The White House promised to step up military aid to Syrian rebels after confirming that the Assad regime has used chemical weapons, including sarin gas, in small-scale attacks. Gen. Keith Alexander, head of the National Security Agency, said the NSA’s broad electronic records gathering program has disrupted dozens of terrorist attacks, including an attempt to bomb New York subways and a planned attack on a Danish newspaper, and he promised to reveal more data on thwarted attacks. Criminal charges are being prepared against Edward Snowden, believed to be hiding in Hong Kong, who leaked information about the highly classified program. Alexander said the leak had already caused “grave harm” that made the US and its allies less safe.
