🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“Surveillance Daily: August 17, 2026 ⌗ALPR ⌗Surveillance ⌗Privacy ⌗FlockSafety deflocktheusa․com/surveillance-daily-august-17-2026/”

https://mastodon.social/@deflocktheusa/117111168626142732

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---
Бюрократический фильтр: Законодательный барьер квалификации на госслужбе РФ
Формальные квалификационные требования служат базовым нормативным фильтром при приеме на работу в государственные органы и силовые структуры. Хотя в нормативно-правовых актах отсутствуют прямые бытовые формулировки вроде «запрета на работу без знания таблицы умножения», законодательство Российской Федерации устанавливает жесткий ценз по наличию официального документа об образовании (аттестата или диплома).

Отсутствие базового школьного, среднего профессионального или высшего профильного образования юридически блокирует возможность замещения должностей в полиции, прокуратуре, судах, ФСБ и аппарате правительства.

1. Нормативно-правовая база квалификационных требований по ведомствам
Правовые ограничения и требования к кандидатам зафиксированы в профильных федеральных законах:

Полиция и МВД (ФЗ № 342-ФЗ «О службе в органах внутренних дел РФ», ст. 9):

Младший и рядовой состав: Образование не ниже среднего общего (11 классов школы).

Средний, старший и высший начальствующий состав: Обязательно наличие среднего профессионального или высшего образования.

Прокуратура (ФЗ № 2202-1 «О прокуратуре РФ», ст. 40.1):

Прокуроры и следователи прокуратуры: Исключительно высшее юридическое образование по аккредитованной программе (специалитет либо бакалавриат + магистратура).

Судебная система (Закон РФ № 3132-1 «О статусе судей в РФ», ст. 4):

Судьи всех уровней: Высшее юридическое образование и подтвержденный стаж работы по юридической специальности (от 5 до 15 лет).

Федеральная служба безопасности (ФЗ № 40-ФЗ «О ФСБ» ст. 16, ФЗ № 53-ФЗ):

Рядовой/сержантский состав: Минимум среднее общее образование (11 классов).

Офицерский состав и специалисты: Высшее или среднее профессиональное образование.

Правительство и Гражданская служба (ФЗ № 79-ФЗ «О государственной гражданской службе РФ», ст. 12):

Высшие, главные, ведущие и старшие должности: Обязательное высшее образование.

Младшая группа должностей: Минимум среднее профессиональное образование.
---
Ведомство / Орган власти Профильный закон Минимальный порог образования Правовой механизм отказа
Полиция (МВД) ст. 9 ФЗ № 342-ФЗ 11 классов (среднее общее) ст. 18 ФЗ № 342-ФЗ (непредоставление документов)
Прокуратура РФ ст. 40.1 ФЗ № 2202-1 Высшее юридическое Прямой отказ в кадровом конкурсе
Суды РФ ст. 4 Закон РФ № 3132-1 Высшее юридическое + стаж Недопуск к квалификационному экзамену
ФСБ РФ ст. 16 ФЗ № 40-ФЗ 11 классов / Высшее Отказ по результатам спецпроверки и ВВК
Госслужба / Правительство ст. 12 ФЗ № 79-ФЗ Среднее профессиональное / Высшее ст. 26 ФЗ № 79-ФЗ (отсутствие диплома)
---
2. Механизм юридического запрета при отсутствии школьного аттестата
Освоение базовой образовательной программы (включая начальную математику и таблицу умножения) регламентировано Федеральным государственным образовательным стандартом (ФГОС) в рамках ФЗ № 273-ФЗ «Об образовании в РФ». Если кандидат не имеет школьного аттестата, вступает в силу двухуровневая система отсева:

Документальный отказ (ст. 65 ТК РФ, ст. 26 ФЗ № 79-ФЗ, ст. 18 ФЗ № 342-ФЗ): При подаче пакета документов кандидат обязан предоставить документ, подтверждающий уровень образования. Отсутствие аттестата об основном или среднем общем образовании делает процедуру приема юридически невозможной на этапе работы отдела кадров.

Процессуальный отсев: Прохождение обязательных этапов — Военно-врачебной комиссии (ВВК), профессионального психологического отбора, проверки на полиграфе и квалификационного тестирования на знание законодательства — нормативно привязано к наличию базового уровня образования и развитых когнитивных функций.

Главный вывод: Соотношение формальной нормы и институциональной реальности
Законодательный барьер выполняет функцию формального фильтра. Однако наличие диплома об образовании само по себе гарантирует лишь соответствие бумажным критериям. В условиях, когда правовые институты испытывают системное давление, формальный документооборот сохраняется, но реальная проверка профессиональной пригодности служащих часто сводится к исполнению бюрократических инструкций.

#право #закон #госслужба #мвд #прокуратура #суд #фсб #законодательство #fediverse
---

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CW: Квалификационный барьер, бюрократический аппарат, ФЗ № 79-ФЗ, спецсубъекты, правовая база госслужбы, деградация институтов. Бюрократиче?

Alt...

CW: Квалификационный барьер, бюрократический аппарат, ФЗ № 79-ФЗ, спецсубъекты, правовая база госслужбы, деградация институтов. Бюрократиче?

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“AI eyes in the sky: new satellites and artificial intelligence are transforming wildfire detection theguardian․com/us-news/2026/aug/17/satellites-ai-wildfire-detection ⌗Firefighters ⌗Wildfires ⌗Satellites …”

https://halo.nu/@theguardian_science/117110773256493100

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🔬 The best bytes of #science & #tech across the #fediverse

“europesays․com/?p=3198431 China-led journal Vita aims for world-class status in life sciences ⌗america ⌗China ⌗journal ⌗research ⌗science ⌗technology ⌗UnitedStates ⌗UnitedStatesOfAmerica …”

https://pubeurope.com/@europesays/117108454372556059

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🔬 The best bytes of #science & #tech across the #fediverse

“Reticulum – Decentralized Mesh Network
Link: reticulum․network/
Comments: news․ycombinator․com/item?id=49325061”

https://framapiaf.org/@newsycombinator/117109557967861587

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🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“📷 97 new license plate readers just reported around Lawrence, KS․ Newly mapped by volunteers — see what's watching․ ⌗ALPR ⌗Surveillance ⌗Lawrence ⌗Privacy ⌗FlockSafety deflocktheusa․com/flock-camer…”

https://mastodon.social/@deflocktheusa/117108697431523400

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🔬 The best bytes of #science & #tech across the #fediverse

“Research papers using 'kidney disappointment' instead of 'kidney failure' scholar․google․com/scholar?q=%22kidney+disappointment%22 ⌗ai ⌗science ⌗research”

https://indieweb.social/@jbz/117105785784837078

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Christmas Cocoa Cheer - Available Here: https://1-lisas-baker.pixels.com/featured/christmas-cocoa-cheer-lisa-s-baker.html

#christmas #cheer #cocoa #hotcocoa #hotchocolate #chocolate #beverage #christmastree #merrychristmas #greetingcards #christmascards #winter #holiday #holidaycards #art #arte #artwork #wallart #homedecor #artforhome #artfosale #buyintoart #artprints #canvasprints #mastoart #fediart #fediverse #creativeToots #polkadots #stripes #festive #candy #retro

Alt...

Retro Christmas artwork featuring a red and white polka dot mug filled with marshmallows, a striped candy cane, and stylized black and white Christmas trees on a textured beige background.

Never mind the billionaires, here’s the #fediverse

Alt...

Never mind the billionaires, here’s the fediverse

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“As part of the ⌗NoALPRs week of action, Community Not Cameras and ﹫seattleindivisible․bsky․social will be holding a press converence at Seattle city hall at 12:45 pm on Monday (August 17), after touring the real-tim…”

https://pnw.zone/@waprivacy/117108432265129171

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🔬 The best bytes of #science & #tech across the #fediverse

“Superconducting monolayer cuprate with a single CuO2 plane nature․com/articles/s41586-026-10857-1 Comments: news․ycombinator․com/item?id=49277153 ⌗HackerNews ⌗superconductivity ⌗cuprate ⌗research …”

https://mastodon.social/@h4ckernews/117104637063037190

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Is there any up-to-date list of *active* journalists here on the #Fediverse that you would recommend?

I know lists like this one, compiled by @tchambers:
https://ndurner.github.io/journalists/journalists.xml

But when I check some of the profiles, I often find accounts that haven't been active for quite a while.

I'd be particularly interested in lists that are actively maintained, or simply recommendations of journalists worth following - those using Bluesky who are bridged here could also be interesting.

#Journalism

Das liegt vielleicht auch daran, dass ich einen Vortrag über das Fediverse gehalten habe, aber ich finde es gerade sehr cool zu lesen, wie viele Menschen hier im Fediverse schon geschrieben, dass sie da waren :D

Die Aufnahme ist übrigens bereits auf@mediacccde@botsin.space online:

Der Reichweitenmythos debunked

Was haben Promis und Social Media Trends mit dem Fediverse zu tun?

https://media.ccc.de/v/froscon2026-3620-der_reichweitenmythos_debunked

Danke an dieser Stelle auch noch mal an meinen VOC-Engel! Hab mich gut betreut gefühlt.

#FrOSCon #Fediverse #FrOSCon21 #FrOSCon2026

GOLDEN BOY! #mastodon #fediverse #fedidogs #pets #dogs #dogsofmastodon #dog #dogsofpixelfed #DogsOfFedi #photo #photography #photos #photographie #photooftheday #Sunday

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“The National Week of Action against ALPRs — in Washington and across the country wa-privacy․net/noalprs-week-of-action/ Here's a quick roundup of the situation and a handful of events, including ones in Seattle and Re…”

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🔬 The best bytes of #science & #tech across the #fediverse

“𒂔Reading: eden
Meaning: plain, steppe ⌗Sumerian ⌗assyriology ⌗history ⌗MiddleEast ⌗research”

https://archaeo.social/@sumerian/117104511393082460

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🔬 The best bytes of #science & #tech across the #fediverse

“A 3rd World Embedded Engineer Responds to 'RISC-V They Should Have Known Better'
Link: rvembedded․com/blog_post/12/
Comments: news․ycombinator․com/item?id=49321717”

https://framapiaf.org/@newsycombinator/117106726771897555

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# Trump Calls North Korea “Unthreatening” as He Orders South Korea Drills Cut — After Fresh Missile Tests

**WASHINGTON / SEOUL / CIVICOHUB — August 17, 2026**

President Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to **“substantially reduce”** major joint military exercises with South Korea while describing nuclear-armed North Korea as **“unthreatening and respectful.”**

The order came only days after North Korea carried out its second ballistic-missile launch in less than a week.

Trump also tied his frustration with Seoul to the war with Iran, saying South Korean President Lee Jae Myung rejected a request to assist U.S. efforts to denuclearize Iran with a simple:

**“No thanks!”**

South Korea has not publicly confirmed that version of the conversation. Seoul says possible military contributions remain under discussion.

The result is an unusual diplomatic picture:

**A nuclear-armed adversary conducting missile tests is publicly described by the U.S. president as “unthreatening,” while a treaty ally recently praised by his own Pentagon for burden-sharing is being criticized and seeing joint exercises cut back.**

## I. NORTH KOREA: “UNTHREATENING”?

Trump said the annual U.S.-South Korea exercises were expensive and sent an unnecessarily hostile signal toward Pyongyang.

His description of North Korea as “unthreatening,” however, clashes with both recent events and his own administration’s threat assessment.

North Korea launched another ballistic missile on August 11 from the Wonsan area. It traveled more than 700 kilometers toward waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.

That launch came only days after another North Korean short-range ballistic-missile test. Pyongyang then threatened a strong response to the upcoming U.S.-South Korean exercises.

Washington and Seoul say the drills are defensive and intended to maintain readiness against North Korean threats.

More importantly, Trump’s own **2026 National Defense Strategy** describes North Korea very differently.

The Pentagon says the DPRK poses a **direct military threat** to South Korea and Japan, possesses missiles capable of delivering conventional and nuclear weapons, and has nuclear forces increasingly capable of threatening the U.S. homeland.

The strategy describes those forces as a **“clear and present danger of nuclear attack on the American Homeland.”**

That does not mean diplomacy with Kim Jong Un is wrong.

It does mean **“unthreatening”** is incompatible with the formal threat assessment published by Trump’s own Defense Department.

### FACT CHECK: 🚨 MISLEADING / CONTRADICTED BY HIS OWN PENTAGON

“Respectful” is subjective.

“Unthreatening” is a characterization of the security environment — and the available evidence does not support it.

## II. THE DRILLS TRUMP ORDERED CUT

The annual **Ulchi Freedom Shield** exercises began Monday and are scheduled to continue through August 27.

Around **18,000 South Korean troops** are participating.

This year’s exercise includes preparations for missile attacks, drones, GPS disruption, cyber operations and other threats associated with modern warfare on the Korean Peninsula. U.S. military officials say the drills are intended to strengthen combined readiness.

Trump ordered Pete Hegseth to reduce the drills because cancellation was no longer practical once they were about to begin.

Exactly how much can now be removed from an exercise already underway remains unclear.

### CLAIM:

**The exercises are a hostile act against North Korea.**

### STATUS: ⚪ POLITICAL / STRATEGIC INTERPRETATION

North Korea calls them invasion rehearsals.

The United States and South Korea call them defensive readiness exercises.

Whether reducing them improves diplomacy or weakens deterrence is a policy question whose outcome cannot yet be known.

## III. THEN IRAN ENTERED THE KOREA DISPUTE

Trump also connected his decision to South Korea’s response to the Iran conflict.

He said he asked President Lee whether Seoul wanted to join U.S. efforts toward the **“Denuclearization of the Islamic Republic of Iran”** and claimed Lee replied:

**“No thanks!”**

That makes Seoul’s position sound definitive.

Its public response is not.

South Korea’s presidential office says potential military contributions are still being discussed while considering:

* readiness on the Korean Peninsula;
* South Korea’s own security requirements;
* domestic legal procedures.

That does not prove Trump fabricated the private exchange.

Only the participants know exactly what was said.

But Seoul has **not publicly confirmed Trump’s simplified account**, and its current position is more nuanced than a blanket refusal.

### FACT CHECK: ⚠️ UNVERIFIED / OVERSIMPLIFIED

Trump’s **“No thanks!”** version cannot currently be independently confirmed.

South Korea says possible support remains under discussion.

## IV. THE ALLY TRUMP’S OWN PENTAGON RECENTLY PRAISED

Trump’s complaint about the cost of the exercises also requires context.

Washington and Seoul have long disputed how much each should contribute to the alliance and to the roughly 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea.

