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:
THINGS JUST GOT REAL: WAFFLE HOUSE CLOSES 365 LOCATIONS ACROSS US
Waffle House has closed 365 of its 1,627 locations across the United States. The popular breakfast joint made the announcement on their Facebook page Tuesday morning. While the post did not specifically mention the reason for the hundreds of closures, the company posted on March 15 that they were focused on keeping their nearly 45,000 employees working and customers safe during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.The company has not said if/when the more than 300 locations will reopen.
[SOURCE: cbs12.com]
SENATE APPROVES HISTORIC $2 TRILLION STIMULUS DEAL AMID GROWING CORONAVIRUS FEARS
The Senate on Wednesday approved a historic, $2 trillion stimulus package to provide a jolt to an economy reeling from the coronavirus pandemic, capping days of intense negotiations that produced one of the most expensive and far-reaching measures Congress has ever considered. In a remarkable sign of overwhelming bipartisan support for the legislation, the vote was unanimous at 96-0. The legislation represents the largest emergency aid package in US history and the most significant legislative action taken to address the rapidly intensifying coronavirus crisis, which is overwhelming hospitals and grinding much of the economy to a halt. It will next go to the House for a vote. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced Wednesday evening ahead of Senate passage that the House will convene at 9 a.m. on Friday to consider the relief package. The plan is to pass the bill by voice vote, a move that would allow the House to avoid forcing all members to return to Washington for a recorded roll call vote. President Donald Trump has indicated he will sign the measure.
[SOURCE: cnn.com]
PRINCE CHARLES TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID-19
Prince Charles has tested positive for coronavirus. Clarence House confirmed that the 71-year-old heir to the throne was diagnosed with the COVID-19 disease in a statement released this morning. The royal displayed “mild symptoms” on Sunday and was then tested on Monday, with the results coming through late on Tuesday night, the statement said. Charles “otherwise remains in good health” and has been self-isolating in Scotland with the Duchess of Cornwall, who has tested negative for coronavirus.
[SOURCE: news.sky.com]
WELLS FARGO TO TEMPORARILY SHUTTERS MANY NORTH CAROLINA BRANCHES, GIVE CASH AWARDS
Wells Fargo & Co. is temporarily closing more branches in North Carolina, including in the Triad area. The bank said the move will help cut down on the spread of coronavirus, or COVID-19. About 20 branches in the greater Charlotte region will close starting Wednesday. That includes nine in Greensboro, nine in Winston-Salem, two in High Point and two in Burlington. Wells Fargo has also cut back branch hours to 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, if applicable. Branch closures are subject to change. Customers can visit www.wellsfargo.com/locator for more information on specific locations. Employees at affected branches will be moved to other locations, spokesman Josh Dunn said. Wells Fargo has implemented “enhanced cleaning” at all of its locations along with adding hand-sanitizer stations and encouraging social distancing. Customers are also encouraged to use Wells Fargo’s mobile and online services. The bank has more than 90 branches in this area. It employs about 27,500 people here. The San Francisco-based bank is giving one-time cash awards to about 170,000 of its employees, according to an employee memo obtained by the Charlotte Business Journal.
[SOURCE: bizjournals.com]
DR. DRE’S 1992 CLASSIC ‘THE CHRONIC’ TO BE ARCHIVED BY LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
The Chronic, Dr. Dre’s celebrated 1992 debut studio album, is being archived in the Library of Congress. Wednesday, the National Recording Registry announced Dre’s classic as being among the latest musical releases to be considered “worthy of preservation” due to their importance of a cultural, historical, or aesthetic nature. The Chronic is joined in the latest assortment of honorees by Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” single, Selena’s Ven Conmigo album, Tina Turner’s Private Dancer album, Cheap Trick’s Cheap Trick at Budokan album, Glen Campbell’s Wichita Lineman single, and more.
[SOURCE: complex.com]
INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED TO REVIEW HOW CANDACE OWENS OBTAINED ANDREW GILLUM POLICE REPORT
Police in Florida said an investigation has been launched to determine how conservative Black pundit Candace Owens obtained the police report about Andrew Gillum’s alleged overdose at the Mondrian South Beach Hotel on March 13. The police report as well as graphic photos of Gillum were released online, which show the former Democratic gubernatorial candidate lying in his own vomit. Gillum, 40, is said to have been partying hard with male escort Travis Dyson, 30, who reportedly overdosed and was treated at a hospital and discharged. The controversial photo shows the politician passed out on a pillow and a towel under his lower torso is soiled with feces, per SandraRose.com. The father of three has hired famed attorney Alex Spiro to issue a take-down demand to all media outlets that published the photo.
[SOURCE: eurweb.com]
SPAIN OVERTAKES CHINA IN CORONAVIRUS DEATHS
Spain has now seen more deaths from the coronavirus pandemic than any other country except Italy, with officials warning that the peak of its outbreak has still not been reached. The nation has recorded 3,434 deaths from Covid-19, the Ministries of Health and Science announced Wednesday, pushing it above China in total fatalities. The numbers are up 27% on the day before. Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo is among those to test positive , the Prime Minister’s office said in a statement. She is quarantined in a hospital and is making good progress, the statement said. Spain is under a countrywide lockdown, and top health official Fernando Simon predicted the nation had still not reached the crest of its outbreak. The number of cases will continue to rise in the coming days, he said. Earlier this week, he had suggested that the peak of the infections could come “in a matter of days.” The total number of positive tests in the country rose to 47,610, putting it fourth in the world, behind China, Italy and the United States.
[SOURCE: cnn.com]
DAYTON FLYERS’ OBI TOPPIN DECLARES FOR 2020 NBA DRAFT
Dayton’s Obi Toppin declared Wednesday via Twitter that he’s entering the 2020 NBA Draft. Earlier this week, Toppin was named Associated Press National Player of the Year, and his head coach, Anthony Grant, was named AP National Coach of the Year. Toppin averaged 20 points and 7.5 rebounds in 31.6 minutes per game while shooting 63.3 percent from the field as a redshirt sophomore. Last week, Toppin joined Seton Hall’s Myles Powell, Iowa’s Luka Garza, Marquette’s Markus Howard and Oregon’s Payton Pritchard on The Associated Press All-America first team.
[SOURCE: msn.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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