1 big thing: Insurance risk rises

2. Employers get creative on benefits

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3. Black Americans see media bias despite changes

4. Pumpkin spice weed

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Extreme weather and climate change are driving up insurance costs nationwide, a new report finds.

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Whats Next

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The next decade of big, sweeping changes will unfold in cities and communities where new technologies like 5G, AI and drones are transforming how we work, live and play together.  What’s Next will guide you through the revolution.

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1 big thing: UAW's tactics, explained

2. The AI pause that wasn't

3. Climate split screen

Illustration of a shattered map of the world.

4. Brightline launches Miami-Orlando trains

Brightline trains at Orlando International Airport. Photo: Courtesy of Brightline

The autoworkers strike is only getting more complex, Joann and Axios' Emily Peck report today.

Today's newsletter is 996 words ... 4 minutes.

Big thanks to What's Next copy editor Amy Stern.

1 big thing: Composting trendsetter

Illustration of the I Heart NY logo with an apple core replacing the heart.

2. Funding cleaner jet fuel

Illustration of a gloved hand scrubbing an airplane contrail with a sponge

3. UAW pushes for four-day workweek

Illustration of a number "4" in a water cooler. 

4. "Feeling" the music

Carrie trying out the SoundShirt during a Lyric Opera rehearsal. The lights correspond to where vibration is hitting on the body as the orchestra plays. 

The Big Apple's new composting program could lead other cities to launch similar efforts, Jennifer reports today.

Today's newsletter is 1,235 words ... 5 minutes.

Big thanks to today's What's Next copy editor, Patricia Guadalupe.

1 big thing: Why "The Golden Bachelor" matters

Gerry Turner, a 72-year-old retired restaurateur, will choose a potential mate on ABC's "The Bachelor."

2. Hollywood writers get AI rules

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3. 📊 Politics drives EV adoption

4. New airport lights

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The Bachelor's first senior star could change the way society views older people, Jennifer reports today.

Today's newsletter is 1,098 words ... 4 minutes.

1 big thing: Shutdown's air travel impact

Illustration of a queue of airport stanchions and rope in the shape of the U.S. flag

2. States fill AI law void

3. Bad economic vibes

4. Chicago gets first "Guinness bakery"

The Guinness Open Gate Brewery in West Loop.

A government shutdown could have potentially long-lasting consequences for air travel, Alex writes today.

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Today's newsletter is 1,162 words ... 4½ minutes.

Houston

Data: U.S. Census Bureau; Note: Includes women ages 16 to 50; Chart: Kavya Beheraj/Axios

The number of Houston-area women who return to the workforce soon after giving birth has been steadily growing over the last decade, per new U.S. Census Bureau data.

Driving the news: In 2022, nearly 64% of Houston-area women who gave birth in the previous 12 months were in the labor force.

That's a significant increase compared to the approximately 50% of Houstonian women who were in the workforce in 2010.

Why it matters: Motherhood often knocks women out of the labor force, at least temporarily, contributing to the gender pay gap.

The intrigue: Remote and flexible work is making it easier for new moms to juggle both parenting and their careers. (In fact, the workplace gender gap is at a record low.)

That's true for new dads, too — but women tend to bear the brunt of work-life priority changes brought on by parenthood.

The big picture: Nationally, the percentage of women who recently gave birth and remained working reached a decade-plus high-water mark last year at 66.6% — up from 61.6% in 2010.

Flashback: About 1 million working mothers were estimated to have stopped working during the pandemic.

Threat level: As the cost of child care skyrockets and federal child care funding dries up this weekend, more and more families will be in the difficult position of deciding whether it makes sense for both parents to work or for one to stay home and watch the kids.

Often, it's mothers who wind up staying home — in part because they likely make less to begin with.

The rising rate of new Houston mothers in the workforce

Motherhood often knocks women out of the labor force, at least temporarily.

The number of Houston-area women who return to the workforce soon after giving birth has been steadily growing over the last decade, per new U.S. Census Bureau data.Driving the news: In 2022, nearly 64% of Houston-area women who gave birth in the previous 12 months were in the labor force.

