WEBVTT 00:04.100 --> 00:06.633 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% JOHN YANG: Tonight on PBS News Weekend, 00:06.633 --> 00:11.100 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% President Trump and top congressional leaders are set to meet in the Oval Office trying to 00:11.100 --> 00:16.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% avert a government shutdown that could result in and even more mass federal worker layoffs. 00:18.000 --> 00:21.500 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% Then, why renters are increasingly outnumbering homeowners in the suburbs 00:21.500 --> 00:26.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% of some of America's biggest cities. And a special musician racks up millions of views 00:28.033 --> 00:31.700 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% online with performances tailored to help neurodivergent children. 00:31.700 --> 00:34.833 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% MAN: I believe that's what music was created for, 00:34.833 --> 00:39.800 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% to bring everybody together. And so to see that is something that wows me every day. 00:42.400 --> 00:47.366 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% (BREAK) 01:39.100 --> 01:42.900 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% JOHN YANG: Good evening. I'm John Yang. The battle lines are drawn for 01:42.900 --> 01:47.233 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% tomorrow's high stakes Oval Office meeting between President Trump and bipartisan 01:47.233 --> 01:52.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% congressional leaders one day before the deadline to avert a government shutdown. 01:54.133 --> 01:56.733 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% Appearing separately on NBC's Meet the Press, Senate Majority Leader John Thune 01:56.733 --> 02:01.633 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer each said the other would be to blame for a shutdown. 02:01.633 --> 02:03.500 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% SEN. JOHN THUNE (R) Majority Leader: I think there is potentially a path 02:03.500 --> 02:07.200 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% forward. We have to see where it goes. But we can't do it while the American 02:07.200 --> 02:10.733 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% people are being held hostage by the Democrats in a government shutdown. 02:10.733 --> 02:12.900 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D) Minority Leader: We need a serious negotiation. Now, 02:12.900 --> 02:17.633 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% if the president at this meeting is going to rant and just yell at Democrats and talk about 02:19.900 --> 02:22.700 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% all his alleged grievances and say this, that and the other thing, we won't get anything done. 02:22.700 --> 02:26.866 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JOHN YANG: Republicans want a short term spending bill without any other provisions, 02:26.866 --> 02:31.866 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% while Democrats say the price of their support is restoring Medicaid cuts and extending subsidies 02:33.966 --> 02:37.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% that help low and middle income earners buy health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. 02:37.433 --> 02:42.433 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% Adding to the uncertainty are administration plans to use a shutdown to fire more federal workers. 02:44.466 --> 02:48.733 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% Eric Katz covers federal agencies for the online publication Government Executive. Eric, 02:50.633 --> 02:54.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% tell us about these plans to use this shutdown to fire more federal workers. 02:56.333 --> 02:58.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% ERIC KATZ, Reporter, Government Executive: The White House, through its budget office, 02:58.433 --> 03:01.666 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% put out guidance this past week advising agencies that they should develop plans 03:01.666 --> 03:06.666 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% to instead of having the normal furloughs of, you know, employees are sent home only until 03:08.900 --> 03:11.666 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% the shutdown ends, they would instead be sent home permanently. They would lose their jobs. 03:13.600 --> 03:17.866 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% The White House said the agencies should focus on any federal employee who doesn't 03:19.900 --> 03:23.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% receive special funding for their job. So anyone funded through the normal annual 03:23.100 --> 03:28.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% appropriations and anyone whose work is not focused on Trump administration 03:29.800 --> 03:33.133 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% priority. So there'd be certain areas that would be exempted from this, 03:35.400 --> 03:38.266 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% but large swaths of the federal government would be facing potential layoffs under this shutdown. 03:40.866 --> 03:44.300 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% JOHN YANG: How does this fit in with the president's goal of reshaping 03:44.300 --> 03:47.166 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% the federal government and making it smaller? 03:47.166 --> 03:50.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% ERIC KATZ: President Trump has been focused on shrinking the size of the federal workforce 03:50.466 --> 03:55.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% and the federal government since he took office. Not too long after he took office, 03:57.533 --> 04:00.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% he ordered similar layoff plans from every agency. A couple agencies went through with 04:00.433 --> 04:04.400 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% those. Health and Human Services, for one, laid off 10,000 people. 