WASHINGTON — The C.I.A.told senior lawmakers in classi-fied briefings last summer that ithad information indicating thatRussia was working to help electDonald J. Trump president, a find-ing that did not emerge publiclyuntil after Mr. Trump’s victorymonths later, former governmentofficials say.

The briefings indicate that in-telligence officials had evidence ofRussia’s intentions to help Mr.Trump much earlier in the presi-dential campaign than previouslythought. The briefings also reveala critical split last summer be-tween the C.I.A. and counterpartsat the F.B.I., where a number ofsenior officials continued to be-lieve through last fall that Russia’scyberattacks were aimed primari-ly at disrupting America’s politicalsystem, and not at getting Mr.Trump elected, according to inter-views.

C.I.A. TrackedRussian PryingIn the Summer

By ERIC LICHTBLAU

Continued on Page A19

C M Y K Nxxx,2017-04-07,A,001,Bs-4C,E2

U(D54G1D)y+=!,!,!#!_

PALM BEACH, Fla. — TheTrump administration is planningto roll out its first concretemeasures against China on trade,administration officials said onThursday, hardening its positiontoward America’s largest tradingpartner just as President Trumpwelcomed President Xi Jinping ofChina to his seaside club here fortheir first face-to-face meeting.

Sometime after Mr. Xi leavesthe United States, these officialssaid, Mr. Trump plans to sign anexecutive order targeting coun-tries that dump steel into theAmerican market, an aggressivemeasure aimed mainly at China.

It is unclear exactly what the or-der would do or how harsh itwould be, but it would be designedto begin to make good on Mr.

Trump’s promise during the cam-paign to redress China’s hugetrade surplus with the UnitedStates.

In addition, an official said, theWhite House is moving out a sen-ior economic policy official, An-drew Quinn, who had helped ne-gotiate the Trans-Pacific Partner-ship, former President BarackObama’s signature trade initia-tive.

Mr. Quinn had become the sub-ject of a battle between two campsin the White House: economic na-tionalists, who wanted him out,and more mainstream backers offree trade, who defended him.

Taken together, these develop-ments constituted a potentiallysignificant victory for the hard-liners, coming off a string of set-backs in their efforts to persuadethe president to deliver on themost combative anti-free-tradeplanks of his presidential cam-

paign.But the ultimate outcome of this

policy debate is still far from clear,several officials said. Mr. Trumpdoes not plan to confront Mr. Xiwith the most aggressive of hiscampaign threats: a 45 percenttariff on Chinese goods.

Nor is the United States likely todesignate China a currency ma-nipulator, something he promisedto do as a candidate. Holding backthose moves suggests Mr. Trumpis also heeding the more moderatevoices among his advisers, whoargue that the United States can-not afford to ignite a trade warwith China.

“The nativist and nationalistforces certainly have influence,”said Nicholas Lardy, an expert onthe Chinese economy at the Peter-son International Institute forEconomics. “But it looks like it’sdwindling rapidly.”

Meeting Xi, and Readying a Harder Line on TradeBy MARK LANDLER

and MICHAEL D. SHEAR

Continued on Page A21

ERNESTO BENAVIDES/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE — GETTY IMAGES

Flooding in Peru, near Lima, shows risks of haphazard development in South America. Page A4.Mudslides Uncover Deeper Perils

WASHINGTON — Thick withtension, the conversation thisweek between Stephen K. Ban-non, the chief White House strat-egist, and Jared Kushner, the pres-ident’s son-in-law and senior ad-viser, had deteriorated to the pointof breakdown.

Finally, Mr. Bannon identifiedwhy they could not compromise,according to someone with knowl-edge of the conversation. “Here’sthe reason there’s no middleground,” Mr. Bannon growled.“You’re a Democrat.”

The schism within Mr. Trump’sperpetually fractious WhiteHouse has grown in recent weeks,fueled by personality, ideologyand ambition. At its core are Mr.Bannon, the edgy, nationalistbomb-thrower suddenly in theseat of power, and Mr. Kushner,the polished, boyish-looking scionof New Jersey and New York realestate. Even as Mr. Kushner’sportfolio of responsibilities hasbeen expanding, Mr. Bannon’s inrecent days has shrunk with theloss of a national security post.

