“After a 28-minute-long bidding war, a fully functional ‘Hatfield’ Apple-1 computer sold at Bonhams for $1.15 million on Oct. 14, setting a new world auction record for commercially released Apple-1 computers, the institution said in a recent news release. The primitive personal computer, which was created by engineer Steve Wozniak in 1976, includes a signed letter from Steve Jobs, the original operations manual and a typed invitation to the ‘Apple I Owners Club,’ as well as several hardware components. Perhaps most importantly, Wozniak’s signature is on the motherboard, which still operates 50 years later. Born in San Jose in 1950, Wozniak met Steve Jobs when they were still mischievous teenagers hacking into public telephone networks. Together, they collaborated on the Apple-1 and brought it to the Homebrew Computer Club, a group of hobbyists who gathered in Menlo Park to exchange ideas about personal computing, which was still a novel concept in the mid-1970s.” (10/15/26)
“Venezuela’s former leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, appeared in court on Thursday to plead not guilty to new charges of conspiracy to commit torture. The US government initially accused Maduro of narco-terrorism, drug trafficking and weapons-related offenses, before adding new charges against him and Flores last week. Maduro and Flores were captured in January during a US military raid, after which they were taken to New York, where they remain in jail. The couple has pleaded not guilty to the allegations and both have argued to have the case thrown out on the grounds that they qualify for sovereign immunity. Their trial is scheduled for June 2027. In a new indictment last week, government prosecutors alleged Maduro and Flores ‘created and maintained a violent system of repression’ that saw ‘thousands of Venezuelans’ killed, harassed, and tortured.” (10/15/26)
“The federal government sued the state of California on Thursday in an escalating battle over how to prevent non-U.S. citizens from voting by mail in federal elections. The lawsuit is the latest action by the Department of Justice targeting state administration of elections, which President Donald Trump has often criticized as susceptible to fraud and voting by noncitizens. The civil complaint, which the DOJ had threatened to file, asks a judge to prevent California officials from tabulating mail-in ballots ‘from likely non-citizens in the upcoming federal election until the voter’s citizenship status can be determined.’ The Department of Justice asks that a judge order the state to set aside mail ballots from voters ‘identified by the Federal Government likely to be noncitizens,’ and to verify their citizenship status before their ballot is counted.” (10/15/26)
“Members of Minnesota’s growing Somali community, including a city council member, tore into President Donald Trump and his administration when speaking with Fox News Digital after Monday’s raid on Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Washington, D.C., residence. ‘Somalis — we all feel attacked by President Trump,’ Jamal Osman, the Somali-born vice president of the Minneapolis City Council, said of the impact of the raid carried out by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents. ‘Our president has broken the law many times. ICE [is] terrorizing our community … and we’re not surprised such action has taken place,’ Osman continued in reference to the search of Omar’s home. ‘We have seen the threats, the horrific language he uses against my community. It’s unacceptable, and we’re hoping this could stop,’ Osman said.” [editor’s note: The investigation began during Biden regime, was approved by an Obama-appointed judge; we are in the “FO” portion now – SAT] [additional editor’s note: No, definitely in the “FA” portion, big-time – TLK] (10/15/26)
“A report released by the US Labor Department on Thursday showed first-time claims for US unemployment benefits edged slightly higher in the week ended October 10th. The Labor Department said initial jobless claims ticked up to 199,000, an increase of 1,000 from the previous week’s revised level of 198,000.” (10/15/26)
“A man who was attacked by a tiger after climbing two fences to enter its enclosure at a wildlife park died of ‘multiple traumatic injuries’, an inquest has heard. William Chapman visited Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster on Saturday and entered the animal’s pen. The 24-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene and died of ‘multiple traumatic injuries and animal interaction’, the opening of his inquest at Doncaster Coroner’s Court heard. Senior coroner Nicola Mundy said he had a history of mental illness, a diagnosis of schizophrenia and had suffered previous bouts of psychosis. His family had raised concerns about his contact with Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Trust, the hearing was told. Chapman was under adult mental health services in Doncaster but was ‘highly functioning and independent with no care requirements’, the inquest heard.” (10/15/26)
“British booksellers are caught up in a battle over terrorism and free speech after Irish novelist Sally Rooney said her books can no longer be sold in the U.K. because she financially supports the banned group Palestine Action. … The [regime’s] ban makes membership in or support for Palestine Action a crime punishable by up to 14 years in prison. … After the U.K. banned Palestine Action in July 2025, Rooney said she would use proceeds from her books and their TV adaptations to support the group. On Wednesday her U.K. publisher, Faber, said that paying her royalties could violate the terror ban and it had ‘taken the decision that we can no longer supply her works in the U.K. in any format.’ It said the decision had been made with Rooney’s agreement.” (10/15/26)
“Microsoft vice chair and president Brad Smith delivered a broadside Wednesday against President Donald Trump’s push to block the path to permanent residency for highly-skilled immigrants, warning the White House that its plan could cripple the U.S. tech sector for over a generation. In an exclusive interview with Decoded by POLITICO, Microsoft’s informal No. 2 suggested it was ironic that the White House chose to target his company’s foreign workers on the same day it gave a medal to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, a former H-1B skilled visa holder from India. ‘We should consider the fact that when the president honored six Americans with these technology and science medals, five of the six had come to the United States as immigrants,’ Smith told Decoded on the sidelines of the International AI Summit in Dublin, Ireland.” (10/15/26)
‘North Korea and China on Thursday opened the New Yalu River Bridge, the largest border crossing between the two countries, a sign of growing trade despite international sanctions aimed at constraining North Korea’s economy and nuclear weapons program. In the weeks leading up to the opening ceremony, travelers returning from the river border reported that trucks and cars were already crossing the four-lane, nearly two-mile long bridge from China into North Korea. The bridge connects the Chinese city of Dandong to Sinuiju, a North Korean city on the Yalu River that forms much of the border between the two countries. Its opening, which was reported by the Chinese state media, comes just a month after North Korea and Russia inaugurated their first — and much smaller — road bridge across the Tumen River border.” (10/15/26)
“SpaceX CEO Elon Musk dismissed claims his company had restricted connectivity speeds of its Starlink services in Ukraine that the military there said had thrown a wrench into its operations, saying the Trump administration was the likely culprit behind any service disruption. Writing on X on Wednesday, Musk said the system supplied to the Ukraine Armed Forces was a military-grade version of the satellite high-speed internet service over which SpaceX had no control. ‘Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the U.S. Government. Any limits on speeds or usage are decided by the U.S. military and ultimately POTUS [the President of the United States].’ … Musk’s comments came after advisers to Zelensky said that on Tuesday evening connectivity aboard Starlink-equipped UAVs suddenly started being strangled when they exceeded 100 mph, prompting officials to ask Musk to remove any restrictions.” (10/15/26)