04:04.400 --> 04:08.700 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% But a lot of those got held up in court, and then they never ended up being implemented, 04:08.700 --> 04:11.733 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% at least not yet. But the administration has taken other 04:11.733 --> 04:16.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% steps to shrink the federal workforce through offering various incentives. 04:18.800 --> 04:21.933 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% I believe the administration has said that around 2 or 300,000 federal employees will 04:24.000 --> 04:27.333 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% be off the rolls by the end of September compared to what they inherited in January. 04:27.333 --> 04:32.333 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% Then they also have a hiring freeze. So very few new employees are coming in. And this is just the 04:34.233 --> 04:38.600 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% next step in that process to potentially further shrink the agency's workforces. 04:40.500 --> 04:43.200 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% JOHN YANG: In your conversations with federal workers, is this adding to the 04:43.200 --> 04:46.866 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% anxiety and the concern as we approach a possible shutdown? 04:46.866 --> 04:49.733 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% ERIC KATZ: It absolutely is. We've talked to a lot of 04:51.833 --> 04:55.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% folks over the last couple days since this memo came out. Everyone is sort of panicked. 04:57.400 --> 05:00.433 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% There's always a bit of anxiety during a shutdown. Over half the federal workforce, 05:00.433 --> 05:05.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% in a normal shutdown continues to work, and they only on the promise of delayed pay. 05:07.500 --> 05:11.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% They face a lot of negative rhetoric from the administration over the last several months, 05:11.100 --> 05:16.100 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% and they've been incentivized and pushed and in some cases, forced out of their jobs. And this is, 05:18.333 --> 05:23.066 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% like I said, the next step in that. And we've been hearing from folks over the last few months that 05:25.333 --> 05:28.600 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% their workforces are already trimmed back to the bone and they're already struggling to carry out 05:31.333 --> 05:36.300 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% key functions. Some of these agencies are doing less enforcement or less oversight. 05:36.300 --> 05:41.300 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% At national parks, there's bathrooms that are not being cleaned and certain services that are 05:43.200 --> 05:47.533 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% no longer being offered. We've reported on the Forest Service that they. They're 05:49.566 --> 05:51.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% really struggling to keep haste. You could really go down the gamut with this. You know, 05:51.533 --> 05:54.866 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% we've talked to people at Veterans Affairs who are saying that they're not able to 05:54.866 --> 05:59.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% provide the same care that they used to because of staffing issues there. 05:59.733 --> 06:04.733 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% And if there's further cuts, further layoffs, that would only exacerbate some of these issues that 06:07.000 --> 06:10.033 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% we've been hearing about. And employees, you know, you talk about morale. The employees have been 06:12.333 --> 06:14.533 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% saying for months that because of this pressure to leave and because of some of the rhetoric that's 06:14.533 --> 06:19.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% being coming out from the White House that they just. They feel attacked or villainized. 06:22.300 --> 06:26.866 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And this is, you know, as we're having these discussions over the last few days, 06:26.866 --> 06:29.166 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% they're saying this is just continuing to add to that. 06:29.166 --> 06:31.200 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% JOHN YANG: You know, a lot of people, when they hear federal workers, 06:31.200 --> 06:35.266 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% they think Washington, D.C. but. But it goes well beyond that, doesn't it? 06:35.266 --> 06:39.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% ERIC KATZ: Yeah. About 15 percent of federal workforce is based in the D.C. area. Vast 06:39.833 --> 06:44.633 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% majority is spread out around the country and around the world in some cases. We actually, 06:44.633 --> 06:48.800 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% before this memo came out, we had reported that the Interior Department, for example, 06:48.800 --> 06:53.800 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% is contemplating and preparing for widespread layoffs. And those employees 06:55.900 --> 06:59.066 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% are in national parks and in regional offices all around the country. You can think through 07:00.933 --> 07:04.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Social Security Administration and VA and all sorts of land management 07:06.833 --> 07:10.666 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% agencies in addition to Interior and, you know, even like EPA enforcement there. 07:13.066 --> 07:16.200 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% These people are not just in D.C. but they're in offices all around the country. And some of them 07:18.933 --> 07:23.566 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% would almost certainly be subject to these layoffs if they are seen through. 