Three family members charged with assaulting Turning Point USA reporter Savanah Hernandez in Minnesota

Three family members have been indicted after allegedly assaulting aTurning Point USAjournalistduring aprotestagainst immigration enforcement operations inMinnesota.

Christopher and DeYanna Ostroushko and their daughter, Paige, were each charged by a federal grand jury with one count ofassault. Theindictment, unsealed Wednesday, additionally charges Christopher and Paige each with one count of interfering with a federally protected activity.

Christopher Ostroushko also faces state charges of misdemeanor assault, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.

Attorneys for the Ostroushkos said they will mount a strong defense and emphasized that an indictment doesn't mean the family has been convicted of any crime.

Community members have continued to protest in opposition to immigration enforcement efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration in the weeks since federal officers’ presence in the Twin Cities was dramatically scaled back. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has used the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling as a short-term holding facility, and the area out front has become a hub of anti-ICE activity.

Widely shared video taken by Turning Point USA contributor Savanah Hernandez outside the Whipple building on April 11 begins with Paige blowing a whistle close to Hernandez’s face. Video from other vantage points shows Hernandez with her hand protecting her face, sometimes pushing back against Paige. The two then tussle.

Hernandez says, “Get away from me.”

Paige pushes Hernandez, who falls back against a fence.

In the moments after, DeYanna and Christopher separately confront Hernandez, as does Paige again.

Christopher Ostroushko “forcefully shoved the victim in the back, head first to the ground," the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said in its statement. It also said there was insufficient evidence to bring state charges against the others involved.

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Throughout, others on the scene tried to de-escalate and separate them.

After the April 11 incident, Hernandez said her glasses were broken, she was concussed with a sore neck and back, and her legs were scraped, according to posts on the social platform X. She wrote that she was talking with police about pressing charges.

James Cook, an attorney representing the family, said the videos that have circulated don’t show everything, and he believes the family will be able to provide a “vigorous defense.”

“We think that there's a lot of things in the videos that provide a means to exonerate," he said.

The family was regular protesters at the Whipple building to provide “a voice and a demonstration against Metro Surge," Cook said. He added the Ostroushkos have since been threatened online, and DeYanna and Christopher have both lost their jobs.

“They wish they could turn back the clock,” Cook said. “They wish that things didn’t turn out how they did.”

The Ostroushkos were summoned to appear before a federal judge on May 12.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement Wednesday that the Department of Justice will always “punish unhinged acts of political violence.”

“Hernandez was allegedly surrounded, physically assaulted, and shoved to the ground — simply because she was identified by the defendants as a conservative journalist,” Blanche said. “That is NOT ‘peaceful protest.’”

Hernandez said in a post that she was “incredibly grateful to see our justice system at work.”

Hernandez did not immediately reply to a request for comment via email or direct message.

byAlex Forten

in

May 01, 2026

Three family members charged with assaulting Turning Point USA reporter Savanah Hernandez in Minnesota

Three family members have been indicted after allegedly assaulting aTurning Point USAjournalistduring aprotestagainst immigration enfor...

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More tenants could save an average £1,140 after Labour’s rental reforms, research finds

Tenants will soon find it easier to save potentially thousands of pounds asLabour’s flagship rental reformsempower them to challenge rent increases proposed by landlords.

Research fromanti-poverty charityZ2K has found that renters who challenge their rent rises are on average £1,140 a year better off than they would be had they accepted the increase.

In 71 per cent of applications for these ‘market rent determinations’ – which are decided by a tribunal – renters have been successful insecuring a lower rentthan what was proposed, the findings show.

But despite this high success rate, only 1,000 cases have been dealt with over the past two years, representing a tiny fraction of the 5.5 million private rented households across the UK.

In one case last year, a household in Hounslow that had been in the property was able to challenge an increase from £1,000 to £1,450 £450 a month by applying to the tribunal. It found that, while the market rent in the area was £1,400 a month, the poor condition of the property meant the maximum rent should be £1,150 – saving the tenant £3,600 a year over the proposed price.

Five per cent of cases have also seen orders to make the currentrentlower. This was the case for a tenant in Newham who was paying £650 a month to live in an HMO and asked to start paying £950. At tribunal, it was found that the property breached a number of safety requirements, and so the rent was lowered the rent to £540 – saving them £4,920.

It is especially worthtenantsliving in poor housing conditions challenging their rent increases, the Z2K research shows, with the tribunal applying deductions from the market rent due to property condition in 77 per cent of cases. The average deduction in these cases is £2,160 per year.

