Emily Schwing
@emilyschwing.bsky.social
Journalist w/ lots of bylines. I really like skis and dogs. I don't really like hot weather or spiders. Go bag packed. AK-based & Arctic focused.
Pinned
This is Mertarvik, Alaska, population 300. It’s a new town.
Its residents, the vast majority of whom are Yup’ik, began moving in around 2019.
The move was by necessity: The nearby village where many residents previously lived, Newtok, is sinking, its riverbanks eroding. THREAD 🧵
Its residents, the vast majority of whom are Yup’ik, began moving in around 2019.
The move was by necessity: The nearby village where many residents previously lived, Newtok, is sinking, its riverbanks eroding. THREAD 🧵
By my count, I spent at least 40 nights in Newtok & Mertarvik over 2 yrs, interviewed over 70 people & hired an inspector to look at 7 homes built by 3 contractors. A dozen are less than 3 years old & moldy. 1 federal agency knew of problems in 2022. Another toured homes in 2023. Zero repairs made.
Reposted by Emily Schwing
I've been sent video from the end of the ICE raid at the Zipps on 32nd and Shea.
It shows protesters -- on the sidewalk, impeding no one -- getting drive-by maced by an ICE agent from a truck as it rolls away down the road.
Hard to see how such tactics are justifiable.
It shows protesters -- on the sidewalk, impeding no one -- getting drive-by maced by an ICE agent from a truck as it rolls away down the road.
Hard to see how such tactics are justifiable.
January 27, 2026 at 6:07 AM
I've been sent video from the end of the ICE raid at the Zipps on 32nd and Shea.
It shows protesters -- on the sidewalk, impeding no one -- getting drive-by maced by an ICE agent from a truck as it rolls away down the road.
Hard to see how such tactics are justifiable.
It shows protesters -- on the sidewalk, impeding no one -- getting drive-by maced by an ICE agent from a truck as it rolls away down the road.
Hard to see how such tactics are justifiable.
Reposted by Emily Schwing
My report from Minneapolis, about the things you'll never see. newrepublic.com/article/2057...
January 27, 2026 at 2:18 PM
My report from Minneapolis, about the things you'll never see. newrepublic.com/article/2057...
Reposted by Emily Schwing
I wrote about my childhood friend Alexi Pretti. Please read it and share it and remember him as a human being. @theverge.com
I grew up with Alex Pretti
The kind-hearted ICU nurse shot by ICE agents was my childhood best friend.
www.theverge.com
January 27, 2026 at 4:45 PM
I wrote about my childhood friend Alexi Pretti. Please read it and share it and remember him as a human being. @theverge.com
Reposted by Emily Schwing
👀 Judge Schlitz, the chief federal judge in Minnesota, has ordered the head of ICE, Todd Lyons, to appeal personally in court Friday and threatened him with contempt for the agency’s repeated violation of court orders.
“The court’s patience is at an end.” storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
“The court’s patience is at an end.” storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
January 27, 2026 at 11:34 AM
👀 Judge Schlitz, the chief federal judge in Minnesota, has ordered the head of ICE, Todd Lyons, to appeal personally in court Friday and threatened him with contempt for the agency’s repeated violation of court orders.
“The court’s patience is at an end.” storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
“The court’s patience is at an end.” storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Reposted by Emily Schwing
‘Our government is out of control,’ Alaska legislator says, calling for end to state aid for ICE, write @corinne-smith.bsky.social and @alaska.bsky.social for the @alaskabeacon.com alaskabeacon.com/2026/01/26/o...
‘Our government is out of control,’ Alaska legislator says, calling for end to state aid for ICE | Alaska Beacon
Chairs of state military committee ask questions about unconfirmed deployment of U.S. soldiers from Anchorage to Minnesota.
alaskabeacon.com
January 26, 2026 at 5:30 PM
‘Our government is out of control,’ Alaska legislator says, calling for end to state aid for ICE, write @corinne-smith.bsky.social and @alaska.bsky.social for the @alaskabeacon.com alaskabeacon.com/2026/01/26/o...
