📌 Trump Wins, China’s Stealth Jet, More

Donald Trump took a victory lap early Wednesday after multiple outlets projected he would return to the White House as president.

“Frankly, this was, I believe, the greatest political movement of all time. There’s never been anything like this in this country,” Trump said at a watch party near his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where he took in the election results with family members, allies and close advisers.

Billionaire Elon Musk and former independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attended. Both endorsed Trump and are expected to play a role in his next administration.

The former president won 279 electoral votes compared with 223 for Kamala Harris at press time. Harris will make a statement later today.

Trump is the first former president to return to power since Grover Cleveland regained the White House in the 1892 election. He is the first person convicted of a felony to be elected president and, at 78, is the oldest person elected to the office.

Republicans flipped control of the Senate by winning seats in West Virginia, Montana and Ohio. Additional wins could create a much larger Senate majority. Control of the House of Representatives remained up for grabs early Wednesday.

China’s air force is set to debut its stealth fighter jet, the J-35A, at an air show in the southern city of Zhuhai next week.

The development of the jet is widely seen as part of Beijing’s bid to match the US’ stealth fighter capabilities as it pushes to modernize its armed forces. The J-35A is “designed mainly for air combat operations and can also conduct air-to-surface attack,” a Chinese military-affiliated outlet reported.

Stealth fighters evade radar and other monitoring to conduct missions without being detected or intercepted. If the aircraft is commissioned into operation, it would make China the second country after the US to have two types of stealth fighter jets, said experts cited by Chinese state media.

Col. Niu Wenbo of the Chinese air force's equipment department said Tuesday that the H-19 surface-to-air missile system and new “reconnaissance and strike” UAVs will also make public debuts.

State broadcaster CCTV reported Russia’s Su-57 stealth fighter will join the air show for the first time, among equipment from 49 countries and regions.

Beleaguered TGI Friday chain restaurants are afraid they will be stuck handling nearly $50 million in gift cards.

TGI Fridays Inc., which owns 39 of the restaurant chain's locations across the US, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, leaving about $49.7 million in outstanding gift cards not included in the bankruptcy process at a hearing in Dallas federal court.

Attorney Jason Binford said during the hearing Monday that should customers rush to redeem their cards, faced with a potential "use it or lose it" situation, the independently owned TGI Fridays franchises would have to honor them without guarantee of being reimbursed by the company.

The franchisees are concerned they could be "left holding the bag if there is no source of funds to reimburse them," said Binford, representing more than 60 franchisees.

Burt Flickinger, managing director at retail consulting firm Strategic Resource Group, which advises restaurants, said the private equity investors have mismanaged TGI Fridays by failing to react to competition and changes in consumer behavior.

“They don't have a clue about the blue-collar struggling consumer who once a quarter or once a month goes to TGI Fridays to celebrate and is now at Buffalo Wild Wings or some other local operator venue,” Flickinger said.

Mosquito-spread diseases such as dengue and Zika could be reduced by turning the male deaf, scientists report.

Mosquitoes breed while flying in mid-air, and the males rely on hearing to chase down a female based on her “attractive wingbeats.” The researchers altered a genetic pathway for hearing that male mosquitoes use, resulting in no physical contact with females after three days.

The University of California researchers studied Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which spread viruses to around 400 million people yearly. They targeted a protein called trpVa that appears to be essential for hearing.

In the mutated mosquitoes, neurons normally detecting sound showed no response to potential mates' flight tones or wingbeats. The alluring noise fell on deaf ears.

Although mosquitoes can carry diseases, they are an important part of the food chain — they nourish fish, birds, bats and frogs, for example—and some are important pollinators.

Research indicates digital technology can offer significant developmental benefits for children under three.

The Toddlers, Tech and Talk two-year study explored tech's impact on early talk and literacy in children up to three years old across diverse UK communities. It examined how children use digital technology with parents or by themselves.

The children took photos and videos, used learning apps, played games, listened and sang songs, talked about favorite characters, or chatted on video calls.

The researchers found digital tech can enhance language development and other skills through “sensory exploration” and “embodied cognition.” They add: “Very young children often feel, think and move when they engage with digital media, which is integrated seamlessly in many homes as part of everyday life.”

They say video calls provide multilingual households with opportunities for children to learn words and phrases from across languages and about the cultures of relatives overseas.

Researchers hope their findings will inform policy and good practice, with parents agreeing that greater protection of children’s privacy and security is needed.

A federal judge Tuesday sentenced Leonard “Fat Leonard” Francis, the man behind a Navy fraud and bribery scheme, to 15 years.

The judge also ordered Francis to pay a $150,000 fine and $20 million in restitution to the Navy. Francis will also forfeit $35 million made in his scheme.

Francis, a Malaysian national, took a plea deal for his role in the Navy corruption case, which saw Leonard paying for lavish stays and dinners for US military officials, among other perks, in exchange for lucrative contracts for his business. US prosecutors implicated three dozen military officials, with the help of Leonard, whose sentence reflected his cooperation.

Although convicted in 2015, Francis lived in home detention since at least 2018 while undergoing treatment for medical issues. His first sentencing hearing was set for Sept. 22, 2022. Instead, he fled three weeks before his sentencing. He traveled first to Mexico, then Cuba. He was arrested in Venezuela, where he attempted to board a plane to Russia. The US extradited Francis to America in December 2023.

While Francis’ sentence is 15 years, the judge credited his time served in the US and Venezuela. He will ultimately spend about 8.5 years behind bars unless released early.

A great-great-grandmother in Kansas sings, dances, and plays pickleball twice a week.

Lois White holds her own in pickleball, playing against whippersnappers in their 50s and 60s. The game is played on a hard indoor court with a hollow, slow ball and is gaining popularity across the US as a way to stay active for all ages.

“On top of this, I play cards every week,” White said. “I picked up square dancing. Then, I decided I wanted to play the mandolin. So, I bought some books, and I do play and sing.”

After her husband passed away 30 years ago, the “stubborn” woman continued to stay busy — easy when you have six kids, 20 grandkids, 37 great-grandkids, and four great-great-grandkids.

Many of the offspring tell her she needs to take it easy, but she has a different outlook. “I know one thing — you need to keep moving.”