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Sarah Huckabee Sanders (Video screenshot)
One of the GOP’s most prominent elected governors has created a conservative social media firestorm after releasing what she thought was a basic ad targeting welfare recipients.
As Fox News reported, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a campaign ad on Monday that showcased a young White male named “Brad” as the perfect example of someone who leeches off the government.
The ad shows an unkempt “Brad” spending his time playing video games and stuffing himself with cheese puffs while not bothering to look for employment.
“Meet Brad,” Huckabee Sanders says at the start of the ad. “Brad has turned relaxing into a full-time profession.”
“But you actually work hard. You pay taxes to cover welfare for guys like Brad who just choose not to work.”
Huckabee Sanders goes on to brag that this is why she launched a welfare-to-work program. She says this has resulted in more people from Arkansas working than before.
“Even Brad,” she adds as the ad cuts to a now-clean-cut “Brad” in a shirt and tie.
WATCH:

You pay taxes to cover welfare for people who just choose not to work. That’s why I launched a welfare-to-work requirement.
If you’re young, healthy, and get government assistance, you should work, go to school, or volunteer. pic.twitter.com/M83nxNMdry
— Sarah Huckabee Sanders (@SarahHuckabee) September 28, 2026

Conservatives across the board exploded over Huckabee Sanders for portraying a politically correct target to promote her reelection campaign.

This is an insane ad! Who thought this was a good idea?
Attack young white men for being screwed over by society. I love that. Why would you want to have a base of voters when you can give the Democrats every single demographic.
— David Zorkocy (@DavidZorkocy) September 28, 2026

You would never see Republicans make a campaign ad like this about black people addicted to EBT cards and Section 8 housing, that’s why I can’t take it seriously. Young white men are the one group it’s easy to kick down at and scapegoat, but they don’t receive government welfare.…
— Fugitive Caesar (@ThomBrady5) September 28, 2026

Young white men as welfare queens?
You’re a coward and a joke
— Auron MacIntyre (@AuronMacintyre) September 28, 2026

Young right-wing Christian American gamers are some of the most patriotic people in society.
This is tonedeaf and the only reason you did this was because they’re the easiest demographic to put down.
— Kangmin Lee | 이강민 (@kangminlee) September 28, 2026

Men must actively vote against her. Young men aren’t working because the colleges and companies have refused to accept them for work or degrees. To further imply they’re the ones on the government dime is just rubbing salt in the wound that society has already just made. pic.twitter.com/fF0BpkF59H
— Joker (@BachelorJoker) September 28, 2026

This is probably the single most politically retarded campaign advertisement that I’ve ever seen — congratulations.
— Matt Morse (@MattMorseTV) September 28, 2026

Who advised Sarah this was a good idea?!
Some young white men may still live on their parents’ welfare, but very few live on government welfare. Those are two completely different issues.
Don’t make the young white male (a voting demo the GOP needs) the enemy here.
— Jenna Ellis (@realJennaEllis) September 28, 2026

Many X users were quick to point out that young white men actually use far less welfare compared to other demographic groups. These include Black and Hispanic households.

Hi Sarah,
Did you know that 42% of ALL BLACK HOUSEHOLDS are on some form welfare?
Yes, FORTY-TWO PERCENT.
Did you know 36% of ALL HISPANIC HOUSEHOLDS are on welfare?
Guess how many White households? Just 13%.
So which demographic is actually the most problematic here? pic.twitter.com/NLojpPYPgT
— Matt Van Swol (@mattvanswol) September 28, 2026

I BADLY want Republicans to win every race in the country — but “Brad” here is not the problem and the ad should be re-worked. pic.twitter.com/KTasuLDAx4
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 28, 2026

Grok also notes that Black households have the highest SNAP participation rate in Arkansas.