Reposted by Emily Schwing
Here's how to identify some crowd control munitions, canisters of which federal agents have left on the ground after deploying them against people in Minnesota. bit.ly/3YWp1jE
Graphic by Mark Boswell/The Minnesota Star Tribune
Graphic by Mark Boswell/The Minnesota Star Tribune
January 26, 2026 at 8:09 PM
Here's how to identify some crowd control munitions, canisters of which federal agents have left on the ground after deploying them against people in Minnesota. bit.ly/3YWp1jE
Graphic by Mark Boswell/The Minnesota Star Tribune
Graphic by Mark Boswell/The Minnesota Star Tribune
“As journalists, we must remember that our responsibility is not to present both sides evenly; it is to make a determination about the facts that helps audiences understand a chaotic world.” www.cjr.org/the_media_to...
‘Terrorist! Terrorist! Terrorist!’
From Minneapolis to Gaza, how does the press responsibly report killings when officials act in obvious bad faith? By looking out the window.
www.cjr.org
January 26, 2026 at 7:52 PM
“As journalists, we must remember that our responsibility is not to present both sides evenly; it is to make a determination about the facts that helps audiences understand a chaotic world.” www.cjr.org/the_media_to...
Reposted by Emily Schwing
The bill would have expanded the state’s corporate income tax to capture revenue from so-called “highly digitized businesses” that sell to Alaskans over the internet but may not have a physical presence in the state. (From @alaskapublic.org)
Alaska lawmakers fail to override Dunleavy's veto of corporate income tax bill
The attempt to override Dunleavy's veto fell 10 votes short. House Speaker Bryce Edgmon said it foreshadowed difficult debates over the governor's forthcoming fiscal plan.
www.ktoo.org
January 23, 2026 at 7:17 AM
The bill would have expanded the state’s corporate income tax to capture revenue from so-called “highly digitized businesses” that sell to Alaskans over the internet but may not have a physical presence in the state. (From @alaskapublic.org)
Reposted by Emily Schwing
The 5-year-old arrested by ICE In Minnesota is detained at Dilley. We reported on conditions there in the below article.
Parents said the food was contaminated with mold and worms & that children were so under so much stress that they were hitting their own faces & wetting themselves.
Parents said the food was contaminated with mold and worms & that children were so under so much stress that they were hitting their own faces & wetting themselves.
Analysis by The Marshall Project of ICE data obtained by the Deportation Data Project found that the Trump administration’s revival of family detention has swept thousands of children into ICE custody. At least 3,800 children under 18, including 20 infants, have been booked since Trump took office.
ICE Threw Thousands of Kids in Detention, Many For Longer Than Court-Prescribed Limit
Former immigration staffers argue ICE is choosing to detain families for prolonged periods to speed deportations and compel them to leave.
www.themarshallproject.org
January 22, 2026 at 8:30 PM
The 5-year-old arrested by ICE In Minnesota is detained at Dilley. We reported on conditions there in the below article.
Parents said the food was contaminated with mold and worms & that children were so under so much stress that they were hitting their own faces & wetting themselves.
Parents said the food was contaminated with mold and worms & that children were so under so much stress that they were hitting their own faces & wetting themselves.
Americans will only ever witness violence at the hands of their own government thanks to journalists who work constantly to protect our 1st amendment rights . Were it not for us, I feel strongly this would be far worse. Democracy isn't the only thing that dies in darkness. So does our humanity.
This video filmed by Ben Luhmann shows the moment a federal agent sprayed chemical irritants directly into a man's face in south Minneapolis.
Three agents already had the man pinned to the ground when a fourth agent walked up and sprayed the irritants.
Three agents already had the man pinned to the ground when a fourth agent walked up and sprayed the irritants.
January 22, 2026 at 8:09 PM
Americans will only ever witness violence at the hands of their own government thanks to journalists who work constantly to protect our 1st amendment rights . Were it not for us, I feel strongly this would be far worse. Democracy isn't the only thing that dies in darkness. So does our humanity.
Reposted by Emily Schwing
High temperatures (ºF) in and around Alaska on Wednesday. Continued quite mild western Alaska and on the North Slope. Not too far from normal in the eastern Interior, Southcentral and Yukon Territory valleys, but with strong inversions so higher elevations much warmer than normal. #akwx #weather
January 22, 2026 at 4:17 PM
This wasn’t on my news bingo card today, but I’m here for it: www.thenation.com/article/soci...
