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SAN RAMON, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 5, 2024-- Chevron Corporation today announced an organic capital expenditure range of $14.5 to $15.5 billion for consolidated subsidiaries (capex) and an affiliate capital expenditure (affiliate capex) range of $1.7 to $2.0 billion for 2025. The company’s 2025 capex and affiliate capex budgets represent a $2 billion year-over-year reduction. "The 2025 capital budget along with our announced structural cost reductions demonstrate our commitment to cost and capital discipline," said Chevron Chairman and CEO Mike Wirth. "We continue to invest in high-return, lower-carbon projects that position the company to deliver free cash flow growth." Capex Upstream spending is expected to be about $13 billion, of which roughly two-thirds is allocated to develop Chevron’s U.S. portfolio. Permian Basin spend is lower than the 2024 budget and anticipated to be between $4.5 and $5.0 billion as production growth is reduced in favor of free cash flow. The remaining U.S. investment is split between the DJ Basin and the Gulf of Mexico, where deepwater growth projects continue to ramp and are expected to deliver offshore production of 300 mboed in 2026. In International, about $1.0 billion is allocated to Australia, which include Gorgon backfill investments. Downstream capex is expected to be approximately $1.2 billion, with two-thirds allocated to the U.S. Within total upstream and downstream budgets, about $1.5 billion of capex is dedicated to lowering the carbon intensity of our operations and growing New Energies businesses. Corporate and other capex is expected to be around $0.7 billion. Affiliate Capex Tengizchevroil LLP’s budget is less than half of the affiliate capex as the Future Growth Project is projected to achieve first oil in the first half of 2025. The remaining affiliate spend primarily supports Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LLC, which includes the Golden Triangle Polymers and Ras Laffan Petrochemical Projects. 4Q24 Interim Update In connection with recently announced plans to achieve $2 to $3 billion in structural cost reductions by the end of 2026, the Company expects to recognize a restructuring charge of $0.7 to $0.9 billion after-tax in the fourth quarter, with associated cash outflows over the next two years. The Company also anticipates recognizing non-cash, after-tax charges related to impairments, asset sales, and other obligations of $0.4 to $0.6 billion in the fourth quarter. The Company expects to treat these as special items and exclude them from adjusted earnings. It is possible that the financial impact of these items may differ from the estimates provided, including differences due to final accounting determinations, changes in facts, circumstances or assumptions or other developments in the interim. Chevron is one of the world’s leading integrated energy companies. We believe affordable, reliable and ever-cleaner energy is essential to enabling human progress. Chevron produces crude oil and natural gas; manufactures transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and additives; and develops technologies that enhance our business and the industry. We aim to grow our oil and gas business, lower the carbon intensity of our operations and grow lower carbon businesses in renewable fuels, carbon capture and offsets, hydrogen and other emerging technologies. More information about Chevron is available at www.chevron.com . NOTICE As used in this news release, the term “Chevron” and such terms as “the company,” “the corporation,” “our,” “we,” “us” and “its” may refer to Chevron Corporation, one or more of its consolidated subsidiaries, or to all of them taken as a whole. All of these terms are used for convenience only and are not intended as a precise description of any of the separate companies, each of which manages its own affairs. Structural cost reductions describe decreases in operating expenses from operational efficiencies, divestments, and other cost saving measures that are expected to be sustainable compared with 2024 levels. Please visit Chevron’s website and Investor Relations page at www.chevron.com and www.chevron.com/ investors, LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/chevron , X: @Chevron, Facebook: www.facebook.com/ chevron, and Instagram: www.instagram.com/chevron , where Chevron often discloses important information about the company, its business, and its results of operations. CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS RELEVANT TO FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF “SAFE HARBOR” PROVISIONS OF THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995 This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to Chevron’s operations and lower carbon strategy that are based on management’s current expectations, estimates, and projections about the petroleum, chemicals, and other energy-related industries. Words or phrases such as “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “targets,” “advances,” “commits,” “drives,” “aims,” “forecasts,” “projects,” “believes,” “approaches,” “seeks,” “schedules,” “estimates,” “positions,” “pursues,” “progress,” “may,” “can,” “could,” “should,” “will,” “budgets,” “outlook,” “trends,” “guidance,” “focus,” “on track,” “goals,” “objectives,” “strategies,” “opportunities,” “poised,” “potential,” “ambitions,” “aspires” and similar expressions, and variations or negatives of these words, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements, but not all forward-looking statements include such words. