Obama admin put Abdul El-Sayed’s sister-in-law on terror watch list — they’re going to campaign together anyway

Mariam Jukaku was living in California, where she led the Muslim Student Association in the early 2000s while serving as editor of Al Talib, a newspaper that had it's advertisers shut down over ties to terrorist network

BY VICTOR SKINNER | OCTOBER 16, 2026

Former President Barack Obama this month will stump for Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, roughly a decade after his administration listed the U.S. Senate nominee’s sister-in-law on the terrorist watch list.

In two separate lawsuits, Mariam Jukaku, sister of El-Sayed’s wife, Sarah Jukaku, sued U.S. government officials with the help of the Council on American-Islamic Relations over her alleged inclusion on the Terrorist Screening Database during the Obama administration.

The database, commonly known as the terrorist watch list, “comprises over a million names of individuals suspected of terrorism-related activities,” according to EBSCO Information Services.

Mariam Jukaku filed for an injunction challenging her inclusion on the list in 2016, four years after she noticed her boarding pass at the Detroit Metropolitan Airport “was stamped with the ‘SSSS’ designation, indicating that she had been designated as a ‘known or suspected terrorist,’” according to a class action lawsuit filed at the same time.

“While passing through security, she was subjected to extensive searches, pat downs and chemical testing,” according to the lawsuit, which notes Jukaku filed complaints with multiple federal agencies, including the Transportation Security Administration.

“At no time was Ms. Jukaku given notice of the factual basis for her placement on the federal watch list, and at no time was she offered a meaningful opportunity to contest her designation,” the lawsuit reads.

Mariam Jukaku also appeared with CAIR Michigan officials at a press conference announcing the lawsuits, which involved 17 other Muslims included on the watch list used by Customs and Border Protection, TSA, and local law enforcement.

Both lawsuits were eventually dismissed in 2017 and 2021, according to The Federalist.

“It is the U.S. government’s policy to neither confirm nor deny a person’s inclusion in the Terrorist Screening Dataset, commonly known as the terrorist watchlist,” the FBI wrote in response to a request for comment from the news site.

Obama is slated to campaign alongside El-Sayed in Detroit on Oct. 24, despite the former Wayne County health official’s harsh criticism of his administration in the past.

In 2016, Mariam Jukaku was living in California, where she led the Muslim Student Association in the early 2000s while serving as editor of Al Talib, “UCLA’s Muslim News Magazine.”

In a December 2004 article from the student newspaper the Daily Bruin, Mariam Jukaku complained about the government shutting down Al Talib advertisers over ties to terrorist networks, and accusations on Fox News about UCLA MSA chapters supporting terrorist organizations….

Tayeb Jukaku, who immigrated to the U.S. from India, has donated at least $300,000 to a Fighting for Michigan PAC working to elect the country’s first Muslim senator.

Jukaku has served as a founding member of the Islamic Society of North America since at least 2007, around the time the organization and CAIR were identified by federal prosecutors as unindicted co-conspirators in the terrorism financing case USA v. Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development.

That case resulted in the conviction of the foundation’s founders for funneling $12 million to Hamas, with prosecutors identifying the ISNA as one of eight groups that were or are members of the US Muslim Brotherhood.

“The Holy Land Foundation raised money for Hamas … using a joint bank account with the ISNA, which deposited checks into the account that were “often made payable to ‘the Palestinian Mujahadeen,’ the original name for the Hamas military wing,’” the Free Beacon reports, citing a July 2009 federal court ruling.….

https://www.themidwesterner.news/2026/10/obama-admin-put-abdul-el-sayeds-sister-in-law-on-terror-watch-list-theyre-going-to-campaign-together-anyway/

WATCH: Trump Supporters Boot Leftist Out of Rally as Crowd Erupts Chanting USA – Trump Roasts Protesters

By Jordan Conradson Oct. 16, 2026 5:20 pm

Leftist agitators tried again to disrupt President Trump’s speech in Dalton, Georgia, on Friday and were hauled out of the building by Trump supporters.

After the interruption, one supporter in a MAGA hat could be seen pushing a man through the crowd as other supporters joined him in escorting the agitators out. At least two protesters appeared to be surrounded by supporters, though it is unclear how many there were.

