November 29, 2006

When it comes to power games, some in Hollywood are beginning to learn a basic lesson of digital politics: the Internet plays rough.

The Actors' Temple, on 47th Street in Manhattan, for the first time in its 89-year history will be moonlighting as an Off Broadway theater.

Classified memorandum by Pres Bush's national security adviser, Stephen J Hadley, expresses serious doubts about whether Prime Min Nuri Kamal al-Maliki has capacity to control sectarian violence in Iraq and recommends that United States take new steps to strengthen Iraqi leader's position; Nov 8 memo was prepared after trip by Hadley to Baghdad and is based in part on one-to-one meeting he had with Maliki on Oct 30; suggests that if Maliki fails to carry out series of specified steps, it may ultimately be necessary to press him to reconfigure his parliamentary bloc, step United States could support by providing 'monetary support to moderate groups' and by sending thousands of additional American troops to Baghdad to make up for what document suggests is current shortage of Iraqi forces; presents unvarnished portrait of Maliki and notes that he relies for some of his political support on leaders of more extreme Shiite groups; photos (L)

The Yankees answered the Red Sox’ overwhelming bid for Daisuke Matsuzaka by submitting the highest proposal to talk exclusively with Kei Igawa, a left-hander from the Hanshin Tigers.

Long-awaited plan to shrink New York State's hospital industry could effectively eliminate 20 or more hospitals and thousands of jobs and make dozens of other hospitals shrink, merge or take on new roles; recommendations of Commission on Health Care Facilities in 21st Century go far beyond nine hospital closings and down-sizings that state officials first reported; several other hospitals would cease to exist through mergers or conversion to new uses, and more could be eliminated if they refuse to merge; commission also reaches deep into particular operations of many individual institutions, ordering them to eliminate specific numbers of beds, telling some to eliminate psychiatric, substance abuse or maternity wards and, in some cases, directing others to take on those functions; changes would mark an epochal shift in an industry that, person for person, is much bigger in New York than in other states and has fiercely resisted shrinkage; Rep Anthony Weiner is among protesters outside Parkside Hospital in Queens, which is targeted for closing; photos (L)