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the company’s control and are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements. The reader should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this report. Unless legally required, Chevron undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are: changing crude oil and natural gas prices and demand for the company’s products, and production curtailments due to market conditions; crude oil production quotas or other actions that might be imposed by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and other producing countries; technological advancements; changes to government policies in the countries in which the company operates; public health crises, such as pandemics and epidemics, and any related government policies and actions; disruptions in the company’s global supply chain, including supply chain constraints and escalation of the cost of goods and services; changing economic, regulatory and political environments in the various countries in which the company operates; general domestic and international economic, market and political conditions, including the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the conflict in Israel and the global response to these hostilities; changing refining, marketing and chemicals margins; the company’s ability to realize anticipated cost savings and efficiencies associated with enterprise structural cost reduction initiatives; the potential for gains and losses from asset dispositions or impairments; the possibility that future charges related to enterprise structural cost reduction initiatives, impairments and other obligations may be greater or different than anticipated, including as a result of unexpected or changed facts, circumstances and assumptions; actions of competitors or regulators; timing of exploration expenses; timing of crude oil liftings; the competitiveness of alternate-energy sources or product substitutes; development of large carbon capture and offset markets; the results of operations and financial condition of the company’s suppliers, vendors, partners and equity affiliates; the inability or failure of the company’s joint-venture partners to fund their share of operations and development activities; the potential failure to achieve expected net production from existing and future crude oil and natural gas development projects; potential delays in the development, construction or start-up of planned projects; the potential disruption or interruption of the company’s operations due to war, accidents, political events, civil unrest, severe weather, cyber threats, terrorist acts, or other natural or human causes beyond the company’s control; the potential liability for remedial actions or assessments under existing or future environmental regulations and litigation; significant operational, investment or product changes undertaken or required by existing or future environmental statutes and regulations, including international agreements and national or regional legislation and regulatory measures related to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change; the potential liability resulting from pending or future litigation; the risk that regulatory approvals and clearances related to the Hess Corporation (Hess) transaction are not obtained or are obtained subject to conditions that are not anticipated by the company and Hess; potential delays in consummating the Hess transaction, including as a result of the ongoing arbitration proceedings regarding preemptive rights in the Stabroek Block joint operating agreement; risks that such ongoing arbitration is not satisfactorily resolved and the potential transaction fails to be consummated; uncertainties as to whether the potential transaction, if consummated, will achieve its anticipated economic benefits, including as a result of risks associated with third party contracts containing material consent, anti-assignment, transfer or other provisions that may be related to the potential transaction that are not waived or otherwise satisfactorily resolved; the company’s ability to integrate Hess’ operations in a successful manner and in the expected time period; the possibility that any of the anticipated benefits and projected synergies of the potential transaction will not be realized or will not be realized within the expected time period; the company’s future acquisitions or dispositions of assets or shares or the delay or failure of such transactions to close based on required closing conditions; government mandated sales, divestitures, recapitalizations, taxes and tax audits, tariffs, sanctions, changes in fiscal terms or restrictions on scope of company operations; foreign currency movements compared with the U.S. dollar; higher inflation and related impacts; material reductions in corporate liquidity and access to debt markets; changes to the company’s capital allocation strategies; the effects of changed accounting rules under generally accepted accounting principles promulgated by rule-setting bodies; the company’s ability to identify and mitigate the risks and hazards inherent in operating in the global energy industry; and the factors set forth under the heading “Risk Factors” on pages 20 through 26 of the company’s 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K and in subsequent filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Other unpredictable or unknown factors not discussed in this report could also have material adverse effects on forward-looking statements. