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:
TEKASHI 6IX9INE’S PRISON RELEASE DATE SET, THREE MONTHS EARLY
Rapper Daniel Hernandez, known professionally as Tekashi 6ix9ine, will complete his prison sentence on August 2. Lance Lazzaro, Hernandez’s attorney, confirmed the date. The 23-year-old rapper was arrested in Nov. 2018 for his involvement with the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods. In January the rapper made a plea deal — in which he admitted that he’d hired someone to shoot rival rapper Chief Keef, and to selling a kilo of heroin in 2017 — that saw him cooperating with federal law-enforcement officers; the agreement was initially sealed to give prosecutors time to charge and arrest members of the Nine Trey gang. His controversial cooperation with the authorities led to him offering testimony against the gang, putting several affiliates of the faction in prison. Two defendants in the case, Kintea “Kooda B” McKenzie and Hernandez’s kidnapper Anthony “Harv” Ellison, have yet to be sentenced. In total, Hernandez pleaded guilty to nine federal felonies including racketeering conspiracy, firearms charges, narcotics trafficking, and violent crimes in aid of racketeering.
[SOURCE: variety.com]
UNITED FLIGHT DIVERTED AFTER PASSENGERS BECAME DISRUPTIVE BECAUSE SOMEONE WAS SNEEZING
A commercial flight from Colorado ski country to Newark, New Jersey, made an unscheduled stop in Denver after several passengers became disruptive because they were seated next to someone who they thought was sick, officials said. Sunday’s diversion of the United Airlines flight to Newark International Airport illustrates growing concerns over the coronavirus outbreak that has infected more than 500 people in the U.S. and 100,000 people worldwide. A small group of passengers became disruptive on Flight 1562 after they were seated next to someone who was sneezing and coughing, United Airlines officials told Denver media. The passengers failed to follow crew members’ instructions, forcing the diversion to Denver, where the plane was met by police and the disruptive passengers removed, KUSA-TV reported. Denver police officials said three people were upset about a sick person on the plane.
[SOURCE: usatoday.com]
PEPSICO BUYING ENERGY DRINK MAKER ROCKSTAR FOR $3.85 BILLION
PepsiCo will acquire Rockstar Energy in a $3.85 billion deal, doubling down on energy drinks and with an eye toward turning around its struggling Mountain Dew brand. Pepsi has had a distribution agreement with privately held Rockstar in North America since 2009. Pepsi CFO Hugh Johnston said that the company’s distribution contract with Rockstar restricted it from innovating in energy drinks or partnering with others. If the deal closes, Pepsi will be able to form partnerships with other energy drink makers, according to Johnston. Stifel analyst Mark Astrachan wrote in a note to clients on Wednesday that he had heard that Pepsi is interested in a distribution agreement with VPX, which owns performance energy drink Bang. Pepsi and Bang did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
[SOURCE: cnbc.com]
NCAA TO HOLD MARCH MADNESS WITHOUT FANS DUE TO CORONAVIRUS
The NCAA announced Wednesday that it will follow the lead of other sporting events and restrict fan access to its signature event, the men’s basketball tournament, due to the coronavirus outbreak. All other winter sports championships, including the women’s basketball tournament, will be under the same restriction. The news comes just five days before Selection Sunday, when the 68-team bracket is revealed. The near-last-minute disruption presents an extraordinary logistical challenge to the NCAA and its broadcast partners, CBS and Turner Sports, and stands as the most significant disruption in the 81-year history of an event that has become a staple of American sporting culture. But the ongoing national health crisis left the NCAA with little option.
[SOURCE: si.com]
WEINSTEIN SENTENCED TO 23 YEARS FOR SEXUAL ASSAULTS
Harvey Weinstein was sentenced Wednesday to 23 years in prison after breaking his courtroom silence with a rambling plea for mercy in which he professed to be “totally confused” by the #MeToo movement that spelled the Hollywood producer’s downfall. His accusers — those who testified against him and many others who have spoken out elsewhere against the former Hollywood mogul — hailed the near-maximum punishment for his rape and criminal sex act convictions as long overdue. The 67-year-old Weinstein, who arrived at the courthouse Wednesday in a wheelchair and was taken to a hospital after complaining of chest pains hours after the court hearing, could spend the rest of his life behind bars. He was convicted last month of raping a once-aspiring actress in a New York City hotel room in 2013 and forcibly performing oral sex on former TV and film production assistant Mimi Haleyi at his apartment in 2006. He faced a minimum of five years and a maximum of 29 years in prison.
[SOURCE: apnews.com]
MGM RESORTS TO CLOSE VEGAS BUFFETS AMID CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK
Officials with MGM Resorts announced Tuesday that the company would temporarily close buffets at restaurants in several of its locations across Las Vegas, including the MGM Grand, amid the coronavirus outbreak. Local CBS affiliate KLAS reported that buffet lines at seven locations, including the MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Aria, Bellagio, Mirage, Luxor and Excalibur, would all be shuttered as part of efforts to prevent the spread of the virus, which is believed to have originated in China and has since infected more than 110,000 people around the world. The decision will reportedly be revisited on a weekly basis as efforts continue to control the spread of the virus. The company will “work directly with MGM’s Labor Relations department to assist with any employment changes, transitions or questions as part of the temporary Buffet closure process,” the statement continued.
[SOURCE: thehill.com]
U.S. TREASURY WILL LIKELY EXTEND DEADLINE FOR FILING TAX DUE TO CORONAVIRUS
The Trump administration will likely push back the April 15 deadline to file taxes as part of efforts to curb the coronavirus’ effects on U.S. households and businesses, the Wall Street Journal reported late on Tuesday, citing a U.S. official and an unnamed person familiar with the matter. Treasury officials are considering how far the deadline may be extended and who would be eligible for it, the WSJ said on.wsj.com/2ICJKlu, citing the person familiar with the discussions. The Treasury did not respond to a request for comment on the report. The Internal Revenue Service said it had no immediate comment. The WSJ also said the decision to extend the deadline, or how such an extension might work, was not yet finalised.
[SOURCE: reuters.com]
MADONNA, PEARL JAM CANCEL SHOWS AMID CORONAVIRUS FEARS; ‘WHEEL OF FORTUNE’ NIXES LIVE AUDIENCE
Several music artists, including Zac Brown Band, Pearl Jam, Madonna and Pentatonix are nixing or postponing their tours amid coronavirus concerns. Late Tuesday, Zac Brown Band announced it was postponing the spring leg of its “The Owl Tour.” In a social media post, the band said it made the decision “out of caution and due to increasing public health concerns.” Tickets for the original dates will be honored at the rescheduled shows, which have yet to be announced. Madonna, 61, announced on her website Monday that her March 10-11 Madame X shows in Paris are cancelled now that France has banned events with more than 1,000 people in response to the coronavirus outbreak. France reported 1,784 cases as of Wednesday, the second-largest number of cases in Europe after Italy. So far, 33 people in France have died.
[SOURCE: usatoday.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 the past day.
A full weeks’ data (from Friday to Friday) is compiled, weighed, and sorted to produce the content for the Weekly Wrap-Up with J Cleveland Payne, published every Saturday as a podcast available at ThisIsTheConversation.com or wherever your favorite podcasts are found.
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