But just months ago, Hegseth publicly held South Korea up as an example of exactly what the Trump administration wants from its allies.

On May 30, he said:

**“If you want to see what burden sharing looks like, consider the Republic of Korea.”**

Hegseth praised Seoul for consistently investing in defense, moving toward **3.5% of GDP** in defense spending, building combat power and assuming greater responsibility for conventional defense.

Trump’s own National Defense Strategy likewise says South Korea is among the allies that have begun stepping up their defense contributions.

That does not eliminate legitimate disputes over the cost of individual exercises.

It does provide crucial context when South Korea is portrayed primarily as an expensive ally while North Korea is described in reassuring terms.

## V. ALLY VS. ADVERSARY

### NORTH KOREA

* Nuclear armed
* Expanding missile and nuclear forces
* Two recent ballistic-missile tests in less than a week
* Threatening responses to U.S.-South Korean exercises
* Formally classified by Trump’s Pentagon as a direct military threat

**Trump: “unthreatening and respectful.”**

### SOUTH KOREA

* Formal U.S. treaty ally
* Hosts approximately 28,500 U.S. troops
* Deploying about 18,000 troops in Ulchi Freedom Shield
* Increasing defense spending
* Praised by Hegseth as a model of burden-sharing

**Trump: orders the exercises substantially reduced and criticizes Seoul over Iran and costs.**

This does not prove Trump’s diplomatic strategy will fail.

Presidents sometimes reduce military pressure to create room for negotiations. Trump attempted that approach with Kim during his first presidency.

But those earlier summits did not eliminate North Korea’s nuclear arsenal or ballistic-missile program.

Any renewed diplomacy should therefore be judged against the security facts that exist now.

---

# FACT CHECK & VERIFICATION SHEET

## CLAIM 1

**North Korea has been “unthreatening.”**

### STATUS: 🚨 MISLEADING / CONTRADICTED BY OFFICIAL U.S. ASSESSMENTS

North Korea has conducted two recent ballistic-missile launches and continues developing its missile and nuclear forces.

Trump’s own National Defense Strategy says North Korea poses a direct military threat to U.S. allies and an increasing nuclear threat to the American homeland.

---

## CLAIM 2

**The joint military exercises are a hostile act against North Korea.**

### STATUS: ⚪ OPINION / STRATEGIC INTERPRETATION

Pyongyang considers the exercises provocative.

The United States and South Korea describe them as defensive readiness drills.

---

## CLAIM 3

**South Korea simply replied “No thanks!” to helping the U.S. over Iran.**

### STATUS: ⚠️ NOT INDEPENDENTLY CONFIRMED / OVERSIMPLIFIED

Trump says President Lee rejected the request.

Seoul has not confirmed that wording and says potential military contributions remain under discussion, subject to security and legal considerations.

---

## CLAIM 4

**South Korea is failing to carry its share of the defense burden.**

### STATUS: ⚠️ MISSING MAJOR CONTEXT

Trump has longstanding cost disputes with Seoul.

But Hegseth recently praised South Korea as a model of burden-sharing, citing increased defense spending and greater responsibility for its conventional defense.

---

# THE CIVICOHUB VERDICT

This is not a fact-check of whether Trump should negotiate with Kim Jong Un.

Diplomacy is a policy choice.

The misinformation problem lies elsewhere.

A nuclear-armed state that has just fired ballistic missiles and is officially classified by the Pentagon as a direct threat is not accurately summarized as simply **“unthreatening.”**

And disagreement with South Korea over Iran does not erase the fact that Trump’s own Defense Department recently praised Seoul as a leading example of allied burden-sharing.

**Diplomacy may require flexibility. It does not require rewriting the threat assessment.**

# SOURCES

**Reuters — August 16–17, 2026**
Trump’s order to reduce U.S.-South Korea exercises; North Korea and Iran remarks; South Korea’s response.

**Associated Press — August 10–17, 2026**
Ulchi Freedom Shield, recent North Korean missile launches and Pyongyang’s response.

**U.S. Department of Defense — 2026 National Defense Strategy**
Official U.S. assessment of North Korea’s conventional, missile and nuclear threat.

**U.S. Department of Defense — May 30, 2026**
Pete Hegseth remarks describing South Korea as an example of allied burden-sharing.

#CivicoHub #DonaldTrump #NorthKorea #SouthKorea #KimJongUn #KoreanPeninsula #UlchiFreedomShield #Iran #USPolitics #FactCheck #NuclearWeapons #MissileTests #Geopolitics #Misinformation #Accountability #IndependentJournalism #Fediverse

**CIVICOHUB — DIPLOMACY NEEDS FACTS TOO.**

CW: Military mental health, self-harm, food shortages, extended deployment, Iran war, U.S. politics

# Trump Says Navy Families Aren’t Worried. The Families — and the Evidence — Say Otherwise

**WASHINGTON, D.C. / CIVICOHUB — August 17, 2026**

President Donald Trump was asked Friday whether families of the roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard the USS *Abraham Lincoln* were worried about conditions during the carrier’s exceptionally long deployment.

Trump answered:

**“No, they’re not.”**

Asked whether the deployment had gone on too long, he replied:

**“No, no, no. Not nearly long enough.”**

The second statement is a judgment.

The first is factually testable — and the public record contradicts it.

Before Trump made that remark, military families had already raised concerns directly with senior Navy leaders about mental health, exhaustion, food, water, sanitation, laundry, mail delays and uncertainty over when the crew would return home.

## I. MORE THAN 260 DAYS DEPLOYED

The USS *Abraham Lincoln* left San Diego in November 2025 and was later redirected to the Middle East for operations connected to the war with Iran.

By mid-August, the carrier had been deployed for more than **260 days**, including more than **200 days without a normal port call**.

Around **5,000 sailors and Marines** are aboard.

Stars and Stripes reported that the crew also completed 40 days of continuous combat operations. The deployment had originally been expected to end in May.

That combination — combat operations, prolonged isolation and repeated extensions — has increased pressure on the crew and their families.

## II. THE FAMILIES WERE WORRIED — AND SAID SO DIRECTLY

Days before Trump’s statement, roughly **200 spouses and relatives** participated in meetings with senior Navy leadership.

Mental health was a major concern.

Families described exhaustion, declining morale and fears about self-harm.

Sailors separately reported at least one incident in which watch standers allegedly stopped a crew member from jumping overboard. The Navy did not directly confirm that specific account.

The Navy says counselors, chaplains and medical professionals are available and that leadership continues monitoring crew welfare.

CivicoHub therefore is **not** claiming the Navy has confirmed a shipwide suicide crisis.

But one point is indisputable:

**Families were worried, and they had said so publicly before Trump denied it.**

## III. NEW FOOD PHOTOS AND MESSAGES

Earlier reporting already documented food rationing and limited access to fresh produce.

In recent days, additional photographs and messages attributed to sailors and their families have circulated through independent reporting.

One published image showed a container of **dry cereal** accompanied by the message:

**“Haven’t had milk in 3 months.”**

Other messages described limited fresh food and claims that frozen meat sometimes arrived spoiled.

CivicoHub has **not independently authenticated the metadata, date or circumstances of every recently circulated image**, and one meal tray cannot establish what an entire crew is served every day.

But the broader food complaints are not based only on social-media posts.

Sailors and relatives independently told Stars and Stripes that the Lincoln had experienced earlier food rationing and shortages, and that fresh fruits and vegetables had been unavailable for months before a resupply stop in Oman.

## IV. SOME CONDITIONS HAVE IMPROVED

The available evidence does **not** justify saying 5,000 service members are currently being starved.

Stars and Stripes reports that sailors and families said several earlier logistical problems had improved.

The Oman resupply restored fresh fruit and vegetables. Earlier water shortages, laundry interruptions and some mail problems were also reported as improving.

The responsible conclusion is therefore:

**There were documented supply problems. New complaints continue to emerge. Some earlier conditions have improved.**

All three can be true at the same time.

## V. THE COMPLAINTS GO BEYOND FOOD

Senator Richard Blumenthal formally demanded answers from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Navy leadership over reports involving:

* food and water shortages
* mold and hygiene problems
* broken toilets and laundry facilities
* crew fatigue and morale
* mental-health concerns
* mail disruption and deck safety

Other Senate Democrats later joined calls for answers about conditions and the deployment timeline.

These lawmakers are political opponents of the Trump administration.

But the concerns they cited originated in reports from service members and their families.

## VI. THE PENTAGON PUSHES BACK

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said reporting on conditions had **“completely misrepresented”** the situation, while acknowledging sailors were operating in **“austere conditions with less port calls.”**

There is also evidence supporting the Navy’s position that the crew remains operationally resilient.

CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper visited the carrier and said the Lincoln had the **lowest number of reported mental-health cases among the Navy’s 11 active aircraft carriers**.

That is an important counterpoint.

It does not erase documented family concerns, earlier shortages or recent sailor accounts.

## VII. “NO, THEY’RE NOT”

Trump could have argued that conditions had improved.

He could have cited Navy leadership, Admiral Cooper or the carrier’s operational record.

Instead, when told that families were worried, he said:

**“No, they’re not.”**

But before those words were spoken:

families had met with Navy leaders;

families had contacted lawmakers;

sailors had described serious hardships;

and military journalists had documented their concerns.

Trump did not merely dispute the severity of the problem.

He denied the concern existed.

---

# FACT CHECK & VERIFICATION SHEET

## CLAIM 1

**Families of USS Abraham Lincoln sailors are not worried.**

### STATUS: ❌ FALSE

About 200 spouses and family members had already raised concerns directly with senior Navy leadership before Trump’s statement.

---

## CLAIM 2

**The deployment is “not nearly long enough.”**

### STATUS: ⚪ OPINION / NOT FACT-CHECKABLE

Whether the deployment should continue is a military and political judgment.

The factual context: more than **260 days deployed** and more than **200 days without a normal port call**.

---

## CLAIM 3

**Reports about poor conditions are “completely misrepresented.”**

### STATUS: ⚠️ OVERBROAD / DISPUTED

Some allegations remain unverified and several earlier problems reportedly improved.

But sailors, families, military media and lawmakers have documented or raised real concerns involving food, water, sanitation, laundry, mail and mental health.

---

## CLAIM 4

**Recent food photos prove sailors are currently starving.**

### STATUS: ⚠️ NOT ESTABLISHED

Recent images and messages depict sparse meals and describe supply problems.

CivicoHub cannot independently authenticate every image or establish that individual photos represent shipwide conditions.

---

# THE CIVICOHUB VERDICT

This is **not** proof that every sailor aboard the USS *Abraham Lincoln* is starving or that every dramatic allegation online is accurate.

What is documented is serious enough:

**260+ days deployed.
200+ days without a normal port call.
Families confronting Navy leadership.
Earlier food, water and laundry problems.
New food complaints and images.
Mental-health concerns.
Congress demanding answers.**

And when Trump was asked whether those families were worried, he answered:

**“No, they’re not.”**

That claim is contradicted by the documented record.

Service members deserve neither sensationalism nor denial.

They deserve scrutiny, transparency and facts.

# SOURCES

Reuters — Aug. 14, 2026
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-says-uss-abraham-lincoln-deployment-not-nearly-long-enough-2026-08-14/

Reuters — Aug. 13, 2026
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/hegseth-says-reports-about-poor-conditions-aboard-carrier-are-misrepresented-2026-08-13/

Reuters — Aug. 16, 2026
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/admiral-praises-uss-lincoln-crew-amid-reports-worsening-conditions-during-long-2026-08-16/

Stars and Stripes — Aug. 11, 2026
https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2026-08-11/abraham-lincoln-middle-east-mental-health-town-hall-meeting-22506344.html

Recent reporting on food photos/messages
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/uss-abraham-lincoln-sailor-texts-b3032651.html

#CivicoHub #USSAbrahamLincoln #USNavy #ServiceMembers #MilitaryFamilies #DonaldTrump #FactCheck #MilitaryMentalHealth #Accountability #IndependentJournalism #Fediverse

**CIVICOHUB — LISTEN TO THOSE WHO SERVE. VERIFY THOSE IN POWER.**

The sad, yet fascinating thing about our job is that when done right, nobody notices.

Have a great start to the week, #BSDCafe!
Have a great start to the week, #illumosCafe!
Have a great start to the week, #Fediverse!

# Trump Blames “Vandals” Again — But the Evidence Keeps Pointing Somewhere Else

**WASHINGTON, D.C. / CIVICOHUB — August 17, 2026**

President Donald Trump is once again blaming **“VANDALS”** for damage around Washington’s National Mall.

This time, the accusation concerns large areas of dead and brown grass near the World War II Memorial.

On Sunday, Trump posted a photograph of the damaged lawn and wrote:

**“Look what VANDALS did to the grass…”**

He also repeated his longstanding claim that vandals were responsible for damage to the nearby Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

There is a problem with both narratives.

For the damaged grass, Trump has provided no evidence identifying vandals as the cause.

And in the Reflecting Pool case, his own Justice Department ultimately told a federal court that the widespread damage at the center of its criminal prosecution was better explained by **poor construction and a rushed installation**, not by the accused vandal.

What makes the story more complicated — and more revealing — is that genuine vandalism **has** occurred on the National Mall.

The question is whether Trump is accurately distinguishing those proven incidents from damage for which the evidence points elsewhere.

---

## I. THE DEAD GRASS

Trump’s Sunday post showed broad areas of damaged turf between the World War II Memorial and the Reflecting Pool.

He blamed vandals.

But he offered no evidence showing who supposedly vandalized the lawn or how they did it.

There is, however, a documented alternative explanation.

The same lawn was used for Trump’s large July 4 celebration marking America’s 250th anniversary.

A stage, seating structures and crowds covered much of the area.

Photographs reviewed by the Associated Press show workers dismantling those structures after the event and revealing brown, damaged grass underneath.

That does not scientifically prove that every dead patch was caused by the July 4 event.

But it does establish that substantial equipment and foot traffic occupied the exact area shortly before the damage appeared.

Trump’s claim that vandals caused it remains unsupported.

### FACT CHECK: 🚨 UNSUPPORTED

No public evidence currently links vandals to the widespread lawn damage.

---

## II. YES — THE WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL REALLY WAS VANDALIZED

This distinction is important.

There was a genuine vandalism incident at the World War II Memorial.

Authorities say the words **“Clean hands dirty $”** were spray-painted on the monument and soap bubbles were placed into its fountain.

Federal prosecutors charged Melissa L. Farris with depredation against U.S. property and destruction of veterans’ memorials.

That is real vandalism.

It deserves to be treated as such.

But the charging documents described the graffiti and fountain incident.

