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Amid the frenzy of confusing and conflicting information that has followed the death of Michael Jackson, Wednesday began with clarity on two fronts. The day ended, however, with more questions than answers.

A federal law enforcement official said Wednesday night that the Drug Enforcement Administration had joined Jackson’s death investigation, once again fanning speculation that drugs may have been involved in the pop icon’s passing.

Earlier in the day, the Jackson family said they would not hold a public or private viewing of his body at Neverland Ranch, as had been reported. They didn’t indicate where else or when such a ceremony would be held.

And though Jackson’s will, made public Wednesday, placed his entire estate in a family trust, the document that described the trust was not filed in Los Angeles Superior Court.

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Researchers were testing the bacteria to determine if it bears the same genetic fingerprint as the E. coli linked to an outbreak of illness that has affected at least 69 people in 29 states.

The tainted sample was manufactured last February 10 at the Nestle Plant in Danville, said the sources, both of whom requested anonymity.

All of the infected persons had been confirmed as having the outbreak strain of E. coli 0157:H7, the CDC said Monday.

Those affected range in age from 2 to 65, however 64 percent are less than 19 and 73 percent are female.

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NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Fans, friends and colleagues of Billy Mays are still absorbing the news of the ebullient TV salesman’s untimely death. Meanwhile, those in the infomercial field are left wondering: What will the industry do now that its most recognizable front man is gone?

Mays, who died on Sunday from heart disease, worked closely with marketing firms to promote products including OxiClean, Hercules Hooks and Mighty Putty. His booming voice, warm smile and gesticulating arms made him an icon in the direct response industry.

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CHICAGO - A Colorado meat company is expanding a recall of beef due to possible contamination by E.coli O157:H7 bacteria after an investigation found 18 illnesses may be linked to the meat, the company and the U.S. Agriculture Department said on Sunday.

Greeley, Colorado-based JBS-Swift Beef Co is voluntarily expanding its June 24 recall to include about 380,000 pounds of assorted beef products, for a total recall of about 421,000 pounds, USDA and the company said.

The affected beef was produced on April 21 and was distributed nationally and internationally.

Full Story At News.CNET.Com

t happens time and time again: when news breaks, the Internet slows.

It’s quite obvious at this point that the Internet has muscled its way into the lives of anyone who needs information. And Michael Jackson’s death Thursday had as great an impact on the Internet as anything in the history of the medium that didn’t involve the World Trade Center.

The statistics are amazing: Akamai said worldwide Internet traffic was 11 percent higher than normal during the peak hours between 3 p.m. PDT and 4 p.m., when news of Jackson’s death was breaking. That traffic forced even Google to its knees for a brief period of time Thursday afternoon.

Can a system that has trouble keeping up with ever-increasing demand for its services be considered a reliable source of information when a true crisis emerges? After an editor banished a budding argument between CNET News’ Tom Krazit and Declan McCullagh from a company-wide mailing list, we decided to let them fight it out here.

Tom: How can any system that doesn’t work precisely when people need it the most be considered the future of communications?

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Presley — the daughter of Elvis, the “King of Rock,” and the ex-wife of Jackson, the “King of Pop” — wrote on her MySpace page that she wanted “to say now what I have never said before because I want the truth out there for once.” Her publicist confirmed Presley wrote the blog.

She said her short marriage to Jackson — from May 1994 until January 1996 — “was not ‘a sham’ as is being reported in the press,” but she divorced him because she was “in over my head in trying” to save Jackson “from the inevitable, which is what has just happened.”

Jackson talked with her about his death during “a deep conversation” 14 years ago about “the circumstances of my father’s death.” Video Watch more from Presley on Jackson »

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Now, both the King of Pop and the Godfather of Soul are gone.

Sunday night’s 9th Annual BET Awards is sure to be filled with tributes to Jackson, whose videos and performances were a staple for the network in his heyday. BET has already paid tribute to the singer, going wall-to-wall with Jackson videos Thursday night.

Many of the celebrities scheduled to attend the show were also fans of the singer and it is expected that the night will provide an opportunity for them to salute the star.

“Words cannot capture the impact Michael Jackson has had on pop culture around the world,” said Debra L. Lee, chairman and chief executive officer of BET Networks. “He changed the way we hear and feel and move to music; he epitomized what true musical talent and star power really mean. He is and always will be the King of Pop.”

Full Story At msnbc.com

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - When the Soviet Union was beating America’s pants off heaving cosmonauts into orbit, a young president named John Fitzgerald Kennedy called a handful of top space experts in and decided Americans would walk on the moon.

Kennedy wanted to win the space race with the Russians — but more importantly, it was his dream to send astronauts to the moon. They needed to go because Earth is finite, a cradle for humans, and if humans are to survive they need homes out there.

America won that space race, and eventually the Cold War as well. Now another young president is facing a choice in space, and his decision could be as momentous as the one Kennedy made more than four decades ago.