ZOOM HIKING OFF THE AFTER 30 IN TO EFFECTS OF TUCSON’S YEARS, REVEAL CULINARY RICHES ANTHONY

KIDNEY Weekend BACK PAGE | TRAVEL HOPKINS STONES’ IS READY UNLIKELY TO TACKLE BEAUTY ‘LEAR’ KAVANAUGH HEARING: PAGE 12 | AS DEALS PILE UP, PAGE 17 | ‘100 PERCENT’ CLAIMS SCIENCE LAB WEEKEND CAN’T BE RECONCILED REAL ESTATE RISES ON THE TECH AGENDA PAGE 5 | WORLD PAGE 6 | BUSINESS

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INTERNATIONAL EDITION | SATURDAY-SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29-30, 2018 Reckless, A downturn ridiculed quietly led and alone to a U.S.

Susan E. Rice growth spurt Limited slide in 2015-16 OPINION went unnoticed by many Trailed by the Russia investigation, but had big implications back-stabbing within his administra- tion, looming midterm elections and BY NEIL IRWIN Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s troubled nomination, President Trump arrived Sometimes the most important eco- this week in New York distracted and nomic events announce themselves under siege. At first blush, Mr. Trump’s with huge front-page headlines, stock second appearance at the United Na- market collapses and frantic interven- tions General Assembly may have tion by government officials. seemed like more self-congratulatory Other times, a hard-to-explain conflu- bluster, nationalist isolationism and rote ence of forces has enormous economic genuflection to the altar of sovereignty implications, yet comes and goes with- — much like last year. But this time, out most people even being aware of it. Americans suffered In 2015 and 2016, the United States ex- President the added humilia- perienced the second type of event. Trump’s tion of watching the There was a sharp slowdown in busi- world burst out ness investment, caused by an interre- speeches laughing at their lated weakening in emerging markets, a before the U.N. president, whose drop in the price of oil and other com- foreshadowed false bravado no modities, and a run-up in the value of the his intention longer induces dollar. to stoke shock but invites The pain was confined mostly to the fresh conflict derision. energy and agricultural sectors and to needlessly. Given this the portions of the manufacturing econ- drama, it’s easy to omy that supply them with equipment. mistake Mr. Overall economic growth slowed but re- Trump’s visit for a mained in positive territory. The unem- mash-up of meetings and muddled PHOTOGRAPHS BY LAM YIK FEI FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES ployment rate in America kept falling. messages. But careful observers should Tianjin University provides free “tents of love” for parents of first-time students, making it easier for poor families to watch over their children as they settle into college. Anyone who didn’t work in energy, agri- not be diverted from discerning the culture or manufacturing could be for- president’s real purpose at the United given for not noticing it at all. Nations, because it is ominous. Yet understanding this slump — think On four critical policy fronts, Presi- of it as a mini-recession — is important dent Trump foreshadowed his intention in many ways. to ignore our greatest threats and to It helps explains the economic growth stoke fresh conflict where it is neither Off to college, with mom spurt of the last two years. The end of necessary nor wise. More telling than the mini-recession in the spring of 2016 his rabidly ideological speech to the TIANJIN, CHINA miles away in central China. “I’ve never created a capital spending rebound that General Assembly was the president’s been away from home before.” began in mid-2016, and it has contribut- more substantive remarks before the Mr. Yang’s mother, Ding Hongyan, a ed to speedier growth since. Oil prices Security Council on Wednesday. And by farmer, was one of more than 1,000 par- have reached four-year highs, a major now we have ample reason to conclude In China, a generation ents of the class of 2022 who camped out factor in a surge in business investment that Mr. Trump generally means what in tents this month to watch over their this year. he says and (eventually) does much of of only children heads to children as they settled into college. It helps explain some of the economic what he threatens. college with parents in tow The parents came bearing bags of discontent evident in manufacturing- First, President Trump doubled down sunflower seeds, Hello Kitty backpacks heavy areas during the 2016 elections. It on his determination to exonerate Rus- BY JAVIER C. HERNÁNDEZ stuffed with toilet paper and unsolicited offers warnings for where the next sia and minimize the serious threat that advice on a variety of topics: the accept- downturn might come from, and shows it poses to us and our allies. In a Security When Yang Zheyu arrived at Tianjin able price of steamed dumplings how important it is for policymakers to Council session devoted to the prevent- University this fall for the start of his ($1.50), the most lucrative college ma- remain watchful and flexible about un- ing the proliferation of chemical, biologi- first year, he had all the essentials. Win- jors (engineering was a favorite) and predictable shifts in the global economy. cal and nuclear weapons, Mr. Trump ter coat. Dictionary. Four pairs of shoes. the appropriateness of dating (best to Most important, the mini-recession of ignored Russia’s recent attack with a Toothpaste. be avoided while studying). 2015-16 offers a cautionary tale for any deadly nerve agent that severely sick- And a few hundred yards from his Since 2012, Tianjin University, about policymaker who might want to think of ened four people in Britain and may dormitory, in a cobalt-blue tent set up on two hours southeast of Beijing, has of- the United States as an economic island. have killed one other. He neglected to the floor of a gymnasium, he had his fered the “tents of love” free with the The episode is stark evidence of the RICE, PAGE 10 mother at his beck and call, ready to aim of making it easier for poor families risk the Trump administration faces in bring him bowls of instant noodles, buy to take part in the move-in tradition. threatening economic damage to nego- The New York Times publishes opinion him soap and scrub the floor of his new But the phenomenon, which has tiate leverage with other nations on from a wide range of perspectives in room. spread to several universities across trade and security. What happens over- hopes of promoting constructive debate “I feel safer when she’s here,” said Mr. Yang Luping, left, said it was important that her daughter, Lu Yizhuo, began the school China, has prompted debate about seas can return to American shores fast- about consequential questions. Yang, 18, from a town more than 700 year at Tianjin University with a sense of support from her family. CHINA, PAGE 3 DOWNTURN, PAGE 7

How a pop rebel danced her way out of darkness

STOCKHOLM was hosting and spinning. Her sister, Ef- fie, a video game journalist, brought a flock of friends. And her boyfriend, Max, a scruffy director, was cracking jokes. After a romantic breakup Robyn was in her element, swept up in the music and — dare I say it? — very and a mentor’s death, happy. Robyn has new music This may come as a shock to fans who think of the 39-year-old singer, song- BY CARYN GANZ writer and producer as the queen of heartbreak — her dance-floor weepers Robyn was dancing with everyone. include “Be Mine!” (as in, “you never The Swedish pop star was at a tiny, will”), “With Every Heartbeat” (as in, low-key club tucked into Café Opera, a “it hurts”) and “Dancing on My Own” — ritzy nightspot here in Stockholm inside as well as those wondering if she’s been a grand opera house dating to 1895. Her O.K. over the past seven years. blond head was a beacon, bobbing next While her unconventional career be- to the booth where a D.J. was tending to gan when she was just a teenager in the a mesmerizing simmer. For hours on a mid-1990s with “Do You Know (What It Saturday night in August, she glided Takes)” and “Show Me Love,” two songs around, outfitted for a workout rather that hit the Top 10 in the United States, than a velvet rope: black Adidas leg- Robyn started fresh in the States in 2008 ANA CUBA FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES gings, white Eytys sneakers and a with her self-titled album. After releas- Asked at what point pop careers should end, the Swedish star Robyn said, “You either brown plaid shirt tied around her waist. ing a trio of dance-pop LPs in 2010 titled end it, or you keep evolving.” At age 39, she said she’s chosen to evolve. Her brother, Jac, a D.J. and dancer, ROBYN, PAGE 21

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