1 00:00:04,100 --> 00:00:06,633 JOHN YANG: Tonight on PBS News Weekend, 2 00:00:06,633 --> 00:00:11,100 President Trump and top congressional leaders are set to meet in the Oval Office trying to 3 00:00:11,100 --> 00:00:16,100 avert a government shutdown that could result in and even more mass federal worker layoffs. 4 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:21,500 Then, why renters are increasingly outnumbering homeowners in the suburbs 5 00:00:21,500 --> 00:00:26,500 of some of America's biggest cities. And a special musician racks up millions of views 6 00:00:28,033 --> 00:00:31,700 online with performances tailored to help neurodivergent children. 7 00:00:31,700 --> 00:00:34,833 MAN: I believe that's what music was created for, 8 00:00:34,833 --> 00:00:39,800 to bring everybody together. And so to see that is something that wows me every day. 9 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:47,366 (BREAK) 10 00:01:39,100 --> 00:01:42,900 JOHN YANG: Good evening. I'm John Yang. The battle lines are drawn for 11 00:01:42,900 --> 00:01:47,233 tomorrow's high stakes Oval Office meeting between President Trump and bipartisan 12 00:01:47,233 --> 00:01:52,200 congressional leaders one day before the deadline to avert a government shutdown. 13 00:01:54,133 --> 00:01:56,733 Appearing separately on NBC's Meet the Press, Senate Majority Leader John Thune 14 00:01:56,733 --> 00:02:01,633 and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer each said the other would be to blame for a shutdown. 15 00:02:01,633 --> 00:02:03,500 SEN. JOHN THUNE (R) Majority Leader: I think there is potentially a path 16 00:02:03,500 --> 00:02:07,200 forward. We have to see where it goes. But we can't do it while the American 17 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:10,733 people are being held hostage by the Democrats in a government shutdown. 18 00:02:10,733 --> 00:02:12,900 SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D) Minority Leader: We need a serious negotiation. Now, 19 00:02:12,900 --> 00:02:17,633 if the president at this meeting is going to rant and just yell at Democrats and talk about 20 00:02:19,900 --> 00:02:22,700 all his alleged grievances and say this, that and the other thing, we won't get anything done. 21 00:02:22,700 --> 00:02:26,866 JOHN YANG: Republicans want a short term spending bill without any other provisions, 22 00:02:26,866 --> 00:02:31,866 while Democrats say the price of their support is restoring Medicaid cuts and extending subsidies 23 00:02:33,966 --> 00:02:37,433 that help low and middle income earners buy health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. 24 00:02:37,433 --> 00:02:42,433 Adding to the uncertainty are administration plans to use a shutdown to fire more federal workers. 25 00:02:44,466 --> 00:02:48,733 Eric Katz covers federal agencies for the online publication Government Executive. Eric, 26 00:02:50,633 --> 00:02:54,266 tell us about these plans to use this shutdown to fire more federal workers. 27 00:02:56,333 --> 00:02:58,433 ERIC KATZ, Reporter, Government Executive: The White House, through its budget office, 28 00:02:58,433 --> 00:03:01,666 put out guidance this past week advising agencies that they should develop plans 29 00:03:01,666 --> 00:03:06,666 to instead of having the normal furloughs of, you know, employees are sent home only until 30 00:03:08,900 --> 00:03:11,666 the shutdown ends, they would instead be sent home permanently. They would lose their jobs. 31 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:17,866 The White House said the agencies should focus on any federal employee who doesn't 32 00:03:19,900 --> 00:03:23,100 receive special funding for their job. So anyone funded through the normal annual 33 00:03:23,100 --> 00:03:28,100 appropriations and anyone whose work is not focused on Trump administration 34 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:33,133 priority. So there'd be certain areas that would be exempted from this, 35 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:38,266 but large swaths of the federal government would be facing potential layoffs under this shutdown. 