This article is by David E.Sanger, Michael S. Schmidt andNicole Perlroth.

WASHINGTON — PresidentObama said on Friday that theUnited States “will respond pro-portionally” against North Koreafor its destructive cyberattackson Sony Pictures, but he crit-icized the Hollywood studio forgiving in to intimidation when itwithdrew “The Interview,” thesatirical movie that provoked theattacks, before it opened.

Deliberately avoiding specificdiscussion of what kind of stepshe was planning against the re-clusive nuclear-armed state, Mr.Obama said that the responsewould come “in a place and timeand manner that we choose.”Speaking at a White House newsconference before leaving for Ha-waii for a two-week vacation, hesaid American officials “have

been working up a range of op-tions” that he said have not yetbeen presented to him.

A senior official said Mr. Oba-ma would likely be briefed in Ha-waii on those options. Mr. Oba-ma’s threat came just hours afterthe F.B.I. said it had assembledextensive evidence that theNorth Korean government or-ganized the cyberattack that de-bilitated the Sony computers.

If he makes good on it, it wouldbe the first time the United Stateshas been known to retaliate for adestructive cyberattack onAmerican soil or to have explicit-ly accused the leaders of a for-eign nation of deliberately dam-aging American targets, ratherthan just stealing intellectualproperty. Until now, the most ag-gressive response was the large-ly symbolic indictment of mem-bers of a Chinese Army unit thisyear for stealing intellectualproperty.

The president’s determinationto act was a remarkable turn inwhat first seemed a story aboutHollywood backbiting and gossipas revealed by the release ofemails from studio executivesand other movie industry figuresdescribing Angelina Jolie as a“spoiled brat” and making ra-cially tinged lists of what theythought would be Mr. Obama’sfavorite movies.

But it quickly escalated, andthe combination of the destruc-tive nature of the attacks —which wiped out Sony computers— and a new threat this weekagainst theatergoers if the “TheInterview,” whose plot revolvesan attempt to assassinate theNorth Korean leader, Kim Jong-

Obama Vows a Response

To Cyberattack on Sony

Criticizes Move to Withdraw Film — F.B.I.

Says Evidence Points to North Korea

Continued on Page A3

FAYAZ AZIZ/REUTERS

A boy in an army outfit on Friday in front of the Army Public School in Peshawar, which was attacked by Taliban gunmen.

By DECLAN WALSH

LONDON — Only a week ago,the Red Mosque seemed a nearlyuntouchable bastion of Islamistextremism in Pakistan, a notori-ous seminary in central Islam-abad known for producing radi-calized, and sometimes heavilyarmed, graduates.

On Friday evening, though, thetables were turned when hun-dreds of angry protesters stoodat the mosque gates and howledinsults at the chief cleric — asight never seen since the Tali-ban insurgency began in 2007.

What has changed is the masskilling of schoolchildren, at least132 of them, slain by PakistaniTaliban gunmen in a violent cata-clysm that has traumatized thecountry. In the months before theshocking assault on a Peshawarschool on Tuesday, Pakistan’sleadership had been consumedby political war games, while thedebate on militancy was domi-nated by bigoted and conspiracy-laden voices, like those of theclerics of the Red Mosque.

Now, united by grief, rage andpolitical necessity, Pakistanis

from across society are speakingwith unusual force and clarityabout the militant threat thatblights their society. For the firsttime, religious parties and ultra-conservative politicians havebeen forced to publicly shun themovement by name. And whiledemonstrations against militan-cy have been relatively small sofar, they touched several cities inPakistan, including a gathering ofstudents outside the school in Pe-shawar.

Protest leaders believe that thepublic will support them. “Thiswill become a protest movementagainst the Taliban,” one organ-izer, Jibran Nasir, thundered intoa microphone outside the RedMosque on Friday.

