BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — Most of the 2,000 protesters marching through Saddam Hussein’s hometown were Sunni Arabs. They waved flags and pictures of the ousted dictator. They chanted slogans from the countless stage-managed protests of his regime: “We sacrifice our souls and blood for you, Saddam.” But some in the crowd Monday in Tikrit were…

NEW YORK (AP) — Hurricane Katrina, which walloped New Orleans and other Gulf Coast cities, may result in insurance losses of up to $25 billion, according to reports Tuesday from two risk assessment firms. AIR Worldwide Corp., a risk modeling firm based in Boston, said its revised estimate projects likely insured losses in a range…

WASHINGTON (AP) — One health clinic officer told a caller describing botulism symptoms to go back to bed. Another told a caller describing signs of bubonic plague not to worry. And not one of 19 public health clinics surveyed by the RAND Corporation suggested isolating a patient whose face, arms and legs were said to…

By BRAD FOSS / AP Business Writer The potential damage to oil platforms, refineries and pipelines that remain closed along the Gulf Coast drove energy prices to new highs Tuesday, with crude futures briefly topping $70 a barrel and wholesale gasoline costs surging to levels that could lead to $3 a gallon at the pump…

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal emergency response efforts kicked into high gear after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast and surged northward, while President Bush considered tapping U.S. emergency petroleum stockpiles to ease the storm’s impact on affected refineries. Administration officials said Bush was expected to authorize a loan of at least some oil from the…

WASHINGTON (AP) — Suspected or convicted foreign-born terrorists have routinely exploited federal immigration laws over the last decade to enter or remain in the United States illegally, according to a report set for release Tuesday. Once in the country, some of them became naturalized citizens, says the report distributed by the Center for Immigration Studies,…

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — With water rising in the streets of New Orleans and conditions rapidly deteriorating, Gov. Kathleen Blanco said Tuesday that the tens of thousands of people now huddled in the Superdome and other rescue centers would have to be evacuated. “The situation is untenable,” Blanco said at a news conference. “It’s…

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. (AP) — President Bush on Monday pledged extensive federal help for victims of Hurricane Katrina to “get your lives back in order.” The government put into effect a massive emergency assistance program that included rushing baby formula, communications equipment, generators, water and ice into hard-hit areas. Bush also was expected to tap…

By HOLBROOK MOHR / Associated Press Writer GULFPORT, Miss. — Rescuers in boats and helicopters struggled to reach hundreds of wet and bedraggled victims of Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast on Tuesday, while New Orleans slipped deeper into crisis as water began rising in the streets because of a levee break. The magnitude of…

By LUCAS L. JOHNSON II / Associated Press Writer NASHVILLE — Emergency workers on Tuesday attempted to repair local power distribution equipment damaged by remnants of Hurricane Katrina that left thousands of customers across the state without electricity, officials said. Katrina was at tropical force strength more than 320 miles north of the Gulf Coast…