To Replace Rafael dos Anjos vs Conor McGregor at UFC 196 Jose Aldo Rejects Offer

It's been revealed that Jose Aldo will not be the man to step in and take Rafael dos Anjos' place opposite Conor McGregor at UFC 196 on March 5 after his coach asserted the fighter isn't in any shape to take a rematch.

Aldo's coach and manager, Andre Pederneiras, spoke to Brazilian outlet Combate after MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani reported on Tuesday that dos Anjos had broken his foot last Friday, just 15 days prior to his scheduled meeting against The Notorious.     
Pederneiras said, per Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting: "Dana [White] called me, telling what happened and asking if Aldo was in shape to fight. I said he wasn’t and that there wasn’t enough time, and unfortunately he wouldn’t be able to fight next week."

John Locher/Associated Press

Aldo lost to McGregor in 13 seconds last November.

It was, of course, Aldo who McGregor defeated at UFC 194, stopping the former featherweight champion in 13 seconds. According to Cruz, Scarface would only return to the Octagon for a title fight, and a rematch with McGregor is reportedly on his agenda for the future.
As far as replacements go, the UFC could do a lot worse than a rematch between Aldo and McGregor, a fixture some feel still has questions unanswered following their first bout.
Earlier on Tuesday, Fox Sports commentator Jon Anik spoke of his interest at seeing a second fight between the pair, one which would hopefully last more than 13 seconds:
There was a sense of deja vu involving McGregor when the news surfaced about dos Anjos' withdrawal. The Irishman was scheduled to take on Aldo at UFC 189 in July, but only 12 days prior to their scheduled bout, Aldo pulled out because of a broken rib. This time it was Aldo's Brazilian compatriot bowing out a similar time from the date.
Dos Anjos' exit from the card marks the fourth time in McGregor's eight UFC fights that he's faced a different opponent than the one originally scheduled, provided he still fights at UFC 196.

John Locher/Associated Press

Cerrone has registered interest in fighting McGregor.

True to style, Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone was quick to register his interest in taking dos Anjos' place in the fight, Damon Martin, and his manager, Josh Jones, has already contacted the UFC.
The UFC's options regarding who to elect as a dos Anjos replacement are limited, especially with featherweight contender Frankie Edgar currently injured—the man who would appear next most likely to take the spot.
Former UFC fighter and Irish compatriot Cathal Pendred ran through some of the other likely contenders to step up to the plate, with Nate Diaz and Cerrone the most viable candidates:
We may one day see McGregor and Aldo do battle once again, but the Brazilian may have to be prepared to take an opportunity such as this. As things stand, he isn't likely to top McGregor's wish list until Notorious feels he's had his fill of whatever other challenges lie on his horizon.
For now, McGregor and the mixed martial arts community as a whole waits to discover the identity of his UFC 196 opponent.

About Steroid Use in UFC White Diaz Is Wrong

UFC Prez Dana White has lashed out at fighter Nate Diaz, telling TMZ Sports Diaz is not only wrong when he says "all UFC fighters are on steroids," he's also hypocritical. White tells us, "The UFC unquestionably has the best drug testing program in all of sports.

After UFC 193 Knockout by Holly Holm Ronda Rousey's Medical Suspension Released

Former UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey has been medically suspended for up to 180 days in the wake of her knockout loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193.

News of the layoff for Rousey came via MixedMartialArts.com earlier this week. She will not be able to fight in the sport again until mid-2016 unless her CT scan comes back clear. Additionally, the former champion cannot have contact for 45 days or fight inside the next 60 days.
The 180-day limit is the most severe on the list of suspensions released by the UFC in the wake of the showpiece in Melbourne, Australia.

Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

Rousey was well beaten by Holm at UFC 193.

Rousey was knocked out in the second round by the former world champion boxer following a thunderous kick and a flurry of punches. Holm had outclassed Rousey throughout the early stages of the fight, tagging her opponent with a lot of heavy blows.

Chelsea Transfer News: Roman Abramovich Eyes £130M Rebuild Amid Manager Rumours

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Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich will reportedly give his new manager £130 million to rebuild the Blues squad this summer, with possible targets including Bayern Munich's Arturo Vidal and Everton's John Stones.

