Francine McKenna
@fmckenna.bsky.social
Teacher/writer/speaker/reader. CPA. Using tools so tools can’t use me. Dogs rule! She/her Kundera: “In the sunset of dissolution, everything is illuminated by the aura of nostalgia.” I Dig. https://TheDig.Substack.com @retheauditors Chgo-born, Philly-based
Reposted by Francine McKenna
from government by consultant to government by consultants using generative AI.
decades of degrading government capacity to actually govern has left it open to further degradation through ai hype and perceptions it enables further cost cutting.
decades of degrading government capacity to actually govern has left it open to further degradation through ai hype and perceptions it enables further cost cutting.
Major N.L. healthcare report contains errors likely generated by A.I. – The Independent
$1.6 million Health Human Resources Plan from Deloitte cites research papers that don’t exist, making it the second major government policy paper called into question in as many months
theindependent.ca
November 22, 2025 at 10:09 PM
from government by consultant to government by consultants using generative AI.
decades of degrading government capacity to actually govern has left it open to further degradation through ai hype and perceptions it enables further cost cutting.
decades of degrading government capacity to actually govern has left it open to further degradation through ai hype and perceptions it enables further cost cutting.
Reposted by Francine McKenna
There’s a great children’s book about this too, called Brave Girl. My girls now love running around the house shouting “general strike” in Yiddish [kvells]
www.harpercollins.com/products/bra...
www.harpercollins.com/products/bra...
November 22, 2025 at 3:31 PM
There’s a great children’s book about this too, called Brave Girl. My girls now love running around the house shouting “general strike” in Yiddish [kvells]
www.harpercollins.com/products/bra...
www.harpercollins.com/products/bra...
She’s not a journalist. She’s a Kardashian.
November 22, 2025 at 3:49 PM
She’s not a journalist. She’s a Kardashian.
Reposted by Francine McKenna
This is a wonderful time to support journalists who do the work, don’t fuck sources, and actually have moral clarity.
i promise i don’t mean to high horse this but if you’re thinking about giving lizza ten bucks there are a lot of good independent journalists whose work you could subscribe to for a month instead
November 22, 2025 at 2:27 PM
This is a wonderful time to support journalists who do the work, don’t fuck sources, and actually have moral clarity.
Reposted by Francine McKenna
Good news: If you would like to watch Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants on YouTube I have done a painstaking 4k upscale of this. www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0gW...
November 17, 2025 at 2:06 AM
Good news: If you would like to watch Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants on YouTube I have done a painstaking 4k upscale of this. www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0gW...
Reposted by Francine McKenna
Technically no. But my Thursday column (sneak peek!) predicts we don't leave the decade without at least one civil suit alleging some violation of the below clause:
November 18, 2025 at 9:55 PM
Technically no. But my Thursday column (sneak peek!) predicts we don't leave the decade without at least one civil suit alleging some violation of the below clause:
Reposted by Francine McKenna
But will bars accept these phone IDs, given that underage folks could score screenshots of over-21 ID? Will it have little bouncing Abe Lincolns, like Cubs tickets baseballs, to show it’s a legitimate online ID? @chicagobars.bsky.social
Illinois residents will be able to store their driver’s licenses and IDs on their cellphones starting Wednesday, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced.
Digital driver's licenses, IDs available to Illinois residents starting Wednesday
chicago.suntimes.com
November 18, 2025 at 8:32 PM
But will bars accept these phone IDs, given that underage folks could score screenshots of over-21 ID? Will it have little bouncing Abe Lincolns, like Cubs tickets baseballs, to show it’s a legitimate online ID? @chicagobars.bsky.social
Bubblicious and I were out at Dilworth ParkPhilly today. They have really gone all out with the Holiday Market decorations. There is even a carousel in City Hall courtyard! Staying in town TGiving. If you are passing through Center City say hi!
November 22, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Bubblicious and I were out at Dilworth ParkPhilly today. They have really gone all out with the Holiday Market decorations. There is even a carousel in City Hall courtyard! Staying in town TGiving. If you are passing through Center City say hi!
Reposted by Francine McKenna
How I feel about the whole Olivia Nuzzi story is that there are a lot of talented, ethical, underemployed or unemployed black and brown journalists right now who are ready to work.
November 22, 2025 at 2:20 PM
How I feel about the whole Olivia Nuzzi story is that there are a lot of talented, ethical, underemployed or unemployed black and brown journalists right now who are ready to work.
