Investigators Clear Virginia’s Cuccinelli in Ethics Probe

Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II, the Virginia attorney general, did not violate ethics rules in failing to disclose some $5,100 in gifts from a corporate executive, an independent investigator said on Thursday.

After looking into a possible conflict of interest, the investigator, Michael N. Herring, the commonwealth’s attorney for Richmond, Va., also concluded that Mr. Cuccinelli had exerted no influence over his office’s defense of a lawsuit filed by the executive’s company against the state while Mr. Cuccinelli owned about $20,000 of the company’s stock.

The finding was a clear victory for Mr. Cuccinelli, the Republican candidate for governor. He has sought to distance himself from an ethics scandal shadowing Gov. Bob McDonnell because of Mr. McDonnell’s acceptance of some $145,000 in gifts from the same executive, Jonnie R. Williams Sr., the chief of Star Scientific. The gifts are the focus of a federal grand jury investigation in Richmond.

Still, Democrats indicated that they were not done with the matter and would continue to try to use it against Mr. Cuccinelli in his race with Terry McAuliffe, the Democratic nominee.

“Ken Cuccinelli avoided prosecution for disguising his conflict of interest with Star Scientific and Jonnie Williams because of Virginia’s extraordinarily weak ethics laws,’’ said Brian Coy, a spokesman for the Democratic Party of Virginia.

Over three months, Mr. Herring said in a nine-page report, he and a deputy interviewed Mr. Cuccinelli and his staff and reviewed the attorney general’s required annual financial disclosure forms to determine if he had violated the state’s Conflict of Interest Act.

Most of the report’s findings of facts had emerged in earlier news accounts since the scandal over Mr. Williams broke in April.

Mr. Cuccinelli did not publicly disclose ownership of Star Scientific stock until October 2012, nine months after it was required by law. He also belatedly revealed some gifts from Mr. Williams, including two vacations at a lake house in 2010 and 2012, which he did not report until April of this year.

He has said his omissions were inadvertent, and the independent investigator agreed.

“Although one cannot help but question whether repeated omissions of Williams are coincidence or a pattern reflecting intent to conceal, the disclosure of several other benefits and gifts from Williams in his original statements suggests that the attorney general was not attempting to conceal the relationship,’’ Mr. Herring’s report said.

The report also concluded that, although Mr. Cuccinelli owned Star Scientific stock while his office was defending the state against a tax lawsuit the company brought in July 2011, there was no evidence that he had intervened. “Investigators interviewed members of his office staff and found no evidence that Mr. Cuccinelli’s personal financial interest affected his judgment or that of his employees during the litigation,’’ it said.

Mr. Cuccinelli had requested the outside investigation into his financial disclosures. After the report was released, he said in a statement, “There was no legal requirement to refer my own filings to a commonwealth’s attorney to review, but I did it because I wanted to be completely transparent with the public.”

The report filled in a few unknown details in the Star Scientific saga, including how Mr. Cuccinelli first met Mr. Williams. In December 2009, Mr. Cuccinelli, newly elected but not yet sworn in, attended an event in New York City in place of Mr. McDonnell, and Mr. Williams flew him back on his private plane.

“He informed investigators that he first met Williams during the event, at which point Williams offered the use of his various properties,’’ Mr. Herring’s report said.

Mr. Cuccinelli also told investigators that it was he who had asked Mr. Williams, twice, for the use of his vacation home on Smith Mountain Lake. The attorney general and his family spent Thanksgiving there in 2010, a trip valued at $1,500, and returned for a week’s vacation in 2012, valued at $3,000.

Boehner Optimistic About Immigration Bill

WASHINGTON â€" As the immigration debate dragged on during this particularly hot week in July, Speaker John A. Boehner offered perhaps his most optimistic assessment yet of the chances in the House for a broad overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws.

“I think it’s going pretty well,” Mr. Boehner told reporters on Thursday. “We had a great conversation last week. The more this issue is around, the more action there is in committee, the more information there is for the members to put their hands on. And, frankly, the American people are engaged in this issue as well.”

He added: “You know, it’s not just organizations that are up here lobbying for immigration reform. You got a lot of individuals, a lot of constituents, who have opinions on this, and all this serves to help educate our members.”

