These are the top maybe-not headlines from the past 36-hours presented by The Conversation Project from raw engagement data from our social media to the headlines posted over the past day.
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The 8 topics that our followers ranked as the most conversational are:
ANDRE EMMETT, FORMER NBA PLAYER, IS FOUND SHOT AND KILLED IN DALLAS
After playing for four years at Texas Tech under head coach Bob Knight, Emmett was drafted in the second round of the 2004 NBA draft with the 35th overall pick. Emmett had brief stints with the Memphis Grizzlies and New Jersey Nets, and he more recently played professionally in the three-on-three league, BIG3. Early Monday morning, Emmett was approached by two men as he sat in his car in front of his home in Dallas, police said. The men produced a handgun, police said. An altercation followed and Emmett was shot as he ran away, they said. A passerby found Emmett and called 911. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.
[SOURCE: cnn.com]
JUUL IS UNDER CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION BY FEDERAL PROSECUTORS
In California, federal prosecutors have launched a criminal probe into Juul Labs, the immensely popular e-cigarette manufacturer, according to The Wall Street Journal. The focus of the probe is unclear, but the investigation is being led by the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, according to the Journal. Juul has faced a number of legal challenges in recent months, as government outrage grows over hundreds of illnesses linked to e-cigarette use, including seven deaths. A number of federal authorities are already investigating Juul. The Federal Trade Commission and a few state attorneys general are focusing on the company’s marketing practices and whether they purposefully sought to target minors. The Food and Drug Administration is also actively probing Juul, but little is known about its investigation.
[SOURCE: theverge.com]
PG&E MAY CUT POWER TO 124,000 IN NORTH CALIFORNIA ON FIRE FEARS
The power shut off across three counties started Monday afternoon, the San Francisco-based company said in a statement. Earlier PG&E said the outage could impact as many as 124,000 customers in nine counties, which would have made it the company’s largest preemptive power shutoff to date. PG&E and other California utilities have been taking more aggressive measures to keep equipment from sparking blazes after fallen power lines ignited a series of catastrophic blazes across the state in 2017 and 2018. One of PG&E’s lines started the deadliest fire in California history in 2018, forcing the company to file for Chapter 11.
[SOURCE: bloomberg.com]
KANSAS BASKETBALL HIT WITH MAJOR NCAA VIOLATION CHARGES STEMMING FROM FBI PROBE
Several Level II violations have also been levied against the football program dating back to the previous coaching regime under David Beaty, according to Yahoo Sports, which first reported the notice of allegations. Those violations are less serious in nature and reportedly include charges of allowing an extra coach to work during practice. Kansas’ alleged violations in basketball stem from the FBI’s recent investigation into the sport related to corruption and bribery. The probe roped in Kansas when T.J. Gassnola, a former Adidas consultant, testified about his involvement in funneling money to the mother of former KU basketball player Billy Preston and to the guardian of current KU basketball player Silvio De Sousa. Last week, reports surfaced indicating an NOA — with major rules violations allegations — was likely imminent for the program.
[SOURCE: cbssports.com]
THOMAS COOK COLLAPSES AS LAST-DITCH RESCUE TALKS FAIL
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said the tour operator had “ceased trading with immediate effect”. It has also triggered the biggest ever peacetime repatriation, aimed at bringing more than 150,000 British holidaymakers home. Peter Fankhauser, Thomas Cook’s chief executive, said the firm’s collapse was a “matter of profound regret”. Commenting as the company entered compulsory liquidation, Mr Fankhauser also apologised to the firm’s “millions of customers, and thousands of employees”. The tour operator’s failure puts 22,000 jobs at risk worldwide, including 9,000 in the UK. One of the world’s best-known holiday brands, the business was founded in 1841 in Leicestershire by cabinet-maker Thomas Cook.
[SOURCE: bbc.com]
PENCE’S EIGHT-CAR MOTORCADE RUFFLES FEATHERS ON MICHIGAN’S MACKINAC ISLAND, WHERE CARS ARE BANNED
Vice President Pence’s arrival in Michigan with an eight-vehicle motorcade to attend the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference over the weekend ruffled some feathers on an island where cars are generally banned, the Detroit Free Press reported. The conference took place on the state’s Mackinac Island, which has a population of around 500 people, according to the 2010 census, that is known for its ban on vehicles. The ban first took effect in the late 19th century, Time magazine reported. According to the Detroit Free Press, the vice president’s motorcade is the first ever to arrive in the community, where residents generally commute by bike or snowmobile in colder weather. However, residents can be granted a temporary vehicle permit in certain circumstances.
[SOURCE: thehill.com]
AFRICAN MIGRANTS STRUGGLING TO REACH U.S. ARE STRANDED IN MEXICO
The tents belong to some 250 African nationals who crossed jungles, forded rivers, sneaked across borders and dodged militias and thieves to get here in hopes of eventually reaching the United States. But now they are stuck, because Mexico has denied them the travel visas necessary to proceed north. Mexican national guard troops and riot police keep close watch over the multi-hued camp, where mosquitoes swarm in puddles. Rain and a fetid stream provide cooking water and many complain of rashes, stomach cramps and other ailments. “We are fed up,” said Diop Abou, 33, a native of the northwest African nation of Mauritania. “None of us want to be here in this miserable place.”
[SOURCE: latimes.com]
CAPTAIN MARVEL, DEADPOOL, AND IRON MAN KICK OFF MARVEL’S UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATER COLLECTION FOR 2019
The first wave of new 100% knitted Marvel “ugly” sweaters for the 2019 holiday season have launched, and the lineup includes festive Captain Marvel, Deadpool, and Iron Man designs. They join a large collection of Marvel designs from last year that feature Spider-Man, Captain America, Black Panther, Thor, Venom, and the Avengers styles. The entire Marvel ugly Christmas sweater collection is available for $54.99 each in sizes XS to XXXL with free shipping. Last year’s designs are shipping now, but the new Captain Marvel, Deadpool, and Iron Man designs are pre-orders with a ship date slated for October 10th. Ship dates on these can get pushed out pretty quickly, so reserve one while you can.
[SOURCE: comicbook.com]
Eight Things To Talk About uses the raw engagement data from the social media engagement from The Conversation Project to generate the top-ranking headlines over the course of a weekend.
A full weeks’ data (from Friday to Friday) is compiled, weighed, and sorted to produce the content for the Wrap-Up Show with J Cleveland Payne, published every Saturday as a podcast available at ThisIsTheConversation.com or wherever your favorite podcasts are found.
To ‘participate’ in the rankings of the headlines for this newsletter or the podcast, follow the Conversation Project on social media and engage with the posts to give them more ‘votes.’ The Conversation Project can be found on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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