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241205712836/en/ Randy Stuart -- +1 713-283-8609 KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: OIL/GAS ENERGY SOURCE: Chevron Corporation Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/05/2024 04:15 PM/DISC: 12/05/2024 04:17 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241205712836/enTwo cases filed over killing of Ctg lawyerI Tried the $299 Feno Smartbrush to Clean My Teeth. It's a Whole New Vibration

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona lost at home for the first time this season when the Liga leader was stunned by Las Palmas 2-1 on Saturday. Sandro Ramirez and Fábio Silva scored for the Canary Islands club on either side of Raphinha’s equalizer to give Las Palmas its first win at Barcelona in more than 50 years. Barcelona played superbly in the first three months under new coach Hansi Flick and was flying high after convincing victories over Real Madrid in the domestic competition and Bayern Munich in the Champions League. It had won all eight of its home games. But it has gone three rounds of La Liga without a win. Before Las Palmas, it fell at Real Sociedad 1-0 and drew at Celta Vigo 2-2 after squandering a two-goal lead in the final minutes. The dropped points mean Madrid, despite its own troubles , especially in the Champions League, can move ahead of Barcelona in La Liga. It trails Barcelona by four points with two games in hand. “I don’t care about scoring, I care about winning,” Raphinha said after his standout performance was unable to end Barcelona's slump. “We have to take a hard look at what we are doing wrong. We have slipped in our form and are letting games get away form us. We have our next game on Tuesday (at Mallorca), and we need to turn this around so we can win the league.” Atletico Madrid was only two points behind Barcelona in second place — and with the same number of games played — after Antoine Griezmann scored a gem of a goal in a 5-0 demolition of last-placed Valladolid. History for Las Palmas Las Palmas savored its first victory at Barcelona since the 1971-72 season and just its third victory at the Catalan club overall. The other visits by the modest side that wears all yellow uniforms to Barcelona have ended in 34 defeats and three draws. “We are thrilled because we have made history,” Sandro said. “When you start the season you think that these games are usually going to end in wins for the bigger side, but if there is one thing we believe in is our capacity to work hard all week to get results like this.” Barcelona's Lamine Yamal returned from a right ankle injury that sidelined him for three weeks. Yamal appeared as a halftime substitute and Jasper Cillessen saved his best shot. The Las Palmas goalkeeper also palmed a Raphinha free kick over his bar in the final minutes. Sandro, a former Barcelona youth player, capped a fine five-pass buildup by Las Palmas from its own box as it masterfully undid Barcelona’s high pressure in the 49th minute. Raphinha had already hit the crossbar in the first half before he equalized in the 61st. The Brazil forward took a short pass from Pedri just outside the area, skirted across the edge and drilled a shot between two defenders. But Barcelona was caught pushing forward for a second goal when Silva controlled a ball from Javi Muñoz and sent in a shot bouncing past Iñaki Peña in the 67th. The unexpected loss dampened Barcelona’s celebration of its 125th anniversary, which included the debut of its new mascot “Cat,” a large, yellow feline wearing its team kit. Balde carried off Barcelona lost left back Alejandro Balde early in the game when he couldn’t continue after he crashed into Sandro at full speed. Balde appeared to hurt his upper chest or neck area when he ran into Sandro’s shoulder. He was carried off on a stretcher and replaced by Gerard Martín. Griezmann applauded Griezmann scored one of the goals of the season when the forward exchanged a quick one-two with Julián Alvarez and used a sleek touch of the inside of his boot to roll the ball with him as he spun before dinking it over the Valladolid goalkeeper. That was the visitor's fourth goal. Shortly after, Valladolid fans stood up and applauded when Griezmann was substituted. “That is what every players wants, to make people enjoy what we do. So I appreciate their warmth,” Griezmann said. Atletico also got goals from Alvarez, Clement Lenglet, Rodrigo de Paul, and Alexander Sorloth. Espanyol ends losing streak Espanyol beat Celta 