U.S. Pushes Allies to Lift Spending for the Military
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C M Y K Nxxx,2018-07-12,A,001,Bs-4C,E2 Late Edition Today, periodic clouds and sunshine, seasonable, high 83. Tonight, mostly clear, low 69. Tomorrow, sunny to partly cloudy, seasonable, high 83. Weather map appears on Page A18. VOL. CLXVII ... No. 58,021 © 2018 The New York Times Company NEW YORK, THURSDAY, JULY 12, 2018 $3.00 Merkel Replies U.S. PUSHES ALLIES To U.S. Attacks TO LIFT SPENDING With Caution FOR THE MILITARY Hesitant to Provoke the President Further TRUMP ROILS NATO EVENT By STEVEN ERLANGER and JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS Despite Confrontational BRUSSELS — President Stance, Signing On to Trump wasted no time. NATO’s secretary general, Jens Stol- Criticism of Russia tenberg, could barely finish the greetings at Wednesday’s break- fast when Mr. Trump launched By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVIS into a clearly planned attack. BRUSSELS — President It wasn’t directed at terrorism. Trump escalated his campaign of It wasn’t against a military threat. criticism against European allies Instead, it was aimed at Germany, on Wednesday, accusing Ger- one of the alliance’s most impor- many of being “captive to Russia” tant members. and demanding that all NATO Germany, Mr. Trump said, is too members double their military dependent on Russia for its ener- spending targets. gy needs. “We have to talk about On the first of two days of meet- the billions and billions of dollars ings with NATO leaders, Mr. that’s being paid to the country Trump stopped short of any sub- we’re supposed to be protecting stantive breaks with the alliance, you against,” he told the startled reaching agreement on a plan to Mr. Stoltenberg at the opening of improve military readiness and the NATO summit meeting signing on to a joint statement “I think it’s something that that emphasized burden-sharing NATO has to look at,” Mr. Trump THAILAND GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN BUREAU, VIA REUTERS and harshly criticized Russia. said. But coming just days before he Road to Recovery Chancellor Angela Merkel of is to meet President Vladimir V. Germany, politically weakened at Putin of Russia, Mr. Trump’s criti- Doctors in Thailand said 12 boys and their coach were healing well under quarantine after spending days trapped in a cave. Page A4. home, reacted mildly but point- cal stance toward the allies fo- edly to Mr. Trump’s remarks, not- cused additional attention on ing that she grew up in Soviet-oc- longstanding concerns by the cupied East Germany. United States about the willing- “I myself experienced a part of ness of Europe to shoulder its Germany that was controlled by Twitter Purges Its Fake Followers A Court Battle, if Not a Spark, share of the financial burden for the Soviet Union, and I am very NATO. Mr. Trump again de- happy today that we are united in manded that the allies all meet To Restore the Power of Influence Will Fan the Midterm Flames freedom as the Federal Republic their commitment to raise their of Germany,” she said as she en- military budgets to 2 percent of tered the NATO building. “We de- their economic output by 2024, but By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE and GABRIEL J.X. DANCE By JONATHAN MARTIN and ALEXANDER BURNS cide our own policies and make our own decisions, and that’s very then further stepped up the pres- Twitter will begin removing about 6 percent — a substantial BOONVILLE, Ind. — Joe Don- Two days later, in a Democratic good.” sure by saying they should make tens of millions of suspicious ac- drop. nelly knew his audience: Ad- campaign office at a strip mall in it 4 percent. counts from users’ followers on The quiet rejoinder given by An investigation by The New dressing a group of camouflage- eastern Pennsylvania, a different More broadly, his performance, Thursday, signaling a major new Ms. Merkel, leader of Europe’s York Times in January demon- clad union mine workers and re- atmosphere prevailed in the run- leavened at times by a more re- effort to restore trust on the popu- most powerful country, seemed to strated that just one small Florida tirees here last weekend, the up to Mr. Kavanaugh’s nomina- assuring tone, left his fellow lead- lar but embattled platform. encapsulate the complexities she company sold fake followers and Democratic senator trumpeted tion. Susan Wild, who is running ers struggling anew to judge The reform takes aim at a per- faces in dealing with Mr. Trump. It other social media engagement to his efforts to protect their pen- for an open House seat in her Le- whether he was posturing in an ef- vasive form of social media fraud. also reflected her