07:23.566 --> 07:26.533 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% JOHN YANG: Eric Katz of Government Executive. Thank you very much. 07:26.533 --> 07:28.866 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% ERIC KATZ: Thank you. 07:28.866 --> 07:32.233 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% JOHN YANG: In Tonight's other headlines. There's been a shooting in a church in 07:32.233 --> 07:36.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Michigan. It's left at least two people dead, several others injured and the 07:36.466 --> 07:41.333 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% church in flames. It happened during worship services at the Church of Jesus Christ of 07:41.333 --> 07:46.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Latter-day Saints in Grand Blank, Michigan, which is about 50 miles north of Detroit. 07:46.133 --> 07:51.133 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% The police chief said a 40-year-old man rammed his vehicle into the front door of the church, 07:52.600 --> 07:55.033 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% started shooting at worshippers and then set the church on fire. 07:55.033 --> 07:59.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% WILLIAM RENYE, Police Chief, Grand Blanc Township: We believe that was deliberately set 07:59.266 --> 08:04.266 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% by the suspect. We do believe that we will find additional victims once we have that scene secure. 08:09.800 --> 08:13.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JOHN YANG: Police said the two officers who initially responded to the scene immediately 08:13.733 --> 08:17.600 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% took the shooter out. His motive is still unknown. 08:17.600 --> 08:22.000 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% New York City Mayor Eric Adams is ending his bid for reelection. The Democrat, 08:22.000 --> 08:26.300 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% who was running as an independent, made the announcement in a video posted to social 08:26.300 --> 08:31.200 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% media. Adams campaign had been hurt by his now dismissed federal bribery 08:31.200 --> 08:35.600 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% case and by liberal anger over his warm relations with President Trump. 08:35.600 --> 08:40.533 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% The remaining candidates include Democratic nominee and frontrunner Zoran Mamdani, 08:40.533 --> 08:45.533 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who's running as an independent, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa. 08:47.566 --> 08:52.033 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Oregon Governor Tina Kotek is pushing back on President Trump's demand to send troops to 08:54.133 --> 08:57.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Portland. Kotek, a Democrat, said she called Mr. Trump to say that Portland is not a war 08:59.633 --> 09:03.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% ravaged city as he says it is. Kotek said sending troops to the city would only create conflict. 09:05.333 --> 09:08.300 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% GOV. TINA KOTEK (D) Oregon: Oregon is our home. It is not a military 09:08.300 --> 09:13.300 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% target. Any deployment would be an abuse of power and a misuse of federal troops. 09:15.400 --> 09:18.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JOHN YANG: The White House hasn't laid out a timeline for deploying troops or said where 09:18.233 --> 09:23.233 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% they would be stationed. Kotek urged the public to stay calm and said violence will not be tolerated. 09:25.400 --> 09:29.466 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% And the Southeast is bracing for the effects of newly designated Tropical Storm Imelda, 09:31.600 --> 09:34.066 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% which is churning away in the Atlantic. The National Hurricane Center says Imelda is expected 09:34.066 --> 09:39.066 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% to further strengthen and bring tropical storm conditions to Florida beginning tomorrow. It's 09:41.133 --> 09:44.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% then forecast to move north, and while it's not expected to make landfall, it is likely to bring 09:46.400 --> 09:49.400 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% heavy rainfall, flooding and dangerous surf to the coastal Carolinas into Wednesday morning. 09:51.466 --> 09:55.933 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Still to come on PBS News Weekend public transit systems in crisis across the country 09:57.800 --> 10:00.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% and the rise of renters in the suburbs of some of the nation's biggest cities. 10:02.066 --> 10:07.066 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% (BREAK) 10:17.800 --> 10:22.800 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% JOHN YANG: A shortfall in federal transportation funding is threatening bus and metro systems 10:24.766 --> 10:28.000 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% across the country. When ridership dropped during the pandemic, the government spent 10:28.000 --> 10:32.400 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% billions of dollars to support public transit. But that money has largely run 10:32.400 --> 10:37.366 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% out. And now with inflation added to the mix, local governments are saddled with hundreds 10:37.366 --> 10:42.333 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% of millions of dollars in deficits. That's leading to reduced services and increased fares. 10:44.466 --> 10:48.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Ali Rogin explores the effect all of this is having beyond the morning commute with Philip 10:48.433 --> 10:53.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Plotch, the principal researcher and senior fellow at The Eno Center for Transportation. 10:55.233 --> 10:57.933 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% ALI ROGIN: Philip Plotch, thank you for joining us. How did regional 10:57.933 --> 11:02.900 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% public transit systems find themselves at the edge of this financial cliff? 