3-1 to end a streak of four losses in the league and relieve pressure on coach Manolo González. Alaves also drew with Leganes 1-1 at home. ___ AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer Joseph Wilson, The Associated PressBryant 97, Tennessee St. 85WASHINGTON (AP) — For years, Pat Verhaeghe didn’t think highly of Donald Trump as a leader. Then Verhaeghe began seeing more of Trump’s campaign speeches online and his appearances at sporting events. There was even the former president’s pairing with Bryson DeChambeau as part of the pro golfer’s YouTube channel series to shoot an under-50 round of golf while engaging in chitchat with his partner. “I regret saying this, but a while ago I thought he was an idiot and that he wouldn’t be a good president,” said the 18-year-old first-time voter. “I think he’s a great guy now.” Verhaeghe isn't alone among his friends in suburban Detroit or young men across America. Although much of the electorate shifted right to varying degrees in 2024, young men were one of the groups that swung sharply toward Trump. More than half of men under 30 supported Trump, according to AP VoteCast , a survey of more than 120,000 voters, while Democrat Joe Biden had won a similar share of this group four years earlier. White men under 30 were solidly in Trump’s camp this year — about 6 in 10 voted for Trump — while young Latino men were split between the two candidates. Most Black men under 30 supported Democrat Kamala Harris, but about one-third were behind Trump. Young Latino men’s views of the Democratic Party were much more negative than in 2020, while young Black men’s views of the party didn’t really move. About 6 in 10 Latino men under 30 had a somewhat or very favorable view of the Democrats in 2020, which fell to about 4 in 10 this year. On the other hand, about two-thirds of young Black men had a favorable view of the Democrats this year, which was almost identical to how they saw the party four years ago. “Young Hispanic men, and really young men in general, they want to feel valued," said Rafael Struve, deputy communications director for Bienvenido, a conservative group that focused on reaching young Hispanic voters for Republicans this year. “They're looking for someone who fights for them, who sees their potential and not just their struggles.” Struve cited the attempted assassination of Trump during a July rally in Pennsylvania as one of the catalyzing moments for Trump’s image among many young men. Trump, Struve said, was also able to reach young men more effectively by focusing on nontraditional platforms like podcasts and digital media outlets. “Getting to hear from Trump directly, I think, really made all the difference," Struve said of the former president's appearances on digital media platforms and media catering to Latino communities, like town halls and business roundtables Trump attended in Las Vegas and Miami. Not only did Trump spend three hours on Joe Rogan's chart-topping podcast, but he took up DeChambeau's “Break 50” challenge for the golfer's more than 1.6 million YouTube subscribers. Trump already had an edge among young white men four years ago, although he widened the gap this year. About half of white men under 30 supported Trump in 2020, and slightly less than half supported Biden. Trump's gains among young Latino and Black men were bigger. His support among both groups increased by about 20 percentage points, according to AP VoteCast — and their feelings toward Trump got warmer, too. It wasn’t just Trump. The share of young men who identified as Republicans in 2024 rose as well, mostly aligning with support for Trump across all three groups. “What is most alarming to me is that the election is clear that America has shifted right by a lot,” said William He, founder of Dream For America, a liberal group that works to turn out young voters and supported Harris’ presidential bid. With his bombastic demeanor and a policy agenda centered on a more macho understanding of culture , Trump framed much of his campaign as a pitch to men who felt scorned by the country’s economy, culture and political system. Young women also slightly swung toward the former president, though not to the degree of their male counterparts. It's unclear how many men simply did not vote this year. But there's no doubt the last four years brought changes in youth culture and how political campaigns set out to reach younger voters. Democrat Kamala Harris' campaign rolled out policy agendas tailored to Black and Latino men, and the campaign enlisted a range of leaders in Black and Hispanic communities to make the case for the vice president. Her campaign began with a flurry of enthusiasm from many young voters, epitomized in memes and the campaign's embrace of pop culture trends like the pop star Charli XCX's “brat” aesthetic . Democrats hoped to channel that energy into their youth voter mobilization efforts. “I think most young voters just didn’t hear the message,” said Santiago Mayer, executive director of Voters of Tomorrow, a liberal group that engages younger voters. Mayer said the Harris campaign’s pitch to the country was “largely convoluted” and centered on economic messaging that he said wasn’t easily conveyed to younger voters