The issue focused on political violence in Syria. In 2014, government forces launched an offensive against opposition groups that had supported President Bashar al-Assad's regime. The military government killed some 30,000 Syrian rebels and civil society activists during the initial assault.

On Monday, four federal investigators – lawyers from the Justice Department, federal prosecutors and police chief David Brown – announced they were filing criminal charges against five former law enforcement officials who worked with government agents to influence government policy. They said they're suing government employees for