New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio took some heat on social media Saturday night as parts of the city experienced a blackout that lasted for several hours. According to the New York City Police Department, a manhole fire sparked the power outage that began at approximately 6:55 p.m. local time and engulfed much of Midtown Manhattan and the Upper West Side. ConEdison, the company that supplies power to New York City and Westchester County, said that over 42,000 customers were without power as a result of the outage, but the company expected to have all power restored by midnight....

While de Blasio intends the parade as a celebration of the city’s revitalization, critics worry that a large scale gathering could risk a new coronavirus outbreak or that city funds could be better used to address more pressing socio-economic needs following the epidemic. Striking a hopeful note during his comments, de Blasio reassured New York City residents, “The day is coming when we will overcome this disease.” “When that day comes that we can restart the vibrant, beautiful life of this city again, the first thing we will do is we will have a ticker-tape parade down the Canyon of Heroes for our health care workers and our first responders,” de Blasio said....

John-Paul O’Neill, who helped to found FC United of Manchester in protest to the arrival of the Glazer family at Old Trafford in 2005, believes iconic figures from the past will one day return to take the reins. Man Utd 9/4 to win PL Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, Phil Neville, Gary Neville and Giggs have already had a taste of football club ownership with non-league side Salford City, with Beckham the only famed academy graduate not involved in that venture — although he is in the process of launching an MLS franchise in Miami....

Simpson, who was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife and her friend following a high-profile 1995 criminal trial but later found responsible for their deaths in a civil lawsuit, reacted to the incident in a video shared to Twitter on Tuesday. Simpson’s tweet touted his own restraint in avoiding violent reactions to jokes and included the caption, “He was wrong but I understand the sentiment.” “It was unfortunate, I think Will was wrong,” Simpson said in the video....

“I’m wondering: are any Americans going to testify against Trump?” Robinson, a journalist for the conservative media outlet, wrote Thursday in a now-deleted tweet about the two witnesses who delivered testimony at President Donald Trump’s impeachment inquiry hearings this week. In her tweet, Robinson joined other Republicans in questioning the credibility of Vindman and Hill. “Fiona Hill with that Prince Andrew accent, and ‘Defense Minister’ Vindman from the Ukraine…” she wrote, referencing Hill’s Northern English birthplace and Vindman’s birth in the Soviet Union....

“They whisper to me. They say, ‘Barack, I’m a Republican, but I support you.’ And I say, ‘Thank you. Why are we whispering?’” If the latest polling data are to be believed, those Republicans aren’t whispering in Texas, where 195 of the 228 delegates the state will send to the Democratic National Convention will be chosen in a primary and caucuses Tuesday. As many as a tenth of the Texans voting in the Democratic contests could be Republicans, and overwhelmingly they favor Obama, a first-term senator from Illinois, the polls show....

“There are certain right-wing media venues, for example, that monetize and capitalize on stoking the fear and resentment of a white population that is witnessing a changing America and seeing demographic changes,” Obama said. These media venues “do everything they can to give people a sense that their way of life is threatened and that people are trying to take advantage of them,” Obama continued. Obama made his comments during an interview with CNN anchor Anderson Cooper....

The other four lawmakers were Republicans: Jody Hice (Ga.), Ken Buck (Colo.), Andy Biggs (Ariz.) and Thomas Massie (Ky.). Despite the opposition, the $484 billion package passed 388-5 with overwhelming bipartisan support. Independent Justin Amash of Michigan voted present. Overall, 35 members did not vote. The legislation was approved by the Senate on Tuesday with unanimous support and will now head to the White House, where President Donald Trump is expected to swiftly sign it into law....

Picking a winner for the event is more of a challenge than usual because NASCAR continues to eschew qualifying and practice amid the coronavirus pandemic, but this weekend’s picks are made a little easier by the racing that took place last weekend. MORE: Complete starting lineup for Sunday’s race at Indianapolis There are no real surprises at the top of oddmakers’ boards, and two of the obvious choices are the co-favorites....

In a response to Newsweek, Atlas defended the president and said Trump “has always followed the most current science to do everything possible to save lives and end the pandemic. That is also true about everything that I have advised. And to claim otherwise is beyond outrageous.” Atlas, a neuroradiologist who is not an expert in infectious diseases or epidemiology, tweeted on Thursday: “Looks like top scientists all over the world are lining up with the @realDonaldTrump #Covid_19 policy to 1) aggressively protect the vulnerable, and 2) OPEN schools and society!...

In spite of that, Jalen Hurts’ absence Saturday and a questionable designation for Week 17 against the Saints has left the door open for the Cowboys to make a run. It’s a long shot, but Thursday the Cowboys drew to 1.5 games behind the Eagles with a win over the Titans. Below the Eagles and Cowboys is another interesting race: Giants vs. Commanders. The Commanders took a huge hit in Week 15 with their loss to the Giants, but both teams have tough schedules down the stretch....

After settling for a wild-card playoff trip in 2015, the Seahawks flew back to the top over the Cardinals, winning the West by three games despite just a 10-5-1 record. Some see Seattle as having a closing championship window because of defensive age and injury, but others can see its bigger offensive upside. Here’s how the Seahawks stack up against the current division competition. MORE PICKS: AFC East | West | North | South NFC East | West | North | South...

The 32-year-old free agent, who hasn’t played in an NFL game since 2016, invited all 32 teams to attend his open workout. The NFL distributed a memo to orchestrate the Atlanta-held event, which will include an interview as well as on-field work, including quarterback drills. NFL POWER RANKINGSRavens, Packers, Vikings head north; Chiefs, Cowboys slip; Colts go south The memo distributed to teams reads (per ESPN): Kaepernick, of course, settled a lawsuit with the NFL in which former teammate Eric Reid and him alleged the league colluded against them following their on-field protests of police brutality and other manifestations of racism in the U....

Put that all together, and the nation’s biggest, baddest sports league has a credibility problem, maybe its worst ever. MORE: Some of sports’ worst scandals | Handing the NFL an 8-game ban | Can them all No, the above numbers aren’t scientific. That’s just the general perception in the wake of the Thursday night soap opera in Foxborough, in which yet another “gate” was added to the NFL vocabulary: Headsetgate ....