Donald Trump mocks Chuck Schumer for crying "fake tears"
"If the nominee is out of the mainstream, we will do our best to keep the seat open," Schumer, D-New York, told CNN"s Jake Tapper on "State of the Union" of the Supreme Court vacancy that Trump will get a shot at filling after majority Republicans blocked former President Barack Obama"s nominee for a year.
"I"m hopeful that President Trump may nominate someone who is mainstream and could get bipartisan support," Schumer said. "But if they don"t, yes, we will fight it tooth and nail, as long as we have to."
Schumer also said he"ll oppose eight or nine of Trump"s Cabinet nominees, and potentially more.
He specifically said he opposes Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, Trump"s pick for attorney general, and Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, Trump"s nominee to helm the Environmental Protection Agency.
"We certainly feel that we have to bring to the American people how different this Cabinet is -- how hard-right, how many conflicts of interest, billionaires," schumer said.
his comments come the same day Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham announced they will vote to confirm Trump"s pick for secretary of state, former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson.
"Listen, this wasn"t an easy call. But I also believe that when there"s doubt the president, the incoming president, gets the benefit of the doubt, and that"s the way I"ve treated every president that I"ve had the obligation to vote for or against as a member of the United States Senate," McCain said on ABC"s "This Week."
Graham tweeted shortly after: "I will vote to confirm Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State."
That decision could mean Democrats won"t have the votes to stop Tillerson"s nomination. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has also been on the fence, but Democrats would likely have needed all three -- McCain, Graham and Rubio -- to block Tillerson"s confirmation.
Democrats alone do not have enough votes to sink any of Trump"s nominees, and Schumer noted it will be up to Republican opposition to actually block picks.
Schumer also said he"s worried Trump is "using populist rhetoric to cover up a hard-right agenda."
He criticized Trump"s actions over his first 36 hours as president, complaining to the CIA of media coverage of the size of his inauguration crowd.
"President Trump is now president. He"s not campaigning anymore," Schumer said. "And instead of talking about how many people showed up at his inauguration, he ought to talk about how many people he"s going to bring into the middle class."
John Lynch Is 49ers GM! Free Agents are Next & draft picks, 49ers Fans Weekly meeting
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) The San Francisco 49ers made a surprise hire to fill their general manager void Sunday, hiring former NFL safety and Fox television analyst John Lynch to replace Trent Baalke.
Lynch comes into the job with no front-office experience, having gone straight from the playing field to the broadcast booth. But after a lengthy search that included interviews with nine other publicly identified candidates, team CEO Jed York settled on Lynch.
ESPN first reported the deal, saying Lynch had gotten a six-year contract.
After playing for former Niners coach Bill Walsh in college at Stanford, Lynch went on to have a stellar 15-year career with Tampa Bay and Denver that included three All-Pro selections and one Super Bowl title with the Buccaneers. He"s a finalist this year for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Since retiring in 2008, Lynch has been an analyst at Fox.
Now he will be tasked to rebuild a once-proud franchise that has fallen from NFC champions in 2012 to a 2-14 record this past season that matched the worst in franchise history. That led to the firing of Baalke and coach Chip Kelly as York set to overhaul the operation after the struggles the past few years.
The 49ers made three straight trips to the NFC title game from 2011-13 under coach Jim Harbaugh, but got rid of him after an 8-8 season in 2014, in part because of a rift with Baalke. Jim Tomsula lasted one year as coach and then Kelly was also fired after one season, leading to this current search.
York said he was open to hiring either the coach or general manager first. He said the primary goal in the search is finding a coach and general manager who can work well together.
All signs point to Atlanta offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan getting the head coach job. He had a second interview with York this weekend and is the only remaining candidate. He can"t sign a contract with San Francisco until after the Falcons play the Super Bowl next Sunday against New England.
Lynch played for Shanahan"s father, Mike, for four seasons in Denver.
York also gave second interviews this weekend to the two other general manager candidates: Minnesota assistant GM George Paton and Arizona vice president of player personnel Terry McDonough.
But after meeting with them and Shanahan, York decided to go with Lynch for the job. Lynch played the final four years of his career in Denver, where Shanahan"s father, Mike, was head coach.
Lynch will need to rebuild a depleted roster that has few building blocks and holes at nearly every position. The biggest void is at quarterback where Colin Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert both struggled this past season and can leave as free agents in March.
San Francisco has the No. 2 overall draft pick and plenty of salary cap room to make additions.
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Miss France Iris Mittenaere Crowned Miss Universe 2017!
Some of the most beautiful and talented women in the world turned out to compete for the title of Miss Universe on Sunday, and after the pageant came to a close, Miss France Iris Mittenaere went home the victor.