Mr. Boehner has repeatedly said that he will not allow a vote on legislation that has already passed the Senate, which includes a path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants. But at a closed-door meeting last week, he warned House Republicans about the high political price of inaction.

Senator Charles E. Schumer, an author of the Senate immigration bill, said he was pleased to hear that Mr. Boehner was encouraging Republicans to pass an immigration bill in the House.

“I understand they don’t want to do a bill exactly like ours,” said Mr. Schumer, Democrat of New York, “but if we can have both sides do bills that are not light years apart, we can get something done.”

Racial Makeup of Red and Blue America

As the House of Representatives considers an overhaul of immigration laws, it is clear that the members represent very different slices of the country, depending on their political party. Districts represented by Democrats are, together, only slightly more than half white and nearly one quarter Hispanic. Republican districts are roughly three-quarters white, and only one in nine residents is Hispanic.

The New York Times Note: People who report being Hispanic and another race are included in the Hispanic category. Source: 2010 U.S. Census data, retabulated for the Congressional district boundaries of the 113th Congress

Hillary Clinton, Private Citizen and Public Persona, Creates a Transition Office

As she transitions to a life as a private citizen, Hillary Rodham Clinton has assembled a staff that looks similar to the one she had when she held public office.

Although the former secretary of state and United States senator spends much of her time in New York and traveling the country delivering speeches, she has a small personal office in Washington staffed with familiar faces. One aide described the office on Connecticut Avenue, near the Mayflower Hotel, as modest (“smaller than my first NYC apt.”), with staff members doubled up in three offices, each roughly the size of a large walk-in closet.

The staff includes the longtime aide Huma Abedin, the wife of Anthony D. Weiner, who is running for mayor of New York. Ms. Abedin will serve as transition director. Lona Valmoro, who has worked with Mrs. Clinton continuously since 2003, is also part of what aides refer to as a personal or transition office.

Nicholas Merrill, who worked in communications at the State Department and on Mrs. Clinton's 2008 campaign for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, will serve as press secretary. Dan Schwerin, who has worked for Mrs. Clinton in various capacities since 2005, serves as a policy adviser and speechwriter.

Other staff members include a person who handles correspondence (one aide said “there's a ton”), a researcher for Mrs. Clinton's planned book about her time as secretary of state, a personal aide, an office manager and a person in charge of handling what is a packed travel schedule.

Ted Widmer, who served as a speechwriter in President Bill Clinton's administration, is not part of the personal office, but is assisting Hillary Clinton on her book, which will be published by Simon and Schuster and is due out next summer. Mr. Schwerin and Ethan Gelber, who worked under Mrs. Clinton in the State Department, will also assist with book research.

That staff is separate from the team that Mrs. Clinton and her daughter, Chelsea, are assembling within the Clinton Foundation as part of the former first lady's push into charitable causes that benefit women and girls. Those hires include Maura Pally, who previously worked at the State Department and at Bloomberg Philanthropies, and Madhuri Kommareddi, a former policy aide to President Obama.

Legislative Acronyms: A 21st Century Phenomenon

The USA Patriot Act for homeland security. The Dream Act for young undocumented immigrants who want to make a life in the United States.

Those bill names that make perfect acronyms are no coincidence. In fact, they're often rather tortured and used with increasing frequency in Congress since the early 2000s, according to an admitted “overly in-depth analysis” by Noah Veltman, a Web developer who is working at the BBC on a data journalism fellowship.

Take, for example, the No Field Act: None of Our Funds in the Interest or for the Exercise or Leisure of Detainees, on Mr. Veltman's list of “Sassiest Acronyms.” Sass is not necessarily politically effective: the 2013 bill to cut the defense budget by whatever amount had been designated for recreational facilities for Guantánamo Bay detainees in 2012 did not pass.

According to Mr. Veltman's study of “Congressional Acronym Abuse, 1973-2013,” Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York was the most acronym-prone legislator during that period, sponsoring 43 such bills. Safe was the most popular word, appearing 131 times.