11:05.266 --> 11:07.433 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% PHILIP PLOTCH, The Eno Center for Transportation: So you might remember when the pandemic first hit, 11:07.433 --> 11:11.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% there was a real concern about a potential for a real economic crisis in the United States. 11:11.733 --> 11:16.633 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% That's why the government, the federal government pumped so much money into the economy. They lent 11:16.633 --> 11:21.633 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% a lot of money to small businesses. Money was given to schools, local governments, 11:23.900 --> 11:27.400 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% and about 70 billion with to B went to keep public transportation running across the country. 11:29.466 --> 11:33.800 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% The thinking was people needed to get jobs, supermarkets and hospitals. And remember, 11:35.700 --> 11:38.300 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% we wanted all of our frontline workers to get to work. The programs worked, 11:38.300 --> 11:43.300 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% the economy kept chugging along. But now many agencies are running out of money because 11:45.400 --> 11:48.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% ridership is down. So compared to what it was before the pandemic, about 14 percent fewer 11:50.933 --> 11:54.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% people are taking the bus and about 28 percent fewer people are taking the train. 11:54.833 --> 11:59.800 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% So the transit agencies, they're making cuts. They've been stretching out the COVID funding, 12:01.800 --> 12:05.100 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% and they've just been hoping that the state and local governments are going 12:05.100 --> 12:08.533 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% to help bail them out before their money runs out. That's why many of 12:08.533 --> 12:12.633 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% them are now staring at the edge of a cliff without any good options. 12:12.633 --> 12:15.733 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% ALI ROGIN: And how is this disrupting the average 12:15.733 --> 12:18.933 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% commuter who is still trying to get to work every day right now? 12:18.933 --> 12:22.700 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% PHILIP PLOTCH: If you're a transit rider, you might need it to get to a job or a medical 12:22.700 --> 12:26.866 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% appointment, school or grocery store. You might not be able to get there if 12:26.866 --> 12:30.866 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% you don't have the bus service or the train service, or they're going to be more crowded, 12:30.866 --> 12:34.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% or you're going to have to wait longer. And sometimes the long wait, we're not talking 12:34.400 --> 12:38.533 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% about 10 or 15 minutes. So imagine you take one bus to another bus and you need a transfer. 12:38.533 --> 12:43.533 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% If that second bus is only running one every hour, your one hour bus ride could turn into a two-hour 12:45.933 --> 12:49.000 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% bus ride really fast. If we cut service across the country at transit agencies, it affects people who 12:51.400 --> 12:54.733 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% don't use transit. So there's more traffic on the roads, it's harder to find parking spaces. When 12:56.966 --> 13:00.633 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% there's more traffic in a city, it slows down emergency vehicles. It really hurts everybody. 13:00.633 --> 13:04.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% ALI ROGIN: So let's talk a little bit more about what we saw in Philadelphia. Sort 13:04.533 --> 13:09.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% of a case study in how this is playing out. What's been happening there and what are the 13:11.900 --> 13:15.633 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% chances that it's going to repeat itself in other cities like San Francisco, Chicago and the like. 13:17.433 --> 13:21.766 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% PHILIP PLOTCH: So Philadelphia has been staring down a $200 million 13:23.600 --> 13:26.300 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% annual shortfall. $200 million. And they put a plan together to cut service, 13:26.300 --> 13:31.300 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% eliminate routes, and to stop service in late evening and early in the morning. 13:33.100 --> 13:35.266 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% And a judge put it on hold. So they are going to continue their service. 13:35.266 --> 13:40.000 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% But what they're doing now is possibly worse. They're taking money that was 13:40.000 --> 13:45.000 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% set aside from improving their system and now they're using it to keep running the 13:46.966 --> 13:49.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% same level of service they had. So it's sort of like if you set aside money to, 13:49.833 --> 13:53.500 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% let's say, fix up your roof to pay your grocery bills, the water is going to 13:53.500 --> 13:58.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% keep seeping into your leaky roof. It might ruin the ceiling, it might ruin the wiring. 14:00.633 --> 14:03.866 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% So you can spend $1,000 now to fix up your roof, but it could cost you $30,000 later 14:06.233 --> 14:08.633 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% if you're not taking care of it. That's going to happen at transit agencies if they start taking 14:08.633 --> 14:13.633 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% the money set aside for upgrading their system to use it just to run their day to day service. 