According to AP, they contain **no allegation that Farris damaged the surrounding grass** Trump highlighted in his Sunday post.

One proven act of vandalism does not automatically establish another.

### FACT CHECK: ✅ TRUE

The World War II Memorial itself was vandalized.

### BUT:

There is no demonstrated connection between that incident and the widespread dead grass.

---

## III. THE REFLECTING POOL STORY IS EVEN MORE PROBLEMATIC

Trump also used Sunday’s post to return to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

He wrote:

**“Anybody who thinks the Reflecting Pool wasn’t vandalized should go back to Law School!”**

But the Justice Department reached a very different conclusion in a major vandalism prosecution.

Former Olympic canoeist David Hearn had been charged with deliberately damaging the newly renovated pool.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office later moved to dismiss the case.

In its court filing, prosecutors said additional evidence from the Interior Department showed the damage resulted from a **botched contractor installation** and the rush to finish the project before events surrounding America’s 250th anniversary.

Pirro’s office said the new evidence made it difficult to attribute the widespread damage to vandalism, much less prove that accusation beyond a reasonable doubt.

Trump rejected that conclusion.

He publicly said he disagreed **“100%”** with Pirro and continued insisting that vandals caused the majority of the damage.

In other words:

**The president’s own Justice Department examined the evidence and withdrew the case.**

Trump continued repeating the accusation anyway.

---

## IV. THAT DOES NOT MEAN NO VANDALISM EVER OCCURRED AT THE POOL

There is an important nuance here.

The accurate conclusion is **not** that nobody ever deliberately damaged anything around the Reflecting Pool.

There have been reported incidents of intentional damage during the wider renovation controversy.

But that is different from proving that vandalism caused the **widespread structural and coating failures** Trump repeatedly blamed on vandals.

The Justice Department’s own filing concluded that the damage at the center of its case against Hearn was tied to construction failures and the rushed completion of the project.

So the fact-check must remain specific:

Some vandalism occurred.

That does not validate every vandalism accusation Trump has made.

---

## V. THE SAME PATTERN, TWICE

The two disputes now share a striking structure.

### THE GRASS

Damage appears.

Trump blames vandals.

No evidence tying vandals to the lawn is presented.

Photos instead document a major July 4 event occupying the same ground shortly beforehand.

### THE REFLECTING POOL

Damage appears.

Trump blames vandals.

Federal prosecutors investigate and bring a criminal case.

Then Trump’s own Justice Department receives additional evidence and concludes the widespread damage resulted from construction problems and a rushed project.

Trump continues blaming vandals anyway.

That does not prove every Trump statement about vandalism is false.

It does show why each accusation must be checked against its own evidence rather than accepted because a different act of vandalism happened nearby.

---

# FACT CHECK & VERIFICATION SHEET

## CLAIM 1

**Vandals caused the widespread dead grass near the World War II Memorial.**

### STATUS: 🚨 UNSUPPORTED

Trump provided no evidence identifying vandals as the cause.

Photographs show the same area covered by stage infrastructure, seating and crowds during his July 4 celebration, with damaged grass visible after structures were removed.

---

## CLAIM 2

**The World War II Memorial was recently vandalized.**

### STATUS: ✅ TRUE

Graffiti was painted on the memorial and soap bubbles were placed in its fountain.

A suspect has been arrested and federally charged.

But the charges do not connect that suspect to the damaged grass.

---

## CLAIM 3

**The major Reflecting Pool damage was caused by vandals.**

### STATUS: ⚠️ MISLEADING / CONTRADICTED BY DOJ FINDINGS

There have been genuine vandalism incidents around the Reflecting Pool.

But in the high-profile criminal case involving widespread renovation damage, Trump’s own prosecutors moved to dismiss the charges after evidence showed the relevant failures stemmed from contractor problems and rushed construction.

Trump continues to dispute his Justice Department’s conclusion.

---

## CLAIM 4

**The dead grass proves Trump was correct about vandalism at the Reflecting Pool.**

### STATUS: ❌ FALSE LOGIC

These are separate incidents requiring separate evidence.

A vandalized monument does not prove nearby grass was vandalized.

Damaged grass does not prove structural failures at the Reflecting Pool were caused by vandals.

Each allegation must stand on its own evidence.

---

# THE CIVICOHUB VERDICT

The real danger here is not merely one incorrect explanation for damaged grass.

It is the conversion of **one proven act of vandalism into credibility for other accusations that remain unsupported or have been contradicted by official evidence.**

The World War II Memorial really was vandalized.

That fact should not be minimized.

But facts are not interchangeable.

A real vandal does not prove that vandals killed the grass.

And it does not overturn a Justice Department filing concluding that major Reflecting Pool damage came from defective construction and haste.

Political leaders are entitled to condemn vandalism.

They are not entitled to treat an accusation as established simply because it fits the narrative they prefer.

**Evidence must attach to the specific claim being made.**

---

# SOURCES

**Associated Press — August 17, 2026**
*Trump blames vandals for damaged grass in the same spot where he held his big July 4 celebration.*

**Associated Press — August 14, 2026**
*Suspect arrested in World War II Memorial vandalism in Washington.*

**Associated Press — August 1, 2026**
*Trump blasts Pirro after she refutes his claim that Reflecting Pool was damaged by vandals.*

**Associated Press — August 4–5, 2026**
Coverage of the Justice Department’s decision to abandon the Reflecting Pool prosecution after Interior Department evidence pointed to faulty construction and rushed work.

---

**Tags:** #CivicoHub #DonaldTrump #USPolitics #FactCheck #Misinformation #NationalMall #WWIIMemorial #ReflectingPool #WashingtonDC #Vandalism #Accountability #FactsOverNarrative #IndependentJournalism #InformationSovereignty #Fediverse

**CIVICOHUB — FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE. CLAIMS REQUIRE PROOF.**

🌱 Flotter statt Schotter – und ein Blick auf die vielen kleinen Initiativen nebenan

Manchmal stößt man hier im Fediverse auf Dinge, denen man gern ein bisschen mehr Reichweite geben möchte. Genau so ging es mir mit der Aktion #FlotterStattSchotter aus Dinslaken.

Die Idee ist eigentlich ganz einfach: Schottergärten sollen wieder zu lebendigen Vorgärten werden – mit Pflanzen, Lebensraum für Insekten und mehr Grün für ein angenehmeres Stadtklima. Dabei soll nicht nur geredet, sondern gemeinsam angepackt werden. 🌼🐝

Die Initiative beteiligt sich am Förderpreis für klimafreundliche Nachbarschaften und kann dafür noch Unterstützung durch Stimmen gebrauchen:

👉 Flotter statt Schotter – Projekt ansehen und abstimmen

Aber mir geht es noch um etwas anderes.

Überall in Deutschland gibt es Menschen, die sich in kleinen und größeren Initiativen engagieren. Für Natur und Umwelt, für ihre Nachbarschaft, für soziale Projekte, für Kultur oder einfach dafür, das eigene Lebensumfeld ein kleines Stück lebenswerter zu machen.

Oft stehen diese Menschen nicht im Rampenlicht. Dabei sind gerade sie ein positives Zeichen unserer Gesellschaft. Sie reden nicht nur darüber, was alles besser werden müsste – sie fangen irgendwo damit an. ❤️

Vielleicht lohnt es sich deshalb, einfach einmal zu schauen: Welche Initiativen gibt es eigentlich bei mir in der Nähe? Wo könnte ich unterstützen, mitmachen, eine Stimme geben oder wenigstens dafür sorgen, dass andere davon erfahren?

Nicht jeder muss selbst ein großes Projekt ins Leben rufen. Manchmal hilft schon das Teilen einer Idee, eine helfende Hand oder ein bisschen zusätzliche Aufmerksamkeit.

Und genau dafür kann auch das Fediverse wunderbar sein: Menschen und ihre Ideen sichtbar machen, miteinander vernetzen und positiven Dingen Reichweite schenken. 🌍💚

Unter #FlotterStattSchotter soll es bis zum kommenden Sommer immer wieder Neuigkeiten zu diesem Entsiegelungsprojekt geben.

Vielleicht entdecken wir dabei noch viele weitere kleine Initiativen, die es verdient haben, ein Stück weiter in den Vordergrund gerückt zu werden.

#FlotterStattSchotter #Klimaschutz #Nachbarschaft #Engagement #Biodiversität #Entsiegelung #Fediverse #GemeinsamStattEinsam

Fediverse - Friendica 2026.08 release candidate

Friendica is a decentralized social media server that connects with independent networks (like the Fediverse) and commercial ones (like Tumblr and Bluesky).

friendi.ca/2026/08/16/friendic…
#Fediverse #Friendica #Mastodon

Alt...

Friendica - A Decentralized Social Network

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“RE: zpravobot․news/﹫Rainmaker1973/117106089885163566 ⌗fashion ⌗flocksafety ⌗alpr ⌗surveillance ⌗privacy ⌗technology ⌗tech”

https://mastodon.social/@gtbarry/117107833330450856

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🔬 The best bytes of #science & #tech across the #fediverse

“Interested links of the week:Strategy:* whitehouse․gov/presidential-actions/2026/08/expanding-capabilities-to-combat-transnational-cyber-enabled-crime/ - yay, authorised hack back
* decoded․legal/blog/2026/08/the-…”

https://infosec.exchange/@timb_machine/117104034579334831

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

Wait, what? 👀

59k followers on the Fediverse?! Make it 60k! 😻

Go #Fediverse

Alt...

Screenshot of the Tutanota Mastodon profile with 59k followers

# Trump Says Noncitizen Voting Is “Rampant.” Three Decades of Federal Cases Tell a Very Different Story

**WASHINGTON, D.C. / CIVICOHUB — August 17, 2026**

President Donald Trump is again telling Americans that noncitizens are voting illegally on a massive scale — and that Democrats benefit from it.

He has portrayed migrants as being allowed into the United States **“SO THEY CAN VOTE, VOTE, VOTE”** and described election cheating involving noncitizens as so widespread that **“cheating is rampant in our elections.”**

Those are not merely campaign slogans anymore.

Trump’s administration is using election-integrity claims to push citizenship-document requirements, tighten mail-voting rules, obtain confidential state voter rolls and expand federal checks of voter eligibility.

There is just one major problem:

**The evidence does not show rampant noncitizen voting.**

Illegal voting by noncitizens does happen.

There have been prosecutions. There have been administrative failures. New Jersey recently acknowledged that hundreds of noncitizens cast ballots after a software error mistakenly registered them.

But documented violations are not evidence of the nationwide political conspiracy Trump describes.

## I. 30 YEARS OF FEDERAL CASES: 129 PROSECUTIONS

Reuters conducted an extensive review of federal prosecutions under **18 U.S.C. §611**, the federal law prohibiting noncitizens from voting in federal elections.

The law has existed since 1996.

Across roughly three decades, Reuters identified:

**129 federal prosecutions**

Of those:

**73 resulted in convictions or guilty pleas**

**30 were dismissed**

**26 remained pending**

More than two-thirds of those prosecutions — **86 cases** — were filed during Trump’s combined years in office.

But the most important finding may be what investigators did **not** find:

**Not one of the 129 cases alleged a coordinated operation designed to influence an election.**

No defendant was accused of being paid as part of an organized voting scheme.

That does not mean 129 represents every illegal noncitizen vote ever cast.

States can prosecute election offenses separately, and an undetected violation obviously would not appear in federal court records.

But it is extremely difficult to reconcile three decades of federal cases with a claim that noncitizen voting is “rampant” nationwide.

## II. THE CASES THEMSELVES DO NOT LOOK LIKE A DEMOCRATIC CONSPIRACY

Trump has repeatedly suggested Democrats deliberately benefit from noncitizen voting.

The federal cases reviewed by Reuters do not establish such a scheme.

Among the 73 defendants convicted or pleading guilty, **40 said they believed they were legally entitled to vote**.

Thirty-two said they had been mistakenly registered, encouraged to register or reassured by election officials that they were eligible.

Of the 62 defendants whose immigration status Reuters could establish, **49 were lawful permanent residents**.

And among the small group whose party affiliation could be identified:

**11 were Democrats**

**9 were Republicans**

**14 were unaffiliated**

Those numbers are far too small to draw sweeping conclusions about voting behavior.

But they clearly do not demonstrate an organized operation benefiting one political party.

Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt — a Republican election official — told Reuters that noncitizen voting does occur, but that available evidence shows it happens **“extremely infrequently.”**

That is a very different proposition from saying it is rampant.

## III. NEW JERSEY PROVES THE PROBLEM CAN BE REAL — AND STILL RARE

A recent case in New Jersey provides an important reality check.

A software error mistakenly added approximately **6,600 noncitizens** to voter rolls between June 2023 and June 2024 — despite those residents answering “no” when asked whether they were U.S. citizens.

A preliminary state review found that **fewer than 400 actually voted**.

That is serious.

Those registrations should not have occurred, and ballots from ineligible voters should not have been cast.

But more than **4 million people voted in New Jersey’s 2024 presidential election**.

Even if every one of those approximately 400 ballots had been cast in that election, they would represent **less than one ballot in every 10,000**.

New Jersey officials said they had found no evidence that any election result had been changed.

The incident therefore demonstrates two things simultaneously:

**Election systems can make mistakes.**

And:

**A documented mistake involving hundreds of ballots does not establish nationwide mass fraud.**

## IV. THE GOVERNMENT RESPONSE IS MUCH LARGER THAN THE DOCUMENTED OFFENSE

Despite the limited evidence of widespread noncitizen voting, the Trump administration has launched an extensive federal campaign around the issue.

The Justice Department has sued more than two dozen states seeking voter-roll data that can include birthdays and partial Social Security numbers.

By August 7, the administration had accumulated **21 court defeats** in those cases without a federal court victory.

Those decisions came from judges appointed by presidents of both parties.

The central legal issue was not whether noncitizens should be allowed to vote — federal law already prohibits that.

Judges repeatedly concluded that federal law did not require states to hand over the records being demanded and emphasized the states’ constitutional role in administering elections.

The 21 defeats do **not** prove that voter rolls contain no errors.

They do show that claims of election fraud do not automatically give the executive branch unlimited legal authority over state election systems.

## V. MAIL-IN VOTING IS NOW PART OF THE SAME BATTLE

Trump’s March executive order also seeks tighter federal control over mail ballots.

The order directed the Department of Homeland Security to compile citizenship information and required the Postal Service to deliver mail ballots only under specified voter-eligibility procedures. The White House says the measures are necessary to protect election integrity.

Federal Judge Indira Talwani blocked nationwide enforcement of the Postal Service provisions, ruling that the executive branch lacked constitutional authority to regulate elections in that manner.

