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Jason Whitlock claims Colorado players rented out a strip club TWICE before heavy Alamo Bowl defeat READ MORE: College football star stomped on by Arkansas' Fernando Carmona By ERIC BLUM Published: 22:50 GMT, 29 December 2024 | Updated: 22:50 GMT, 29 December 2024 e-mail View comments Nearly a day after Colorado football was blown out by BYU in the Alamo Bowl, Jason Whitlock believes he has revealed the reason the Buffaloes were shellacked - they rented out a strip club twice before kickoff. Colorado lost 36-14 on Saturday night to BYU, with the Big 12 teams facing in the postseason but not the regular season in a matchup where Deion Sanders' team rarely looked composed. It marked the final collegiate appearance of Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders. 'So I missed all of the Colorado-BYU game yesterday. What are the best takeaways? I've been reliably told that the CU offensive players rented out a strip club 2 nights during their bowl trip,' Whitlock said on social media. Whitlock, who has been synonymous with drumming up controversy and blasting his opinion on social media, no matter how bizarre it made seem to some, has not revealed his 'reliable' source. No one from the Colorado program has responded to Whitlock's claim. Whitlock has claimed that Colorado football players rented out a strip club in San Antonio The Buffaloes looked terrible in their bowl game against BYU, with some looking for excused So I missed all of the Colorado-BYU game yesterday. What are the best takeaways? I've been reliably told that the CU offensive players rented out a strip club 2 nights during their bowl trip. — Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) December 29, 2024 The bowl game took place in San Antonio, with the infamous River Walk, and the accompanying entertainment district, only a mile away from the Alamodome. Read More Referee left bloodied after suffering gruesome cut in wild brawl at college football game Whitlock also has not commented on the situation any further after posting his claim on social media. Texas law states patrons must be 21 or older to enter a strip club, which would eliminate several players on the Buffaloes offense from attending the alleged night on the town. Colorado responding to the claim is unlikely to happen in an official capacity, with Deion Sanders defending his team a possible avenue to retort against Whitlock. However, with Colorado's season ending, it may be until February's national signing day when Sanders holds his next press availability. Colorado Share or comment on this article: Jason Whitlock claims Colorado players rented out a strip club TWICE before heavy Alamo Bowl defeat e-mail Add comment

Apple is reportedly gearing up to launch the AirTag 2, possibly in mid-2025, boasting a new ultrawide-band (UWB) chip similar to the iPhone 15’s. This upgrade promises a significant boost in tracking range and accuracy, potentially tripling the current range. The AirTag, Apple’s Bluetooth tracker, has become a popular way to keep tabs on personal belongings. Launched in 2021, it allows users to locate items like keys, wallets, and bags through the Find My app on their Apple devices. However, limitations in range and concerns about unwanted tracking have prompted Apple to develop a successor. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the AirTag 2 is expected to feature a new UWB chip, akin to the one found in the iPhone 15, that could significantly enhance its capabilities. This improved technology is poised to address current shortcomings and elevate the user experience . What’s the Buzz About? The rumored AirTag 2 has generated considerable excitement among tech enthusiasts and Apple users. The anticipated improvements, particularly in tracking range, address a key limitation of the current model. Imagine being able to locate your misplaced keys from across the house with pinpoint accuracy, or finding your lost luggage in a crowded airport terminal with ease. This is the promise of the AirTag 2. Personally, I’ve been using AirTags since they launched, and while I appreciate their convenience, there have been times when the limited range proved frustrating. For instance, I once misplaced my keys in a park, and despite being relatively close, the AirTag signal was too weak to pinpoint their exact location. The prospect of a significantly extended range in the AirTag 2 is a game-changer for me. Enhanced UWB Chip: The Game Changer The key to the AirTag 2’s improved performance lies in the upgraded UWB chip. This technology allows for more precise location tracking compared to standard Bluetooth. Current AirTags have a range of roughly 10 to 30 meters, but with the new chip, this could potentially triple, offering a significant improvement in tracking capabilities. Apple’s iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models feature a tool named Precision Finding, which utilizes UWB technology to locate friends in crowded areas with a range of up to nearly 60 meters (around 200 feet). The AirTag 2 is expected to offer a similar range, making it far easier to locate lost items even