who were not already coming to political media. “And I think that the policies themselves were also very narrow and targeted when what we really needed was a simple, bold economic vision,” said Mayer. Trump also embraced pop culture by appearing at UFC fights, football games and appearing alongside comedians, music stars and social media influencers. His strategists believed that the former president’s ability to grab attention and make his remarks go viral did more for the campaign than paid advertisements or traditional media appearances. Trump's campaign also heavily cultivated networks of online conservative platforms and personalities supportive of him while also engaging a broader universe of podcasts, streaming sites, digital media channels and meme pages open to hearing him. “The right has been wildly successful in infiltrating youth political culture online and on campus in the last couple of years, thus radicalizing young people towards extremism,” said He, who cited conservative activist groups like Turning Point USA as having an outsize impact in online discourse. “And Democrats have been running campaigns in a very old fashioned way. The battleground these days is cultural and increasingly on the internet.” Republicans may lose their broad support if they don't deliver on improving Americans' lives, Struve cautioned. Young men, especially, may drift from the party in a post-Trump era if the party loses the president-elect's authenticity and bravado. Bienvenido, for one group, will double down in the coming years to solidify and accelerate the voting pattern shifts seen this year, Struve said. “We don’t want this to be a one and done thing,” he said. ___ Associated Press writer Joey Cappelletti in Lansing, Michigan, and AP polling editor Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux contributed to this report.

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Obituaries from the Perry County Times (11/30/24)Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi was critical of his team’s showing in a 1-0 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen in Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League fixture. Speaking to Sky Sport after the game via FCInterNews , Inzaghi admitted the Nerazzurri failed to deal with Xabi Alonso’s heavily motivated team. Almost non-existent as an attacking force, Inter seemed satisfied with a point from the get-go, never putting Matej Kovar to the test. Indeed, Inter finishing the game without an attempt on target best illustrates Simone Inzaghi’s unfathomably conservative approach. For whatever reason, Inzaghi trusted his backline to stand firm for 90 minutes after registering five consecutive European shutouts. However, Inter’s lack of ambition in the final third eventually backfired on them, complicating their pursuit of automatic knockout qualification. After a sub-par performance at the BayArena, Inzaghi must regroup his troops for the league-phase finale. Inter will meet Sparta Prague and Monaco in the last two rounds, probably needing all six points to secure direct progression. But that’s a matter for another day as the Champions League returns for the penultimate round in January 2025. Simone Inzaghi Slams Inter Milan Performances Following Disheartening UEFA Champions League Loss at Bayer Leverkusen “It wasn’t one of our best matches,” Inzaghi started. “But we faced a top-quality team that started better, hitting the crossbar early on. “After that, we controlled the game—perhaps too much, as we should have been more daring. “We lacked quality in the final 25 meters, and once we had the match under control, losing like this is frustrating because it ends our unbeaten streak. “Still, it doesn’t take away from our journey. “Tomorrow, we’ll probably be among the top eight, and in January, our destiny will be in our hands with two challenging matches. “There’s regret about conceding that goal.” Inzaghi also opened up on a chaotic situation in Inter’s box, leading to Leverkusen’s late winner. “Yes, that’s true. There was also a deflection,” he added. “Darmian saw it at the last moment, Mukiele tried a bicycle kick, and then the ball came back into play. “We needed to be more attentive. We played worse in the second half than the first, but there were no warning signs. “There’s regret, but that’s Champions League football. We move forward with our heads held high.” However, Inzaghi is positive tonight’s upset will not derail Inter’s quest to secure a top-eight finish. “Not much, but with a positive result, we would’ve kept Bayer behind us and moved closer to our goal. “Now we’ll see. We’ll think about it in January because, for now, we have the league, Coppa Italia, and Supercoppa. “We’ll analyze this calmly, but it’s unnecessary to overthink – it wasn’t our best game compared to others, but we respect the opponent a lot.” Finally, he agreed with the reporter, admitting Inter were way too passive. “I agree, we did far too little. We only risked the crossbar incident, but we certainly needed to do more. “When we started building possession, it felt like they were struggling to cope with our play. “We should’ve added more quality, but today, we didn’t show the level we’re capable of.”

