WASHINGTON — SenateDemocrats tore into PresidentTrump’s Supreme Court nomineeon Tuesday, painting Judge BrettM. Kavanaugh as a narrow-minded partisan as the openingday of his confirmation hearingsverged on pandemonium. Dozensof screaming protesters werehauled out of the hearing room inhandcuffs.

The verbal brawl began mo-ments after the hearings began.Democrats, furious at being de-nied access to records related toJudge Kavanaugh, immediatelyinterrupted the chairman of theSenate Judiciary Committee,Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, de-manding time to consider tens ofthousands of pages of documentsreleased late Monday — the nightbefore the hearing.

Judge Kavanaugh, who finallyhad the microphone hours later,portrayed himself as an impartialjurist and affable family man.

“I am not a pro-plaintiff or pro-defendant judge,” Judge Kava-naugh told the committee. “I’mnot a pro-prosecution or pro-de-fense judge. I am a pro-law judge.”

But the hearings were domi-nated by Democratic theatricsand crackling protests. For morethan an hour at the outset, irateDemocrats and a frustrated Mr.Grassley parried back and forth.Senator Richard Blumenthal,Democrat of Connecticut, de-nounced the hearing as “a cha-rade and a mockery” and repeat-edly moved to adjourn, while Mr.Grassley ruled him out of orderover and over again.

At one point, Senator JohnCornyn, Republican of Texas, ac-cused Democrats of engaging in“mob rule.”

Protesters, most of them wom-en, shouted down senators; byday’s end, Capitol Police said a to-tal of 70 people had been arrested,including nine outside the room.

It was a chaotic start to whatwould ordinarily be a staid, albeitdeeply consequential, process.And barring an astounding reve-lation, the path remains clear forJudge Kavanaugh’s ultimate con-firmation — probably this month.If he is confirmed, he could shapeAmerican jurisprudence for dec-ades to come, replacing the re-tired Justice Anthony M. Ken-nedy, a critical swing vote on divi-sive matters like same-sex mar-riage and abortion, with anunabashed conservative.

The session, which mostly set-tled down by the afternoon, alsogave Americans their first ex-tended glimpse of Judge Kava-naugh, 53, who brought his family— his wife and two daughters, hisparents, an aunt and uncle andsome cousins — along with him.He talked about going to ballgames with his father and coach-ing his daughter in basketball,drawing bipartisan smiles when

DEMOCRATS HURLFIERCE BARRAGEAT COURT CHOICE

RANCOR IN THE SENATE

Accused of Partisanship,Kavanaugh Says He’s

‘a Pro-Law Judge’

By SHERYL GAY STOLBERGand ADAM LIPTAK

DOUG MILLS/THE NEW YORK TIMES

ERIC THAYER FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

“I’m not a pro-prosecution or pro-defense judge,” Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh said as his confirmation hearings began Tuesday in theSenate. Some protesters dressed in outfits from the dystopian series “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Others shouted and were removed.

ERIN SCHAFF FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

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MOSCOW — Russia’s vast se-curity apparatus often displays itspower through brutal actions:burly police officers in riot gearpummeling protesters or mysteri-ous thugs assaulting and occa-sionally assassinating oppositionpoliticians and journalists.

A gentler, more insidious face of

the system, however, belongs tothe courteous, smiling, well-dressed man who, carrying a bou-quet of flowers, showed up earlylast month out of the blue at theninth-floor Moscow apartment ofNataliya Gryaznevich.

The man, who introduced him-self only as “Andrei,” told Ms.Gryaznevich, a 29-year-old em-ployee of a pro-democracy groupcalled Open Russia, that he would

like to invite her out for coffee anda friendly chat. “It seems that youreally like coffee,” he said, hintingthat he knew lots of other thingsabout her, too.

“He acted like an old friend Ididn’t recognize,” Ms.Gryaznevich recalled.

Though initially mystified, sherecognized what was going onwhen they met, and he pepperedher with questions about her trips

abroad and her foreign contacts.“Andrei,” she realized, was tryingto recruit her as an informer.

