Today's Headlines and Commentary

The gunman who opened fire at the Navy Sea Systems Command in Washington, D.C. has been identified as one Aaron Alexis, a former Navy reservist who was discharged in 2011 for misconduct. He was hired by a military contractor and "had a security clearance and a valid military identification card," according to the Washington Post. Ernesto Londono argues that the shooting is likely to renew the debate about the security protocols at military facilities. Cue this request for information from Rep. Michael Turner (R-OH) to the Pentagon about security measures at military installations. Manny Fernandez of the New York Times has more about the shooter, including his obsession with Thai culture. Too little, too late? The United Nations confirmed yesterday that chemical weapons were indeed used in Syria. Here are its fact sheet and official report on the investigation. The Times discusses the forensic details in the report, which implicates the Assad regime. The Guardian and the Post have more on the U.N. report. And Western powers are back to talking tough, reports the Times, in their insistence that there will be serious ramifications for President Bashar Assad if he does not comply with the plan to dismantle his chemical weapons arsenal. Walter Pincus discusses the path forward in Syria in his Post column. So does Bill Keller in his Times column. The CIA can "neither confirm nor deny" something besides the drone program. This time, it's the lobbying records of its private contractors, Politico informs us. Yemen has received two American reconnaissance aircraft to help it fight terrorism, reports the Associated Press. Carol Rosenberg of the Miami Herald has up-to-the-minute information on the 9/11 motions hearings at Guantanamo Bay. As Wells reported from Ft. Meade, defense attorney Cheryl Bormann was taken ill and Ramzi bin al Shibh had a shouting match with Army Col. Judge James Pohl. Ayman al-Zawahiri has published thoroughly unoriginal "general guidelines for jihad," says Reuters. The House Oversight Committee, under Chairman Darrell Issa, released a report yesterday saying the Accountability Review Board that was established to investigate the Benghazi attacks was flawed and did not hold senior officials accountable. Former Ambassador Thomas Pickering and former Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen, who chaired the ARB, are scheduled to testify before the committee on Thursday. CNN's Security Clearance blog has more, as does the Post. The Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for a bombing that killed a senior Pakistani general, reports Salman Masood of the Times. The Philippine military rescued almost 80 hostages being held by Muslim rebel group Moro National Liberation Front in the city of Zamboanga. The Times has more.