Drenched CNN hosts blast NYPD for banning them from having UMBRELLAS in Times Square security clampdown, as rain soaks Ball Drop and even grounds specially-commissioned police drone
Hosts of tonight's New Year's Eve celebration in New York City Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper butted heads with Times Square security after event organizers told them that CNN would not be invited back next year if they didn't relinquish their umbrellas.
Rain lashed Manhattan as revellers in Times Square rang in the New Year and adhered to strict security measures that did not allow umbrellas in the area.
Early on in their CNN broadcast, Cohen and Cooper were huddled underneath a single umbrella before the Watch What Happens Live host went off-camera for a minute and returned to announce that someone with the Times Square Alliance, which organized the festivities, had told him to ditch his umbrella because it's a security risk.
Cohen responded with a lengthy rant about how absurd it was that the person allegedly threatened to revoke CNN's credentials in 2020 if they don't comply, blasting: 'This is some grade A BS!'
Andy Cohen (left) and Anderson Cooper (right), hosts of tonight's New Year's Eve coverage on CNN, appeared to be butting heads with Times Square security after event organizers allegedly told them that the network would not be invited back next year if they didn't relinquish their umbrellas despite the wet conditions in midtown Manhattan
Cohen and Cooper huddled under a single umbrella trying to stay dry as the rain continued through until well after midnight
A very wet broadcast: The presenters eventually donned hats to help keep the rain off their faces
Hundreds flocked to Time Square on New Year's Eve to watch the ball drop at midnight under particularly soggy conditions
In the absence of umbrellas, attendees hunted down over-priced ponchos from scalpers and took cover under colorful hats
Darlene Freitas, from Ontario, Canada, center, and others stand in the rain as they took part in the New Year's Eve festivities in New York's Times Square
In Times Square in New York Ken Jeong rang in the new year with Nicole Scherzinger and Steve Harvey in torrential rain
Ken Jeong, Nicole Scherzinger, and Maria Menounos enjoyed a glass of bubbly and a boogie on the wet night in New York
'It's more than drizzling in Times Square,' Cohen said. 'I'm not putting a damper on anything, but I will say this: I had this umbrella. The lady from the Times Square Alliance came over said: "You have to get rid of the umbrella!"'
'I said I won't do it,' Cohen said. 'I said: "Get the paddy wagon, cause that's what it's going to take." But now they are threatening to pull CNN's spot from the credentials from Times Square for next year!'
Cohen eventually agreed to stop using the umbrella. He said: 'This umbrella is such a threat to the Times Square Alliance?! And what does the Times Square Alliance do besides F with my New Year's Eve?! So, fine!'
He continued: 'I really hope the Times Square Alliance is thrilled that I am now completely soaked. I've ruined this coat. It's like a joke. What do they care about an umbrella. I was so happy before.'
Both Cohen and Cooper then donned hats and have gotten increasingly wet as the rain continues to pour down on the festivities. Meanwhile, Fox News hosts were seen still clasping their umbrella during the coverage, with it unclear why they were allowed to continue using it.
Indeed Steve Harvey enjoyed a glass of champagne with Ken Jeong, Nicole Scherzinger, and Maria Menounos under huge umbrellas to keep the rain from the stars' perfectly-made-up faces.
In the absence of umbrellas, many attendees hunted down over-priced ponchos from scalpers and others took cover under colorful hats.
The NYPD was planning to increase its control over the area by patrolling the skies with drones, but the inclement weather grounded that operation.
'Due to the rain and wind tonight, our NYPD drones will NOT be in the air,' Terence Monahan, chief of department for New York City Police, wrote on Twitter.
