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 day.
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The 8 headlines that our followers ranked as the most conversational are:
MARRIED HILLSONG PASTOR DARNELL BARRETT QUITS CONTROVERSIAL CHURCH AFTER SENDING ‘REAL RAW’ LEWD PHOTOS TO UNSUSPECTING FEMALE VOLUNTEER
The controversial Hillsong Church has been rocked with another scandal. Pastor Darnell Barrett recently resigned after he sent lewd photos to a female volunteer at the church and played it off as an accident. In photos obtained by Daily Mail, the married creative director of Hillsong’s Montclair, N.J., chapter shared multiple revealing snaps of him shirtless to the unsuspecting female after a workout wearing compression tights that revealed what the outlet described as his “engorged member extending half-way down his thigh.” An unidentified female told the outlet that the married pastor sent her similar photos before sharing them to his Instagram Story. However, he claimed he sent her the photos by “accident” and that it was “an honest mistake” after the woman took offense to the risqué snaps.
[SOURCE: okmagazine.com / ENGAGEMENT: 12.65%]
THE CW REMOVES ‘BULLETPROOF’ FROM STREAMING PLATFORMS AFTER NOEL CLARKE ACCUSATIONS
The CW has removed “Bulletproof” from its streaming platforms, including CW Seed, following accusations of misconduct against series star Noel Clarke (pictured above, right), a person with knowledge of the decision told TheWrap. A report published in The Guardian on Thursday featured 20 women who accused the “Bulletproof” actor of sexual harassment, unwanted groping, inappropriate comments made on set, sharing explicit photos and videos without consent and bullying. Clarke denied all allegations except for one, admitting he once made inappropriate comments about one woman. Clarke’s “Bulletproof” co-star, Ashley Walters, has been among those voicing support for the women who alleged varying degrees of sexual misbehavior against Clark. Earlier on Friday, British broadcaster ITV pulled tonight’s “Viewpoint” finale from its airwaves. Clarke is the star of that limited series. App ITV Hub will house the “Viewpoint” finale through Sunday. BAFTA has suspended Clarke’s membership as well as his recent Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema award.
[SOURCE: thewrap.com / ENGAGEMENT: 8.80%]
JOSH DUGGAR HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH RECEIVING AND POSSESSING CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE IMAGES
Josh Duggar, a former reality TV star of TLC’s 19 Kids and Counting who previously faced allegations that he molested underage girls as a teenager, was charged Friday with receiving and possessing child sexual abuse materials. Duggar allegedly downloaded child sexual abuse images online and had in his possession material depicting sexual abuse of minors under age 12 two years ago, prosecutors said. He pleaded not guilty on both counts. His attorney Travis Story did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Duggar faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for each count if convicted. Several family members released statements following the charges against him Friday, including his parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, who called the allegations “very serious” and said they “love Josh and Anna” — Josh Duggar’s wife — “and continue to pray for their family.” Duggar made his first appearance in federal court on Friday via Zoom, where Judge Erin Wiedemann required that should Duggar post bond, he must stay with a third party in a residence with no minors. He is scheduled for a detention hearing on May 5. The 33-year-old was arrested by US Marshals in Arkansas and booked into Washington County Jail on Thursday, just days after Anna Duggar announced on Instagram that they were expecting their seventh child.
[SOURCE: buzzfeednews.com / ENGAGEMENT: 6.18%]
MANCHESTER UNITED MATCH POSTPONED AFTER FANS INVADE OLD TRAFFORD PITCH AND STAGE ANTI-GLAZER PROTEST
The Premier League match between United and Liverpool was postponed after fans broke into the stadium and stormed the pitch. Thousands of supporters had gathered outside, to demonstrate ahead of Liverpool’s visit this afternoon following the club’s failed attempt to join the controversial European Super League. Several hundred then broke down barriers, went into the stadium and ran onto the pitch – with some even climbing the goalposts. A statement from Manchester United said that while the club “completely acknowledges the right to free expression and peaceful protest,” after discussion with the police, the Premier League, Trafford Council and the two clubs, “our match against Liverpool has been postponed due to safety and security considerations”. The Premier League also released a statement and said: “We understand and respect the strength of feeling but condemn all acts of violence, criminal damage and trespass, especially given the associated COVID-19 breaches.
