A source close to the Strauss-Kahn defense told CNN's Jeffrey Toobin that a deal is in the works that could result in his being freed on bail as early as Thursday. The deal is tentative and could still fall through, but the defense was optimistic that Strauss-Kahn could be released soon.  Strauss-Kahn's bail appeal to the state Supreme Court will be heard Thursday. It adds conditions that were not in the appeal turned down Monday by a criminal court judge and describes the accused as "a loving husband and father, and a highly regarded international diplomat, lawyer, politician, economist and professor, with no prior criminal record."  It notes that he has been married for more than a decade and has four children from a prior marriage, one of whom lives in New York, where she is a graduate student at Columbia University.  The case has captured worldwide attention. Strauss-Kahn is not only head of the IMF, but had been considered the French Socialist Party's best hope to unseat President Nicolas Sarkozy in next year's elections.  He is accused of sexual assault and the attempted rape of a 32-year-old Guinean maid in his Sofitel hotel suite. Prosecutors have opposed his release, asserting he is a flight risk.  Meanwhile, the alleged victim was to testify Wednesday before a grand jury in Manhattan Criminal Court, according to her attorney. "I want her to feel safe," said Jeffrey Shapiro. "To the extent that his freedom would impair her feeling of safety, that would deeply concern me."  The woman, a widow who lives with her child in New York's borough of the Bronx, will deny the claim that the incident was consensual, Shapiro said.  She has worked at the hotel for three years and is considered a good employee, the managing director of Sofitel said in a statement.
Counsel for international economist Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who is jailed on sexual assault charges, filed a new appeal on Wednesday seeking his release on bail from Rikers Island."We respectfully