A top adviser to President Obama said the administration is considering its response to the Islamic State threat, will do “what is necessary” to protect Americans, and will not be “restricted by borders.” Joint Chiefs Chair General Dempsey floated the idea of containment. Senator James Inhofe, the ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, warned that ISIS members are “rapidly developing a method of blowing up a major US city and people just can’t believe that’s happening.” An Aug. 9 Twitter posting appears to show a downtown Chicago building on June 20 with the threat that ISIS soldiers “will pass from here soon.” A US official said that more than 100 US citizens have tried to fight in Syria. A classified Pentagon assessment said that Iran is continuing its buildup of weapons near the Strait of Hormuz while toning down its military rhetoric. Dias Kadyrbayev, a friend of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, pled guilty to hampering the investigation.
