Smithsonian moves Michelle Obama portrait due to 'high volume of visitors'

Michelle Obama was so popular she needed more space.

The distinctive Amy Sherald painting of the former first lady, unveiled at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery last month, has relocated to a different part of the museum due to demand.

"We're always changing things up here. Due to the high volume of visitors, we've relocated Michelle Obama's portrait to the 3rd floor in our 20th-Century Americans galleries for a more spacious viewing experience," the National Portrait Gallery tweeted.

The museum has been inundated with visitors since the portraits of the Obamas were unveiled; 176,700 people visited the gallery in February 2018, its biggest month in three years, per Smithsonian Institution data. Last weekend, nearly 45,000 visitors stopped by from Thursday to Sunday.

[SOURCE: CNN]

Austin Texas bombing suspect dead

This is a breaking story, details may change as more information comes in.

A man whom authorities were attempting to arrest early Wednesday in a string of bombing attacks that originally focused on minorities in Austin killed himself with an explosive device as authorities closed in, a high-ranking law enforcement official told the American-Statesman early today.

The official said authorities identified a suspect in the past 24 hours based largely on information gained after police said the suspect shipped an explosive device from a FedEx store in Southwest Austin. That evidence included security video.

Authorities also relied upon store receipts showing suspicious transactions from the person and obtained a search warrant for his Google search history that showed him conducting searches they considered suspicious, the official said.

Authorities relied upon cell phone technology to trace the suspect to a hotel in Williamson County, the official said.

Ben Carson throws his wife under the bus over $31,000 dining room set

While testifying before the House Appropriations Committee about the infamous $31,000 dining room set, Secretary of HUD Ben Carson stayed awake long enough to blame the entire fiasco on his wife. Wow, I wonder what he would blame her for if he didn't love her? George L. Cook III African American Reports.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson pointed to his wife when pressed about the purchase of a $31,000 dining set with taxpayer money, despite internal HUD emails claiming he also had a part in selecting the furniture. Carson, testifying before the House Appropriations Committee, said he left decisions with his wife, Candy Carson, and was shocked to hear how much it cost.

The purchase of an elaborate furniture set has cast Carson in an unwelcome spotlight in recent weeks. A spokesman for HUD initially said Carson had nothing to do with the purchase of the furniture, despite emails obtained by the nonprofit watchdog American Oversight claiming Carson and his wife made the selection.

"I asked my wife also to help me with that, they showed us some catalogues, the prices were beyond what I wanted to pay, I made it clear that that just didn't seem right to me, and I left it with my wife," Carson said of the furniture selections. "I said, 'Help choose something,' but I said the money that is going to be used -- 'we need to take care of the deputy secretary's office, and you know whatever is left over I'll take care of the dining room furniture.' It was very important to do that, and I realize that, but I had some many other things to do at that point. You know, I had no assistant secretary, no deputy secretary. I was running from place to place dealing with a lot of important issues, so I really wasn't that concerned about furniture. The next thing that I quite frankly heard about it, was this $31,000 thousand dollar table had been bought. I said, 'What the heck is that all about?'"

HUD has canceled the order.

This isn't the first time Carson's wife has been blamed in relation to this matter. An Aug. 29, 2017 email from HUD chief of staff Sheila Greenwood to HUD administrative officer Aida Rodriguez and executive assistant to the secretary Allison Mills reads, "I believe Allison has print outs of the furniture the secretary and Mrs. Carson picked."

But when CBS News asked HUD spokesman Raffi Williams about the claims of Carson's involvement, he simply said, "When presented with options by professional staff, Mrs. Carson participated in the selection of specific styles."

The internal HUD emails show finding new furniture for Carson was a high priority at HUD, for at least six months. The emails also reveal HUD staffers were pressured to find a workaround for the $5,000 legal limit for federal executives to redecorate their offices.

[SOURCE: CBS NEWS]

Mark Henry to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2018

Mark Henry took pride in giving countless Superstars a vicious induction into his Hall of Pain. During WrestleMania 34 Week, The World’s Strongest Man will enter a completely different hall.