According to an exclusive from Andrew Dillon in the Sun, Italy manager Antonio Conte is the "front-runner" to get the job, and talks with the former Juventus boss have been "planned," with Abramovich hoping the spending power will not only persuade Conte to take the job but also see him recruit four new star players.
According to football journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Blues will meet with Conte on Thursday—though they haven't given up on Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone, either:

Mindaugas Kulbis/Associated Press

Chelsea have fallen well short of their usual standards this season—which saw Jose Mourinho sacked in December just seven months after winning the Premier League title—and find themselves in 12th place.
After doing relatively little noteworthy recruitment last summer, the Blues will likely be hoping to bring in marquee reinforcements, as Dillon indicates.
With Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas both struggling for much of the season and the uninspiring John Obi Mikel their first-choice backup, a new central midfielder is surely on the cards—which could be where Vidal comes in, with Dillon reporting the Blues scouted him on Tuesday in the Champions League.
The dynamic, box-to-box star is still in his first season at Bayern Munich but has drawn criticism both on and off the pitch, as football writers Stefan Bienkowski, Raphael Honigstein and Clark Whitney demonstrate:
Indeed, because of this, journalist David Amoyal believes Vidal could be on the move again this summer:

Conte managed Vidal successfully at Juventus for three years, so he could help mitigate any potential attitude problems the Chilean may bring to Stamford Bridge. Further, his arrival could tempt Vidal into pursuing a move in order to reunite with his former manager.
Despite the criticism he's received, Vidal has still been a fairly effective contributor in Bavaria. To go along with three goals and seven assists in all competitions, according to Squawka, he has won 48 tackles and 32 headed duels in 22 Bundesliga appearances for Bayern as well as creating 39 chances.
Further, per WhoScored.com, while Vidal may not quite have the level of technique expected from a key player in a Pep Guardiola side, he's still highly comfortable in possession:
Vidal would be able to provide a level of steel and tenacity that's missing from Chelsea's midfield, and his physicality see him fit in well in the Premier League.

Jon Super/Associated Press

As for Stones, as Dillon notes, a centre-back is also on the agenda, with captain John Terry set to depart in the summer and Kurt Zouma enduring a lengthy layoff through injury.
After pursuing him so doggedly last summer, it can be expected that Chelsea return for him anew this year. However, they could face stiff competition from Manchester City, as the Guardian's Dominic Fifield notes, per BT Sport Football:
The ball-playing defender is still learning his trade and making mistakes along the way but, with polish and experience, has the talent and potential to become an exceptional Premier League player in the future—not in the same mould as Terry, but a worthy candidate as his long-term replacement.
Everton have already proved admirably resilient to Chelsea's advances, but with each passing summer, it could well get harder and harder to keep him at Goodison Park.
The saga looks set to run on for some time, and if City should get involved, that will only increase.

The Pivotal Bad Guy of 'Captain America: Civil War' (Spoilers!) Meet Crossbones:

Frank Grillo on ‘Civil War’ set as Crossbones (Photo: AKM-GSI)As Marvel and Disney have teased relentlessly, Captain America: Civil War finds the Avengers divided, with Captain America and Iron Man leading rival factions of heroes in a dispute over federal regulation of superpowers.But that doesn’t mean there aren’t real bad guys amping up the conflict. And today, we got our first official look at one of the piece’s chief new antagonists via Empire magazine: Crossbones, played by Frank Grillo.More: Huge ‘Captain America: Civil War’ Spoiler Reviews Via ToysWhile you can’t tell by the hockey mask and body armor, you’ve seen this guy before. He’s Brock Rumlow, one of the rogue S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives on the take for H.Y.D.R.A. in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. He’s the guy who leads the attack on Cap (Chris Evans) in the elevator. At the end of that film, Rumlow suffered severe burns in the helicarrier crash; hencethe facial cover-up.

(In case you’re wondering what he looks like under the mask, we got a good view via a new Funko figure. It’s the kind of a face only a mother — or a Deadpool — could love.)

