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As the sun began to rise on a swelteringsummer morning in Las Vegas last year, apolice officer spotted Byron Williams bicy-cling along a road west of downtown.

The bike did not have a light on it, so offi-cers flipped on their siren and shouted forhim to stop. Mr. Williams fled through a va-cant lot and over a wall before complyingwith orders to drop face down in the dirt,where officers used their hands and knees to

pin him down. “I can’t breathe,” he gasped.He repeated it 17 times before he later lapsedinto unconsciousness and died.

Eric Garner, another black man, had saidthe same three anguished words in 2014 aftera police officer who had stopped him for sell-ing untaxed cigarettes held him in a choke-hold on a New York sidewalk. “I can’tbreathe,” George Floyd pleaded in May, ap-pealing to the Minneapolis police officer whoresponded to reports of a phony $20 bill andplanted a knee in the back of his neck until hislife had slipped away.

Mr. Floyd’s dying words have prompted anational outcry over law enforcement’s

deadly toll on African-American people, andthey have united much of the country in asense of outrage that a police officer wouldnot heed a man’s appeal for something as ba-sic as air.

But while the cases of Mr. Garner and Mr.Floyd shocked the nation, dozens of otherepisodes with a remarkable common denom-inator have gone widely unacknowledged.Over the past decade, The New York Timesfound, at least 70 people have died in law en-forcement custody after saying the samewords — “I can’t breathe.” The dead rangedin age from 19 to 65. The majority of them had

In 70 Deaths in Police Custody, the Same Three Gasped Words

This article is by Mike Baker, JenniferValentino-DeVries, Manny Fernandez and Mi-chael LaForgia.

‘No, sir.’

‘I can’t breathe.’

‘OK.’

‘I can’t breathe!’

‘You can breathe.’ ‘If you’re talkin’, you’re breathin’.’

Willie Ray Banks died in custody on Dec. 29, 2011.

Continued on Page A12

WASHINGTON — The Su-preme Court on Monday struckdown a Louisiana law that couldhave left the state with a singleabortion clinic, dashing the hopesof conservatives who were count-ing on President Trump’s appoint-ments to lead the court to sustainrestrictions on abortion rightsand, eventually, to overrule Roe v.Wade.

Instead, conservatives suffereda setback, and from an unlikelysource. Chief Justice John G. Rob-erts Jr. added his crucial fifth voteto those of the court’s four-mem-ber liberal wing, saying that re-spect for precedent compelledhim to do so, even though he hadvoted to uphold an essentiallyidentical Texas law in a 2016 dis-sent.

In the past two weeks, the chief

justice has voted with the court’sliberal wing in three major cases:on job discrimination against les-bian, gay, bisexual and transgen-der workers, on a program pro-tecting young undocumented im-migrants known as Dreamers andnow on abortion. While he has onoccasion disappointed his usualconservative allies, notably on theAffordable Care Act and adding acitizenship question to the census,nothing in his 15-year tenure onthe court compares to the recentrun of liberal votes in major cases.

Conservatives reacted withfury. “Chief Justice Roberts is at itagain with his political games-manship,” Senator Ted Cruz, Re-publican of Texas, said on Twitter.“This time he has sided with abor-tion extremists who care moreabout providing abortion-on-de-mand than protecting women’s

ROBERTS IS PIVOTAL AS COURT TOPPLESABORTION BARRIER

5-4 Decision in FirstSuch Case With 2

Trump Picks

By ADAM LIPTAK

Continued on Page A18

Chief Justice John G. RobertsJr. voted with the liberal wing.

JIM YOUNG/REUTERS

American officials provided awritten briefing in late Februaryto President Trump laying outtheir conclusion that a Russianmilitary intelligence unit offeredand paid bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill U.S. and co-alition troops in Afghanistan, twoofficials familiar with the mattersaid.

The investigation into the sus-pected Russian covert operationto incentivize such killings has fo-cused in part on an April 2019 carbombing that killed three Marinesas one such potential attack, ac-cording to multiple officials famil-iar with the matter.

