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David Brooks PAGE A27

EDITORIAL, OP-ED A26-27

DES MOINES — Joseph R. Bi-den Jr.’s campaign has quietlyrolled back hundreds of thou-sands of dollars of television adreservations in New Hampshireand South Carolina in recentweeks and redirected the funds tobuy more ads in Iowa instead.

Mr. Biden’s campaign and a su-per PAC supporting him are on

pace to churn through nearly $9million on television ads in Iowaahead of the caucuses on Monday,while spending virtually nothingso far in the other three states thatvote in February. Mr. Biden has

also planted himself in the statethis week, seizing on the Senateimpeachment trial and PresidentTrump’s rally in Des Moines onThursday night to try to convincevoters that Republicans arescared to run against him.

The movement of money andenergy into Iowa is a sign of notonly the opportunity that Mr. Bi-den’s campaign now sees here —he sits in second or first place in

Iowa Could Make or Break Biden’s War ChestBy SHANE GOLDMACHER Seeking Strong Finish

to Lift Donations

Continued on Page A14

LONDON — Britain formallyexits the European Union on Fri-day night, casting off from theContinent after nearly half a cen-tury and ending a debate that hadconvulsed the country for morethan three years. Yet for all thegravity of the moment, there is apalpable sense of anticlimax.

Now that Britain has finally

reached this point of no return —one that millions of Britons hadlong either dreaded or dreamed of,marched against or eagerly pre-pared for — the prevailing emo-tion is neither sadness nor excite-

ment. Rather, it is a characteristi-cally British reflex: Get on with it.

In time, the British are likely todiscover that getting on with itisn’t so easy. For the next 11months, Britain will continue toabide by the European Union’srules and regulations, while it de-cides what sort of Brexit it wantsfor itself. That will be hammeredout in talks with the bloc’s leadersin Brussels over trade relations —

British See Final Approach of Brexit, and ShrugBy MARK LANDLER A Desire to Get Moving

After a Long Fight

Britain will formally leave the European Union tonight at midnight — Brussels time, that is.FRANCISCO SECO/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Continued on Page A10

WASHINGTON — SenatorLamar Alexander, Republican ofTennessee, said late Thursdaythat although he believed thatDemocrats had proved their casethat President Trump acted “in-appropriately” in his dealingswith Ukraine, he did not think thepresident’s actions were impeach-able and would vote against con-sidering new evidence in the im-peachment trial.

Mr. Alexander’s statement wasa strong indication that Republi-cans have lined up the votes toblock a call for more witnessesand documents on Friday andpress toward a quick acquittal inthe third presidential impeach-ment trial in history. His opposi-tion was a significant victory forthe White House and Republicanleaders.

“The question then is notwhether the president did it, butwhether the United States Senateor the American people should de-cide what to do about what he did,”Mr. Alexander said in a late-nightstatement after the conclusion of asecond marathon day of question-ing by senators. “I believe that theConstitution provides that thepeople should make that decisionin the presidential election thatbegins in Iowa on Monday.”

In announcing his stance, Mr.Alexander effectively concededthat the president had engaged ina corrupt effort to leverage tax-payer money to advance his ownpolitical objectives — the basis ofthe abuse of power charge againsthim — but said he had concludedsuch actions were not impeach-able. He called the second charge,obstruction of Congress, “friv-olous.”

“It was inappropriate for thepresident to ask a foreign leaderto investigate his political oppo-nent and to withhold UnitedStates aid to encourage that inves-tigation,” he said in a statement

KEY G.O.P. SENATORWILL OPPOSE MOVEFOR NEW EVIDENCE

Sees Case Made butNot ‘Impeachable’

This article is by Nicholas Fandos,Emily Cochrane and PatriciaMazzei.WASHINGTON — Nothing

would please President Trumpmore than to wrap up his im-peachment trial with supportfrom a handful of Democrats. Hemight get his wish.

As the Senate nears a vote onMr. Trump’s fate, possibly as earlyas Friday, attention has focusedon the few moderate Republicanswho might break ranks by votingto hear from witnesses or perhapseven to convict. But Democratshave their own list of possible de-fectors who could vote to acquit.

They are focusing on four Dem-ocrats from states won by Mr.Trump: Senators Joe Manchin IIIof West Virginia, Kyrsten Sinemaof Arizona, Doug Jones of Ala-bama and Gary Peters of Michi-gan. Should one or more vote toclear the president on either of thecharges he faces, it would handhim a coveted talking point duringan election year — and deliver ablow to Democrats, who lost twovotes in the House when Mr.Trump was impeached in Decem-ber.

“Every one of us knows — and ifour leadership didn’t know, wewould tell them — that this is anindividual decision every senatorhas got to make,” Senator BobCasey, Democrat of Pennsylvania,said in an interview, adding thatDemocrats’ closed-door meetingsdid not include discussions of howmembers would vote. “So I don’tknow how that plays out, or whatthe numbers will be.”

Mr. Jones suggested Wednes-day morning that he was open toacquitting Mr. Trump on one of thecharges, obstruction of Congress,though he said the president’s be-havior was strengthening thecase against him. Mr. Trump is ac-cused of abusing his oath of officeand obstructing Congress in con-nection with his decision to with-hold military aid from Ukrainewhile pressuring that country’sleader to investigate his politicalrivals, and concealing his conductfrom lawmakers.

Eyes on 4 Democrats Who Could Defect

By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG

Continued on Page A18

Senator Mitch McConnell arriving at the Capitol on Thursday.CALLA KESSLER/THE NEW YORK TIMES

Continued on Page A20

In Japan, the hashtag #Chi-neseDon’tComeToJapan has beentrending on Twitter. In Singapore,tens of thousands of residentshave signed a petition calling forthe government to ban Chinesenationals from entering the coun-try.