News

Business

Des Moines

Axios Des Moines

Data: U.S. Census; Note: Includes women ages 16 to 50; Chart: Kavya Beheraj/Axios

A greater share of DSM metro-area women who recently gave birth remain part of the workforce as compared to U.S. overall percentages, per new Census data.

State of play: Motherhood can knock women out of the labor force, at least temporarily — slowing careers and contributing to gender pay gaps.

By the numbers: Almost 74% of DSM women who gave birth in the previous 12 months were in the labor force as of 2022, per the latest American Community Survey.

That's down three percentage points from the previous year.

Meanwhile, the U.S. percentage last year was 66.6%, a national decade-plus high-water mark.

Read more: Childcare hurdles complicate workforce participation

Des Moines mom work rates best U.S. percentages

Almost 75% of metro moms who gave birth in the previous year are in the workforce.

Illustration of a woman with a baby strolling facing a door that reads work

A greater share of DSM metro-area women who recently gave birth remain part of the workforce as compared to U.S. overall percentages, per new Census data.State of play: Motherhood can knock women out of the labor force, at least temporarily — slowing careers and contributing to gender pay gaps.

Axios Des Moines, anchored by Jason Clayworth and Linh Ta, is here to help readers get smarter, faster on the most consequential news and developments unfolding in their own backyard.

San Antonio

Axios San Antonio

Data: U.S. Census Bureau; Chart: Axios Visuals

The share of people working from home in San Antonio has decreased slightly from a pandemic-era high, but it is still far above what it was before COVID-19 hit.

Why it matters: Remote work is affecting San Antonio's cityscape as local companies have pulled out of downtown office space, leaving fewer employees to support a daytime economy downtown.

By the numbers: 14.8% of San Antonio metro area workers were working from home as of 2022, compared with 15.8% in 2021, per new Census Bureau figures released this month.

Just 4.8% of San Antonio workers were working from home in 2019.

The big picture: Workers in America's biggest, most competitive cities aren't giving up the flexibility and savings — in both time and gas money — of working from home, Axios' Sam Baker and Simran Parwani report.

What's happening: Every state has more remote workers now than in 2019, before the pandemic.

Even after two years, the trend line is barely moving, according to the Census figures.

Zoom out: Overall, 15% of the U.S. worked from home last year — but the numbers are generally much higher on both the East and West coasts.

Austin had the second highest share of remote workers of any metro last year, at 28%. It fell behind Boulder, Colorado.

The bottom line: Companies are trying to find a balance between remote and in-person work.

What we're watching: How remote work could change our downtowns.

San Antonio still has more remote workers than before COVID

Remote work is affecting San Antonio's cityscape.

Remote work

The share of people working from home in San Antonio has decreased slightly from a pandemic-era high, but it is still far above what it was before COVID-19 hit.Why it matters: Remote work is affecting San Antonio&#x27;s cityscape as local companies have <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="pulled out of downtown office space" data-vars-click-url="https://sanantonioreport.org/usaa-downtown-san-antonio-office-towers/" data-vars-content-id="8ec0c965-9e28-4308-b10d-b3fb2b17dba7" data-vars-headline="San Antonio still has more remote workers than before COVID" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://sanantonioreport.org/usaa-downtown-san-antonio-office-towers/" target="_blank">pulled out of downtown office space</a>, leaving fewer employees to support a daytime economy downtown.

Columbus

Axios Columbus

Driving the news: About 27% of bar and restaurant transactions across the city using Square have occurred between 7pm-4am so far this year, per data from the point-of-sale company.

Why it matters: That figure surpasses pre-pandemic transactions, which is a good indicator that our nightlife has recovered from the shutdowns and curfews of 2020.

The intrigue: Among 30 Axios Local cities across the U.S., Columbus was one of just three with a 2023 figure that ranked highest since 2019, along with Detroit and Philadelphia.

Zoom in: Square's data aligns with indicators we've reported on — such as cellphone activity and restaurant reservations — showing that our area has rebounded nicely since the pandemic's early days.

Major concerts, sporting events, festivals and fundraisers like the biannual 614 Restaurant Week are drawing large crowds that clearly aren't worried about staying out past their bedtimes.

Between the lines: The Wall Street Journal ranking Ohio State as the country's No. 18 party school this week probably doesn't hurt, either.

