Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn's son Wyatt addresses claim he was viral protester scolding National Guardsmen during LA riots
The video showed a bearded protester, who has a fleeting resemblance to Wyatt Russell, donning a black sweatshirt and baseball cap and shouting at National Guardsmen standing post. The protester can be heard telling the guardsmen that they were on 'the wrong side of history' in the clip that went viral on X on Monday.
'Your assault rifles and your sticks? You should be standing here with us,' the man is heard yelling.
5 Wyatt Russell attends the New York Special Screening of 'Thunderbolts' hosted by The Cinema Society at iPic Theater on April 30, 2025 in New York City.
Getty Images for Disney
'We know you got a job to do, but you took an oath to the Constitution, not to the fascists in the White House. Think about what you're doing now. Think about what this means.'
Rumors started spreading like wildfire across the social media platform that the man in the footage was actually the '22 Jump Street' star.
However, a spokesperson for the 38-year-old actor quickly put to rest any doubt that he was the man in the video.
'This is indeed NOT Wyatt Russell, and we have been working to try and correct the mis-identification,' the spokesperson told the Independent.
The protester in the viral clip was actually Aaron Fisher, a former Ohio House Democratic Caucus staffer and now a partner at Statecraft Media — who said he got a kick out of being mistaken for his Hollywood doppelganger.
5 Wyatt Russell with his mom, actress Goldie Hawn.
Shutterstock
5 Kurt Russell, Goldie Hawn and Wyatt Russell at 'The Hateful Eight' film premiere, in Los Angeles, on Dec. 7, 2015.
Matt Baron/Shutterstock
'I found the mixup to be pretty humorous, and glad it helped to amplify the message,' Fisher told Entertainment Weekly.
'The proliferation of the words themselves, and the movement behind it, is what matters most.'
Fisher then used the moment to bash the deployment of the National Guard in California to help control the violent ICE riots suffocating Los Angeles.
'The deployment of the National Guard against the wishes of our Governor is dangerously un-American, and I will continue to peacefully protest in my community,' he said.
5 Severe disorder takes place in downtown Los Angeles as hundreds of law enforcement officers and the National Guard try to keep order.
Toby Canham for NY Post
The city has been in turmoil since protests-turned-riots erupted as US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided numerous workplaces and hauled off suspected illegal immigrants.
The Trump administration has deployed 4,000 National Guard members to maintain order and help protect federal personnel and property.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also ordered 700 Marines to Los Angeles to support the National Guard troops on the ground, as well as local authorities.
5 Vehicles are seen being torched during the Los Angeles anti-ICE riots.
Toby Canham for NY Post
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced that a curfew will go into effect in parts of downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday after five straight days of riots, looting, violent clashes with police, and more than 150 arrests.
While it was confirmed that Russell wasn't the protester in the viral video, other celebrities have not shied away from throwing their support behind the anti-ICE riots.
Actor Mark Ruffalo posted a lengthy message on Instagram condemning the ICE raids as things began to reach a boiling point in the city between protesters and law enforcement.
'When you have working class people going after the poor and other working class people you know you are living in an oligarchy,' Ruffalo captioned the post.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
2 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Afghan US army interpreter detained by ICE is accused of being a national security risk. His lawyer said ICE hasn't disclosed why.