Reposted by Francine McKenna
The We Rate Dogs guy has been at it for like a decade now and unlike almost every other account of this size and reach, he has stayed true to his mission and message and it's weirdly re-affirming that not everything has to be bad. He's made it a career while still spreading goodness
November 22, 2025 at 2:49 PM
The We Rate Dogs guy has been at it for like a decade now and unlike almost every other account of this size and reach, he has stayed true to his mission and message and it's weirdly re-affirming that not everything has to be bad. He's made it a career while still spreading goodness
Reposted by Francine McKenna
In other news, here is a very nice profile of me and WITHOUT CONSENT in the Salem Statesman-Journal, the local paper whose coverage started it all back in 1978:
'Without Consent' highlights impact of 1978 Salem spousal rape trial
A new book by New York-based author and journalist Sarah Weinman shines the spotlight on the history of a notorious 1978 spousal rape case in Salem.
www.statesmanjournal.com
November 22, 2025 at 2:51 PM
In other news, here is a very nice profile of me and WITHOUT CONSENT in the Salem Statesman-Journal, the local paper whose coverage started it all back in 1978:
Reposted by Francine McKenna
Didn’t know this @kerileighmerritt.bsky.social but that whole novel tackles Christian fascism! That’s the focus.
interminablerambling.medium.com/flashes-of-l...
interminablerambling.medium.com/flashes-of-l...
November 22, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Didn’t know this @kerileighmerritt.bsky.social but that whole novel tackles Christian fascism! That’s the focus.
interminablerambling.medium.com/flashes-of-l...
interminablerambling.medium.com/flashes-of-l...
Reposted by Francine McKenna
New at Media Nation: @marisakabas.bsky.social is the alternative to wallowing in Olivia Nuzzi's tale of dysfunction and deceit. There are 42,000 journalists across the U.S., and the vast majority are performing honorably and ethically. dankennedy.net/2025/11/22/m...
Marisa Kabas is the alternative to wallowing in Olivia Nuzzi’s tale of dysfunction and deceit
Colby Hall’s Mediaite commentary about Olivia Nuzzi is winning a lot of praise. The redoubtable Jay Rosen goes so far as to call it “the best thing I have read about her.” Sign up…
dankennedy.net
November 22, 2025 at 2:45 PM
New at Media Nation: @marisakabas.bsky.social is the alternative to wallowing in Olivia Nuzzi's tale of dysfunction and deceit. There are 42,000 journalists across the U.S., and the vast majority are performing honorably and ethically. dankennedy.net/2025/11/22/m...
Reposted by Francine McKenna
A man died today at the Rikers Island jail complex. He was just hours away from an expected release.
This year, 13 people have now died in the NYC jails. That is *nearly triple* the number of people who died in the NYC jails in all of 2024. www.thecity.nyc/2025/11/21/r...
This year, 13 people have now died in the NYC jails. That is *nearly triple* the number of people who died in the NYC jails in all of 2024. www.thecity.nyc/2025/11/21/r...
Hours Before Expected Release, Rikers Detainee Dies After Apparent Seizure
Edwin Ramos, 38, was slated to plead guilty and walk free Friday morning. Instead, he became the 13th person to die in city custody this year.
www.thecity.nyc
November 21, 2025 at 9:43 PM
A man died today at the Rikers Island jail complex. He was just hours away from an expected release.
This year, 13 people have now died in the NYC jails. That is *nearly triple* the number of people who died in the NYC jails in all of 2024. www.thecity.nyc/2025/11/21/r...
This year, 13 people have now died in the NYC jails. That is *nearly triple* the number of people who died in the NYC jails in all of 2024. www.thecity.nyc/2025/11/21/r...
Reposted by Francine McKenna
Pras, cofounder of the Grammy-winning hip hop group the Fugees, was sentenced to 14 years over a multimillion-dollar foreign political influence scheme.
Fugees' Pras sentenced to 14 years in multimillion-dollar scheme
Pras, cofounder of the Grammy-winning hip hop group the Fugees, was sentenced to 14 years over a multimillion-dollar foreign political influence scheme.
bit.ly
November 21, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Pras, cofounder of the Grammy-winning hip hop group the Fugees, was sentenced to 14 years over a multimillion-dollar foreign political influence scheme.
Reposted by Francine McKenna
With ICE and border patrol goons spreading out across the country, I put together a resource guide for buying, printing, and distributing whistles, based on my own experience. Now is the time to whistle up, hope this helps. dansinker.com/posts/202…
November 21, 2025 at 9:35 PM
With ICE and border patrol goons spreading out across the country, I put together a resource guide for buying, printing, and distributing whistles, based on my own experience. Now is the time to whistle up, hope this helps. dansinker.com/posts/202…
Reposted by Francine McKenna
this is like that scene in office space where the consultants end up loving peter
November 21, 2025 at 9:17 PM
this is like that scene in office space where the consultants end up loving peter
Reposted by Francine McKenna
"She’s not trying to rebuild her reputation as a journalist—she’s building a different kind of brand entirely, one where being interesting matters more than being ethical, where attention is the only currency that still spends."
The best thing I have read about her. www.mediaite.com/opinion/the-...
The best thing I have read about her. www.mediaite.com/opinion/the-...