36 00:03:40,866 --> 00:03:44,300 JOHN YANG: How does this fit in with the president's goal of reshaping 37 00:03:44,300 --> 00:03:47,166 the federal government and making it smaller? 38 00:03:47,166 --> 00:03:50,466 ERIC KATZ: President Trump has been focused on shrinking the size of the federal workforce 39 00:03:50,466 --> 00:03:55,466 and the federal government since he took office. Not too long after he took office, 40 00:03:57,533 --> 00:04:00,433 he ordered similar layoff plans from every agency. A couple agencies went through with 41 00:04:00,433 --> 00:04:04,400 those. Health and Human Services, for one, laid off 10,000 people. 42 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:08,700 But a lot of those got held up in court, and then they never ended up being implemented, 43 00:04:08,700 --> 00:04:11,733 at least not yet. But the administration has taken other 44 00:04:11,733 --> 00:04:16,733 steps to shrink the federal workforce through offering various incentives. 45 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:21,933 I believe the administration has said that around 2 or 300,000 federal employees will 46 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:27,333 be off the rolls by the end of September compared to what they inherited in January. 47 00:04:27,333 --> 00:04:32,333 Then they also have a hiring freeze. So very few new employees are coming in. And this is just the 48 00:04:34,233 --> 00:04:38,600 next step in that process to potentially further shrink the agency's workforces. 49 00:04:40,500 --> 00:04:43,200 JOHN YANG: In your conversations with federal workers, is this adding to the 50 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:46,866 anxiety and the concern as we approach a possible shutdown? 51 00:04:46,866 --> 00:04:49,733 ERIC KATZ: It absolutely is. We've talked to a lot of 52 00:04:51,833 --> 00:04:55,466 folks over the last couple days since this memo came out. Everyone is sort of panicked. 53 00:04:57,400 --> 00:05:00,433 There's always a bit of anxiety during a shutdown. Over half the federal workforce, 54 00:05:00,433 --> 00:05:05,400 in a normal shutdown continues to work, and they only on the promise of delayed pay. 55 00:05:07,500 --> 00:05:11,100 They face a lot of negative rhetoric from the administration over the last several months, 56 00:05:11,100 --> 00:05:16,100 and they've been incentivized and pushed and in some cases, forced out of their jobs. And this is, 57 00:05:18,333 --> 00:05:23,066 like I said, the next step in that. And we've been hearing from folks over the last few months that 58 00:05:25,333 --> 00:05:28,600 their workforces are already trimmed back to the bone and they're already struggling to carry out 59 00:05:31,333 --> 00:05:36,300 key functions. Some of these agencies are doing less enforcement or less oversight. 60 00:05:36,300 --> 00:05:41,300 At national parks, there's bathrooms that are not being cleaned and certain services that are 61 00:05:43,200 --> 00:05:47,533 no longer being offered. We've reported on the Forest Service that they. They're 62 00:05:49,566 --> 00:05:51,533 really struggling to keep haste. You could really go down the gamut with this. You know, 63 00:05:51,533 --> 00:05:54,866 we've talked to people at Veterans Affairs who are saying that they're not able to 64 00:05:54,866 --> 00:05:59,733 provide the same care that they used to because of staffing issues there. 65 00:05:59,733 --> 00:06:04,733 And if there's further cuts, further layoffs, that would only exacerbate some of these issues that 66 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:10,033 we've been hearing about. And employees, you know, you talk about morale. The employees have been 67 00:06:12,333 --> 00:06:14,533 saying for months that because of this pressure to leave and because of some of the rhetoric that's 68 00:06:14,533 --> 00:06:19,533 being coming out from the White House that they just. They feel attacked or villainized. 