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
Adding alt text to this because this is fucking amazing and everyone deserves to read it.
December 2, 2025 at 9:28 AM
Adding alt text to this because this is fucking amazing and everyone deserves to read it.
Reposted by Francine McKenna
Border Patrol body camera captured this exchange with a young man and the older man (dad?) he was walking with:
“Please,” the younger man says. “He has a disabled child.”
“That’s not my problem,” the agent answers. www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/28/b...
“Please,” the younger man says. “He has a disabled child.”
“That’s not my problem,” the agent answers. www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/28/b...
Bodycam footage from Operation Midway Blitz released: ‘It’s all about arresting people’
The group of videos made public through the Loevy & Loevy law firm includes footage from agents who responded to controversial arrest operations in the Little Village and Irving Park neighborho…
www.chicagotribune.com
December 2, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Border Patrol body camera captured this exchange with a young man and the older man (dad?) he was walking with:
“Please,” the younger man says. “He has a disabled child.”
“That’s not my problem,” the agent answers. www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/28/b...
“Please,” the younger man says. “He has a disabled child.”
“That’s not my problem,” the agent answers. www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/28/b...
Reposted by Francine McKenna
A private equity fraudster was found guilty for his role in a scheme to defraud 10,000 investors, including small business owners, farmers, and Americans living paycheck to paycheck.
Trump just let him out of prison.
Trump just let him out of prison.
December 2, 2025 at 3:59 PM
A private equity fraudster was found guilty for his role in a scheme to defraud 10,000 investors, including small business owners, farmers, and Americans living paycheck to paycheck.
Trump just let him out of prison.
Trump just let him out of prison.
Reposted by Francine McKenna
Pete Hegseth on Sept 3 talking about the strike on boats where 2 survivors were later killed in a second strike: “I watched it live.”
December 2, 2025 at 2:43 AM
Pete Hegseth on Sept 3 talking about the strike on boats where 2 survivors were later killed in a second strike: “I watched it live.”
Reposted by Francine McKenna
A most important question on the Sept. 2 double-tap strike is who had "target engagement authority" (TEA).
Wall Street Journal:
"A Defense Department official ... said Hegseth was the 'target engagement authority,' the key figure who authorized the strike."
www.wsj.com/politics/whi...
Wall Street Journal:
"A Defense Department official ... said Hegseth was the 'target engagement authority,' the key figure who authorized the strike."
www.wsj.com/politics/whi...
December 2, 2025 at 2:01 PM
A most important question on the Sept. 2 double-tap strike is who had "target engagement authority" (TEA).
Wall Street Journal:
"A Defense Department official ... said Hegseth was the 'target engagement authority,' the key figure who authorized the strike."
www.wsj.com/politics/whi...
Wall Street Journal:
"A Defense Department official ... said Hegseth was the 'target engagement authority,' the key figure who authorized the strike."
www.wsj.com/politics/whi...
Reposted by Francine McKenna
UPDATE: On this morning's Up first, @npr.org says that they have confirmed that "Hegseth ordered both strikes." (Ie, the first on the boat, the second to kill the survivors.) Around 5 min mark. Assuming more on this forthcoming.
one.npr.org?sharedMediaI...
one.npr.org?sharedMediaI...
🔊 Listen Now: Hegseth Boat Strikes, Witkoff To Moscow, National Guard Shooting Suspect
Up First From NPR on NPR One | 15:51
one.npr.org
December 2, 2025 at 4:16 PM
UPDATE: On this morning's Up first, @npr.org says that they have confirmed that "Hegseth ordered both strikes." (Ie, the first on the boat, the second to kill the survivors.) Around 5 min mark. Assuming more on this forthcoming.
one.npr.org?sharedMediaI...
one.npr.org?sharedMediaI...
Reposted by Francine McKenna
This Day in Labor History: December 2, 1984. A gas leak in a Union Carbide chemical plant in Bhopal, India killed somewhere between 3787 and 16,000 people. Let's talk about probably the worst industrial disaster in history and how U.S. companies can murder with impunity, then and now!
December 2, 2025 at 4:27 PM
This Day in Labor History: December 2, 1984. A gas leak in a Union Carbide chemical plant in Bhopal, India killed somewhere between 3787 and 16,000 people. Let's talk about probably the worst industrial disaster in history and how U.S. companies can murder with impunity, then and now!
Reposted by Francine McKenna
I don’t know how I missed this wild story about good ol’ demented floorshitting hamster Chuck C. Johnson this summer
www.the-independent.com/news/world/a...
www.the-independent.com/news/world/a...
Notorious far-right troll ordered to pay up to $71 million in racketeering scheme
‘I’m disappointed I didn’t break the record. But I’m pleased to be in the top 3,’ Charles C. Johnson told The Independent about the massive amount the jury awarded the plaintiff.
www.the-independent.com
December 2, 2025 at 4:09 PM
I don’t know how I missed this wild story about good ol’ demented floorshitting hamster Chuck C. Johnson this summer
www.the-independent.com/news/world/a...
www.the-independent.com/news/world/a...