in challenging environments. Beyond Range: Other Potential Improvements While the increased range is the most anticipated upgrade, the AirTag 2 is also rumored to feature other improvements, including: Addressing Concerns and Looking Ahead Despite its popularity, the AirTag has faced criticism regarding its potential for misuse in stalking and unwanted tracking. Apple has taken steps to address these concerns with software updates and anti-stalking features. It is expected that the AirTag 2 will build upon these efforts with enhanced security measures. The AirTag 2 represents a significant step forward in personal item tracking. With its extended range, improved accuracy, and enhanced security features, it promises to be an even more useful and reliable tool for keeping track of our belongings. As someone who relies on AirTags daily, I am eagerly awaiting its release and the improvements it will bring.Rudy Giuliani tells judge ‘I gave everything I have to give’ as he braces for contempt hearing

Despite longstanding divisions, Kurdish political leaders and analysts say Syrian Kurdish groups are seeking a unified delegation to represent their interests in Damascus in negotiations with Syria’s new authorities. Since 2012, northeast Syria’s Kurdish region has been under the control of forces affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, a key U.S. partner in the fight against the Islamic State terror group. The region is predominantly governed by the Democratic Union Party, or PYD, whose military arm forms the backbone of the SDF. For its part, Turkey views all these groups as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which is designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. Turkey, a major actor in post-Assad Syria, has pledged to eliminate these Kurdish groups if they refuse to disarm. The Kurdish National Council, or ENKS, is another coalition of Kurdish parties in Syria that have opposed the PYD’s de facto rule in the northeast. The ENKS has ties with Turkey and the Kurdistan Democratic Party, the ruling party in Iraqi Kurdistan. This week, ENKS and SDF held a meeting attended by officials from the U.S.-led coalition against IS. The meeting was “to discuss the formation of a unified Kurdish position within the framework of the new Syria,” according to a joint statement. “The sides agreed on the importance of urgently continuing meetings to resolve contentious issues.” Sulaiman Oso, the ENKS president who attended the meeting on Monday, said the discussion between the two sides was transparent. “This was our first meeting with SDF commander Mazloum Abdi in four years,” he told VOA. “We were clear and transparent about our demands, including an end to arrests of our members and the burning of our offices,” he added, referring to recent incidents in which ENKS members have been targeted by local security forces. Oso said that trust between the two sides has significantly eroded in recent years. “We cannot go to Damascus with a unified delegation if these internal matters aren’t resolved first,” he said, adding that the U.S., U.K. and France are pushing both Kurdish sides to reach an agreement soon. None of these countries has publicly commented on their involvement in supporting intra-Kurdish dialogue in Syria. However, since Bashar al-Assad’s fall on Dec. 8, U.S., French and British officials have highlighted the need to safeguard the rights of Syria’s ethnic and religious minorities, including the Kurds. Saleh Muslim, a senior PYD official, emphasized the importance of forming a unified Kurdish delegation that includes Arabs and Christians from northeast Syria to effectively represent the region’s diverse population and their demands. “The current meetings are still in the consultation stage,” he told VOA. “Nothing concrete has emerged yet, but the ENKS has already sent representatives to Damascus for discussions.” The ENKS says its representatives are in the capital to hold meetings with community leaders, not with the new authorities, which are dominated by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, the rebel group that led the 11-day offensive resulting in Assad’s downfall. The HTS is designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S., although initial meetings have taken place between U.S. diplomats and HTS leaders in Damascus. Oso of ENKS said no current presence should replace a unified Kurdish representation in Damascus. Observers warn that the slow progress between the two Kurdish sides could undermine efforts to establish a Kurdish foothold in Damascus. “This is a historic moment for Syria,” said Zara Saleh, a Kurdish political analyst in London. “If the Kurds don’t have a unified and strong representation in Damascus, Kurdish demands could be ignored by the new Islamist authorities, who already view them with suspicion.” HTS officials, including leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, have said that Kurdish rights will be protected in Syria. But in a recent interview with the Saudi news channel al-Hadath, Murhaf Abu Qasra, who was appointed by the HTS as defense minister in Syria’s caretaker government, rejected the concept of federalism, describing it as a means to divide Syria. Syrian Kurdish groups are advocating for federalism as a solution to both their political demands and the broader issues facing the country. But that is something that the SDF, PYD and ENKS have failed to clearly articulate, says analyst Zara Saleh. “Their political rhetoric expired the moment the Syrian regime fell,” Saleh said. “Therefore, there is an urgent need to include Kurdish experts, civil society leaders and influential social figures in any delegation heading to Damascus, and the United States, along with other stakeholders, should advocate for this.”Probe into harassment claims about Netanyahu's wife