Though there is little doubtthat the Peshawar massacre hasgalvanized Pakistani society, thequestion is whether it can be-come a real turning point for a so-ciety plagued by violent divi-sions, culture wars and the stra-tegic prerogatives of a powerful

Pakistan’s Old Curse

After Another National Tragedy Strikes,

Hopes That Outrage Will Bring Change

NEWS ANALYSIS

Continued on Page A6

By DAMIEN CAVE

CÁRDENAS, Cuba — Thehome of Elián González is a sim-ple affair — a one-story ranch,painted red, with a yin and yangsymbol on an outer wall. Hisneighbors are quick to point to itwith pride, along with their town,a place of revolutionary zeal eversince Fidel Castro successfullypushed the United States to re-

turn Elián to Cuba after the boy’smother died at sea carrying himto Florida in 2000.

But Cárdenas is no longer justconcerned with revolutionaryfervor. It is a small but growingcity of contrasts and contradic-tions — with horse-drawn taxis,new, bigger houses built with thewealth earned from Canadianand European tourists in thenearby resort town of Varadero,and American-backed Pentecos-

tal churches that provide drink-able water to residents who nolonger get it from the govern-ment.

This epicenter of anti-Ameri-can pride — where Elián cele-brated his 21st birthday on Dec. 6with a huge parade — is increas-ingly a microcosm of how muchCuba has changed, and the di-rection that the country may beheading.

Crucible of Cuban Zeal Redefines Revolutionary

MERIDITH KOHUT FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

Cárdenas, Cuba, home to Elián González, is a growing city of contrasts and contradictions.

Continued on Page A8

By ERICA GOODE

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. —“Judge Dawson, he don’t play,” aparent once said about HermanC. Dawson, the main juvenilecourt judge in Prince George’sCounty. And on this Tuesdaymorning, Judge Dawson was def-initely not in a playing mood.

“Who’s in court with you to-day?” he demanded of Tanika,the 16-year-old standing beforehim in handcuffs.

“My mom,” she said.“I know that,” Judge Dawson

snapped.An honors student, Tanika had

never been in trouble with thelaw before. But for the past year,ever since she was involved in afight with another girl at her highschool, Judge Dawson had ruledher life, turning it into a series ofcourt hearings, months spent onhouse arrest and weeks lockedup at a juvenile detention centerin Laurel, Md.

Most recently, he had detainedher for two weeks for violating

probation by visiting a friend onthe way home from working offcommunity service hours. Nowhe was deciding whether to re-lease her.

“I’m hesitating because I don’tknow whether you got the mes-sage,” he said.

Juvenile court judges in theUnited States are given wide dis-cretion to decide what is in ayoung offender’s best interest.

Many, like Judge Dawson, turn toincarceration, hoping it will teachdisobedient teenagers a lessonand deter them from furthertransgressions.

But evidence has mounted inrecent years that locking up juve-niles, especially those who poseno risk to public safety, doesmore harm than good. Most juve-nile offenders outgrow delin-

Judge Locks Up Youths and Rules Their Lives

OZIER MUHAMMAD/THE NEW YORK TIMES

Judge Herman C. Dawson of Prince George’s County, Md., ismore quick than others to incarcerate young offenders.

Continued on Page A14

By MATT APUZZO and MARK MAZZETTI

WASHINGTON — A panel in-vestigating the Central Intelli-gence Agency’s search of a com-puter network used by staffmembers of the Senate Intelli-gence Committee who were look-ing into the C.I.A.’s use of torturewill recommend against punish-ing anyone involved in the epi-sode, according to current andformer government officials.

The panel will make that rec-ommendation after the five C.I.A.officials who were singled out bythe agency’s inspector generalthis year for improperly orderingand carrying out the computersearches staunchly defendedtheir actions, saying that theywere lawful and in some casesdone at the behest of John O.Brennan, the C.I.A. director.

While effectively rejecting themost significant conclusions ofthe inspector general’s report,the panel, appointed by Mr. Bren-

nan and composed of three C.I.A.officers and two members fromoutside the agency, is still ex-pected to criticize agency mis-steps that contributed to the fightwith Congress.

But its decision not to recom-mend anyone for disciplinary ac-tion is likely to anger members ofthe Intelligence Committee, whohave accused the C.I.A. of tramp-ling on the independence of Con-gress and interfering with its in-vestigation of agency wrongdo-ing. The computer searches oc-curred late last year while thecommittee was finishing an exco-riating report on the agency’s de-tention and interrogation pro-gram.