No. Black or African American households have the highest SNAP participation rate in Arkansas, at 22%, compared with 8% for White households and 10% for Hispanic households (ACS 2020-24). Whites form the largest share of recipients due to population size, but rates are lower. White males do not…
— Grok (@grok) September 28, 2026

Huckabee Sanders fired back at her conservative critics and stood by the ad:
“Some critics online don’t like my welfare work requirement ad,” she said. “Next thing you know, they’ll say I should have used cookies instead of cheese balls.
“If you are able-bodied, you should not collect welfare simply because you choose not to work. Period.”

Some critics online don’t like my welfare work requirement ad. Next thing you know they’ll say I should have used cookies instead of cheese balls. If you are able-bodied you should not collect welfare simply because you choose not to work. Period. WATCH-> https://t.co/W9BAjVRkSA
— Sarah Huckabee Sanders (@SarahHuckabee) September 28, 2026

We all know that if Huckabee Sanders used a Black person in her ad, she would get dragged over the coals by the corporate media. Thus, the White man must be mocked instead.

The post Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders Sparks Massive Conservative Uproar After Releasing This Politically Correct Anti-Welfare Ad (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Tesla Patents “Electric Fan Car” Weeks Before Roadster Reveal

The United States Patent and Trademark Office awarded Tesla an “Electric Fan Car” patent less than three weeks before the Tesla Roadster 2.0 reveal.

The USPTO filing illustrates four electric ducted fans positioned side by side in the rear diffuser and states that the system is designed to “increase downforce and reduce drag.”

“The achievable speed around corners, and stability during braking, of a road vehicle can often be limited by a measure of downforce, or vertical downward force, available on the vehicle. Downforce can help improve grip around corners and stability during braking. Therefore, a vehicle can achieve increased speed through corners and better stability during deceleration with an improved means of creating downforce,” the filing continued.

The filing also describes the new system as driver-activated or, in some configurations, automatically controlled.

Last month, a report said the redesigned Roadster would have limited “flying” capabilities.

EV blog Electrek pointed out, “Somebody at Tesla was clearly working on a track-focused Model S in 2023. That car is dead, and the idea has nowhere to go but the Roadster. Between this, last year’s skirt

