P2JW290000-6-A00100-17FFFF5178F ****** FRIDAY,OCTOBER 16,2020~VOL. CCLXXVI NO.91 WSJ.com HHHH $4.00 DJIA 28494.20 g 19.80 0.1% NASDAQ 11713.87 g 0.5% STOXX 600 362.91 g 2.1% 10-YR. TREAS. g 3/32 , yield 0.730% OIL $40.96 g $0.08 GOLD $1,903.20 À $1.90 EURO $1.1709 YEN 105.45 Trump and Biden Field Questions in Dueling TV Forums Jobless What’s News Claims Point to Business&Finance Slowing ew jobless-benefits ap- Nplications rose last week to the highest level sincelate Rebound August, as fresh layoffs add to other signs the economic GES recovery is losing steam IMA New applications amid the pandemic. A1 GETTY reach a recent high, Softwareexecutive Rob- SE/ adding to signs of a ert T. Brockman wascharged with hiding about $2 billion cooling recovery in income from U.S. taxau- ANCE-PRES FR thorities over 20 years. A1 BY SARAH CHANEY ENCE LVMH said strong growth AG AND GWYNN GUILFORD at itsbiggest fashion brands ON/ buoyedquarterly revenue, TS Thenumber of people in partly offsetting steep drops WA the U.S. filing newapplications in other luxurysegments. B1 JIM forunemployment benefits S; rose last week to the highest MorgaN Stanley said its PRES level sincelateAugust, as third-quarter profit rose 25%, TED fresh layoffs add to other signs another big U.S. bank to CIA SO the economic recovery is los- skateunscathed through the AS ing steam amid the pandemic. rockiest economyinyears. B1 CI/ Claims increased to Petrochemical makers VUC 898,000 last week,holding AN are pausing multibillion- EV well abovethe pre-pandemic dollar U.S. expansions as : high point of 695,000, the La- the pandemic subdues what LEFT bor Department reported had been rapid growth in OM Thursday. Afterdeclining from FR demand for plastics. B1 REMOTE RIVALRY: President Trump and his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, took part in separate town halls Thursday apeak of near seven million in night hosted by rival networks. The candidates laid out their sharply differing views on fighting the pandemic. A5 March, weekly claims have U.S. stocks fell fora clocked in between 800,000 thirdstraight session, with and900,000 formorethan a the S&P 500,Dow and Nas- month as companies readjust daq retreating 0.2%, 0.1% their head counts. and 0.5%, respectively. B10 Theeconomyisflashing TheCFTC set position lim- DailyU.S.Virus CasesClimb signs of slowdown. Monthly itson16agricultural, metal job gains cooled recently,as and energy commodities, has growth in consumer completing along-delayed spending and factory output. effort to enact aprovision of To Highest LevelSinceAugust “The joblessclaims contin- the2010 Dodd-Frank Act. B1 ued to reflect very difficult la- bor-market conditions,” said Over 150 business and non- KathyBostjancic,economist at profit groups,including the BY JENNIFER CALFAS Forthe past week,the seven- hovering around 700for about a growing share of new cases OxfordEconomics.“It’srepre- U.S. Chamber of Commerce, dayaverage of newcases was three weeks,downfrom across the country. sentativeofstill uncertain and areasking Trump to withdraw Newcoronavirus cases hit outpacing the 14-dayaverage in around 1,000 two months ago. Anumber of factorsare challenging economic condi- his order that putsalimit on theirhighest level sincemid- morethan 40 states and Wash- TheU.S.has morefatalities likely contributing to the cur- tions at large.” some diversity training. A4 August, asign of afall surge ington, D.C.,according to aWall than anyother country—more rent rise in newinfections, The number of people col- Blackstone is extending that public-health officials at- Street Journal analysis of Johns than 217,600 sincethe pan- some epidemiologistsand lecting unemployment benefits its big bet on biotechnol- tributetoinconsistent govern- Hopkins University figures. demic began. But it doesn’t public-health researcherssaid. through regular statepro- ogy and other life-science ment messaging,eased restric- When the seven-dayaverage is have the highest percentageof Thevirus has spread to grams,which covermost buildings, a hot sector that tions and the onset of cooler higher than the 14-dayaverage, cases that arefatal.About morerural counties and other workers, fell to about 10 mil- is getting hotter. B1 weather drivingpeople inside. it suggestscases arerising. 