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Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin says there is a 'very clear route back to government'Shehbaz to attend D-8 Summit on 19th PM Shehbaz to hold bilateral meetings with Turkish President, Iran’s President and others on sidelines of summit Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif speaks at the United Nations General Assembly. — AFP/File ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will pursue the targets determined by the Developing-8 Countries (D-8) for technological progress, especially in the field of E-research and allied departments. The subjects will come under discussion on Dec 19th when Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif will reach the Egyptian capital Cairo along with his team, to participate in the 11th summit of the D-8 countries. Egypt is hosting the summit for the second time. Diplomatic sources told The News here on Thursday that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Minister for Planning, Development and Reform Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema and Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja will be part of PM’s entourage. The prime minister will hold bilateral meetings with Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, host Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Bangladesh interim government’s Chief Advisor Dr Muhammad Yunus, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Nigerian President Bola Ahmad Adekunle Tinubu on the sidelines of the summit. It would be Shehbaz’s maiden meeting with the Egyptian, Indonesian and Nigerian presidents. According to the agenda, the Economic Wing of the D-8 will approve the establishment of an E-Research Portal which will work as a platform to connect governmental and private research institutions, across the D-8 Member States, enabling seamless collaboration and knowledge sharing. Setting up D-8 NPRI Collaborative Innovation Hubs would also get a green signal. Besides, the dedicated hubs would be focused on priority sectors of biotechnology, green energy, smart agriculture, and advanced manufacturing. According to sources, the summit would sanction the formation of the D-8 Innovation Challenge and Fellowship Programme. It will be designed to attract and empower young researchers and graduate students from the D-8 Member States, fostering the next generation of innovators. The summit will approve increasing investment in Research and Development as it will call member states to allocate more resources to R&D to drive sustainable economic growth and innovation, the sources said. The leaders would also discuss the Middle East situation and other bilateral and regional developments.

More empty promises from politicians is not the answer to what ails us today. The answer will come from our local communities, nonprofit leader Rich Harwood writes. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Click to share on X (Opens in new window) Most Popular Chinese student’s drone got stuck in tree near Newport News Shipbuilding, leading to Espionage Act prosecution Chinese student’s drone got stuck in tree near Newport News Shipbuilding, leading to Espionage Act prosecution Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter dies at 100 Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter dies at 100 Candidates who ran against Sen. Christie New Craig say they tried to investigate residency concerns Candidates who ran against Sen. Christie New Craig say they tried to investigate residency concerns Longtime Phoebus Auction Gallery to close after New Year’s Day event Longtime Phoebus Auction Gallery to close after New Year’s Day event Column: Visiting America’s battlefields? Show some respect Column: Visiting America’s battlefields? Show some respect James City County officer, 17-year-old injured in Christmas Eve crash James City County officer, 17-year-old injured in Christmas Eve crash Norfolk State coach Michael Vick gains commitment from former UTSA defensive lineman Norfolk State coach Michael Vick gains commitment from former UTSA defensive lineman Journey of self: Williamsburg-area massage therapist helps others heal Journey of self: Williamsburg-area massage therapist helps others heal Column: Democrats take aim at Virginia’s marriage amendment Column: Democrats take aim at Virginia’s marriage amendment Juvenile humpback whale washes ashore on Outer Banks Juvenile humpback whale washes ashore on Outer Banks Trending Nationally Body found in wheel well of plane from Chicago to Maui How Diddy and Luigi Mangione spent Christmas in Brooklyn jail Massive invasive python is freed into the Palm Beach County wilderness. Here’s why ‘Baby Driver’ actor Hudson Meek dead at 16 Pregnant woman stabbed multiple times by pizza deliverer disgruntled about tip, sheriff says