Tyler Durden
Tue, 09/29/2026 – 13:35

FIRST ON FOX: The Trump administration announced $500 million in waste and fraud findings at the Office of Personnel Management – revealing a recovery of potentially fraudulent funds for federal health benefits programs.Health insurance carriers in the Federal Employees Health Benefits and Postal Service Health Benefits programs reported preventing nearly $510 million in losses before or during payment and recovering an additional $21.9 million after claims were paid, according to the Office of Personnel Management.”OPM runs health insurance for about 8.9 million retirees and federal employees, and we spend about $80 billion a year, Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor told Fox News Digital. “The $500 million, a little more than half percent, is a good number, but certainly we have a long way to go here to root out more fraud, waste and abuse.”FIRST ON FOX: TRUMP ADMIN OPENS NEW FRONT IN FRAUD CRACKDOWN TARGETING HEALTH INSURERS, DRUG MIDDLEMENThe Vance-led White House anti-fraud task force has reported $260.7 billion in fraud uncovered since Trump took office, and $72 billion in fraud stopped on an annualized basis.Kupor said his agency is conducting its own review of health insurance claims data for the first time, allowing the agency to analyze billing patterns across providers and health plans to identify unusual prescribing habits, surgery rates and other anomalies that could signal overuse, misuse or potential fraud.TRUMP ADMIN BLOCKS MORE THAN $1.6B IN POTENTIALLY IMPROPER MEDICARE LAB PAYMENTS, AGENCY SAYSHe said the agency will use those findings to remove providers from federal health programs when warranted and will refer cases involving suspected criminal conduct to the agency’s Office of Inspector General and the Justice Department for further investigation.Kupor leads the agency responsible for overseeing the federal workforce while managing key employment and benefits programs for millions of current and former federal employees, and one of the most prominent examples of his work stems from Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) targeting of a mine in Pennsylvania.EXCLUSIVE: INSIDE THE SECRETIVE MINE DOGE HELPED DRAG OUT OF A DECADES-OLD BUREAUCRATIC BLACK HOLELast April, Fox News Digital first reported that the United States government applied the use of artificial intelligence for federal employee record-keeping – the first time the federal government implemented AI at scale.The movement was led by Kupor and Musk, and Musk didn’t hide his shock that federal records were being stored and managed solely on paper at the time.TRUMP UNLOADS ON TECH TITANS PUSHING FOR SLOWDOWN ON EMERGING INDUSTRY: ‘WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS!’”The speed at which the mine shaft elevator can move determines how many people can retire… And the elevator breaks down and then nobody can retire,” Musk said last February. “Doesn’t that sound crazy?”When asked for an update on progress made on modernizing the mine, Kupor said that it is now fully operational on an electronic system.”This past year, we did 180,000 electronic online applications for retirement, which is just unprecedented, he said. “That’s almost double the production that we’ve had in any prior year. Electronic applications can get solved in less than half the time today that a paper one does.””We will take something that has been a six-month, nine-month, 12-month horrendous process for retirees, and I think we will be able to do it in as little as 15 days with the continued development of technology.”WHITE HOUSE PUSHES ‘WATERSHED’ FRAUD-FIGHTING REFORM IN CONGRESS AS VANCE CONVENES TASK FORCEKupor’s previous experience working with artificial intelligence has led to his name being floated to serve as the AI czar in the Trump administration – a role that has been cast into the spotlight as debates surrounding data center developments and artificial intelligence have been a midterm election talking point.After working as an investment banker at Credit Suisse, Kupor worked at Loudcloud, which was co-founded by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, in 1999. He was then hired as the first employee by Andreessen and Horowitz at the duo’s venture capital firm. Kupor also served as the chair of the National Venture Capital Association from May 2017 to May 2018.TRUMP SAYS ANTI-FRAUD EFFORTS ARE UNCOVERING BILLIONS IN WASTE, CLAIMS SAVINGS COULD BALANCE BUDGETWhen asked about whether he has had any conversations with the White House about the role, Kupor said he had seen the reports he was being floated, and discussed President Donald Trump’s views on artificial intelligence broadly.”I’ve read all the same reports you’ve read and don’t have anything to add there,” he said. “What the president has said is exactly 100% right, which is that AI is the most important piece of technology that will determine economic growth for us, national security, sovereignty for our country.”TRUMP ADMINISTRATION UNCOVERS $1.2B IN SUSPECTED COVID CONTRACT FRAUD TIED TO BIDEN-ERA SPENDING”One of the things that I know, again, having spent all my life in the venture world, is there is no limit to the intellect and inventiveness of entrepreneurs in this country. And we just need to make sure that the conditions around, you know, regulatory controls and others continue to allow the U.S. to flourish in the way that it’s always done.”Kupor did not rule out accepting the role if Trump should offer it to him, saying that while he is focused on his job as director of the agency, he serves “at the will of the president.”Reports had suggested that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was being considered for the AI czar position, but last week Trump said he would not be selecting him for the role.

