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Hoping to end a tense stalemate in Iraq's Sunni Muslim stronghold of Fallujah, U.S. Marines and a representative of the U.S. occupation authority hold direct talks with a delegation of insurgents. Marines maintain their one-sided cease-fire, and continue to surround the city. Hear NPR's Melissa Block and embedded KPBS reporter Eric Niiler.

A soon-to-be released book by journalist Bob Woodward -- of Watergate fame -- says President Bush asked top military leaders to plan for war in Iraq even as U.S. soldiers were attacking the Taliban in Afghanistan. The allegations were largely confirmed by the White House press secretary. NPR's Don Gonyea reports.

Under an emerging plan to end the siege of Fallujah, U.S. Marines pull back from some positions, to be replaced by a newly formed Iraqi security force commanded by one of Saddam Hussein's former generals. Fighting continues in parts of Fallujah, and two Marines were killed in a bombing outside the town. NPR's Anne Garrels reports.

Spain's prime minister-elect, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, says he may pull Spanish troops out of what he calls a disastrous occupation in Iraq. Zapatero's election is being seen as a public rejection of the Popular Party's support for the U.S.-led war in Iraq, which many blame for Thursday's bloody train bombings. NPR's Sylvia Poggioli reports.

Theodor Seuss Geisel died in 1991, after authoring dozens of books that became bedtime rituals the world over. Schoolchildren will celebrate Dr. Seuss' 100th birthday today with special events across the country. Morning Edition offers a special birthday card to Dr. Seuss with a verse written by Hart Seely, a reporter with the Syracuse Post-Standard:

U.S. government investigators say Saddam Hussein illegally raked in more than $10 billion while Iraq was under U.N. sanctions. Officials tell members of Congress that Saddam made money by violating the rules of the oil-for-food program, smuggling oil, adding surcharges and collecting kickbacks. NPR's Andrea Seabrook reports.

A top Vatican official says Catholic politicians who favor abortion rights for women should be denied communion, the most sacred act of faith for Catholics. The proposed Vatican policy could affect Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, a Catholic who supports abortion rights. Hear NPR's Melissa Block and John Feuerherd of The National Catholic Reporter.

La-Z-Boy is the biggest manufacturer of upholstered furniture in the United States, and also one of its best known brand names. But tough competition from other companies is cutting into La-Z-Boy's revenues. In response, La-Z-Boy has hired New York designer Todd Oldham to update its image. NPR's Jim Zarroli reports.

NASA may try to launch an unprecedented robotic mission to service the Hubble space telescope. Administrator Sean O'Keefe says tests of the idea in recent months have been encouraging. NPR's David Kestenbaum reports.

A German warship called the Graf Spee, which sank off Uruguay's coast in 1939 during the early days of World War II, is at the center of a growing debate. Many want to raise the ship and make it a tourist attraction in the economically depressed country. Others, including some of the Graf Spee's survivors, want the ship to remain untouched in its watery grave off Montevideo. NPR's Martin Kaste reports.