Security was seen allowing the supporters to take it into their own hands and directing them on where to take the protesters out as the crowd chanted “USA!”

President Trump then responded, slamming the “paid protesters” and the fake news media.

“And tomorrow’s story will be: ‘Oh, they had protesters!’ It’s like two paid protesters,” he said before roasting the basement-dwelling leftists.

“Their mother and father are watching, and they’re gonna smack those kids around when they get home because they both voted for Trump!”

WATCH:

Trump Supporters Boot Leftist Out of Rally

1:53

https://rumble.com/embed/v7esc4a/?pub=4

This comes after Trump supporters beat the hell out of an absolute whale at a recent Trump rally in Youngstown, Ohio, earlier this week. Video from the rally shows them getting pummeled in a brawl with a supporter, then being held down as police quickly rushed to take the agitator out

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/10/watch-trump-supporters-boot-leftist-rally-as-crowd/

(VIDEO) Trump Calls Armed Civilian Who Stopped Oregon School Shooting a “Great Hero” – “He Took Care of Business… a Man That Had a Gun and Knew How to Use It”

By Jordan Conradson Oct. 16, 2026 5:00 pm

President Trump commented on the Thursday Oregon elementary school shooting while speaking to reporters on Friday and lauded the “great hero” bystander who ran into the school to stop the shooter.

The hero, identified as Kaylub Giamanco, a carpenter and father of two students at the school, ran into the school after he heard the shots from his car.

He fatally shot the shooter.

Asked whether he was briefed on the shooting, Trump immediately highlighted the man who stopped it and made an incredible case for the Second Amendment.

The Gateway Pundit reported that the shooter and armed bystander who shot him were identified on Friday.

Three children, ages 5, 8, and 11, were killed in the shooting. One teacher was also killed.

“I was. Well, I’ll tell you what, there was a great hero,” he said.

“As bad as it was, we had a great hero that went in and did the business. He took care of business, and thank God we had him. Otherwise, it would have been much worse.”

“It’s a terrible thing, but thank goodness for a man that had a gun and knew how to use it,” Trump added.

MORE:

Trump Praises Armed Civilian Who Stopped Oregon School Shooting as a "Great Hero"

0:24

https://rumble.com/embed/v7es7h8/?pub=4

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/10/video-trump-calls-armed-civilian-who-stopped-oregon/

Fed-Up Trump Labels Ukraine’s Latest Move a ‘Disgrace’: ‘Zelenskyy Is Not a Good Guy’

By V. Saxena, The Western JournalOct. 16, 2026

President Donald Trump appears to be deeply unhappy with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his recent decision to resume strikes on Russia’s oil refineries only days ahead of the U.S. midterm elections.

Zelenskyy resumed the strikes despite the president having asked him to stop as early as last month, when he warned the Ukrainian leader that the world was experiencing a fuel crisis, according to Reuters.

During an interview on Thursday with Rob Finnerty of Newsmax, the president repeatedly lashed out at Zelenskyy over not only the strikes, but also other issues involving Ukraine.

“Zelenskyy’s not a good guy for us to deal with,” he bluntly said at one point.

Trump continued by using the term “disgrace” to describe the Ukrainian president’s decision to resume strikes despite its effect on oil and gas prices.

“Now, if you tell me that Zelenskyy is again shooting at refineries, all he’s doing is making the world oil price higher,” Trump said. “I think that’s a disgrace. There’s plenty of other targets. They don’t have to hit– there are a lot of targets that you can hit.”

“But when you shoot a diesel refineries where you make diesel oil, and we need that, and the world needs that, then he’s not doing a good service for the world,” the president added.

The president also admitted that to him personally, dealing with Zelenskyy is harder than dealing with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“I find Zelenskyy to be more difficult to deal with than Putin,” he said.

This wasn’t the first instance of him criticizing Zelenskyy in favor of the Russian president:

However, Zelenskyy has also been critical of Trump.

“As his clash escalated with Trump, Zelenskyy was in Brussels on Friday to shore up support from European allies, whom he called ‘real leaders’ as they gathered for a crucial summit,” according to NBC News.