'That circumvents all due process, all hearings, all opportunity to say 'Hey, this is a mistake,'' Keating said. Advertisement Zia's detainment is the latest case of an immigrant who was in the country legally being detained by ICE. In March, immigration agents surrounded Tufts PhD student Peterson filed a petition in the US District Court of Massachusetts to nullify the expedited removal order, as well as filed a claim for asylum on behalf of Zia. A judge ordered DHS on July 18 to notify the court at least 72 hours before Zia is transferred to a different facility or deported. Advertisement Peterson said the decision gives them 'breathing room' to work on his case. 'Although the government hasn't in all cases followed judicial orders in recent months, this is a much better and more secure position to be in than we were right after my client was apprehended,' she said. Zia worked as an interpreter for US troops from 2006 to 2007, according to court filings and a copy of his special immigrant visa application. He fled across the border into Pakistan when the Taliban In a letter of recommendation for Zia's visa application, a sergeant who directly supervised him said Zia was instrumental to the success of the unit's mission and 'presents no danger' to the US. 'I would invite him into my own home with my children and not be worried anything would happen,' the sergeant wrote. 'I trust in him completely.' Zia was on track for permanent residency when he was detained by ICE for unclear reasons. 'Everything is completely legal,' Peterson said. Keating considers the army interpreter's arrest an attempt by the federal government to 'This is about the Trump administration and ICE finding one more way to push the numbers to 3,000 [arrests] a day,' the congressman said. A senior Department of Homeland Security official said in an email to the Globe that Zia was 'paroled by the Biden administration.' Advertisement 'He is currently under investigation for a serious criminal allegation,' the official wrote. 'All of his claims will be heard by a judge. Any Afghan who fears persecution is able to request relief.' An attorney for ICE officials wrote in a response to Zia's petition that ICE terminated his parole after the FBI indicated he is 'a risk to the national security of the United States' and lacks 'valid entry documents.' But his attorney said she has received no formal communication from the Department of Homeland Security about an investigation. 'It was only after media reached out to ICE or to DHS that we heard anything about that at all,' Peterson said. 'As his attorney, I don't believe there's anything to this.' She noted that other Afghan clients of hers have been called for formal interviews with the Federal Bureau of Investigation or received knocks on their doors from agents, who ask them a few questions before leaving. Zia received no such request, she said. Peterson is now crossing her fingers for an interview with an immigration officer, where Zia can prove he has reason to fear persecution if he is deported. Shawn VanDiver, the founder and president of AfghanEvac, an advocacy organization for Afghans contracted by the US military, said Zia is one of his 'priority cases' among 'well over 100″ instances of Afghans arrested by ICE. 'He is yet another person who followed all of the rules,' said VanDiver, who served in Iraq in the US Navy. He added that he wants to show Afghan allies that veterans have their backs. He has signed up more than 110 people who will be trained in the next week on how to support Afghan immigrants at their court appointments, including wearing veteran gear to sit in the courtrooms. To VanDiver, it's the least Americans can do. Advertisement 'We told them they can be Americans,' he said. 'We're making it very hard for them.' Jade Lozada can be reached at
Axios
2 hours ago
- Axios
Federal judge defers ruling on Alina Habba's legal authority
A federal judge on Friday deferred ruling on Alina Habba's legal authority as a prosecutor after President Trump tapped her to lead the U.S. attorney's office for New Jersey. The big picture: A lawyer sought to get a criminal case in New Jersey dismissed by questioning Habba's legitimacy to lead the U.S. attorney's office in the state and arguing that the way the Trump administration restored her authority over the office was "unconstitutional." Catch up quick: In March, Trump appointed his then-presidential counselor Habba to serve as interim U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey. That allowed her to work in an acting capacity for 120 days while awaiting Senate confirmation. With Habba's confirmation stalled, the local district court appointed a new prosecutor to serve until the vacancy was filled. Attorney General Pam Bondi terminated the appointment hours later. Trump then withdrew Habba's nomination as the U.S. attorney so that she could be appointed to the position of first assistant U.S. attorney, making her the acting leader of the office. Driving the news: Judge Matthew Brann of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania wrote in the opinion that the motion to dismiss the case is both denied in part and deferred in part. The defendant, Julien Giraud Jr. who is facing charges in a drug and gun-related case, is entitled to injunctive relief "precluding Ms. Habba from participating in their prosecution if they are correct that she was appointed in violation of statute or the Constitution." That injunctive relief, the judge wrote, should extend to Assistant United States Attorneys "purporting to operate pursuant to Ms. Habba's authority." The judge added, "Because relief will be available to them if they are correct, the court should reach the merits of the Girauds' claims," Brann added. Context: Attorney Thomas Mirigliano asked the court to dismiss the indictment or stop Habba and any other attorney acting under "her purported authority" from prosecuting the case.
