An 18-year-old man was transported to NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center in critical condition after he fell from a horse carriage in Central Park on June 17, 2026, the NYPD said. (WABC)
(NEW YORK) — Horse-drawn carriage rides will be suspended in Central Park until next week following the death of an 18-year-old Indian tourist who was in a runaway carriage with his family.
The move comes after growing calls from advocates and elected officials to fully ban the rides following a string of incidents over the last year where people and the horses were put in danger.
The Transport Workers Union announced Thursday, a day after Romanch Mahajan was killed, that rides would be suspended while they assess safety protocols. The union announced on Friday that the suspension would continue until at least Tuesday.
The 18-year-old victim was with his parents and younger brother in a carriage Wednesday afternoon when the driver got out to take a picture of the family and suddenly the horse took off “for unknown reasons,” according to the TWU and police.
The carriage clipped the wheel of another carriage and toppled, according to TWU Local 100 Administrative Vice President Alexander Kemp.
Mahajan fell out of the carriage, and died at the hospital later in the afternoon, police said.
Deepak Mahajan, the victim’s father, told the New York Times Thursday that his son jumped out of the carriage to help his wife, Priya, who fell out of the carriage first.
This was the first time the family had visited New York City, Deepak Mahajan told the Times.
The other family members suffered minor injuries, police said. This is the first time a person has been killed during a carriage ride in the park, according to the union.
Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche listens to a reporter’s question during a press conference at the Department of Justice June 11, 2026 in Washingon, DC. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The Justice Department on Friday refused to issue a signed declaration from acting Attorney General Todd Blanche verifying that it no longer intends to pursue President Donald Trump’s “Anti-Weaponization Fund.”
The DOJ’s refusal comes after a federal judge last week gave the administration seven days to verify in a declaration that it wouldn’t create the controversial fund.
“Such declarations are unnecessary and the compelled testimony of senior officials from the Executive Branch implicates serious separation of powers concerns,” the DOJ said in a court filing Friday to U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema, who last week issued an injunction indefinitely blocking the administration from creating the fund.
Brinkema had given the Trump administration seven days to verify in a declaration from acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that it wouldn’t create the fund, which she said would likely lead to the dismissal of the lawsuit she was overseeing against the fund.
But in their filing Friday, the department argued that Brinkema’s offer was a potentially unconstitutional infringement of the executive branch by effectively requiring “testimony” of top officials on a matter that the administration has repeatedly said would not be moving forward.
The fund, which was announced last month by the DOJ to compensate those who allege they were wrongly targeted under the Biden administration, was proposed in exchange for Trump agreeing to drop his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS as well as two civil claims for $230 million related to the Russia collusion investigation he faced during his first term in office and the 2022 search of his Mar-a-Lago estate — sparking accusations of self-dealing and a bipartisan uproar over the possible use of taxpayer money to pay rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
In her ruling last week, Judge Brinkema pointed repeatedly to President Trump’s own shifting statements in recent weeks about the fund, including his pointed attack on Brinkema herself after she had temporarily paused the fund earlier this month, in which he referred to her as a “radical left judge.”
“When the president of the United States says he’s disappointed that something is not going forward,” Brinkema said, that would only add to the evidence that the fund might “rear its head” in the future.
Sen. Ted Cruz questions Secretary of State Marco Rubio as he testifies during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on June 02, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — From calling it “the worst foreign policy blunder in decades” to calling President Donald Trump’s memorandum of understanding with Iran “out of step” with his stated objectives, several Republican senators have broken with the president over the agreement.
Core concerns from some of Trump’s closest Hill allies have revolved around the significant economic opportunity for Iran to rebuild with few concessions in return outlined in the short-term agreement Trump signed on Wednesday.
“I do have concerns that certain aspects of this deal are stepping in the wrong direction,” Republican Sen. Tom Cotton, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told Fox News on Thursday.
