Nation in brief

Guardsman guilty of trying to help al-Qaida

FORT LEWIS, Wash. - A National Guardsman accused of trying to give al-Qaida information about U.S. troops, including methods for killing soldiers, was found guilty Thursday on all five counts of trying to help the terrorist network.

The verdict in Spc. Ryan Anderson's court-martial, which began Monday, was announced late Thursday afternoon.

Anderson, a tank crewman whose 81st Armor Brigade unit is now in Iraq, was accused of trying to give terrorists information about U.S. troops' strength and tactics. The terrorists he thought he was meeting with were undercover federal agents, prosecutors said.

The jury of nine commissioned officers from Fort Lewis deliberated about 41/2 hours before reaching a verdict. Anderson, a 27-year-old Muslim convert, could face a maximum penalty of life in prison.

NEW ORLEANS - The Louisiana Supreme Court on Thursday refused to take up legal challenges aimed at keeping a proposed constitutional ban on gay marriages and civil unions off the Sept. 18 ballot.

The high court refused to hear the appeals of three lawsuits, but left open the possibility of challenging the amendment - if it passes - after the election.

The amendment, passed by state lawmakers this year, would ban state officials and courts from recognizing out-of-state marriages and civil unions between homosexuals.

LOS ANGELES - Michael Jackson allegedly paid $2-million to the son of an employee at his Neverland Ranch in 1990 to stave off an accusation of child molestation, according to a report by Dateline NBC.

The television news magazine did not disclose its source for information about the reported payment, which was the subject of a segment to be broadcast tonight.

In that segment, retired Santa Barbara County Sheriff Jim Thomas, now an NBC news analyst, said the accusation came to his office's attention in 1993 as it investigated another boy's claim. That boy reportedly was paid $15-million to $20-million by Jackson to avoid charges he thought would damage his career even if proved untrue.

Jackson has denied harming any child and is fighting charges he molested a boy in 2003.

JERSEY CITY, N.J. - A company that acquired artifacts salvaged from renovation of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island did not authorize an online auction of the items, which began last week and ended abruptly Tuesday, the company founder said Thursday.

The items advertised for auction on eBay were 18 10-inch metal pieces from the statue's original metal framework erected in 1886, and 25 bricks from the Great Hall, Ellis Island's main immigration processing building, built in 1916.

The auction sought minimum starting bids of $60,000 for each metal piece and $25,000 per brick. The bidding was to have lasted 10 days but was cut short by the seller Tuesday evening after beginning Friday afternoon, according to Chris Donlay of eBay.

TERROR VERDICTS TOSSED: Acting at the request of prosecutors, a federal judge on Thursday threw out terrorism charges against two men convicted last year in a case once hailed by the Bush administration as a major victory in the war on terror. But U.S. District Judge Gerald Rosen said the two, as well as a third man, must stand trial again on charges of document fraud.

The Justice Department uncovered several pieces of potentially exculpatory evidence that should have been given to the defense before trial.

ELIZABETH SMART TRIAL SET: Homeless street preacher and self-proclaimed prophet Brian David Mitchell pleaded not guilty on Thursday to kidnapping and other charges in the knifepoint abduction of Elizabeth Smart. His trial was set for the first week in February.

LACI PETERSON CASE: Police had up to six undercover cars following Scott Peterson each day in the weeks after his pregnant wife vanished, according to testimony Thursday at Peterson's double-murder trial.

Prosecutors suggested he made three brief trips to a marina because he was worried police would discover her remains. But the defense says Peterson made the trips simply out of concern for his wife.

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