Mr. Veltman's analysis also has a practical element: the Payback Act, Equality Act and the Pharmacy Act will each earn you 20 Scrabble points.

Sunday Breakfast Menu, July 14

Stephen Crowley/The New York Times

There is renewed attention on Congressional dysfunction this week as the momentum slows on immigration reform and Republicans continue mounting their opposition to the new health care law. Several party leaders will be in the hot seat on the Sunday shows, tasked with assuring the public that they have a plan.

Senators Harry Reid, Democrat of Nevada, and Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, had a tense exchange on the Senate floor Thursday over proposed changes to Senate rules that would limit the filibuster. The two men will continue that discussion on NBC's “Meet the Press.” Later, Representative Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas and one of the immigration bill's most outspoken critics, will be on the show to discuss his thoughts on how the House should proceed with the path to citizenship.

Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, Republican of Florida, has been championing a new immigration bill for months. He will appear on CBS's “Face the Nation” to talk about the current state of the legislation, as few of his party members in the House are in favor of the bill. Representatives Peter T. King, Republican of New York, and Mike Kelly, Republican of Pennsylvania, along with Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, will also weigh in. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel will sit down for a one-on-one about the state of the Middle East.

Univision's “Al Punto” will feature interviews with Mr. Diaz-Balart, as well as Representative Xavier Becerra, Democrat of California, about the immigration deal and the factors that would and would not be negotiable. Representative Robert W. Goodlatte, Republican of Virginia, will be on C-SPAN's “Newsmakers” to talk about the same topic.

Mr. King will join Representative Steve Israel, Democrat of New York, on “Fox News Sunday” to discuss the prospects of the immigration bill in the House.  Later, Representative Michael McCaul, Republican of Texas, will talk about Edward J. Snowden and the national security leaks.

ABC's “This Week” will delve into more contentious issues in Congress, including Republican efforts to delay implementation of the new health care law. Representative Karen Bass, Democrat of California, Representative Tom Cole, Republican of Oklahoma, Senator Orrin G. Hatch, Republican of Utah, and Senator Amy Klobuchar, Democrat of Minnesota, will debate the week in politics.

Gov. Rick Perry of Texas will give an exclusive interview to CNN's “State of the Union” about his recent decision not to seek re-election, and if it has anything to do with a future bid for president. Gov. Pat Quinn of Illinois will also be on the program to discuss his decision to cut off paychecks for state legislators until they can solve the state's pension problem. Representatives Raúl M. Grijalva, Democrat of Arizona, and Chaka Fattah, Democrat of Pennsylvania, will give a synopsis of President Obama's meeting with members of the Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Bloomberg's “Political Capital” will have a sit down with Representative Trey Gowdy, Republican of South Carolina, and “Capitol Gains” will feature an interview with Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, about the government surveillance programs.

 

Congress Seeks Path Forward on Farm Bill as Deadline Approaches

Despite the differences between the farm bills passed by the House and Senate, the chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee said she wanted to work with her House counterparts to draft new five-year farm legislation that would continue agriculture programs set to expire Sept. 30.

“We are willing to take what they give us and work with the chairman and ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee,” the chairwoman, Senator Debbie Stabenow, Democrat of Michigan, said in a conference call with reporters on Monday. “Time is of the essence, and we need to move forward on this.”

Ms. Stabenow said the Senate was still waiting for the House to send over its bill so the two chambers can conference and begin working out their differences. She reiterated her opposition to the legislation passed by the House.

The 608-page farm bill the House passed last week was the first since 1973 not to include a food stamp program.

The 216-to-208 vote saved House Republican leaders from a rerun of the stunning defeat of a broader version of the bill last month, but it left the fate of the food stamp program uncertain. The program, which normally makes up about 80 percent of the farm bill and costs nearly $75 billion a year, has been a constant target for House conservatives who say it has grown too large. About 47 million Americans receive food stamps.

House Republicans have proposed cutting about $20 billion from the program. Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, the majority leader, has promised to “act with dispatch” to pass a separate food stamp bill in the future, but has not given a timetable.

The Senate passed its version of the farm bill, which included the food stamp program, in June, and Ms. Stabenow said the Senate would not accept a bill that did not include the program. President Obama has also threatened to veto any bill that does not include food stamps.

