National

Once Neglected, Secretaries Of State Step Into The Spotlight

by Peter Overby

There was a time when secretaries of state were seen as little more than functionaries. That view changed in 2000's Florida presidential election recount, which starred Katherine Harris. Now, secretaries of state are involved in implementing new state laws that have been making it either easier or harder for non-traditional voters to cast ballots — with decidedly partisan implications.
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Cold War Technology Sought By Spy Is In Your Pocket — Sort Of

by Martin Kaste

Federal authorities have arrested a Chinese national who is accused of trying to buy accelerometers from a company in suburban Seattle. Certain kinds of accelerometers are subject to export controls, because they're used to guide missiles and spacecraft. The U.S. has been trying to keep accelerometer technology under wraps for half a century. Even as some accelerometers were used to guide Cold War missiles into space and around the world, today's technological descendents allow you to play racing games on your iPhone.
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The Ins And Outs Of Local IDs

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is announcing a plan to implement local IDs regardless of legal status. To learn how local IDs have worked in other places, Robert Siegel speaks with Patricia Sollami Covello, clerk of Mercer County, N.J. They discuss the community ID program that Mercer County began in 2010.
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