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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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) …

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.

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.

Nevada Congressman's Son: Obama Is Only Good At “Spear Chucking And Rock Skipping”  —  Rep. Joe Heck's son Joey has made several racist, homophobic, and sexist remarks on Twitter.  “I apologize to everyone he may have offended,” the Congressman tells BuzzFeed.

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 …

Bloomberg Reporters' Practices Become Crucial Issue for Company  —  Most journalists dream of uncovering government corruption, landing a big interview or winning a Pulitzer Prize.  But those are not the goals that Thomas F. Secunda, who co-founded Bloomberg L.P. in 1982 with Michael R. Bloomberg, has in mind.

TOGETHER AGAIN  —  Fox News announced on Thursday that Sarah Palin will rejoin the network as a paid contributor.  The Drudge Report was first to break the news.  —  Fox News previously hired Palin as a contributor but did not renew her contract earlier this year.