USA

It's by no means confirmed, but "I would not be surprised" if Saddam Hussein is dead, Sen. Pat Roberts (R) of Kansas told "Fox News Sunday." Roberts, who chairs the Senate intelligence committee, said US forces in Iraq have mounted an "aggressive effort" to track down the ousted leader. He spoke amid intense media speculation on Hussein's whereabouts. An unconfirmed report in Britain's Observer newspaper said DNA tests were being conducted on remains thought to be those of Hussein and one of his sons.

Roman Catholic bishops in the US "remain committed to all [reforms] we promised" to address the clergy sex-abuse scandal, Bishop Wilton Gregory of Illinois asserted Saturday. Gregory is president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, which concluded a three-day gathering in St. Louis with a report citing progress in the "monumental effort" to implement reforms, remove abusive priests, and restore confidence in the church. That assessment was challenged by members of the victims' support group SNAP, which simultaneously held its first national conference at a nearby hotel.

Almost 1,000 firefighters were striving to contain the Aspen fire in Arizona, which has consumed 7,500 acres and more than 250 homes in the town of Summerhaven. "I don't have a vocabulary big enough" to describe the devastation, Gov. Janet Napolitano (D) said Saturday after a helicopter tour.

Residents of 600 homes in Manatee County, Fla., were urged to evacuate due to flood concerns. Emergency officials said continued rain was adding to waters already five feet above normal on Lake Manatee, and attempts to open a jammed third floodgate on the lake's dam had failed.

Residents of Commerce, Calif., were calling for an investigation into a train derailment Friday that injured 13 people, displaced 150 others, and scattered debris in the area east of Los Angeles. A spokesman for Union Pacific Railroad said runaway freight cars had been diverted to avoid a possible collision with passenger trains or others carrying hazardous materials. Twenty-eight cars jumped the tracks.

Amazon.com said it shipped 1.3 million copies of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" Saturday, setting an e-commerce record. One British bookstore chain reported selling eight copies per second.

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