The big picture: There are some signs that we're becoming a "nation of early birds," as the WSJ recently put it, in part because the pandemic shifted how we spend our time.

One contributing factor to going to bed earlier? Going out earlier, with "hybrid and remote workers itching to leave the house as soon as they close their laptops."

Yet, other indicators suggest the late-night scene is alive and well across America, which suggests that people are still burning off pent-up demand for social time.

Of note: Square can't capture all transactions across all venues in a given city — it only knows about those made using its platform and tech.

Still, its use is widespread enough for its data to point to broad trends.

Columbus' nightlife is bouncing back

Square transactions after 7pm now exceed pre-pandemic levels.

Entertainment

A bar graph showing Columbus' steady increase in night-life transactions since 2020.

Columbus, you like to party.Driving the news: About 27% of bar and restaurant transactions across the city using Square have occurred between 7pm-4am so far this year, per data from the point-of-sale company.

National

Even a relatively brief government shutdown could exacerbate an ongoing air traffic controller shortage, with potentially serious operational and safety implications.

Why it matters: Air travel is skyrocketing post-pandemic — the Federal Aviation Administration predicts more than 54,200 flights next Thursday, Oct. 5, ahead of the holiday weekend, which would make it the busiest travel day of the year so far. 

That's a lot of airplanes straining a system suffering from significant air traffic controller shortages.

The big picture: Many of the country's most critical air traffic control facilities — like Westbury, New York's vital New York approach — remain stubbornly below FAA staffing targets.

At least some of that problem is a long-tail effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which classroom and on-the-job controller training was halted or slowed.

Meanwhile, existing controllers had fewer airplanes to work amid an overall air travel slowdown, making it harder to maintain proficiency. Plus, some newly minted controllers are now working in a high-volume real-world environment for the first time.

What's happening: There have been an alarming number of near-misses in recent months, which some experts have attributed to the controller shortage. 

"No doubt getting to [controller] proficiency is an issue in the system," Southwest Airlines CEO Robert Jordan recently told Axios' John Frank.

The shortage has left many controllers working overtime, which typically comes with extra pay, but can take a toll on schedules and morale.

The FAA hit its goal of hiring 1,500 new controllers this year, it announced last month — but a decent chunk, typically around 20%, are likely to wash out at some point in their training.

Between the lines: The FAA has been taking some extra steps to address the controller shortage.

It's making it easier for airlines to fly fewer but larger planes in and out of key airports in the Northeast, for example — thereby reducing the overall volume of flights controllers there must work.

And it recently issued an unusual call for applications from wannabe controllers around the Westbury area, which promised successful trainees placement at that facility. (Entry-level controllers typically have only limited control over where they're assigned, a significant barrier for those unwilling to move for their job.)

Reality check: While those efforts can help somewhat, they might be all for naught if there's even a brief government shutdown — which will happen if lawmakers don't reach a deal before the end of the federal fiscal year, Sept. 30.

What they're saying: A shutdown "would mean we would immediately have to stop training new air traffic controllers and furlough another 1,000 controllers who are already in the training pipeline," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said during a Wednesday press conference.

"And want to emphasize that the complexity of the hiring and training process means even a shutdown lasting a few days could mean we will not hit our staffing and hiring targets next year."

Of note: Existing controllers would be made to work through any shutdown — but without regular paychecks, Buttigieg noted.

"And I want you to imagine the pressure that a controller is already under every time they take their position at work, and then imagine the added stress of coming to that job from a household with a family that can no longer count on that paycheck," he said.

The bottom line: There's no lack of interest in controller jobs; more than 12,000 people recently applied for fewer than 2,000 openings. 

The trick is turning enough of those applicants into trained controllers — and a shutdown would complicate what's already a difficult training process that many trainees don't survive.

A government shutdown could have long-lasting air travel consequences

The air traffic controller shortage might be about to get worse.

Alex Fitzpatrick

Stories

The rising rate of new Houston mothers in the workforce

Columbus' nightlife is bouncing back

A government shutdown could have long-lasting air travel consequences

San Antonio still has more remote workers than before COVID

Des Moines mom work rates best U.S. percentages

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🏡 Insurance risk

🍎 Mandatory composting

🚗 UAW's tactics