Morning Headlines: NJ Transit Strike Shuts Down Rail Service, Resettlement Group Rejects White South African Refugee Plan, and Mets, Yankees Subway Series Sh...

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Speaker 1: Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WNYC. It's Friday, May 16th. Here's the morning headlines from David Furst.

David Furst: New Jersey Transit service is at a standstill with a strike underway. Roughly 450 New Jersey Transit train operators walked off the job just after midnight in what could end up being one of the state's biggest transportation disruptions in decades. The main sticking point for union members is wages. State officials have been warning about the possibility of the strike for days and encouraging riders to plan for alternate transit plans. There is additional bus service from key locations across the state, and you can learn more on the New Jersey Transit website. We will keep you updated with the latest this morning here on WNYC.

A New Jersey resettlement group says it won't participate in the resettlement of white South Africans being allowed into the US by the Trump administration. Seth Kaper-Dale is the co pastor of the Reformed Church of Highland Park and runs Interfaith Rise, a group that has resettled thousands of refugees. He disputes White House claims that white Afrikaners are a persecuted minority in need of protection. Kaper-Dale also notes the administration has revoked authorization for hundreds of thousands of Black and brown immigrants to stay in the US.

Seth Kaper-Dale: No way will we participate in that. It's just to participate in straight-up xenophobia and racism. It feels so dirty to continue in a partnership with a government that behaves like this, so we're not doing it.

David Furst: President Trump claims without evidence that white Afrikaners are being brutally killed and their land is being confiscated. Hoops may be on the minds of many local sports fans right now, but in baseball, the Mets and Yankees go head to head tonight in the Bronx. It is the first subway series of the season, and WNYC's Amanda Aronczyk has more on one of the most anticipated crosstown matchups in recent memory.

Amanda Aronczyk: Both teams have a strong hold on first place in their divisions, and all eyes will be on two Titans and former teammates. Fans in the Bronx are getting their voice boxes ready to boo Mets player Juan Soto, who defected to the Queens team after spending a year with the Yanks. He's among baseball's best hitters, but Mets fans have been underwhelmed so far. On the Yankees, Captain Aaron Judge is currently playing some of the best baseball of his career. The Yankees are hoping to make up for last year when they lost every single game they played against the Mets.

David Furst: The series runs through Sunday, and remember, all New Jersey Transit train service is suspended this morning because of the historic strike among train operators. New Jersey Transit is running alternate bus service for commuters. 62 degrees. This is WNYC.

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Speaker 1: Thanks for listening. This is NYC Now from WNYC. Check us out for updates every weekday, three times a day, for the latest news, headlines, and occasional deep dives. And subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

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Speaker 2: NYC.

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