Globe Trot: Confirming chemical weapons in Syria

U.S. and British defense analysts confirm that chemical weapons were used in an attack near Aleppo, Syria, in March. Extensive blood tests prove the victims endured likely sarin gas attacks.

The White House has long promised that use of chemical weapons would constitute “a red line” implying military action. It acknowledged that the line had been crossed but hedged in a letter to Congress: “The chain of custody is not clear, so we cannot confirm how the exposure occurred and under what conditions,” while admitting, “any use of chemical weapons in Syria would very likely have originated with the Assad regime.”

A radical Muslim friend may have influenced alleged Boston Marathon bombers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Tamerlan described the Bible as a “cheap copy” of the Quran, used to justify wars with other countries. “He had nothing against the American people,” a friend said. “He had something against the American government.”

Venezuela’s new president ordered the arrest of a 35-year-old filmmaker from Los Angeles he says is responsible for the unrest that’s followed his contested April 14 election. President Nicolas Maduro accused Timothy Tracy of financing and fomenting violence with a film about the country’s political divide.

I’m working on—an inside look at the Syrian rebel opposition and what it means for the country’s nearly 3 million Christians. And attending a panel on continuing violence against Christians in Nigeria at the Family Research Council today sponsored by Jubilee Campaign in Washington—following recent attacks and a faulty assessment of the dangers issued this month by the U.S. State Department.