It’s easy to see the crazed race hatred of a violent white supremacist after the fact… but getting to them before they kill is an imperfect science at best. The Daily Beast’s Eliza Shapiro reports on the race to stop the next mass murderer before he strikes.

The Democratic National Convention could include Republican leaders, according to planning documents obtained by Politico. The documents paint an image of an aggressive line of attack by the party at its conclave, stating that events and speakers will be organized to “expose Mitt Romney as someone who doesn’t understand middle class challenges” and tout the president as “someone whose life story is about fighting for middle class Americans and those working to get into the middle class.” While plans may change between now and the convention, campaign press secretary Ben LaBolt said that “it’s no secret that the convention will both present the president’s vision and outline the choice that American’s will face in November.”

Overwhelmed and exhausted rebels retreated Thursday from Salaheddin to set up new defensive positions. Commanders insist the move is a tactical pullback, but fighters are unnerved as the government intensifies its Aleppo offensive. The Daily Beast’s Jamie Dettmer reports on the retreat.

The Sangin district of Helmand province, one of Afghanistan’s most deadly, has claimed the lives of three more American servicemen. An Afghan police commander and his men invited three special forces members to dinner, saying they planned to discuss security. “During dinner, the police commander and his colleagues shot them and then fled,” a senior Afghan official told Reuters. Three were killed. “It looks like he had drawn up a plan to kill them previously,” he added. Shootings like these have grown distressingly common, and have alienated U.S. troops from their potential local allies. Since January, 28 people have been killed in similar attacks.

White House officials said that new sanctions are on the way for Syria as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton travels to neighboring Turkey this weekend. Anonymous senior officials traveling with Clinton as she comes off a tour of African countries said that the new putative measures could be coming any time now as conditions in the embattled country continue to deteriorate. On Friday, the British government offered further support for opposition fighters, pledging about $7.8 million to purchase medical supplies and communications gear for the rebels.