The computer search raisedquestions about the separation ofpowers and caused one of themost public rifts in years be-

Panel to Advise Against PenaltyFor C.I.A.’s Computer Search

Continued on Page A10

It’s a moot point, but someoneshould have told Kim Jong-unthat “The Interview” isn’t reallyabout blowing him up. Sure, its

narrative climax fea-tures his characterbeing vaporized by arocket-propelled gre-nade. But its comicand emotional highpoints come earlier,

when he bonds over hoops andbabes with a dimwitted Americantelevision host. Also, when thesomewhat less dimwitted Ameri-can played by Seth Rogen has tohide the business end of a missilein his rectum.

Now that “The Interview” hasbeen eighty-sixed after an as-sault on the computer systemsand corporate image of Sony Pic-tures that the F.B.I. says was in-stigated by North Korea, its actu-al nature will remain a mysteryat least until a good and safe copyshows up on file-sharing sites.Having seen it, I can tell youwhat you might have guessed:The only real mystery is howsomething this ordinary couldhave caused so much agitation.

Before proceeding, some dis-closures: I saw “The Interview”at a media screening at the Regalmultiplex in Times Square onDec. 10, six days before the hack-ers who infiltrated Sony threat-ened to attack theaters thatshowed it. I wasn’t planning towrite about it, and I didn’t payundivided attention or take notes.So this isn’t a review so much asa slightly hazy recollection, madehazier by the free margarita pro-vided beforehand. Liquoring up apreview audience is a pretty good

Memo to Kim:

Dying Is Easy,

Comedy Is Hard

Continued on Page A3

MIKEHALE

CRITIC’SNOTEBOOK

Senator BernardSanders of Ver-mont has littlechance of be-ing Demo-crats’ presi-dential choice,but he couldshape the de-bate. PAGE A13

NATIONAL A11-15

A Socialist Tests the WatersRussian prosecutors want to send Alek-sei A. Navalny to prison for 10 years oncharges that critics say are intended tocrush the opposition. PAGE A9

INTERNATIONAL A3-10

Russian Dissident in PerilAmid artificial snowflakes, DarleneLove, below, belted out a soulful “Christ-mas (Baby Please Come Home)” for thefinal “Late Show With David Letter-man” holidayprogram. Shefirst sang thesong for Mr. Let-terman in 1986and vowed notto reprise it foranother host.Stephen Colbertwill take overthe show in 2015.

PAGE C1

ARTS C1-6

A ‘Late Show’ Swan Song The Obama administration declared aprofitable end to the sweeping federalinterventions in Wall Street and Detroit.But to critics of big government, thosenumbers were beside the point. PAGE B1

BUSINESS DAY B1-8

A Profit on the Bailout

The prosecutor overseeing the investi-gation into the death of a black teenagerin Ferguson, Mo., offered a firm defenseof his role in the case. PAGE A11

No Regrets From Prosecutor

ESPN created the Camellia Bowl whentwo lower-tier college football confer-ences sought more bowl tie-ins. PAGE D1

SPORTSSATURDAY D1-6

Postseason Game, Tailor-Made

Joe Nocera PAGE A21

EDITORIAL, OP-ED A20-21

Turkey is seeking the arrest of a Turkishcleric in the United States whose follow-ers are accused of sedition. PAGE A4

A Turkish Rivalry Escalates

A new member of Connecticut’s paroleboard spent 21 years in prison before aDNA test cleared him. PAGE A17

NEW YORK A16-19

Ex-Inmate on Parole Panel

VOL. CLXIV . . . No. 56,721 © 2014 The New York Times NEW YORK, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2014

Late EditionToday, some sunshine then increas-ing clouds, high 38. Tonight, mostlycloudy, low 32. Tomorrow, periodsof clouds and sunshine, seasonable,high 42. Weather map, Page A12.

$2.50

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At LaGuardiaCommunity Col-lege in Queens,professors strug-gle to inspire stu-dents who haveoften been failedby the educationalsystem. The latestinstallment in theDegrees and Difficulties series takes alook at the uphill battle. THIS WEEKEND

METROPOLITAN

Raising Students’ Sights

C M Y K Nxxx,2014-12-20,A,001,Bs-BK,E2