“‘Let’s be friends,’” she remem-bers him urging. “‘Think aboutyourself. You want to make a ca-reer, and you can go far with us onyour side.’”

Her account of the recruitmentpitch, which she said was made

The Kremlin Wants Some Secrets. Agents Reach for the Flowers.By ANDREW HIGGINS

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WASHINGTON — PresidentTrump so alarmed his defensesecretary, Jim Mattis, during adiscussion last January of the nu-clear standoff with North Koreathat an exasperated Mr. Mattistold colleagues “the presidentacted like — and had the under-standing of — a ‘fifth or sixthgrader.’”

At another moment, Mr.Trump’s aides became so worriedabout his judgment that Gary D.Cohn, then the chief economic ad-viser, took a letter from the presi-dent’s Oval Office desk authoriz-ing the withdrawal of the United

States from a trade agreementwith South Korea. Mr. Trump, whohad planned to sign the letter,never realized it was missing.

These anecdotes are in asprawling, highly anticipatedbook by Bob Woodward that de-picts the Trump White House as abyzantine, treacherous, often out-of-control operation — “crazy-town,” in the words of the chief ofstaff, John F. Kelly — hostage tothe whims of an impulsive, ill-in-formed and undisciplined presi-dent.

The New York Times obtained a

Woodward’s Sprawling ExposéDepicts White House in Chaos

By MARK LANDLER and MAGGIE HABERMAN

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Nike has long relied on contro-versy in marketing an image ofedgy youthfulness. The companyhad Charles Barkley declare thathe was not a role model and TigerWoods remind people that somecountry clubs would turn himaway because of his skin color. Itdressed the tennis player AndreAgassi in jean shorts.

This week Nike returned to thattradition, revealing Colin Kaeper-nick, the polarizing former N.F.L.quarterback, as a face of a majornew marketing campaign hon-oring the 30th anniversary of itsiconic “Just Do It” slogan, a movethat may prove to be its most con-troversial yet.

In an era rife with divisive poli-tical discourse, most major publiccompanies try to avoid takingstances that could make cus-tomers angry, particularly whenrabid social media campaigns cancast any decision into a larger so-cial statement. Yet Nike hassigned Mr. Kaepernick, perhapsthe most divisive American ath-

Take a Big RiskOn an Activist?Nike Just Did It

This article is by Kevin Draper, Ju-lie Creswell and Sapna Mahesh-wari.

Continued on Page A13

Turkey legs, funnel cakes and corn dogs:The photographer David Williams hasput his waistline at risk with a tour ofAmerica’s state fairs. PAGE D1

FOOD D1-8

Deep-Fried ExceptionalismRuby slippers worn by Judy Garland in“The Wizard of Oz” have been found 13years after they were stolen. PAGE A12

NATIONAL A12-18

Click Together Three Times

A critic recalls time spent with thechoreographer Paul Taylor. “I don’t doautobiographical,” he once said, adding,“I make up dreams.” PAGE C1

ARTS C1-6

Requiem for a Dream MakerIt’s not easy to recognize deceptivesocial media posts. Take our quiz to seeif you can spot the posts from fakeFacebook pages. PAGE B1

BUSINESS DAY B1-7

Real or Impostor?The Nepali government says that fraud-ulent claims and unneeded helicopterevacuations have cost insurance com-panies millions of dollars. PAGE A4

INTERNATIONAL A4-11

Preying on Mountain Climbers

Anastasija Sevastova beat the defend-ing U.S. Open champion SloaneStephens. As a reward, she’ll face Sere-na Williams in the semifinals. PAGE B8

SPORTSWEDNESDAY B8-12

Talk About a Tough Road

Thomas L. Friedman PAGE A25

EDITORIAL, OP-ED A24-25

The New Yorker Festival became aflash point for questions of free speechwhen it canceled an interview withStephen K. Bannon. PAGE B1

Invitation Roils The New Yorker

Amazon hit $1 trillion in value, followingApple’s lead last month. The reasons forAmazon’s rise are more complicatedthan Apple’s. PAGE B1

Amazon Joins Apple’s Club

Sea gulls have invaded homes andtargeted the Vatican’s peace doves.There’s also the stench. PAGE A6

Ruling the Roost in Rome

Randy Credico, a comedian and RogerStone’s sometime sidekick, is to appearbefore a Mueller grand jury. PAGE A19

NEW YORK A19-21

A Good First Impression?

