Jessica Chasmar

Jessica Chasmar was a continuous news writer for The Washington Times, covering topics on culture and politics.

Articles by Jessica Chasmar

Former Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe, right, and his attorney Clayton Halunen speak during a press conference, Tuesday, July 15, 2014 in Minneapolis. Former Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe intends to sue the team over allegations of anti-gay conduct by a coach, his lawyer said Tuesday. (AP Photo/The Star Tribune,Elizabeth Flores ) MANDATORY CREDIT; ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS OUT; MAGS OUT; TWIN CITIES TV OUT

Minnesota Vikings suspend coach for ‘round up all the gays’ comment

Minnesota Vikings special teams coach Mike Priefer has apologized to the LGBT community after the team announced his suspension for the first three games of the coming season because of a homophobic comment he made to players. Published July 21, 2014

President Barack Obama speaks at the &quot;Kids State Dinner&quot; in the East Room of the White House, Friday, July 18, 2014, in Washington. The White House treated more than 50 kid chefs to a &quot;state dinner.&quot; The children earned a seat at the table by whipping up mouth-watering yet healthy meals as part of a nationwide contest sponsored by the food magazine Epicurious and the Education and Agriculture departments. Some of the winning recipes will be served at the dinner hosted by first lady Michelle Obama. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

White House defends Obama’s photo ops amid international crises

President Obama chowed down on a cheeseburger in Delaware and attended flashy Manhattan fundraisers on Thursday as two international crises unfolded, and the White House is saying that no consideration was given in changing the president's long-planned schedule. Published July 21, 2014

A Singapore Airlines Airbus A-380. (AP Photo/Keystone, Steffen Schmidt, File)

Singapore Airlines apologizes for ‘insensitive’ Ukraine tweet

Singapore Airlines has issued an apology after a tweet seemed to make light of the Malaysia Airlines jetliner that was shot down in eastern Ukraine on Thursday. Published July 20, 2014

St. Louis Rams’ Jo Lonn Dunbar, 29, was arrested after a physical altercation outside of Dream Nightclub. (Miami-Dade Police Department/CBS Miami)

Pro athletes arrested outside South Florida nightclub

St. Louis Rams linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar and NBA free agent Donte Green were arrested following a physical altercation outside a South Florida night club on Sunday. Published July 20, 2014

A woman smokes a cigarette. (Associated Press) ** FILE **

Smoker’s widow awarded $23.6 billion in punitive damages

A jury has awarded $23.6 billion in punitive damages to a Florida widow who says her husband died because tobacco giant R.J. Reynolds was negligent in informing consumers of the negative health effects of smoking. Published July 20, 2014

Shaneen Allen, 27, is now facing up to three years in prison because she notified police of her loaded handgun during a traffic stop in New Jersey. (NBC 10/Facebook)

Pa. mother with concealed carry permit faces 3 years for N.J. traffic stop

A Pennsylvania mother with a concealed carry permit is now facing up to three years in prison because she notified police of her loaded handgun during a traffic stop in New Jersey. Published July 20, 2014

The northeast Nigerian town of Gwoza, seized earlier this month by Boko Haram militants, has been placed under an Islamic caliphate, the group's leader said in a video obtained by the Agence France-Presse. (YouTube)

Boko Haram Islamists seize northeast Nigerian town, killing 100

Boko Haram Islamists have hoisted their black and white flag over a town in northeastern Nigeria, after torching homes to the ground and killing more than 100 residents as they tried to flee. Published July 20, 2014

In this Saturday, July 19, 2014 photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, a vehicle sits under a collapsed building after landfall of typhoon Rammasun in Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province. The strongest typhoon to hit southern China in four decades has killed more than a dozen people, the government said Sunday. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Xia Yifang) NO SALES

Super typhoon Rammasun kills 18 in China

The strongest typhoon to hit southern China in more than 40 years has killed at least 18 people since making landfall on Friday afternoon, after hitting parts of the Philippines where the death toll has risen to 94. Published July 20, 2014

"Criminals are getting the message that good Detroiters are armed and will use that weapon," Detroit Police Chief James Craig told The Detroit News, citing declining crime statistics in the Motor City. (associated press)

Detroit police chief says armed citizens are curbing crime

Detroit has experienced 37 percent fewer robberies than it did last year, and Police Chief James Craig is crediting armed citizens for the drop. Published July 16, 2014

FILE - This July 3, 2014 file photo shows Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel speaking at the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Hagel told naval submariners on Wednesday that the U.S. has let its focus on the military’s nuclear responsibilities drift a bit, but two reviews are wrapping up and he will be looking at recommendations to strengthen the health of the force. Speaking at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Hagel said more attention must be paid to the nuclear forces as key to national security. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

