In New York, I’m Rebecca Scott. Jeff Sessions visited Long Island this morning to announce new measures to curb violent gang crime in the area. The visit was scheduled in response to a spate of murders that have been traced back to infamous gang MS-13.
SESSIONS: So i have a message for the gangs that target our young people. We are targeting you. We are coming after you. (00:09)
The gang was founded in the mid-1980s by El Salvadorean immigrants and has been connected to 15 homicides in Suffolk County over the past six months. The Trump administration points to Obama’s immigration policies as the reason for the gang’s growth.
Mayor de Blasio defended Department of Corrections Commissioner Joseph Ponte this morning from allegations that Ponte had spent too much time out-of-state with his city vehicle. De Blasio said that Ponte had permission to use the car out-of-state. De Blasio’s defense of Ponte comes after a Department of Investigation probe found pervasive abuse of city-owned cars among Department of Correction employees.
Amtrak officials apologized today to a group of New Jersey lawmakers for the most recent Penn Station derailments. Amtrak Chief Operating Officer Scott Naparstek said the March 24th and April 3rd derailments were caused by maintenance mistakes made by Amtrak employees.
NAPARSTEK: Therefore i’m responsible for the operation and maintenance of new york penn station. Based on that I do want to apologize for the inconvenience that all commuters have gone through for the last 30 days. (00:12)
The apology follows an announcement that Amtrak will renovate the Penn Station track this summer, a plan that will cost tens of millions of dollars and cause further delays for commuters. Exactly how the renovation will affect commuters has not yet been confirmed.
Fifteen subway lines will experience service disruptions this weekend, including the 1 train.
Temperatures tomorrow will reach into the low 80s and New Yorkers can expect some evening rainshowers. Sunday will see a high in the low 60s with cloudy skies.
Rebecca Scott, Columbia Radio News.