While his movie backstory differs from the comics (where he’s a former gang member who becomes a henchman for Red Skull), Crossbones ultimately serves a pivotal role in Marvel’s Civil War storyline. He’s the one responsible for the assassination of Captain America. We’ll have to wait until the film comes out on May 6 to see how closely the cinematic version tracks to the comics.

Clinton 'dishonest,' Sanders 'socialist,Top reactions in Gallup poll

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The top reactions to Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in a new Gallup poll are "dishonest" and "socialist," respectively.

In a word list of what comes to mind about Clinton, 21 percent of respondents described the former secretary of State as "dishonest/liar/don't trust her/poor character" in the survey released early Tuesday. 

 

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The next closest word associations are "dislike her" (9 percent), "like her" (8 percent), "capable of being president/qualified" (7 percent) and "criminal/crooked/thief/belongs in jail" (7 percent). 

 

For Sanders, 12 percent listed "socialist" as the word to describe him. Another 6 percent said "older/aged," while "favorable" and "fresh face/new ideas/change for the better" both received 5 percent.

 

The survey broadly underscored the findings of other polls of the Democratic race, where Clinton is generally viewed as qualified while Sanders is viewed as more trustworthy.

 

The perceptions of Clinton come after she edged out Sanders in Iowa and Nevada, while Sanders picked up a big win in New Hampshire. The pair are battling ahead of the South Carolina primary on Saturday.

 

Gallup noted that "dishonest" was also the most frequent response when they asked the same question about Clinton in 2008. And most references to "socialist" for Sanders in the latest survey came from Republicans.

 

The survey of 1,014 adults was conducted Feb. 13–14 with an overall margin of error of 4 points.

Wall St. money talks, but voters aren’t listening Michael Isikoff Chief Investigative Correspondent February 23, 2016 (Photo Illustration: Yahoo News, photos: AP, Robert F. Bukaty/AP) In the latest sign that hedge fund gurus have little influence over the political marketplace, Wall Street billionaire Steven Cohen and his wife pumped another $2 million into a super-PAC backing Chris Christie’s presidential candidacy less than three weeks before the New Jersey governor flamed out in the New Hampshire primary, according to newly filed campaign finance reports. The Jan. 22 contributions by Cohen and his wife, Alexandra Cohen, to the pro-Christie super-PAC, America Leads, amounted to 55 percent of the $3.6 million raised by the group last month, the reports show. The fresh contributions brought to $6 million the amount the Cohens had invested in America Leads over the past year in an effort to elect Christie president, making the couple by far the largest bankrollers of his failed candidacy. The role of Cohen was highlighted in a recent Yahoo News article disclosing that the hedge fund kingpin had principally financed an America Leads TV ad during the New Hampshire primary deriding rival John Kasich as a one-time “Wall Street banker.” This would seem an ironic line of attack, given that Cohen was long one of the most well-known and controversial figures on Wall Street and, in recent years, the focus of an insider trading investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney in New York, Preet Bharara. The investigation resulted in Cohen’s now defunct firm, SAC Capital, paying a $1.8 billion fine and, just last month, shortly before his latest six-figure contribution, reaching a final settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission that bans him from investing money for others until 2018. Cohen’s financial largesse did Christie little good: He finished in sixth place in the New Hampshire primary, with 7.4 percent of the vote, and suspended his candidacy the next day.

(Photo Illustration:  AP, Robert F. Bukaty/AP)In the latest sign that hedge fund gurus have little influence over the political marketplace, Wall Street billionaire Steven Cohen and his wife pumped another $2 million into a super-PAC backing Chris Christie’s presidential candidacy less than three weeks before the New Jersey governor flamed out in the New Hampshire primary, according to newly filed campaign finance reports.The Jan. 22 contributions by Cohen and his wife, Alexandra Cohen, to the pro-Christie super-PAC, America Leads, amounted to 55 percent of the $3.6 million raised by the group last month, the reports show. The fresh contributions brought to $6 million the amount the Cohens had invested in America Leads over the past year in an effort to elect Christie president, making the couple by far the largest bankrollers of his failed candidacy.The role of Cohen was highlighted in a recent Yahoo News article disclosing that the hedge fund kingpin had principally financed an America Leads TV ad during the New Hampshire primary deriding rival John Kasich as a one-time “Wall Street banker.” This would seem an ironic line of attack, given that Cohen was long one of the most well-known and controversial figures on Wall Street and, in recent years, the focus of an insider trading investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney in New York, Preet Bharara.The investigation resulted in Cohen’s now defunct firm, SAC Capital, paying a $1.8 billion fine and, just last month, shortly before his latest six-figure contribution, reaching a final settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission that bans him from investing money for others until 2018.