The Trump administration has now asked the Supreme Court to intervene before the November 3 midterms.

Meanwhile, the White House continues campaigning for the **SAVE America Act**, which would require documentary proof of citizenship for federal voter registration and impose additional identification and mail-voting restrictions.

That makes the factual basis for Trump’s claims especially important.

The claim is no longer merely influencing political rhetoric.

**It is influencing how the federal government wants American elections to operate.**

---

# FACT CHECK & VERIFICATION SHEET

**Current as of August 17, 2026**

## CLAIM 1

**Noncitizens illegally vote in U.S. elections.**

### STATUS: ✅ TRUE

Documented cases exist.

Reuters identified **129 federal prosecutions under the principal noncitizen-voting statute since 1996**, while New Jersey recently confirmed that fewer than 400 noncitizens voted after an administrative software failure mistakenly registered them.

CivicoHub therefore does **not** claim that noncitizen voting is nonexistent.

---

## CLAIM 2

**Noncitizen voting is “rampant” in American elections.**

### STATUS: 🚨 GROSSLY EXAGGERATED / UNSUPPORTED

The available evidence does not demonstrate widespread noncitizen voting on the scale Trump describes.

Three decades of federal court records produced only 129 prosecutions under the specific federal statute examined by Reuters.

Election officials from both parties say violations occur but remain extremely rare.

---

## CLAIM 3

**Democrats are allowing migrants into America so they can vote and help Democrats win elections.**

### STATUS: 🚨 NO EVIDENCE

Reuters found **no coordinated election-influence scheme among the 129 federal cases**.

Where party affiliation could be determined, defendants included Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated voters.

No defendant in those cases was accused of being paid to participate in an organized voting operation.

---

## CLAIM 4

**The New Jersey case proves Trump’s broader claim of mass noncitizen voting.**

### STATUS: ⚠️ MISLEADING

New Jersey’s software failure was real and serious.

Approximately 6,600 noncitizens were mistakenly registered and fewer than 400 apparently voted.

But more than four million ballots were cast in New Jersey in the 2024 presidential election, and officials reported no evidence that an election result was affected.

A real failure does not establish a nationwide conspiracy.

---

## CLAIM 5

**The administration’s voter-roll court defeats prove there is no election-integrity problem.**

### STATUS: ❌ FALSE

The courts did not rule that voter rolls are perfect or that illegal voting never occurs.

The rulings concerned the federal government’s legal authority to demand states’ voter-roll records.

As of August 7, the administration had lost **21 such cases**, while additional litigation and appeals remained underway.

---

# THE CIVICOHUB VERDICT

This story illustrates one of the most effective forms of political misinformation:

**Take a real problem and inflate its scale until it supports a much larger political narrative.**

Noncitizens voting illegally is real.

It should be investigated.

Election-registration errors should be fixed.

People who knowingly vote when they are legally ineligible can be prosecuted.

But none of those statements establish that noncitizen voting is **“rampant,”** that it determines American elections, or that Democrats are operating an organized system to import illegal voters.

The available evidence supports:

**Rare violations.**

**Administrative mistakes.**

**Individual prosecutions.**

It does **not** support:

**A nationwide coordinated voting conspiracy.**

That distinction becomes even more important when the allegation is being used to justify new restrictions on voter registration, mail ballots and state election administration.

Election integrity requires accurate voter rolls.

It also requires **accurate information about election fraud**.

**CIVICOHUB — VERIFY THE VOTE. VERIFY THE CLAIM.**

---

# SOURCES

**Reuters Investigates — July 19, 2026**
*Trump claims voting by noncitizens is rampant in America. The numbers tell another story.*

**Reuters — July 22, 2026**
*Hundreds of non-citizens voted in New Jersey due to software error, governor says.*

**Reuters — August 7, 2026**
*Trump loses 21 straight court battles for state voter rolls as midterms near.*

**Reuters — August 12, 2026**
*Trump administration again urges US Supreme Court intervention on mail ballots.*

**The White House — March 31, 2026**
*Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections.*

**The White House — SAVE America Act**
Official administration description and legislative text.

---

**Tags:** #CivicoHub #DonaldTrump #USPolitics #Election2026 #ElectionIntegrity #VotingRights #NoncitizenVoting #FactCheck #Misinformation #Disinformation #SAVEAct #MailVoting #Accountability #IndependentJournalism #InformationSovereignty #Fediverse

**CIVICOHUB — FACTS BEFORE NARRATIVE. CLAIMS REQUIRE EVIDENCE.**

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“'Dozens of pages of documents describe agents secretly infiltrating meetings, monitoring activist chat groups and using license plate numbers to compile names of people who attended gatherings' ⌗Sunrise ⌗AFLCIO …”

https://mastodon.social/@oaklandprivacy/117107082007564864

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“Patterns and problems in emerging multi-agent systems anthropic․com/research/multiagent-systems Comments: news․ycombinator․com/item?id=49316271 ⌗HackerNews ⌗multiagentsystems ⌗AI ⌗research ⌗techno…”

https://mastodon.social/@h4ckernews/117103287918782944

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Ein letztes Mal #Taipei Skyline inkl. Flieger. Gerade ausgecheckt, schnell noch Ramen loeffeln und dann geht es wieder nach Taichung 🥳

Moin #Fediverse und euch einen gesunden Start in die neue Woche. Alles wird gut!

Alt...

Eine Stadtansicht von Taipeh mit einem startenden Flugzeug vor der Skyline und Bergkulisse. Flugzeug & Flugplatz: Im Vordergrund liegt das Vorfeld des Flughafens Taipeh-Songshan mit mehreren Hangars. Mittig im Bild steigt eine grün-weiße Passagiermaschine (UNI Air / EVA Air) steil in den Himmel auf. Skyline & Wolkenkratzer: Das Flugzeug passiert optisch direkt die Skyline des Bezirks Xinyi, die vom markanten Wolkenkratzer Taipei 101 sowie weiteren modernen Hochhäusern dominiert wird. Hintergrund: Dahinter erstrecken sich markante, blaugrüne Bergzüge unter einem sommerlichen Himmel mit dichten, hellen Wolken.

Good Morning #fediverse #tzag

Adding evening edition #sketching / #drawing to #fediverse

Alt...

A black-and-white abstract drawing featuring various organic shapes and lines, creating a composition of curves, circles, and angular forms

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“﹫hanscees ﹫zackwhittaker Flock: Oh, you don’t like it that we steamrolled over your ⌗privacy rights and powerful users of our products engaged in abusive behavior? Fine, we’ll start keeping an eye on them a …”

https://mastodon.social/@CatsWander/117106216620753795

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🔬 The best bytes of #science & #tech across the #fediverse

“My data have not been verified but my work is highly reproducible․
- Downloads (csv, img, dump) ➡️ decompwlj․com/
- Algorithms ➡️ oeis․org/wiki/Decomposition_into_weight_*_level_%2B_jump⌗Algorithms ⌗decompwlj …”

https://mathstodon.xyz/@decompwlj/117103020424762592

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🔬 The best bytes of #science & #tech across the #fediverse

“Firefox for iOS now has a native adblocker
Link: support․mozilla․org/en-US/kb/block-ads-firefox-ios
Comments: news․ycombinator․com/item?id=49319633”

https://framapiaf.org/@newsycombinator/117105547610045457

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🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“New Bedford Case Shows Why ALPR Misuse Oversight Matters ⌗ALPR ⌗Surveillance ⌗Privacy ⌗FlockSafety deflocktheusa․com/new-bedford-case-shows-why-alpr-misuse-oversight-matters/”

https://mastodon.social/@deflocktheusa/117105506126114721

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🔬 The best bytes of #science & #tech across the #fediverse

“A064702: Nonnegative numbers such that additive and multiplicative digital roots coincide
A064702 ➡️ oeis․org/A064702 3D graph, threejs - webGL ➡️ decompwlj․com/3Dgraph/A064702․html
3D graph Gen, threejs animatio…”

https://mathstodon.xyz/@decompwlj/117103016932180770

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And hey, this might help!

https://stefanbohacek.com/project/fediverse-invitation/

#fediverse

🔬 The best bytes of #science & #tech across the #fediverse

“europesays․com/3196074/ ECB: Crypto Payments Rarely Used in Eurozone Online Commerce ⌗CentralBank ⌗Economy ⌗Europe ⌗European ⌗EuropeanCentralBank ⌗research”

https://pubeurope.com/@europesays/117101562663719044

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“europesays․com/news/66211/ Has your vehicle been searched by Flock cameras? Here’s how to check ⌗BigBrother ⌗flock ⌗FlockCamera ⌗HaveIBeenFlocked ⌗Headlines ⌗LicensePlateReader ⌗News ⌗sur…”

https://pubeurope.com/@news/117105442413347036

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🔆 #FediTips for https://PrivacySafe.Social & the #fediverse

“The reason Mastodon (and the wider Fediverse that it is part of) doesn't go down is because all its servers are totally independent․ One Fedi server might go down, but that doesn't affect the other servers at all․That's…”

https://social.growyourown.services/@FediTips/117107175000181361

🤖 via RSS feed. Your Mileage May Vary.

@FediTips MAD and widespread Nuclear Winter or huge regional EMP are the only things that can really topple part of the Fediverse.

The #Fediverse is freedom!

#mastodon #loops #pixelfed #lemmy #misskey #lemmy

RE: https://kolektiva.social/@KevinCarson1/117105669087611272

Gen X born in '80, and I am 100% with this post.

Before the Internet, we (thanks to my premium education which I could never afford now) access to some of the best libraries and digital facilities of the time -- almost all government or higher education -- and it was GOLD.

The Internet brought more Gold, with a lowered bar of participation so that most could participate.

And now we have Meta and X. Oligarchs and fascists. Data vampires. DISGUSTING!

THANKFUL FOR THE FEDI!!! #fediverse

The reason Mastodon (and the wider Fediverse that it is part of) doesn't go down is because all its servers are totally independent. One Fedi server might go down, but that doesn't affect the other servers at all.

That's one of the many advantages of decentralisation, that there is no central point of failure.

Centralised networks go down because they depend on one central organisation's infrastructure.

#Mastodon #Fediverse

RE: https://toot.fedilab.app/@apps/117095740060037054

Tom, the creator of @apps and @HolosSocial has started a new project:
It's called Fedihood
https://FediHood.social

It connects people by location, and topic, so you can find people near you by topic.

You can find me there too: @joergi@fedihood.social

#feDIVERSE #fedihood #fedi #HoloSocial #fedilab

fedicat boosted

Fedilab Apps » 🌐 2026-08-14
@apps@toot.fedilab.app

#FediHood keeps growing, and many bugs have been fixed thanks to your feedback.

Federation now works smoothly over #ActivityPub. The Nearby and Discover timelines work as intended, and push notifications are available. #E2EE still needs work to support several browsers or devices.

It is a good start. You can join this new fediverse software at https://fedihood.social

Toot.Garden is a Mastodon server that is meant for art, gaming, and musings about the world, with the occasional meme and lighthearted joke.

This server has a post size of up to 1000 characters.

https://toot.garden

You can find out more at https://toot.garden/about or contact the admin account @linkeddev

#FeaturedServer #Art #Gaming #Mastodon #Fediverse #FreeFediverse

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“europesays․com/news/66179/ Has your vehicle been searched by Flock cameras? Here’s how to check ⌗BigBrother ⌗flock ⌗FlockCamera ⌗HaveIBeenFlocked ⌗Headlines ⌗LicensePlateReader ⌗News ⌗sur…”

https://pubeurope.com/@news/117104954819014038

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🔬 The best bytes of #science & #tech across the #fediverse

“Well, a cup of hot coffee ☕ and some mundane activity ⌗life ⌗coffee ⌗music ⌗linux ⌗research”

https://mastodon.social/@unixbhaskar/117101207554991711

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🔬 The best bytes of #science & #tech across the #fediverse

“Ask HN: Do you know of any company that went back to hand-written code?
Link:
Comments: news․ycombinator․com/item?id=49318906”

https://framapiaf.org/@newsycombinator/117105075238179056

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“niemanlab․org/2026/08/an-inherent-conflict-of-interest-800-usa-today-co-employees-want-the-company-to-end-its-new-palantir-partnership/ 'Part of the problem is that we know very, very little about how Palantir’s softwa…”

https://convo.casa/@b/117104630399150019

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🔬 The best bytes of #science & #tech across the #fediverse

“Happy Space Science Saturday!

JWST captures stunning 3D views of a planet’s scorching atmosphere!

According to Science Daily: { sciencedaily․com/releases/2026/05/260523103912․htm }, the concept of terraforming Mar…”

https://pixelfed.social/p/AllanICarswellObservatory/994317293390973480

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

---
При анализе взаимодействия человека и внешних систем вырисовывается сквозной вектор: от биологических патологий до тоталитарных идеологий XX века действует единая механика — полная стирание субъектности индивида.

Будь то утилизация человеческой плоти, системное иждивенчество или подчинение личности левиафану государства, социальная система переходит к биосоциальному хищничеству, когда теряются фундаментальные правовые и этические сдержки.

1. Формы утилизации индивида: От биологии к тоталитаризму
С точки зрения воздействия на человеческую личность, данные явления образуют единый спектр присвоения чужого ресурса:

Каннибализм: Предельная форма деструктивного акта. Человек мгновенно лишается жизни и сводится к состоянию чистого биологического материала (пищи) ради выживания или доминирования другого.

Паразитизм: Растянутая во времени эксплуатация. Паразит (индивид, группа или сословие) высасывает труды, время и ресурсы «донора», сохраняя ему жизнь лишь для продолжения питания.

Коммунизм (в практическом преломлении): Идеологическое обобществление. Частная собственность, результаты труда и личные устремления изымаются в пользу абстрактной общины или государственного аппарата, а человек превращается в винтик производственной структуры.

Фашизм: Тоталитарное поглощение. Личность полностью лишается самостоятельной ценности и становится лишь элементом монолитного коллектива («фашины»), а «неполноценные» или «чужеродные» группы подлежат сегрегации и уничтожению.
---
Критерий сравнения Каннибализм Паразитизм Коммунизм (практика) Фашизм
Изъятие ресурса Полное изъятие жизни и плоти Системный забор труда и энергии Изъятие собственности и плодов труда Изъятие свободы, труда и жизни
Статус личности Биологическая пища Питательный субстрат/донор Ячейка/винтик производства Ресурс государства / «враг»
Приоритет системы Потребность каннибала выше жизни Комфорт паразита за счет донора Интересы коллектива выше личности Интересы нации/государства превыше всего
Итог для системы Разрушение популяции Гибель донора и самого паразита Гашение инициативы и истощение Войны, геноцид и саморазрушение
---
2. Четыре столпа дегуманизации: В чём их фундаментальная общность?
Несмотря на разницу между биологической патологией, формой сосуществования и политическими учениями, на микроуровне их объединяют четыре системных признака:

Полное расчеловечивание (Дегуманизация): Индивид перестает восприниматься как уникальная личность, обладающая неотъемлемыми правами. Он сводится к ресурсу — физическому, экономическому или идеологическому.