AP News Summary at 5:15 p.m. ESTObie Okoye: Empowering Communities through technology, innovationNone

Wall Street stocks were little changed on Thursday while Asian equities rose in thin Boxing Day trade, extending their "Santa Claus Rally" with several bourses still shut for the holiday. Japan's Nikkei index closed up 1.1 percent, boosted by comments from the Bank of Japan governor and share price gains for top-selling automaker Toyota. China's plans for massive bond issuances in 2025 also bolstered investor sentiment. "Even though many in the region are still shaking off a bit of a holiday hangover, with several markets closed for Boxing Day, Asian stocks opened higher, riding a favorable wave from China's financial bond juggernaut," said Stephen Innes from SPI Asset Management. In New York, major indices veered in and out of positive territory in a sleepy post-Christmas session. The broad-based S&P 500 finished down less than 0.1 percent. Large technology companies that have led the market in much of 2024 mostly took a breather. These included Netflix, Tesla and Amazon, all of which declined. "What's interesting today is that we're seeing small stocks bounce back a little bit," said Steve Sosnick of Interactive Brokers, noting that the Russell 2000 index put on 0.9 percent. Holiday consumer data showed a 3.8-percent increase in US retail spending from November 1 to December 24, according to a Mastercard SpendingPulse review of a key period for retailers. London Stockton, an analyst at Ned Davis Research, noted that the "Santa Claus rally could still be alive, with strong seasonality into the end of the year." Stock markets have traditionally fared well in the last five trading days of the year and the first two in the new year, a trend known as the "Santa Claus rally." Among a number of possible reasons advanced by experts include the festive holiday mood and purchasing ahead of the end of the tax year. Innes said remarks from Bank of Japan governor Kazuo Ueda in which he refrained from signaling a potential interest rate hike next month also "influenced bullish regional sentiments." Japanese market heavyweight Toyota ended nearly six percent higher after reports in the Nikkei business daily said it aimed to double its return on equity -- a key measure of a company's financial performance. New York - Dow: UP 0.1 percent at 43,325.80 (close) New York - S&P 500: DOWN less than 0.1 percent at 6,037.59 (close) New York - Nasdaq: DOWN 0.1 percent at 20,020.36 (close) Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.1 percent at 39,568.06 points (close) Hang Seng: UP 1.1 percent at 20,098.29 points (Tuesday close) Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.1 percent at 3,398.08 points (close) Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0424 from $1.0414 on Tuesday Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2526 from $1.2538 Dollar/yen: UP at 158.00 yen from 157.06 yen Euro/pound: UP at 83.19 pence from 83.05 pence West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.7 percent at $69.62 per barrel Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.4 percent at $73.26 per barrel bur-jmb/ahaFootball: Fairview’s title hopes fall short in the semis

Logitech's Most Affordable Racing Wheels for PlayStation and Xbox Are Down to an All-Time LowRLJ Lodging Trust ( NYSE:RLJ – Get Free Report ) declared a quarterly dividend on Friday, December 13th, RTT News reports. Investors of record on Tuesday, December 31st will be paid a dividend of 0.15 per share by the real estate investment trust on Wednesday, January 15th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.91%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 31st. RLJ Lodging Trust has a dividend payout ratio of 315.8% meaning the company cannot currently cover its dividend with earnings alone and is relying on its balance sheet to cover its dividend payments. Equities research analysts expect RLJ Lodging Trust to earn $1.42 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.60 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 42.3%. RLJ Lodging Trust Stock Performance Shares of RLJ opened at $10.15 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $9.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $9.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 2.74 and a quick ratio of 2.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.56 billion, a PE ratio of 35.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.72. RLJ Lodging Trust has a one year low of $8.74 and a one year high of $12.39. Analyst Ratings Changes A number of brokerages have recently commented on RLJ. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $11.00 to $12.