In Hong Kong, South Korea andVietnam, businesses have postedsigns saying that mainland Chi-nese customers are not welcome.In France, a front-page headline ina regional newspaper warned of a“Yellow Alert.” And in a suburb ofToronto, parents demanded that aschool district keep children of afamily that had recently returnedfrom China out of classes for 17days.

The rapid spread of the coro-navirus that has sickened about

9,800 people — the overwhelmingmajority in China, with all of the213 deaths there — has unleasheda wave of panic and, in somecases, outright anti-Chinese senti-ment across the globe.

While officials scramble to con-tain the crisis — the World HealthOrganization declared a globalhealth emergency and the StateDepartment issued a “do not trav-el” to China advisory — fears overthe dangerous outbreak have fu-eled xenophobia. And the wave ofspreading panic has, at times, faroutstripped practical concerns.

At a time when China’s rise as aglobal economic and militarypower has unsettled its neighborsin Asia as well as its rivals in theWest, the coronavirus is feedinginto latent bigotry against the peo-ple of mainland China.

“Some of the xenophobia islikely undergirded by broader po-litical and economic tensions andanxieties related to China, whichare interacting with more recentfears of contagion,” said KristiGovella, an assistant professor ofAsian studies at the University ofHawaii, Manoa.

Some of the response to the out-break can be seen as a rational cal-culation based on the risk of infec-

Virus Fuels Anti-Chinese Sentiment OverseasBy MOTOKO RICH A Wave of Anxiety

Sweeps the Globeas Cases Surge

Waiting to buy face masks on Thursday in Hong Kong, where some businesses are refusing to serve customers from the mainland.KIN CHEUNG/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Continued on Page A8

New York City’s antiquatedmethod of calculating propertytaxes has long allowed owners ofmultimillion-dollar brownstonesin Brooklyn and high-rise co-opsby Central Park to pay less intaxes than working-class home-owners in the South Bronx, rela-tive to the value of their proper-ties.

Now, a high-level city commis-sion empowered by the mayor andCity Council speaker is proposinga major overhaul that would fun-damentally shift the tax burden tothose wealthier neighborhoodsand reduce it for low- and moder-ate-income homeowners.

In a preliminary report postedonline Thursday, the commissionrecommended that the city assessmost homes, including co-ops andcondominiums, at full market val-ue. Such a formula, while com-monplace in many cities and coun-ties, is foreign to New York City,where property taxes are oftencapped.

The changes, which could affect90 percent of all homeowners inNew York City, according to thecommission chairman, wouldhave to overcome many hurdles,including approvals from themayor, the Council, the State Leg-islature and the governor, beforetaking effect.

The new system would raise thesame amount of tax revenue forthe city; it would just redistributewho pays what.

The inequities in the currentsystem can be stark: A five-bed-

New York PlanMay OverhaulProperty Taxes

This article is by Emma G.Fitzsimmons, Matthew Haag andJeffery C. Mays.

Continued on Page A25

Novak Djokovic swept Roger Federeraside in straight sets to earn a place inthe Australian Open final. PAGE B11

SPORTSFRIDAY B9-12

Djokovic Dominates Federer

Ginni Rometty will be replaced byArvind Krishna, who runs the compa-ny’s cloud computing business. PAGE B1

C.E.O. Leaving IBM

Leaked documents showed the Mexicangovernment’s plans for retooling thejustice system yet again. PAGE A4

INTERNATIONAL A4-11

Another Reboot in Mexico

The failure of the government to rescuestudents who were believed to havebeen kidnapped and forced into thejungle has stirred protests. PAGE A11

Outrage in Ethiopia

The facades on 1,400 buildings in thecity are crumbling, and few landlordsare making repairs. PAGE A24

NEW YORK A24-25

Danger in the Streets

The Trump administration said it wouldallow the limits, probably diminishingthe number of people receiving healthbenefits through the program. PAGE A21

NATIONAL A12-23

States Can Cap Medicaid

The helicopter carrying Kobe Bryantand nine others was not supposed to beflying in poor visibility. PAGE A23

Deficiency in Bryant Crash

Democrats pushed through a packageof gun restrictions in the state, whereattitudes about guns are shifting amiddemographic changes. The governorsays he will sign gun curbs. PAGE A17

Rethinking Guns in Virginia

Tony Bennett, Patti LaBelle, IndianaJones: Halftime at the 1995 Super Bowlwas a lavish, if baffling, affair. PAGE B9

The Temple and the Snakes

Halftime at the Super Bowl demands apop unicorn. Now it’s the actress-dancer-singer Jennifer Lopez’s time. PAGE C1

WEEKEND ARTS C1-24

J. Lo Is Ready for Center Stage

A Metropolitan Museum show tracesthe history and cultural heritage ofkingdoms on the Sahara’s rim. PAGE C15

Wonders of Desert Empires

A Trump administration proposal wouldbar penalties for accidentally killingbirds in the course of business. PAGE B4

BUSINESS B1-8

Easing Rules on Killing Birds

TRAVEL WARNING The StateDepartment advised Americansnot to visit China. PAGE A7

VOL. CLXIX . . . No. 58,589 + © 2020 The New York Times Company NEW YORK, FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 2020

Late EditionToday, sunshine and some clouds,not as cold, high 44. Tonight, in-creasing amounts of clouds, low 37.Tomorrow, a bit of morning rain,high 44. Weather map, Page A22.

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