All of this comes after President Trump announced a deal last week to buy diesel from Russia. The tentative deal sparked bipartisan backlash, with critics accusing him of acquiescing to Russia.

At least eight Senate Republicans have already publicly criticized the deal, according to The Hill. Several of them, including Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, reportedly wrote a letter to Trump calling the deal “a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our allies.”

The president has nevertheless continued to maintain that he’s made the right decision.

“The European Union paid Russia 250 Billion Dollars for Energy, and the Fake News Media doesn’t want to get near that story,” he wrote in a Truth Social post published Monday. “I made the right choice for the American People — ALWAYS, AMERICA FIRST!”

The president has also been lashing out at Zelenskyy for refusing to reach a final settlement with Russia and conclude the war:

“Zelenskyy could have settled this war many times, many, many times, and he chooses not to,” Trump told reporters late last week. “It’s very difficult… But he could have settled it many times, and he chose not to.”

He also spoke about the gas and diesel issue.

“He wants to make problems for the world,” Trump said of Zelenskyy. “He wants to make problems for our farmers, our ranchers, with diesel fuel, because Russia supplies a large portion of the diesel fuel throughout the world.”

“And we told him, do whatever you want, but don’t hit the diesel fuel, because there’s a big problem, a big shortage,” the president continued.

“And what does he do? He goes and hits the diesel fuel. He can do whatever he wants, but he can’t do that, because we have a world problem.”

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/10/fed-trump-labels-ukraines-latest-move-disgrace-zelenskyy/

Russian forces liberate key Ukrainian stronghold in Donbass – MOD

President Putin has praised the “coordinated and professional” actions of troops involved in capturing Dobropolye

Published 16 Oct, 2026 19:43 |

Russian forces have liberated the key Ukrainian stronghold of Dobropolye in Donbass, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov has reported to President Vladimir Putin.

During a meeting on Friday, Gerasimov said assault units from several brigades had taken part in the operation and were searching basements for any remaining Ukrainian troops.

Putin praised the “coordinated and highly professional” actions of the Russian assault units, noting that Ukrainian forces had turned Dobropolye into a “robust stronghold.”

In late September, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that its forces had encircled Dobropolye.

The town’s capture marks another step in Russia’s advance toward the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration,a cluster of cities in northwestern DPR that forms Ukraine’s last major fortified stronghold in the region.

https://rt-english.com/russia/647320-russian-forces-liberate-key-ukrainian-stronghold-donbass/

In space, no one hears Zelensky scream: No euros can buy Kiev options in orbit 1/2

European NATO members are unable to replace American intelligence and Starlink coverage for Kiev

(Interesting Zelensky is screwed, he better correct his statement to the President and U.S., being cut off will be worse. Z’s arrogance is inflated, his power is not even close to getting what he wants!)

Published 16 Oct, 2026 14:28 |

No matter how European leaders pledge to support Ukraine come hell or high water and let the taxpayers foot the bill,the cold hard fact is that there are things no euros can buy, such as US intelligence and satellite communications.

Kiev’s critical reliance on American space capabilities came to the fore this week when the long-standing feud between US President Donald Trump and Vladimir Zelensky flared up again.Trump, who had struck a diesel supply deal with Russia, called Zelensky a hindrance to peace who should be replaced. Zelensky called Trump a weakling who had betrayed Ukraine, if not in those exact terms.

According to lamentations from Kiev corroborated by media reporting,the White House put a chokehold on the Zelensky government by suspending early warning about incoming Russian ballistic missiles and temporarily suspending access to Starlink satellite internet for fast-moving objects– such as drones used in Kiev’s “middle strike” operations inside what Washington recognizes as part of Ukraine.

It’s not like Kiev was not warned. During a meeting in Miami last week,US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushnerreportedly told the Ukrainians the diesel deal announcement was coming and that Kiev should not have ignored Trump’s multiple requests to stop strikes on Russian oil refineries.

Accounts shared with Axios and Reuters suggest the Americans were polite enough not to say “what a nice deal to get intelligence and internet you have; it would be a shame if something happened to it.”But they mentioned “all that the US has done ⁠for Ukraine.” The Ukrainians did take it as a threat.

Here are the alternatives Kiev would have, should Trump push the issue further.