Cohen’s financial largesse did Christie little good: He finished in sixth place in the New Hampshire primary, with 7.4 percent of the vote, and suspended his candidacy the next day.

From The 2016 Grammys Here The Most Awkward Moments

The grammys are supposed to be one of the biggest, craziest and most entertaining award shows of the year, so we’re a bit confused as to why we feel super awkward after watching it.
Like the moment when you get left hanging for high-five, even Taylor Swift had an ‘oops’ moment with Selena Gomez that set the tone for the entire show.
Whether or not you caught the show last night, we’ve compiled all of the awkward moments from the 2016 Grammys so you can get at least some amusement from the show.

Taylor Swift called bestie Selena Gomez over for a photo, who was too busy enjoying her individual attention

25 Years After 'Thelma & Louise,' Geena Davis Says She Wanted the Susan Sarandon Role

Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis in ‘Thelma & Louise’ (Everett)By Stephen Galloway, The Hollywood ReporterIt’s been 25 years since Thelma & Louise, the landmark feminist film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon as two friends who go on the run.But Davis says the film might have been very different if she had been given the role she first wanted: That of Louise, the waitress who pulls out a gun and kills a would-be rapist.“I’d been following this [project] for a year,” she recalled, before her agents contacted Scott to ask for ameeting. “He said, ‘Yes, sure, you could come in.’ And I’d met with my acting coach. And we had decided that I should play Louise. And I wanted this so bad, and I’m just pitching my heart out, and I brought all my notes and everything about why I absolutely have to be Louise. And he finally says, 'So, in other words, you wouldn’t play Thelma?’ And there was only a very slight pause, actually, before I said: 'You know what’s so weird is, I’ve been listening to myself as I’m talking and I’m not convinced anymore. Actually, I think I should play Thelma.’”Related: George Miller on 'Mad Max’ Sequels, His Secret Talks With Stanley KubrickDavis was signed to play one or the other of the leads, with the final decision dependent on who would play opposite her. When Scott chose Sarandon as Louise, she accepted the role of Thelma.“The first time I meet [Sarandon], it was just Ridley and she and I,” Davis noted. “We were going to get together and go through the script. And pretty much the second I met her, I was like: 'What was I thinking? How could I possibly play Louise? She’s just fabulous.’ We hung out all the time together during the shooting. Because it was mostly just us. And a lot of times you can’t go all the way back to your trailer, because you’re out in the middle of the desert or something. So we’re just hanging around in the car, talking. We spent a lot of time together.”Davis spoke Feb. 10 at Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film & TV, where she took part in THR’s ongoing interview series, The Hollywood Masters.The founder of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, she lamented how little progress Hollywood has made in finding roles for women.When she speaks to studio and network executives, she said, “[They’re] stunned. They [had] no idea they were leaving out that many female characters, that the world is bereft of female presence. If I was going in, saying, 'You’re making less movies with a female star,’ they’d say, ‘We know that very well, and you know, we’re worried about doing anything different, because women will watch movies about men, but men don’t want to watch movies about women.’ Whatever. So I don’t say that at all. I just say, 'Whatever you are already making, you’re leaving out half of the population.’”Asked her thoughts on the recent controversy about the motion picture Academy and its lack of diversity, particularly as it relates to women, she said: “It’s great that more and more people are talking about it. Because it’s something that people just go along with. My whole theory about why I couldn’t find any creators who realized they were leaving out female characters is because they were raised on the same ratio. I just heard someone the other day call it either 'smurfing’ a movie, which is when there’s one female character, or 'minioning’ a movie, which is when there’s no female characters. Because there aren’t any female minions. The ratio of male to female characters in movies has been exactly the same since 1946. So if you’ve ever had people say, you know, 'It’s better now, it’s all changed, it’s all different,’ it’s not, it hasn’t. Not yet.”