69 00:06:22,300 --> 00:06:26,866 And this is, you know, as we're having these discussions over the last few days, 70 00:06:26,866 --> 00:06:29,166 they're saying this is just continuing to add to that. 71 00:06:29,166 --> 00:06:31,200 JOHN YANG: You know, a lot of people, when they hear federal workers, 72 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:35,266 they think Washington, D.C. but. But it goes well beyond that, doesn't it? 73 00:06:35,266 --> 00:06:39,833 ERIC KATZ: Yeah. About 15 percent of federal workforce is based in the D.C. area. Vast 74 00:06:39,833 --> 00:06:44,633 majority is spread out around the country and around the world in some cases. We actually, 75 00:06:44,633 --> 00:06:48,800 before this memo came out, we had reported that the Interior Department, for example, 76 00:06:48,800 --> 00:06:53,800 is contemplating and preparing for widespread layoffs. And those employees 77 00:06:55,900 --> 00:06:59,066 are in national parks and in regional offices all around the country. You can think through 78 00:07:00,933 --> 00:07:04,900 Social Security Administration and VA and all sorts of land management 79 00:07:06,833 --> 00:07:10,666 agencies in addition to Interior and, you know, even like EPA enforcement there. 80 00:07:13,066 --> 00:07:16,200 These people are not just in D.C. but they're in offices all around the country. And some of them 81 00:07:18,933 --> 00:07:23,566 would almost certainly be subject to these layoffs if they are seen through. 82 00:07:23,566 --> 00:07:26,533 JOHN YANG: Eric Katz of Government Executive. Thank you very much. 83 00:07:26,533 --> 00:07:28,866 ERIC KATZ: Thank you. 84 00:07:28,866 --> 00:07:32,233 JOHN YANG: In Tonight's other headlines. There's been a shooting in a church in 85 00:07:32,233 --> 00:07:36,466 Michigan. It's left at least two people dead, several others injured and the 86 00:07:36,466 --> 00:07:41,333 church in flames. It happened during worship services at the Church of Jesus Christ of 87 00:07:41,333 --> 00:07:46,133 Latter-day Saints in Grand Blank, Michigan, which is about 50 miles north of Detroit. 88 00:07:46,133 --> 00:07:51,133 The police chief said a 40-year-old man rammed his vehicle into the front door of the church, 89 00:07:52,600 --> 00:07:55,033 started shooting at worshippers and then set the church on fire. 90 00:07:55,033 --> 00:07:59,266 WILLIAM RENYE, Police Chief, Grand Blanc Township: We believe that was deliberately set 91 00:07:59,266 --> 00:08:04,266 by the suspect. We do believe that we will find additional victims once we have that scene secure. 92 00:08:09,800 --> 00:08:13,733 JOHN YANG: Police said the two officers who initially responded to the scene immediately 93 00:08:13,733 --> 00:08:17,600 took the shooter out. His motive is still unknown. 94 00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:22,000 New York City Mayor Eric Adams is ending his bid for reelection. The Democrat, 95 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:26,300 who was running as an independent, made the announcement in a video posted to social 96 00:08:26,300 --> 00:08:31,200 media. Adams campaign had been hurt by his now dismissed federal bribery 97 00:08:31,200 --> 00:08:35,600 case and by liberal anger over his warm relations with President Trump. 98 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:40,533 The remaining candidates include Democratic nominee and frontrunner Zoran Mamdani, 99 00:08:40,533 --> 00:08:45,533 former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who's running as an independent, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa. 100 00:08:47,566 --> 00:08:52,033 Oregon Governor Tina Kotek is pushing back on President Trump's demand to send troops to 101 00:08:54,133 --> 00:08:57,533 Portland. Kotek, a Democrat, said she called Mr. Trump to say that Portland is not a war 102 00:08:59,633 --> 00:09:03,533 ravaged city as he says it is. Kotek said sending troops to the city would only create conflict. 103 00:09:05,333 --> 00:09:08,300 GOV. TINA KOTEK (D) Oregon: Oregon is our home. It is not a military 104 00:09:08,300 --> 00:09:13,300 target. Any deployment would be an abuse of power and a misuse of federal troops. 105 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:18,233 JOHN YANG: The White House hasn't laid out a timeline for deploying troops or said where 106 00:09:18,233 --> 00:09:23,233 they would be stationed. Kotek urged the public to stay calm and said violence will not be tolerated. 