The escalating feud, though,goes beyond mere West Wingmelodrama, the sort of who’s-up-and-who’s-down scorekeepingthat typically consumes Washing-ton. Instead, it reflects a largerstruggle to guide the direction ofthe Trump presidency, played outin disagreements over the policiesMr. Trump should pursue, the peo-ple he should hire and the imagehe should put forward to theAmerican people.

On one side are Mr. Bannon’sguerrilla warriors, eager to closethe nation’s borders, dismantledecades of regulations, empowerpolice departments and take onthe establishment of both partiesin Washington. On the other are

Trump AidesWage Battle

For His EarThis article is by Maggie Ha-

berman, Jeremy W. Peters and PeterBaker.

Continued on Page A20

In this age of rage, Madison Av-enue is finding itself on red alert.

Advertisers are increasingly inthe cross hairs of populistactivists — aided by the powerand reach of social media — whoare demanding that brandsquickly take sides on divisive so-cial and political issues, posing anew challenge to corporationsthat usually prefer to stay out ofthe fray.

After a groundswell of onlineanger over reports that BillO’Reilly, the Fox News host, hadsettled with at least five womenwho accused him of harassment,more than 50 companies pulledtheir ads from Mr. O’Reilly’s popu-lar prime time program. The exo-dus followed similar campaigns topressure brands with ties to Presi-dent Trump, like L.L. Bean, Uberand advertisers on “The New Ce-lebrity Apprentice.”

“Americans are now demand-ing that their brands articulatetheir values and weigh in on po-litical issues, and I think the de-gree to which they are expectingthat is really quite new,” said KaraAlaimo, who teaches public rela-tions at Hofstra University andworked in communications for the

Brands WrestleWith WhiplashOf Viral Anger

By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUMand SAPNA MAHESHWARI

Continued on Page A22

Survivors of shootings can’t escape moregun violence. The latest in a series aboutkillings in the South Bronx. PAGE A28

NEW YORK A24-29

Murder in the 4-0The musical “War Paint” recalls therivalry between the beauty magnatesHelena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Ar-den. A review by Ben Brantley. PAGE C1

WEEKEND ARTS C1-24

A Clash of Cosmetic Titans

Amtrak said weakened timber ties setoff a derailment, a problem whoseseverity had not been clear. PAGE A26

Tracing a Derailment’s Cause

A brainy squad operating in some of themost lawless parts of the Amazon Riverbasin is on the front lines of Brazil’sstruggle to curb deforestation. PAGE A10

INTERNATIONAL A4-13

Nerds Defending the Amazon

In a working-class Massachusetts city,reports of a raid by immigration agentsspread quickly. PAGE A14

NATIONAL A14-22

Rumor Rattles Immigrants

Almost half of Americans between 18and 59 are infected with the ubiquitousvirus, researchers said. PAGE A22

HPV Infections Widespread

The social media giant aims to block theunmasking of an account that has beencritical of the president. PAGE B1

BUSINESS DAY B1-8

Twitter Sues the Government

Don Rickles, known for equal-opportu-nity put-downs, was 90. PAGE B14

OBITUARIES B14-15

Comedy’s King of the Insult

Gusts up to 40 miles per hour at theAugusta National grounds had golferstrying to guess what the wind would doto their shots. Dustin Johnson withdrewbecause of a back injury. PAGE B11

SPORTSFRIDAY B9-13

‘Day to Fight’ at the Masters

The onetime bouncer and current ac-tion hero decided to make himself amovie star after Hollywood took itstime giving him a chance. PAGE D6

MEN’S STYLE D1-8

The Vin Diesel Formula

David Brooks PAGE A31

EDITORIAL, OP-ED A30-31

CLINTON ON LOSS Hillary Clintonsaid that Russia contributed toher defeat. PAGE A21

PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Devin Nunes stepped asidefrom an inquiry into electionmeddling by Russia. Page A19.

Recusal in House

WASHINGTON — Senate Re-publicans on Thursday engi-neered a dramatic change in howthe chamber confirms SupremeCourt nominations, bypassing aDemocratic blockade of JudgeNeil M. Gorsuch in a move thatwill most likely reshape both theSenate and the court.

After Democrats held togetherThursday morning andfilibustered President Trump’snominee, Republicans voted tolower the threshold for advancingSupreme Court nominations from60 votes to a simple majority.