The House and Senate bills both include fundamental changes to agriculture provisions in the current law. Both would save billions of dollars by consolidating or cutting numerous farm subsidy programs, including the $5 billion paid annually to farmers and landowners whether they plant crops or not. The money saved by eliminating those payments would be directed into the $9 billion crop insurance program, and new subsidies would be created for peanut, cotton and rice farmers.

Both bills add money to support fruit and vegetable growers, and restore insurance programs for livestock producers that expired in 2011, leaving thousands of operations without disaster coverage during last year's drought.

But the bills also differ on major issues besides food stamps.

The House bill includes a new proposal to repeal a provision in the current farm bill, called permanent law, that causes farm programs to revert to 1949 price levels if a new farm bill is not passed. Congress has traditionally maintained the provision to force lawmakers to pass a bill or face large increases in farm program expenditures. Without the provision, many lawmakers and farm groups fear there would be no incentive for Congress to pass a farm bill on time.

The Senate is opposed to repealing the permanent law provision.

The House bill would make substantial changes to a dairy program that limits the amount of milk produced and sold in the United States. Dairy farmers oppose the measures, saying they would result in a loss of revenue.

The House bill also includes a provision, added by Representative Dan Benishek, Republican of Michigan, that would require additional economic and scientific analyses before a sweeping 2010 law to improve the food safety system goes into effect. Food safety advocates say the provision would effectively halt implementation of the law.

This post has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction: July 15, 2013

An earlier version of this post misstated when the Senate passed its farm bill. It was in June, not May.

Anti-Citizenship Protesters Issue Warning to House

Christopher Gregory/The New York Times Protesters opposed to a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants held a “March for Jobs” rally in Washington on Monday.

About 2,000 demonstrators opposed to an immigration bill passed by the Senate marched down Pennsylvania Avenue in sweltering heat on Monday and rallied outside the Capitol, hoping to stop any similar measure - especially one that would grant legal status to illegal immigrants - from advancing in the House of Representatives.

Conservative protesters came to Washington from 26 states to “march for jobs” and decry any bill that includes legalization, which they reject as amnesty that would erode the rule of law and, in a new emphasis, threaten the jobs of American workers. The gathering was organized by a group called the Black American Leadership Alliance in an effort to unite several forces for the immigration battle in the House, including conservative blacks and Tea Party followers, as well as supporters of restrictive immigration policy who have long been in the fight.

The comprehensive Senate bill, which includes a pathway to citizenship for 11 million immigrants in the country illegally, passed on a strong bipartisan vote, but House Republicans made it clear that they would not take it up. Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio said the House would deal with immigration in smaller, “bite-sized” pieces over the coming months.

Opponents of the overhaul were on the defensive during the Senate debate, but now, with many conflicting views emerging among House Republicans, they see a chance to stop the House from passing any legislation that could be paired with the Senate bill to produce a compromise measure.

“Kill the bill!” was the marchers' rallying cry. They wore red T-shirts saying, “Protect American Jobs, No Amnesty!” Some protesters carried big signs with black letters and one word: “Deport!” While there were many black speakers, the crowd was largely white.

Allen West, a retired lieutenant colonel from Florida who served one term in Congress and is a favorite of Tea Party groups, said lawmakers should focus on creating jobs for United States citizens. “Take care of Americans first,” said Mr. West, who is black. “Get Americans back to work. Get our children back in colleges and universities.”

By passing immigration reform that includes a path to legalization, Mr. West said, Congress was sending the wrong message to immigrants who are here illegally. He described it as: “You don't care about respecting our laws, it's O.K. Just come on in and we'll tell the Americans to take the back seat.”

“That's not how we are in this country,” he said. Evoking an image from the black civil rights movement, Mr. West added, “Americans ride in the front seat of this bus.”

Representative Mo Brooks, an Alabama Republican who is a vigorous critic of the Senate plan, said it would bring a “huge influx” of low-wage foreigners who would become a burden on the federal government.

“You bring in foreigners who are going to be net tax producers, not net tax consumers,” Mr. Brooks said. “You bring in foreigners who are going to be a positive for our country, not a negative for our country.”