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. StockNews.com raised shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 26th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of RLJ Lodging Trust from $10.00 to $10.50 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price target on RLJ Lodging Trust from $14.00 to $11.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $11.50. Get Our Latest Analysis on RLJ Lodging Trust RLJ Lodging Trust Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) RLJ Lodging Trust is a self-advised, publicly traded real estate investment trust that owns primarily premium-branded, high-margin, focused-service and compact full-service hotels. The Company's portfolio currently consists of 96 hotels with approximately 21,200 rooms, located in 23 states and the District of Columbia and an ownership interest in one unconsolidated hotel with 171 rooms. Further Reading Receive News & Ratings for RLJ Lodging Trust Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for RLJ Lodging Trust and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

The death of cursive handwriting reared its ugly head during the recent presidential election. Since 2010, according to Yahoo News, many states have dropped cursive writing from their curricula as they shifted to Common Core State Standards for English. As a result, many Gen Z Americans lack a distinctive cursive signature, which posed a problem for Gen Z voters who used mail-in ballots last month. Since officials had great difficulty matching Gen Z mail-in-ballot signatures to the signatures the government had on file for them, many of their ballots were tossed. This problem has renewed interest in the cursive debate. As it goes, the origin of cursive dates back centuries. It was the result of technological innovations in writing — inkwells and quill pens made from goose feathers. Since the ink dripped when you lifted the quill from the paper, it made sense to connect letters and words together in one flowing line — and cursive writing was born. My mother and father were taught to master cursive in the 1940s. Both mastered incredibly elegant handwriting. I grew up in the 1970s, the era of Bic ballpoint pens. Such pens didn’t leak and, technically, didn’t require cursive writing. But the good nuns of St. Germaine Catholic School made us master it anyway. They’d be horrified to see the chicken scratch I write now, though I have an excuse. I am a product of the electronic era. I do all my writing on a computer. I’ve become very fast at keying in my thoughts. When I write by hand, though, I am so agitated by the slowness, I rush it along. My dad joked that I should have been a doctor! In any event, with such modern technological innovations, some argue that cursive is no longer needed and is also costly and time-consuming to teach. Curses to that, say others. More than a decade ago, Katie Zezima argued in the New York Times that if people are not taught cursive, they’ll be more at risk of forgery; printing in block letters is much easier to replicate. And the development of fine motor skills will be thwarted, she added. Besides, she asked, how will people unfamiliar with cursive read important documents, such as the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution? To be sure, it has become such a growing problem that the government is spending taxpayer money to transcribe historical cursive documents, so that Gen Z can read them. I’m certainly a proponent of moving forward with innovation. I’m able to run a communications and video production business from anywhere on Earth without any need for cursive handwriting. Then again, I wonder that in our eagerness to advance, we tossed out the baby with the bath water. The mail-in-ballot issue certainly should make us see the need for distinct cursive signatures, but there’s a human element to keeping cursive, too. One of my most prized possessions is a letter written by my father’s father in 1924 consoling a woman whose mother had just died. He wrote the letter when he was 21. I was given the letter in 1997 by the son of the woman my grandfather wrote the letter to. I was struck by how similar my grandfather’s writing style was to my father’s — how similar his writing style was to mine — and I was moved by the beauty and artfulness of his signature. I can’t imagine a world in which letters written in cursive are no longer left behind for future generations to cherish. Tom Purcell’s syndicated column, humor books and videos featuring his dog Thurber can be found at TomPurcell.com . Email him at Tom@TomPurcell.com .Researchers have developed a novel device that couples magnetic fields and kirigami design principles to remotely control the movement of a flexible dimpled surface, allowing it to manipulate objects without actually grasping them—making it useful for lifting and moving items such as fragile objects, gels or liquids. The technology has potential for use in confined spaces, where robotic arms or similar tools aren't an option. The paper, "Magnetic kirigami dome metasheet with high deformability and stiffness for adaptive dynamic shape-shifting and multimodal manipulation," was Dec. 6 in the journal . "We were trying to address two challenges here," says Jie