107 00:09:25,400 --> 00:09:29,466 And the Southeast is bracing for the effects of newly designated Tropical Storm Imelda, 108 00:09:31,600 --> 00:09:34,066 which is churning away in the Atlantic. The National Hurricane Center says Imelda is expected 109 00:09:34,066 --> 00:09:39,066 to further strengthen and bring tropical storm conditions to Florida beginning tomorrow. It's 110 00:09:41,133 --> 00:09:44,200 then forecast to move north, and while it's not expected to make landfall, it is likely to bring 111 00:09:46,400 --> 00:09:49,400 heavy rainfall, flooding and dangerous surf to the coastal Carolinas into Wednesday morning. 112 00:09:51,466 --> 00:09:55,933 Still to come on PBS News Weekend public transit systems in crisis across the country 113 00:09:57,800 --> 00:10:00,466 and the rise of renters in the suburbs of some of the nation's biggest cities. 114 00:10:02,066 --> 00:10:07,066 (BREAK) 115 00:10:17,800 --> 00:10:22,800 JOHN YANG: A shortfall in federal transportation funding is threatening bus and metro systems 116 00:10:24,766 --> 00:10:28,000 across the country. When ridership dropped during the pandemic, the government spent 117 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:32,400 billions of dollars to support public transit. But that money has largely run 118 00:10:32,400 --> 00:10:37,366 out. And now with inflation added to the mix, local governments are saddled with hundreds 119 00:10:37,366 --> 00:10:42,333 of millions of dollars in deficits. That's leading to reduced services and increased fares. 120 00:10:44,466 --> 00:10:48,433 Ali Rogin explores the effect all of this is having beyond the morning commute with Philip 121 00:10:48,433 --> 00:10:53,400 Plotch, the principal researcher and senior fellow at The Eno Center for Transportation. 122 00:10:55,233 --> 00:10:57,933 ALI ROGIN: Philip Plotch, thank you for joining us. How did regional 123 00:10:57,933 --> 00:11:02,900 public transit systems find themselves at the edge of this financial cliff? 124 00:11:05,266 --> 00:11:07,433 PHILIP PLOTCH, The Eno Center for Transportation: So you might remember when the pandemic first hit, 125 00:11:07,433 --> 00:11:11,733 there was a real concern about a potential for a real economic crisis in the United States. 126 00:11:11,733 --> 00:11:16,633 That's why the government, the federal government pumped so much money into the economy. They lent 127 00:11:16,633 --> 00:11:21,633 a lot of money to small businesses. Money was given to schools, local governments, 128 00:11:23,900 --> 00:11:27,400 and about 70 billion with to B went to keep public transportation running across the country. 129 00:11:29,466 --> 00:11:33,800 The thinking was people needed to get jobs, supermarkets and hospitals. And remember, 130 00:11:35,700 --> 00:11:38,300 we wanted all of our frontline workers to get to work. The programs worked, 131 00:11:38,300 --> 00:11:43,300 the economy kept chugging along. But now many agencies are running out of money because 132 00:11:45,400 --> 00:11:48,900 ridership is down. So compared to what it was before the pandemic, about 14 percent fewer 133 00:11:50,933 --> 00:11:54,833 people are taking the bus and about 28 percent fewer people are taking the train. 134 00:11:54,833 --> 00:11:59,800 So the transit agencies, they're making cuts. They've been stretching out the COVID funding, 135 00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:05,100 and they've just been hoping that the state and local governments are going 136 00:12:05,100 --> 00:12:08,533 to help bail them out before their money runs out. That's why many of 137 00:12:08,533 --> 00:12:12,633 them are now staring at the edge of a cliff without any good options. 138 00:12:12,633 --> 00:12:15,733 ALI ROGIN: And how is this disrupting the average 139 00:12:15,733 --> 00:12:18,933 commuter who is still trying to get to work every day right now? 140 00:12:18,933 --> 00:12:22,700 PHILIP PLOTCH: If you're a transit rider, you might need it to get to a job or a medical 141 00:12:22,700 --> 00:12:26,866 appointment, school or grocery store. You might not be able to get there if 142 00:12:26,866 --> 00:12:30,866 you don't have the bus service or the train service, or they're going to be more crowded, 143 00:12:30,866 --> 00:12:34,400 or you're going to have to wait longer. And sometimes the long wait, we're not talking 144 00:12:34,400 --> 00:12:38,533 about 10 or 15 minutes. So imagine you take one bus to another bus and you need a transfer. 