Meet the Alaska Student Arrested for Eating an AI Art Exhibit
A conversation with Graham Granger, whose combination of protest and performance art spread beyond campus. “AI chews up and spits out art made by other people.”
www.thenation.com
January 22, 2026 at 6:35 PM
This wasn’t on my news bingo card today, but I’m here for it: www.thenation.com/article/soci...
Reposted by Emily Schwing
Alaska legislators convene session, with budget issues and a veto override vote awaiting, writes @alaska.bsky.social for the @alaskabeacon.com alaskabeacon.com/2026/01/21/a...
Alaska legislators convene session, with budget issues and a veto override vote awaiting | Alaska Beacon
Gov. Mike Dunleavy is expected on Thursday to roll out a long-term plan to bring state expenses and revenue into balance.
alaskabeacon.com
January 21, 2026 at 5:46 PM
Alaska legislators convene session, with budget issues and a veto override vote awaiting, writes @alaska.bsky.social for the @alaskabeacon.com alaskabeacon.com/2026/01/21/a...
Reposted by Emily Schwing
Two Alaska school districts filed a lawsuit today against the state, its governor and its education commissioner over what they say is a long-running failure to adequately fund public education.
In lawsuit, 2 school districts say Alaska fails to meet its constitutional obligation on public education
The lawsuit filed by the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District and Kuspuk School District seeks an injunction directing the state to fulfill its obligations on funding public schools and provid...
www.adn.com
January 20, 2026 at 10:40 PM
Two Alaska school districts filed a lawsuit today against the state, its governor and its education commissioner over what they say is a long-running failure to adequately fund public education.
BREAKING: 2 school districts sue Alaska for failing to meet its constitutional obligation to provide public education to all children of the state. www.adn.com/alaska-news/...
In lawsuit, 2 school districts say Alaska fails to meet its constitutional obligation on public education
The lawsuit filed by the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District and Kuspuk School District seeks an injunction directing the state to fulfill its obligations on funding public schools and provid...
www.adn.com
January 21, 2026 at 12:00 AM
BREAKING: 2 school districts sue Alaska for failing to meet its constitutional obligation to provide public education to all children of the state. www.adn.com/alaska-news/...
Idea: buy all the phones in the vending machine. What other footage is available?
Yes, immigration agents not only took Arnoldo's phone, the 10th grader had to use Find My Phone to locate it — in a vending machine for used electronics, close to an ICE detention center.
Read the full story here:
www.propublica.org/article/vide...
Read the full story here:
www.propublica.org/article/vide...
January 14, 2026 at 4:26 AM
Idea: buy all the phones in the vending machine. What other footage is available?
I don't have a job right now not for any other reason than the Trump Admin's rescission package that cut $$$ for public broadcasting & grocery prices in AK have always been high, but, anecdotally, they've been higher in recent months than I've experienced in the 2 decades I've lived here. Carry on.
DOKOUPIL: When I travel the country, they tell me they don't feel it because grocery prices are up--
TRUMP: They're going to now. I've only been here for 11 months. I inherited a mess. If she got in, you wouldn't have this job right now.
TRUMP: They're going to now. I've only been here for 11 months. I inherited a mess. If she got in, you wouldn't have this job right now.
January 14, 2026 at 12:04 AM
I don't have a job right now not for any other reason than the Trump Admin's rescission package that cut $$$ for public broadcasting & grocery prices in AK have always been high, but, anecdotally, they've been higher in recent months than I've experienced in the 2 decades I've lived here. Carry on.
Reposted by Emily Schwing
On Friday, the Supreme Court said it would take up a case about President Donald Trump's executive order attempting to eliminate birthright citizenship.
Back in March, we published a video that dove deep into the history of birthright citizenship in the US. Watch now on Vox's Patreon for free. 👇
Back in March, we published a video that dove deep into the history of birthright citizenship in the US. Watch now on Vox's Patreon for free. 👇
Why the US has birthright citizenship | Vox
Get more from Vox on Patreon
www.patreon.com
December 5, 2025 at 9:59 PM
On Friday, the Supreme Court said it would take up a case about President Donald Trump's executive order attempting to eliminate birthright citizenship.
Back in March, we published a video that dove deep into the history of birthright citizenship in the US. Watch now on Vox's Patreon for free. 👇
Back in March, we published a video that dove deep into the history of birthright citizenship in the US. Watch now on Vox's Patreon for free. 👇
I spent more than a year and half crawling through, under, over and around rural public school buildings in Alaska's rural communities. I found a serious public health and safety crisis that's heavily impacting Alaska's Indigenous students. Check out my series: www.propublica.org/people/emily...
