U(D54G1D)y+?!#!.!#!_ JONATHAN CORUM/THE NEW YORK TIMES The Ross Ice Shelf, a floating chunk of ice the size of California, is stable for now. But a rapid disintegration of Antarctic ice could raise the sea level by as much as six feet by the middle of the century, deluging major coastal cities, including New York. Page A11. Antarctic Dispatches: A Continent at Risk WASHINGTON — The na- tional board of the N.A.A.C.P. voted Friday to dismiss the orga- nization’s president, Cornell William Brooks, after only three years, pledging a “systemwide re- fresh” at the nation’s largest and most storied civil rights group in order to confront President Trump more vigorously. Mr. Brooks, who said in an inter- view that he was “baffled” and saddened by the decision, will leave the organization at the end of June when his contract expires. The group will search for a new leader while Leon W. Russell, the chairman of the board, and Der- rick Johnson, the vice chairman, head up day-to-day operations. The sudden change at the top of the N.A.A.C.P. shows how the en- ergy of liberal activists in the era of President Trump is forcing up- heaval even in storied institutions like a century-old civil rights stal- wart. Mr. Brooks was hardly re- served in his own activism. He was arrested in January for lead- ing a sit-in at the Alabama office of Senator Jeff Sessions, trying to block his confirmation as attorney N.A.A.C.P., Energized by Liberal Activists, Dismisses Its President By YAMICHE ALCINDOR Continued on Page A16 BEHROUZ MEHRI/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE — GETTY IMAGES Voting was extended three times, seen as a plus for the incumbent, Hassan Rouhani. Page A7. Heavy Turnout for Iranian Election Dathan Ritzenhein, an Olympic distance runner for the United States, was starting to feel sick from his thyroid medication — a drug that was not medically nec- essary but one that his coach, a powerful and combative figure in the sport, had strongly recom- mended to improve his perform- ance. The coach was Alberto Salazar, a running legend himself who af- ter his competitive career had teamed up with Nike, the world’s largest athletic apparel manufac- turer, to train elite runners. He was dismissive when Ritzenhein expressed concerns, Ritzenhein later said under oath. Salazar was focused on revving Ritzenhein’s endocrine system for a coming race, he said, “instead of just whatever was best for my health.” The tension between Ritzen- hein and Salazar over medical is- sues and methods of performance enhancement was not uncommon in the Oregon Project, the vaunted team financed by Nike and led by Salazar that includes some of the world’s most celebrated runners. Ritzenhein’s experience, along with incidents involving several other athletes, were laid out in viv- id detail in a confidential report written by the United States Anti- Doping Agency that was obtained by The New York Times. The report, some aspects of which have been reported by The Times of London, describes, over 269 pages, a culture of coercion, secrecy and possible medical mal- practice in the Oregon Project, an effort to make American distance running relevant again on the in- ternational stage. Salazar has emphatically de- nied violating antidoping rules. He has said that he and his ath- Peeking Inside A Nike Project: ‘Is This Legal?’ By MATT HART Continued on Page A19 RIO DE JANEIRO — Just a few days ago, Brazil seemed to be turning a corner. The stock mar- ket was soaring. Bankers were cheering. The nation’s cutthroat lawmakers were lining up to curb spending. Inflation had been tamed. Brazil, it appeared, was finally on the mend. Then, in a matter of hours, it all started falling apart. President Michel Temer, long embroiled in graft scandals, suddenly became tangled in a new one, accused of taking millions of dollars in illicit payments and caught on tape dis- cussing how to obstruct an anti- corruption drive. The allegations — including tes- timony released Friday in which executives at one of the world’s largest food companies accused him of taking about $4.6 million in illegal campaign contributions — have ignited broad calls for Mr. Temer’s resig- nation, sent markets whip- sawing and set off fears that Brazil will slide back into the political and economic tur- moil that has rattled it for