack in Gaza

The Brooklyn Marathon, set for April 24on a course totally in the borough, aimsfor 18,000 to 20,000 runners. PAGE B11

A New Race for New YorkVaccination campaigns in Japan, SouthKorea and Australia are belatedly start-ing to pick up steam. PAGE A4

Asia Lags on Inoculations

Lina Khan, who attracted notice for herscrutiny of Amazon, was confirmed bythe Senate and was named chairwomanby President Biden. PAGE B1

Big-Tech Critic to Head F.T.C. Two methods are all you need to cooksummer’s bounty, like broccoli, aspara-gus, cauliflower or tomatoes. PAGE D1

How to Grill Any Vegetable

An investigation into Allen Weisselberg,the Trump Organization’s finance chief,appears to be nearing an end. PAGE A18

Charges for Trump Executive?

Thomas L. Friedman PAGE A20

OPINION A20-21

An agreement, coming as PresidentBiden met European leaders, settled a17-year dispute over aircraft subsidies.The focus shifts to China’s rise. PAGE B1

Trade Spat With E.U. Ends

Over 53 years, Jack B. Weinstein dis-played bold jurisprudence and an out-size personality. He was 99. PAGE A22

OBITUARIES A19, 22

Judge With an Activist Streak

Late Edition

VOL. CLXX . . . . No. 59,091 © 2021 The New York Times Company NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2021

Today, plenty of sunshine, less hu-mid than recent days, high 78. To-night, mostly clear, light winds, low58. Tomorrow, mostly sunny, dry,high 77. Weather map, Page B12.

$3.00