The White House says President George W. Bush has authorized U.S. forces in Iraq to take whatever actions are necessary to counter Iranian agents deemed a threat to American troops or the Iraqi public.

Ten U.S. lawmakers who just returned from a trip to Havana are calling for engagement with Cuba in place of the trade and travel embargo the United States has imposed on Cuba for years. The House members say six months after ailing President Fidel Castro gave governing power to his brother Raul, it is apparent that little in communist Cuba will change unless U.S. policy does. VOA's Marissa Melton reports from Washington.