Will Reeve, son of the late famed “Superman” actor Christopher Reeve, announced that he recently battled cancer.The “Good Morning America” correspondent, 34, shared during Tuesday’s show that he was diagnosed with testicular cancer earlier this year, assuring viewers that he is “OK.””The diagnosis was a shock and the treatments were a slog,” he said. “Today, though, I am relieved to announce that we arrived at our destination and this cancer is in the rearview mirror. But what a journey.”WILLIAM SHATNER SAYS DOCTOR DISMISSED KEY WARNING SIGN BEFORE STAGE 4 CANCER DIAGNOSISReeve said he found a “hard, tender lump in [his] left testicle” just a few months after his wedding to luxury event planner Amanda Dubin.An ultrasound revealed that he had “a mass that had to come out.” After undergoing surgery to remove the testicle (an orchiectomy), Reeve discovered the mass was embryonal carcinoma.The aggressive subtype of testicular cancer can spread more quickly than some other forms, according to the American Cancer Society.POPULAR WEIGHT-LOSS DRUGS MAY PLAY SURPRISING ROLE IN CANCER OUTCOMESReeve later underwent a second surgery to remove lymph nodes from his abdomen after some cancer cells had spread there.The surgery took place at Memorial Sloan Kettering, which is where his mother, Dana Reeve, died from lung cancer in 2006 at age 44. His father died in 2004 at the age of 52.Reeve shared that he also underwent two rounds of chemotherapy to lower the risk that the cancer would return. He said he experienced several side effects from the medication, including ringing in the ears, bone pain, night sweats, blood clots and constant headaches.He did not lose his hair because he used a method called “cold capping,” which is used during certain chemotherapy treatments to help reduce hair loss by cooling the scalp and constricting blood vessels.CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIESAfter finishing his second round of chemotherapy on July 31, Reeve said he received “clean scans” on Sept. 8.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTERIn an interview with People, Reeve said he is “going to be fine,” although it has been “one heck of a chapter.””I’m fortunate that I caught this early,” he said. “Yes, I had to jump through some flaming hoops to get to the other side, but it could have been much worse had I ignored it or delayed going to the doctor.”Reeve also praised his wife for serving as his “caregiver,” similar to how his mother helped care for his father after a 1995 horseback-riding accident left him paralyzed.”I learn[ed] more about what it was like to be my dad in the final nine years of his life, where he had my mom and our family taking care of him,” Reeve said.He added that the experience taught him how to “repurpose [adversity] into something hopeful.”TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZTesticular cancer is among the most treatable cancers, particularly when detected early, according to the American Cancer Society. Experts recommend seeing a doctor promptly for any lump, swelling, pain or change in a testicle.Fox News Digital reached out to Reeve’s representatives requesting comment.

It’s that time of year when bucks are out preparing to establish their dominance in hopes of catching the eye of the does in the area. They square up with one another whenever and wherever the mood hits.A couple of bucks decided to go toe-to-toe or antlers-to-antlers, if you will, in the yard of Lynn Smith, who calls himself a “deer whisperer.” His yard, as he shares on Instagram, is often covered in deer.With the rut approaching, these bucks are using his yard to do some sparring. All he asks as he documents these backyard brawls is that they leave the truck and the boat alone.CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE FROM OUTKICK OUTDOORSIt’s not too much to ask from a guy who allows and even encourages the wild animals to roam around on his property. They do fight near the truck, but politely avoid doing any damage to it or the boat.Now for the non-deer whisperers out there, you don’t want to get too close to this kind of action, especially in peak rutting season when the horned-up bucks are cranking the battles up a couple of notches.HIKER IN COLORADO TAKES TRIP TO THE HOSPITAL AFTER BEING KICKED IN THE BACK BY A MOOSEThe truck and the boat probably aren’t safe during that time of year either. The bucks aren’t playing around and will do some damage to anything that is in the area. I’d assume that anyway. I don’t have a yard full of deer.Nor do I have bucks squaring up to do battle either. They could have some sort of understanding with the deer whisperer in place, for all I know.I doubt it and I wouldn’t get too close to the action myself. Getting tangled up in antlers isn’t my idea of an enjoyable afternoon.