Before @michaeljburry.bsky.social asked about OpenAI, before S&P doubted Tether, before anyone prioritized it, for 20 years I've asked: Where is the auditor?
Re Tether, I wrote Oct on which firm might take a job required to bring it into Genius Act compliance.
thedig.substack.com/p/whose-your...
Re Tether, I wrote Oct on which firm might take a job required to bring it into Genius Act compliance.
thedig.substack.com/p/whose-your...
Who's your auditor? Several transactions, two bankruptcies, and Tether raise the question
A variety pack of transactions and two private company bankruptcies cause me to dig in to attempt to answer my favorite question: Where were the auditors?
thedig.substack.com
December 1, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Before @michaeljburry.bsky.social asked about OpenAI, before S&P doubted Tether, before anyone prioritized it, for 20 years I've asked: Where is the auditor?
Re Tether, I wrote Oct on which firm might take a job required to bring it into Genius Act compliance.
thedig.substack.com/p/whose-your...
Re Tether, I wrote Oct on which firm might take a job required to bring it into Genius Act compliance.
thedig.substack.com/p/whose-your...
Reposted by Francine McKenna
Eleven years ago, I wrote to Tom Stoppard to ask about this coup de théâtre from 1949. It took me down an unexpected rabbit hole - in memory of Stoppard, here's what I found.
November 30, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Eleven years ago, I wrote to Tom Stoppard to ask about this coup de théâtre from 1949. It took me down an unexpected rabbit hole - in memory of Stoppard, here's what I found.
Reposted by Francine McKenna
Number of states where average gas prices are below $2:
Zero.
Number of states where average gas prices are anywhere NEAR $2:
Zero.
Zero.
Number of states where average gas prices are anywhere NEAR $2:
Zero.
HASSETT: Gas prices dropped below $2 a gallon in a lot of places
CORDES: Gas prices on average are still at $3 a galloon
HASSETT: For a few states they got below $2
CORDES: Gas prices on average are still at $3 a galloon
HASSETT: For a few states they got below $2
November 30, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Number of states where average gas prices are below $2:
Zero.
Number of states where average gas prices are anywhere NEAR $2:
Zero.
Zero.
Number of states where average gas prices are anywhere NEAR $2:
Zero.
Reposted by Francine McKenna
We just published a deep look into David Sacks, the White House's AI and Crypto czar. The story examines how he has been able keep hundreds of stakes in AI-related and crypto companies as he influences gov policy in those very industries.
Here's what we found:
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/30/t...
Here's what we found:
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/30/t...
Silicon Valley’s Man in the White House Is Benefiting Himself and His Friends
www.nytimes.com
November 30, 2025 at 7:24 PM
We just published a deep look into David Sacks, the White House's AI and Crypto czar. The story examines how he has been able keep hundreds of stakes in AI-related and crypto companies as he influences gov policy in those very industries.
Here's what we found:
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/30/t...
Here's what we found:
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/30/t...
Reposted by Francine McKenna
3/ "Even if the U.S. were at war with the traffickers, an order to kill all the boat’s occupants if they were no longer able to fight 'would in essence be an order to show no quarter, which would be a war crime,' said Huntley, now director of the national security law program at Georgetown Law."
November 28, 2025 at 6:15 PM
3/ "Even if the U.S. were at war with the traffickers, an order to kill all the boat’s occupants if they were no longer able to fight 'would in essence be an order to show no quarter, which would be a war crime,' said Huntley, now director of the national security law program at Georgetown Law."
Reposted by Francine McKenna
2/ "Because there is no legitimate war between the two sides, killing any of the men in the boats 'amounts to murder,' said Todd Huntley, a former military lawyer who advised Special Operations forces for seven years at the height of the U.S. counterterrorism campaign."
November 28, 2025 at 6:13 PM
2/ "Because there is no legitimate war between the two sides, killing any of the men in the boats 'amounts to murder,' said Todd Huntley, a former military lawyer who advised Special Operations forces for seven years at the height of the U.S. counterterrorism campaign."
Reposted by Francine McKenna
Textbook war crime/extrajudicial killing
"Two survivors were clinging to the smoldering wreck. The Special Operations commander overseeing the Sept. 2 attack ... ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions."
Report by @alexhorton.bsky.social @ellenwapo.bsky.social o.bsky.social
"Two survivors were clinging to the smoldering wreck. The Special Operations commander overseeing the Sept. 2 attack ... ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions."
