Puerto Rico

Electric power has been restored to nearly all affected customers across Puerto Rico after a sweeping blackout plunged the U.S. territory into darkness on New Year’s Eve.

The two fishermen ran out of fuel and capsized 5 miles south of Desecheo Island, Puerto Rico, and were rescued by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter aircrew.

Grid manager Luma says full restoration will take 24 to 48 hours but it is working to fix the outage that has left more than 1.2 million people without power.

More than 700,000 clients, including 16 hospitals and Puerto Rico’s water and sewer company, had power back by Tuesday night, according to Luma.

Last week, Puerto Ricans on the U.S. territory headed to the polls and voted in favor of becoming a state. While Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens, they cannot vote for president, but did voice their opinions on the future of the Commonwealth’s political status.

During the general election, 57 percent of Puerto Ricans on the U.S. territory voted in favor of becoming a state. NBC6’s Sheli Muñiz reports.

The two parties that have dominated Puerto Rican politics for decades are losing their grip as they face the stiffest competition yet from a younger generation fed up with the island’s corruption, chronic power outages and mismanagement of public funds.

Last month, the Puerto Rican Dominican singer appeared onstage with Trump at a rally endorsing him.

Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made crude jokes at a Trump rally in NYC.

Florida officials were quick to condemn the jokes, including U.S. Representative Maria Elvira Salazar and Senator Rick Scott.

Former President Donald Trump participated in a roundtable with Latino business leaders at his Doral resort. NBC6’s Hatzel Vela reports

His remarks came after recent data found that 75% of all newly eligible voters under age 21 in the U.S. territory hadn’t registered to vote and amid a decline in voter turnout.

Hurricane Ernesto barreled toward Bermuda on Thursday after leaving hundreds of thousands of people in Puerto Rico without power or water as sweltering heat enveloped the U.S. territory, raising concerns about people’s health.

Hurricane Ernesto is aiming for Bermuda after slamming Puerto Rico.

Tropical Storm Ernesto battered the northeast Caribbean on Tuesday as it took aim at Puerto Rico, where officials shuttered schools and government agencies.

Tropical Storm Ernesto has formed Monday in the Atlantic. Hurricane Specialist John Morales has more.

Puerto Rico has lost thousands of its doctors in the past decade, many having fled to the U.S. mainland for better pay. That’s why one doctor, Pedro Juan Vázquez, who is better known by his rapper stage name PJ Sin Suela, is trying to fill the gaps.

The U.S. government says $325 million in federal funds will be available for solar and battery storage installations across Puerto Rico as the U.S. territory struggles with chronic power outages.

A widespread power outage has hit Puerto Rico and left more than 340,000 customers without electricity after two of the U.S. territory’s power plants shut down.

A U.S. Marine from Massachusetts who was swept away by the current at a Puerto Rico beach on Wednesday has been identified amid an ongoing search. The U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies were still searching for 26-year-old Samuel Maturi Wanjiru, who disappeared from the beach, authorities said. The incident occurred at about 3:58 p.m. Wednesday at La Pared Beach...