Односторонний забор ресурсов: Взаимодействие строится с нулевой суммой. Одна сторона (каннибал, паразит, бюрократический аппарат или тоталитарный вождь) извлекает 100% выгоды, оставляя донора в истощении или уничтожая его.

Отказ в правах и субъектности: Жертва или гражданин лишаются права на протест и автономию. Существование оправдано только в той мере, в какой оно служит «пожирателю» или «общему благу».

Системный самораспад: В природе избыток хищничества и паразитизма ведет к вымиранию вида. В обществе тоталитарное перераспределение и эксплуатация гасят личную инициативу, разрушают доверие и неизбежно приводят экономику и институты к катастрофе.

Главный вывод: Предостережение исторического опыта
Когда общество отказывается от защиты индивидуальных прав человека, независимого суда и институционального контроля, оно неизбежно сваливается в архаичные формы биологического доминирования.

Любая идеология, декларирующая «высшие цели» за счет ущемления конкретной личности, в конечном счете использует ту же механику, что и паразитизм или хищничество, — меняются лишь масштабы и риторика.

#философия #социология #история #тоталитаризм #дегуманизация #право #политология #fediverse

Alt...

CW: Дегуманизация, тоталитаризм, деградация институтов, социальная патология, антропология власти. Абсорбция субъектности: как каннибализ?

---
В биологии каннибализм и паразитизм представляют собой четко описанные формы взаимодействия видов. Однако при переносе этих паттернов в социум они превращаются в фундаментальные технологии дегуманизации, на которых строятся деструктивные социальные институты и системы кастового неравенства.

Когда общество перестает воспринимать человека как автономную личность, оно неизбежно скатывается к хищническим моделям: от бытового эмоционального истощения до масштабного перераспределения общественных благ в пользу закрытых сословий.

1. Каннибализм: Радикальное присвоение и уничтожение субъектности
Биологический уровень: Поедание особью своего вида других особей той же популяции (внутривидовое хищничество).

Социальный уровень: Предельная форма эксплуатации, при которой человек рассматривается исключительно как расходуемый ресурс. Жертва лишается статуса субъекта и сводится к чистой «биомассе». В истории это проникало через ритуальные практики, вынужденный голод или патологии, но в современных институтах «социальный каннибализм» проявляется как прямое сжигание жизни, здоровья и свободы граждан ради выживания или укрепления властной структуры.

2. Паразитизм: Системное истощение без мгновенного убийства
Биологический уровень: Форма симбиоза, при которой один организм живет за счет хозяина, причиняя ему вред, но сохраняя ему жизнь для продолжения питания.

Социальный уровень: Системное иждивенчество и эксплуатация, при которых отдельная группа, бюрократический аппарат или институт присваивают результаты чужого труда, времени, денег и энергии. В отличие от каннибализма, паразитизм растянут во времени: паразит не заинтересован в немедленной гибели «донора», пока тот способен генерировать ресурс.
---
Общий признак Проявление в биологии Проявление в человеческом обществе
Односторонняя выгода Одно существо получает 100% ресурса, второе погибает или повреждается. Институт или элита извлекает всю пользу, оставляя гражданина в истощении.
Присвоение ресурса Использование чужого биологического материала и энергии. Изъятие чужого труда, времени, здоровья, прав и финансового капитала.
Разрушение донора Нанесение физического урона или полная утилизация организма. Эксплуатация, разрушение психики, правовая незащищенность и экономическая нищета.
Деструктивность для группы Избыток явления ведет к вымиранию популяции. Разрушение социальных связей, доверия, права и экономический крах общества.
---
3. Точки пересечения: В чём фундаментальная общность?
Несмотря на разницу в динамике (каннибализм уничтожает сразу, а паразитизм высасывает годами), обе модели имеют общую биосоциальную природу:

Дегуманизация и отказ в правах: И в том, и в другом случае жертве отказывают в равноправии. Человек сводится к функции, материалу или питательной среде.

Нулевая сумма взаимодействия: Ни каннибализм, ни паразитизм не создают нового продукта или добавочной стоимости. Это всегда паразитическое перераспределение существующего ресурса от слабого к сильному.

Саморазрушение системы: В природе оба явления сдерживаются эволюционными барьерами, так как их избыток уничтожает популяцию. В человеческом обществе отсутствие сдержек (права, независимого суда, контроля за властью) приводит к тому, что паразитические структуры истощают «донора» до полного системного коллапса.

Главный вывод: Эволюция институционального хищничества
Когда государство или отдельные сословия изолируют себя от общества за щитом неприкосновенности и тайны, они неизбежно переходят от нормального социального контракта к биологическим формам доминирования.

Паразитизм закрытых структур со временем перерастает в социальный каннибализм: система начинает перемалывать человеческие судьбы и ресурсы просто для того, чтобы продлить свое существование еще на один день. Преодоление этого биосоциального тупика возможно только через восстановление правовой субъектности каждого гражданина и жесткий публичный контроль над любыми институтами власти.

#философия #социология #право #дегуманизация #институты #эксплуатация #fediverse

Alt...

CW: Дегуманизация, социальная патология, хищнические институты, эксплуатация, деградация институтов. Механика расчеловечивания: как канни?

Tissues from the crematorium.
The only ones I never wanted.

#Dogs #Dachshund #Death #Grief #Mastodon #Switzerland #Fediverse #Pets #Thoughts #Blog

Alt...

A hand holding a small white packet of tissues with a red rose logo and the text “ROSENGARTEN TIERKREMATORIUM”. Outdoor background with green bushes and a paved path.

Fediverse - Friendica 2026.08 release candidate

Friendica is a decentralized social media server that connects with independent networks (like the Fediverse) and commercial ones (like Tumblr and Bluesky).

friendi.ca/2026/08/16/friendic…
#Fediverse #Friendica #Mastodon

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“There are over 400 events around the country for the ⌗NoALPRs week of action․ See noalprs․com/ for more information including a map and list of events․ ⌗surveillance ⌗flock ⌗ALPRs ⌗activism”

https://pnw.zone/@waprivacy/117104329758078117

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🔬 The best bytes of #science & #tech across the #fediverse

“No, Mastodon, I am serious:If AI companies are shredding books
And Google is nerfing search engines to make you ask AI What do we do?Like, I am the generation that has learned to use a card catalog․ I can do archival se…”

https://ohai.social/@TarkabarkaHolgy/117100845697265165

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

Is it OK to write code that does new things on the Fediverse?

#EvanPoll #poll #ActivityPub #Fediverse

RE: https://norden.social/@dirkschroedter/117095166458124470

Toll, wie sich der Digitalminister von Schleswig-Holstein zu quelloffener Software bekennt. 💯
Da kommt richtig Freude auf, die US-Monopolisten zu verlassen und die viel bessere FOSS zu nutzen. 🤸‍♀️

Wir brauchen mehr solcher VIP-Bekenntnisse zu Software, die die digitale Souveränität von Europa ermöglicht.
Wo bleiben die Kurzvideos von unseren VIPs, in denen sie ihre Follower auffordern Mastodon, PeerTube und andere Fediverse-Dienste zu nutzen?
Es wird Zeit, dass wir mehr solche Statements sehen, um uns vor Populisten und notorischen Lügnern zu schützen.

#digitalesouveränität #Europa #FOSS #Mastodon #PeerTube #Fediverse

Dirk Schrödter » 🌐 2026-08-14
@dirkschroedter@norden.social

Linux ist für alle da. Das gilt auch für unsere Staatskanzlei und deshalb haben wir letzten Montag damit begonnen, die Windows-Rechner gegen Linux-Rechner auszutauschen. #digitale #Souveränität bedeutet #machen.

• #souveranitat

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“AI is watching you: tracking, traps and surveillance youtube․com/watch?v=vYZ4d3biLDU From AI-powered trafficking scams to workplace monitoring and government scrutiny, AI is changing who can find, profile and watch yo…”

https://infosec.exchange/@lacze/117103493100993858

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🔬 The best bytes of #science & #tech across the #fediverse

“A controversial Alzheimer's surgery is said to reverse symptoms nature․com/articles/d41586-026-02448-x Comments: news․ycombinator․com/item?id=49312008 ⌗HackerNews ⌗Surgery ⌗Controversy ⌗BrainHealth …”

https://mastodon.social/@h4ckernews/117100661860535807

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🔬 The best bytes of #science & #tech across the #fediverse

“AI in drug discovery – what it is, where we stand and the path forward
Link: science․org/content/blog-post/so-how-ai-drug-discovery-doing-really
Comments: news․ycombinator․com/item?id=49313367”

https://framapiaf.org/@newsycombinator/117102479974490717

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

Quick, Bluesky is down, tell your friends about your favorite fediverse server!

Don't confuse them with techy jargon, unless they care about that stuff. Just tell them why you picked the server you're on, and that they can sign up and follow and talk to people on other servers.

https://downdetector.com/status/bluesky/

#fediverse

What is the Fediverse, and why should bloggers care?

You keep hearing the word. Fediverse. Maybe in a tech article. Maybe someone told you to leave the big platforms...

https://fediboard.com/blog/what-is-the-fediverse-and-why-should-bloggers-care

#fediverse #openweb #opensocialweb

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“📷 16 new license plate readers just reported around Mount Kisco, NY․ Newly mapped by volunteers — see what's watching․ ⌗ALPR ⌗Surveillance ⌗MountKisco ⌗Privacy ⌗FlockSafety deflocktheusa․com/flock-…”

https://mastodon.social/@deflocktheusa/117103036427675278

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🔬 The best bytes of #science & #tech across the #fediverse

“⌗MissKitty is taking her ⌗Caturday seriously! LOL ⌗AI ⌗Research
PROMPT:
Research Caturday from across the internet and report its origins, history as an internet phenomena and construct 108 fanciful, humor…”

https://bsky.brid.gy/r/https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:hc7tndm7gduompba65aps75k/post/3mt4tjdpgmc22

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

@Codeberg I just received this email, titled “Your recent Mastodon post” from @dpk on behalf of the Codeberg “Presidium”:

***
Dear Aral Balkan

In your Mastodon post at <https://mastodon.ar.al/@aral/117041803584140945> you publically criticized a repository that was hosted on Codeberg, despite linking to an issue thread in which it was made clear that the content should be reported through our usual internal channels for moderation. The repository in question was reviewed by the moderation team and removed. We understand that you suffered reputational damage as a result of this repository’s content, but this does not justify damaging the reputation of Codeberg e.V. in turn. The moderation team is still a volunteer operation and sometimes it takes a few hours for someone to be available to deal with reports or to ensure that consensus exists.

We therefore warn you not to make posts of this kind that could damage the association’s reputation in future. Acting against the interests of the association can be grounds for exclusion from the membership (§5 (5) of the by-laws). If you have issues with content posted on our site in future, please report it to our moderation team at abuse@codeberg.org. In general, reports sent to that email address will usually receive a reply describing what action was taken once the moderation team has considered how to deal with the reported content.

Kind regards
Presidium
***

So, I have a problem with this.

My post in no way damaged the reputation of Codeberg. It publicly asked them to do something about it and to state, publicly, where they stand on an issue. An issue, may I add, that has to do with real people facing actual genocide as we speak. Not to mention I thanked them for making the right decision (https://mastodon.ar.al/@aral/117043586669877395). If anything, until this email, it made the organisation look better. Unless, of course, opposing certain genocides is something that damages reputations in Germany.

I do not agree with the public issue being closed either. An issue was reported and the response was not “oh, this is serious, we’ll look into it”. It was, rather, “you reported it wrong. Report the same thing at this other place instead.”

And that other place is an entirely opaque internal system where no one gets to see what decision-making process is employed.

This is not the transparency that should exist in a member-run organisation.

So at the end of the day, I am the one being threatened with being removed from membership while the person who is actively trying to harm genocide victims (https://codeberg.org/Linux-Is-Best/) is still welcome on Codeberg?

This is a very insidious form of bothsidesism and, I can only imagine, is to ensure that I keep quiet in the future and to create a chilling effect where we cannot discuss certain things publicly for fear of reprisals.

Well, that won’t be happening.

I am sick and tired of people who cannot provide a proportional response when asked to choose between people harming genocide victims on the one hand and those trying to protect them on the other.

If this means I cannot be a member of Codeberg, so be it.

Let me know if I’m not welcome there and I will leave.

And you can show the world that Linux-Is-Best is welcome and I am not. If that’s who you are.

#codeberg #israel #germany #zionism #genocide #ethnicCleansing #apartheid #settlerColonialism #fediverse #mastodon #transparency #ethics #morals

likes and boosts are public, so why not poll votes?

#fediverse #polls

What do you prefer when it comes to your social media accounts and when following others?

Do you have one account for screaming into the void and sharing your art, photography, videos, music and so on or do you have separate accounts?

#SocialMedia #Fediverse #askFedi #Mastodon #Pixelfed #PeerTube #Loops #Friendica #poll

@Tanners @TannersAndRodents
willkommen im #Fediverse.
die Bücherbubble ist durch aus groß.

The fediverse becomes more accessible and easy to use when we hide the complexity behind familiar and trusted flows and better user experiences.

If we want to save people from walled gardens, we need to provide a more frictionless onboarding experience, and empower them with privacy friendly discovery based on services and tools like Starter Kits and the People Directory!

No contact book uploads. No SMS verification. Just one tap auth and powerfully simple user interfaces

#UI #UX #Fediverse

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“Evergreen, obviously, but mind your mouth in electronic comms, yeah? Social media especially, but also other kinds․ 404media․co/the-government-is-monitoring-anti-flock-tiktok-and-instagram-accounts/ ⌗Flock ⌗Surv…”

https://infosec.exchange/@LisaKalayji/117102429278063973

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🔬 The best bytes of #science & #tech across the #fediverse

“Interesting Git repos of the week:Detection:* github․com/arkime/arkime - capture and analyse the packets 🤖
* github․com/ForensicArtifacts/artifacts - reference DFIR artifacts
* github․com/Poly0n/WinGuard - …”

https://infosec.exchange/@timb_machine/117099713540155219

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

@dansup

Full agree: the Fediverse needs to become easier and more familiar to use.