Report by @alexhorton.bsky.social @ellenwapo.bsky.social o.bsky.social
Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order to kill all crew members in the Sept. 2 strike on a suspected drug boat. Navy SEALs fired a second missile.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 28, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Textbook war crime/extrajudicial killing
"Two survivors were clinging to the smoldering wreck. The Special Operations commander overseeing the Sept. 2 attack ... ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions."
Report by @alexhorton.bsky.social @ellenwapo.bsky.social o.bsky.social
"Two survivors were clinging to the smoldering wreck. The Special Operations commander overseeing the Sept. 2 attack ... ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth’s instructions."
Report by @alexhorton.bsky.social @ellenwapo.bsky.social o.bsky.social
Reposted by Francine McKenna
Tomorrow Grimes will DJ a livestream of immortality influencer Bryan Johnson tripping on shrooms to determine its effect on longevity. Mr. Beast and the CEO of Salesforce will be there too.
Grimes DJing Immortality Influencer's Shroom Trip With Special Guest Mr. Beast
Grimes is a fan of Bryan Johnson, the multimillionaire and immortality influencer who spends his time trying to fight death. He is perhaps best known for undergoing plasma transfusions with donations ...
stereogum.com
November 29, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Tomorrow Grimes will DJ a livestream of immortality influencer Bryan Johnson tripping on shrooms to determine its effect on longevity. Mr. Beast and the CEO of Salesforce will be there too.
Reposted by Francine McKenna
It's pretty funny how the Silicon Valley tech bros have all suddenly decided that the actual Pope is the villain in their little narrative. sfstandard.com/2025/11/10/m...
Marc Andreessen v. the pope: VC starts meme-war with Leo XIV
The venture capitalist quickly deleted his social media posts mocking the pontiff’s call to build moral AI.
sfstandard.com
November 30, 2025 at 7:37 PM
It's pretty funny how the Silicon Valley tech bros have all suddenly decided that the actual Pope is the villain in their little narrative. sfstandard.com/2025/11/10/m...
Reposted by Francine McKenna
I know I've already done one like this, but I feel like this picture I took this morning needs a new @haikuformykids.bsky.social #haiku
December 1, 2025 at 12:21 AM
I know I've already done one like this, but I feel like this picture I took this morning needs a new @haikuformykids.bsky.social #haiku
Reposted by Francine McKenna
Reposted by Francine McKenna
In honor of Black Friday, monthly and annual subscriptions to my Substack, Nathan Rabin's Bad Ideas, are twenty percent off! nathanrabin.substack.com/p/to-celebra...
November 27, 2025 at 11:49 PM
In honor of Black Friday, monthly and annual subscriptions to my Substack, Nathan Rabin's Bad Ideas, are twenty percent off! nathanrabin.substack.com/p/to-celebra...
Reposted by Francine McKenna
Trump continually overturns the decisions of American citizen juries.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/n...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/n...
The Ex-President Whom Trump Plans to Pardon Flooded America With Cocaine
www.nytimes.com
November 30, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Trump continually overturns the decisions of American citizen juries.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/n...
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/29/n...
Reposted by Francine McKenna
Top Plays of 2025: No. 11
Jacob Young: kick save and a beauty!
Jacob Young: kick save and a beauty!
November 30, 2025 at 9:31 PM
Top Plays of 2025: No. 11
Jacob Young: kick save and a beauty!
Jacob Young: kick save and a beauty!
Reposted by Francine McKenna
The Trump administration believes that the rich and powerful should be pardoned for their crimes, even after judges and juries determined their guilt.
But if you’re a non-white guy in a fishing boat, there’s no need for a trial or even an arrest. Murder from above, no questions asked.
But if you’re a non-white guy in a fishing boat, there’s no need for a trial or even an arrest. Murder from above, no questions asked.
When this criminal was jailed, the judge told David Gentile and America: ‘This is a warning to would-be fraudsters that seeking to get rich by taking advantage of investors gets you only a one-way ticket to jail.’ I guess not
November 30, 2025 at 5:23 PM
The Trump administration believes that the rich and powerful should be pardoned for their crimes, even after judges and juries determined their guilt.
But if you’re a non-white guy in a fishing boat, there’s no need for a trial or even an arrest. Murder from above, no questions asked.
But if you’re a non-white guy in a fishing boat, there’s no need for a trial or even an arrest. Murder from above, no questions asked.
Reposted by Francine McKenna
"Adan" is prunning grape vines in Kerman CA. "It is very hard work. I look up all day to see which vines to cut, so my neck aches from the strain. My hands hurt from using the heavy pruning shears all day long. But there are not many jobs during these winter months." #WeFeedYou
November 30, 2025 at 6:31 PM
"Adan" is prunning grape vines in Kerman CA. "It is very hard work. I look up all day to see which vines to cut, so my neck aches from the strain. My hands hurt from using the heavy pruning shears all day long. But there are not many jobs during these winter months." #WeFeedYou
Reposted by Francine McKenna