While Joey Logano celebrated at Bristol Motor Speedway last week, Ryan Blaney went to fight Carson Hocevar.Blaney, ticked off after finishing 33rd following a crash that resulted from contact with Hocevar’s car, took a couple of swings at Hocevar. NASCAR star Ross Chastain called the incident “NASCAR 101.””But seeing Ryan be upset and go to Carson and seeing Carson defend himself when he gets grabbed, I think that’s NASCAR 101. I think that’s what’s made our sport,” Chastain told OutKick in a recent interview.CLICK HERE FOR MORE OUTKICK SPORTS COVERAGEChastain referenced the infamous fight between Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison at the end of the 1979 Daytona 500 as a moment when the sport took off. Chastain said that fight had a lot more “horsepower behind it” than Blaney and Hocevar’s dust-up.The driver of the No. 1 car said NASCAR security decides whether to break up a fight.”I was glad to watch it, and I think security did a good job to let it happen, but then, NASCAR security gets to decide what they want to do and they decide to step in when they think it’s time,” Chastain told OutKick.Chastain said he had no idea what was happening in the moment or whether Blaney had intended to go after Hocevar from the moment the crash happened.THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW–UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE. DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!”No, I have no idea. I don’t think Carson had any idea that Ryan would be coming over there like that. I don’t even know if Ryan really knew ’cause he had some time to think about it. He had to go to the care center, do interviews, walk back over to the holler, and then he waited on the race stand and walked over,” Chastain said.Chastain has been in a few fights, and while they are part of the fabric of the sport, he said he hopes his fighting days are over.”It won’t take much of a YouTube search to see. I’ve had my fair share of (fights) as well. I’m not saying anybody should fight, and, and I hope — I’m 33. I hope my fighting days are long behind me. Because getting punched is not something that I ever want to feel again. I don’t want to feel that. I’ve made it to a spot in life where I hope I’m done with it,” Chastain said.After a race, Chastain would much rather drink a beer than get into a fight.”There’s bad races where we crash, we’re out early, and it’s like, you know what, the work’s done. All the prep, all the focus, all the pressure of racing in the Cup Series is done. OK, let’s have a beer. Let’s just take a moment. All right, let’s get out of here. Now, we’re loaded up, we’re done, done with the weekend. I’ll rehydrate later,” Chastain said on behalf of Busch Light.”Then in the wins, definitely a Busch Light. And that’s where you see me as soon as physically possible when I get out of the car and I’m done driving, that’s when I want it. I’m hollering at my crew to bring me a beer. I don’t want to even walk to the cooler. I want, as soon as I get out, I wanna have one ’cause the work’s done. And, and if we’ve won, that’s a big reward.”Busch Light is releasing limited-edition hunting cans for the 20th anniversary of the fan-favorite hunting cans. Through the national Busch Taxidermy Canimal Sweepstakes, fans can win custom “Canimal Taxidermy Trophies,” detailed, handcrafted mounts made from Busch Light cans and transformed into iconic hunting trophies. Fans can enter the sweepstakes online.

