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.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE EMAIL NEWSLETTER | BECOME A SUPPORTER ON PATREON
The 8 topics that our followers ranked as the most conversational are:
U.S. SUPREME COURT TURNS AWAY MURDER CASE HIGHLIGHTED IN ‘SERIAL’ PODCAST
A Baltimore man will remain behind bars for the 1999 murder of his former high school girlfriend after the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected his bid for a new trial in a case that captured public attention after the podcast “Serial” raised questions about his prosecution. The justices turned away an appeal by Adnan Syed, 39, who has been serving a life sentence since 2000 after being convicted in the strangling death of high school classmate Hae Min Lee. Maryland’s highest court in March ruled out a new trial for Syed despite his attorney’s failure to properly defend him. Prosecutors said Syed killed the 17-year-old Lee in 1999 in the parking lot of a Best Buy store shortly after school, and then buried her body in a shallow grave later that evening. He was jealous, the state argued, because she had started dating someone else. Lee’s body was found three weeks later.
[SOURCE: reuters.com]
TED CRUZ VOWS THAT CONGRESS WILL OVERRIDE TRUMP IF HE VETOES BILL DENOUNCING CHINA’S CRACKDOWN IN HONG KONG
President Donald Trump threatened Friday to veto a bill denouncing the crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, citing implications for trade talks with China and boasting that he has already saved thousands of lives by pressuring Beijing to show restraint. The stance put him squarely at odds with nearly everyone in Congress, perhaps most notably Sen. Ted Cruz, a close ally who has traveled to Hong Kong last month to show solidarity with anti-government demonstrators and crusaded for a robust U.S. response. Trump insisted that the pressure he has put on Xi has staved off a military response to the protests. On Tuesday, the Senate approved the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act on a unanimous vote. The House approved it the next day 417 to 1. In response to Trump’s threat, Cruz vowed that Congress will override any veto.
[SOURCE: americanmilitarynews.com]
NCAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL STAR KAMIYAH STREET ARRESTED FOR MURDER
Kamiyah Street — the starting point guard for the Kennesaw State basketball team — was arrested Thursday in Georgia for felony murder, records show. Officials believe 20-year-old Street is involved in the July 16 shooting death of 21-year-old Nashiem Hubbard-Etienne, whose body was found in a parking lot of an Atlanta-area apartment complex. Street — a big star for the KSU Owls — was arrested Thursday and has been hit with 8 criminal charges including murder, 3 counts of felony murder, criminal attempt to commit armed robbery, 2 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. Cops say 3 other suspects have been arrested and they’re still on the hunt for 1 more. The KSU basketball has suspended Street indefinitely — which is a big deal considering she’s averaged 21 points and 5 rebounds in the first 4 games of the 2019 season.
[SOURCE: tmz.com]
TEXAS WOMAN FOUND DEAD IN FRONT YARD IN POSSIBLE HOG ATTACK
Christine Rollins’ body was discovered Sunday morning outside an Anahuac home, where she was the caretaker for an elderly couple, according to the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office. When Rollins, 59, didn’t show up for work, her employer went outside and found her body in the front yard, officials said. Rollins had animal-related injuries, as well as ones consistent with a fall, Sheriff Brian Hawthorne said in a statement. Neighbors have complained about wild hogs in the area, and the homeowners’ Corgis are also being eyed, according to news station KTRK-TV. An autopsy was ordered to determine her cause of death, officials said.
[SOURCE: nypost.com]
‘UNFIT’ UBER STRIPPED OF LONDON LICENSE OVER SAFETY FAILURES
Uber was stripped of its license to carry paying passengers in London on Monday for the second time in just over two years, pending an appeal, over a “pattern of failures” on safety and security. Unauthorized drivers were able to upload their photos to others’ accounts so that, on at least 14,000 trips, a driver other than the advertised one picked up passengers, the regulator Transport for London (TfL) said. The ride-hailing firm immediately said it would appeal. The process is likely to include court action and could drag on for months, allowing Uber’s roughly 45,000 drivers in London, one of its most important markets, to keep taking rides despite its license expiring on Monday. TfL said it had “identified a pattern of failures by the company including several breaches that placed passengers and their safety at risk”, and that some journeys had been uninsured. Uber, whose app-based ordering and demand-sensitive pricing have disrupted operators in many cities worldwide including drivers of London’s “black cabs”, said its systems were robust and that it would also introduce a new facial matching process.
[SOURCE: reuters.com]
MOTHER SUPERIOR’S AFFAIR FORCES HISTORIC CONVENT TO CLOSE
A beautiful 17th century convent in the Tuscan Hills has been forced to close down after a 40-year-old nun praised for her ‘incredible energy’ fell in love with a local man. The Convent of the Cappuccini Fathers in Sansepolcro has been closed ‘definitively,’ according to the website. The 40-year-old nun left the convent, meaning only an 80-year-old and two novices remained, as reported by The Daily Telegraph. The paltry number of remaining members would not be able to keep up with the work started by Sister Maria, who was well-liked in the area for turning the convent into a community hub. The convent – dedicated to Bernardo Tolomei, a 14th century saint – offers 19 beds in the main building for pilgrims, and a large space dedicated to religious ceremonies such as weddings and baptisms. Sister Maria, allegedly involved in the romance, told La Repubblica: ‘They are in tears and I’m also crying.’ She added that the end of her time at the monastery was not related to the alleged romance. The mother superior said: ‘They wanted to tell that story, let’s leave them doing that. The story is much more complicated than it seems.’
[SOURCE: dailymail.co.uk]
‘TRUMP’S BASE IS A CULT’: RICK PERRY SLAMMED AFTER SAYING DONALD TRUMP IS ‘THE CHOSEN ONE’ IN FOX NEWS INTERVIEW
Rick Perry shocked some Fox News viewers when he announced during the weekend that Donald Trump was ‘sent by God’ to lead the country. The outgoing US Energy Secretary also told Fox & Friends’ hosts that President Trump was ‘the Chosen One.’ “God’s used imperfect people all through history,” Perry said, naming several Biblical figures. “King David wasn’t perfect, Saul wasn’t perfect, Solomon wasn’t perfect.”
[SOURCE: rawstory.com]
TENNIS LEGEND ROGER FEDERER HAS BOUGHT A STAKE IN THE RUNNING SHOE COMPANY ON AS HE PREPS FOR RETIREMENT IN 2045
Pundits have been predicting Mr. Federer’s retirement for almost a decade. For nearly as long, he has defied their expectations. Lately, however, despite stressing that he is far from finished playing, Mr. Federer has started to talk more openly about what comes next. That’s where a company called On comes in. Switzerland, birthplace of both Mr. Federer and On, is often associated with fine chocolate, luxury watches and private bankers. The country “is known for money and for passion but not always for innovation,” said Caspar Coppetti, a founder of On. “It can be quite a conservative place.” Mr. Federer has become an investor in, as well as a contributing product designer and representative for, the brand, which was started in 2010 in Zurich. You may not recognize the name immediately (Googling it can be tricky) but you may recognize its cult range of Cloud shoes, which feature an “On” light switch logo, a little Swiss flag and an odd-looking multi-globular cushioned rubber sole. (The patented technology, called CloudTec, gives runners a soft landing but springy takeoff.) After growing by word of mouth among endurance athletes and Olympians, and in running specialty stores, On is gaining ground as an underdog rival to giants like Nike and Adidas in the performance sports shoe category.
[SOURCE: nytimes.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.
Connect with us directly by emailing us at theconversationinbox@gmail.com or by simply visiting thisistheconversation.com.
