These are the top maybe-not headlines from the past 84-hours presented by The Conversation Project from raw engagement data from our social media to the headlines posted over the past weekend.
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The 8 topics that our followers ranked as the most conversational are:
DEMI BURNETT AND KRISTIAN HAGGERTY JUST ANNOUNCED THEIR BREAKUP ON INSTAGRAM
Unfortunately, people online have seen this breakup coming for a while. After Demi and Kristian made history as Bachelor Nation’s first same-sex couple ever and had that beyond-emotional proposal at the end of last season’s Bachelor in Paradise, Demi didn’t post a single thing about Kristian…like at all. Fans chalked it up to Demi and Kristian calling their relationship off at the time, but Demi kindly told everyone to f*ck off because her personal life is no one’s business. But then literally yesterday, people were suspicious as hell because Kristian’s sister, Caitlin Haggerty, posted a seriously shady comment under one of Demi’s recent Instagram pictures.
[SOURCE: cosmopolitan.com]
DRONES ARE GROUNDING FIREFIGHTING HELICOPTERS AMID MARIA FIRE BATTLE IN CALIFORNIA
A pilot flying a firefighting helicopter in Ventura County north of Los Angeles spotted a drone hovering above the flames at 3:19 a.m. Friday, apparently trying to take a photo or video of the fire below, forcing air operations to stop for at least 45 minutes. At 4:05 a.m., another drone appeared, the Los Angeles Times reported. The drones grounded aerial firefighting for another hour while the Maria fire continued to spread.
[SOURCE: nypost.com]
RIOT POLICE STORM HONG KONG MALLS TO THWART MORE PROTESTS
A knife-wielding man slashed several people and bit off part of the ear of a pro-democracy politician in Hong Kong on Sunday, as riot police stormed several malls to thwart protesters who have been demanding government reforms for nearly five months. The bloody attack erupted outside one of those shopping complexes, Cityplaza on Hong Kong Island. Local media said the attacker told his victims that Hong Kong belongs to China. Television footage showed the man biting the ear of district councilor Andrew Chiu, who had tried to stop him from leaving after the stabbings. The attacker was then badly beaten up by a crowd before police arrived.
[SOURCE: apnews.com]
NFL FINES STEELERS, MIKE TOMLIN FOR INACCURATE BEN ROETHLISBERGER INJURY REPORT
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review confirmed that the Steelers have been fined $75,000 and Tomlin was fined $25,000 for violating the NFL’s Injury Report Policy. Roethlisberger was a non-participant in a practice on Sept. 11 prior to the Week 2 game against the Seahawks. The club listed his absence as “not injury related.” He was a full participant in practice the following Thursday and Friday. However, Roethlisberger did not play after halftime of the game against the Seahawks and later underwent season-ending surgery on his elbow. In the days after the game, some Steelers noted that the quarterback said his elbow had been bothering him in the season opener. The NFL policy mandates that players with an injury be listed on the weekly injury report.
[SOURCE: sportingnews.com]
JOHNNY DEPP SETTLES $50 MILLION LAWSUIT, AMBER HEARD ACCUSED ‘PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN’ ACTOR OF PAYING MILLIONS TO WITNESSES
Heard alleges that Depp used his former business firm The Management Group (TMG) paid off eyewitnesses to cover up his abuse of her. Heard said her ex-husband coerced his employees to cover up his alleged misconduct when he “violently abused” her. Heard found the payoffs by obtaining Depp’s financial information. Heard alleges that a TMG executive knew about Depp “violently kicked Heard during an incident that took place in or around 2014.” The celebrity couple had a heated divorce battle in 2016, where Heard claimed Depp threw a cell phone at her face, pulled her hair, smashed bottles of wine, and claimed he was an abusive and had an issue with alcohol. Johnny Depp and his former lawyers settled a $50 million malpractice suit that was launched in December of 2017. The lawsuit was supposed to go to trial on December 2. This comes at the same time as legal teams are preparing for Depp’s $50 million defamation suit against Heard that is set to begin in February of 2020. Depp is suing Heard over her 2018 Washington Post op-ed about domestic violence, which was directed towards Depp without actually naming the actor. Amber wrote that there needs to be “changes to laws and rules and social norms” surrounding the issue of domestic violence.
[SOURCE: brobible.com]
ANTONIO BROWN POSTS SCREENSHOT OF HIS BANK ACCOUNT TO SHOW OFF THE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS HE CURRENTLY HAS SAVED UP WHILE TAKING SHOTS AT PEOPLE SUING HIM
Brown is currently being sued by multiple people while he sits out from the NFL as he tries to clear his name. This morning on Instagram AB took a shot at all those people suing him by showing off his bank account and claiming they all are making up stories to take a piece of what he’s earned: “No one sues someone who doesn’t have money. You see money attracts the wrong people to come against you. Jealousy and envy is an incurable trait. It is is reciprocalnot donated beat the odds. Laughing all the way to bank. Hard work, talent and believing in yourself dreams do come true. AB the new money team.” Brown is most notably being sued over a rape allegation from his former trainer Brittany Talor that is still pending in Florida.
[SOURCE: brobible.com]
NICKI MINAJ SLAMS WENDY WILLIAMS AFTER HOST BRINGS UP HUSBAND’S CRIMINAL PAST
Nicki slammed Wendy for speaking ill of her husband and basically said she should keep her mouth shut on the topic considering her estranged husband, Kevin Hunter, reportedly got another woman pregnant while they were still married. “When you announce my husband, P, there’s no need for you to mention his past. Every time you mention him, you feel the need to bring these things up as well as something he was wrongfully accused of doing…” Nicki said on Queen Radio. She also added that while she understands that Wendy is a journalist, she could “report the news without that level of viciousness.” The rapper didn’t hold back, turning focus on Wendy Williams and insinuating her husband stepping out on her was karma for all the viciousness she’s done in her past. “B—- where was you at when Kevin had his d— knee deep in that b—- p—-? I pray for you because I know you’re hurting and I know you must be sick and humiliated,” the new bride stated. But it wasn’t just all anger spewing from Nicki’s mouth. She also made sure to tell her listeners that she had been cheering Wendy on during her troubled times, but the sweetness didn’t last long.
[SOURCE: msn.com]
BETO O’ROURKE DROPS OUT OF 2020 RACE, WILL NOT RUN FOR SENATE
Rumors about O’Rourke’s candidacy began shortly after his Senate campaign concluded. But for months, he put off making a decision, leaving top Democratic operatives who may have signed on with him to look elsewhere. The entrance into the race of South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, perceived to occupy the same lane for a young, fresh-faced outsider, appeared to further dull the allure of O’Rourke’s bid. When he finally launched he did so with much fanfare. A Vanity Fair article timed to his announcement marketed his bid as a second chance at political greatness for the former Texas congressman after failing to unseat Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. In the first 18 days of his candidacy, O’Rourke raised an impressive $9.4 million. But his star began to fall as quickly as it rose. A lack of fully formed policy positions and a series of lackluster debate appearances contributed to his failure to harness the same energy that that was seen during his Senate campaign.
[SOURCE: thedailybeast.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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