14:15.700 --> 14:18.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% At some point things just break down more often and they're more expensive over the long term and 14:20.800 --> 14:24.033 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% they're not as safe. So the transit agencies are really trying to avoid what they refer 14:26.066 --> 14:30.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% to as a death spiral. That means they cut service so service is less attractive and 14:33.100 --> 14:36.066 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% fewer people are going to be using it. And then because fewer people are using it, they have to 14:36.066 --> 14:41.066 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% cut service. And it's really sad for people who really need to use public transportation. 14:43.266 --> 14:46.766 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% ALI ROGIN: But this is also happening or has the potential to happen in other cities. Right? 14:46.766 --> 14:49.333 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% PHILIP PLOTCH: Some cities have already taken care of this problem. They've sort 14:49.333 --> 14:53.733 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% of gotten ahead of it. So Massachusetts recently passed a millionaires tax and 14:53.733 --> 14:58.066 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% money is going to be used for their transit authority up in Boston. 14:58.066 --> 15:02.300 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% In New Jersey, the state legislature is taking money from the tolls from 15:02.300 --> 15:05.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway. And Minnesota increased 15:05.500 --> 15:08.700 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% their sales tax and their gas tax to pay for more. 15:08.700 --> 15:13.700 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% But there are places that are really taking a hit. And San Francisco you mentioned, that's going to 15:15.866 --> 15:18.633 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% be a big problem. So San Francisco has two things going on. The Bay Area, a lot more people work 15:18.633 --> 15:23.633 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% from home than any other region. So there's fewer people. Also, they relied on their fare. 15:25.100 --> 15:27.200 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% The BART system, that's the Bay Area Rapid Transit. They relied 15:27.200 --> 15:32.033 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% about 70 percent of their expenses came from the fares and also from parking fees. 15:34.033 --> 15:37.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Now because the ridership has plummeted so much, only about 20 percent of their 15:37.266 --> 15:41.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% money is coming in. So they really have to look for the local and state governments 15:41.500 --> 15:46.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% for help. So it's really -- it's different. Every, every city is different. Pittsburgh is 15:48.566 --> 15:52.033 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% facing a big problem while other places aren't necessarily going through that same thing. 15:54.133 --> 15:55.800 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% ALI ROGIN: Philip Plotch with The Eno Center for Transportation, thank you so much. 15:55.800 --> 16:00.833 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% PHILIP PLOTCH: And thank you for informing all of your listener. 16:13.100 --> 16:18.066 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% JOHN YANG: As the cost of homeownership soars across the country, renting has emerged as an 16:18.066 --> 16:23.066 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% increasingly popular alternative, and not just in cities, but in suburbs, too. An analysis of Census 16:25.366 --> 16:29.633 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% data by Point2Homes, an online marketplace for rental homes, found a steady rise in the number 16:31.933 --> 16:35.533 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% of renters in suburbs surrounding the country's 20 biggest metropolitan areas. Some of the big 16:37.733 --> 16:40.900 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% reasons the shortage of affordable housing, coupled with the rising cost of homeownership. 16:42.766 --> 16:46.000 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Doug Ressler is a manager of business intelligence at Yardi Matrix, which is 16:46.000 --> 16:51.000 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% a sister company to Point2Homes that creates software for the real estate industry. Doug, 16:53.033 --> 16:56.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% how big a piece of this is affordability, or are there other factors driving this? 16:58.033 --> 17:00.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% DOUG RESSLER, Yardi Matrix: It's a very significant piece. This really 17:00.233 --> 17:05.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% has started since 2008 with the financial crisis when there were a lot of evictions 17:07.100 --> 17:11.633 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% and home turnovers. And exponentially the demand kept growing, but the supply did not. 17:13.766 --> 17:18.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% So over the course of the last 10 to 15 years, this problem has been exacerbated and will 17:22.133 --> 17:27.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% continue to grow until we find reasonable solutions to the issue of affordability. 17:29.166 --> 17:32.066 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% JOHN YANG: You call it a problem. What's the -- what's at issue here? What's, 17:32.066 --> 17:35.900 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% what's the problem, I guess of people deciding to rent rather than buy? 17:35.900 --> 17:40.