[SOURCE: news.sky.com / ENGAGEMENT: 6.00%]
RACHEL HOLLIS, LIFESTYLE INFLUENCER, FACES BACKLASH AFTER HER HOUSEKEEPER COMMENT
May 14 was supposed to mark Rachel Hollis’s return to her happy place: a stage in front of an adoring audience. That was the day that Rise, her self-improvement company’s conference for women, was scheduled to begin in Austin, Texas. At least 100 people would attend in person, and more than 2,000 had registered by mid-April to join online. It would be a fraction of her usual crowd — nearly 50,000 people logged on for a virtual event in May 2020 — but would put her on track to business as usual. But in early April, Ms. Hollis, the 38-year-old author of the New York Times best-selling books “Girl, Wash Your Face” and “Girl, Stop Apologizing,” posted a video to TikTok that jarred many of her devoted fans. She recounted that while speaking extemporaneously during a livestream, she mentioned her twice-weekly housekeeper who “cleans the toilets.” One commenter had told Ms. Hollis she was “privileged” and “unrelatable.” “No, sis, literally everything I do in my life is to live a life that most people can’t relate to,” Ms. Hollis said, relaying her reaction to the commenter. “Literally every woman I admire in history was unrelatable.” She added a caption offering examples: Harriet Tubman, Oprah Winfrey and others. This didn’t go over well, coming from a white woman who achieved fame in 2015 after posting a bikini photograph from Cancún, Mexico, that revealed her pregnancy stretch marks. Some followers had already felt betrayed by Ms. Hollis and her husband and business partner, Dave Hollis — close collaborators on daily, intimate, family-focused content — after they announced last spring that they were getting a divorce. Now, online critics began to examine Ms. Hollis’s words, gestures and history in Zapruderian detail.
[SOURCE: nytimes.com / ENGAGEMENT: 3.96%]
2 DEAD, 23 INJURED WHEN SUSPECTED SMUGGLING BOAT CAPSIZES OFF COAST OF POINT LOMA
At least three people were killed and more than two dozen were injured Sunday when an overloaded boat crashed into a reef and broke apart in rough water off Point Loma in what authorities said was a human smuggling attempt. “Every indication from our perspective is that this was a smuggling vessel used to smuggle migrants into the United States illegally,” said Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Jeffery Stephenson. Lifeguard Chief James Gartland said the maritime crash was likely “one of the bigger vessel accidents” the region has seen. San Diego lifeguards initially got a report of a boat that appeared to be in trouble about 10 a.m. They were told the boat was drifting toward the shoreline, with one person on board, officials said. It turned out the 40-foot cabin cruiser was packed with dozens of people. A breakdown of their ages, genders and nationalities was not immediately available. By the time lifeguards arrived at the rocky peninsula, the boat had crashed and broken apart near the Cabrillo National Monument. Some people made it to shore, while others were caught in a rip current. Lifeguards on rescue boats and personal watercraft pulled seven people from the water, including at least two of whom drowned, San Diego lifeguard Lt. Rick Romero said. Lifeguards also hoisted one person up a cliff. Among the rescuers who jumped into action was at least one good Samaritan: a Navy sailor who was in the area with his family, Romero said. The sailor jumped in the water and swam out to someone in what Romero described as “a huge help.”
[SOURCE: sandiegouniontribune.com / ENGAGEMENT: 2.51%]
NORTH KOREA WARNS U.S. OVER BIDEN’S ‘BIG BLUNDER’
North Korea warned on Sunday that the United States will face a grave situation if it continues to pursue its “hostile policy” toward Pyongyang’s nuclear program. The statement, attributed to Kwon Jong Gun, head of the Foreign Ministry’s department of U.S. affairs, comes as the Biden administration is set to unveil a new strategy to deal with the isolated Asian nation. The statement said President Biden made a “big blunder” when he called North Korea’s and Iran’s nuclear programs a security threat during a speech before a joint session of Congress on Wednesday. Biden said he would work with allies to address the threats with “diplomacy and stern deterrence.” The statement, published on a government news site, warned that North Korea could respond with “corresponding measures.” On Friday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the administration had completed a “thorough, rigorous and inclusive” policy review of North Korea. She said the administration’s goal is aimed at completely denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula — something she noted the past four administrations had not achieved. The administration will not focus on achieving a grand bargain or rely on strategic patience, she said.
[SOURCE: npr.org / ENGAGEMENT: 2.40%]
THREE PEOPLE ARE DEAD AFTER A GUNMAN OPENED FIRE AT A CASINO HOTEL NEAR GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN
Three people including a gunman are dead following a shooting that occurred at a casino hotel near Green Bay, Wisconsin, Saturday night. Police said during a press conference that they shot the suspect and the attack appeared to be targeted event. “It was targeting a specific victim who was not there but he decided to still shoot some of the victim’s friends and co-workers it appears,” a police spokesman said. Police said the motive is still not completely clear but believe it could be tied to employment. The Oneida Casino, located in the Green Bay suburb of Ashwaubenon, said on Twitter shortly after 8 p.m. local time that there was an active shooter situation and that law enforcement was working to secure the area. They also advised people to stay away from the main casino. Melinda J. Danforth, director of intergovernmental affairs at the Oneida Nation, which runs the casino, confirmed to Insider that multiple people were shot. She said the shooting occurred at the Radisson Hotel that is connected to the main casino. She also said police have not yet confirmed the number of casualties. At 9:51 p.m. local time, the Wisconsin Justice Department said the situation was contained and there was no longer a threat to the community.
[SOURCE: insider.com / ENGAGEMENT: 2.35%]
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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