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KABUL, Afghanistan — TheTaliban announced a caretakergovernment on Tuesday, taking amajor step in re-establishing theirIslamic Emirate of Afghanistan,and empowering many of themovement’s stalwarts from theirregime in the 1990s.

After weeks of assurances fromTaliban leaders that the move-ment would offer a more moder-ate and inclusive style of govern-ing, most of the acting appoint-ments on Tuesday were of seniorfigures who served in similarroles decades ago — a sign thatthe group’s conservative andtheocratic core remain largely un-changed. All were men, and sev-eral are listed by the United Statesand United Nations as global ter-rorists.

“I assure all our countrymenthat these officials will work hardto uphold Islamic rules and Shari-ah law,” Sheikh HaibatullahAkhundzada, the movement’s su-preme leader, said in a writtenstatement handed out at a newsconference in Kabul. “The IslamicEmirate needs the continued sup-port of its people to rebuild the ru-ined country together.”

The Taliban made clear thatmore appointments would becoming, extending a process thathas already stretched for weekssince the group suddenly seizednational control last month.

The most senior role announcedon Tuesday went to Mullah Mu-hammad Hassan, who was namedas acting prime minister, makinghim head of government. Mr. Has-san is a hard-liner who filled a sim-ilar role within the insurgency’sleadership council in recent years,and was a deputy prime ministerof the first Taliban government.

Some analysts had thought thatMullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, whohad led the Taliban’s negotiationswith the United States, would takethat role, but instead he wasnamed as deputy, along withMawlawi Abdul Salam Hanafi, aprominent Uzbek member of thenegotiating team.

The top security posts, howev-er, went to relative newcomersfrom a younger generation of Tal-iban leaders, both serving asSheikh Haibatullah’s powerfulmilitary deputies.

Sirajuddin Haqqani, 48, ap-pointed as acting minister of theinterior, presided over the insur-

TALIBAN OFFICIALSFROM OLD REGIME ASSUME KEY POSTS

CARETAKER GOVERNMENT

Some Listed as Terrorists— A Theocratic Core

Seems Unchanged

By MATTHIEU AIKINSand JIM HUYLEBROEK

Continued on Page A6

SARAHBETH MANEY/THE NEW YORK TIMES

President Biden, visiting the flood-racked Northeast, called climate change a “code red.” Page A18.Delivering Comfort, and a Warning

DOHA, Qatar — As chaos tookover the United States’ last-minute efforts to evacuate morethan 120,000 of its citizens andpartners from Afghanistan lastmonth, a tiny, wealthy countrythat many Americans wouldstruggle to find on a map suddenlyfound itself uniquely placed tohelp out.

Qatar, a sandy, sun-baked pen-insula in the Persian Gulf, re-ceived about 60,000 Americansand Afghans, more than any othercountry. And with its ties to boththe United States — it hosts thelargest American military base inthe Middle East — and the Tal-iban, it is in position to play astrong role as an intermediary be-tween the new Taliban-run Af-ghanistan and the West.

The gas-rich country, which haslong used its tremendous wealthto punch above its weight, is hav-ing a moment in the world spot-light.

Even as it delivers tons of foodand medical aid to Afghanistanand hosts the American secretar-ies of defense and state, who flewto Qatar this week, it has made at-tention-grabbing news in theworld of soccer, where it recentlysigned one of the sport’s greatestplayers, Lionel Messi, to the ParisSt.-Germain team it owns. Thecountry is also set to host the soc-cer World Cup next year.

“Qatar has always wanted to bea global player, whether that ishosting huge sports events orsigning major players, orpresenting itself as a regionallinchpin for global politics and di-plomacy,” said Michael Stephens,a senior fellow at the Foreign Pol-icy Research Institute and an ex-pert on Gulf politics. “They havenot always got this balance right,but at the moment they seem tohave taken the right initiatives atthe right time.”

Qatar’s help in the Afghan airliftwon plaudits from President Bi-den, and both Secretary of StateAntony J. Blinken and Secretaryof Defense Lloyd J. Austin III ar-rived in the Qatari capital, Doha,on Monday, where they dined withthe country’s 41-year-old mon-arch, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.

