Thursday’s Morning Buzz: ‘African Mona Lisa’ Sells for $1.6 Million, Trump Loses Another Communications Director, And More

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Top news for March 1, 2018 includes the sale of the “African Mona Lisa,” Trump losing yet another communications director, and more.

Painting Dubbed the ‘African Mona Lisa’ Sells for $1.6 Million

A painting titled “Tutu” that is often referred to as the “African Mona Lisa” sold for $1.6 million at London auction house Bonhams’ “Africa Now” sale. The painting was predicted to sell for $275,000 to $413,000, just a fraction of the final bid. “Tutu” was painted by Ben Enwonwu in 1974, shortly after the Nigerian civil war. The artwork depicts Ife princess Adetutu Ademiluyi.
-CNN

Hundreds Gather in Pennsylvania Church with AR-15 Rifles for Rededication Ceremony

Just two weeks after a gunman used an AR-15 rifle to kill 17 people at a Parkland, FL high school, hundreds of people gathered in a Pennsylvania church with the controversial weapon as they participated in a rededication ceremony. The gun toting couples who participated in the ceremony were not allowed to bring ammunition into the Sanctuary Church in Newfoundland, PA and their guns were ziptied at the door. Students at a near-by elementary school were relocated to another school for the day as a precaution.
-CNN

Mom Charged in Baby’s Death after Off-Duty Cop Crashed at 94 mph into Their Vehicle

In a bizarre turn, a Louisiana mother has been arrested on homicide charges after an off-duty police officer crashed into the car she was riding in, killing her 1-year-old baby. Brittany Stephens, 20, was arrested on Tuesday after police discovered that her daughter’s car seat was not secured and the straps were not adjusted correctly for the child’s height, according to her arrest report. An off-duty cop crashed at 94 mph into the vehicle she and her baby were riding in. She wasn’t driving either car involved in the crash.
-theGrio

Hope Hicks is Trump’s Fifth Communications Director to Leave the White House

In just over one year, the Trump administration is saying good-bye to its fifth communications director. Hope Hicks, a 29-year-old former model with no political experience before joining Trump’s presidential campaign, is resigning. Her last day has not yet been determined. Hicks’ exit comes the day after she was grilled for nine hours by  a House of Representatives intelligence panel about the Russia probe. During the questioning, she admitted to telling “white lies” for Trump that were unrelated to Russia.
-Time

Ta-Nehisi Coates is Going to Write a Captain America Comic Series

Ta-Nehisi Coates announced that he is preparing to take on writing duties for a new Captain America comic series. The comics will launch in July. His massively successful Black Panther comic series turned into a franchise, complete with spinoffs. That series was also a main source of inspiration for the record-shattering Black Panther movie.
-theGrio