“[Trump] deserves enormous credit for making Iran weaker than it’s been in decades, and we need to make sure that we don’t squander the leverage that we built across six years,” the Arkansas senator said.
Cotton’s comments are notable as he has been one of the Senate’s most hawkish voices on the war in Iran and has pushed the president to continue to attack the Iranian regime.
Others Republican senators had similar views of the deal, arguing that it gives Iran immediate relief on oil revenues and pledges to work to unfreeze $24 billion in Iranian assets and help create a $300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran.
‘An exceptionally bad idea’
“History demonstrates that giving billions of dollars to theocratic lunatics who want to murder us is an exceptionally bad idea, and I think unfortunately the president is receiving some really bad advice on this deal,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said of the reconstruction fund. “I don’t want to see us send a penny to the ayatollah, and I hope that we don’t.”
“I support President Trump, and I think his leadership on Iran has been extraordinary. I believe he is getting poor advice, and I think sending billions of dollars to Iran is a mistake,” he added.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sen. Roger Wicker, of Mississippi, issued a bruising statement about the MOU, saying the proposal to create a $300 billion account to fund the rebuilding of Iran “would make Iran’s payoff under President Obama’s 2015 deal look like a pittance by comparison.”
The memorandum says the U.S. and Middle East partners would develop a $300 billion account for reconstruction and economic development, but Trump said the U.S. wouldn’t be contributing to it.
“We’re not putting up 10 cents,” Trump said Wednesday. “People can decide to do that, but that’s up to them.”
Wicker also said he opposes lifting sanctions on Iran, unfreezing Iranian assets or forcing Israel to stand down against Hezbollah.
“The Iranian regime has not renounced its ultimate goal — death to America, death to Israel. The regime wiill invest every penny it receives to further that aim,” Wicker said.
Additionally, while the agreement calls for the toll-free reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, senators said the future of the strait is unclear and could potentially open the door for Iran to impose fees for safe passage.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said whil. “some important things” have been accomplished by the campaign against Iran, “I’m afraid we will look back at this and see a missed opportunity to basically eliminate the threat going forward because there is nothing to stop the regime from beginning to block the Strait of Hormuz again basically at will.”
No demands of Iran on nuclear weapons
Senators also had concerns over the MOU not demanding that Iran destroy its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and that it doesn’t doesn’t provide a mechanism to prevent it from obtaining nuclear weapons in the future, which was one of Trump’s main objectives.
Instead the MOU says Iran reaffirms a longstanding commitment not to pursue a nuclear weapon and to negotiate what to do with the country’s nuclear stockpile.
“Since Day 1, I have supported President Trump’s efforts to end Iran’s 47-year threat to the United States and our partners. I am concerned that the memorandum of understanding negotiates away the victories of Operation Epic Fury in ways that are completely out of step with the President’s goals,” Wicker said in his Thursday statement.
“The terms of the MOU that have been released start off at the outset with 10s of billions of dollars immediately being released to Iran before they make a single nuclear concession. I think that’s a mistake,” he said.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., also expressed doubts about the agreement, saying, “Iran’s nuclear ambitions were not curbed.”
Graham: Upside outweighs the downside
Other Republicans like Sen. Lindsey Graham, voiced initial skepticism over the agreement but said he was cautiously optimistic that a possible future deal would ease his initial concerns.
While Graham said some of the criticism of the MOU is valid, without it “there’s no pathway to diplomacy to end the nuclear ambitions of Iran. What does that leave you with? War continuation of the status quo, so the upside of signing the MOU was greater, I think, than the downside.”
“Time will tell, but I’m glad we’re on the course on the path to diplomacy, and we’ll know in the coming weeks what kind of deal we will get.
Graham said he told Trump’s Middle East special envoy Steve Witkoff “Pursue a good deal, but be ready to walk away.”
The administration has pushed back on some of those criticisms saying the sanction relief and asset access it has made to Iran is tied to “very concrete nuclear commitments” Iran has made, as well as saying that there will be further negotiations toward a final agreement, calling the memorandum a framework, not a final agreement.