the last two years. The testimony, released by the Supreme Court, also described tens of millions of dollars in illicit payments into offshore accounts intended to benefit his impeached predecessor, Dilma Rousseff, and her mentor, former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, both of whom have denied any wrongdoing in the matter. The bombshell made it clear that the political and economic up- heaval in Latin America’s largest country is far from over. Mr. Temer, who took over after Ms. Rousseff’s ouster only a year ago, is facing the biggest crisis of his al- ready rocky presidency. Mr. da Silva, who has been angling for a comeback, was facing multiple corruption investigations even before the allegations were re- vealed on Friday. On top of that, the politicians in line to take over if Mr. Temer falls — including the speaker of the house and the leader of the Senate — are also embroiled in corrup- tion investigations, raising deep concerns over the nation’s leader- ship and future. “The damage done to our insti- By SIMON ROMERO Temer Continued on Page A8 Scandal in Brazil Raises Fear of Turmoil’s Return WASHINGTON — President Trump embarked on Friday on his first foreign mission since taking office, beginning a challenging nine-day, multistop, multifaceted journey to the Middle East and Europe and leaving behind a capi- tal consumed by investigations and intrigue. Mr. Trump’s first stop will be Ri- yadh, Saudi Arabia, where he will meet with dozens of Arab and Muslim leaders. He will later trav- el to Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Vati- can City, Brussels and finally Sici- ly before returning May 27. An inaugural foreign trip would have been daunting for a di- plomatic novice under any cir- cumstances, given the panoply of complicated issues that will con- front Mr. Trump, including terror- ism, religion, economics, Middle East peace, the war in Af- ghanistan, the future of NATO and Russian aggression. But it will be only more so given the distrac- tions back home as a newly ap- pointed special counsel begins looking into any ties between Rus- sia and Mr. Trump’s campaign. In his final hours before leaving, Mr. Trump was focused on picking a new F.B.I. director to replace James B. Comey, whom he fired last week. While he had hoped to name a replacement before the trip, the president came to the conclusion that he was not ready to decide. Instead, that will be one more question looming over him as he jets across the world. Mr. Trump has expressed dread over the rigors of so much travel, but professed enthusiasm as he prepared to depart. “Getting ready for my big foreign trip,” he wrote on Twitter before leaving the White House. “Will be strongly protecting American in- Leaving Stress As More Waits In Trip Abroad Tumult at Home Raises Stakes for President By PETER BAKER Continued on Page A16 Anthony D. Weiner, the former Democratic congressman whose sexting scandals ended his po- litical career and embroiled him in a tumultuous F.B.I. investigation of Hillary Clinton before the elec- tion, pleaded guilty to a felony on Friday, crying openly as he admit- ted to conduct that he knew was “as morally wrong as it was un- lawful.” The plea agreement ended a federal investigation into a series of sexually explicit pictures and messages that Mr. Weiner sent last year to a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina. It capped the long, tortured downfall of Mr. Weiner, who ru- ined a once-promising career in Congress and then spoiled vari- ous attempts at resurrecting his reputation, all through his uncon- trolled habit of using social media and texts to send explicit images to women. It also cost him his marriage: His estranged wife, Huma Abedin, a top aide to Mrs. Clinton, filed for divorce from Mr. Weiner on Fri- day in New York, according to two people with knowledge of the ac- tion. “I engaged in obscene commu- nications with this teenager,” Mr. Weiner said, his voice high and shaky, and his body trembling. Those communications “included sharing explicit images and en- couraging her to engage in sexually explicit conduct,” just as he had done with adult women, he said. Mr. Weiner, 52, will have to reg- ister as a sex offender where he works and lives, and he may face a pris- on term. He pleaded guilty to transferring