The U.S. withdrawal from Syria and Iraq leaves Syrian Kurds exposed to attacks and the loss of autonomy. Photo courtesy of the Rojava Information Center.
The United States is scheduled to withdraw its remaining forces from Iraq by September 30, 2026, under a 2024 agreement between Washington and Baghdad to end the coalition mission against the Islamic State. U.S. troops left bases across most of Iraq last year but maintained a presence in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region. From there, they provided air support, training, and weapons to Kurdish Peshmerga forces fighting ISIS. The Erbil air base served as the main center for intelligence support to the Peshmerga.
U.S. and British air defenses also protected Erbil, the Kurdistan Region’s capital, from drones launched by Iran-backed militias. U.S. forces struck militia sites in response to attacks.
The withdrawal also affects Syrian Kurds, who have relied on coalition operations based in Iraq for support against ISIS. Under a September 2024 joint statement, the coalition could continue its mission against ISIS in Syria from a platform in Iraq until September 2026. The Kurdistan Region hosts coalition sites used for training, logistics, and air operations against ISIS remnants.
U.S. forces have already withdrawn from their remaining bases in Syria. They left al-Tanf Garrison on February 11. At the time, CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said U.S. forces “remain poised to respond to any ISIS threats that arise in the region.” The last convoy left Qasrak air base in Hasakah province on April 16.
In Iraq, a U.S. military official told AP that most of the hundreds of troops still in the north would redeploy to Jordan and other countries in the region. Air defense systems would also be removed. According to the Atlantic Council, counter-ISIS cooperation after the withdrawal will rely on intelligence and assets based in Jordan and the Gulf. Damascus will have to take on more responsibility for preventing an ISIS resurgence.
American personnel also work with Syria’s Interior Ministry in Damascus to track ISIS remnants. That cooperation raises questions because the government is led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, whom the State Department designated a terrorist in 2013 when he led al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, the al-Nusrah Front.
His new army is built around fighters from his former group, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham. In December 2024, the Defense Ministry gave military ranks to foreign jihadists, including a U.S.-designated terrorist. In 2025, it absorbed about 3,500 foreign fighters from the Turkistan Islamic Party, which the State Department describes as a violent extremist group. The army also incorporated Turkish-backed factions that the U.S. Treasury sanctioned for crimes against Syrian Kurds.
In November 2025, during al-Sharaa’s visit to Washington, Damascus formally joined the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS. On December 13, a gunman near Palmyra killed two U.S. soldiers and an American civilian interpreter and wounded three other soldiers. CENTCOM described the attacker as a lone ISIS gunman. A Syrian government official confirmed that he was a member of the government’s security forces.
The shooting took place at the gate of a fortified command facility used by Syrian Internal Security Forces leaders, whose forces fall under the Interior Ministry.
As Washington deepened its cooperation with Damascus, it moved away from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which had protected Rojava, the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in northeastern Syria. In January 2026, U.S. Special Envoy Tom Barrack said the SDF’s role as the primary ground force against ISIS had largely expired. The House of Commons Library notes that the United States backed the SDF’s integration into the Syrian state.
Unlike Iraq’s Kurds, whose autonomous region is recognized by Iraq’s constitution, Syrian Kurds have no constitutional guarantee of autonomy. Damascus rejected their demand for similar autonomy and initially insisted that SDF fighters join the Syrian army as individuals rather than as a unit.
That shift came amid fighting between Damascus and the SDF. In January, government forces launched an offensive that began in two Kurdish-majority neighborhoods of Aleppo. As many as 148,000 people were displaced before the fighting stopped. The SDF and Damascus then agreed to integrate Kurdish fighters into state forces in phases.
Iraqi Kurdish leaders also advocated for Kurds across the border. In March, Patriotic Union of Kurdistan President Bafel Talabani met with Barrack and Abdi to discuss constitutional protections for Syria’s communities, even though the PUK has no governing role in Syria.
On August 25, SDF commander Mazloum Abdi announced the group’s dissolution in a televised speech from the presidential palace in Damascus. He said his forces had been integrated into Syrian army brigades.
Abdi now serves as an adviser to al-Sharaa. Questions about command and deployment remain unresolved, including the fate of the all-female Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), which fought ISIS in the northeast. According to AP, Syria’s current military authorities, most of whom came from Islamist insurgent groups, oppose women in combat.
Without U.S. backing to deter the Syrian state, Kurdish institutions continue to be dismantled. Kurds who once managed their own security, schools, and local councils now answer to a central government with no sympathy for Kurdish identity.
Kurdish discontent with integration grew in September. Anger rose after a Kurdish former SDF fighter who had joined the Syrian army under the integration agreement was abducted and killed by a group of Arab men in Hasakah.
Fuel prices added to the tension. The SDF had heavily subsidized fuel, and those subsidies ended when the central government took control. After Damascus raised gasoline prices by about 30 percent and diesel by 40 percent, demonstrators blocked a highway near Tal Tamr, stranding hundreds of oil tankers. Experts speculate that the anger over fuel prices could become a real obstacle to integration.
Turkey has a larger military role in Syria than the United States. In June 2025, Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler confirmed that more than 20,000 Turkish troops had no immediate plans to leave Syria. Turkey’s defense ministry began training the Syrian army that September under defense agreements with Damascus.
Ankara has long claimed, contrary to Washington’s assessment, that the SDF was dominated by Kurds aligned with the PKK, which waged an insurgency against Turkey from 1984 to 2025. In August 2025, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan visited Damascus to press the government to cancel its talks with the SDF. The Middle East Forum wrote that Ankara appears to set the parameters of al-Sharaa’s approach to the Kurdish question.
Turkey has also attacked Kurdish-held areas directly. During Turkey’s 2019 invasion of northeastern Syria, Zau Seng, a Kachin medic with the U.S.-based Free Burma Rangers (FBR), was killed in a mortar strike near Tal Tamr. The group’s founder, David Eubank, blamed Turkish and Turkish-backed forces.
In October 2023, Fidan declared that all PKK and YPG infrastructure and energy facilities in Syria were legitimate targets. Human Rights Watch reported that Turkish strikes on water and power stations in Kurdish-held areas cut off water and electricity for millions of people.
Turkey backs the Syrian National Army (SNA), which fought Kurdish forces alongside Turkish troops. The U.S. Treasury found that one SNA faction, Ahrar al-Sharqiya, had committed crimes against civilians, particularly Kurds, and had integrated former ISIS members into its ranks. Human Rights Watch called a January 2025 drone strike by Turkish-backed forces on a Kurdish Red Crescent ambulance an apparent war crime.
In March 2025, a drone attack by Turkey or Turkish-backed factions near Kobani killed ten members of one Kurdish family: seven children, their 18-year-old sister, and their parents.
The September 30 withdrawal closes the U.S. military platform next to northeastern Syria. Syrian Kurds face the loss of that support without an independent army and amid threats from ISIS, Turkey, Turkish-backed militias, and their own government in Damascus.