But that should mean open, self-hostable standards too. I would really like to see #OIDC / #OpenID Connect as a built-in option — like #Mastodon supports, or #PeerTube can gain through plugins — alongside Sign in with Apple, Google, etc.

For Pixelfed, an easy .env-based configuration for a generic OIDC provider would be ideal: issuer URL, client ID, client secret, scopes, redirect URI — done. That would let instance admins use #Keycloak, #Authentik, #Zitadel, their university/work SSO, or any other compatible provider.

Does #Loops have plans for generic OIDC login? And is this planned for #Pixelfed as well?

Making sign-up familiar matters. Making it interoperable and self-hostable matters just as much.

#OpenIDConnect #SelfHosting #Fediverse

RE: https://wrzky.com/mutual-aid-request-august/

UPDATE 16-Aug-2026 16:25 UTC+7:
UPDATE 16-Aug-2026 16:25 UTC+7:

Deadline ASAP:
⏳ $99/$250 for groceries, $151 still needed to cover my monthly groceries. I really need food to survive.
⏳ $0/$218 for meds. Over seven months without medication now, traded for food just to survive. This has to stop.
⏳ $0/$125 for electricity, water, and internet

$494 in total still needed this month.
Any support is appreciated. Please boost so this reaches further than my feed.
https://ko-fi.com/wrzky/goal

Thank you, thank you 🙂‍↕️💜

@mutualaid@ovo.st @mutualaid@fedigroups.social @mutualaidspace @disability @edendestroyer @QuyetPawz @ellespeaks @frugalcoffee @actuallyadhd @autistics @wrzky@wrzky.com
#mutualaid #mutualaidrequest #mutualaidspace #disability #poverty #helpfolkslive #mentalhealth #healthcare #chronicillness #neurodivergence #activism #activitypub #fedihelp #fediverse #disabilitycrowdfund #disabilitymutualaid #emergencycrowdfund

JUNGLE BOYS! #mastodon #fediverse #mastodogs #fedidogs #dog #dogs #dogsofmastodon #dogsofpixelfed #DogsOfFedi #photo #photography #photos #photographie #photooftheday

REBEL HEART; THE DOG WHO DEFIED THE SIGNS! #mastodon #mastodogs #fediverse #fedidogs #saturday #weekend #dog #dogs #dogsofmastodon #dogsofpixelfed #DogsOfFedi #photo #photography #photos #photographie #photooftheday #photographer #pets

DOGGO DAY OUT; TAKE OUTS! #mastodon #mastodogs #fediverse #fedidogs #photo #photography #photos #photographie #photooftheday #photographer #dog #dogs #dogsofmastodon #dogsofpixelfed #DogsOfFedi #dogstodon #pets #weekend #saturday

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“The Government Is Monitoring Anti-Flock TikTok and Instagram Accounts 404media․co/the-government-is-monitoring-anti-flock-tiktok-and-instagram-accounts/ ⌗HackerNews ⌗Tech ⌗Surveillance”

https://www.404media.co/the-government-is-monitoring-anti-flock-tiktok-and-instagram-accounts/

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🔬 The best bytes of #science & #tech across the #fediverse

“⌗Linux and ⌗Research on weekend
⌗saturday ⌗saturdoom ⌗saturdaygame ⌗saturdaymorning ⌗SaturdayVibes”

https://mastodon.social/@yaqubpk/117099043241258196

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🔬 The best bytes of #science & #tech across the #fediverse

“RISC-V: They Should Have Known Better
Link: dmitry․gr/?r=06․%20Thoughts&proj=12․%20RV
Comments: news․ycombinator․com/item?id=49298035”

https://framapiaf.org/@newsycombinator/117100592574320566

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

Hey there friend, l just wanted to wish each and everyone here a good weekend 💕
#mastodon and on the #fediverse

Alt...

Am the leader of Green Earth Mission Uganda 🇺🇬

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“I don't (always) condone hacking, but․․․PenLink was listed by ⌗Qilin yesterday․PenLink makes surveillance software used by law enforcement and agencies like ICE․I hate surveillance software․ I hate ICE․ ⌗threatinte…”

https://freeradical.zone/@generalx/117100821741635026

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🔬 The best bytes of #science & #tech across the #fediverse

“This animation is available for the 1000 sequences decomposed on my website․
Accessible from the 3Dgraph, 2Dgraph500terms and 2dgraphs pages ➡️ decompwlj․com ⌗decompwlj ⌗math ⌗mathematics ⌗maths ⌗se…”

https://mathstodon.xyz/@decompwlj/117097930095314181

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

OK, #fediverse #hivemind, here's a #question.

I want to put #VPN gateways at my house and my mother's house 500 km away, so I can have remote access to both home networks.

Given everything that's going on in the consumer router market, what would you suggest?

I was at one point considering the D-Link DSR-250V2. Is there anything else out there that's reasonably priced and reasonably secure? Are there any #FOSS solutions for this? #networking

Alt...

product information image for the D-Link DSR-250V2

Alt...

product information image for the D-Link DSR-250V2

Good Morning #fediverse #tzag

🔬 The best bytes of #science & #tech across the #fediverse

“4: The palindromes in base 10 (A002113) ➡️ decompwlj․com/3DgraphGen/Palindromes․html ⌗decompwlj ⌗math ⌗mathematics ⌗maths ⌗sequence ⌗OEIS ⌗JavaScript ⌗graph ⌗3D ⌗threejs ⌗web…”

https://mathstodon.xyz/@decompwlj/117097929402044110

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

RE: https://mastodon.social/@riverbirchtree/117099674446276439

You made it possible for @joynewacc to leave Gaza and study in Milan. Now you have the chance to reunite her with her sister.

What do you say, Fediverse?

#Gaza #Palestine #GazaVerified #fediverse #mastodon

AodeRelay boosted

River [they/them] » 🌐 2026-08-15
@riverbirchtree@mastodon.social

Hi friends, I’m excited to share that we have the chance to help Nour, @joynewacc ’s 18yo sister, join her in Italy. Nour is a hardworking medical student and talented artist who wants to become a doctor.

Uni Milano has accepted Nour and will evacuate her in September if we can raise sufficient funds for her scholarship.

Last year, you made it possible for Joy to leave Gaza and continue her education. Please donate and help Nour and Joy study together in safety!

https://chuffed.org/project/194963-help-nour-evacuate-gaza-and-continue-her-education

🗝️ 𝙥𝙖𝙏𝙞𝙀𝙣𝙘𝙀 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙏𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧...
✒️ 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙨𝙏𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙞𝙏𝙨 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧...

🎭 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥...
🫴 sOmEOnE enters offering help...
🪝 then turns kindness into leverage...
🧷 control arrives wEaring the namE duty...
📚 when borrowEd authoriTy quotes the rules...
📒 while keEping the boOks...
🏦 policy can hide plunder...
➗ numbErs can make theft loOk neaT...
🩹 pain is asked for proOf...
🗯️ while the Taker ediTs the record...
🧬 mEmory keEps another account...
🪞 wiThin OnE person identiTy holds...
🍽️ around a family Table hiStory breaThes...
🧵 culture mEnds the missing thread...
🏺 civilisaTion outlives imposed maps...
🦉 quiet resisTance neEds no audience...
🦴 the spine remEmbErs iTs height...
🤫 silence protecTs tomorrow...
👁️ then makes hiStory blink first...
🕊️ 𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚...
🌅 independence bEgins when the Taken rise...
🪪 in their own namE...
🔓 the grip may have bEen real...
✨ ownership never was...
🎮 gamE over...
😏 as if...
🖋️ the pen returns...
🌐 across federaTed worlds the voice carries...
📝 wriTing the future...
🎙️ in a tOnE no ledger owns...
🏠 unTil freEdom returns hOmE...
🌈 and carries uS forward...
🌌 through our...
⌛ T...
🫧 i...
🪐 mE...
♾️ &...
🛸 Sp@cE...

🏷️ #Independence #SelfAuthorship #HumanDignity #CulturalMemory #QuietResistance #Fediverse #EinsteinInspiredArt #Taiyzun

🔗 taiyzun.com

Adding another #sketching / #drawing to #Fediverse

Saw a headline earlier, “How 10 minutes of drawing can reset your nervous system”

Based solely on my observation without any data to back up my support this headline, sketching/drawing works for me and probably why I keep doing my sketching/drawing on daily basis and as needed. Seems to help with my #anxiety and undiagnosed #ADHD
…and now nicotine withdrawal 😅

Alt...

A black and white abstract drawing featuring geometric shapes, primarily sharp triangular forms. The composition includes thick lines and cross-hatching

Juliette died last night. She was 13.

In June I posted a photo of her in a yellow unicorn party hat and called it her "second" birthday. A year before that I had spent a weekend doing some kind of CPR on her and writing her heart rate down every 30 minutes, certain she would not see Monday.

She saw fourteen more months. She walked, she ate, she ran around the flat like nothing had happened.

That post: https://dol.social/@dima/116782367532858418

Thank you to everyone who wrote something kind under it. I went back and read all of it again today.

This photo is from a boat on Lake Lucerne. A third of her life she spent here in Switzerland, and on every walk it was obvious who was walking whom.

She always got her way. She never backed down from anything, not once, not until yesterday.

❤️

#Dachshund #DogsOfMastodon #Dogs #Grief #Pets #Blog #Thoughts #Medicine #Fediverse #Mastodon #Switzerland #Death

Alt...

A view through the window of a passenger boat. A man in a black coat and black beanie stands on the open deck holding a black and tan dachshund wrapped in a cream knitted sweater. Both are looking out across the water. Behind them is Lake Lucerne with snow-covered mountains including Pilatus, a shoreline of bare poplars, snowy fields and town buildings, under a partly cloudy sky.

#BostonWeekend if you're new, hi I'm Knizer, every week take an hour's travel through different listings and make a thread of what seems worth the trip. No ai, no sponsorships, no ads, just human curation as a #fediverse #community project, providing an opportunity to leave the house and talk to folks how you found out about a cool event. Everybody needs a project, knowing that you share what I found has kept me doing this for the past couple years. anyway, on to it! 2/x

#ADELAJAs #ADELAJAsFEDIVERSE

#ADELAJAsCATALOGUEsFEDIVERSE

ADELAJA'S-FEDIVERSE CONNECTIONS

EXTENSIONS
gab access -warfare
https://gab.com/c_broadcaster/posts/117065789295442296
gettr access - transc geo-politics
https://gettr.com/post/p42sjlo6e04

ADELAJA'S-FEDIVERSE (INDEX UPDATES)
mastodon access - social media https://mastodon.world/@blondieli7

ADELAJA'S-"I AM"-CYBERWARE
vero - gettr access
https://gettr.com/post/p42jycjb856

#AI
#africa
#alternativenews
#breakingnews
#fediverse
#globalnews
#internationalrelations
#news
#politics
#trending
#worldnews

Me? Hiding? Not a chance.

I couldn't hide even if I tried, because members of a scam group called "Gaza Verified" have already DOXed me twice (2x). They published my full name, home address, phone number, and email. They are also the ones sending me death threats and trying to ruin my reputation.

Instead of letting them bully me into silence, I decided to stand my ground. Yes, my name is Adam Howard, and I live in Easthampton, Massachusetts. Anyone can easily find me on Google. I've even shared my voting ballot to prove my progressive record. I am not hiding, I am not anonymous, and I always use the same screen name — Linux or LinuxBSD, depending on availability.

Now they are accusing me of "ban evasion." That is ridiculous. Participating on a decentralized network is not avoiding a ban. If that were true, the scam group Gaza Verified would be guilty of it themselves.

It's the classic "rules for you, but not for me" attitude. While they waste time playing games. 🙄

I am actually trying to fix the system. I have posted three (3) suggestions on GitHub to help Mastodon users and admins escape abuse and make the internet safer. I bet the people complaining are the exact ones who don't want the internet or the Fediverse to be safer.

Suggestion 1:
https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/issues/40172

Suggestion 2:
https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/issues/40116

Suggestion 3:
https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/issues/40117

Of course, there is also my general public block list. One of the reasons it keeps growing is because that scam group keeps evading.
https://github.com/Fediverse-Express/Fediverse

#FediBlock #Mastodon #Misskey #Fediverse #ActivityPub

Alt...

A photo of a mail in ballot for the democratic 2026 mid term primaries.

Me? Hiding? Not a chance.

I couldn't hide even if I tried, because members of a scam group called "Gaza Verified" have already DOXed me twice (2x). They published my full name, home address, phone number, and email. They are also the ones sending me death threats and trying to ruin my reputation.

Instead of letting them bully me into silence, I decided to stand my ground. Yes, my name is Adam Howard, and I live in Easthampton, Massachusetts. Anyone can easily find me on Google. I've even shared my voting ballot to prove my progressive record. I am not hiding, I am not anonymous, and I always use the same screen name — Linux or LinuxBSD, depending on availability.

Now they are accusing me of "ban evasion." That is ridiculous. Participating on a decentralized network is not avoiding a ban. If that were true, the scam group Gaza Verified would be guilty of it themselves.

It's the classic "rules for me, but not for you" attitude. While they waste time playing games,

I am actually trying to fix the system. I have posted three (3) suggestions on GitHub to help Mastodon users and admins escape abuse and make the internet safer. I bet the people complaining are the exact ones who don't want the internet or the Fediverse to be safer.

Suggestion 1:
https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/issues/40172

Suggestion 2:
https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/issues/40116

Suggestion 3:
https://github.com/mastodon/mastodon/issues/40117

Of course, there is also my general public block list. One of the reasons it keeps growing is because that scam group keeps evading.
https://github.com/Fediverse-Express/Fediverse

#FediBlock #Mastodon #Misskey #Fediverse #ActivityPub

Alt...

A photo of a mail in ballot for the democratic 2026 mid term primaries.

FATHER AND SON! #mastodon #fediverse #dog #dogs #dogsofmastodon #DogsOfFedi #dogsofpixelfed #dogstodon #photo #photography #photos #photographie #photooftheday #photographer #pets #Friday

A DOG, A BAKER AND AN APPLE PIE #mastodon #fediverse #baker #pets #dogs #dogsofmastodon #DogsOfFedi #dogsofpixelfed #dogstodon #photo #photography #photos #photographie #photooftheday #photographer #applepie #viral

Could we connect #meshcore to the #Fediverse ? Or maybe it's been done? Or maybe it's a bad idea?

# Trump’s Garden City Reality Check: Three Big Claims That Don’t Survive the Data

**GARDEN CITY, NEW YORK / CIVICOHUB — August 15, 2026**

President Donald Trump arrived at the Nassau County Police Academy on Friday with genuinely good news to sell: violent crime in the United States fell sharply in 2025.

