Delayed September jobs report shows solid job growth and a slight uptick in unemployment

U.S. employers added a surprisingly solid 119,000 jobs in September, the government said, issuing a key economic report that had been delayed for seven weeks by the federal government shutdown.

The increase in payrolls was more than double the 50,000 economists had forecast. Yet there were some troubling details in the delayed report. Labor Department revisions showed that the economy lost 4,000 jobs in August instead of gaining 22,000 as originally reported. Altogether, revisions shaved 33,000 jobs off July and August payrolls. The economy had also shed jobs in June, the first time since the 2020 pandemic that the monthly jobs report has gone negative twice. Joining Larry today to dig into what the numbers mean on the ground are Kevin Klowden, executive director for Milken Institute Finance and Chris Thornberg, founding partner at Beacon economic.

With files from the Associated Press.

Checking in on LAX and air travel in general post-shutdown and pre-Thanksgiving travel

An ongoing dispute over maintenance of parts of the system that powers the LAX Automated People Mover could be the reason the long-awaited train won’t open until next summer, or even later, according to public documents reviewed by LAist. The current dispute adds to a long series of disagreements between the city and LINXS, the group of companies contracted to design, build and operate the train, that have led to the ongoing saga of delays, hundreds of millions in cost overruns and diminishing public confidence that there’ll ever be a rail-only connection to LAX. It also comes at a time when the governing board of LAX has moved to appropriate more than $1 billion to build long-planned elevated roadways officials said will separate airport-bound vehicles from local traffic. Of course, in the background virtually every airport is recovering from the recent government shutdown and preparing for Thanksgiving travel crunch. Here to help break down what’s happening at LAX is Kavish Harjai, transportation correspondent for LAist, and here to help explain what the next two weeks of air travel will look like is Leslie Josephs, airline reporter for CNBC. Have a question on air travel? Give us a call at 866-893-5722 or you can email us at atcomments@laist.com.

With files from LAist.

New UCLA study reveals California facilities handling toxins are at risk for flooding

A new UCLA study, published today in Nature Communications, reveals thousands of toxic sites across the U.S. are at risk for flooding and sea level rise. Researchers 47,000 facilities that handle hazardous materials – sewage, oil and gas, and other toxins. They found that 11% of the sites they examined, around 5,000, are at risk for flooding by the year 2100. The risk isn’t evenly distributed either. Of the 23 states they surveyed, 7 of them account for 80% of the sites at risk, including California. Joining us today on AirTalk to discuss the study is Lara Cushing, assistant professor of environmental health sciences at UCLA.

PUSD will vote on budget cuts. What programs are in jeopardy and will this help their overall deficit?

Pasadena Unified School District will vote Thursday on $25 million in budget cuts that would include layoffs across athletics, arts, libraries and landscaping, among other areas. The cuts are part of a proposed $30.5 million total reduction that represents about 16% of the district's $189 million projected general fund budget next school year. “We have been very rich in resources,” Superintendent Elizabeth Blanco said. “It is always hard to lose things, and these are all great value [adds] to our students and families, but they're still gonna get a very high-quality education with what we're going to have left.” District staff presented their recommendations for reducing the budget at a Thursday board meeting. Parents, educators and students who spoke up at the meeting said the cuts will decimate programs that have helped improve literacy, attract families to the district and provide a meaningful educational experience to students. Pasadena Unified’s financial deficit is years in the making. The Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE) has warned that without significant reductions in spending, the district will not be able to meet its financial obligations and risks losing the ability to govern itself. Joining us today on AirTalk to discuss the potential cuts that will be decided at tonight’s meeting is LAist senior education reporter for K-12, Mariana Dale and Pedro Noguera, dean of USC’s Rossier School of Education.

Checking in on Mexican politics following anti-corruption protests

Several thousand people took to the streets of Mexico City on Saturday to protest crime, corruption and impunity in a demonstration organized by members of Generation Z, but which ended with strong backing from older supporters of opposition parties. The demonstration was mostly peaceful but ended with some young people clashing with the police. The capital’s security secretary, Pablo Vázquez, said 120 people were injured, 100 of them police officers. Twenty people were arrested. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum still has high approval ratings despite a recent spate of high-profile murders that includes the assassination of a popular mayor in the western state of Michoacan. Joining us to get into these recent protests and help offer a sense of where Mexican politics are at are George Mason University professor of policy and government, Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera and Emily Green, chief correspondent covering Mexico and Central America for Reuters.

With files from the Associated Press

TV Talk: ‘The American Revolution,’ ‘A Man on the Inside,’ and many more!

Have you felt completely overwhelmed when deciding what new show to watch these days? Us too. There’s just so much content out there between network TV and numerous streaming platforms. Each week, we will try to break through the noise with TV watchers who can point us to the must-sees and steer us clear of the shows that maybe don’t live up to the hype. This week, listeners will get the latest scoop on what’s worth watching with Liz Shannon-Miller, senior entertainment editor @ Consequence and Roxana Hadadi, TV critic for Vulture.

TV Shows:

The American Revolution (PBS)
A Man on the Inside [S2] (Netflix)
Tiffany Haddish Goes Off (NBC Peacock)
The Last Samurai Standing (Netflix)
The Mighty Nein (Amazon Prime)
The Great British Baking Show: Festive Special (Netflix)
The Celebrity Traitors (BBC One)

Hey, LA listener!

Delayed September jobs report shows solid job growth and a slight uptick in unemployment