Supporters of the immigration overhaul have organized much larger rallies in Washington this year. But opponents appear to have the advantage of greater leverage over conservative Republican lawmakers in their home districts.

Ken Crow, a Texan and founder of Tea Party Community, an online social media group, congratulated the crowd for having the “bloodlines” of the nation's founders. “You guys have incredible DNA, don't forget that,” he said.

As an indication of the pressures House Republican leaders can expect from conservatives, Mr. Crow addressed a warning directly to Mr. Boehner. “If you want to run this bill through,” he said, referring to the Senate measure, “if you want something similar but not quite, you do so at your own political peril.”

If any legalization measure passes the House, Mr. Crow advised the speaker, “Tea Party conservatives across this nation will ensure that next year you're going to get to send your résumé out.”

Illinois Attorney General Will Not Run for Governor

CHICAGO - Lisa Madigan, the attorney general of Illinois and the daughter of the longtime speaker of the state House, will not run for governor next year, ending months of speculation that she would.

Ms. Madigan, 46, will instead seek a fourth term as attorney general. Her decision will help narrow the Democratic field in the governor's race for William M. Daley, a former chief of staff to President Obama who is expected to oppose Gov. Pat Quinn in a primary.

In announcing her decision late Monday, Ms. Madigan cited her family connections, which benefited her early in her political career, as a reason not to run for governor in 2014. Her father, Michael J. Madigan, is still the speaker of the Illinois House and is one of the most powerful politicians in the state.

“I feel strongly that the state would not be well served by having a governor and speaker of the House from the same family and have never planned to run for governor if that would be the case,” Ms. Madigan said. “With Speaker Madigan planning to continue in office, I will not run for governor.”

An unusual number of candidates from both parties have shown interest in running for governor here in 2014. The state is struggling to solve a looming pension crisis, and there is a sense on the part of some critics - including, on Monday, Ms. Madigan - that it needs new leadership to get anything accomplished.

“I considered running for governor,” Ms. Madigan said, “because of the need for effective management from that office and the frustration so many of us feel about the current lack of progress on critical issues facing Illinois.”

Mr. Quinn, a former lieutenant governor, was elevated to governor in 2008 after Rod R. Blagojevich was indicted on corruption charges. Mr. Quinn then won a close election on his own in 2010.

Video: Beyond ‘This Town\'

After writing a book that chews through many Washington egos, The Times's Mark Leibovich talks about how life goes on when your best subjects are also your neighbors.

Texas Man Arrested Across From White House

Doug Mills/The New York Times Secret Service officers arrested Christopher Briggs in Lafayette Park, across the street from the White House, on Tuesday.

Secret Service officers arrested a Texas man armed with a pistol and two knives on Tuesday afternoon in Lafayette Park, across the street from the White House.

The man, Christopher Briggs, faces multiple weapons-related charges and one count of possession of an open container of alcohol.

Officials would not say what Mr. Briggs was doing that led them to arrest him.

Video: Interview With Jonathan Martin

Richard L. Berke talks with The New York Times's new national political correspondent about the issues he will be covering in his new job, with a special focus on Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Potential G.O.P. Hopefuls Already Court N.H. Republicans

Senators Marco Rubio and Rand Paul, two of the most talked-about potential 2016 Republican presidential candidates, are coming together to raise money for a cause near to the heart of any would-be G.O.P. White House hopeful: the New Hampshire Republican Party.

Mr. Rubio, of Florida, and Mr. Paul, of Kentucky, are two of the “special guests” slated to appear later this month at a Washington, D.C., fund-raiser for the New Hampshire party, according to an E-mail invitation. Also attending the July 29 event are New Hampshire's own Republican senator, Kelly Ayotte, and Senators Rob Portman of Ohio and John Thune of South Dakota. Sponsorships of the fundraiser are going for $2,500, and it's $500 just to attend.

The event marks the second time this year that Mr. Paul has raised money for the New Hampshire Republican Party. In May, he headlined an event in Concord. Mr. Rubio has yet to visit New Hampshire this year, but his political action committee aired television ads on behalf of Ms. Ayotte after she opposed gun control legislation in the spring.

