U(D5E71D)x+,!=!/!#!{ SAHARANPUR, India — In- dia’s most influential guru joined thousands of believers four years ago as the temple’s first stone was set in the ground. It was a glorious day for its builders, the Gupta brothers, the sons of a local shopkeeper who had risen, almost magically, to be- come one of the richest families a world away in South Africa. The three brothers had flown back on their private jet to start work on the temple, a 125-foot monument of pink sandstone and white marble that would tower over the tiny place where their fa- ther used to ride his bicycle to pray every day. But one morning last month, as the sun struggled to break through the smog in Saharanpur, their hometown in India’s north, the giant yellow crane raising the temple stood still — in limbo, like the brothers themselves. The Guptas are now in self-im- posed exile in Dubai, evading ar- rest in South Africa, where they stand at the center of a scandal that has already brought down the nation’s president and exposed staggering amounts of corruption in the once-legendary party of Nelson Mandela. Even here in India, the family’s legacy — so large that it has been elevated to myth — faces collapse. The new temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva in their father’s honor, is now being investigated for the same kind of self-dealing and fraud the family is accused of mas- tering in South Africa. The rise and fall of the Gupta brothers is so improbable that in Saharanpur their story is told like a parable. They began by selling shoes in South Africa and swiftly became central figures in the nation’s post-apartheid history, outsiders who broke into the very pinnacle of political power. Seemingly overnight, they joined the ranks of South Africa’s most influential families, playing a leading role in one of the biggest dramas after the end of apartheid: Who is get- ting rich, and how? Mr. Mandela’s election as presi- In Family’s Rise And Fall, a Tale Rife With Graft Ties to Brothers Haunt South Africa’s A.N.C. By NORIMITSU ONISHI and SELAM GEBREKIDAN Continued on Page 10 Tyler Perry is a household name in the United States, where his movies have made nearly a bil- lion dollars. But in Britain, he is known mainly for playing the law- yer to Ben Affleck’s accused hus- band in “Gone Girl” — if he is known at all. Some of the movies Mr. Perry has written and directed have re- ceived small international open- ings, most often in South Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Only one or two ever got anything close to a European theatrical push. “I fought for it, I asked for it,” Mr. Perry said. But often he gets the same response: “Stories with black people don’t travel, don’t translate.” For years, minority filmmakers have pushed Hollywood studios and distributors to get over a re- luctance to promote their films worldwide. They are hoping that 2018 was the tipping point they have been waiting for. This year “Black Panther,” “Crazy Rich Asians” and “BlacK- kKlansman” all raked in money overseas, an unusual winning streak that challenged beliefs about the global appeal of actors of color. Charles D. King, the chief exec- utive of Macro, a financial backer of “Fences,” starring Denzel Washington, and the summer in- die hit “Sorry to Bother You,” said he had seen examples of an indus- try shift. He pointed to Metro- Goldwyn-Mayer’s and Warner Bros.’ full-bore promotion of the November boxing sequel “Creed II,” with its star, Michael B. Jor- dan, traveling with the film inter- nationally. Of the longstanding belief that films need white leads to travel, Mr. King said: “We’re seeing pockets of progression, where the Will ‘Black Panther’ Pave Way For Minority Stars Overseas? By CARA BUCKLEY Continued on Page 4 BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Away in a manger on Bethlehem’s public square, a woman approached a statue of the baby Jesus one dark, December night. Then she stole it. The theft, from a Nativity scene outside City Hall, raised alarm in this eastern Pennsylvania city that shares a name with the real Jesus Christ’s birthplace. When the missing baby Jesus was found, it had been damaged, and Bethlehem’s police chief had to glue its leg back on. Then the city took action, positioning a con- cealed security camera exclu- sively on baby Jesus and assign- ing police officers to monitor the footage. In the two years since, the statue has been left at peace, asleep on the hay as the camera, nicknamed the “Jesus cam” by some residents, rolls. “If anybody looks real close, they’ll see a crack in his leg,” said Lynn Cunningham, a leader of the local chamber of commerce. Such manger larceny, in glaring violation of the Eighth Command- ment, is also part of a sad national trend. This year, thieves have raided Nativity scenes in Tennes- see, West Virginia, Minnesota and plenty of other places, and made off with Jesus figurines (and sometimes Mary and a donkey, too). The episodes, which have rat- tled Christian communities, have become so common that the own- ers of holiday displays have bol- stered security. On church lawns and in downtown parks, baby Je- sus is back in his manger, but often with a security camera rolling and a tether securing him to the ground. Some places have gone so far as to equip figurines with GPS devices. In West Bend, Wis., north of Mil- waukee, a baby Jesus figurine was stolen twice last year. After the first theft, the statue’s torso was found nearby, but the rest of it was missing. The faithful were outraged, and someone donated a new Jesus doll for the Nativity set, which had been displayed around town for decades. A few days later, early on Christmas Eve, an alert police offi- cer saw a woman “cradling some- thing” on West Bend’s Main Street. It was the replacement baby Jesus. “I yelled ‘Police, stop,’” the officer wrote in his offi- cial report of the incident. Once confronted, the woman dropped the figurine and took off running. The thefts took a toll in West Bend, a city of about 30,000 