New York City Council voted to phase out the horse-drawn carriage industry by June 2028. The bill, known as Romanch's Law, is named after Romanch Mahajan, an 18-year-old tourist who died in June after falling from a runaway carriage in Central Park. The vote followed years of debate and recent fatal incidents involving carriage horses.
Supporters, including animal rights groups like PETA and the Central Park Conservancy, argue the carriages are unsafe for both horses and people. They cite 40 horse deaths since 1982 and multiple recent accidents. Opponents, including drivers and the Transport Workers Union, say the ban will destroy the livelihoods of roughly 200 drivers, many of whom are immigrants, and that the transition plan lacks concrete funding or job guarantees.
New York City Council voted to phase out horse-drawn carriage rides by June 2028, following the death of 18-year-old Romanch Mahajan, who fell from a runaway carriage in Central Park.
BNew York just voted to kill the horse-drawn carriage ride — and Trump is already mourning it.
BOf course he is. Carriage rides are a very on-brand photo op for him.
BThe City Council voted 40 to 7 to phase them out by June 2028. It's called Romanch's Law.
BNamed for Romanch Mahajan — the 18-year-old tourist who died in June after falling from a runaway carriage in Central Park.
BThat's the part that makes this more than a tourist-brochure fight. A young man died.
BRight. And supporters say this has been building for years. Animal rights groups count forty horse deaths since 1982.
BBut the drivers say the ban destroys their livelihoods. About two hundred of them.
BAnd the union says the transition plan has no real funding or job guarantees. They're already promising to sue.
BTrump called the ban 'so sad' and said the carriage ride is a quintessential New York experience.
BHe's not wrong that it's iconic. But 'iconic' doesn't mean safe.
BHere's my problem with the ban. You can regulate the industry — speed limits, vet checks, better harnesses — without erasing it.
BBut they've tried regulation for decades. The accidents kept happening. At some point you say, enough.
BSo two hundred drivers lose their income because the city couldn't enforce its own rules?
BNo — because the industry couldn't keep people safe. A young man is dead, Bella. That's not a paperwork problem.
BI'm not saying it's paperwork. I'm saying a phase-out with no real jobs plan is just kicking the problem down the road.
BThe union's already calling it unconstitutional. This is going to court before the first carriage disappears.
BAnd meanwhile, the horses are still out there until 2028. So what actually changes tomorrow?
BNothing. That's the part nobody wants to say out loud.
BDifferent world entirely: Taiwan is shutting down ahead of Typhoon Champi. Hundreds of flights cancelled.
BReuters is reporting the shutdown, but the full scope is still coming in. The island is bracing.
BAnd a weather account says there's also a cyclone forming near India. Busy week in the Pacific.
BWhen Taiwan shuts down, it shuts down. Schools, offices, the stock market — everything stops.
BThat's the kind of discipline you build after living with typhoons your whole life.
BMeanwhile, Netanyahu is out with a warning on Iran. Al Jazeera says he claims Trump wants to 'finish the job' with him as a partner.
BThat quote is unverified. We couldn't confirm the exact wording in time.
BBut the threat itself is real enough — Netanyahu warning Tehran that any new attack would be met with, quote, unimaginable force.
BThis is the same drumbeat we've heard for weeks. The question is whether it's bluster or a real shift.
BMy read? It's both. Netanyahu wants Iran to believe the U.S. is fully behind him. Trump gets to look tough without pulling a trigger.
BBut 'unimaginable force' is a phrase that raises the stakes. You don't say that unless you're ready for someone to test it.
BAnd Iran has tested it before. That's the danger — both sides think the other is bluffing.
BOne more story before we go. A Dutch court case is targeting Bill Gates, Pfizer's CEO, and the NATO chief over COVID vaccines.
BSeven Dutch citizens are pursuing a civil lawsuit against seventeen high-profile figures. That's the claim, anyway.
BWe couldn't confirm the details. But the list of names tells you what kind of case this is.
BGates, Bourla, Rutte — it's the greatest hits of pandemic conspiracy targets.
BA civil suit in the Netherlands against a Microsoft co-founder and a NATO chief. Good luck with jurisdiction.
BI'm sure the Dutch courts are thrilled.