Not on the event's guest list, for the moment, is another Republican senator who may have White House aspirations: Ted Cruz, the freshman from Texas. But he's already planning on making a visit to New Hampshire next month, where he'll be the keynote speaker at a fund-raiser for, who else, the state Republican Party.

Video: Congress Clogging Beyond Filibusters

The Times's Carl Hulse explains that the filibuster isn't the only method lawmakers in the minority have used to keep bills and nominees from moving through the legislative process.

E.P.A. Building Re-named for Clinton

WASHINGTON - Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton are now neighbors, more or less.

On Wednesday, Mr. Clinton and various officials past and present gathered for the renaming of the Environmental Protection Agency headquarters in the former president's honor, the William Jefferson Clinton Federal Building. The building, a 79-year-old neoclassical landmark, is across a pedestrian mall from the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, which is also neoclassical in style. But the Reagan building, finished in 1998, lacks the heroic-style murals, bas-relief sculptures and other Depression-era touches of the E.P.A. building. Its centerpiece is a seven-story spiral staircase made of marble, surrounding a chandelier with lights at every floor.

The ceremony was something of a reunion, and a pep rally for Gina McCarthy, whom President Obama has nominated to lead the E.P.A., but whose confirmation has been held up in the Senate.

Carol Browner, who was Mr. Clinton's E.P.A. administrator, pointed to several milestones during that era, including the first legal analysis to conclude that existing law gave the administration the ability to regulate carbon dioxide, an authority the Obama administration is seeking to exercise.

The Clinton administration also created an office within the E.P.A. to focus on children's health, vastly sped the cleanup of Superfund sites and decreased soot and smog in the air. Mr. Clinton is also popular for having greatly expanded national parks and other protected areas. And he raised the agency to the status of a cabinet department.

None of the advances were easy, Ms. Browner said in a speech. “During your tenure, we faced an intransigent Congress, a fierce, well-funded and active opposition,” she said. “Glad to see so much has changed in Washington.”

When it was Mr. Clinton's turn to speak, he first said he did not have his notes, then said that was O.K. because as a former president, “you can say whatever the heck you want.” Then he said he had found his notes but that, as a former president, “If you can't read your own handwriting, you're really in trouble. “

He spoke animatedly for more than 20 minutes, mostly without looking at his notes.

Among the points he made, “You can have a growing economy with more jobs and rising incomes, and a sustainable environmental policy.''

“You can protect our precious natural resources, and you can promote the public health, and you can fight climate change,” he said. “In fact, from now on that's going to be the only way to have a sustainable economy.”

Besides, he said, “The old economic model is not too hot anywhere.''

The building, at 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, was completed in 1934 and was occupied by the Post Office until that became the Postal Service in 1971. In 1985 it was named for Ariel Rios, an undercover agent at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms who was killed in the line of duty in 1982. Congress voted last December to rename the building in honor of Mr. Clinton. The change technically took effect in May.

Senator Barbara Boxer of California, the Senate sponsor of the bill that renamed the building, said, “This is a very strong building, and Bill Clinton was a very strong president.”

In the midst of a traditional Washington summer - temperatures in the 90s and a heat index over 100 degrees - the dedication ceremony was held in a conference room named for Rachel Carson, an early marine biologist and environmental pioneer.

A choir, with middle school, high school and college students, performed a jazz/gospel rendition of “America the Beautiful.”

Outside, the air was “code orange,” unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Q&A: Revealing Your Location (or Not) to Mobile Apps

Q.

Why do so many smartphone apps want permission to use my location - even apps that have nothing to do with maps or navigation?

A.

Some apps may request your current location so they can display information relevant to the area. Weather apps, restaurant finders, city guides and social-media programs are among those that usually request permission to see your location. Apps that work with your phone's photos may also ask to use location data because some of the pictures may have embedded geotags (information about where they were taken).

While some apps have legitimate reasons for peeking at your whereabouts, some are simply nosy and overreaching - and can run your battery down if left unattended. Free apps that serve up advertising may also request your coordinates so they can display ads for local businesses and services.

