NATION/WORLD BRIEFS
Lawyer: Suspected US spy had classified docs
MOSCOW – The lawyer for an American man being held in Moscow on suspicion of spying said Tuesday that his client was given a flash drive containing Russian “state secrets” before he was arrested, but did not know he had them and had not looked at them. His family insisted that he was entrapped and denied that he is guilty of espionage.
Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, was detained in Moscow at the end of December. The arrest raised speculation that he could be swapped for one of the Russians held in the U.S., such as gun rights activist Maria Butina, who has pleaded guilty to acting as a foreign agent in the U.S.
Whelan made his first public appearance in court Tuesday to hear the appeal of his arrest. The judge upheld the previous ruling that ordered him to be kept behind bars at least until the end of February.
Vigil held at Covington Catholic; activist agrees to meet students
COVINGTON, Ky. - A vigil for peace and against racism brought 20 to 30 people to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Covington on Tuesday after a viral video that appeared to show a student in the face of a Native American activist.
The event came just days after a viral video showed Covington Catholic High School students, a Native American marcher and Black Hebrew Israelites in a confrontation on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Over the weekend, longer footage emerged showing that preceding the incident with the Native American activists, a group of four Black Hebrew Israelites were arguing with the Covington students. Nathan Phillips is seen moving between the two groups. He said later he was trying to defuse the situation.
Phillips has said he will meet with students at Covington Catholic High School. He’s offering to have a dialogue about cultural appropriation, racism and the importance of listening to and respecting diverse cultures, he said in a news release Tuesday.
Kaye Ballard, singer and actress, dies at 93
LOS ANGELES – Kaye Ballard, the boisterous comedian and singer who appeared in Broadway musicals and nightclubs from New York to Las Vegas and starred with Eve Arden in the 1960s TV sitcom “The Mothers-In-Law,” has died. She was 93. Ballard died Monday night at her home in Rancho Mirage, California, after a fight with kidney cancer, her friend Marguerite Gordon said Tuesday.
“The Mothers-In-Law,” in which Ballard starred with Eve Arden, aired from 1967 to 1969. It marked a high point in a career that began when Ballard was 12 and lasted into the 21st century.
— USA Today and wire reports