In deploying this so-called nu-clear option, lawmakers are fun-damentally altering the way theSenate handles one of its most sig-nificant duties, further limitingthe minority’s power in a chamberthat was designed to be a slowerand more deliberative body thanthe House.

The move, once unthinkableamong senators, is a testament tothe creeping partisan rancor in re-cent years, after decades of atleast relative bipartisanship onSupreme Court matters. Both par-ties have warned of sweeping ef-fects on the court itself, predictingthe elevation of more ideologicallyextreme judges now that only amajority is required for confirma-tion.

Senate Democrats in 2013 firstchanged the rules of the Senate toblock Republican filibusters ofpresidential nominees to lowercourts and to governmentpositions. But they left the filibus-ter for Supreme Court nomineesuntouched, an acknowledgmentof the court’s exalted status. OnThursday, that last pillar wasswept away on a party-line vote,with all 52 Republicans choosingto overrule Senate precedent and

REPUBLICANS GUT FILIBUSTER RULETO LIFT GORSUCH

A BYPRODUCT OF RANCOR

Senate Move Is Likely toReshape Supreme

Court Fights

By MATT FLEGENHEIMER

Continued on Page A16

WASHINGTON — PresidentTrump said Thursday night thatthe United States had carried outa missile strike in Syria in re-sponse to the Syrian govern-ment’s chemical weapons attackthis week, which killed more than80 civilians.

“Tonight, I ordered a targetedmilitary strike on the air base inSyria from where the chemical at-tack was launched,” Mr. Trumpsaid in remarks at his Mar-a-Lagoestate in Florida. “It is in this vitalnational security interest of theUnited States to prevent and deterthe spread and use of deadlychemical weapons.”

Mr. Trump — who was accom-panied by senior advisers, includ-ing Stephen K. Bannon, his chiefstrategist; Reince Priebus, hischief of staff; his daughter IvankaTrump; and others — said his de-cision to act had been prompted inpart by what he called the failuresof previous efforts by the worldcommunity to respond effectivelyto the Syrian civil war.

“Years of previous attempts atchanging Assad’s behavior haveall failed, and failed very dramati-cally,” the president said, refer-ring to President Bashar al-Assadof Syria. “As a result, the refugeecrisis continues to deepen, and theregion continues to destabilize,threatening the United States andits allies.”

The Pentagon announced that59 Tomahawk cruise missiles hadbeen fired at Al Shayrat airfield inSyria. The missiles were aimed atSyrian fighter jets, radar, fuel

pumps and equipment to operateaircraft. No chemical weaponswere known to be stored at the in-stallation.

“Russian forces were notified inadvance of the strike using the es-tablished deconfliction line,” saidCapt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagonspokesman. “Military plannerstook precautions to minimize riskto Russian or Syrian personnel lo-cated at the airfield.” No Russianaircraft were at the base, militaryofficials said.

“We are assessing the results ofthe strike,” Captain Davis added.“Initial indications are that thisstrike has severely damaged ordestroyed Syrian aircraft and sup-port infrastructure and equip-ment at Shayrat airfield, reducingthe Syrian government’s ability todeliver chemical weapons.”

The cruise missiles struck theairfield beginning around 8:40p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday,and the strikes continued for threeto four minutes.

According to Captain Davis, themissiles were fired from thedestroyers Porter and Ross in theeastern Mediterranean.

Administration officials de-scribed the strikes Mr. Trump or-dered as a graphic message to theworld that the president was nolonger willing to stand idly by asMr. Assad used horrific weaponsin his country’s long civil war.

To do otherwise, they said,would be to essentially bless theuse of chemical weapons by Mr.Assad and others who might use

Tomahawks Hit Base Tied to Gas Attack— Trump’s Warning to Assad

By MICHAEL R. GORDON and MICHAEL D. SHEAR

Continued on Page A12

U.S. LAUNCHES MISSILES INTO SYRIA

President Trump, speaking Thursday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, said the strike in Syriawas in the “vital national security interest” of the United States. Transcript at nytimes.com.

DOUG MILLS/THE NEW YORK TIMES

Late Edition

VOL. CLXVI . . . No. 57,560 © 2017 The New York Times Company NEW YORK, FRIDAY, APRIL 7, 2017

Today, cloudy, passing showers,chilly, high 50. Tonight, mostlycloudy, low 38. Tomorrow, intervalsof clouds and sunshine, high 55.Weather map appears on Page A18.

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