English Jokes & Wise Quotes

English Jokes & Wise Quotes

OBAMA BELIEVES TRUMP WILL NOT BE PRESIDENT

NEWS in English!

U.S. President Barack Obama believes Republican White House hopeful Donald Trump would not be elected as his successor as being a President is tougher than hosting a reality show and Americans are too “sensible” to elect him.

“I continue to believe Mr Trump will not be President. And the reason is because I have a lot of faith in the American people, and I think they recognise that being President is a serious job,” Mr. Obama told reporters after the first ever US-ASEAN Summit in Sunnylands, California. “It’s not hosting a talk show or a reality show. It’s not promotion. It’s not marketing,” he said.

The 69-year-old billionaire real estate tycoon fired back, saying Mr. Obama was lucky that he did not run for office in 2012. “You’re lucky I didn’t run last time when Romney ran because you would have been a one-term president,” Mr. Trump said at a campaign rally in South Carolina. Mr. Obama also criticised other Republican candidates.

#news #english #newsinenglish

Selena Gomez Reacts to Justin Bieber's First-Ever Grammys Win: 'I'm Very Happy for Him

Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic; Jason Merritt/Getty Images for NARAS

"I'm very happy for him," Gomez, 23 — who was joined on the red carpet by the night's biggest winner, her best friend Taylor Swift — told Entertainment Tonight outside of the Staples Center in L.A. "Honestly, so cool."

PHOTOS: Grammys 2016 Red Carpet Fashion: What the Stars Wore

Bieber, along with Skrillex and Diplo, took home a Grammy for their dance track, "Where Are U Now," fulfilling the pop superstar's long-running dream to take home a gilded gramophone of his own.
He and Gomez dated on and off for three years before ending their relationship for good in 2014, but the two have remained on friendly terms. Along with praise for her ex, the Disney alum also had sweet things to say about Bieber's EDM collaborators.
"They have such a cool energy amongst all of them to be able to create something like that," she noted. "It's really great."
During the live broadcast, the trio delivered a high-energy performance that kicked off with Bieber, 21, strumming his guitar and singing an acoustic version of his single, "Love Yourself." He then launched into a hard-rock take on "Where Are U Now" with Diplo and Skrillex.

PHOTOS: Grammys 2016 Red Carpet: Wildest Fashion and Beauty Looks

Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber attend the 2011 Teen Choice Awards. Kevin Mazur/TCA 2011/Getty Images

Talking ad nauseum about her famous ex in interview can be tiresome, Gomez has said. "At first I didn’t care,” Gomez told W magazine in her March 2016 cover story about the perpetual interest in Jelena. "To me it was: I’m 18, I have a boyfriend, we look cute together, we like that. Then I got my heart broken and I cared. Because people had no idea what was going on, but everywhere it was a million different things. I was kind of in a corner, banging my head against the wall. I didn’t know where to go."Unfortunately, that infatuation has faded. "I’m so exhausted," Gomez concluded to W. “I honestly am so done. I care about his health and well-being. But I can’t do it anymore.”

Feud’ Contestant of All Time Steve Harvey Experiences the Worst ‘Family

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Steve Harvey Experiences the Worst ‘Family

Family Feud has seen a lot of ridiculous guesses in its run with Steve Harvey as host, but Sheila of the Patterson family has to be the worst guesser in the entire history of the show. The category was other ways to say “mother.” Sheila’s teammate Cecilia guessed “nana” which wasn’t on the board. So Sheila guessed … “nana.” As the crowd started to applaud, Harvey shouted, “Stop clapping. What, is you trying to say it in Spanish or something?” “Madre,” the Spanish word for “mother,” would’ve been better than “nana” because, again, “nana” had already been guessed. As had “mommy,” but that didn’t stop Sheila.

“OK, Sheila,” Harvey tried again. “Tell me another way people say ‘mother.’” After thinking about it, Sheila guessed, “What about ‘Mommy’?” “Let me ask y’all something. Y’all crazy?” Steve asked while the audience laughed. “Tell me another way people say ‘mother,’” Harvey tried yet again. “What about ‘Mommy’?” Sheila guessed yet again.