145 00:12:38,533 --> 00:12:43,533 If that second bus is only running one every hour, your one hour bus ride could turn into a two-hour 146 00:12:45,933 --> 00:12:49,000 bus ride really fast. If we cut service across the country at transit agencies, it affects people who 147 00:12:51,400 --> 00:12:54,733 don't use transit. So there's more traffic on the roads, it's harder to find parking spaces. When 148 00:12:56,966 --> 00:13:00,633 there's more traffic in a city, it slows down emergency vehicles. It really hurts everybody. 149 00:13:00,633 --> 00:13:04,533 ALI ROGIN: So let's talk a little bit more about what we saw in Philadelphia. Sort 150 00:13:04,533 --> 00:13:09,533 of a case study in how this is playing out. What's been happening there and what are the 151 00:13:11,900 --> 00:13:15,633 chances that it's going to repeat itself in other cities like San Francisco, Chicago and the like. 152 00:13:17,433 --> 00:13:21,766 PHILIP PLOTCH: So Philadelphia has been staring down a $200 million 153 00:13:23,600 --> 00:13:26,300 annual shortfall. $200 million. And they put a plan together to cut service, 154 00:13:26,300 --> 00:13:31,300 eliminate routes, and to stop service in late evening and early in the morning. 155 00:13:33,100 --> 00:13:35,266 And a judge put it on hold. So they are going to continue their service. 156 00:13:35,266 --> 00:13:40,000 But what they're doing now is possibly worse. They're taking money that was 157 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:45,000 set aside from improving their system and now they're using it to keep running the 158 00:13:46,966 --> 00:13:49,833 same level of service they had. So it's sort of like if you set aside money to, 159 00:13:49,833 --> 00:13:53,500 let's say, fix up your roof to pay your grocery bills, the water is going to 160 00:13:53,500 --> 00:13:58,500 keep seeping into your leaky roof. It might ruin the ceiling, it might ruin the wiring. 161 00:14:00,633 --> 00:14:03,866 So you can spend $1,000 now to fix up your roof, but it could cost you $30,000 later 162 00:14:06,233 --> 00:14:08,633 if you're not taking care of it. That's going to happen at transit agencies if they start taking 163 00:14:08,633 --> 00:14:13,633 the money set aside for upgrading their system to use it just to run their day to day service. 164 00:14:15,700 --> 00:14:18,733 At some point things just break down more often and they're more expensive over the long term and 165 00:14:20,800 --> 00:14:24,033 they're not as safe. So the transit agencies are really trying to avoid what they refer 166 00:14:26,066 --> 00:14:30,900 to as a death spiral. That means they cut service so service is less attractive and 167 00:14:33,100 --> 00:14:36,066 fewer people are going to be using it. And then because fewer people are using it, they have to 168 00:14:36,066 --> 00:14:41,066 cut service. And it's really sad for people who really need to use public transportation. 169 00:14:43,266 --> 00:14:46,766 ALI ROGIN: But this is also happening or has the potential to happen in other cities. Right? 170 00:14:46,766 --> 00:14:49,333 PHILIP PLOTCH: Some cities have already taken care of this problem. They've sort 171 00:14:49,333 --> 00:14:53,733 of gotten ahead of it. So Massachusetts recently passed a millionaires tax and 172 00:14:53,733 --> 00:14:58,066 money is going to be used for their transit authority up in Boston. 