Steve Harvey once again hosted this year"s pageant -- despite his mistake last year when he declared the wrong contestant Miss Universe and then had to redact the announcement minutes later -- but he made sure not to drop the ball two years in a row.
MORE: Miss Universe 2017: Everything You Need to Know!
As Mittenaere"s name was called as this year"s Miss Universe, it seemed clear that the 24-year-old model was shocked to be crowned the winner. She marks the first European Miss Universe since 1990.
Miss Haiti Raquel Pelissier, who enthusiastically hugged Mittenaere after she won, was the first runner up, while Miss Colombia Andrea Tovar came in as this year"s second runner up.
Mittenaere, who cried tears of joy as she was given her sash and bouquet, received the coveted crown from outgoing Miss Universe, Pia Wurtzbach, who represented the Philippines when she won the title last year.
WATCH: Miss Philippines Pia Wurtzbach Opens Up About "Confusing" Miss Universe Win
Congrats to the new Miss Universe!
For more on last year"s pageant fail and its aftermath, check out the video below.
The Raw and SmackDown Live brands will converge Sunday night for the 2017 Royal Rumble, one of WWE"s four signature pay-per-views each year and the start of the Road to WrestleMania 33.
Royal Rumble begins with a Kickoff Show at 5 p.m. ET and continues with the main card when the pay-per-view begins an hour earlier than usual at 7 p.m. ET live from the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
Six of WWE"s nine titles will be on the line Sunday -- click here for royal rumble predictions -- and the Royal Rumble match itself features three big names in Goldberg, Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker. With only 22 of the 30 entrants announced, there is also the potential for some big-time surprises in the main event.
How to watch
Kickoff Show -- 5 p.m. ET: WWE Network
Royal Rumble -- 7 p.m. ET: WWE Network or pay-per-view [List of providers]
WWE Network: Web | Apple TV | Roku | Amazon Fire | PlayStation | Xbox | iOS | Android
Royal Rumble matches Participants Match / Title Stipulation(s) 30 entrants* Royal Rumble Over-the-top-rope eliminations Kevin Owens (c) vs. Roman Reigns Universal Championship No disqualifications, shark cage^ AJ Styles (c) vs. John Cena World Championship Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Bayley Women"s Championship (Raw) Rich Swann (c) vs. Neville Cruiserweight Championship Becky Lynch, Nikki Bella, Naomi vs. Alexa Bliss, Mickie James, Natalya Cesaro & Sheamus (c) vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson Tag Team Championship (Raw) Two referees (Kickoff Show) Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax (Kickoff Show) * The Undertaker, Goldberg, Brock Lesnar, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, Dean Ambrose, The Miz, Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, Big Show, Braun Strowman, Big E, Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston, Cesaro, Sheamus, Big Cass, Rusev, Mojo Rawley, Baron Corbin and eight unannounced entrants^ Chris Jericho will hang in a shark cage above the ring during the match.
POLÊMICA! AZEALIA BANKS ataca RIHANNA e elas trocam farpas nas Redes Sociais | HoraPop TV
Had a busy weekend and couldnt keep up with entertainment reports? Heres a roundup of all the biggest stories in music and movies from over the weekend.
Emma Stone grabs Best Actress award at the Screen Actors Guild awards plus more highlights
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La La Land actress, Emma Stone has scored another win following her Golden Globes win only few weeks ago.
At the 23rd annual Screen Actors Guild awards, Emma walked away with theOutstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role award. In her acceptance speech, Emma thanked the other actresses nominated in the category including Meryl Streep and Natalie Portman.
She also sent some love to her La La Land co-star, Ryan Gosling, Ryan, you are the best. Thats just the truth. Nobody can argue that.
Meanwhile, Denzel Washington picked up his first ever SAG award for Best Actor in a motion picture for his role in Fences. As he received the award, he said, You know, I am a G*d-fearing man. Im supposed to have faith, but I didnt have faith. G*d bless you all, all the other actors. Id say, You know, young boys are going to win, you aint going to win. So I didnt even prepare. But I am prepared!
Other winners of the night are Hidden Figures (Outstanding performance by cast in a motion picture), Viola Davis (Outstanding performance by a female actor in a supporting role), Orange is the new Black (Outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series).
Between Harrysong, Five Star music and all the contract breach drama
The weekend was filled with controversy and dispute between former Five Star music artiste, Harrysong and the music label owned by E-money.
On Friday, the Reggae Blues singer was reportedly picked up by the police to meet with the states Assistant Inspector General who was in charge of settling the case between both parties.
