The House-Senate conference negotiators Wednesday hammered out a compromise version of separate bills passed by the House and Senate granting more power to the FBI in obtaining business records.

The measure gives the Federal Bureau of Investigation greater authority to demand records from businesses in terrorism cases without the approval of a judge or a grand jury. While banks, credit unions and other financial institutions are currently subject to such demands, the measure expands the list to include car dealers, pawnbrokers, travel agents, casinos and other businesses.

The expansion, included in the 2004 authorization bill for intelligence agencies, has already been approved by both the House and the Senate, and lawmakers from both chambers approved the provision as part of the larger bill in a private session late Wednesday, officials said. Law enforcement officials said the F.B.I. would gain greater speed and flexibility in tracing suspected terrorist money.

Senator Richard J. Durbin (D-IL) unsuccessfully tried to get the negotiators to pass a sunset provision to the new bill.

The long awaited Illiniois death penalty reform law took effect today after being passed by the Illinois legislature.

Among other things, the new Illinois law would ban the execution of anyone judged to be mentally retarded and requires prosecutors disclose promises made to witnesses.

The new law also would give defendants new protections such as access to all evidence favorable to them, allow judges to rule out the death penalty in cases reliant on a single witness or police informant, and give the state's Supreme Court justices powers to overturn a death penalty conviction for reasons other than procedural errors.

Ill. Governor Rod Blagojevich said he will maintain the moratorium on the death penalty in Illinois until it can be shown that the new reforms work.

Michael Jackson's response to the arrest warrant issued for him based on new child molestation charges is here.

Tom Sneddon, the District Attorney in Santa Barbara in charge of the new Michael Jackson case, was also in charge of the 1993 case. Today he said "he had put the earlier case out of mind." We don't think that's true. Here's a sampling of what our Lexis research turned up (out of 100 entries for "Tom Sneddon" and "Michael Jackson" between 1994 and 2001.)

The Daily Telegraph (Sydney, Australia) March 7, 2001

"Heal The Kids" was described as an image-building deception by Santa Barbara district attorney Tom Sneddon, who prosecuted the singer for alleged child molestation in 1993. Jackson avoided trial by paying the family of his 13-year-old accuser around $20 million. Sneddon recently warned the case could be reopened at any time.

Herald Sun (Melbourne, Australia) February 16, 2001

In a twist on the eve of his launching appeal [for a children's charity program], the district attorney who brought the case said it was not closed. "The case against Michael Jackson was never closed, and he was never exonerated," said DA Tom Sneddon. "It's in suspended animation and can be reopened at any time."

Broadcast News (BN) February 15, 2001

Remember the child molestation charges levelled against Michael Jackson a few years ago? So does the district attorney in Santa Barbara, California, Tom Sneddon. He's the one who investigated Jackson in 1993 when a then-13-year-old boy claimed Jackson molested him. Jackson later settled with the family and was never charged by authorities.

Sneddon tells the New York Daily News the case against Jackson was never closed and it can be re-opened at any time. He says the statute of limitations hasn't run out because Jackson was living out of the country for so much time.

Daily News (New York) February 14, 2001

Michael Jackson is not out of the woods.

So says Santa Barbara District Attorney Tom Sneddon, the man who brought child molestation charges against the singer in 1993. Jackson is scheduled to deliver a speech tonight at Carnegie Hall on behalf of his Heal the Kids initiative. Although Sneddon can't be there in person, he's definitely arching an eyebrow from 3,000 miles away.

"The case against Michael Jackson was never closed, and he was never exonerated," Sneddon says. "It's in suspended animation and can be reopened at any time."

If you're going to be in New York November 20, we recommend this benefit for a new documentary on five people reentering society after spending years in prison for crimes they did not commit.

After Innocence: Lives of the Exonerated Benefit Event
Thu, Nov 20, 2003 at 07:30 PM (EST)
at Studio7 in New York, NY

Please Join Us for an Event to Benefit the Making of a Non-Profit Documentary Film
Imprisoned for Decades, Proven Innocent by DNA

Contributions are tax-deductible and go directly to the production of After Innocence.

Tickets and details available here.

Las Vegas police confirm an arrest warrant has been issued for pop star Michael Jackson whose home was searched yesterday. Lawyers are negotiating the details of his surrender. Santa Barbara police will hold a press conference at 2pm EST.

We'll miss the conference as we are about to board a flight to go to court in Durango. We'll be back here tonight with updates on this and other news of the day.

Why on earth does President Bush need an entourage of 700 for his four day jaunt to England? That's ridiculous. What's even more galling is we, the American taxpayers, are footing the bill.

Mr Bush, his wife, Laura, and a 700-strong entourage worthy of a travelling medieval monarch, flew into Heathrow airport slightly late, at about 7.30pm. The couple were greeted by the Prince of Wales, then whisked to the palace by US military helicopter.

With up to 100,000 anti-war protesters planning to march through the heart of Whitehall tomorrow - and the cost of 5,123 police officers protecting the president likely to top £10m - Downing Street maintained a stiff upper lip in the face of predictions that the four-day visit could prove a major public relations disaster.

Bush will be making 150 minutes of speeches during his stay. He canceled his talk to Parliament due to the protests.

...senior White House adviser Dr Harlan Ullman said: "They would have loved to do it because it would have been a great photo-opportunity. "But they were fearful it would to turn into a spectacle with Labour backbenchers walking out."

His only talks now are at private, invitation-only functions.