2.7% of reported cases in the communities,exposing vulnera- lion in the week ended Oct. 3 TheU.S.reported 59,494 Hospitalizations, too, have U.S. have been fatal, according ble populations that hadn’t yet from 11.2 million the prior World-Wide newdaily cases on Wednesday, swelled across the U.S. in re- to datafromJohns Hopkins. PleaseturntopageA6 week, according to the Labor the highest level sinceAug.14, cent weeks,though deaths ha- That figure has declined in re- Department. So-called con- according to datacompiled by ven’t surged. Deaths oftenlag cent months as treatments Drop in cancer screenings tinuing claims declined Newcoronavirus cases in Johns Hopkins University. behind newcases and hospi- have improved and testing has fuels worry.................................. A3 throughout the summer, indi- the U.S. hit their highest level That marked theeighth day talizations,given the duration expanded, allowing moremild Survey finds many wary PleaseturntopageA2 sincemid-August, asign of in October that newly con- of the disease. The seven-day and asymptomatic cases to be about Covid vaccine............... A6 afall surge that public-health firmed cases nationally ticked average of daily deaths attri- detected. Sincethe summer, Russia, China rush to fill void Despite job losses, hiring is officials attributetoincon- above 50,000. buted to Covid-19 has been younger people have made up in other countries.................... A7 booming for some.................. A2 sistent government messag- ing,eased restrictions and the onset of cooler weather Freshman enrollment,percentage Covid-19 driving people inside. A1 White House Meddling, change from previous fall Trump was pressed on Private Delays his handling of the pan- for-profit, College demic during acontentious four-year Private town hall on Thursday, Own Flubs Haunt CDC 3.7% nonprofit, Public, Public, Plans while Biden, at acompet- four-year four-year two-year ing event, wasasked what Across the U.S., he would do differently. A5 President Trump and his cial health guidance, altering said.Both effortsweresuc- undergraduate WhiteHouse and Demo- advisershavetaken amore languagewrittenbyCDC sci- cessful. enrollment cratic negotiators agreed hands-on role than previously entistsonchurch choirs, so- Morerecently,aides to Vice declined this fall, on including acoronavirus- known in shaping Covid-19 cial distancing in barsand President MikePenceasked dragged down by testing strategy in broader recommendations from the restaurantsaswell as internal Dr.Redfield to have agencyof- –11.8% a sharp drop in economic-relief legislation, summaries of public-health re- ficials publicly substantiateaN –13.7% first-year students as Trump again signaled his By Rebecca Ballhaus, ports, according to interviews assessment by Mr.Pence’s whose plans were desirefor an aid package Stephanie Armour with current and former doctor that it wassafefor him upended by the Overall –16.1% approaching $2 trillion. A3 and Betsy McKay agencyand administration of- to participateinlast week’s pandemic. Overall, TheGOP-controlled Sen- ficials and their emails. election debate with Sen. Ka- undergraduate Centersfor Disease Control In one previouslyunre- mala Harris.Some CDC staff populations shrank ateJudiciaryCommitteeset Source:National Student –22.7% and Prevention,helping create ported Oval Officemeeting, membersworried that the re- Clearinghouse Research Center by 4%. A3 Oct. 22 as the datefor the acrisis of confidenceinthe thepresident and topWhite quest, which Dr.Redfield hon- panel’s vote on the nomina- tion of Barretttothe Su- nation’stop public-health House officials in Maypressed ored, drew the agencyinto preme Court, overruling agency. CDC Director Robert Redfield partisan politics. Thechanges the White to declarehouses of worship Theclashes stem in part Democratic objections. A4 House has sought—in many essential and allowthem to from aturfwar between a CEO Faces Biggest TheSenate Judiciarypanel cases successfully—gobeyond reopen. Later, they pushed to WhiteHouse intent on con- plans to subpoena Twitter the agency’spublic messaging. strip certain languagefrom trolling broad elementsofthe CEO Dorsey after the firm WhiteHouse advisershave the guidance, current and for- coronavirus response and fed- Individual Tax Case blocked New York Post ar- made line-by-line editstooffi- mer administration officials PleaseturntopageA9 ticles that made new alle- gations about Biden, which BY DAVE MICHAELS from 2005 to 2014and agreed his campaign has denied. A5 Making Ads in a Pandemic AND MIRIAM GOTTFRIED to cooperatewith the continu- Thailand issued an emer- TOMORROW ing investigation. Under aset- gencydecree banning gather- May Require Bribing Relatives A Houston software execu- tlementreached with the Jus- tive was charged with hiding tice Department, he will pay ingsofmorethan five people, about $2 billion in income $139 millioninfines and back seeking to end protestschal- iii lenging the government and from U.S. tax authorities over taxesbut won’t be prosecuted. Commercials stick close to home for 20 years, in what officials said Thechargesagainst Mr. the country’smonarchy. A7 was the largest criminal case Brockman, 79 yearsold, were Kyrgyzstan’s president acting talent; ‘not the most cooperative’ ever