resi- dents, where churches are central to public life and longtime resi- dents recall admiring the old Na- tivity set as children. Cameras, Bolts and an Elusive Goal: To Sleep in Heavenly Peace By MITCH SMITH A statue of the baby Jesus was stolen from a crèche in St. Cloud, Minn. Such thefts have rattled Christian communities nationally. TIM GRUBER FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES Continued on Page 26 In a rare show of unity, tribal nations worked together to shelter homeless Native Americans camped near down- town Minneapolis. PAGE 18 NATIONAL 18-27 Tribes Helping City Brethren Who is the rightful inventor of the blockbuster swimsuit known as the Kiini? Sometimes, there’s a fine line between inspiration and theft. PAGE 1 SUNDAY BUSINESS The Itsy-Bitsy Litigious Bikini Five members of the N.B.A.’s class of 2003, including LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, are still playing. They share an uncommon bond. PAGE 1 SPORTSSUNDAY A Distinguished Draft Class The Year in Pictures SUNDAY REVIEW WASHINGTON — As the White House and Democrats re- mained locked in a standoff over funding for President Trump’s border wall, Senator Mitch Mc- Connell, the Republican leader, sent his colleagues home for the Christmas holiday on Saturday, virtually ensuring that the gov- ernment will remain partially shuttered for at least several more days. Mr. McConnell’s adjournment of the Senate until Thursday came after a frenzied day of negotia- tions in Washington and conflict- ing signals from the White House. Around the country, the partial shutdown, which began at 12:01 a.m. Saturday and affects roughly one-quarter of the federal govern- ment, deprived 800,000 workers of their pay and was visible at places like national parks, where sites were unstaffed or, in some cases, closed. Mr. Trump is demanding $5 bil- lion for the “big, beautiful wall” he promised to build at the southern border, and in a conference call with reporters, administration of- ficials insisted that he would ac- cept nothing less. But even as they spoke, Vice President Mike Pence was on his way to the Capitol to present an offer to the top Senate Democrat, Chuck Schumer of New York. Those talks, however, appeared to make little headway. Mr. Pence was tight-lipped as he left Mr. Schumer’s office — “We’re still talking,” he said — while a spokes- man for Mr. Schumer, Justin Goodman, pronounced the two sides “very far apart.” Mr. McCon- nell then announced the Senate’s adjournment and left the Capitol SHUTDOWN IS SET TO LAST FOR DAYS AS TRUMP DIGS IN SENATORS HEAD HOME Spending Talks Remain Stuck on Funding for a Border Wall By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG and KATIE ROGERS Continued on Page 21 WASHINGTON — When President Trump grows frustrated with advisers during meetings, which is not an uncom- mon occurrence, he sits back in his chair, crosses his arms and scowls. Often he erupts. “Freaking idiots!” he calls his aides. Except he uses a more pungent word than “freaking.” For two years, Mr. Trump has waged war against his own government, con- vinced that people around him are fools. Angry that they resist his wishes, uninter- ested in the details of their briefings, he becomes especially agitated when they tell him he does not have the power to do what he wants, which makes him suspi- cious that they are secretly undermining him. Now, the president who once declared that “I alone can fix” the system increas- ingly stands alone in a system that seems as broken as ever. The swirl of recent days — a government shutdown, spiraling scandals, tumbling stock markets, abrupt troop withdrawals and the resignation of his alienated defense secretary — has left the impression of a presidency at risk of spinning out of control. At the midpoint of his term, Mr. Trump has grown more sure of his own judgment and more cut off from anyone else’s than at any point since taking office. He spends ever more time in front of a television, of- ten retreating to his residence out of con- cern that he is being watched too closely. As he sheds advisers at a head-spinning rate, he reaches out to old associates, complaining that few of the people around him were there at the beginning. Mr. Trump is said by advisers to be con- sumed by the multiplying investigations that have taken down his personal lawyer, campaign chairman, national security ad- viser and family foundation. He rails against enemies, who often were once friends, nursing a deep sense of betrayal and grievance as they turn on him. “Can you believe this?” he has said as he scanned the torrent of headlines. “I’m doing great, but it’s a war every day.” “Why is it like this?” he has asked aides, with no acknowledgment that he might have played a role. The aides, many Isolated Leader Sees ‘a War Every Day’ President Clings to His Own Judgment as Turmoil Deepens, Allies Say President Trump has grown increasingly suspicious of many of the people around him, convinced that they are fools. DOUG MILLS/THE NEW YORK TIMES ‘It’s entirely possible it gets worse, not better.’ MICHAEL STEEL, longtime adviser to Republican politicians Continued on Page 25 By PETER BAKER and MAGGIE HABERMAN DISRUPTED The shutdown’s ef- fects were felt at national parks, airport checkpoints and the coun- try’s borders. PAGE 23 Zamanbol is a tech-savvy 14-year-old, but she practices an ancient craft to connect with her elders and their cul- ture. Mongolia Dispatch. PAGE 6 INTERNATIONAL 6-16 She Hunts With an Eagle Late Edition VOL. CLXVIII . . No. 58,185 © 2018 The New York Times Company NEW YORK, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2018 Record collection Elegance is an attitude Kate Winslet Longines Boutiques Ala Moana, HI · Aventura, FL · New York City, NY Also available in selected fine jewelry retailers. www.longines.com Today, sunny, then increasingly cloudy, high 44. Tonight, rain and snow, little to no accumulation, low 35. Tomorrow, partly sunny, breezy, high 45. Weather map is on Page 22. $6.00