The Olivia Nuzzi Comeback Is Everything Wrong With Modern Media
Olivia Nuzzi’s comeback isn’t a personal scandal story—it’s proof that today’s media rewards access, personality, and controversy more than ethics.
www.mediaite.com
November 21, 2025 at 4:27 PM
"She’s not trying to rebuild her reputation as a journalist—she’s building a different kind of brand entirely, one where being interesting matters more than being ethical, where attention is the only currency that still spends."
The best thing I have read about her. www.mediaite.com/opinion/the-...
The best thing I have read about her. www.mediaite.com/opinion/the-...
Reposted by Francine McKenna
Tierra Walker died because she could not get an abortion in Texas to treat her severe preeclampsia.
This is what Republicans have wrought with their anti-abortion crusade.
But let’s be clear: Abortion bans aren’t pro-life. They’re pro-control. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN3oLwO0OEE
This is what Republicans have wrought with their anti-abortion crusade.
But let’s be clear: Abortion bans aren’t pro-life. They’re pro-control. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN3oLwO0OEE
Why Abortion Bans Aren’t Pro-Life | Robert Reich
Robert Reich
www.youtube.com
November 20, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Tierra Walker died because she could not get an abortion in Texas to treat her severe preeclampsia.
This is what Republicans have wrought with their anti-abortion crusade.
But let’s be clear: Abortion bans aren’t pro-life. They’re pro-control. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN3oLwO0OEE
This is what Republicans have wrought with their anti-abortion crusade.
But let’s be clear: Abortion bans aren’t pro-life. They’re pro-control. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN3oLwO0OEE
Reposted by Francine McKenna
For the 40th anniversary of “The Super Bowl Shuffle,” HBO and NFL Films partnered to produce the documentary “The Shuffle,” which gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at how the song and video came together, including Samauri Mike’s schooling.
HBO-NFL Films documentary takes Bears fans behind scenes for making of 'The Super Bowl Shuffle'
chicago.suntimes.com
November 20, 2025 at 10:16 PM
For the 40th anniversary of “The Super Bowl Shuffle,” HBO and NFL Films partnered to produce the documentary “The Shuffle,” which gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at how the song and video came together, including Samauri Mike’s schooling.
Reposted by Francine McKenna
The White House press corps needs to embrace its mean girl impulses and just bait Trump like an unstable substitute teacher until he completely loses it.
November 20, 2025 at 4:31 PM
The White House press corps needs to embrace its mean girl impulses and just bait Trump like an unstable substitute teacher until he completely loses it.
Reposted by Francine McKenna
EPSTEIN BOMBSHELL: my staff is releasing a new report showing JPMorgan Chase executives – all the way to the top – enabled Epstein's sex trafficking operation. You're going to want to read this.
Wyden Presses for Investigation Into JPMorgan Chase and Epstein
www.nytimes.com
November 20, 2025 at 3:26 PM
EPSTEIN BOMBSHELL: my staff is releasing a new report showing JPMorgan Chase executives – all the way to the top – enabled Epstein's sex trafficking operation. You're going to want to read this.
Reposted by Francine McKenna
Before the midterms of 1866, President Andrew Johnson called his congressional opponents traitors and said they should be hanged.
Voters were so profoundly moved by his words... that they gave his opponents a supermajority in Congress, and the nation got the Fourteenth Amendment.
Voters were so profoundly moved by his words... that they gave his opponents a supermajority in Congress, and the nation got the Fourteenth Amendment.
November 20, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Before the midterms of 1866, President Andrew Johnson called his congressional opponents traitors and said they should be hanged.
Voters were so profoundly moved by his words... that they gave his opponents a supermajority in Congress, and the nation got the Fourteenth Amendment.
Voters were so profoundly moved by his words... that they gave his opponents a supermajority in Congress, and the nation got the Fourteenth Amendment.
Reposted by Francine McKenna
Important: House Dem leaders just said Trump's call for execution of Dems has prompted them to contact US Capitol Police and House Sergeant at Arms to "ensure the safety of these members and their families."
Treat Trump like an unhinged menace. He's weak and in deep political trouble. Don't let up.
Treat Trump like an unhinged menace. He's weak and in deep political trouble. Don't let up.
November 20, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Important: House Dem leaders just said Trump's call for execution of Dems has prompted them to contact US Capitol Police and House Sergeant at Arms to "ensure the safety of these members and their families."
Treat Trump like an unhinged menace. He's weak and in deep political trouble. Don't let up.
Treat Trump like an unhinged menace. He's weak and in deep political trouble. Don't let up.
Thanks @phillyjoed.bsky.social for quoting our work. @ousvyatsky.bsky.social share.inquirer.com/4XBzIS?utm_s...
How Delaware helped keep OpenAI from turning into a typical for-profit company
The tiny state's nonprofit watchdogs say they played a role in keeping OpenAI true to its mission.
share.inquirer.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:34 PM
Thanks @phillyjoed.bsky.social for quoting our work. @ousvyatsky.bsky.social share.inquirer.com/4XBzIS?utm_s...