The new information emergedas the White House tried on Mon-day to play down the intelligenceassessment that Russia sought to

encourage and reward killings —including reiterating a claim thatMr. Trump was never briefedabout the matter and portrayingthe conclusion as disputed and du-bious.

But that stance clashed with thedisclosure by two officials that theintelligence was included monthsago in Mr. Trump’s President’sDaily Brief document — a compi-lation of the government’s latestsecrets and best insights aboutforeign policy and national securi-ty that is prepared for him to read.One of the officials said the itemappeared in Mr. Trump’s brief inlate February; the other citedFeb. 27, specifically.

Moreover, a description of theintelligence assessment that theRussian unit had carried out thebounties plot was also seen as se-rious and solid enough to dissemi-nate more broadly across the in-telligence community in a May 4

Trump Given Brief in FebruaryAbout Possible Russian BountiesThis article is by Charlie Savage,

Eric Schmitt, Nicholas Fandos andAdam Goldman.

Continued on Page A10

SACRAMENTO — Only a fewweeks ago, thousands of SouthernCalifornians were flocking tobeaches, Disneyland was an-nouncing it would soon reopenand Whoopi Goldberg was laud-ing Gov. Gavin Newsom on “TheView” for the state’s progress incombating the coronavirus. Theworst, many in California thought,was behind them.

In fact, an alarming surge incases up and down the state wasonly just beginning.

Over the past week California’scase count has exploded, surpass-ing 200,000 known infections, andforcing Mr. Newsom to roll backthe state’s reopening in somecounties. On Monday, he said thenumber of people hospitalized inCalifornia had risen 43 percentover the past two weeks.

Los Angeles County, which hasbeen averaging more than 2,000new cases each day, surpassed100,000 total cases on Monday,with the virus actively infectingone in every 140 people, accordingto local health officials. More than2,800 cases were announced in thecounty on Monday, the most ofany day during the pandemic.

On Sunday, Mr. Newsom shutdown the bars in a half-dozencounties, including Los AngelesCounty and in the Central Valley,and recommended that anothereight counties voluntarily closetheir nightspots and gathering

As Californians Eased Up, VirusRoared Back In

By SHAWN HUBLERand THOMAS FULLER

Continued on Page A8

NAIROBI, Kenya — JamesGichina started out 15 years agoas a driver shuttling travelersfrom the airport, worked his wayup to safari guide, and with thehelp of some bank loans, boughttwo minivans of his own to ferryvacationers around.

His clients were, as he is, mem-bers of Africa’s growing middleclass — bankers from Nigeria,tech entrepreneurs from South Af-rica, and fellow Kenyans whocould finally afford trips to enjoytheir own country’s beaches andwildlife preserves.

But when the coronavirus pan-demic cratered the tourist indus-

try and the economy, Mr. Gichinaremoved the seats from hisminibus and started using it tohawk eggs and vegetables. Withwhat he now earns, he said, he canbarely afford to pay rent, buy foodor send his 9-year-old son toschool.

“We have been working hard tobuild better lives,” Mr. Gichina, 35,said of his colleagues in the touristsector. Now, he said, “We have

nothing.”As the coronavirus surges in

many countries in Africa, it isthreatening to push as many as 58million people in the region intoextreme poverty, experts at theWorld Bank say. But beyond thedevastating consequences for thecontinent’s most vulnerable peo-ple, the pandemic is also whittlingaway at one of Africa’s signatureachievements: the growth of itsmiddle class.

For the last decade, Africa’smiddle class has been pivotal tothe educational, political and eco-nomic development across thecontinent. New business ownersand entrepreneurs have createdjobs that, in turn, gave others a leg

Crisis Threatens to Derail Africa’s Middle ClassBy ABDI LATIF DAHIR

Lockdown rules in Nairobi, Kenya, have whittled away earnings for many in the Eastleigh section.KHADIJA FARAH FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Continued on Page A6

Decades of Growth AreHalted as PandemicShakes Economies

For anti-abortion activists,Monday’s Supreme Court rulingagainst a Louisiana law deliv-ered a stinging and surprisingsetback. But perhaps not forlong.

