Katya Schwenk

Burlington, Washington, D.C., United States

Journalist at Freelance

Reporter at The Lever

reporter @levernews. [email protected] // 413 658 4677 on Signal

Articles

Airlines Are Selling Your Data to ICE

6 days ago | jacobin.com | Katya Schwenk

A massive aviation industry clearinghouse that processes data for twelve billion passenger flights per year is selling that information to the Trump administration amid the White House’s new immigration crackdown, according to documents reviewed by the Lever.
Airlines Are Collecting Your Data And Selling It To ICE

6 days ago | levernews.com | Katya Schwenk

A massive aviation industry clearinghouse that processes data for 12 billion passenger flights per year is selling that information to the Trump administration amid the White House’s new immigration crackdown, according to documents reviewed by The Lever.
Amid Near-Total Asylum Ban, Trump Welcomes White South Africans

1 week ago | truthout.org | Katya Schwenk |Jocelyn Martinez-Rosales

This article was originally published by The Lever, an investigative newsroom. If you like this story, sign up for The Lever’s free newsletter. As President Donald Trump tries to bar almost all refugees from entering the country, his administration is planning to use federal funds reserved for sick, elderly, and at-risk refugee populations to facilitate an influx of white South Africans within days, according to a government source and an internal memo viewed by The Lever.
Trump Plans to Channel Refugee Funds to White South Africans

1 week ago | jacobin.com | Katya Schwenk

As President Donald Trump tries to bar almost all refugees from entering the country, his administration is planning to use federal funds reserved for sick, elderly, and at-risk refugee populations to facilitate an influx of white South Africans within days, according to a government source and an internal memo viewed by the Lever.
Trump Taps Refugee Fund To Welcome White South Africans Within Days

1 week ago | levernews.com | Katya Schwenk

Keep reading for FREE. This is not a paywall. Just sign up below for a free subscription to The Lever to get access to this story and much more. Already have an account? Sign in
Trump’s Pension Chief Pick Could Profit From Looser Rules

1 week ago | jacobin.com | Katya Schwenk

President Donald Trump’s pick to oversee Americans’ retirement savings wants to protect employers and retirement fund managers from lawsuits alleging they mismanaged workers’ savings and fleeced retirees with exorbitant fees — a regulatory rollback from which his company could profit.
The Corporate Crusade Of Trump’s Top Retirement Cop

1 week ago | levernews.com | Katya Schwenk

Keep reading for FREE. This is not a paywall. Just sign up below for a free subscription to The Lever to get access to this story and much more. Already have an account? Sign in
Elon Musk’s Fight To Keep Tesla Repairs Expensive

2 weeks ago | levernews.com | Katya Schwenk

Elon Musk’s Tesla electric car company is being sued for allegedly intentionally speeding up its cars’ odometers and inflating cars’ mileage by as much as 15 percent, according to a recent class-action lawsuit. Plaintiffs argue that Tesla aims to make its mileage-based warranties expire more quickly and force customers to foot the bill for repairs that otherwise would be the company’s responsibility. Odometers work by counting the number of wheel rotations, which they convert into total mileage.
Trump’s EPA Has Made It Harder to Track Toxic Chemical Plants

3 weeks ago | jacobin.com | Katya Schwenk

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) just hid data that mapped out the locations of thousands of dangerous chemical facilities, after chemical industry lobbyists demanded that the Trump administration take down the public records. The webpage was quietly shut down late Friday, according to records viewed by the Lever — stripping away what advocates say was critical information on the secretive chemical plants at highest risk of disaster across the United States.
Price Gougers Are Exploiting Trump’s Tariffs

3 weeks ago | rsn.org | Katya Schwenk |Luke Goldstein

“Price optimization” consultants are helping clients capitalize on Trump’s chaotic tariff rollout by using surveillance pricing tools, while Republican FTC chair Andrew Ferguson is reversing efforts to keep them in check. The day after President Donald Trump announced his sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs, pricing guru Craig Zawada held an urgent summit for his clients.