Balloons readied for Thanksgiving Parade in NYC

Preparations were underway Wednesday in New York City, where giant balloons are coming to life ahead of the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The parade will be back in person Thursday after the pandemic forced the event to scale back to a TV-only audience last year. New balloon giants joining the line-up include Ada Twist, Scientist; the pint-sized hero from “The Mandalorian” and the Pokémon characters Pikachu and Eevee on a sled. As in years past, the New York Police Department said it will block off all vehicle access points to the parade route with sand-filled garbage trucks, other heavy vehicles and approximately 360,000 pounds of concrete barriers. Thousands of officers are assigned to the parade route, including counterterrorism teams. Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said there were no specific, credible threats to the parade.