Vice President JD Vance addressed skeptics during a White House press briefing on Thursday.
“People say the Iranians will never change their behavior. Well, maybe that’s true,” he said. “And if so, they don’t get any of the benefits of the bargain. But isn’t it worth trying? Isn’t it worth seeing whether this incredibly weakened position that the president of the United States has put the Iranians under, whether that motivates them to change their behavior, not just vis-a-vis the West, but vis-a-vis the Middle East.”
Peabo Bryson performs onstage during the Thurgood Marshall College Fund 28th Annual Awards Gala at Washington Hilton on November 21, 2016, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Teresa Kroeger/Getty Images for Thurgood Marshall College Fund)
Peabo Bryson’s family has announced arrangements for his Celebration of Life.
Peabo, known for his hit songs and duets, including “Beauty and the Beast,” died June 2 surrounded by family and friends.
His family will hold a private ceremony on Father’s Day to honor and reflect on his life, followed by a private homegoing service on Monday at 10 a.m. ET, according to an official statement.
The service will feature musical performances by Regina Belle, BeBe Winans and Ruben Studdard in tribute to the late star. Attendance is invitation only; however, fans may watch the service via livestream.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Mr. Robert “Peabo” Bryson Student Scholarship Endowment Fund at Morris Brown College or Antioch Urban Ministries, Inc.
Cole Swindell’s “Girl Dad” (Warner Records Nashville)
Cole Swindell’s “Girl Dad” is out now, continuing the story he started with 2015’s “You Should Be Here.”
While his #1 dealt with losing his dad in 2013, the new song carries the story forward, imagining what he’d say to his father after getting married in 2024 and welcoming his daughter in 2025.
“I’ve spent a lot of my life chasing dreams, milestones, and moments I thought would define me,” Cole wrote on social media. “Then I became a father. Getting to share these real life moments with you through my music truly means the world to me and my family. I appreciate so many of you already sharing what this song means to you from the clips you’ve heard.”
The “Girl Dad” music video dropped simultaneously, picking up where the “You Should Be Here” clip left off. Cole gave his fan club, The Down Home Crew, an exclusive preview during CMA Fest.
Taylor Swift, ‘I Knew It, I Knew You’ from ‘Toy Story 5’ (Walt Disney Records)
Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo have taken over the music charts across the pond.
Olivia’s new album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love,has topped the U.K.’s album chart with first-week sales of just under 103,000 units. That’s a lot more than either one of her previous albums sold in its first week: SOUR moved 51,000 units, while GUTS did 60,000. In fact, Olivia now has the biggest first-week sales for any album by a non-British artist in the U.K. so far this year.
Plus, at age 23, she’s the youngest international artist to sell over 100,000 albums in an opening week since Britney Spears did it in 2024 with Greatest Hits: My Prerogative.
Olivia says in a statement to Official Charts, “Thank you so much for this Number 1 album award! It means so much to me. I wrote so many of these songs in the U.K., so it makes it extra special. Thank you all for listening, I appreciate it so much.”
Meanwhile, Taylor’s new Toy Story 5 song “I Knew It, I Knew You” is #1 for a second week on the U.K.’s Official Singles Chart. It sold 71,000 units in the past week, giving it the biggest sales week for any single so far this year. The previous record was held by Harry Styles, whose song “Aperture” sold 70,000 units in its first week.
But Olivia is right behind Taylor; three songs from her new album sit at #2, #3 and #5 on the Singles Chart: “stupid song,” “the cure” and “drop dead,” respectively.
The Band’s ‘Music From Big Pink’ (UMe/Capitol Records)
The Band’s debut album, Music From Big Pink, has gotten an audio upgrade.
The album, which features the band’s iconic Robbie Robertson-penned tune “The Weight,” has just been reissued as part of UMe’s Vinylphyle audiophile series.
The release, cut from the original 1968 album master, has been pressed on 180-gram black vinyl and includes new liner notes by music writer Rick Florino.