Rain lashed Manhattan as revellers in Times Square rang in the New Year and adhered to strict security measures that did not allow umbrellas in the area
Revelers celebrate New Year's Eve in Times Square as they watched the ball drop in the rain
The Fox News hosts were seen still clasping their umbrella just 24 minutes before the start of 2019
Can't rain on their parade: Partygoers got soaked as they rang in 2019 in Times Square, NYC
Times Square was under tight security as hundreds packed into midtown Manhattan to welcome 2019 at midnight
Many people took cover under cheap plastic ponchos that were being sold for up to $10 by vendors in the area
Some attendees used rainbow novelty hats from Planet Fitness to shield from the ceaseless rain in the absence of umbrellas
The NYPD was planning to increase its control over the area by patrolling the skies with drones, but the inclement weather grounded that operation. Officers and K9s are pictured on the scene
By 7am Eastern police had already lined Times Square with barricades, assembling the temporary corrals where revelers would be confined for the festivities.
The tight security, which included individual screenings for everyone who entered the area, reflects police concern over the possibility of random attacks. However, it did not appear to faze the huddled masses in Times Square.
'It was a bucket-list thing,' Daniela Ramous, a 34-year-old sales manager from McAllen, Texas, told Reuters.
'You grow up watching it on TV, you see all the excitement. There's something magical about New York during this time of year.'
'My boyfriend's coming and he's bringing us garbage bags, so we'll put those over ourselves,' said 21-year-old Annika Clary, a dancer from Vancouver, Canada, who was counting down to 2019 with her sister. Plastic ponchos were allowed, with street vendors selling them for up to $10 on nearby avenues.
The New York Police Department was screening people entering the corrals, deploying sharpshooters on rooftops and will use radiation detectors throughout the event.
Manhole covers were sealed up in case anyone was tempted to use the sewers to sidestep security.
Soaked and celebrating! The New York Police Department was screening people entering the corrals, deploying sharpshooters on rooftops and will use radiation detectors throughout the event
Attendees braved several hours of rainy weather in plastic ponchos as waited for the New Year's Eve festivities to kick off
Even before police began setting up barricades, visitors were already gathered in groups, some chatting, others napping on piles of coats, ahead of an hours-long marathon of standing in roughly one place, with no access to public restrooms.
They were all there for one reason: to watch a giant ball drop from a pole on top of the narrow building at the crossroads of Broadway and 42nd Street in midtown Manhattan, a tradition that began in 1907.
James and Sharon Knox, 62 and 61, traveled to Times Square from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, after watching the ball drop on television for decades and always saying they would go the next year.
'Next year came, next year came, and finally this year it did happen,' said James Knox, who retired from R.J. Renolds Tobacco Co. 'It's probably been a 25-year 'next year' thing, but we got it.'
The current ball, in use since 2008, is a glittering, LED-studded sphere made by Waterford Crystal and Philips Lighting.
Weighing 11,875 pounds and measuring 12 feet in diameter, it sits year-round on the roof of One Times Square, the one-time headquarters of the New York Times at the head of the blocks-long plaza.
A minute before midnight, journalists - including NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt, an ABC News reporter and the Washington Post's opinion editor - joined Mayor Bill de Blasio in pushing the button to initiate the ball drop.
This year, the Times Square Alliance, which promotes local businesses and organizes the event, chose to honor press freedom after a year in which journalists and media organizations have come under attack around the world, with US President Donald Trump often decrying some reporters as 'the enemy of the people'.
Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi columnist for the Washington Post and US resident, was killed inside a Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey. In June, a gunman shot dead five employees of The Capital, a newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland.
This month also marked the first anniversary of the imprisonment in Myanmar of Reuters reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo for investigating how the country's security forces killed members of its Muslim Rohingya minority.
Christina Aguilera, New Kids on the Block and Sting were among the musical performers entertaining the throngs filling the streets ahead of the ball drop, the focal point of New Year's Eve celebrations across the United States.
Drenched CNN hosts blast NYPD for banning them from having UMBRELLAS in Times Square security clampdown, as rain soaks Ball Drop and even grounds specially-commissioned police drone
![Drenched CNN hosts blast NYPD for banning them from having UMBRELLAS in Times Square security clampdown, as rain soaks Ball Drop and even grounds specially-commissioned police drone]()
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January 01, 2019
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