Object

100,000 Computers for Classrooms

Batch of 100,000 computers designated for classroom deployment under the DOJ-Casseon antitrust settlement. Quincy delivers the Washington Post tip framing them as White House payoff for dropped enforcement. Donna relays the inquiry. Leo verifies their presence in settlement documents, prompting staff alarm over leak implications. No physical computers appear; discussion alone escalates the crisis.

2 appearances

Purpose

Equip school classrooms with computers as concession in antitrust case resolution

Significance

Post portrays them as quid pro quo for halting DOJ action against Casseon, fueling leak scandal and forcing Leo to launch source hunt and damage control

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S4E21 · Life on Mars

Dove at the Window, Two Leaks at Once

The bundle of '100,000 computers for classrooms' is the alleged quid pro quo described in the Post tip; it transforms an otherwise technical DOJ settlement into a politically corrosive allegation of pay-to-play, and it becomes the concrete evidence staff worry will convert suspicion into scandal.

Before: Part of the confidential terms of the Casseon settlement, known only to a small inner group of officials.

After: Now named in the press inquiry and integrated into the leak narrative that staff must contain.

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S4E21 · Life on Mars

Double Leak: NASA Suppression and DOJ Settlement Force Leo's Hand

The '100,000 computers for classrooms' are cited by Donna as the alleged quid pro quo in the DOJ/Casseon settlement — a concrete, easily visualized accusation that turns a legal settlement into a political scandal.

Before: Part of settlement documentation and internal knowledge among a small circle; not publicized.

After: Reported to the Post (per Donna) and now a public allegation that the White House must account for.

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