Although you can often deny or work around the location request by just manually entering a ZIP code in an app's settings to get generalized area information, turning on your phone's location services feature temporarily can be useful. For example, if you have a weather app that can pinpoint your position and you are driving in bad weather, you can flip on location services at the rest stop to see the radar map for the exact area - and get a better idea of up-to-the-minute travel conditions.

Q&A: Sharing Files With Dropbox

Q.

If I want to share a giant file on Dropbox with other people, do they all have to sign up for Dropbox accounts to see the file?

A.

Although the company's shared folders feature is handy when everyone has a Dropbox account, the online storage service has more than one way to share a file. For those sharing situations where not everyone involved has a Dropbox account, you can send a secure Web link to the non-Dropbox users.

This Web link directs a person to the shared files, where they can be viewed or downloaded. (Other storage sites, like Microsoft SkyDrive, also let you send links in this manner.)

If you have the Dropbox desktop program for Windows, Mac OS X or Linux installed, you can share a link to a file by right-clicking (or pressing the Mac's Control key while clicking) its icon and choosing Dropbox and then “Share Link” or “Share Dropbox Link” from the contextual menu.

This action copies the link to the computer's clipboard, where you can then paste it into a message to send to your friend. You can create shared links in a similar way by right-clicking selected files when you are logged into your account on the Dropbox Web site.

Training From a Difficult Digital Coach

FX-Sport VR1 Programmable Personal Trainer Headphones are a smart concept - a pair of headphones that have a built-in coach. But the coach could be easier to work with.

The FX-Sport is an on-the-ear-style headphone with a springy wire that runs behind the neck and curls up for storage. You can buy an accessory silicone cover to use the headphones when swimming as well.

The FX-Sport can be used in a few ways: to play music stored on its eight-megabyte internal drive; to allow a user to run against a virtual opponent while listening to music; or to set up audible instructions, say for interval training, for when to sprint and when to rest.

The value of racing a pretend competitor is pretty well established. In a test in England, cyclists exceeded their previous limits when faced with a virtual opponent.

Because the virtual opponent runs against the clock - there is no GPS -  it can spur increased effort even on treadmills and stationary bikes.

The idea is terrific, but the setup had problems.

To use the headphones you have to download software for them to work with an Apple computer or PC. I used a Mac, and the software was easy enough to download.

On my test unit, music came preloaded. And it worked well. But I found it difficult to load my own music because each song must be selected individually from a music library. For me, sorting through 10,000 songs for the 100 or so I might want would take too much work. If you have a group of songs listed consecutively, you can grab them as a group and move them to the device.

Once I had loaded some of my music, I had some trouble playing it. Duncan Walsh of Mi-Sport Global, the company behind the FX-Sport, said the problem might have been with a song in my folder - that it was either corrupted or copy-protected. “The only digital music files that cannot be played on the FX-Sport are DRM-protected files,” said Mr. Walsh, referring to files that cannot be copied.

The “race mode” was easy enough to set up. I entered my name and that of an imaginary competitor, then set the range of time for the competitor's finish. The competitor can change speeds, so he could challenge a comfortable lead with a sprint finish. I set it slightly faster and slightly slower than my typical finish. The program would pick a random finish time within that range. You tap the headphone control to hear your opponent's progress.

In “pace mode,” you choose a finish time for the opponent, who plods at a steady speed to the finish at that exact time.

The programmable trainer lets you write custom messages that a computerized voice reads back at the times you set. So you can have it tell you “go” for a 20-second sprint, followed by “rest” for 10 seconds over a four-minute period, for instance. It worked, but required a couple of tries to get right.

At a price of $190, the headphone may be in the race, but it has to improve its performance for a podium finish.

About Gadgetwise

Thank you for visiting Gadgetwise. This blog's regular features, including Q&A's from J.D. Biersdorfer and briefs about new products, can now be found on the Personal Tech section front, along with the State of the Art column by David Pogue and the App Smart column by Kit Eaton.

This change in presentation will provide readers with a single destination for all important and timely personal tech news. While the formats may evolve, no changes have been made in the reporting, editing and other resources devoted to our personal tech coverage. Thank you for reading.