April 29, 2005

Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has been wearing two hats since December: one as the square-jawed head of an aggressive state office that has taken on Wall Street, the financial sector and polluters; the other as a Democratic candidate for governor. Trying to ward off any potential for conflicts of interest stemming from those dual roles, Mr. Spitzer made the highly unusual decision not to accept campaign contributions from people or companies with business before his office.

Iraq's National Assembly votes overwhelmingly to approve Shiite-led cabinet, creating first fully and freely elected government in Iraqi history; divisions that delayed government's formation for three months after elections become apparent immediately; leader of Shiite political alliance that dominates assembly and cabinet delivers fiery speech hinting at purges to come in government's security forces; Sunni assembly member then accuses Shiites of dividing country; Sunni Arabs, who dominated Iraq's government under Saddam Hussein, largely boycotted Jan elections; now they say they are being 'marginalized' by 'government of winners'; cabinet remains incomplete; assembly's political factions have not yet agreed on candidates for five important ministries--defense, oil, electricity, industry and human rights; new government, when it assumes power early next week, will face extraordinary array of challenges, from guiding effort to write new constitution to rebuilding Iraq's shattered cities and fighting undiminished insurgency; photo; chart comparing positions held by minority groups and women in interim and transitional governments (M)

Article on land boom in Marfa, in high desert of Davis Mountains, Tex; one-traffic-light town of 2,400 looks remote and scruffy but many buildings on main street, Highland Avenue, have been renovated; town has become home to arts colony with vibrant cultural and social scene; outsiders from big cities are now seeking weekend retreats and real estate values have sharply risen in last few years, especially for old adobe houses; photos and brief descriptions of some available properties; map (L)

FOR a New Yorker who once lived in Tokyo, the commuter train derailment in western Japan this week came as a fetch-the-smelling-salts shock. There were the obvious reasons: the wreck itself and the appalling death toll, now more than 100. But what sent the eyebrows soaring were post-disaster musings from some Japanese. Perhaps, they said, the real problem is that their rail system is normally too reliable.

Putin Meets With Israelis On the first visit by a Kremlin leader to Israel, President Vladimir V. Putin tried to allay fears that Israel's security was threatened by Russia's nuclear assistance to Iran and missile sales to Syria. He got a red-carpet welcome and met with President Moshe Katsav and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. PAGE A3 Blair Discloses Iraq Advice In an about-face a week before British elections, Prime Minister Tony Blair published the full text of the advice he received on the legitimacy of the Iraq war. The advice, from his attorney general, raised concerns about the legal consequences of going to war. PAGE A9 Soldier's Sentence Is Death A military jury in North Carolina sentenced an Army sergeant to death for a grenade and rifle attack on his own comrades in the opening days of the Iraq invasion, a barrage that killed two officers. PAGE A19 U.S. Economy Slowed Sharply in the First Quarter The economy braked sharply in the first three months of the year, the government reported. The news sent stocks tumbling as it appeared likely that the Federal Reserve would raise interest rates on inflation concerns. Activity slowed across most of the economy, including consumer spending and government consumption, but the sharpest retreat was in corporate investment. Final demand -- real purchases by companies, governments and individuals -- expanded just 1.9 percent. The rest of the expansion was a result of an $80 billion surge in the accumulation of inventories, from cars parked in dealer lots to clothing piling up on retailer shelves. BUSINESS DAY, PAGE C1 New Death Penalty Bid Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts introduced a bill that would reinstate capital punishment in his state by creating a death penalty he called virtually foolproof. The bill includes provisions that have never been tried, including one to impose a death penalty only if a jury has ''no doubt'' of a defendant's guilt, a standard stricter than ''beyond a reasonable doubt.'' PAGE A16 The Affordable Dream The name Ferrari evokes snarling supercars and stratospheric prices. But there are less exotic models, and used ones, for collectors who yearn for a Ferrari. ESCAPES, PAGE F1 Back From the Dead The ivory-billed woodpecker, whose 30-inch wingspan and stunning plumage once moved people to call it the Lord God bird (because that's what they said when they saw it), had long been given up for extinct. The last confirmed sighting was in 1944; the woodpecker's habitat, in the swampy tupelo and cypress forests of the Southeast, has been logged nearly out of existence. But in an announcement that electrified the birdwatching world, scientists reported that an ivory bill had been spotted at least seven times in the last 15 months in the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge in central Arkansas. Now federal efforts are under way to protect the bird. James Gorman reports from the refuge. PAGE A18 The Bard Behind Bars For their performance of ''King Lear,'' 17 Wisconsin inmates had to forgo plastic swords, a stage and an intermission. In return, however, they got an escape from prison's mundane marathon of cigarettes and cribbage, an emotional catharsis and a passport to the sophistication symbolized by Shakespeare. PAGE A16 A Steering Wheel's Star Turn The musical ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,'' based on Ian Fleming's technology-happy children's book that was later a movie, opened on Broadway. It stars a car, plus some humans, who go along for the ride, provided they behave. Review by Ben Brantley. WEEKEND ARTS, PAGE E1