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Hochul blames ‘lack of investments' for MTA's hellish service meltdowns, even as bloated transit agency eyes fare hike to $3
Just throw more money at the problem! Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday blamed decades-long 'lack of investments' in subway infrastructure for hellish service meltdowns this week amid stifling heat and torrential downpours — even as she directed MTA officials to conduct a 'pretty much full review' of the issues. Hochul, standing alongside Metropolitan Transportation Authority honcho Janno Lieber, acknowledged the repeated failures had left straphangers running late or frustrated. 4 Gov. Kathy Hochul, in a press conference, addressed the reasons for the subway meltdowns this week were due to a 'lack of investments' in subway infrastructure. Matt Roberts/Shutterstock 'I don't want any person to feel as if they aren't getting first-rate service, so I've directed Janno and his team to provide a pretty much full review of what occurred this week,' she said. Power outages at the West Fourth Street station during the morning commute on both Tuesday and Thursday caused travel nightmares for thousands of subway-riders, some of whom vowed to jump turnstiles to steal back their lost time. Hochul already appeared primed to point the finger at the 'lack of investments' in the subway system, despite the MTA raking ever-increasing billions of dollars over decades for infrastructure improvements, imposing a $9 congestion pricing toll and, this week, eyeing a fare increase to $3. The governor even touted the MTA's latest, record-breaking $68.4 billion capital plan for 2025-2029 as a step forward in fixing the infrastructure woes, specifically for electrical upgrades. 'That's why we're continuing the investments, $4 billion to upgrade the electrical system,' Hochul said during an unrelated press conference. The MTA plans to spend the $4 billion on power and electricity components over the next five years, according to the capital plan. This includes around $3 billion specifically for the system's 224 substations and 317 circuit breaker houses. 4 Multiple station outages occurred during the stifling heat and torrential thunderstorm that hit the Big Apple, including at West Fourth Street on Tuesday and Thursday. Oliya Scootercaster/FreedomNewsTV But even after the upgrades planned for in the most recent capital plan are complete, the MTA estimates a little more than a quarter, 27%, of substations will still be in poor or marginal condition, per the plan. 'I'm very annoyed,' Kate Whitman, a 26-year-old creative executive, said Friday, lamenting the proposed $3 fare. The shoddy subway service this week forced Whitman to shell out $80 in Ubers heading to work in Brooklyn and back from her West Village home. But she said she has been late to work multiple times because of poor subway service even before the troubles. 'I know the system is severely outdated. It's very obvious that it would be an extensive audit required, but, like, it's very clear that the money isn't being used very wisely at all.' 4 Commuters were frustrated, which even led to one subway rider shelling out up to $80 for Uber rides to get to their workplace and later on back home. Oliya Scootercaster/FreedomNewsTV MTA officials have sounded alarm bells in recent years about the subway system's decaying, often-century-old infrastructure. The budget for the transit agency's capital plan in 2000-2004 stood at just shy of $22 billion — and has only increased for each subsequent five-year cycle, records show. On-time performance during 2017 — which featured the notorious 'summer of hell' — hit a dismal 63%, data shows. Since then, on-time performance has improved significantly, hitting 89% in 2020. But that coincided with a nosedive in ridership because of the coronavirus pandemic, with total annual ridership in 2024 at about 1.2 billion — compared to roughly 1.7 billion each year before COVID, according to data. Lieber on Friday argued the subway system bounced back quickly from Thursday's torrential rainfall, noting all lines were back in service the next morning. He said the electrical issues at West Fourth Street will be addressed by the recent capital plan. 'You're talking about 100-year-old electrical infrastructure, cloth-covered wires that are from our great-grandparents era that nobody went to update, and we just can't live with that anymore,' he said. In 2020, only 60% of substations were in a state of good repair. But despite spending a massive $2.6 billion from 2020 to 2024 to improve electrical infrastructure, that number only improved to 64% of substations being in a state of good repair. 4 Metropolitan Transportation Authority honcho Janno Lieber said the subway resumed with regular service on Friday. James Messerschmidt Substations during that period appeared to be deteriorating faster than MTA crews could fix them. The widespread transit woes — including yet more flooding in the subways — this week only highlighted the mixed results from the MTA's spending. But Lieber was quick to note that the MTA's measures of subway and commuter train rider satisfaction have greatly increased this year. 'Customer satisfaction with subways is up 8%, Long Island Rail Road is up is up 5%, Metro-North is up 4%,' he said. 'Customers before this week — and you know, this week has definitely taken a hit on customer satisfaction — are recognizing the improvements that have taken place. We have to get them back to that level of comfort.' Not everyone was buying it. 'New Yorkers pay a dizzying number of taxes and fees towards the MTA and, yet, they can't even keep the power on,' said state Sen. Jim Skoufis (D-Orange). 'Until their leadership brings radical reform to the system – and stops depending on annual bailouts from Albany – taxpayers will continue getting ripped off and riders will continue to be let down with substandard transit.' Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island) highlighted the issues by posting a clip showing straphangers climbing on subway gates to avoid flooding. 'Pathetic!' she wrote.