seeming reluc- hundreds of thousands of users sions and health care, asked at- high Valley district, and several fort to win a better deal for the Many users have inflated their fol- tance to be the Western demo- around the world, including poli- tendees to raise their hands if they dozen volunteers made phone United States, moving to weaken lowers on Twitter or other serv- cratic voice that publicly stands ticians, models, actors and au- knew someone with a pre-existing calls Monday evening to women institutions at the heart of the ices with automated or fake ac- up to him. thors. The revelations prompted health condition, and made not a in the area, warning them that an- post-World War II order or both. counts, buying the appearance of Ms. Merkel has denounced Rus- investigations in at least two other conservative justice would social influence to bolster their po- single mention of the coming Su- sia’s aggression in Ukraine and Mr. Trump was primed for con- states and calls in Congress for in- put Roe v. Wade “in more danger litical activism, business endeav- preme Court vote that could deter- has defended multilateral institu- frontation before the gathering tervention by the Federal Trade than ever,” as a script provided to ors or entertainment careers. mine his political fate in Novem- tions like the European Union, was even called to order in a large Commission. In interviews this campaign workers described it. glass-and-steel NATO headquar- Twitter’s decision will have an ber. NATO, the United Nations and the week, Twitter executives said that “It’s a big deal to those who “It’s not just Roe — it’s a lot of World Trade Organization. She ters building that he has com- immediate impact: Beginning on The Times’s reporting pushed Thursday, many users, including know it’s a big deal, but it doesn’t things Democrats care about,” also has spoken openly about the plained looks overly lavish. At a them to look more closely at steps those who have bought fake fol- translate to folks that go to work said Barbara Diamond, a local ac- need for Europe to do more in its breakfast with Jens Stoltenberg, the company could take to clamp lowers and any others who are fol- every day — they’re focused on tivist who joined the volunteer own interests and rely less on the the NATO secretary general, Mr. down on the market for fakes, lowed by suspicious accounts, will things that make their life better,” session. “Affirmative action, the United States in the age of the Trump suggested that he had see their follower numbers fall. which is fueled in part by the said Russ Stillwell, a former Dem- A.C.A., gun control — lots of Trump administration. come to Brussels as a virtual pa- While Twitter declined to provide growing political and commercial ocratic state lawmaker from this things the court has the power to But Ms. Merkel has been hesi- riah among allies, and was per- an exact number of affected users, value of a widely followed Twitter southern Indiana community, ex- roll back.” tant to engage in harsh exchanges fectly happy to be seen that way. the company said it would strip account. plaining why Mr. Donnelly had ig- The monthslong Supreme with Mr. Trump. In fact, her for- “I think the secretary general tens of millions of questionable ac- Officials at Twitter acknowl- nored the most urgent topic in Court clash that lies ahead will eign minister, Heiko Maas, gave a likes Trump,” he said, alluding to counts from users’ followers. The edged that easy access to fake fol- Washington just days before Pres- draw hundreds of thousands of ac- much sharper response to Mr. allies’ stepping up their military move would reduce the total com- lowers, and the company’s slow- ident Trump would nominate tivists to the fray, produce tens of Trump’s disparaging remarks on spending in response to his pres- bined follower count on Twitter by Continued on Page A13 Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh. Continued on Page A16 Continued on Page A8 Continued on Page A8 Women Allege Abuse, and a Buddhist ‘King’ Falls Rare Earths May Tilt a Trade War. Rare Whats? By ANDY NEWMAN By ALEXANDRA STEVENSON In a shrine on the sixth floor of a KUANTAN, Malaysia — Manhattan office building, a photo Amanda Lacaze grabbed her of a man in golden robes hangs iPhone and rattled off the names above an altar. Another photo of of the special minerals needed to him sits upon a throne. make it. The screen was polished He is the head of one of the larg- with lanthanum and cerium. The est Buddhist organizations in the inside has a magnet made with West, Shambhala International, a neodymium and praseodymium. network of more than 200 out- Those minerals almost cer- posts in over 30 countries where tainly came from China.