WASHINGTON — If PresidentTrump is worried that he could beimpeached should Democratstake control of the House in themidterm elections, he is not ac-ting like it. If anything lately, heseems to be offering more exam-ples for his opponents to useagainst him.

His tweet over the holidayweekend chastising Jeff Sessions,the attorney general, for theJustice Department’s recentindictments of two Republicancongressmen because it couldcost the party seats in Novembercrossed lines that even he had notyet breached, asserting thatspecific continuing criminal pros-ecutions should be decided on thebasis of partisan advantage.

Shocking as many legal andpolitical figures found it — oneRepublican senator compared itto “banana republic” thinking —the message by itself might notrise to the level of high crimesand misdemeanors required forimpeachment because it could beconstrued as commentary ratherthan an order. But legal scholarsand some lawmakers said it couldbe one more exhibit in trying toprove a pattern of obstruction orreckless disregard for the rule oflaw in a future impeachmentproceeding.

“I think it was appalling,” Sena-tor Susan Collins of Maine, an-other Republican, told reportersasking on Tuesday about thetweet. “It’s unbelievable. It’sunbelievable.”

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse,Democrat of Rhode Island and aformer United States attorney,said “rare is the case that youmake with one item of evidence,”but the president’s commentcould be “potentially additionalevidence of corrupt intent in anobstruction of justice prosecu-tion.”

With a Barb,Trump BlursA Legal Line

Jab at Sessions CouldBe Seen as Interfering

NEWS ANALYSIS

By PETER BAKERand NICHOLAS FANDOS

The president faulted AttorneyGeneral Jeff Sessions in a post.

ERIC THAYER FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

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BOSTON — Ayanna Pressleyupended the Massachusetts poli-tical order on Tuesday, scoring astunning upset of 10-term Repre-sentative Michael Capuano andpositioning herself to become thefirst African-American woman torepresent the state in Congress.

Ms. Pressley’s triumph was insync with a restless political cli-mate that has fueled victories forunderdogs, women and minoritieselsewhere this election season,and it delivered another starkmessage to the Democratic estab-lishment that newcomers on the

insurgent left were unwilling towait their turn. Ms. Pressley pro-pelled her candidacy with urgen-cy, arguing that in the age ofTrump, “change can’t wait.”

Her victory carried echoes ofthe surprise win in June by Alex-andria Ocasio-Cortez, whotrounced a longtime House in-cumbent, Joseph Crowley, in New

York. Ms. Pressley is also amongseveral African-American pro-gressives who beat expectations,and in some cases performed farbetter than polling projections;they include Stacey Abrams ofGeorgia, Andrew Gillum of Flor-ida and Ben Jealous of Maryland,who each won the DemocraticParty’s nominations for governor.

There is no Republican on theNovember ballot in this storiedBoston-based district, which wasonce represented by John F. Ken-nedy and is one of the most leftleaning in the country.

Addressing jubilant supporters

Ayanna Pressley beat Michael Capuano, a 10-term representative, in a Democratic House primary.STEVEN SENNE/ASSOCIATED PRESS

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Massachusetts Upset Keeps Heat on IncumbentsBy KATHARINE Q. SEELYE A Win Is in Sync With

an Insurgent Left’sPush for Change

A white officer’s murder trial lays baredeep distrust over the Chicago police’streatment of black residents. PAGE A14

A Painful Reckoning in Chicago

Late EditionToday, mostly sunny, afternoonthunderstorms, humid, high 87. To-night, cloudy, humid, low 76. Tomor-row, afternoon thunderstorms, high91. Weather map is on Page B12.

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