Unemployment increased in 210 U.S. metro areas in May due in part to Mother Nature

Unemployment rates rose across the country thanks to natural disasters and weak private sector hirings.

Although unemployment rates dropped in April, unforeseen factors like tornadoes in Alabama stymied growth, moving the unemployment rate to 9.1% while employers added just 54,000 net jobs.

While some critics will ask both political parties about where the jobs are, some of the reasons for the increase in unemployment in May can be attributed to the Japanese tsunami in March due to the lack of Japanese auto parts that U.S. automakers need to make new vehicles.

Toyota, Ford Motor Co., Nissan Motor Co. and Chrysler were all forced to shut down either some or all of their North American factories because of the parts shortage, according to the Associated Press. Factory towns in South Carolina, Louisiana, as well as manufactoring communities in Detroit, Ann Arbor and Battle Creek, Mich., also saw large unemployment increases last month.

Tuscaloosa, Ala., where a deadly tornado killed 41 people in late April saw its unemployment rate rise from 8.1% in April to 9.3% in May.

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-- Tony Pierce
twitter.com/busblog

Andrew Malcolm is on vacation

Photo: President Obama tours "heartbreaking" devastation in April left by tornadoes and storms that killed more than 300 people. Credit: Saul Loeb  / AFP / Getty Images.

Weekly remarks: GOP's John Hoeven says trade pacts would spur new jobs; Obama salutes Father's Day

Weekly remarks by Sen. John Hoeven, as provided by Republican Party leadership

Hi, I’m Senator John Hoeven of North Dakota, and I’d like to talk to you today about our nation’s fiscal challenges –- in particular, about the vital role that international trade can play to help us create jobs and reduce our deficit.

Almost exactly one hundred years ago, at the start of another century, President Theodore Roosevelt launched a U.S. Navy mission known as the Great White Fleet on a voyage around the world.

It was a show of American strength, but it was also a show of American goodwill and prosperity. That voyage would open the doors of trade with the vast, untapped markets of Asia, and help usher in what became known as the ‘American Century.’

President Roosevelt’s leadership put the world on notice that the United States of America -- with the freest, most dynamic economy the world had ever seen -- was open for business.

It’s a legacy felt to this day -- but a legacy now in jeopardy.

We’re all keenly aware of just how serious our nation’s current fiscal situation is. No....

Ticket pic of the week: A face in Japan

You don't hear it in the American news so much anymore. But the pain continues in Japan after its triple tragedy of quake, tsunami and nuclear plant failures.

We wrote a while back right here about a previous experience we had with the Japanese dignity, grace and stoicism in handling a natural disaster.

So, naturally, this simple photo of Saki Watanabe jumped right out and hit us in the heart.

She's a resident of the hard-hit Fukushima prefecture and is undergoing what has become a regular experience for her family and neighbors: scanning for exposure to radiation.

You can read your own interpretation into this one.

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Ticket video of the week: Jesse gets down to work

-- Andrew Malcolm

Speaking of Sweden, don't forget to follow The Ticket via Twitter alerts of each new Ticket item. Or click this: @latimestot. Our Facebook Like page is over here. We're also available on Kindle.Use the ReTweet buttons above to share any item with family and friends.

Photo: Reuters

Sunday shows: Rumsfeld, Clinton, Gates, McCain

ABC's "This Week" with Christiane Amanpour: Donald Rumsfeld, secretaries Robert Gates of Defense and Hillary Rodham Clinton of State with George Will, Joe Sestak, Jeffrey Goldberg and Mona Eltahawy.

Bloomberg's "Political Capital" with Al Hunt: Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

CBS "Face the Nation" with Bob Schieffer: Clinton and Gates.

CNN "Fareed Zakaria GPS": Jane Harman, Robert Kagan, Richard Haas, John Negroponte and Malcolm Gladwell.

CNN "State of the Union" with Candy Crowley: Gen. Michael Hayden, Stephen Hadley,  Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Alice Rivlin and Joe Cirincione.

"Fox News Sunday" with Chris Wallace: Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and John McCain (R-Ariz). and Newt Gingrich, with Brit Hume, Bill Kristol, Juan Williams and Nina Easton.

NBC "Meet the Press" with David Gregory: Gates and Clinton, with Savannah Guthrie, Tom Ricks, Ted Koppel and Bob Woodward.

-- Andrew Malcolm

Why wait until Sunday for politics? Click here now to follow The Ticket via Twitter alerts of each new Ticket item. Or follow us @latimestot. Our Facebook Like page is over here. We're also available on Kindle now. Use the ReTweet buttons above to share this item with friends.

Photo: Joseph Kaczmarek / Associated Press

Late-night's best: Obama's NCAA picks, life expectancy, a squirrel and Al Qaeda fashions

As The Ticket's 61,000-plus Twitter followers here and 6,600 Facebook fans here know, we regularly share our daily picks of the late-night jokes of interest, usually before broadcast each night. Feel free to pass them on to friends using the Share buttons above.

Here's the usual Monday morning collection:

Fallon: A new study finds people diagnosed with depression should get a second opinion. Although ... what’s the point of anything really?

Letterman: A new smallest man in the world today. He’s 22 inches tall. But he says he’s so proud, he feels 2 feet tall.

Fallon: President Obama went on ESPN to announce his NCAA tournament picks. Or as Japan put it, 'Really?!? You’re kidding, right?'

Fallon: President Obama widely criticized for making his NCAA bracket picks on ESPN with important issues like Japan and Libya. Hearing this, Obama said ‘Was today my fantasy baseball draft too?’

Fallon: Obama tells students he was always getting into trouble in school. He talked so much the teacher took away his teleprompter.

Leno: Surprisingly, March Madness is not a big deal in the Mideast. That's because they also have February Madness, April Madness, June Madness, July Madness......

Fallon: March Madness office pools. You analyze brackets, research the....

Obama Japan update: No harmful radiation levels bound for U.S.

 President Obama's remarks on the Japan situation, as provided by the White House

THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon, everyone. Over the last several days, the American people have been both heartbroken and deeply concerned about the developments in Japan.

We’ve seen an earthquake and tsunami render unimaginable -- an unimaginable toll of death and destruction on one of our closest friends and allies in the world. And we’ve seen this powerful natural disaster cause even more catastrophe through its impact on nuclear reactors that bring peaceful energy to the people of Japan.

Today, I wanted to update the American people on what we know about the situation in Japan, what we’re doing to support American citizens and the safety of our own nuclear energy, and how we are helping the Japanese people contain the damage, recover and rebuild. 

First, we are bringing all available resources to bear to closely monitor the situation, and to protect American citizens who may be in harm’s way. Even as Japanese responders continue to ...