Fortunately, Sheila learned her lesson. Just kidding. She totally didn’t learn her lesson. “Tell me another way you say ‘mother,’” Harvey all but begged. “Well, Steve, I would say ‘mom,’” said Sheila. “But ‘mom’ is already up there.” And indeed it was

Hits the Shelves New Muscle Builder

Engage in our program affiliates as you are, and receive payments in the form of 5% of their income.:http://affiliate.iqoption.com/register?ref_id=19141

 

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(Boston) – If you’ve been to GNC, you’ve probably seen it. In between the rows of powders and pills, there’s a secure plexiglass ‘safe,’ with only a few boxes locked inside. Out of the tens of thousands of products sold by the nutrition giant, one muscle-building supplement, called VolcaNO, sits locked away and out of reach. There must be a reason?
And here’s something else that’s puzzling. Because we all like to touch and feel what we buy, you would think VolcaNO sales might be few and far between.  Surprisingly, even though it’s out of immediate reach, VolcaNO has turned into one of GNC’s most promising products in a very short time. People obviously want what’s behind the glass.
Why Does VolcaNO Need Special Protection?
“It’s human nature,” says the Chief Marketing Officer of Force Factor. “People tend to crave what works and what’s in high demand,” he explained. “That’s why VolcaNO is kept apart from the rest of the pack. And even though we regret that customers don’t have hands-on access, in an odd way I guess we should be flattered. VolcaNO has such a cult-like reputation, particularly among serious athletes, that some guys can’t keep their hands off of it.”
VolcaNO is a different breed… a vein-annihilating formula that’s way beyond single-action nitric oxide boosters. It starts with high quality L-citrulline for an explosive NOx boost. Then adds a highly concentrated creatine HCL for superior micro-dosing and amazing strength. Finally, there’s agmatine to tie it all together into one very smart, very serious muscle– building powerhouse.
Within a short amount of time, men who had taken VolcaNO reported feeling:

• Amplified energy and long-lasting pumps
• Incredible muscle gains
• Drastic increases in strength
• Faster recovery
• Total body transformation

The makers of VolcaNO are so confident in their new product they are offering every man in the country a free sample. If you’re interested in giving it a shot, claim a sample here. If you are not able to find a bottle online, you may be able to find VolcaNO at your local GNC…. but under lock and key.
P.S. Next time you find yourself at a GNC, ask about VolcaNO Fury, Force Factor’s brand new pre-workout which readers report stacks incredibly well with the VolcaNO capsules you can try here. Fury features what Force Factor is calling the “Liquid Laser Energy Blend,” which promises serious energy and intense focus to dominate your workouts from beginning to end. (We can see how this would pair well with VolcaNO’s strength and power blends.)

Referrer World

Hosts Campaign Rally Instead,Trump Skips GOP Debate

After deciding to boycott Thursday’s GOP debate held by Fox News because he felt that moderator Megyn Kelly is biased against him, Donald Trump hosted what he called a “Special Event for Veterans” that looked and sounded a lot like a campaign rally. Special guests included fellow GOP presidential candidates Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee, and Trump’s pregnant daughter, Ivanka Trump, to whom he said “Ivanka, it would be so great if you had your baby in Iowa. It would be so great. I’d definitely win. Stand up, honey, say hello.” He also invited an actual veteran to speak at the event, retired Sgt. John Wayne Walding, who said, “My name is John Wayne Walding. I’m a green beret from Groesbeck, Texas, born on the fourth of July, so you’re welcome for that, America.”

The event had everything you’d expect from a Trump rally: lots of mentions of making America great again, how much money was raised (nearly $6 million by the end of the evening), screaming protesters, and lots of chants of both “Trump! Trump! Trump!” and “USA! USA! USA!”

And if you missed it, check out Bill O’Reilly’s desperate plea to Trump to reconsider bailing on the debate

Fox News’ Megyn Kelly: Donald Trump Doesn’t Get to Control the Media

Megyn Kelly took time on The Kelly File Tuesday to address Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s recent decision to skip the next GOP debate because of her presence as a moderator.

