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New York City hit by massive power outage

Times Square billboards go black after a power outage hits Manhattan. Photo: Thomas Urbain/AFP/Getty Images

Power was restored in New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio said just before midnight Saturday, after a massive outage struck disrupted the city's subway service, forced road closures and plunged many Times Square billboards into darkness.

Details: Con Edison said 42,000 customers primarily in the Westside of Manhattan were hit by the outages. NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson tweeted parts of Hell’s Kitchen, UWS, and Midtown were affected.

The big picture: NYC Emergency Management tweeted that the outages, had forced all lanes of West 42nd Street to West 71st Street between the Hudson River to 5th Avenue in Manhattan to be closed in both directions.

  • NYCT Subway tweeted earlier there were power outages in station complexes throughout Manhattan. "The numbered lines are your best bets to get between Manhattan and Brooklyn, the Bronx, or Queens," it said about 10 p.m.
  • De Blasio said the "significant" disruption was caused by a "manhole fire" earlier in the evening.
  • Some Broadway theaters closed during the outage.
  • The blackouts come on the anniversary of 1977 citywide outages that led to rioting and looting, NBC News notes.

This is a developing news story. Please check back for updates.

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GOP leaders skip Trump sendoff in favor of church with Biden

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in July. Photo by Erin Scott-Pool/Getty Images

Congressional leaders, including House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, will skip President Trump's departure ceremony in Maryland tomorrow morning in favor of attending mass with incoming President Joe Biden ahead of his inauguration, congressional sources familiar with their plans tell Axios.

Why it matters: Their decision is a clear sign of unity before Biden takes the oath of office.

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