Syria Has Used Chemical Arms on Rebels, U.S. and Allies Find  —  By MARK MAZZETTI, MICHAEL R. GORDON and MARK LANDLER  —  WASHINGTON — American and European intelligence analysts now believe that President Bashar al-Assad's troops have used chemical weapons against rebel forces in the civil war in Syria …

Santorum: Why Romney didn't win  —  Rick Santorum ripped Mitt Romney's campaign Thursday for mishandling President Barack Obama's “you didn't build that” gaffe last summer.  —  The former Pennsylvania senator recalled all the business owners who spoke at the Republican National Convention.

Ex-N.S.A. Contractor's Disclosures May Draw China's Attention  —  HONG KONG — The decision by a former National Security Agency contractor to divulge classified data about the U.S. government's surveillance of computers in mainland China and Hong Kong has complicated his legal position …

Four States Pushing Through Last-Minute Abortion Restrictions Before Lawmakers Break For The Summer  —  (Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)  —  Across the country, states' legislative sessions are drawing to a close.  Over the past several months, lawmakers have been busy enacting …

U.S. Agencies Said to Swap Data With Thousands of Firms  —  Thousands of technology, finance and manufacturing companies are working closely with U.S. national security agencies, providing sensitive information and in return receiving benefits that include access to classified intelligence, four people familiar with the process said.

Sympathy for the Luddites  —  In 1786, the cloth workers of Leeds, a wool-industry center in northern England, issued a protest against the growing use of “scribbling” machines, which were taking over a task formerly performed by skilled labor.  “How are those men, thus thrown out of employ …

Reps. King, Bachmann and Gohmert beg Glenn Beck's viewers for support: We're losing badly  —  Three of the most controversial Republican members of Congress appeared on Glenn Beck's program Thursday to beg his viewers for support.  —  Reps. Steve King (IA), Michele Bachmann (MN) …

Religion and Inequality  —  About a century ago, Walter Judd was a 17-year-old boy hoping to go to college at the University of Nebraska.  His father pulled him aside and told him that, though the family had happily paid for Judd's two sisters to go to college, Judd himself would get no money for tuition or room and board.

Obama Tells Keystone Foes He Will Unveil Climate Measures  —  With his administration under pressure from environmentalists to reject the Keystone XL pipeline project, President Barack Obama plans to unveil a package of separate actions next month focused on curbing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

Secret Court Ruling Put Tech Companies in Data Bind  —  SAN FRANCISCO — In a secret court in Washington, Yahoo's top lawyers made their case.  The government had sought help in spying on certain foreign users, without a warrant, and Yahoo had refused, saying the broad requests were unconstitutional.

Strange Bedfellows: Why Marco Rubio and Rand Paul Need Each Other  —  Rubio desperately needs a conservative partner.  Paul needs to moderate his image.  A look inside the delicate alliance.  —  Marco Rubio and Rand Paul may be future rivals, but it's in their mutual interest to be allies on immigration.

FBI hasn't contacted a single tea party group in IRS probe, groups say  —  There is no evidence that the FBI has contacted a single tea party group in its criminal investigation of the Internal Revenue Service, according to the groups the IRS abused.  —  “We have not been contacted …

Bill Clinton: Gun groups try to ‘terrify’  —  Former President Bill Clinton said Friday that gun groups are trying to “terrify” people into believing the federal government wants to take away their firearms.  —  “What's going on is that these organized interest groups don't want anything done …

Why Obama's Approval Rating Isn't Higher  —  Constant controversies could prevent the president from getting much credit for the improving economy.  —  The good news for President Obama and his administration is that all the controversies swirling around the White House have not had a significant impact on his job-approval ratings.

Freedom: The Unfolding Revolution  —  'Why are there no libertarian countries?  In a much-discussed essay for Salon, Michael Lind asks: “If libertarians are correct in claiming that they understand how best to organize a modern society, how is it that not a single country in the world …

6 months after Newtown: Rush of gun laws, mixed results … Newtown, Conn., marked the six-month anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings with a ceremony and moment of science Friday.  Since the tragedy, lawmakers in four key states have approved significant restrictions on access to firearms.