Trump alleges that Kelly was unfair in her questioning of him in the last Fox News-hosted debate in August. Kelly forcefully maintained her stance — that she’s simply a journalist asking the difficult questions that need to be asked. “In the months since, Mr. Trump has repeatedly brought up that exchange as evidence of alleged bias on my part,” Kelly said directly to her viewers. “I maintain it was a tough but fair question, and we agreed to disagree.”

Later, Kelly, alongside fellow Fox News personality Britt Hume, theorized this is all about control. “Trump is not used to not controlling things as the chief executive of a large organization, but the truth is, he doesn’t get to control the media,” she said. “And while he’s made his position on me clear after that first debate, Roger Ailes has made his position clear too.”

In a statement released Tuesday, Fox News wrote the following:

“As many of our viewers know, Fox News is hosting a sanctioned debate in Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday night, three days before the first votes of the 2016 election are cast in the Iowa Caucus. Donald Trump is refusing to debate seven of his fellow presidential candidates on stage that night, which is near unprecedented. We’re not sure how Iowans are going to feel about him walking away from them at the last minute, but it should be clear to the American public by now that this is rooted in one thing — Megyn Kelly, whom he has viciously attacked since August and has now spent four days demanding be removed from the debate stage. Capitulating to politicians’ ultimatums about a debate moderator violates all journalistic standards, as do threats, including the one leveled by Trump’s campaign manager Corey Lewandowski toward Megyn Kelly. In a call on Saturday with a Fox News executive, Lewandowski stated that Megyn had a ‘rough couple of days after that last debate’ and he ‘would hate to have her go through that again.’ Lewandowski was warned not to level any more threats, but he continued to do so. We can’t give in to terrorizations toward any of our employees. Trump is still welcome at Thursday night’s debate and will be treated fairly, just as he has been during his 132 appearances on Fox News & Fox Business, but he can’t dictate the moderators or the questions.”

Trump responded to that statement by tweeting: “The statement put out yesterday by @FoxNews was a disgrace to good broadcasting and journalism. Who would ever say something so nasty & dumb.” He added: “I refuse to call Megyn Kelly a bimbo, because that would not be politically correct. Instead I will only call her a lightweight reporter!”

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Kelly said she thinks it’s possible he will show up. This was before Trump’s campaign insisted again he won’t, however. “I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t come,” Kelly told Jen Peros. “I know he says he doesn’t want to now, but I’ll really be surprised because I feel like the people of Iowa are still persuadable. He’s in a tight race with Ted Cruz. I don’t know why he wouldn’t take one last opportunity to make his case to them in such a huge forum.

Bill O’Reilly Tried Really, Really Hard to Get Trump to Do the Fox Debate

Don’t walk away from it!” yelled Bill O’Reilly to Donald Trump on Wednesday night’s O’Reilly Factor on Fox News. O’Reilly scolded, cajoled, and very nearly begged Trump to reconsider his decision to spurn Thursday’s Fox-sponsored debate because of the candidate’s hurt feelings regarding moderator Megyn Kelly’s previous inquisition of the presidential candidate.

“I don’t like being used,” said Trump regarding Kelly. “She’s a lightweight … I have zero respect for Megyn Kelly.” “And anyway,” Trump added, “it’s not that important.” O’Reilly tried a number of tactics:

Religion: O’Reilly said, “I know you don’t go to church very often—” “Not true!” yelped Trump, seeing Evangelical Christian votes slipping away even as O’Reilly formed the words. “Maybe I don’t go every week, but…” O’Reilly told Trump that one of the “tenets of your church is forgiveness,” so why not forgive Kelly and show up? “I guess so,” said Trump, “but it’s also called an eye for an eye, too.” Ooh, a New Testament vs. Old Testament throwdown!

 Megyn Kelly Has Defeated Donald Trump

Shame: O’Reilly said Trump was shirking his responsibility to “the folks” (translation: that’s O’Reilly-speak for “ordinary people” — i.e., voters) by “walking away” from the debate. “I’m not walking away — I was pushed away,” snapped Trump. This man really feels abused by Megyn.