From their time together at the 2024 Paris Olympics to their partnership on NBC’s “The Voice,” hip-hop legend Snoop Dogg and Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles have become quite the team. Fans were initially puzzled when Biles as announced as Snoop’s guest advisor on “The Voice” given she has no experience with music or signing; however, he said Biles’ presence on the show wasn’t about teaching his artists about something they already know how to do but rather teach them how to handle things that may be foreign to them. “We were able to riff off each other and give the artists the best insight going into the next round,” Biles told The Associated Press . “It was pretty easy, simple. We’re both very mellow. But if we need to bring that energy up, then we can. For us, it was about instilling confidence going into the next week.” At the Olympics, Biles and Snoop captivated viewers with their chemistry. The award-winning recording artist was even seen dancing from the stands during Biles and Jordan Chiles’ gymnastics routines during the qualifying rounds. Snoop also went viral on social media after gifting Biles’ dad Ronald a Death Row Records necklace as a 75th birthday gift. During a recent interview with “Entertainment Tonight,” Snoop Dogg revealed a deal he made with Biles in which he’ll let her use his song “Drop It Like It’s Hot” to choreograph one of her gymnastics routines under one condition. “I’ll let her use the song, if she teaches me how do to one flip,” Snoop said . “It doesn’t have to be back, it can be a front flip.” James Lang-Imagn Images Biles seemed to be on-board for the collaboration and more than willing to teach Snoop a little gymnastics in the process. While Snoop has quite an extensive athletic resume for a hip-hip artist — he participated in an exhibition 200-meter race during the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials in Oregon, he’s participated in an Olympic judo event and swam with Michael Phelps at the Olympics — he’s never dipped into the gymnastics arena.Evans 6-10 0-0 15, Mitchell 7-10 1-2 16, Withers 6-14 1-4 17, Pinzon 6-15 6-6 22, Timberlake 3-8 3-4 9, Cramer 5-5 2-2 12, Farris 2-5 0-0 6. Totals 35-67 13-18 97. Langlais 3-6 1-4 7, C.Williams 7-12 1-1 16, Jackson 2-9 2-2 6, Nkrumah 1-7 1-1 3, Weston 7-18 9-12 24, Lorick 7-9 1-1 16, Wood 4-9 4-5 13, Ogundele 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 31-73 19-26 85. Halftime_Bryant 46-40. 3-Point Goals_Bryant 14-26 (Pinzon 4-5, Withers 4-9, Evans 3-5, Farris 2-5, Mitchell 1-2), Tennessee St. 4-19 (Lorick 1-1, C.Williams 1-2, Weston 1-5, Wood 1-5, Jackson 0-3, Nkrumah 0-3). Fouled Out_Timberlake. Rebounds_Bryant 44 (Mitchell 13), Tennessee St. 25 (Lorick 7). Assists_Bryant 18 (Timberlake 5), Tennessee St. 13 (Jackson 4). Total Fouls_Bryant 17, Tennessee St. 17. A_268 (10,928).