No match for US intelligence

Intelligence that European NATO members can provide is a far cry from what the US has been delivering for years. Already, early warning about Russian ballistic missile launches has stopped coming, just as Zelensky is complaining.

The US operates the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS), whose backbone is six geosynchronous orbit satellites equipped with thermal sensors that detect launch signatures, complemented by two active and two reserve payloads in a highly elliptical orbit.

SBIRS helps identify and estimate the trajectory of a weapon, but has limited ability to track missiles after the intensive boost phase. But knowing one is incoming helps ground and airborne radar systems that guide interceptor missiles.

Other NATO members rely on SBIRS intelligence and never thought they would need their own alternative.

Satellites operated by the US National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and the Air Force’s electronic reconnaissance aircraft, such as the RC-135U Combat Sent, also collect intelligence about Russian air defense systems. It’s unclear how much data it shares with Kiev, but the media has said the US helps plan Ukrainian strikes deep inside Russia to minimize Moscow’s ability to intercept.

European NATO members do have some similar capabilities, including France’s three CERES electronic-intelligence satellites, the UK’s three RC-135W Rivet Joint aircraft, and Germany’s SARah radar-reconnaissance space program, but there is only so much they can do to measure up to the world’s largest military spender.

OneWeb not to rule them all

On the connectivity side, Starlink and its military twin Starshield remain the most capable today. It has over 11,000 satellites in low Earth (LEO) orbit that can use lasers to route traffic between each other, boosting their bandwidth.

https://rt-english.com/russia/647295-ukraine-alternatives-starlink-intelligence/

>>25148887

2/2

The Starlink Mini terminal weighs just 1.1 kg and has an integrated antenna, making it usable even on even smaller military drones. Even larger variants are compact, which makes them harder to spot, and they typically consume under 100 watts of power – both valuable features in frontline applications.

The most direct non-US alternative is EutelsatOneWeb, which already complements Starlink access in Ukraine.It only has 600+ satellitesin its constellation, but nevertheless offers a high-speed connection.

Comparison of Starlink and OneWeb

However, OneWeb’s orbital component “remains rooted in an outdated architecture and technology conceived a decade ago, without any evolution of its underlying design,” Christian Freiherr von der Ropp, an independent satellite consultant, told Reuters.

OneWeb ground hardware is likewise no match for Starlink in price, size, or appetite for energy. The relatively small Hughes HL1100W terminal weighs over 10 kg and consumes around 130 watts, though there are efforts to produce smaller and less power-hungry equipment.

Kymeta Corporation announced a OneWeb terminal in March whose 100-watt consumption it said was optimized for mobile platforms. Its “compact and lightweight design” means it weighs less than 11 kg, and the producer itself is Redmond, Washington.

Dark horses in orbit

In September, EU co-founder Luxembourg announced the successful launch of the final three of a planned 13 satellites of its O3b mPOWER communication system. The low number is misleading, since the constellation is being positioned in medium Earth orbit and requires fewer satellites for coverage.

The trade off is latency, which is higher by an order of magnitude compared to LEO-based systems, but Luxembourg’s system is still good enough for some military applications and is used by NATO.

O3b mPOWER’s potential for Ukraine’s war effort is limited due to its coverage, which is between 50° north latitude and 50° south latitude. Luxembourg is right on the northern border of the band, but a large part of Ukraine, including Kiev, is outside of it. As they say, geography is destiny.

GOVSATCOM, the EU’s program to band together communication satellites owned by several member states,is somewhat of a dark horse, but public data suggests its capabilities are too limited to replace Starlink.

Amazon Leo is currently in limited preview, but it’s hard to expect an American company and a major Pentagon contractor to publicly defy Trump at Brussels’ call. Russia’s in-development Rassvet system is obviously not an option.

The EU’s proposed IRIS² system is years away from being operational, as is Canada’s Telesat Lightspeed.

In short, should Ukraine lose Starlink, in the short term Europe cannot replace it, as EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas acknowledged on Friday.

https://rt-english.com/russia/647295-ukraine-alternatives-starlink-intelligence/

Russia is very aware and they understand the U.S. strength and knowledge of technology already built out in space. The US and Russia have been working together for years on the endeavors in space.