The pressing, limited to just 3,000 copies, is available now.
Music From Big Pink, originally released July 1, 1968, was recorded following The Band’s stint backing Bob Dylan on his 1966 tour, when they were known as the Hawks. The album’s title references the pink house in West Saugerties, New York, where Band members Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and Garth Hudson lived, and the group worked on the record. The cover artwork is a painting by Dylan.
Luca Guadagnino attends the Dior Homme Menswear Fall/Winter 2026-2027 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on Jan. 21, 2026, in Paris, France. (Peter White/Getty Images)
Artificial, the upcoming film by director Luca Guadagnino, will no longer be released by Amazon MGM Studios.
The studio confirmed the news to ABC Audio on Friday.
“We have the utmost respect and admiration for Luca Guadagnino as an award-winning filmmaker – not to mention a longstanding relationship that we hope to continue,” an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement. “We believe that Artificial will be better served if it were released by a different studio and are working closely with the filmmaking team to find the film a new home.”
Artificial is described as a comedic drama about the world of artificial intelligence. It explores Sam Altman’s OpenAI during a period in 2023 when Altman was fired and rehired in a matter of days. It is directed by Guadagnino from a script by Saturday Night Live alum Simon Rich.
The film’s cast includes Mark Rylance, Andrew Garfield, Yura Borisov, Monica Barbaro, Billie Lourd, Jason Schwartzman, Cooper Koch, Cooper Hoffman and Ike Barinholtz.
It would have reunited Guadagnino and Amazon MGM Studios after he directed the 2024 film Challengers for the studio, as well as 2025’s After the Hunt.
Mgk on ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2021.’ (ABC/Jeff Neira)
Mgk has announced a livestream for his upcoming show in Indianapolis on Saturday.
You can tune in to watch Saturday at 9 p.m. ET via mgk’s YouTube and Twitch channels, as well as the streaming platform Veeps.
“Streaming live in concert Saturday night for anybody who couldn’t see the tour in person,” mgk writes in an Instagram post.
He adds that the stream is also “for my Detroiters that only saw half a show,” referencing his recent performance in the Detroit area that was cut short due to weather.
Mgk is currently touring the U.S. in support of his latest album, 2025’s lost americana.
Katy Perry attends the 2026 Tribeca Festival premiere of ‘Katy Perry: The Lifetimes Tour’ on June 8, 2026 in New York City. (Manny Carabel/WireImage)
Katy Perry has created an entirely new show, complete with new props, for her festival run this summer, which she’s dubbed the Out of Office Tour.
During her performance of “I Kissed a Girl” in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, on Thursday — her first show of the tour — Katy climbed into a giant water bottle labeled “Katyade” and went crowd-surfing, to the delight of fans. She also gave her new single “Watch It Burn” its live debut, ahead of its release on June 25.
While singing “Never Really Over,” she stood next to an enormous iPhone and didn’t answer calls from, among others, the initials “JM,” “RB” and “OB.” Those seemingly stood for her ex-boyfriend John Mayer, her ex-husband Russell Brand and her ex-fiancé Orlando Bloom.
But when the caller displayed as “JPJT” — which stands for Justin Pierre James Trudeau, Katy’s boyfriend, who she calls “the love of my life” — she hit “accept.”
According to MundoAmerica.com, another part of the show featured Katy getting a fake phone call from her daughter during the song “All the Love.”
Katy’s costumes included a long white shirt sporting the words “I am not a robot” with a sequined American flag tie and Canadian flag cufflinks, and a two-piece top and skirt that was a near-replica of an outfit she wore in 2009.
Her setlist was also different from her 2025 Lifetimes Tour, which is coming to screens this summer as a live concert film. In addition to all her biggest hits — from “Roar” and “Firework” to “Teenage Dream” — the new setlist included “Harleys in Hawaii,” “Thinking of You,” “Never Really Over” and a cover of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs song “Heads Will Roll.”