The management of Five Star Music cited breach of contract and fraud as offences committed by Harrysong but his own management under his newly-formed record label, Alterplate have debunked the claims adding that Harrysong never approached Five Star to sign him but instead was begged by Kcee on bended knees to join the company and help save the latters dying career.
According to his management, Harrysong wrote and co-produced all of Kcees hit tracks, including Limpopo.
In a comeback statement, Five Star have warned the general public against doing business with Harrysong as he never fulfilled the terms of his contract with the label, one of which included releasing three albums. The label also claimed to have spent a lot of money on the artiste but never got any returns.
Azealia Banks shades Rihanna on social media over US Muslim ban comments
A large percentage of Americans are filled with rage over President Donald Trumps ban on Muslim immigrants into the US and pop star, Rihanna doesnt feel any differently, so she took to her Twitter page to share her thoughts.
Disgusted! The news is devastating! America is being ruined right before our eyes! What an immoral pig you have to be to implement such BS!!
Rihanna (@rihanna) January 29, 2017
But Azealia Banks who has over time shown her support for President Trump took it upon herself to question Rihannas status as an American and then went ahead to explain why Trumps policies are acceptable.
Rihanna has responded in a few cryptic messages on instagram and azealia seems to be enjoying the attention she is getting from the pop star, as she has not hesitated to fire back.
Osita Iheme popularly known as PawPaw sets up his own record label
Osita Iheme
From comic actor to record label boss, Osita Iheme has now taken his career to the next level with the launch of his own music label, Yung Boss Records.
Just so you know this is no joke, the label already has two artistes, Barr. Max and Charisma signed to it. Barr. Max has, infact, released his first single under the label and he calls it, Congratulations.
MMMG boss, Ubi Franklin survives accident
Ubi Franklin took to Instagram on Sunday night to thank G*d for surviving what he called a scary accident.
Details of the accident are not known.
Dotman drops new video featuring Davido
Fast rising artiste, Dotman who got us all enthralled with his 2016 hit single, Akube is back this new year with another track that already sounds like another success.
The new track titled Escobar features DMW artiste, Davido and is already getting talkability among fans.
Dotman got the chance to perform the song at Big Brother Naijas live show in South Africa on Sunday night.
Tears of joy for Roger Federer | Australian Open 2017
Switzerland"s Roger Federer serves against Spain"s Rafael Nadal during the men"s singles final on day 14 of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 29, 2017. Greg Wood/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
toggle caption Greg Wood/AFP/Getty Images
Switzerland"s Roger Federer serves against Spain"s Rafael Nadal during the men"s singles final on day 14 of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 29, 2017.
Greg Wood/AFP/Getty Images
Roger Federer won his 18th Grand Slam title and put some extra distance on the all-time list between himself and Rafael Nadal, the man he beat 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 in a vintage Australian Open final on Sunday night.
It was the 35-year-old Federer"s first major title since Wimbledon in 2012, his first in Australia since 2010, and it reversed the status quo against his nemesis, Nadal.
Both players were returning from extended layoffs Federer for six months after Wimbledon with an injured left knee; Nadal for a couple of months with an injured left wrist and were seeded 17th and ninth respectively.
"It"s been a different last six months, I wasn"t sure I was going to make it here but here I am we made it," federer said after accepting the trophy from Australian great Rod Laver, who lends his name to the main stadium at Melbourne Park.
"I would have been happy to lose too, to be honest. The comeback was perfect as it was. Tennis is a tough sport, there"s no draws. If there was going to be one, I would have been happy to have it tonight and share it with Rafa, really."
Federer had lost six of the previous eight Grand Slam finals he"d played against Nadal, and had only previously beaten the left-handed Spaniard in 11 of their 34 matches.
Nadal remains equal second with Pete Sampras on the all-time list, with the last of Nadal"s 14 majors coming at Roland Garros in 2014.
He missed his chance to be the first man in the Open era to win each of the four Grand Slams twice. Instead, Federer became the first man in the Open era to win three Grand Slam titles at least five times (Wimbledon 7 titles, U.S. Open 5, Australian Open 5 and French Open 1).
After four sets where the momentum swung alternately from one player to the next, the fifth had all the tension and drama that these two players are famous for.
Nadal went up an early break and it seemed as if the injury time-out Federer needed after the fourth set may have been an indicator of things to come.But the Swiss star rallied, and broke back in a pivotal sixth game and took control in a period when he won 10 straight points.
Nadal saved three break points in the eighth game but lost momentum again when Federer finished off a 26-shot rally the longest of the match with a forehand winner down the line.
