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Police have arrested a 27-year-old man accused of hurling snowballs at NYPD officers during a chaotic confrontation at Washington Square Park earlier this week, an incident that left two officers hospitalized, the NY Post reports.

Authorities identified the suspect as Gusmane Coulibaly, who was taken into custody today for his alleged role in the Monday afternoon disturbance. The melee, captured on video and widely circulated online, showed officers being pelted with snow and ice amid a disorderly scene.

Officials said the specific charges Coulibaly will face in connection with the snowball attack were not immediately disclosed.

According to police, Coulibaly was arrested less than three weeks ago on an attempted robbery charge stemming from an incident in the subway system, marking another encounter with law enforcement prior to this week’s arrest.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch earlier condemned the episode, calling it “criminal” and “disgraceful.”

Coulibaly is one of four individuals whose images were released by the NYPD shortly after footage of the snowball barrage went viral. The remaining three suspects have not yet been apprehended.

The president of the NYPD Police Benevolent Association praised investigators for making the arrest and criticized Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who had initially characterized the incident as youthful mischief.

“A 27-year-old is not a ‘kid,’ @NYCMayor,” the union wrote on X.

“This individual is an adult with a recent attempted robbery arrest, and your message was that it’s OK for him to assault police officers for doing their job. This arrest sends a different message. We’re grateful to all who have worked so hard on this case. There is more work to be done.”

Mamdani, however, had previously minimized the confrontation. On Tuesday, he said he had “seen the videos” but described the incident as “kids throwing snowballs.”

“I’ve seen the videos of kids throwing snowballs at NYPD officers in Washington Square Park,” he wrote on X.

“Officers, like all city workers, have been out in a historic blizzard, keeping New Yorkers safe and cars moving. Treat them with respect. If anyone’s catching a snowball, it’s me.”

Later, during a press conference, the mayor reiterated that assessment, maintaining that the people involved appeared to be young participants in a snowball fight.

“I can just tell you from the video I saw, it looked like kids in a snowball fight,” he said.

{Matzav.com}

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is testifying before U.S. House lawmakers in New York on Thursday as part of a congressional investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, starting off two days of depositions that will also include former President Bill Clinton. The closed-door depositions in the Clintons’ hometown of Chappaqua, a typically quiet hamlet north of […]

A senior Department of Homeland Security official told state election leaders Wednesday that federal immigration agents will not be sent to polling sites during November’s midterm elections, addressing mounting concerns among Democratic officials about potential federal interference.

Heather Honey, the deputy assistant secretary for election integrity, made the assurance during a conference call with secretaries of state from across the country. According to a statement released by Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, a Democrat, Honey said that “any suggestion that ICE will be present at any polling location is simply not true.”

Officials from other states confirmed that the commitment was made. A spokeswoman for Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read said Honey offered the same pledge during the call, while Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams, a Republican, wrote on X that the assurance came from “DHS.”

The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment following the call.

Honey, who has publicly supported President Donald Trump’s assertions that the 2020 election was affected by fraud, participated in the meeting alongside representatives from the FBI, the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, the Postal Service, and other federal agencies. The discussion focused on coordination efforts ahead of the midterm elections.

Although such pre-election coordination calls are typically routine, this year’s conversation took place against a backdrop of heightened tension. Several actions by the Trump administration have unsettled Democratic secretaries of state.

The Justice Department has filed lawsuits seeking access to detailed voter information, without publicly clarifying the purpose behind the requests. At the same time, Trump has continued to argue that widespread fraud tainted the 2020 election and has called on his administration to pursue further investigations.

Earlier this month, the FBI executed a raid on an election office in Fulton County, Georgia — a Democratic-leaning area that includes Atlanta — seizing ballots and other voting materials from the 2020 election.

In response to these developments, Democratic officials and public interest attorneys nationwide have spent months preparing legal and political strategies to counter any perceived interference in the midterm voting process or ballot tabulation.

Participants on Wednesday’s call said Democratic secretaries of state pressed Honey on several issues, including cuts to federal election security funding, the administration’s initiative to identify instances of noncitizen voting — which they argue is already illegal and rare — and the possibility that federal law enforcement officers could appear at polling sites in the fall.

The White House has previously dismissed those concerns, pointing out that there were no disruptions during last year’s elections, when Democratic candidates saw strong results. During a congressional hearing earlier this month, the leaders of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection each responded “No, sir” when asked whether their agencies were participating in any efforts to monitor or guard voting precincts.

{Matzav.com}

Nicolás Maduro cannot pay for his legal defense in his federal criminal case in the United States because the Trump administration is refusing to allow the Venezuelan government to use funds subject to sanctions to cover his legal fees, according to a court filing submitted by his attorney.

Maduro’s lawyer, Barry Pollack, indicated that he may ask a judge to step in, arguing that if the administration does not reverse its position, it would effectively interfere with Maduro’s Sixth Amendment right to counsel in what he described as one of the most high-profile criminal cases in the country.

In early January, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken into custody during a late-night military operation and brought to the United States. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan charged them with conspiracy to import cocaine and possession of machine guns and destructive devices. Maduro also faces a separate charge of narco-terrorism conspiracy. Both defendants have pleaded not guilty to all charges.

In a letter dated Feb. 20 and filed Wednesday, Pollack wrote that the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control initially granted licenses on Jan. 9 to both Maduro and his wife, permitting the Venezuelan government to pay for their legal representation. However, less than three hours later, the authorization granted to Maduro was amended, revoking permission for his defense costs to be paid by the Venezuelan government, Pollack said.

According to the filing, the government did not modify Flores’ license.

Weeks later, Maduro’s legal team asked the Treasury Department to restore his authorization. “Counsel explained that the government of Venezuela has an obligation to pay Mr. Maduro’s fees, Mr. Maduro has a legitimate expectation that the government of Venezuela would do so, and Mr. Maduro cannot otherwise afford counsel,” Pollack wrote.

Pollack stated that the Treasury office has not responded to the request.

Maduro is currently being held at a detention facility in New York as he awaits trial. He is scheduled to appear in federal court for a hearing on March 17.

{Matzav.com}

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson criticized President Donald Trump’s approach to immigration policy during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press NOW,” arguing that the president is fueling division rather than pursuing comprehensive reform.

Speaking on the program, Johnson said he believes the administration is choosing political confrontation over constructive solutions. “I think it’s a mistake for this President to continue to find wedge[s] to divide people in this country, right? … [I]f this President was serious about ensuring that we had a pathway to citizenship and to ensure that our borders are secure, he would use the fact that he controls every single level of government to put forth legislation that could do just that,” Johnson said.

The mayor suggested that, in his view, Trump has both the authority and the opportunity to advance immigration legislation if he chooses to do so.

Johnson went on to argue that the president’s rhetoric has emphasized differences rather than common ground. “This President has demonstrated over and over again that he’s more interested in dividing people by race, by whether they are documented or undocumented, than he is motivated to actually unite people around the values that working people are concerned about,” he said.

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{Matzav.com}