“Many countries have steppedup to help the evacuation and relo-cation efforts in Afghanistan, butno country has done more thanQatar,” Mr. Blinken said at a newsconference in Doha on Tuesday.

“The partnership between Qa-tar and the United States hasnever been stronger,” he added.

Standing beside him, Qatar’sforeign minister, Mohammed binAbdulrahman al-Thani, called theUnited States “our most impor-

In Afghan Exit,Qatar EmergesAs Go-Between

Using Its Strengths as aTiny but Rich Nation

By BEN HUBBARD

Continued on Page A6

Afghans fleeing Taliban fighters during a protest in Kabul. Qatar is seen as having influence with both the West and Afghanistan.VICTOR J. BLUE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

WASHINGTON — Congres-sional Democrats always knewtheir battle plan for raising taxeson corporations, large inheritan-ces and the superwealthy wouldnot survive initial contact with theenemy.

They just did not realize that en-emy would be North Dakota-niceHeidi Heitkamp.

The Democratic former senatorhas emerged as the smiling face ofa well-financed effort to defeat aproposed tax increase that is cru-cial to funding the $3.5 trillion so-cial spending bill at the heart of

President Biden’s agenda. Her ef-fort is indicative of the difficultslog ahead as the business lobbymobilizes to chip away at Demo-crats’ tax-raising ambitions,which some lawmakers say willhave to be scaled back to maintainparty unity, an assessment theWhite House has disputed.

On Thursday, the House Waysand Means Committee is set to be-gin formally drafting its volumi-

nous piece of the 10-year measureto combat climate change and re-weave the nation’s social safetynet, with paid family and medicalleave, expanded public education,new Medicare benefits and more.The committee’s purview in-cludes much of that social policy,but also the tax increases neededto pay for it.

Democrats had hoped that thetax side would be more than nota-tions on an accounting ledger.They regard it as an opportunityto fundamentally change policiesto address growing income in-equality, reduce incentives forcorporations to move jobs andprofits overseas, and slow the

Big Business Mobilizing to Battle Tax ProposalsThis article is by Jonathan Weis-

man, Alan Rappeport and JimTankersley.

Democrats’ Ambitionsfor Social Spending

Are on the Line

Continued on Page A18

Places that were put on hold by thepandemic emerge, while global power-houses gain footholds in Manhattan.Above, Surbhi Sahni of Tagmo. PAGE D6

FOOD D1-10

Fall Restaurant PreviewAs Broadway’s curtains rise, costumeshops are busy again. Above, Sally AnnParsons, of Parsons-Meares. PAGE C1

ARTS C1-8

The Wizards of WardrobesDaniela Rocha’s family managed tosave her quinceañera dress, but littleelse, from an Oregon wildfire. PAGE A12

NATIONAL A10-20

Hanging On After the Flames

Inflation has surged from Sydney toSan Francisco, worrying consumersand policymakers. But financial expertssay it is most likely temporary andwarn against overreaction. PAGE B1

BUSINESS B1-8

Global Inflation Could FadeExtreme rainfall is causing deadly anddestructive floods globally. The Nether-lands avoided rising waters this sum-mer by creating flood plains. PAGE A8

INTERNATIONAL A4-8

The Dutch Avert Disaster

As the pandemic drags on, more peopleare starting and leaving positions with-out ever seeing their colleagues inperson, leading to an easy-come, easy-go attitude toward workplaces. PAGE B1

A Job That’s Easier to QuitA huge manhunt has failed to find sixPalestinian prisoners who escaped anIsraeli jail on Monday morning. PAGE A5

Still Free After Rare Escape

Andrea Constand reacts to the rulingthat overturned Bill Cosby’s convictionon sexual assault charges. PAGE C1

Speaking Up, AgainGov. Greg Abbott called the measure,which curtails access to the ballot, a“paradigm” for other states. PAGE A20

Texas Election Law SignedDerek Jeter was often criticized for hisfielding, but his role in the Yankees’dynasty was instrumental. PAGE B9

SPORTS B9-12

A Hall of Fame Shortstop

Thomas L. Friedman PAGE A22

OPINION A22-23

LOS ANGELES — The politicalpower of Latinos has never beenstronger in California.