Consecutive forehand errors gave Federer the pivotal break for 5-3, but Nadal made him work for the very last point.
Serving for the match, Federer had to save two break points with an ace and a forehand winner.
At deuce, he was called for a double-fault but challenged the out call on his second serve. The call was overturned, and he got to play two.
Not long after, he fired an ace to get his second match point and hit a forehand crosscourt winner to finish off.
His celebrations were delayed, though, when Nadal challenged the call. Federer watched the replay on the tournament screen, and leaped for joy when it showed his last shot was in. His 100th match at the Australian Open ended with his fifth title at Melbourne Park.
"Congratulation to Roger ... Just amazing, the way he"s playing after such a long time of him not being on the tour," Nadal said. "For sure, you have been working a lot to make that happen. So congratulations."
Nadal spent two months recovering from a left wrist injury before heading to Brisbane for a warmup tournament, breaking his usual routine. He reached the quarterfinals there, and had no expectations of reaching the final in Australia.
"I had some hard time not being able to compete in full condition. ... some injuries, well not new for me, but still tough when it happens," Nadal said. "I fight a lot these two weeks. Today, a great match, probably Roger deserved it a little bit more than me."
No two players had met more often in Grand Slam finals in the Open era, and Nadal had previously dominated. But they hadn"t met in a major final since the 2011 French Open, won by Nadal.
Three months ago, they were both on breaks when Federer joined Nadal in Mallorca for the opening of the Spaniard"s tennis academy and the pair joked about ever being able to contend for majors again.
Yet here they were, first Grand Slam tournament of the season, renewing the classic rivalry that saw them dominate tennis a decade ago.
The long-odds final No. 9 against No. 17 unfolded after six-time champion Novak Djokovic was shockingly upset by No. 117-ranked Denis Istomin in the second round and top-ranked Andy Murray, a five-time losing finalist in Australia, went out in the fourth round to left-handed serve-volleyer Mischa Zverev.
Federer beat Zverev in the quarterfinals and U.S. Open champion Stan Wawrinka in an all-Swiss semifinal to reach the championship match. The six years between his Australian titles set a record, too, longer than the five years that both Boris Becker and Andre Agassi had between championships in Melbourne.
It capped a remarkable weekend for 30-somethings all four singles finalists were 30 or older after Serena Williams beat her sister Venus Williams in the women"s final to capture her Open-era record 23rd Grand Slam title.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. With two hours left of 24, the IMSA WeatherTech Rolex 24 at Daytona is entering its decisive phase.
While any of the first 22 hours can create a loser, the final two or three stints usually determine the winner of this day-long endurance contest.
Teams need to strategize: when to pit, which drivers to use, whether to take ties for greater speed or double-stint and save track position. Should the team short-fill to gain track position and hope to hold it on a full final stop, or plan for a timed fill for the last stop? If a caution comes, should the car come in or stay out?
Any team with a car still running now has a chance to make the efforts of the previous 22 hours pay offand an equal chance to make all that effort pointless.
The entire race before noon on Sunday is prelude. Now the race really begins.
The #10 WTR Cadillac has been leading since the fourth hour of the race. . (Chris Jasurek/Epoch Times)
Wayne Taylor Racing Secure in the Lead
The #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac DPi V.R has led since 6:30 Saturday evening. According to Jordan Taylor, the team has worked with the car for longer than any otger Cadillac team, which is why they have the strongest of the Cadllacs, and havwe had no mechanical problems, while the other two Cadillacsthe #5 Mustang Sampling and the #31 Whelen Engineeringhave lost time in the pits.
The #90 VisitFlorida Riley/Multimatic-Gibson ran strong in the early morning, but penalties and problems have left the car a lap down. The 2016 winner, ESM, is also a lap down. Either team could get the lap back with a caution period, and could mount a serious run for the winbut the WTR Cadillac has managed to hold them off so far.
The #66 Ford GT fights off the #62 Risi Ferrari to retain the lead in GT Le Mans. (Chris Jasurek/Epoch Times)
The #66 Ford GT has basically led from the green flag. The car has run flawlessly, the drivers and crew have made no major mistakes.
The #62 Risi Ferrari has taken a few turns at the front. The Corvettes have shown G*d speed, and always race with total dedication and professionalism. Still, the Ford GT looks like the safest bet for GTLM winner.
Its great to have allies. (Chris Jasurek/Epoch Times)
The #33 Riley Motorsports-Team AMG Mercedes leads GTD but there are many, many strong contenders. (Chris Jasurek/Epoch Times)
The #38 Performance Tech Oreca-Chevrolet has been in command of the Prototype Challenge class for most of the race.