Brutal Realism: O’Reilly told Trump that when he first entered the race, “people thought you were a buffoon,” but that he’d proven them wrong. Trump hated that. “That’s not a very nice way of expressing it!” he bellowed, clearly stung by the word “buffoon.” “I’m a very successful businessman, I had one of the most popular shows on TV…” Bill was getting nowhere. He was desperate.

“Would you just consider [it]; say, ‘I might come’?” O’Reilly asked. There was also something in there about how, having known each other for 35 years, Trump owed Bill a lot of milkshakes (huh?). Couldn’t Trump “forgive” Kelly, and “go forward”?

Trump then said something few people reveal on television: “Even though you promised not to ask that, I’m gonna forget it and answer you.” The answer was no.

O’Reilly became a tad flustered, allowing that, yes, he may have promised Trump not to ask a certain question before they went on-camera, but, mustering his bluster, the host said that no one tells him what questions to ask.

All to no avail. I picture O’Reilly, when the little red camera light went off, ripping his lapel microphone off and thundering, “Well, Roger Ailes, I tried!”

Indeed, he did. And you know what? If I was a betting man, I’d bet that there is still a chance that Trump will reconsider, that he just might show up on Thursday night anyway.

Bleacher Report UK

Happy 31st birthday, Cristiano Ronaldo 🙌

Pope's sex abuse panel tells survivor to take a time-out

Pope Francis' sex abuse advisory committee has voted to temporarily sideline one of its members, a high-profile abuse survivor who had clashed with the commission over its mission

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Peter Saunders, a British advocate for survivors, talks during an interview with the Associated Press in Rome, Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016. Pope Francis’ sex abuse advisory committee voted Saturday to temporarily sideline one of its members, a high-profile abuse survivor who had clashed with the commission over its mandate and mission. During a meeting of the commission Saturday, "it was decided that Mr. Peter Saunders would take a leave of absence from his membership to consider how he might best support the commission's work," the Vatican said in a statement. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Pope Francis' sex abuse advisory committee voted Saturday to sideline one of its members, a high-profile abuse survivor who had clashed with the commission over its mission.

Peter Saunders, a British advocate for victims, had been highly critical of the Vatican's slow pace of progress in taking measures to protect children and punish bishops who covered up for pedophile priests. He had also wanted the commission to intervene immediately in individual cases, rather than just craft long-term policies to fight abuse.

During a commission meeting Saturday, "it was decided that Mr. Peter Saunders would take a leave of absence from his membership to consider how he might best support the commission's work," the Vatican said.
The decision is a blow to Francis' efforts to show that he is tough on abuse, since the presence of Saunders and another abuse survivor, Marie Collins, had given the commission credibility.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Saunders said commission members, with one abstention, asked had him to step aside after concluding they could no longer trust him to work within the scope of the commission's mandate.
"I do not want to prevent the work of the commission, the good work that the commission is doing from going ahead, so I had no choice but to step aside," he said.
He said the Vatican's inaction in the face of continuing cases of children being raped and molested "made me lose faith in the process and lose faith in Pope Francis."
His departure leaves Collins as the lone abuse survivor on the commission, which was formed in 2013 to advise the Vatican on protecting children, educating church personnel and parishioners about abuse, and keeping pedophiles out of the priesthood.
Collins told the AP it was a "sad day" for the commission. She acknowledged Saunders' complaints about the pace of work but said the overall mission was still important.

"It is slow. It's not going to make changes overnight. And there are frustrations in that," she said. "But if we can change policy and get policies put in place that will stick around the world that will make children safer in the future, then it's worth making time to get it right."

The commission was formed after victims' groups questioned whether the Argentine pope, who had never dealt with an abuse case, really understood the scope of the scandal. But the commission took a big step last year when it successfully proposed that the Vatican create an in-house tribunal to hear cases of bishops accused of failing to protect their flocks.

The commission had been highly critical of Francis' decision to appoint a Chilean bishop despite allegations from abuse survivors that he had covered up for the country's most notorious pedophile, the Rev. Fernando Karadima.

One of Karadima's victims, Juan Carlos Cruz, joined Saunders on Saturday in Rome in hopes of speaking to the commission but was refused. Cruz had been proposed as a possible commission member but emails published in the Chilean media showed how the Chilean church hierarchy worked to keep him off the panel.