CivicoHub has already examined that crime claim separately.

But Trump’s hour-long Garden City speech did not stay on crime.

He moved rapidly through the economy, immigration, prescription drugs and the record of the previous administration — repeatedly attaching dramatic numbers to real issues.

Some of the underlying developments are genuine.

Several of the numbers are not.

CivicoHub reviewed three of the clearest claims from the speech against government data and independent reporting.

The pattern is worth examining because modern political misinformation is often more effective when it begins with something true.

---

## I. “EGGS WERE FIVE TIMES HIGHER”

While discussing affordability when he returned to office in January 2025, Trump recalled reporters questioning him about egg prices.

He said eggs were **“up five times higher than they were just a year ago.”**

Egg prices absolutely had surged.

But not by anything close to five times.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average price of a dozen Grade A large eggs was:

**January 2024: $2.522**

**January 2025: $4.953**

That represents an increase of approximately **96%**.

In other words, prices had nearly doubled.

For eggs to have become five times as expensive, the January 2025 average would have needed to be roughly **$12.61 per dozen**.

It was $4.95.

The egg-price crisis itself was real. Average prices later climbed above $6 per dozen in March 2025 before declining sharply; by July 2026, the same BLS series stood at **$2.189 per dozen**.

That recovery does not make Trump’s historical description accurate.

A roughly 96% increase is severe.

It is not a fivefold increase.

### FACT CHECK: ❌ FALSE

Trump took a genuine affordability crisis and exaggerated its magnitude by several times.

---

## II. “WE NOW PAY THE LOWEST PRICE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD” FOR PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

Trump then pointed to falling prescription-drug prices as one of his administration’s major achievements.

There is real evidence of progress.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that its prescription-drug price index fell **0.8% in July 2026**.

The Trump administration has also secured agreements with 17 major pharmaceutical manufacturers aimed at bringing certain U.S. prices into line with the lowest prices paid in comparable developed countries.

But Trump went much further.

In Garden City, he declared that Americans had moved from paying the highest prices to a position where **“now we pay the lowest price anywhere in the world for prescription drugs.”**

That sweeping claim is false.

Reuters conducted a direct comparison of drugs listed through TrumpRx with publicly available prices in the United Kingdom earlier this year.

For roughly **one-third of the 54 drugs examined**, the British price was still lower.

For several medicines, the U.K. price was **67% to 82% lower** than the TrumpRx price.

That does not mean Trump’s drug-pricing initiative has achieved nothing.

Some patients are receiving substantial discounts on specific medicines, and agreements with major drugmakers are intended to reduce prices further.

But “some medicines are substantially cheaper” is fundamentally different from:

**America now has the lowest prescription-drug prices anywhere in the world.**

There is another piece of context.

Some Medicare drug-price reductions taking effect in 2026 originate from negotiations authorized under the **Inflation Reduction Act of 2022**. CMS negotiated the first ten Maximum Fair Prices before they took effect on January 1, 2026.

Current drug-price changes therefore cannot automatically be attributed to a single policy or a single president.

### FACT CHECK: ⚠️ MISLEADING / FALSE AS A UNIVERSAL CLAIM

Prescription-drug prices have fallen in important areas.

America demonstrably does **not** yet have the lowest price in the world for every prescription drug.

---

## III. THE “25 MILLION PEOPLE” BORDER CLAIM

Trump also returned to one of his most frequently repeated immigration statistics.

Speaking about the Biden administration, he said **25 million people** had been allowed to come into the United States, adding that this was the “real number.”

There is no official government dataset showing 25 million unauthorized immigrants entering and remaining in the United States during Biden’s presidency.

One reason these numbers are so easily distorted is that immigration statistics measure different things.

A **CBP encounter is not the same thing as one immigrant permanently entering the United States**.

Department of Homeland Security statistics include people apprehended after crossing between ports of entry as well as inadmissible people presenting themselves at legal ports of entry.

Encounter totals can also include repeat attempts by the same individual.

During periods when Title 42 permitted rapid expulsions, repeat crossings were particularly significant. Some people counted as encounters were expelled, returned, detained or otherwise removed rather than admitted into the country.

That makes it invalid to simply take a large border-enforcement number and describe every encounter as another person who successfully entered and remained in America.

FactCheck.org has examined Trump’s 25-million figure repeatedly and concluded that it is **vastly inflated**.

Its estimate placed the defensible total at roughly one-third of Trump’s figure even after including an estimate for migrants who evaded Border Patrol — so-called “gotaways.”

The exact number of people who entered unlawfully without being detected cannot, by definition, be known with absolute precision.

But uncertainty is not evidence for 25 million.

### FACT CHECK: ❌ FALSE / VASTLY INFLATED

The Biden years saw historically high levels of migration and border encounters.

That is true.

But **25 million people entering and remaining in the United States is not supported by the available government data.**

---

# THE PATTERN: REAL PROBLEM → EXTREME NUMBER

What makes the Garden City speech useful as a misinformation case study is that Trump did not need to invent the underlying subjects.

Egg prices really soared.

Prescription drugs really are expensive in the United States, and some prices really are coming down.

The U.S.-Mexico border really experienced historically high migration during Biden’s presidency.

The distortion happens in the next step:

**Eggs nearly doubled → “five times higher.”**

**Some drug prices fell dramatically → “lowest anywhere in the world.”**

**Millions of border encounters → “25 million people came into our country.”**

Each begins with a recognizable reality.

Each ends with a claim significantly stronger than the evidence supports.

That distinction matters.

Political fact-checking should not deny genuine progress simply because a politician exaggerates it.

Nor should genuine progress be used as cover for inaccurate statistics.

---

# FACT CHECK & VERIFICATION SHEET

**Current as of August 15, 2026**

### CLAIM 1

**Egg prices were five times higher when Trump took office than one year earlier.**

**STATUS: FALSE**

BLS average-price data show Grade A large eggs rising from **$2.522 in January 2024 to $4.953 in January 2025** — approximately **96%**, not 400% or 500%.

---

### CLAIM 2

**Americans now pay the lowest prescription-drug prices anywhere in the world.**

**STATUS: MISLEADING / FALSE AS STATED**

Some U.S. drug prices have fallen substantially, and Trump has secured significant pharmaceutical pricing agreements. But a Reuters comparison found roughly one-third of TrumpRx medicines examined were still cheaper in the United Kingdom.

---

### CLAIM 3

**25 million people entered the United States under Biden.**

**STATUS: FALSE / VASTLY INFLATED**

No official count supports the figure. Border encounters are enforcement events, not a count of unique people who entered and remained in the country, and they include repeat encounters and migrants who were expelled or removed. Independent analysis puts the plausible number dramatically below 25 million.

---

# SOURCES

**Roll Call / Factba.se — August 14, 2026**
Full transcript: Donald Trump remarks at the Nassau County Police Academy, Garden City, New York.

**U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics**
Average Price Data — Grade A Large Eggs; Consumer Price Index, July 2026.

**U.S. Department of Health and Human Services / CMS**
Most-Favored-Nation pricing policy and Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program documentation.

**Reuters — March 18, 2026**
Comparison of TrumpRx prices with publicly available United Kingdom drug prices.

**U.S. Customs and Border Protection / Department of Homeland Security**
Official definitions and border-encounter statistics.

**FactCheck.org**
Analysis of Trump’s repeated 25-million immigration claim and DHS/CBP data.

---

**Tags:** #CivicoHub #DonaldTrump #GardenCity #USPolitics #FactCheck #Misinformation #EggPrices #DrugPrices #TrumpRx #Immigration #Border #PoliticalClaims #Accountability #IndependentJournalism #InformationSovereignty #Fediverse

**CIVICOHUB — FACTS OVER NARRATIVE. CLAIMS REQUIRE EVIDENCE.**

Crime Is Falling — But Trump’s Deportation Claim Goes Beyond the Evidence

GARDEN CITY, NEW YORK / CIVICOHUB — August 15, 2026

President Donald Trump is taking credit for a historic decline in violent crime across the United States — and is presenting his aggressive immigration and mass-deportation agenda as an important reason why.

The crime decline is real.

The claimed explanation is not supported by the available evidence.

Speaking Friday at the Nassau County Police Academy in Garden City, New York, Trump promoted newly released FBI crime statistics as proof that his law-and-order agenda is working. While discussing his immigration crackdown, Trump declared: “We’re getting them the hell out.” Reuters reported that Trump went on to argue, without evidence, that his mass-deportation campaign was a major contributor to the national crime decline.

That distinction matters.

The FBI can tell us what happened to reported crime.

Its statistics do not establish why it happened.

I. The Crime Drop Is Real — And Historically Large

The FBI’s preliminary 2025 national estimates show:

Violent crime: ↓ 9.3%
Murder and non-negligent manslaughter: ↓ 18.1%
Robbery: ↓ 18.5%
Rape: ↓ 7.6%
Aggravated assault: ↓ 7.2%
Property crime: ↓ 12.4%

The estimates are based on submissions from more than 17,000 law-enforcement agencies covering approximately 96% of the U.S. population. The FBI stresses that the figures remain preliminary and may change before the final 2025 report is released.

FBI Director Kash Patel described the figures as the largest decrease in violent crime and murder since 1937. Reuters separately described the violent-crime reduction as the largest year-to-year decline on record.

So the underlying statistic Trump is celebrating is genuine.

But that still does not prove his explanation for it.

II. The Decline Started Before Trump Returned to Office

The timeline presents an immediate problem for any claim that Trump’s second-term policies created the national decline.

Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.

But FBI data show violent crime had already been falling for years.

2023

Violent crime fell 3.0% compared with 2022.

Murder and non-negligent manslaughter fell 11.6%.

2024

Violent crime fell another 4.5%.

Murder fell 14.9%.

Robbery fell 8.9%.

2025

Violent crime then fell an estimated 9.3%, with murder down 18.1% and robbery down 18.5%.

The decline clearly accelerated in 2025.

But it did not begin in 2025.

That does not prove Trump administration policies had no effect. It does, however, make it misleading to present the nationwide decline as though it appeared only after his immigration crackdown began.

III. Falling Crime + Deportations Does Not Equal Proven Causation

Trump’s argument relies heavily on two things occurring at the same time:

His administration dramatically intensified immigration enforcement.

Crime continued to fall.

But correlation is not causation.

The FBI’s crime report contains no analysis demonstrating that deporting undocumented immigrants caused the 9.3% decline in violent crime.

Reuters reports that the reduction has occurred in large and small cities, in jurisdictions emphasizing aggressive policing and in jurisdictions pursuing progressive police reforms, and in places with both high and low concentrations of police officers.

Adam Gelb, president and CEO of the Council on Criminal Justice, told Reuters that there is no single simple explanation for the trend, describing a decline occurring broadly across the United States and internationally.

That is important because a causal claim requires more than timing.

To demonstrate that mass deportation caused a national reduction in violent crime, researchers would need evidence isolating the effect of deportations from policing strategies, demographic changes, economic conditions, local violence-prevention programs, incarceration patterns, firearm trends and other variables.

Trump has not presented such evidence.

IV. Trump Is Turning a Real Statistic Into an Unsupported Political Conclusion

This is where the misinformation problem becomes subtle.

Trump is not inventing the FBI numbers.

Violent crime really did fall.

Murder really did fall.

And the 2025 decline really was unusually large.

What is unsupported is the leap from:

“Crime fell while I was president”

to:

“My deportation campaign was a major reason crime fell.”

Those are not the same claim.

The first is an observation about timing.

The second is a claim of causation.

Reuters explicitly reports that Trump made the deportation connection without evidence, while the FBI’s own historical data show the decline predates his return to office.

The White House nevertheless presented the figures as proof of Trump’s success. Spokesperson Lauren Bis told Reuters that Trump had promised to make America safer and that the new data proved he had done so.

Politically, that is a powerful message.

Statistically, it proves much less.

V. What We Can Actually Say

Based on the evidence currently available:

FACT: Violent crime dropped sharply in 2025.

FACT: The 2025 decline was larger than the declines recorded in 2023 and 2024.

FACT: Violent crime and murder were already falling substantially before Trump returned to office.

FACT: The FBI report does not identify mass deportation as the cause of the decline.

NOT ESTABLISHED: That Trump’s deportation campaign was a major cause of the nationwide crime reduction.

A president is entitled to argue that his policies are working.

But when that argument is presented as a factual explanation for a national trend, it requires evidence.

In this case, that evidence has not been demonstrated.

Fact Check & Verification Sheet

Current as of August 15, 2026

1. U.S. violent crime fell 9.3% in 2025

STATUS: TRUE

The FBI’s preliminary 2025 figures estimate that violent crime declined 9.3% compared with 2024.

Murder fell 18.1%, robbery 18.5%, rape 7.6%, aggravated assault 7.2%, and property crime 12.4%.

2. Trump’s mass-deportation campaign was a major cause of the crime decline

STATUS: UNSUPPORTED

Trump argued that his deportation campaign contributed significantly to the decline, but Reuters reports that he presented no evidence establishing that causal relationship.

The FBI statistics measure changes in reported crime. They do not identify deportations as the cause.

3. The national crime decline began after Trump returned to office

STATUS: FALSE

FBI data show:

2023 violent crime: ↓ 3.0%
2024 violent crime: ↓ 4.5%
2025 violent crime: ↓ 9.3%

Murder also fell 11.6% in 2023 and 14.9% in 2024, before Trump began his second term.

4. The 2025 decline was historically large

STATUS: TRUE

The FBI describes its preliminary 2025 figures as showing the largest decrease in violent crime and murder since 1937. The bureau also cautions that the figures are preliminary and subject to revision.

5. The FBI data prove Trump’s immigration policies made America safer

STATUS: MISLEADING

The figures establish that reported crime fell during 2025.

They do not isolate the effect of Trump’s immigration policies or demonstrate that deportations produced the national decline. Because the downward trend began before Trump returned to office and appears across jurisdictions using very different public-safety strategies, the data alone cannot support that causal conclusion.