173 00:14:58,066 --> 00:15:02,300 In New Jersey, the state legislature is taking money from the tolls from 174 00:15:02,300 --> 00:15:05,500 the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway. And Minnesota increased 175 00:15:05,500 --> 00:15:08,700 their sales tax and their gas tax to pay for more. 176 00:15:08,700 --> 00:15:13,700 But there are places that are really taking a hit. And San Francisco you mentioned, that's going to 177 00:15:15,866 --> 00:15:18,633 be a big problem. So San Francisco has two things going on. The Bay Area, a lot more people work 178 00:15:18,633 --> 00:15:23,633 from home than any other region. So there's fewer people. Also, they relied on their fare. 179 00:15:25,100 --> 00:15:27,200 The BART system, that's the Bay Area Rapid Transit. They relied 180 00:15:27,200 --> 00:15:32,033 about 70 percent of their expenses came from the fares and also from parking fees. 181 00:15:34,033 --> 00:15:37,266 Now because the ridership has plummeted so much, only about 20 percent of their 182 00:15:37,266 --> 00:15:41,500 money is coming in. So they really have to look for the local and state governments 183 00:15:41,500 --> 00:15:46,500 for help. So it's really -- it's different. Every, every city is different. Pittsburgh is 184 00:15:48,566 --> 00:15:52,033 facing a big problem while other places aren't necessarily going through that same thing. 185 00:15:54,133 --> 00:15:55,800 ALI ROGIN: Philip Plotch with The Eno Center for Transportation, thank you so much. 186 00:15:55,800 --> 00:16:00,833 PHILIP PLOTCH: And thank you for informing all of your listener. 187 00:16:13,100 --> 00:16:18,066 JOHN YANG: As the cost of homeownership soars across the country, renting has emerged as an 188 00:16:18,066 --> 00:16:23,066 increasingly popular alternative, and not just in cities, but in suburbs, too. An analysis of Census 189 00:16:25,366 --> 00:16:29,633 data by Point2Homes, an online marketplace for rental homes, found a steady rise in the number 190 00:16:31,933 --> 00:16:35,533 of renters in suburbs surrounding the country's 20 biggest metropolitan areas. Some of the big 191 00:16:37,733 --> 00:16:40,900 reasons the shortage of affordable housing, coupled with the rising cost of homeownership. 192 00:16:42,766 --> 00:16:46,000 Doug Ressler is a manager of business intelligence at Yardi Matrix, which is 193 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:51,000 a sister company to Point2Homes that creates software for the real estate industry. Doug, 194 00:16:53,033 --> 00:16:56,266 how big a piece of this is affordability, or are there other factors driving this? 195 00:16:58,033 --> 00:17:00,233 DOUG RESSLER, Yardi Matrix: It's a very significant piece. This really 196 00:17:00,233 --> 00:17:05,133 has started since 2008 with the financial crisis when there were a lot of evictions 197 00:17:07,100 --> 00:17:11,633 and home turnovers. And exponentially the demand kept growing, but the supply did not. 198 00:17:13,766 --> 00:17:18,733 So over the course of the last 10 to 15 years, this problem has been exacerbated and will 199 00:17:22,133 --> 00:17:27,133 continue to grow until we find reasonable solutions to the issue of affordability. 200 00:17:29,166 --> 00:17:32,066 JOHN YANG: You call it a problem. What's the -- what's at issue here? What's, 201 00:17:32,066 --> 00:17:35,900 what's the problem, I guess of people deciding to rent rather than buy? 202 00:17:35,900 --> 00:17:40,900 DOUG RESSLER: Well, the problem is, prior to 2008, you would see a migration pattern of 203 00:17:44,400 --> 00:17:49,400 folks who rented, moving out, starting households, and buying homes that has been abbreviated because 204 00:17:53,733 --> 00:17:58,733 of the cost of a home, the lack of supply, and the affordability of the home. So what 205 00:18:01,266 --> 00:18:06,266 you have is you have demographic groups renting longer and not being able to purchase a home. 206 00:18:08,333 --> 00:18:11,833 JOHN YANG: Now, I know your report said that of the roughly 1,500 suburbs you looked at, 207 00:18:11,833 --> 00:18:16,833 203 were majority renters. Renters outnumbered owners. Some of them were around military bases, 208 00:18:18,566 --> 00:18:21,033 where you'd expect a transient population. But was there anything 209 00:18:21,033 --> 00:18:25,100 in common or a common thread among the other -- the other places? 210 00:18:25,100 --> 00:18:30,100 DOUG RESSLER: What you saw is typically student centers, academics, universities. What we found 211 00:18:32,333 --> 00:18:36,333 in addition to the military, that people drive their roots deep and they tend not to migrate 212 00:18:41,033 --> 00:18:46,033 great distances. Migration patterns are down from what they were three years ago with the pandemic. 