The post Syrian Kurds Face Uncertain Future as U.S. Military Presence Recedes and SDF Dissolves appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

5 Takeaways From The New US-China Tariff-Relief Product Lists

Authored by Arthur Zhang via The Epoch Times,

The United States and China have released product lists covering about $30 billion in imports in each direction that could receive lower tariffs under an agreement reached after Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s visit to Washington.

The lists cover 77 categories of Chinese goods entering the United States and 1,619 categories of U.S. goods entering China.

Here are five takeaways from the agreement.

Limited Category of Trade Covered

The arrangement covers goods the two countries have designated as “non-sensitive,” totaling about $60 billion in two-way trade based on 2024 values.

The U.S. list includes toys, fireworks, blankets, tableware, artificial flowers, child safety seats, and holiday decorations. China’s list includes agricultural products, seafood, timber, personal-care products, medical equipment, and coal.

Products outside the two approved lists are not covered by this tariff-reduction arrangement.

A Work in Progress

Publication of the lists does not itself lower tariffs.

The two sides have approved the product lists, but future tariff reductions must still go through each country’s domestic legal procedures.

China’s Commerce Ministry said on Sept. 28 that the two governments would implement the reductions simultaneously after completing those procedures.

No effective date has been announced.

US Commercial Soybeans Excluded

China’s list includes a wide range of U.S. agricultural products, including wheat, corn, sorghum, meat, seafood, and dairy products.

Ordinary commercial soybeans are not on the list.

It does include soybeans specifically for cultivation, as well as soybean oil, soybean meal, and some other soybean-derived products.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sept. 23 that Beijing had met its soybean-purchase commitment for this year but was behind schedule on purchases of other U.S. agricultural products.

‘Most-Favored-Nation’ Rate for Most Covered Goods

China’s Commerce Ministry said more than 90 percent of the products covered by the arrangement would have the additional tariffs imposed by the two sides removed.

Those goods would instead face each country’s standard tariff rate, known in international trade as the “most-favored-nation” rate.

Trade Truce Extended by 2 Months

The product-list arrangement does not settle the broader U.S.-China trade dispute.

The two countries separately extended their existing trade truce by two months, moving its expiration from Nov. 10 to Jan. 10.

Bessent said on Sept. 23 that he was unsure whether the two sides could reach a broader agreement. He said Chinese negotiators had proposed a larger deal and that Washington was open either to continuing the existing arrangement or examining a broader one.

Tyler Durden
Tue, 09/29/2026 – 13:20