Ken Schwencke

Ken Schwencke

@schwanksta.com

Senior editor of @propublica.org's data journalism teams. Super gay. Sometimes printmaker.

19.4K followers401 following496 posts

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Last year I picked up printmaking and linocutting as a hobby, and yesterday I ran this giant 18x24 print of the sky over Fire Island. I was trying to translate that big and calming sense you get when it’s warm and breezy out and you’re just watching the clouds go by. #linocut #printmaking #artsky

Ken Schwencke reposted

Replying to @annaleighclark.bsky.social

Immigrants with harrowing accounts of domestic abuse were detained after contact with local police, sometimes after calling them for help. "I had suffered from domestic violence,” said one woman, whose daughter was still nursing when she was detained. “But the one who ended up in trouble was me.”

propublica.orgThese Women Were Trying to Escape Domestic Abuse. ICE Detained Them Instead.It’s especially intimidating for immigrants suffering abuse to call 911. With this in mind, Congress has long treated people who need help as victims, not targets for deportation. Under the Trump admi...

It's crazy how bad and Bari Weiss is at running a real news organization and not a pretend one.

Jon Passantino@passantino.bsky.social

This is an actual reason why Bari Weiss’ CBS foreign editor told staff that they could not include reporting on Netanyahu receiving advance warning of a Hamas attack before Oct 7. The astonishing tirade in @status.news www.status.news/p/bari-weiss...

Ken Schwencke reposted

New: Mayor Zohran Mamdani and City Council Speaker Julie Menin have reached a deal to abolish NYC's horse carriage industry — a critical breakthrough in a decadeslong, politically fraught effort to ban the tourist attraction. www.politico.com/news/2026/10...

politico.comMamdani and City Council strike deal to ban NYC horse carriage industryThe deal marks a major breakthrough in a long-running effort to outlaw the industry. It is also likely to inflame Mamdani’s relationship with a powerful local union.

Ken Schwencke reposted

Today is ICANN Reveal Day! 1,615 strings: .agent, .api, .agi, .ask, .auth, .bad, .bro, ... 481 applicants: Google, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic, Cloudflare, Vercel, Squarespace, Airbnb, ... Gonna thread observations until I run out of steam

Ken Schwencke reposted

I LOVE how @propublica.org dealt with official comment here, editorially and stylistically.

Ken Schwencke@schwanksta.com

A year ago, @propublica.org told you immigration agents had detained more than 170 U.S. citizens. We’ve updated our count, and we’ve got all the receipts. The tally: At least 506 citizens detained. Sometimes held at gunpoint, handcuffed, or even deported. projects.propublica.org/american-cit...

Ken Schwencke reposted

"If the person is a US citizen or otherwise lawfully in the United States, that individual will be free to go after the brief encounter. "Only if the person is illegally in the United States may the stop lead to further immigration proceedings." -- Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, 9/8/2025

Ken Schwencke@schwanksta.com

A year ago, @propublica.org told you immigration agents had detained more than 170 U.S. citizens. We’ve updated our count, and we’ve got all the receipts. The tally: At least 506 citizens detained. Sometimes held at gunpoint, handcuffed, or even deported. projects.propublica.org/american-cit...

Last time we reported the 170 number, Kristi Noem denied the administration had detained any citizens. This time, we’re releasing the full list — and a host of video evidence — along with our story.

Ken Schwencke reposted

Samuel Alito: We won't overturn Obergefell because it's engendered reliance interests. Jan Crawford: Well, many people had organized their lives around Roe v. Wade. Alito: No, they didn't. Women merely had an "abstract" interest in "ideas about the kind of society that they were going to live in."

cbsnews.comThe Alito Court: A rare interview with the influential Supreme Court justiceJustice Samuel Alito discussed his opinion in the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the leaked draft and its aftermath, same-sex marriage rights and why he's not retiring yet.

Ken Schwencke reposted

I've been a reporter for a long time and this might be the strangest thing I've ever done. We've been reporting on privatization of schools this year and found that just about anyone can open a private school in most states. So we asked, Could reporters do it?

propublica.orgAlmost Anyone Can Start a Private School. We Put This to the Test.Our reporting has shown how easily people — some with questionable backgrounds — have founded their own private schools in barns, strip malls and other places. That led us to an experiment: If the hur...

Ken Schwencke reposted

Replying to @jessicahuseman.bsky.social

Votebeat's Expert Desk is up and running and is *already* helping stories connect with on-the-record sources. You can talk to them on the Slack space you are *already in.* There are also tipsheets! And a fun watercooler channel! Please join us: www.electionexpertdesk.com

Ken Schwencke reposted

Journalists! Do you want access to more than 100 sources in elections: cybersecurity, former officials, lawyers, academics? Do you want to ask them on the record questions and get answers for your stories? DO YOU WANT ALL OF THAT FOR FREE?! GOOD NEWS.