The research comes asLabour’s Renter’s Rights Act is brought into law, bringing a series of sweeping changes to the system that will empower tenants to challenge rent rises at a tribunal

Chief amongst these is the removal of controversial Section 21 ‘no-fault’ eviction notices, which gave landlords the power to remove a tenant without reason at two months’ notice. Housing charities warned that these were often used in retaliation when a tenant challenged a rent increase, meaning there was a risk in doing so.

Bringing another risk was the possibility that the tribunal could decide to actually increase the rent above the amount the landlord was asking for, which can no longer happen under new rules. Although this was rarer (occurring in 11 per cent per cent of cases), the average increase in these cases was a massive £2,465 a year.

Other changes brought in include:

• Landlords can only increase rents once a year, and only within market rates

• Approved rent increases can no longer be backdated from the date given by the landlord, but must begin after the tribunal’s decision

• The tribunal will also be able to delay the new rent by up to two months to prevent undue hardship

Samuel Thomas, senior policy adviser at the anti-povertycharityZ2K, said: “The Renters’ Rights Act will make welcome changes to how renters can challenge unfair rent increases. Z2K’s new research shows that when renters are able to make use of these protections, the benefits can be significant, putting hundreds of pounds a year back into household budgets and making homes more secure.”

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“We are calling on the government to give clear and consistent backing to these reforms, and to ensure renters are supported and confident in using their new rights to challenge unreasonable increases.”

An MHCLG spokesperson said: “For too long, tenants have been afraid or unable to challenge unreasonable rent increases and that changes today.

“Our landmark Renters’ Rights Act is now in force empowering private rented tenants to challenge unreasonable rent increases, without fear of eviction, whilst enabling landlords to only increase rent once a year.”

How to challenge a rent increase

Under the new Renters’ Rights Act, the process for challenging a rent hike has been streamlined to better protect tenants. Landlords must now give a formal Section 13 notice to propose an increase, and can only do this once a year.

Most experts advice trying to negotiate with the landlord first, using evidence such as local market rates or the condition of the property.

If an agreement can’t be reached, the tenant must apply to the tribunal before the rent increase is due to start. Under the new rules, landlords have to give at least two months’ notice of this on the Section 13.

To manage anticipated increased demand on the service, it is no longer free for renters to do this, and the new cost is £47.

Applying for a market rent determination requires a ‘Rents1’ form to be filled out, which can be found on the government website. This cannot be submitted online, and instead must be posted or hand delivered to the tribunal office.

It can take up to 10 weeks for the tribunal to make a decision. If the rent increase is due to start in that period, the tenant must begin paying it.

When gathering evidence, Citizens Advice advises: “Try to find out what others pay for similar properties in your area. You could speak to a local letting agent, look online or ask friends and family. You can then use this as evidence.”

“Any evidence you get will need to be for a property that's similar to yours. For example, if you live in a one-bedroom furnished flat, compare it with another one-bedroom furnished flat in your area.”

In most cases, the tribunal is be based only on the evidence given, but it could be in person. There may also be a request to inspect the property.

byAlex Forten

in

May 01, 2026

More tenants could save an average £1,140 after Labour’s rental reforms, research finds

Tenants will soon find it easier to save potentially thousands of pounds asLabour’s flagship rental reformsempower them to challenge re...

Read More

Request for FIFA President Gianni Infantino to be given a police escort is denied by Canadian police

TORONTO (AP) — A request for FIFA President Gianni Infantino to be given a police escort while in Vancouver, British Columbia, for FIFA meetings has been denied, the Vancouver Police Department confirmed Wednesday.

"Formal motorcades where traffic is stopped are reserved for heads of state," Deputy Chief Don Chapman said in a statement.

"As the FIFA executive do not meet Internationally Protected Person (IPP) standards that would warrant such an escort (closing roads, intersections, not adhering to traffic devices, etc.), the request was declined," Chapman said.

FIFA did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

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Soccer's governing body is holding meetings this week in Vancouver, one of the 16 sites of World Cup matches in a tournament co-hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico from June 11 to July 19.

FIFA’s Congress, a meeting of representatives from all its members, is scheduled for Thursday.

AP soccer:https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

byAlex Forten

in

May 01, 2026

Request for FIFA President Gianni Infantino to be given a police escort is denied by Canadian police

TORONTO (AP) — A request for FIFA President Gianni Infantino to be given a police escort while in Vancouver, British Columbia, for FIFA...

Read More