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Walker’s 20 help IU Indianapolis knock off Trinity Christian 106-49'Fergie Asked Me to Join Man Utd on Christmas Day - I Turned Him Down for West Ham'BEIRUT (AP) — Thousands of Syrian insurgents took over most of Aleppo on Saturday, establishing positions in the country's largest city and controlling its airport before expanding their shock offensive to a nearby province. They faced little to no resistance from government troops, according to fighters and activists. A war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the insurgents led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham seized control of Aleppo International airport, the first international airport to be controlled by insurgents. The fighters claimed they seized the airport and postefd pictures from there. Thousands of fighters also moved on, facing almost no defense from government forces, to seize towns and villages in northern Hama, a province where they had a presence before being expelled by government troops in 2016. They claimed Saturday evening to have entered Hama city. The swift and surprise offensive is a huge embarrassment for Syria's President Bashar Assad and raised questions about his armed forces' preparedness. The insurgent offensive launched from their stronghold in the country's northwest appeared to have been planned for years. It also comes at a time when Assad's allies were preoccupied with their own conflicts. Turkey, a main backer of Syrian opposition groups, said its diplomatic efforts had failed to stop government attacks on opposition-held areas in recent weeks, which were in violation of a de-escalation agreement sponsored by Russia, Iran and Ankara. Turkish security officials said a limited offensive by the rebels was planned to stop government attacks and allow civilians to return, but the offensive expanded as Syrian government forces began to retreat from their positions. The insurgents, led by the Salafi jihadi group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and including Turkey-backed fighters, launched their shock offensive on Wednesday. They first staged a two-pronged attack in Aleppo and the Idlib countryside, entering Aleppo two days later and securing a strategic town that lies on the highway that links Syria's largest city to the capital and the coast. By Saturday evening, they seized at least four towns in the central Hama province and claimed to have entered the provincial capital. The insurgents staged an attempt to reclaim areas they controlled in Hama in 2017 but failed. Syria’s armed forces said in a statement Saturday that to absorb the large attack on Aleppo and save lives, it redeployed troops and equipment and was preparing a counterattack. The statement acknowledged that insurgents entered large parts of the city but said they have not established bases or checkpoints. Later on Saturday, the armed forces sought to dispel what it said were lies in reference to reports about its forces retreating or defecting, saying the general command was carrying out its duties in “combatting terrorist organizations.” The return of the insurgents to Aleppo was their first since 2016, following a grueling military campaign in which Assad's forces were backed by Russia, Iran and its allied groups. The 2016 battle for Aleppo was a turning point in the war between Syrian government forces and rebel fighters after 2011 protests against Assad’s rule turned into an all-out war. After appearing to be losing control of the country to the rebels, the Aleppo battle secured Assad’s hold on strategic areas of Syria, with opposition factions and their foreign backers controlling areas on the periphery. The lightning offensive threatened to reignite the country's civil war, which had been largely in a stalemate for years. Late on Friday, witnesses said two airstrikes hit the edge of Aleppo city, targeting insurgent reinforcements and falling near residential areas. The Observatory said 20 fighters were killed. Insurgents were filmed outside police headquarters, in the city center, and outside the Aleppo citadel, the medieval palace in the old city center, and one of the largest in the world. They tore down posters of Assad, stepping on some and burning others. The push into Aleppo followed weeks of simmering low-level violence, including government attacks on opposition-held areas. The offensive came as Iran-linked groups, primarily Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which has backed Syrian government forces since 2015, have been preoccupied with their own battles at home. A ceasefire in Hezbollah’s two-month war with Israel took effect Wednesday, the same day that Syrian opposition factions announced their offensive. Israel has also escalated its attacks against Hezbollah and Iran-linked targets in Syria during the last 70 days. Speaking from the heart of the city in Saadallah Aljabri square, opposition fighter Mohammad Al Abdo said it was his first time back in Aleppo in 13 years, when his older brother was killed at the start of the war. “God willing, the rest of Aleppo province will be liberated" from government forces, he said. There was light traffic in the city center on Saturday. Opposition fighters fired in the air in celebration but there was no sign of clashes or government troops present. Journalists in the city filmed soldiers captured by the insurgents and the bodies of others killed in battle. Abdulkafi Alhamdo, a teacher who fled Aleppo in 2016 and returned Friday night after hearing the insurgents were inside, described “mixed feelings of pain, sadness and old memories." “As I entered Aleppo, I kept telling myself this is impossible. How did this happen?” Alhamdo said he strolled through the city at night visiting the Aleppo citadel, where the insurgents raised their flags, a major square and the university of Aleppo, as well as the last spot he was in before he was forced to leave for the countryside. “I walked in (the empty) streets of Aleppo, shouting, ‘People, people of Aleppo. We are your sons,’” he told The Associated Press in a series of messages. Aleppo residents reported hearing clashes and gunfire but most stayed indoors. Some fled the fighting. Schools and government offices were closed Saturday as most people stayed indoors, according to Sham FM radio, a pro-government station. Bakeries were open. Witnesses said the insurgents deployed security forces around the city to prevent any acts of violence or looting. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Friday Aleppo's two key public hospitals were reportedly full of patients while many private facilities closed. In social media posts, the insurgents were pictured outside of the citadel, the medieval palace in the old city center, and one of the largest in the world. In cellphone videos, they recorded themselves having conversations with residents they visited at home, seeking to reassure them they will cause no harm. The Syrian Kurdish-led administration in the country's east said nearly 3,000 people, most of them students, had arrived in their region after fleeing the fighting in Aleppo, which has a sizeable Kurdish population. State media reported that a number of “terrorists," including sleeper cells, infiltrated parts of the city. Government troops chased them and arrested a number who posed for pictures near city landmarks, they said. On a state TV morning show Saturday, commentators said army reinforcements and Russia’s assistance would repel the “terrorist groups,” blaming Turkey for supporting the insurgents’ push into Aleppo and Idlib provinces. Russia’s state news agency Tass quoted Oleg Ignasyuk, a Russian Defense Ministry official coordinating in Syria, as saying that Russian warplanes targeted and killed 200 militants who had launched the offensive in the northwest on Friday. It provided no further details. Associated Press writer Albert Aji in Damascus contributed to this report.Itron SVP Donald Reeves sells $27,182 in common stock

Michigan Posts Strong 7-Word Message After Upsetting Ohio StateThe streets were dark and cars packed. People, who moved on foot, carried bags with their belongings, unsure about where they were going but certain that they could not stay. This was the scene on Tuesday in Nuweiri, central Beirut, moments after the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings, the first for these areas. We were trying to visit the site of an Israeli air strike hours earlier, in the afternoon, that came without warning, flattened one building and killed at least seven people. But we could not get there. Crowds were leaving, and men on motorbikes stopped us from moving, saying it was not safe. Minutes later, we heard several explosions, from more attacks. And for hours, that was how the night unfolded in Beirut. Multiple blasts. Some in the distance; others closer. Gunshots announced more warnings, urging people to seek safety. All of this, with the constant sound of an Israeli drone flying overhead. This dramatic escalation came as the country waited for an Israeli decision on a ceasefire deal, the main hope to end over a year of conflict with Hezbollah, the powerful Iranian-backed movement. During that wait, Israel unleashed its most intense bombardment of Beirut in the conflict. Within two minutes, shortly after the attack on Nuweiri, fighter jets hit 20 targets in the city’s southern suburbs, known as Dahieh, where Hezbollah is based in the city. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the targets hit were facilities used by Hezbollah, and the wave of attacks was heard across the city. Now, a ceasefire has been officially announced, but questions remain. The war has been devastating for Lebanon, where more than 3,700 people have been killed since the start of the hostilities in October 2023, and one million residents have been displaced in areas where Hezbollah has strong presence. The World Bank estimates $8.5bn (£6.8bn) in economic losses and damage. Recovery will take time, and no-one seems to know who will pay for it. Under the deal, thousands of Lebanese soldiers will be deployed to the south, after the withdrawal of Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters. How they will be deployed remains unclear. The military has complained that they do not have the resources – money, manpower and equipment – to fulfil their obligations. But it is not only about funding, which will probably come from some of Lebanon’s international allies. Will the Lebanese military confront Hezbollah if needed? That would put Lebanese against Lebanese, which is always a risk in a country where sectarian divisions run deep. Lebanese authorities seem to have accepted that things must change, a diplomat told me. It appears there is political will to do so. Hezbollah, too, has been devastated. Many of its leaders have been killed, including long-time chief Hassan Nasrallah, while its infrastructure has been heavily damaged. How it will look like after the war is another unknown. The group has been severely weakened, some would say humiliated, but it has not been destroyed. In Lebanon, it is more than a militia: it is a political party with representation in Parliament, and a social organisation, with significant support among Shia Muslims. Its opponents will probably see it as an opportunity to limit its influence. Before the conflict, Hezbollah was often described as a state within a state in Lebanon. And for months, people outside Hezbollah’s support base said the group had dragged the country into a war that was not in its interests. This deal may bring the conflict with Israel to an end. But many in Lebanon fear a new internal conflict could follow.

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