Obama to pressure Assad, offer aid to reformers

WASHINGTON — Pres­i­dent Barack Obama will use a sweep­ing Mid­dle East speech on Thurs­day to sharply defend new sanc­tions on Syr­ian Pres­i­dent Bashar Assad as the U.S. gov­ern­ment tough­ened its mes­sage for the repres­sive leader: Embrace democ­racy or get out. In a pri­mary thrust of his address, Obama will also announce aid to coun­tries that embrace reforms, hop­ing to steer a region roil­ing in vio­lence toward demo­c­ra­tic change that lasts.