213 00:18:47,900 --> 00:18:52,400 And so that mobility has decreased. And what people are looking at is where to 214 00:18:52,400 --> 00:18:57,100 find the best affordability within a general geospace that is very small. 215 00:18:57,100 --> 00:19:01,100 JOHN YANG: You said that sort of the progression of starting out in the city, renting an apartment, 216 00:19:01,100 --> 00:19:05,833 moving out to the suburbs, buying a home is changing. Are the demographics changing or 217 00:19:05,833 --> 00:19:10,766 is it just that the people who move out to the suburbs are renting rather than buying? 218 00:19:10,766 --> 00:19:15,766 DOUG RESSLER: It's certainly the demographics. What we find is that Gen Zers typically like 219 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:21,400 urban cores. They like the social environment. They like the availability of restaurants and 220 00:19:23,100 --> 00:19:27,033 social amenities. What we find with Millennials is that they are looking 221 00:19:29,066 --> 00:19:31,966 starting a household, they have children, they're looking for better school systems. 222 00:19:31,966 --> 00:19:35,266 JOHN YANG: Beside other than that, the improvement of school systems is 223 00:19:35,266 --> 00:19:39,233 there. Are they changing the culture or the nature of suburbs in any way? 224 00:19:39,233 --> 00:19:44,066 DOUG RESSLER: They are. And there's also pushback in terms of that. You have NIMBYism, 225 00:19:44,066 --> 00:19:49,066 which means not in my backyard, that don't like to see rental communities established. 226 00:19:50,900 --> 00:19:55,033 What we have found is, though, through studies that have been conducted by a 227 00:19:55,033 --> 00:20:00,033 myriad of people, that the ability to create households, either rental or purchase, 228 00:20:02,400 --> 00:20:07,400 adds to economic vibrancy in a given area. It doesn't detract from it. 229 00:20:09,566 --> 00:20:12,000 JOHN YANG: Builders and developers have noticed this trend and they're focusing more on 230 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:16,433 multifamily residences rather than single family residences. Could we reach the point where there's 231 00:20:18,500 --> 00:20:22,500 more choice, more inventory among multifamily residences instead of single family homes? 232 00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:27,833 DOUG RESSLER: We're already beginning to see that inflection in terms of the BTR community, 233 00:20:29,200 --> 00:20:31,900 the build to rent community is being established. 234 00:20:31,900 --> 00:20:35,766 So that whole niche market has grown and is continuing to grow. 235 00:20:35,766 --> 00:20:39,633 JOHN YANG: What is it going to take to turn this around, to change this trend? 236 00:20:39,633 --> 00:20:42,966 DOUG RESSLER: It's going to take a collaboration between governance and 237 00:20:42,966 --> 00:20:47,933 business. And typically much of this is really situated at the local level. So we really see 238 00:20:50,166 --> 00:20:54,266 it as a collaboration of all three groups, not just necessarily one group in general. 239 00:20:55,766 --> 00:20:57,766 JOHN YANG: Doug Ressler of Yardi Matrix, thank you very much. 240 00:20:57,766 --> 00:21:02,733 DOUG RESSLER: Thank you. Privilege. 241 00:21:04,400 --> 00:21:09,400 JOHN YANG: 242 00:21:13,900 --> 00:21:18,800 Finally tonight, a visit to Jahri's World, a place where quirky costumes 243 00:21:18,800 --> 00:21:23,800 and silly songs are designed to create a sensory oasis for neurodivergent children. 244 00:21:25,733 --> 00:21:29,666 His videos on TikTok have gone viral, racking up millions of views. Earlier, 245 00:21:29,666 --> 00:21:34,666 I spoke with the man behind the music, Jerry Turner. I asked him how Jari's World got started. 246 00:21:36,766 --> 00:21:38,733 JERRY TURNER, Children's Music Entertainment: So it was by accident. Just I got asked, hey, 247 00:21:38,733 --> 00:21:42,833 do you want to work at a school? And I'm just thinking it's just, you know, 248 00:21:42,833 --> 00:21:46,033 a public school. But come to find out, you know, 249 00:21:46,033 --> 00:21:51,000 it's working with children on the spectrum. So I had to learn quickly and adjust to a new world. 