Ken Schwencke reposted

A phenomenal moment in the Senate. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., claims he has evidence Jack Smith went to a HAWKS game in Atlanta. Smith denies it. Schmitt declares he has busted Jack Smith for perjury. Smith, vexed, says he went to HAWKEYES game in Maryland. WATCH IN FULL, UNINTERRUPTED

Ken Schwencke reposted

Ken Schwencke reposted

Do you or someone you know use DraftKings or FanDuel? You can help @propublica.org continue to report on these apps by sharing your data with us. In some states, you can request it. But we also built a browser extension to help download your own data! projects.propublica.org/sports-betti...

projects.propublica.orgHelp ProPublica Report on Sports Betting by Sending Us Your App DataIf you’ve bet on sports with FanDuel or DraftKings, you can help ProPublica understand how these apps respond to their users’ betting behavior. Use our browser extension to download your betting histo...
ProPublica@propublica.org

NEW: ProPublica’s Jake Pearson lost $10,000 mimicking the betting patterns of a problem gambler on DraftKings to test the company’s “responsible gaming” safeguards. One week in, he was invited to become a VIP — and faced little pushback as he spiraled.

Do you or someone you know use DraftKings or FanDuel? You can help @propublica.org continue to report on these apps by sharing your data with us. In some states, you can request it. But we also built a browser extension to help download your own data! projects.propublica.org/sports-betti...

projects.propublica.orgHelp ProPublica Report on Sports Betting by Sending Us Your App DataIf you’ve bet on sports with FanDuel or DraftKings, you can help ProPublica understand how these apps respond to their users’ betting behavior. Use our browser extension to download your betting histo...
ProPublica@propublica.org

NEW: ProPublica’s Jake Pearson lost $10,000 mimicking the betting patterns of a problem gambler on DraftKings to test the company’s “responsible gaming” safeguards. One week in, he was invited to become a VIP — and faced little pushback as he spiraled.

We're working on getting into the Chrome and Firefox add-on stores, but for now you can download it and load it into your browser temporarily, and upload the resulting file(s) to us on this page. Also, we named it Collector Gadget. 🔍

Ken Schwencke reposted

And don’t sleep on the part where we bust Cleta Mitchell (yes, that one) for helping to hatch a campaign finance cover-up:

Jesse Eisinger@jeisinger.bsky.social

NEW: In ‘24, the FBI sought to launch a sweeping bribery probe that could ensnare top lawmakers, including Sen. Susan Collins. Then Trump eviscerated the FBI & DOJ public corruption teams. ProPublica unearthed the investigation and you can read it 👇 www.propublica.org/article/fbi-...

Ken Schwencke reposted

Sen. Susan Collins helped steer millions in federal defense contracts to Navatek, whose CEO illegally funneled thousands of dollars to her campaign. The FBI sought to launch a probe and was eyeing Collins and other lawmakers. Then Trump gutted the unit in charge. THREAD 🧵

Ken Schwencke reposted

Ken Schwencke reposted

“The logic of other venue owners joining Kraft in banning Macklemore over concerns about antisemitism is hard to follow while Kanye West — who released a song entitled “Heil Hitler” just 18 months ago — continues to tour unabated.”

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Ken Schwencke reposted

This is excellent. And much better for one of the city's most renowned avenues than simply offering multi-line through traffic.

Carl Quintanilla@carlquintanilla.bsky.social

NYC DOT unveils the final vision for transformation of the avenue (from E.46th to E.57th). “.. A reduction of two lanes of traffic, wider sidewalks, benches, space for cultural programming, a bike lane ..” (via Mark Levine)

Ken Schwencke reposted

they gotten open the schools and teach people how to use the emergency cord on the trains already (you almost are never gonna want to use it)

Ken Schwencke reposted

Replying to @carla-astudi.bsky.social

Also, ProPublica has been tracking the volume of cases filed in federal courts amid the Trump administration’s push for mass deportations. Track the latest stats here: projects.propublica.org/habeas-track...

projects.propublica.orgTracking the Historic Rise of Habeas Cases Filed by Detained ImmigrantsProPublica is tracking the historic rise in challenges filed by immigrants claiming their detention is illegal.

Ken Schwencke reposted

Since I joined ProPublica in January, I have been tracking the massive surge in petitions by immigrants to contest their detention. When I looked closer at the data, I found HUGE disparities in the time it takes certain judges to resolve these cases. THREAD ⬇️ www.propublica.org/article/ice-...

propublica.orgThese Judges Take Months to Decide If Immigrants Have Been Unlawfully DetainedJudges in some parts of the country have taken months to adjudicate immigrants’ claims of unlawful imprisonment, our analysis of 70,000 habeas petition cases found. Some detainees are asking to be dep...

Ken Schwencke reposted

Ken Schwencke reposted

NEW: In 2020, Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Oneil Cruz was involved in a car crash that left three people dead. ProPublica reveals how a Dominican moneylender helped to ensure that the young star was not prosecuted.

propublica.orgHow Oneil Cruz Walked Away From a Deadly Crash With a Fixer's HelpWhen an accident involving top prospect Oneil Cruz left three dead on a darkened road in the Dominican Republic, secret payoffs helped rescue his career and launched a shadowy business empire.

I was talking to someone the other day and my apple watch accidentally transcribed a few seconds of what I said and texted it to someone random. Do not want my conversations taped and transcribed thank you.

Zack Whittaker@zackwhittaker.com

Watching this Apple event tout how iPhones will soon be able to record ambient audio/conversations and transcribe "high level notes" for you. It's billed as private and end-to-end encrypted, but I think the bigger harm is the normalization of always-listening devices. It's creepy and not normal.

Ken Schwencke reposted

Something remarkably telling in how the majority (left) and dissent (right) ascribe the actor undertaking the demolition project. Much easier to ignore illegality if you imagine the conduct as that of the whole fed govt. The president doesnt even show up as an agent at all in the majority's opinion.