Jessica Huseman

Bio

Jessica wrote for Mic.com until Feb. 2014. Now she's an investigative reporter at The Teacher Project, writing articles on K12 education for Slate.com. Her work has appeared in ProPublica, The Atlantic, Slate, The Dallas Morning News and Chalkbeat and more. Find her contact info and her recent work at www.jessicalhuseman.com.
$740 Billion Has Been Spent on Security Since 9/11 — Is America Any Safer?
By Jessica Huseman
After Sept. 11, 2001, America understandably amped up security, created the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration and has spent upwards of $740 billion to date. But is the money being spent on the sometimes…
Veterans Demand Access to Marijuana But Our Government is Standing in the Way
By Jessica Huseman
You might have heard about a study — published a few months back, but just making it's rounds on the Internet — that found a correlation between the use of medical marijuana and lowered suicide rates. While the findings need more analysis, this is…
14 Things You Didn't Know About Michelle Obama
By Jessica Huseman
In honor of her 50th birthday, here are 14 things you might not have known about the First Lady.  1. She's one of only three First Ladies with a graduate degree Michelle Obama showed how bright she was at an early age, successfully skipping…
Show This Chart to Anyone Who Thinks the Koch Brothers' Political Influence is Overstated
By Jessica Huseman
We all know that Charles and David Koch have their hands in all things Republican, but did you know it went this far?  An amazing graphic by The Washington Post has mapped all of the organizations that are directly and indirectly funded by a…
How Citi Bikes Will Power the New Year's Ball Drop in Times Square
By Jessica Huseman
Monday concluded the use of the Citi Bike Pedal Power Station, where "riders" could pedal their way to making the New Year's Eve ball drop in Times Square a little greener — and simultaneously give some free advertising for Citigroup. At seven…
The 5 Worst '60 Minutes' Segments of 2013
By Jessica Huseman
CBS's 60 Minutes has had a rough year. Once a cornerstone of reliable journalism, the show has made a series of bad judgment calls and potential ethical breaches in 2013. If 60 Minutes wants to do better next year, it's going to have to ditch false…
Amazon Drones Are Years Away, But Air Regulations Could Still Lag
By Jessica Huseman
Amazon's surprise announcement on 60 Minutes that it is developing delivery drones was certainly a doozy. The idea that a remotely-piloted octocopter could deliver diapers to a stressed-out new dad seems like something out of science fiction — a…
Rick Perry Urged By Macy's to Oppose Equal Pay For Texas Women
By Jessica Huseman
Earlier this fall, Gov. Rick Perry (Texas) vetoed legislation that would have allowed women in Texas to take legal action for not receiving equal pay. Why? Well, partly because a persuasive letter from Macy's corporate management told him he…
11 Things More Popular Than Obamacare
By Jessica Huseman
Obamacare's numbers are now public information — and they are pretty embarrassing.  Earlier this week, the Obama Administration announced that just over 100,000 people have been able to select a health insurance plan in the exchanges — far below the…
Rick Perry 2016: This Has to Be a Joke
By Jessica Huseman
Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) embarked on his second trip to Iowa, an early presidential primary state, on Thursday, sparking further speculation that he is planning a second presidential run in 2016. Because we all remember how that went in 2012.  But…
George Zimmerman: His Town Outlaws Guns From Neighborhood Watches
By Jessica Huseman
George Zimmerman's Town Takes Guns Out of Neighborhood WatchesSanford, Fla., where where neighborhood watch leader George Zimmerman shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, has now banned neighborhood watch volunteers from carrying firearms or…
The House Will Take 252 Days Off in 2014
By Jessica Huseman
Because 2013 was such a smashing success, the House has decided to reward itself by slashing the number of days they'll be in session in 2014. It must be really nice to have your salary protected by law and also be able to control the number of days…
Poll: More Americans Believe in Ghosts Than Approve Of Congress
By Jessica Huseman
Happy Halloween everyone. In case you aren't frightened enough, let this thought marinate in your brain: 18% of Americans believe in ghosts, but only 11% of Americans approve of how well Congress is doing their job.  It gets even better than…
Science Says Too Much Halloween Candy Could Give You the Bummers
By Jessica Huseman
You're better off getting less Halloween candy this year — but not for the reason you might think. A couple of years ago, researchers at Dartmouth did an interesting study with trick-or-treaters. They gave one set a full-size candy bar and told them…
Dog News: Here's How the FDA is Saving Your Pet's Life
By Jessica Huseman
For the first time, the Food and Drug Administration will be going beyond their usually human-centric purview in an attempt to make pet food sold in the United States safer. A rule proposed today seeks to protect pet food from disease-causing…
Obama Faces a Do or Die Deadline For Fixing HealthCare.gov
By Jessica Huseman
After weeks of tech problems that have embarrassed the Obama administration, officials now say that HealthCare.gov will be running smoothly by the end of November. If they don't meet this deadline, the administration may be facing political…
Ted Cruz Didn't Disclose $100,000 Investment Because He Forgot About It
By Jessica Huseman
Hey Ted, did you forget to mention something? TIME has uncovered that Texas Republican Senator and fake-filibusterer extraordinaire Ted Cruz potentially violated ethics rules during his 2012 campaign by failing to disclose a $6,000 investment that…
Air Marshall Got Caught Taking Upskirt Photos On Duty
By Jessica Huseman
A federal air marshal (you know, those people there to protect us during flights?) was arrested yesterday morning at Nashville International Airport after getting caught taking "multiple upskirt pictures" of women boarding a plane. He was arrested…
Mitt Romney's Son is Slide-In-His-House Rich
By Jessica Huseman
is.Craig Romney, one of Mitt Romney's lesser-known sons, has a giant slide in his house. Why can't I be a Romney?  The blog the Color Issue took a tour of Craig and his wife Mary's home. In addition to the home's "spritzes of color everywhere," the…
Here's Why Rand Paul's Economics Make No Sense
By Jessica Huseman
Today on PolicyMic, Rand Paul made a bold claim, saying: "Just as American households must balance their checkbooks, the federal government should do the same." You've heard this before — probably several times from several different Republicans,…