Hagel quietly notifies Congress of transfer of 6 Gitmo detainees

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel quietly notified Congress last week that the military is set to transfer six Guantanamo Bay prisoners to Uruguay as soon as next month, The New York Times revealed Wednesday. Published July 16, 2014

Detroit Police Chief James Craig addresses the media after a shooting injuring four people at a tax preparation business in Detroit, Friday, Feb. 28, 2014. Deputy Police Chief Rodney Johnson said a woman became upset when her tax refund wasn't ready Friday and started scuffling with the guard. Johnson said the man with her pulled a gun and started shooting. (AP Photo/Detroit Free Press, Jarrad Henderson) DETROIT NEWS OUT; NO SALES; MANDATORY CREDIT

Detroit police chief: ‘No question in my mind’ legal gun ownership deters crime

Detroit has experienced 37 percent fewer robberies than it did last year, and Police Chief James Craig is crediting armed citizens for the drop. Published July 16, 2014

Former major league outfielder Billy Bean speaks during a news conference at baseball's All-Star game, Tuesday, July 15, 2014, in Minneapolis. Major League Baseball has appointed Bean, who came out as gay after his playing career, to serve as a consultant in guiding the sport toward greater inclusion and equality. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

MLB hires gay former ballplayer Billy Bean as Ambassador For Inclusion

Major League Baseball has hired openly gay former outfielder Billy Bean as their new Ambassador For Inclusion, who will reportedly handle diversity issues and help end homophobia in in their ball clubs. Published July 16, 2014

Associated press photographs
Syrian military intelligence appears to be providing assistance to the U.N. special tribunal investigating the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri to shield Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (above) from blame.

Assad blasts West, vows to retake Syria during swearing-in

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was sworn in for another seven-year term on Wednesday, vowing to recover all Syria from Islamist insurgents and seek vengeance against the West. Published July 16, 2014

FILE - This June 12, 2014 file photo shows Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky. on Capitol Hill in Washington. Congressional Republican leaders on Thursday blasted President Barack Obama’s emergency spending request for the border crisis, saying Obama caused the problem and now wants Congress to sign off on more of the same. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Senate Republicans paid for Mississippi attack ads painting tea partyers as racist: report

Mississippi attack ads that painted conservative Republicans and tea partyers as racists were funded by Senate Republicans, RedState editor-in-chief Erick Erickson has confirmed. Published July 16, 2014

A group of Houston-area shoppers took matters into their own hands Monday afternoon when they noticed two kids screaming for help inside a parked car in 90-degree weather. (KHOU 11)

Texans shatter window to rescue children from hot car

A group of Houston-area shoppers took matters into their own hands Monday afternoon when they noticed two children screaming for help inside a parked car in 90-degree weather. Published July 15, 2014

Vice President Joe Biden addresses the Roosevelt Institute Honors after receiving the group's Freedom Medal, the institutes highest honor, during a dinner in Washington, Thursday, July 10, 2014. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

Conservatives reject Palin’s call for impeachment: ‘Nobody wants a President Biden’

Conservative Congress members said during a luncheon Tuesday that there's no chance they will take up Sarah Palin's call to impeach President Obama, with one joking that "nobody wants a President Joe Biden." Published July 15, 2014

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is the only U.S. troop to have been taken hostage by the Taliban in the long, hard-fought Afghanistan War. (U.S. Army Via Associated Press)

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl could receive $350K tax-free: report

Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl could receive $350,000 tax-free from the federal government if the current investigation into his 2009 disappearance in Afghanistan concludes that he didn't desert his post. Published July 15, 2014

** FILE ** In this Jan. 8, 2014, file photo, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley speaks during a roundtable interview in Annapolis, Md. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

Gov. Martin O’Malley ‘seriously considering’ run for president

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley said he is "seriously considering" a run for president in 2016, and that Hillary Rodham Clinton's plans have no bearing on his decision. Published July 15, 2014

This June 10, 2014 photo shows the 18-foot, rust-colored steel U.S-Mexico border fence stands by The Nature Conservancy affecting the organization wildlife conservancy efforts in Brownsville, Texas. The federal government recently spent $3 million to purchase 1,119 acres of the well-managed land for the benefit of the ocelot after damaging the endangered species' habitat to build 70 miles of fences along the border with Mexico. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Marie D. De Jesus)

Border Patrol agents rescue Mexican man who hanged himself on border fence

A Mexican man was revived by a Border Patrol agent Sunday night after he tried to hang himself from the border fence on the U.S. side in downtown Calexico, California. Published July 15, 2014

A 3-year-old girl who was pronounced dead from a fever on Saturday reportedly woke up inside a coffin the next day during her funeral ceremony in the Philippines. (YouTube)

‘Dead’ toddler wakes up at her own funeral

A 3-year-old girl who was pronounced dead from a fever on Saturday reportedly woke up inside a coffin the next day during her funeral ceremony in the Philippines. Published July 14, 2014