They are the largest ethnicgroup in the state and make uproughly 30 percent of registeredvoters. They have propelled Dem-ocratic victories in California fordecades, helping the party win su-

permajorities in both houses ofthe State Legislature, where Lati-no senators and Assembly mem-bers hold powerful positions andpass some of the most immigrant-friendly legislation in the country.

But as Gov. Gavin Newsomtries to prevail in a recall electionin a matter of days, the very Lati-no voters he is relying on appearto be disengaged and ambivalentabout the prospect of his beingousted from office.

In 2018, exit polls showed Mr.Newsom with support fromroughly two-thirds of all Latinos.Now, polling suggests Latinos arealmost evenly split on the recall.And so far, just 17 percent of all

registered Latino voters havemailed in their ballots, comparedwith 31 percent of white voters, ac-cording to Political Data Inc., aSacramento-based researchgroup.

For many Latino voters, themixed feelings stem from a con-tinued struggle with the pan-demic, as they face higher infec-tion and death rates, as well as un-employment. For others, there is a

Newsom, Facing Recall, Struggles to Connect With Latino VotersBy JENNIFER MEDINA

and JILL COWANApathy Is a Warning for

California Democrats

Continued on Page A19

From the beginning of the co-ronavirus pandemic, New YorkCity has been pummeled economi-cally unlike any other large Amer-ican city, as a sustained recoveryhas failed to take root and hun-dreds of thousands of workershave yet to find full-time jobs.

On Sunday, the city, like othercommunities nationwide, was hitwith another blow: The packageof pandemic-related federal un-employment benefits, which haskept families afloat for 17 months,expired.

In short order, roughly $463 mil-lion in weekly unemployment as-sistance for New York City resi-dents is ending, threatening to up-end the city’s fledgling economicrebound and slashing the only

source of income for some to payrent and buy groceries in a cityrife with inequality.

About 10 percent of the city’spopulation, or about 800,000 peo-ple, will have federal aid elimi-nated, though many will continuereceiving state benefits.

The benefits were the sole in-come for the many self-employedworkers and contract employeeswhose jobs are central to the city’seconomy and vibrancy — taxidrivers, artists and hairdressers,among many others — and who donot qualify for regular unemploy-ment benefits.

“To just cut people off, it’s ridic-ulous and it’s unethical and it’sevil,” said Travis Curry, 34, a free-

In New York City, 800,000 LoseFederal Aid, Imperiling Rebound

By MATTHEW HAAG and NICOLE HONG

Continued on Page A11

MEXICO CITY — Criminalizingabortion is unconstitutional, Mex-ico’s Supreme Court ruled onTuesday, setting a precedent thatcould lead to legalization of theprocedure across this conserva-tive Catholic country of about 130million people.

The unanimous ruling from thenation’s top court follows years ofefforts by a growing women’smovement in Mexico that has re-peatedly taken to the streets ofmajor cities to demand greaterrights and protections.

The decision, which opens thedoor for Mexico to become themost populous Latin Americancountry to allow abortion, wasmet with elation by feminist activ-ists and dismay by conservativepoliticians and the powerful Cath-olic Church.

“Today is a historic day for therights of all Mexican women,”Chief Justice Arturo Zaldivar saidafter the judges’ votes were cast.“It is a watershed in the history ofthe rights of all women, especiallythe most vulnerable.”

The decision does not automati-cally make abortion legal acrossMexico, experts said, but it doesset a binding precedent for judgesacross the country. Abortionrights advocates said theyplanned to use the ruling to chal-lenge laws in the vast majority ofMexican states that mandate jailtime or other criminal penaltiesfor women who have the pro-cedure.

For now, analysts said, womenarrested for having an abortioncan sue state authorities to havethe charges dropped. Activists

Mexican CourtRules AbortionIs Not a Crime

By NATALIE KITROEFFand OSCAR LOPEZ

Continued on Page A7

Late Edition

VOL. CLXX . . . . No. 59,175 © 2021 The New York Times Company NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

Today, periodic sunshine, showerslater, more humid, high 83. Tonight,showers, heavy thunderstorms, low68. Tomorrow, showers, clearing lat-er, high 78. Weather map, Page A24.

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