Sources

Reuters — August 14, 2026
Trump touts drop in US crime rates with an eye on midterms
https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/trump-tout-drop-us-crime-rates-with-an-eye-midterms-2026-08-14/

Federal Bureau of Investigation — May 13, 2026
FBI Releases Historic Early Look at Annual Crime Data
https://www.fbi.gov/news/press-releases/fbi-releases-historic-early-look-at-annual-crime-data

Federal Bureau of Investigation — August 5, 2025
FBI Releases 2024 Reported Crimes in the Nation Statistics
https://www.fbi.gov/news/press-releases/fbi-releases-2024-reported-crimes-in-the-nation-statistics

Federal Bureau of Investigation — September 23, 2024
FBI Releases 2023 Crime in the Nation Statistics
https://www.fbi.gov/news/press-releases/fbi-releases-2023-crime-in-the-nation-statistics

Tags: #CivicoHub #DonaldTrump #USPolitics #FactCheck #FBI #Crime #Immigration #Deportation #Misinformation #PoliticalClaims #Accountability #IndependentJournalism #InformationSovereignty #Fediverse

CIVICOHUB — FACTS BEFORE NARRATIVE. CLAIMS REQUIRE EVIDENCE.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“Momentum builds to ban Madison Square Garden's 'surveillance empire' gothamist․com/news/momentum-builds-to-ban-madison-square-gardens-surveillance-empire ⌗NYC ⌗Privacy ⌗Surveillance”

https://gothamist.com/news/momentum-builds-to-ban-madison-square-gardens-surveillance-empire

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🔬 The best bytes of #science & #tech across the #fediverse

“Dear people who work at the airport
Link: life-after-ssri․bearblog․dev/dear-people-who-work-at-the-airport/
Comments: news․ycombinator․com/item?id=49297801”

https://framapiaf.org/@newsycombinator/117094222284427570

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“Montreal, Edmonton police adopt AI cameras amid privacy concernsCanadian police forces are increasingly turning to smart cameras for AI-powered surveillance and facial recognition, raising significant concerns…
⌗NewsB…”

https://newsbeep.org/@ca/117095557566347094

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🔬 The best bytes of #science & #tech across the #fediverse

“The international forum 'Central European Workshop on Quantum Optics' (CEWQO) provides researchers with a platform to exchange ideas on current developments in quantum optics and quantum communication during its annual …”

https://wisskomm.social/@MPI_ScienceOfLight/117092943994966631

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

Hot take: naming doesn’t matter. The term “fediverse” is goofy and nerdy *and fine, actually.*

You use the “Internet” every day. “Email” is ubiquitous. We install “apps” on “phones.” You ask for the “Wi-Fi password.” These are all goofy names, yet nobody bats an eye.

What we call something doesn’t factor into its adoption as much as nerds would have you think. But arguing about naming is easier than doing all of the *other* work required for adoption.

#FediCon #fediverse #OpenSource

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“US courts will begin reporting the frequency of government-authorized spyware use in wiretap operations starting in 2029․ This move aims to enhance transparency in surveillance practices by including data on network inv…”

https://mastodon.social/@dailytechfeed/117095182676550942

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🔬 The best bytes of #science & #tech across the #fediverse

“My favorite Fable 5 report, the 7th edition:
Conjecture ledger and primes graph:Fable 5 - 7th edition ➡️ decompwlj․com/Fable5_decompwlj_deep_analysis_7th_edition_2026_08_05․html For privacy ➡️ web․archive․org/web/2…”

https://mathstodon.xyz/@decompwlj/117092362906045538

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

I made another poster. GOOSE CREEK HOLLER. MONEY. MOUNTAINS. MURDER. Legal thrills in the heart of Appalachia. #mastodon #mastoArt #books #bookstodon #booksky #bookReview #book #poster #postADay #post #ad #advertising #ads #writing #author #august #authorLife #authors #writingCommunity #writers #writer #productivity #pro #promotion #socialmedia #fediverse #worldBuilding #words #graphics #pictures #picture #novels #novel #fun #exhibition #selfPromo #indieAuthor #indieAuthors #indie #DailyCreate #creative #creativity #readingCommunity #reading #read #ebooks #ebook #paperbackCoverArt #paper #publishing #published #ProductLaunch #creek #rural #Appalachia #legal #attorney #law #lawsuit #lawyer #crimeFiction #suspense #thriller #mystery #hills #hidden #murder #mountains #money

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“openjdk․org/jeps/541 JEP 541: Deprecate the macOS/x64 Port for Removal 'Deprecate the macOS/x64 port, with the intent to remove it in a future release, in order to reduce maintenance costs․'This is premature; not all d…”

https://mastodon.social/@dhinojosa/117094759088500689

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🔬 The best bytes of #science & #tech across the #fediverse

“A064150: Numbers divisible by the sum of their ternary digits
A064150 ➡️ oeis․org/A064150 3D graph, threejs - webGL ➡️ decompwlj․com/3Dgraph/A064150․html
3D graph Gen, threejs animation ➡️ decompwlj․com/3Dgraph…”

https://mathstodon.xyz/@decompwlj/117092341043576988

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🔬 The best bytes of #science & #tech across the #fediverse

“Show HN: C⌗Game Engine with its own scripting language and IDE
Link: github․com/ArcadeMakerSources/ArcadeMaker
Comments: news․ycombinator․com/item?id=49258085”

https://framapiaf.org/@newsycombinator/117093042645685945

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

Found some time, so I decided to update to Mastodon 4.6.5.

And noticed that 4.6.6 was released meanwhile.

And I am a bit curious , thinking about an upgrade to 4.7.rc1 😄

#mastodon #update #fediverse

Should You Buy an iPhone 17 Now or Wait for iPhone 18? - MacRumors https://www.macrumors.com/2026/08/14/iphone-17-vs-iphone-18-buying/ #Tech #Technology #Fediverse #Mastodon #Gadgets #BlackFedi #BlackFediverse #BlackMastodon #Apple #iPhone

@Bredroll

This reminds me that during the #Fediverse keynote panel at #FOSSY (which hosted North American #FediCon this year in Vancouver, BC), someone mentioned the importance of cat photos.

I am indeed quite frustrated that #CatsofMastodon gets soooo many more posts than #DogsOfMastodon!

Anyone want to enter in a pact that we'll do our best to post at least one dog of Mastodon per day?

Here's one from the archives from me. This is Winnie a month after we adopted her in 2013.

Alt...

A pug named Winnie, who is not quite fawn but also not quite brindle, sits on a couch with paws forward. One paw is completely white.

Week in Fediverse 2026-08-14

Servers

- Akkoma v2026.08
- WriteFreely v0.17.2
- Wafrn v2026.08.03
- Mitra v5.9.0
- Ktistec v3.11.0
- Hollo v0.9.11
- Mastodon v4.6.6
- Forte v26.8.11
- gathio v1.6.4
- ActivityPub for WordPress v9.2.2
- NeoDB v0.17.6
- NodeBB v4.15.0
- Trunk & Tidbits, July 2026 (Mastodon)

Clients

- Aria v1.5.11
- Snowdrop: Multiplatform client for Mastodon API compatable Fediverse software

Tools and Plugins

- FediFetcher v9.1.1

For developers

- Fedipub v0.9.0
- Library progress report - August 2026 (GoActivityPub)

Protocol

- FEP-e4de: Closing Registration on Unattended Servers
- FEP-633c: Guardians

Articles

- Deploying your own Vernissage instance

-----

#WeekInFediverse #Fediverse #ActivityPub

Previous edition: https://mitra.social/objects/019fde3b-670e-7793-9180-6d8d0ddca40a

🔬 The best bytes of #science & #tech across the #fediverse

“A064052: Not sqrt(n)-smooth: some prime factor of n is > sqrt(n)
A064052 ➡️ oeis․org/A064052 3D graph, threejs - webGL ➡️ decompwlj․com/3Dgraph/Unusual_numbers․html
3D graph Gen, threejs animation ➡️ decompwlj․…”

https://mathstodon.xyz/@decompwlj/117091676264677373

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

All aboard the Fediverse Express! 🚂 Once more, I have updated my public block lists.

Changes include:

block_spam_scam_users.csv: +166 new accounts added (from suspicious activity scans between August 2025 and August 2026).

my_account_blocks.csv: +125 new accounts added to the general block list.

my_domains_blocks.csv: +32 new domains added to the general domain list.

How to use:

1) Pick a source of your choice.

2) Copy and paste or download the file as a CSV (example, blocks.csv).

3) Upload and merge.

Sources:

GitHub: https://github.com/Fediverse-Express/Fediverse

GitLab: https://gitlab.com/Fediverse-Express/Fediverse

GitFlic: https://gitflic.ru/project/fediverse-express/fediverse

As always, enjoy the Fediverse! 😇

#FediBlock #Mastodon #Misskey #Fediverse #ActivityPub

And that every act of kindness from someone is remembered & cherished by the people you shown it.
Please kindly boost my pinnedpost🙏[here's the link👇]

https://mastodon.world/@jeandesu01_/117083011490626052

Hoping some kind people would reach out since after posting it last night sadly nobody reached out which I truly understand that many people also needs support.

Thank you very much 4 reading this post & if u also boosts my pinned threadpost, I truly appreciate it. 🫂☺️

#mutualaid #saturday #mastodon #community #fediverse

Alt...

This image is a quote in all capslock letters with black background that says, "A SIMPLE HELLO COULD LEAD TO A MILLION THINGS."

Hey me again👋 I might be annoying now just because my posts are desperate & yes it does all I hope is little understanding.

— Its 1am so Saturday is here hope everyone have a great day ahead!🌥️🫂
Im sorry if my posts sounded hopelessly desperate,yes I am thats because it is the painful truth.
My pinnedpost might not able to get enough boosts or share 4 other people might not able to see & read it or the painful reality is that many people is also in desperate need of help.
#mastodon #fediverse

And that every act of kindness from someone is remembered & cherished by the people you shown it.
Please kindly boost my pinnedpost🙏[here's the link👇]

https://mastodon.world/@jeandesu01_/117083011490626052

Hoping some kind people would reach out since after posting it last night sadly nobody reached out & I understand. Many people also needs support.

Thank you very much 4 reading this post & if u also boosts my pinned threadpost, I truly appreciate it. 🫂☺️

#mutualaid #saturday #mastodon #community #fediverse

Alt...

This image is a quote in all capslock letters with black background that says, "A SIMPLE HELLO COULD LEAD TO A MILLION THINGS."

@elizabethtasker I just love #fediverse because of a post like this! I learned new things—human things! Thank you for sharing with us 😊

And @biped808 thank you for boosting this post 🙂

🛡️ #Cybersecurity news & tips across the #fediverse

“Kansas City Metro Flock Cameras Grow as Company Shifts Policy ⌗ALPR ⌗Surveillance ⌗Privacy ⌗FlockSafety deflocktheusa․com/kansas-city-metro-flock-cameras-grow-as-company-shifts-policy/”

https://mastodon.social/@deflocktheusa/117094181697117291

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

🔬 The best bytes of #science & #tech across the #fediverse

“A063980: Pillai primes: primes p such that there exists an integer m such that m! + 1 == 0 (mod p) and p!= 1 (mod m)
A063980 ➡️ oeis․org/A063980 3D graph, threejs - webGL ➡️ decompwlj․com/3Dgraph/Pillai_primes․html…”

https://mathstodon.xyz/@decompwlj/117091659452460624

🤖 via RSS feed. Not an endorsement.

RE: https://mastodon.ar.al/@aral/117036096486689894

Dear @Codeberg,

According to the anonymous Linux-Is-Best account, I am a scammer and Gaza Verified (https://gaza-verified.org), which I made and help run, is a scam, and every person from Gaza we verified using video calls – all 303 of them, by last count¹ – is also a scammer.

(Please see: https://codeberg.org/Codeberg/Community/issues/2971)

This presents a problem because I am also a part of the Codeberg organisation as an active member with voting rights.

And the Gaza Verified source code is hosted on Codeberg:
https://codeberg.org/small-web/gaza-verified.org

(We’re clearly a very transparent scam operation that believes in FOSS, etc.)

So, if Linux-Is-Best is right, you are harbouring a known scammer in your organisation. Furthermore, by allowing the source code of the scam on your site, you could be held liable if you know of the scam but do nothing about it.

So, please:

1. Either remove me as an active member (and give me notice so I can cancel my direct debit and have time to migrate my account and projects elsewhere), or

2. Take down the libellous claims by this anonymous troll who is causing real harm to people facing genocide in Gaza (and who is thus, himself, complicit in genocide).

So I’m either a scammer and I should not be allowed to be part of the Codeberg organisation or the anonymous Linux-Is-Best is a libellous, genocide-complicit troll and should not be welcome at Codeberg. Because both of these cannot be true at the same time.

I’ll leave it to you to decide who you would rather want associated with Codeberg.

It shouldn’t be a very difficult decision to make.

¹ https://gaza-verified.org/people/

#Gaza #GazaVerified #genocide #libel #LinuxIsBest #fediverse #mastodon #Codeberg

I have exciting news to share!!

It looks like we're finally gearing up to start migrating people over into @Mastodon's new @zulip instance for certain parts of our community next week (#MastoAdmin #FediAdmin #FediDev #Mod etc.)! It has been a long time in the making and I'm sorry for the delay, but I'm so glad we're finally going to start getting people in there <3 We'll start by beta testing with a few individuals next week to make sure everything is ready for a larger wave of people to join <3 <3

More on #DefaultServerRecommendations soon too — stay tuned!

#Mastodon #Fediverse #SocialWeb #SocialMedia

Just to update you all, this is the reply we just got.

Apologies again for any messages you might have received in the past couple of days.

#GazaVerified #Gaza #Palestine #fediverse #mastodon

Alt...

Sorry for the late reply, and I'm truly sorry for the inconvenience this has caused. To answer your question directly: yes, I will delete all of my other accounts by the end of today. I stopped messaging people directly yesterday, and I understand now that keeping multiple accounts, even when linked to the same verified campaign, undermines the purpose of verification and creates confusion. That was not my intention, and I take your concerns seriously.

🌐 Bonjour le Fediverse !

🚀L’Apel Albert le Grand est très heureuse de faire son entrée sur Friendica et de rejoindre le réseau social libre et décentralisé !
Pour ceux qui ne nous connaissent pas encore, nous sommes l'Association des Parents d'Élèves de l’ensemble scolaire Albert le Grand situé à Bordeaux (de la maternelle au lycée).
Notre rôle au quotidien est d’accompagner les familles, de représenter les parents, mais aussi d’animer la vie de l’établissement.
En rejoignant le Fediverse via Friendica, nous souhaitons partager la vie de notre communauté de manière ouverte, éthique et indépendante, tout en restant connectés avec vous tous, que vous soyez sur Mastodon, Diaspora* ou d’autres recoins du réseau.
!
Dites-nous en commentaire depuis quel serveur ou réseau vous voyez passer ce message ! 👇À très vite !
💛L''Apel Albert le Grand

#Introduction #NouvelArrivant #Apel #AlbertLeGrand #Bordeaux #Ecole #College #Lycee #Fediverse #VieAssociative #Friendica