The only speech Mr Bush, who will stay with the Queen at Buckingham Palace, is now due to give will be to an "invited audience" at the Banqueting House in Whitehall.

Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn said: "This is yet another slight on this country by the president of the USA. "The least he could do is subject himself to questions from MPs." And colleague John McDonnell said: "Bush might be able to run from the protesters, he might be able not to see the banners. "But he must not be able to hide from the anger felt across the country at this unjustified war."

In the dirty laundry department....The divorce of Bush brother Neil gets uglier and uglier as his wife Sharon files a motion seeking to compel him to undergo a paternity test, the results of which she hopes will absolve her of liability in a defamation lawsuit.

The request, filed Monday, asks that the judge order Neil Bush and Robert Andrews to submit blood tests to determine the paternity of Andrews' 2-year-old son.

Sharon Bush contends she needs the tests to defend herself against a $850,000 defamation lawsuit filed against her by Andrews. Andrews' suit contends Bush defamed him when she suggested in conversations with reporters, friends and restaurant employees that his son may have been fathered by Neil Bush.

Andrews and his wife, Maria Andrews, divorced in October 2002 after 14 years of marriage. The Bushes divorced in April after a 23-year marriage. Neil Bush and Maria Andrews met several years ago when she was working as a volunteer for former first lady Barbara Bush.

Sharon once claimed that ex-Neil fathered the Andrews child--a statement that resulted in the defamation lawsuit.

At the Center for Democracy and Technology, you can read the testimony provided by its executive director at Tuesday's hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on government abuses in the name of the war on terror.

Since 9/11, the federal government has engaged in serious abuses of constitutional and human rights, CDT Executive Director Jim Dempsey testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee November 18. The most egregious of these abuses have taken place outside of the PATRIOT Act or any other Congressional authorization. In the PATRIOT Act itself, Congress eliminated crucial checks and balances that should now be restored in the interest of both freedom and security.

Authorities in Florida are looking into whether Rush Limbaugh violated state money laundering laws by repeatedly withdrawing amounts of $9,900.00 from his bank account, presumably to pay to his pill dealer.

His lawyers say Rush was acting on the advice of his bank, which has since paid millions in fines for its erroneous advice to Rush and others to withdraw sums in that amount. Amounts over $10,000.00 trigger a reporting requirement and Rush didn't file the reports.

Amounts close to $10,000.00 are viewed as suspicious because authorites surmise that the person engaging in the transaction is structuring it to avoid the reporting requirement. Under Florida state law, knowingly structuring transactions can amount to money laundering.

Wesley Clark is drawing some major celebrities at his fundraisers:

Democratic Presidential hopeful Wesley Clark may have lured Boston's own Ben Affleck away from Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry. Affleck and his fiancee, Jennifer Lopez, turned out to listen to Clark make his pitch Sunday night at a Hollywood fund-raiser. "Ben thinks very highly of Clark," a pal tells us. "He's not ready to endorse anyone, but he's leaning toward him."

Hosts of the evening were Norman Lear, Irving Azoff, Jordan Kerner and Peter Morton, who opened his restaurant, Morton's, for a performance by the Eagles.

The event, which raised $350,000, also drew Kelly Lynch, Larry David, Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen (Steenburgen's and Clark's moms were best friends in Arkansas). Clark didn't stay to eat. Ever campaigning, he headed to Madonna's house for dinner with her Madgesty and about 10 other potential contributors.

[thanks to Hamster for the link]

Via TomPaine blog:

Shoot to kill. The White House asked British authorities to give U.S. special agents and snipers immunity if they shot protestors or other civilians during the president's visit to Great Britain. That was one of the many demands the White House made in preparation for the president's visit. Others were permission to close the Tube network, the use of U.S. air force planes and helicopters and the shipping in of battlefield weaponry to use against rioters. In the case of the accidental shooting of a protester, the Brits said no--the Americans in President Bush's protection squad will face justice in a British court as would any other visitor.

At least the Brits have some sanity left.

This comes as a surprise....police executed a search warrant today at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch in California.

Police won't disclose the reasons for the search or what they are searching for, but there is speculation it could be connected to the investigation into the alleged illegal wiretapping activities of private investigator Anthony Pellicano. Pellicano worked for Jackson during Jackson's past abuse investigation. He began serving a jail sentence on unrelated charges yesterday.

Update: Court TV now reports that the search is related to a new sexual abuse investigation recently lodged by a 13 year old boy. Fox says the boy is 12 and there is an ambulance at the scene.

Update: Court TV's Diane Dimond is reporting on the scene. The ranch isn't in midtown Manhattan--or downtown LA. It's outside Santa Barbara. How did she get there so fast? She must have known the raid was going to happen. Court TV is billing her reports as "exlcusive." Here's another connection: Diane disclosed last week that she had told federal investigators about Pellicano's illegal taping of her calls when she was covering the 1993 Michael Jackson sex abuse investigation for Hard Copy.

Update: This article says that Jackson and his kids have been in Las Vegas for the past three weeks.

Update: Jackson's attorney Brian Oxman confirms the search involves molestation accusations by a 12 year old boy and that the investigation has been ongoing for months:

"The investigation is about a 12-year-old boy. This involves a molestation allegation," Oxman said in a statement. "Sheriff's deputies have been investigating this case for months. There's been an ambulance that has already come and gone. And there is a forensics van, on the scene. Here we go again. This is insane."

For our latest update on Pellicano, go here.

Update: We'll be discussing the Michael Jackson search on Hannity and Colmes tonight, following the discussion on the Scott Peterson case.