obscene ma- terial to a mi- nor, which car- ries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Federal prosecutors said in the plea agreement that a sentence in the range of 21 to 27 months would be “fair and appropriate.” Mr. Wei- ner is to be sentenced on Sept. 8 in Federal District Court in Manhat- tan. Mr. Weiner was led into the courtroom for the brief hearing wearing a slim navy suit with a white shirt and maroon tie; a wed- ding band could be seen on his left hand. He sat quietly between his lawyers, exchanging whispers with one, Arlo Devlin-Brown, and an occasional smile. Weiner Pleads Guilty in Case That Rattled Clinton Campaign By BENJAMIN WEISER and WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM Continued on Page A24 Weiner WASHINGTON — President Trump told Russian officials in the Oval Office this month that firing the F.B.I. director, James B. Comey, had relieved “great pres- sure” on him, according to a docu- ment summarizing the meeting. “I just fired the head of the F.B.I. He was crazy, a real nut job,” Mr. Trump said, according to the doc- ument, which was read to The New York Times by an American official. “I faced great pressure be- cause of Russia. That’s taken off.” Mr. Trump added, “I’m not un- der investigation.” The conversation, during a May 10 meeting — the day after he fired Mr. Comey — reinforces the no- tion that the president dismissed him primarily because of the bu- reau’s investigation into possible collusion between Mr. Trump’s campaign and Russian opera- tives. Mr. Trump said as much in one televised interview, but the White House has offered chang- ing justifications for the firing. The comments represented an extraordinary moment in the in- vestigation, which centers in part on the administration’s contacts with Russian officials: A day after firing the man leading that inqui- ry, Mr. Trump disparaged him — to Russian officials. The White House document that contained Mr. Trump’s com- ments was based on notes taken from inside the Oval Office and has been circulated as the official TRUMP ADMITTED DISMISSAL AT F.B.I. EASED PRESSURE CALLED COMEY ‘NUT JOB’ Remarks to Russians in the Oval Office a Day After the Firing This article is by Matt Apuzzo, Maggie Haberman and Matthew Rosenberg. Continued on Page A14 VISAS FOR INVESTORS The Kushner real estate firm has capitalized on a lucrative program that critics say has little oversight. PAGE A18 Workers in New Orleans dismantled the last of four monuments that paid tribute to the Confederate era. PAGE A10 NATIONAL A10-19 A Goodbye for General Lee Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, proclaimed vindication after Sweden abandoned its inquiry, but he still faces enormous legal challenges. PAGE A7 INTERNATIONAL A4-9 Assange Rape Case Is Dropped Classic Empire’s team is set for a re- match with Always Dreaming. PAGE D1 SPORTSSATURDAY D1-5 Take 2 at the Preakness Crime and singing — as well as the military and the Bible — are among the themes of this fall’s TV lineups. PAGE B1 BUSINESS DAY B1-7 Up Next: Murders and Musicals Ed Murray was a powerful gay leader, but he faces accusations that he paid teenagers for sex years ago. PAGE A10 Downfall of Seattle’s Mayor Some victims of a global hacking attack are refusing to pay up to regain control of their computers and data. PAGE A9 Standing Up to Ransomware Alyssa Elsman, 18, excelled in a culi- nary arts program in Michigan and sold her creations to classmates. PAGE A21 NEW YORK A20-21, 24 Times Square Crash Victim Bob Beckel of “The Five” was accused of a racially insensitive remark. PAGE B1 Firing Adds to Turmoil at Fox Bret Stephens PAGE A23 EDITORIAL, OP-ED A22-23 A philosophical schism over an ultra- sensitive identity construct. PAGE C1 ARTS C1-7 Can You Be Transracial? He was ordered to comply with a law- suit over driverless cars. PAGE B6 Uber May Fire Star Engineer THIS WEEKEND COMEY WILL TESTIFY The former F.B.I. director James B. Comey has agreed to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee. PAGE A14 Late Edition VOL. CLXVI . . . No. 57,603 © 2017 The New York Times Company NEW YORK, SATURDAY, MAY 20, 2017 Today, partly sunny, cooler, less hu- mid, high 69. Tonight, partly cloudy, seasonable, low 52. Tomorrow, periods of clouds and sunshine, high 67. Weather map is on Page C8. $2.50