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% DOUG RESSLER: Well, the problem is, prior to 2008, you would see a migration pattern of 17:44.400 --> 17:49.400 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% folks who rented, moving out, starting households, and buying homes that has been abbreviated because 17:53.733 --> 17:58.733 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% of the cost of a home, the lack of supply, and the affordability of the home. So what 18:01.266 --> 18:06.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% you have is you have demographic groups renting longer and not being able to purchase a home. 18:08.333 --> 18:11.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JOHN YANG: Now, I know your report said that of the roughly 1,500 suburbs you looked at, 18:11.833 --> 18:16.833 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% 203 were majority renters. Renters outnumbered owners. Some of them were around military bases, 18:18.566 --> 18:21.033 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% where you'd expect a transient population. But was there anything 18:21.033 --> 18:25.100 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% in common or a common thread among the other -- the other places? 18:25.100 --> 18:30.100 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% DOUG RESSLER: What you saw is typically student centers, academics, universities. What we found 18:32.333 --> 18:36.333 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% in addition to the military, that people drive their roots deep and they tend not to migrate 18:41.033 --> 18:46.033 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% great distances. Migration patterns are down from what they were three years ago with the pandemic. 18:47.900 --> 18:52.400 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% And so that mobility has decreased. And what people are looking at is where to 18:52.400 --> 18:57.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% find the best affordability within a general geospace that is very small. 18:57.100 --> 19:01.100 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% JOHN YANG: You said that sort of the progression of starting out in the city, renting an apartment, 19:01.100 --> 19:05.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% moving out to the suburbs, buying a home is changing. Are the demographics changing or 19:05.833 --> 19:10.766 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% is it just that the people who move out to the suburbs are renting rather than buying? 19:10.766 --> 19:15.766 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% DOUG RESSLER: It's certainly the demographics. What we find is that Gen Zers typically like 19:18.000 --> 19:21.400 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% urban cores. They like the social environment. They like the availability of restaurants and 19:23.100 --> 19:27.033 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% social amenities. What we find with Millennials is that they are looking 19:29.066 --> 19:31.966 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% starting a household, they have children, they're looking for better school systems. 19:31.966 --> 19:35.266 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% JOHN YANG: Beside other than that, the improvement of school systems is 19:35.266 --> 19:39.233 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% there. Are they changing the culture or the nature of suburbs in any way? 19:39.233 --> 19:44.066 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% DOUG RESSLER: They are. And there's also pushback in terms of that. You have NIMBYism, 19:44.066 --> 19:49.066 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% which means not in my backyard, that don't like to see rental communities established. 19:50.900 --> 19:55.033 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% What we have found is, though, through studies that have been conducted by a 19:55.033 --> 20:00.033 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% myriad of people, that the ability to create households, either rental or purchase, 20:02.400 --> 20:07.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% adds to economic vibrancy in a given area. It doesn't detract from it. 20:09.566 --> 20:12.000 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% JOHN YANG: Builders and developers have noticed this trend and they're focusing more on 20:12.000 --> 20:16.433 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% multifamily residences rather than single family residences. Could we reach the point where there's 20:18.500 --> 20:22.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% more choice, more inventory among multifamily residences instead of single family homes? 20:24.600 --> 20:27.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% DOUG RESSLER: We're already beginning to see that inflection in terms of the BTR community, 20:29.200 --> 20:31.900 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% the build to rent community is being established. 20:31.900 --> 20:35.766 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% So that whole niche market has grown and is continuing to grow. 20:35.766 --> 20:39.633 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JOHN YANG: What is it going to take to turn this around, to change this trend? 20:39.633 --> 20:42.966 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% DOUG RESSLER: It's going to take a collaboration between governance and 20:42.966 --> 20:47.933 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% business. And typically much of this is really situated at the local level. So we really see 20:50.166 --> 20:54.266 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% it as a collaboration of all three groups, not just necessarily one group in general. 20:55.766 --> 20:57.766 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% JOHN YANG: Doug Ressler of Yardi Matrix, thank you very much. 20:57.766 --> 21:02.733 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% DOUG RESSLER: Thank you. Privilege. 21:04.400 --> 21:09.400 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% JOHN YANG: 21:13.900 --> 21:18.800 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% Finally tonight, a visit to Jahri's World, a place where quirky costumes 21:18.800 --> 21:23.800 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% and silly songs are designed to create a sensory oasis for neurodivergent children. 