The anti-abortion movementhas a long pipeline of new casesthat, if taken up by the SupremeCourt, could present a moredirect challenge to Roe v. Wade,the 1973 ruling that establishedfederal protection for abortion.As of June, there were at least 16abortion cases before UnitedStates appeals courts, the laststep before the Supreme Court,according to lawyers at PlannedParenthood Federation of Amer-ica.

The Louisiana case, over a2014 law that required doctorsperforming abortions to haveadmitting privileges at nearbyhospitals, was never envisionedas a way to upend Roe v. Wade.It was one small piece of abroader strategy to restrict abor-tion through myriad state lawsthat put together could chipaway at overall access.

That political project has al-ready significantly done that inlarge areas of the South and theMidwest. And at least five stateshave only one abortion cliniceach left: Mississippi, Missouri,North Dakota, South Dakota andWest Virginia.

The decision on Monday, thefirst major abortion case sincePresident Trump shifted thecourt’s balance of power to theright, also showed for the firsttime that Justices Neil M. Gor-such and Brett M. Kavanaughsided with the anti-abortioncause.

The ruling will only further thepush by social conservatives tore-elect Mr. Trump so he mighthave a third opportunity to nomi-nate a justice in time to rule onmore significant abortion casesworking their way up to theSupreme Court. Many of thoselaws would have a far greaterreach than the Louisiana case.

While legal challenges to abor-tion often take years to reach theSupreme Court, states havecontinued to add to the list, pass-ing dozens of new laws in recentyears. This month, Tennesseepassed a bill that would outlawabortions as early as six weeks

NEWS ANALYSIS

Continued on Page A18

By SABRINA TAVERNISEand ELIZABETH DIAS

A Victory, for Now,for Roe v. Wade

Employers are convinced that remotework has a bright future. Decades ofsetbacks suggest otherwise. PAGE B1

BUSINESS B1-6

Telecommuting’s Rocky Past

The pro-Trump subreddit broke hatespeech rules, said the message board,which also banned other groups. PAGE B1

Reddit Bans ‘The_Donald’

Under an agreement with the govern-ment, Remdesivir will be sold to hospi-tals for $3,120 per treatment course forpatients with private insurance. PAGE A5

TRACKING AN OUTBREAK A4-8

Prices Set for Drug in U.S.New calculations suggest that 14.6million properties are at risk of severeflooding, far more than the 8.7 millionshown on federal flood maps. PAGE A20

NATIONAL A12-21

Data Finds Higher Flood Risks

The pandemic closed their showrooms,but instrument dealers across the coun-try reported robust business. PAGE C1

ARTS C1-7

Surprise Boom in Piano SalesScientists have linked historical politicalinstability to volcanic events, includingan eruption in the Aleutian Islands andthe fall of the Roman Republic. PAGE D1

SCIENCE TIMES D1-8

A Volcano’s Ripple EffectBy getting Cam Newton to replace TomBrady at quarterback, New England’scoach, Bill Belichick, again figures it allout, Ben Shpigel writes. PAGE B7

SPORTSTUESDAY B7-8

The Patriot Way: Find a Way

A 24-year-old human rights workerjoins a long list of those who died tryingto help their country. PAGE A11

INTERNATIONAL A9-11

Quieting a Young Afghan Voice

New rules and designs will aim to re-duce risks as plazas, parks and otherpublic areas fill up again. PAGE A7

New Yorkers Need Some Space

A chat with Milton Glaser, who, until hisdeath at 91, was still thinking of how tobring his ailing city “Together.” PAGE C1

A Designer’s Unseen Project

Michelle Goldberg PAGE A22

EDITORIAL, OP-ED A22-23

EATING OUT New York and NewJersey officials backed away fromplans for indoor dining. PAGE A7

Late Edition

VOL. CLXIX . . . No. 58,740 © 2020 The New York Times Company NEW YORK, TUESDAY, JUNE 30, 2020

Today, clouds and sun, showers orthunderstorms later, high 83. To-night, showers, thunderstorms, low68. Tomorrow, showers, storms,high 82. Weather map, Page C8.

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