Yin, co-corresponding author of a paper on the work and an associate professor of mechanical and at North Carolina State University. "The first challenge was how to move objects that you can't pick up with grippers—such as fragile objects or things in confined spaces. The second challenge was how to use a to remotely lift and move objects that are not magnetic." To address those challenges, the researchers created a "metasheet" that consists of an elastic polymer that is embedded with magnetic microparticles. A pattern was then cut into the sheet. The outer edges of the metasheet are attached to a rigid frame. By moving a magnetic field under the metasheet, you can force sections of the metasheet to bulge upward or sink downward. "You can actually cause the surface of the metasheet to move like a wave by controlling the direction of the magnetic field," Yin says. "And adjusting the strength of the magnetic field determines how much the wave rises or falls." "Controlling the surface movement of the metasheet makes it possible to move many types of objects resting on the surface—whether they're drops of liquid or a flat piece of glass," says Joe Tracy, co-corresponding author of the paper and a professor of materials science and engineering at NC State. "The design of cuts on the metasheet are an example of kirigami, or paper-cutting," says Yinding Chi, first author of the paper and a former Ph.D. student at NC State. "This is particularly important for the metasheets because kirigami enhances the flexibility without sacrificing the fundamental stiffness of the material itself. "That allows us to amplify the deformation of the material without losing its ," says Chi, who is now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Pennsylvania. "In addition, the metasheet is very responsive to the magnetic field, with a response time as fast as two milliseconds." "There's been rather little work done on how magnetic actuation can be used in conjunction with kirigami, and what we've done here suggests that there's a tremendous amount of potential for combining these approaches in fields from soft robotics to manufacturing applications," says Tracy. "We are interested in scaling this approach down, to allow the metasheets to manipulate smaller objects and smaller volumes of liquid," says Chi. "We're also interested in how this approach could be used to create haptic technologies that may have applications in everything from gaming to accessibility devices," says Yin.

Hello and welcome back to TechCrunch Space. This will be the final TechCrunch Space newsletter you receive in 2024, so to all our readers, have a wonderful holiday and see you next year. There’s a lot to look forward to next year. I expect to see much more progress from SpaceX on Starship, big changes to NASA under the leadership of incoming administrator Jared Isaacman, Rocket Lab’s Neutron debut, and big missions for Impulse Space, Varda, and dozens of other startups. It will also be interesting to see if rumors prove true with Boeing selling off its space business. That would truly mark a new world order. In terms of venture financing, I expect to see more recovery from the lows in the 2023 time span, and if Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency does even a fraction of what it proposes, that could significantly loosen the regulatory and bureaucratic environment in which infrastructure-heavy industries (like space) operate. The downstream effects could be seen very quickly. Want to reach out with a tip? Email Aria at aria.techcrunch@gmail.com or send a message on Signal at 512-937-3988. You can also send a note to the TechCrunch crew at tips@techcrunch.com . For more secure communications , click here to contact us , which includes SecureDrop instructions and links to encrypted messaging apps. Story of the week Speaking of regulations, it was nice to get an update from Blue Origin last week on the inaugural New Glenn launch, with the company essentially saying that the only puzzle pieces to fit into place are regulatory approvals for the rocket’s hot fire test and launch. With scarcely two weeks left of the year, it is absolutely feasible that New Glenn still launches in 2024, but a lot will depend on how the hot fire test goes. The turnaround time will be tight... Funding of the week Late-stage deals in space have been on the decline this year, so it was exciting to see the announcement from Fleet Space Technologies that it had closed a $100 million Series D. The Adelaide, Australia-based startup has developed a technology stack to enable mineral prospecting from space — and identifying critical mineral deposits will be key in a future that heavily relies on them (i.e. identifying lithium for batteries). This week in space history Okay, we did Thanksgiving in space a few editions ago, so it only feels right to take a look at how astronauts celebrate Christmas in space. The astronaut fleet has spent 18 consecutive years celebrating the holiday on the station, replete with mini Christmas trees, Santa hats, stockings, and other decorations. Click this link to see a really lovely collection of photos from NASA over the years.