21:25.733 --> 21:29.666 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% His videos on TikTok have gone viral, racking up millions of views. Earlier, 21:29.666 --> 21:34.666 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% I spoke with the man behind the music, Jerry Turner. I asked him how Jari's World got started. 21:36.766 --> 21:38.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JERRY TURNER, Children's Music Entertainment: So it was by accident. Just I got asked, hey, 21:38.733 --> 21:42.833 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% do you want to work at a school? And I'm just thinking it's just, you know, 21:42.833 --> 21:46.033 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% a public school. But come to find out, you know, 21:46.033 --> 21:51.000 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% it's working with children on the spectrum. So I had to learn quickly and adjust to a new world. 21:52.500 --> 21:54.566 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% JOHN YANG: Jerry, I got to ask you, explain your costume. 21:54.566 --> 21:59.366 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JERRY TURNER: Okay, so I have a song called the Hot Jalapeno. I'm a hot jalapeno. And 22:01.366 --> 22:04.666 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% it was the first performing video I did that went viral on TikTok. And I needed 22:06.700 --> 22:10.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% something cool to look in. Like, even though it's not a jalapeno, it's close enough to. 22:13.833 --> 22:18.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% So it was initially just for the video, but when I started performing at the schools, 22:20.900 --> 22:25.066 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% the children in the schools started getting excited about it. I go by Jahri's World, 22:27.400 --> 22:30.900 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% but the children understood, oh, it's the pepper guy, the jalapeno guy, the chili pepper guy. And 22:33.000 --> 22:37.800 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% the children kind of picked the costume out. They made it into the entity that it is today. 22:39.566 --> 22:42.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JOHN YANG: I noted on your website you say that the primary goal is to help 22:42.533 --> 22:47.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% children learn and retain basic academic and social skills. How do you do that? 22:49.666 --> 22:52.666 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JERRY TURNER: As a child, I really struggled academically, but I've always had an interest 22:52.666 --> 22:57.633 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% in music and entertaining while educating. For me, it's pretty basic. Comes pretty easy 23:03.200 --> 23:08.200 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% just finding a nice beat, nice cool melody and something that the children can get in touch with. 23:12.400 --> 23:17.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Because a lot of children, they grow up and they're just taught ABCs and 23:19.666 --> 23:24.666 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% counting shapes. So when you make a song with those concepts now they feel a part 23:28.400 --> 23:33.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% of the performance because we are making songs that are relevant to where they are. 23:35.333 --> 23:39.033 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JOHN YANG: How does it feel when you see a child who may have been quiet before, 23:39.033 --> 23:44.033 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% maybe seem withdrawn, sort of get in touch with the music and your singing? 23:46.066 --> 23:50.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JERRY TURNER: That's what I live for when those moments happen, especially in the 23:50.133 --> 23:55.133 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% neurodivergent community, when they may not be able to necessarily be one accord somewhere in 23:59.700 --> 24:04.666 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% the music, spiritually, there's an alignment. I believe that's what music was created for, 24:07.133 --> 24:11.633 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% to bring everybody together. And so to see that is something that wows me every day. It keeps it fun, 24:16.700 --> 24:21.666 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% spontaneous, and it keeps me humble and grateful. 24:21.666 --> 24:24.833 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% JOHN YANG: And what sort of reaction do you get from parents? 24:24.833 --> 24:29.333 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% JERRY TURNER: So after the shows and the interactions, you know, 24:29.333 --> 24:34.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% there's parents that I see smiles before they were coming in, kind of upset, mean, 24:34.233 --> 24:39.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% mugging, sad. But then at the end, a lot of comments is, I've never seen my child 24:41.133 --> 24:43.900 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% be able to interact this way with other children. I didn't know that they could 24:43.900 --> 24:48.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% sing. I didn't know that they could dance. I didn't know that they had these social skills. 24:50.733 --> 24:54.200 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% JOHN YANG: Jerry Turner, also known as Jahri's World. Thank you very much. 24:54.200 --> 24:55.633 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% JERRY TRUNER: Thank you. Thank you for having me. 25:11.200 --> 25:16.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% JOHN YANG: Now on the NewsHour Instagram, we learn about the kissing bugs that have a sweet 25:16.133 --> 25:21.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% nickname but a deadly bite. All that and more is on our NewsHour Instagram account. 25:23.166 --> 25:26.933 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And that is PBS News Weekend for this Sunday. I'm John Yang. For all of my colleagues, 25:26.933 --> 25:28.566 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% thanks for joining us. Have a good week.