250 00:21:52,500 --> 00:21:54,566 JOHN YANG: Jerry, I got to ask you, explain your costume. 251 00:21:54,566 --> 00:21:59,366 JERRY TURNER: Okay, so I have a song called the Hot Jalapeno. I'm a hot jalapeno. And 252 00:22:01,366 --> 00:22:04,666 it was the first performing video I did that went viral on TikTok. And I needed 253 00:22:06,700 --> 00:22:10,533 something cool to look in. Like, even though it's not a jalapeno, it's close enough to. 254 00:22:13,833 --> 00:22:18,833 So it was initially just for the video, but when I started performing at the schools, 255 00:22:20,900 --> 00:22:25,066 the children in the schools started getting excited about it. I go by Jahri's World, 256 00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:30,900 but the children understood, oh, it's the pepper guy, the jalapeno guy, the chili pepper guy. And 257 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:37,800 the children kind of picked the costume out. They made it into the entity that it is today. 258 00:22:39,566 --> 00:22:42,533 JOHN YANG: I noted on your website you say that the primary goal is to help 259 00:22:42,533 --> 00:22:47,533 children learn and retain basic academic and social skills. How do you do that? 260 00:22:49,666 --> 00:22:52,666 JERRY TURNER: As a child, I really struggled academically, but I've always had an interest 261 00:22:52,666 --> 00:22:57,633 in music and entertaining while educating. For me, it's pretty basic. Comes pretty easy 262 00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:08,200 just finding a nice beat, nice cool melody and something that the children can get in touch with. 263 00:23:12,400 --> 00:23:17,400 Because a lot of children, they grow up and they're just taught ABCs and 264 00:23:19,666 --> 00:23:24,666 counting shapes. So when you make a song with those concepts now they feel a part 265 00:23:28,400 --> 00:23:33,400 of the performance because we are making songs that are relevant to where they are. 266 00:23:35,333 --> 00:23:39,033 JOHN YANG: How does it feel when you see a child who may have been quiet before, 267 00:23:39,033 --> 00:23:44,033 maybe seem withdrawn, sort of get in touch with the music and your singing? 268 00:23:46,066 --> 00:23:50,133 JERRY TURNER: That's what I live for when those moments happen, especially in the 269 00:23:50,133 --> 00:23:55,133 neurodivergent community, when they may not be able to necessarily be one accord somewhere in 270 00:23:59,700 --> 00:24:04,666 the music, spiritually, there's an alignment. I believe that's what music was created for, 271 00:24:07,133 --> 00:24:11,633 to bring everybody together. And so to see that is something that wows me every day. It keeps it fun, 272 00:24:16,700 --> 00:24:21,666 spontaneous, and it keeps me humble and grateful. 273 00:24:21,666 --> 00:24:24,833 JOHN YANG: And what sort of reaction do you get from parents? 274 00:24:24,833 --> 00:24:29,333 JERRY TURNER: So after the shows and the interactions, you know, 275 00:24:29,333 --> 00:24:34,233 there's parents that I see smiles before they were coming in, kind of upset, mean, 276 00:24:34,233 --> 00:24:39,233 mugging, sad. But then at the end, a lot of comments is, I've never seen my child 277 00:24:41,133 --> 00:24:43,900 be able to interact this way with other children. I didn't know that they could 278 00:24:43,900 --> 00:24:48,900 sing. I didn't know that they could dance. I didn't know that they had these social skills. 279 00:24:50,733 --> 00:24:54,200 JOHN YANG: Jerry Turner, also known as Jahri's World. Thank you very much. 280 00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:55,633 JERRY TRUNER: Thank you. Thank you for having me. 281 00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:16,133 JOHN YANG: Now on the NewsHour Instagram, we learn about the kissing bugs that have a sweet 282 00:25:16,133 --> 00:25:21,133 nickname but a deadly bite. All that and more is on our NewsHour Instagram account. 283 00:25:23,166 --> 00:25:26,933 And that is PBS News Weekend for this Sunday. I'm John Yang. For all of my colleagues, 284 00:25:26,933 --> 00:25:28,566 thanks for joining us. Have a good week.