As first reported by USA Today, Henry will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2018. He joins Goldberg, The Dudley Boyz, Ivory, Jeff Jarrett, Hillbilly Jim, Kid Rock and Warrior Award recipient Jarrius “JJ” Robertson as those being honored during the 2018 Induction Ceremony on Friday, April 6, during WrestleMania 34 Week in New Orleans.

Henry’s journey in professional sports began in the world of powerlifting. After becoming a prodigy in the weight room as a high-schooler, Henry broke out at the 1992 Summer Olympics. One year later, he won gold, silver and bronze medals at the 1993 Pan-American Games. His unbelievable power caught the eye of WWE officials, who signed him to become a Superstar in 1996. Shortly after competing in the 1996 Summer Olympics, Henry made his in-ring debut at In Your House: Mind Games, defeating fellow WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler.

Henry excelled inside the squared circle as a member of The Nation of Domination alongside Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and also became the notorious ladies’ man known as “Sexual Chocolate” during WWE’s over-the-top Attitude Era. While with WWE, Henry would foray into strongman competition and find great success, winning the 2002 Arnold Strongman Classic. Back in WWE, The World’s Strongest Man would use the power that won him that contest, pulling off incredible feats of strength for his fellow Superstars and the WWE Universe.

Soon, though, Henry would discover a mean streak like no other and unleash his rage on the WWE roster. Henry carved a path of destruction through Superstars like The Undertaker, Kurt Angle and Rey Mysterio before making his way to ECW and capturing the brand’s top championship in his first match, defeating Kane and Big Show in the process. After returning to SmackDown, Henry’s penchant for punishment was given a name – his opponents weren’t just being beaten down; they were being inducted into The Hall of Pain.

Henry’s appetite for destruction brought him one of sports-entertainment’s top prizes – the World Heavyweight Championship, which he won by defeating Randy Orton at Night of Champions 2011. As The World’s Strongest Man’s career approached the two-decade mark, rumors of Henry’s retirement began to travel through the WWE Universe. Henry even played into the rumors, appearing on Monday Night Raw in June 2013 for what appeared to be a tearful retirement speech as John Cena watched on, though he shocked everyone by nearly driving Cena through the mat with his World’s Strongest Slam, boldly declaring “I’ve got a lot left in the tank!”

Henry continued competing with WWE through WrestleMania 33, while also taking on a new role as a talent scout and mentor, helping to prepare competitors like Braun Strowman, Baron Corbin, Apollo Crews and Bianca Belair for the rigors of the squared circle.

For the devastation he caused inside the ring, as well as the work he does to help the next generation of Superstars, there is no bigger honor for Mark Henry than to become The World’s Strongest Hall of Famer.

The 2018 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony takes place on Friday, April 6, in New Orleans at the Smoothie King Center during WrestleMania 34 Week.

[SOURCE: WWE]

Smithsonian Appoints Curator and Archivist for African-American Art

Erin J. Gilbert

The Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art has named two new appointees to positions related to African-American art: Erin J. Gilbert as curator of African-American manuscripts and Rayna Andrews as archivist for the institution’s African American Collecting Initiative.

Gilbert, an independent curator with experience in various departments of Chicago’s Kruger Gallery and the Art Institute of Chicago as well as the Studio Museum in Harlem in New York, will be charged with developing “a strategy for substantially increasing the collections of papers of and about African-American artists and will travel nationally to acquire collections,” according to an announcement.

Andrews, previously an archivist at the University of Pennsylvania and Bryn Mawr College, will catalogue the collection and new acquisitions. Together, work by

Rayna Andrews

Gilbert and Andrews “will result in the creation of online finding aids for scores of the Archives’ collections on African American art,” the Smithsonian’s statement said. “These finding aids will greatly increase access and usability of the collections and will serve as critical resources for those performing research in the field.”

The three-year African American Collecting Initiative was launched last year with a $575,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to “build upon the Archives’ existing collections by and about African American artists.”

Both positions add to an Archives of American Art initiative that was founded in 1954.

[SOURCE: ARTNEWS]