Emily Schwing
ProPublica is an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest.
www.propublica.org
December 2, 2025 at 6:09 PM
I spent more than a year and half crawling through, under, over and around rural public school buildings in Alaska's rural communities. I found a serious public health and safety crisis that's heavily impacting Alaska's Indigenous students. Check out my series: www.propublica.org/people/emily...
Reposted by Emily Schwing
Remember last year when we said we would drop The Tribune's paywall if we raised enough money to support the transition to free? About that… 😁
The Salt Lake Tribune will drop its paywall next year, CEO tells donors at NewsMakers gala
After years of requiring people to pay for online news content, The Tribune announced an upcoming change during its 2025 annual NewsMakers Gala.
www.sltrib.com
November 23, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Remember last year when we said we would drop The Tribune's paywall if we raised enough money to support the transition to free? About that… 😁
Reposted by Emily Schwing
NEW: Alaska Owns Dozens of Deteriorating Schools. Now It Wants Under-Resourced Districts to Take Them On.
Rural superintendents are trying to “find the best, most optimal use of very lean resources.” Taking on the state’s unmaintained buildings, they say, will only increase their burden.
Rural superintendents are trying to “find the best, most optimal use of very lean resources.” Taking on the state’s unmaintained buildings, they say, will only increase their burden.
Alaska Owns Dozens of Deteriorating Schools. Now It Wants Under-Resourced Districts to Take Them On.
Rural school district superintendents are trying to “find the best, most optimal use of very lean resources.” Taking on the state’s unmaintained buildings, they say, will only increase their burden.
www.propublica.org
November 17, 2025 at 3:00 PM
NEW: Alaska Owns Dozens of Deteriorating Schools. Now It Wants Under-Resourced Districts to Take Them On.
Rural superintendents are trying to “find the best, most optimal use of very lean resources.” Taking on the state’s unmaintained buildings, they say, will only increase their burden.
Rural superintendents are trying to “find the best, most optimal use of very lean resources.” Taking on the state’s unmaintained buildings, they say, will only increase their burden.
Reposted by Emily Schwing
As Alaska ignores requests to fund school repairs, its Indigenous children suffer most because rural schools serve predominantly Alaska Native students — a population that was long forced to attend separate and unequal schools.
By @emilyschwing.bsky.social
By @emilyschwing.bsky.social
A Rural Alaska School Asked the State to Fund a Repair. Nearly Two Decades Later, the Building Is About to Collapse.
Rural school districts depend on the state to fund construction and maintenance projects. But over the past 25 years, Alaska lawmakers have ignored hundreds of requests for public schools that primari...
www.propublica.org
November 21, 2025 at 9:16 PM
As Alaska ignores requests to fund school repairs, its Indigenous children suffer most because rural schools serve predominantly Alaska Native students — a population that was long forced to attend separate and unequal schools.
By @emilyschwing.bsky.social
By @emilyschwing.bsky.social
Filing this under "Things that tell us a lot about legacy media organizations."
I delve into Jeffrey Epstein’s emails with Landon Thomas Jr., and the explosive tips about Donald Trump he fed to the ex-NYT reporter.
The big question here: How are we only finding out about this now?
Via @theintercept.com theintercept.com/2025/11/14/e...
The big question here: How are we only finding out about this now?
Via @theintercept.com theintercept.com/2025/11/14/e...
Epstein Gave NY Times Journalist Tips About Trump. Why Did They Never Get Reported?
Exchanges about Trump between reporter Landon Thomas Jr. and Jeffrey Epstein raise questions about what the New York Times knew and when.
theintercept.com
November 19, 2025 at 8:45 PM
Filing this under "Things that tell us a lot about legacy media organizations."
Reposted by Emily Schwing
abject cowardice www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/b...
November 19, 2025 at 6:18 PM
abject cowardice www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/b...
To those hiring in journalism - stop saying "we really want to work with you" if you're not going to hire that person. It's disingenuous and ours is an industry built entirely on trust.
November 19, 2025 at 7:40 PM
To those hiring in journalism - stop saying "we really want to work with you" if you're not going to hire that person. It's disingenuous and ours is an industry built entirely on trust.