The War Room: As Russia opened a new push on the eastern front, Ukraine’s military claims to have fought off seven thrusts, destroying 10 tanks and 18 armored units. Of course that cannot be independently verified.

   The Ukrainians have also ignored another deadline for surrendering in Mariupol where they’ve been holding out in the sprawling complex of a steel manufacturing plant.

  Instead of what they had planned to be a lighting invasion like their failed attempt to take the capital of Kyiv, the Russians this time appear to be more methodical, softening up the ground ahead of them with missiles and artillery. But Western military analysts question the quality of Russian troops in the fight. They include mercenaries, draftees, and units chewed up in the fight for Kyiv. The Guardian newspaper reports that Russia is sending in as many as 20,000 mercenaries, many who fought in Syria and Libya.

  The Russians could also face the same logistics and supply problems they had in the north.

  As the West pours in longer-range weapons like artillery, antiaircraft systems, anti-ship missiles, drones, and armored vehicles, Russia warns that the foreign military aid could lead to a wider war. Russia recently warned the US that giving Ukraine the “most sensitive” weapons systems could bring “unpredictable consequences.”

Truth and Crew and Missing: When the Russian missile cruiser Moskva sank last week the Kremlin said the cause was heavy weather that sparked an onboard fire spreading to the ammunition. They said that the more than 500 crew members were safely evacuated.

  Now, some families of crew members say in social media or the press that their men are either missing or dead. At least four families have shared pictures of sailors who the families say have not been heard from since the sinking.

  One mother said her son, who survived, told her that about 40 sailors died and many were wounded and missing. The unidentified mother told the press, “There are dead, there are wounded, there are missing. My son called me when they were given phones. They left their documents and phones on the ship. He calls me and cries from what he saw. It was scary. It is clear that not everyone survived.”

Maskless: Following  a federal court ruling striking down the CDC’s mask mandate for public transportation, President Biden appears to have given up, saying yesterday that whether travelers want to wear a mask is “up to them.”

  Late yesterday the Justice Department said it will appeal the court ruling if the CDC thinks the mask mandate is still necessary.

  The airlines, transportation companies, and other companies dropped their mask requirements within hours of the ruling on Monday. Passengers celebrated and ripped off their masks in flight.

  The question of necessity isn’t the only issue. The ruling by that federal judge in Florida not only ended the mask mandate but narrowed the interpretation of the CDC’s public health powers. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, “Public health decisions shouldn’t be made by the courts, they should be made by public health experts.”

French Toast: French President Emmanuel Macron and far-right challenger Marine Le Pen face off in a debate today that could be decisive in Sunday’s election determining who runs the country for the next five years.

  Right now  Le Pen is behind Macron in opinion polls. Her job in the debate is to prove to voters she’s not a far-right nut job who opposes immigration, economic globalism, and wants to establish a “special” relationship with Russia. “Fear is the only argument that the current president has to try and stay in power at all cost,” Le Pen said in a new campaign ad.

The Spin Rack:  Martial Simon, the 61-year-old schizophrenic man accused of pushing a woman in front of a New York subway train and killing her  in January has been deemed mentally unfit for trial and will be held in psychiatric care. — The cable entertainment channel Netflix lost 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter and is considering advertisements in its content, which is sure to lose even more viewers. — Wimbledon is set to announced that it will bar players from Russia and Belarus in its annual tennis tournament this year, excluding a handful of highly-ranked players. 

Suit and Countersuit: Actors Johnny Depp and Amber Heard are in court suing each other over accusations of abuse in their 15-month marriage.

  Heard had publicly said she was a victim of domestic abuse without actually naming Depp. Depp claims that he was the victim of her abuse. He’s suing Heard for defamation and $50 million, claiming she ruined his career. She’s countersuing for $100 million. We’re betting that neither one of them has it.

-30-