The Phony War: Ukraine government agencies were the target of a cyber attack yesterday in what may have been a prelude to a Russian invasion. The Russians have armor and 100,000 massed on the border and an attack on Ukrainian computer systems would be one of the first moves before tanks roll over the border.

  Connected to that incident, the White House accused Russia of sending saboteurs into eastern Ukraine to stage an incident that would give  President Vladimir Putin of Russia an excuse for invading Ukraine. The White House gave no details, but Press Secretary Jen Psaki, said the operatives were trained in urban warfare and explosives. “Russia is laying the groundwork to have the option of fabricating a pretext for invasion,” Psaki said, “including through sabotage activities and information operations, by accusing Ukraine of preparing an imminent attack against Russian forces in eastern Ukraine.”

  This is how it’s done, the bully accuses the weaker kid of starting the fight. Psaki said the Russians are using the same playbook as they did in 2014 when they annexed the Crimean Peninsula, which was a part of Ukraine.

Party Lines: The Ohio Supreme Court struck down a congressional map skewed to favor Republicans, ruling that it was like a card dealer stacking the deck, and sent it back to state lawmakers for a do-over. The map as drawn would have given the Congressional Republicans an advantage of 12 seats to 3. 

  “When the dealer stacks the deck in advance, the house usually wins,” wrote Justice Michael Donnelly for the majority, saying that the Republicans’ plan was “infused with undue partisan bias.”

  Among nearly eight million voters registered in Ohio, Democrats outnumber Republicans, although the vast majority, six million, register as unaffiliated. Under Ohio law, the mapmakers are not allowed to favor one party over the other.

Viral News: As infections with the Omicron variant of the coronavirus continue to spike, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the cloth masks frequently worn by Americans for protection are not as effective as paper surgical masks. It’s the first time the CDC has been explicit about this.

  The federal government is ready to start sending Americans free rapid coronavirus tests on request starting Wednesday, but they will take seven to 12 days to arrive, Biden administration officials say.

  The rate of new cases continues to drop in the US, up now by 113 percent over the past two weeks. It had been up over 200 percent. Cases are rising fastest in Alaska, Oregon, and Utah.

  Deaths are up 55 percent over the past two weeks At least 1,928 Americans were reported to have died of the coronavirus just yesterday.

  In the face of the surge, hundreds of students in Boston and Chicago walked out of classes yesterday demanding a switch to remote learning. The walkout in Chicago came only two days after the school district had settled a stoppage by unionized teachers who had demanded stringer safety measures.

The Spin Rack: The Maryland man who received a genetically-modified pig’s heart in a pioneering surgery last week has a 34-year-old criminal record in which he stabbed  a young man and left him paralyzed. The victim spent 20 years in a wheelchair before he died. Doctors say the history of the patient, 57-year-old David Bennett should not disqualify him from cutting-edge medical care. — Martin Shkreli, the financial scammer known as “Pharma Bro,” must return $64.6 million in profits he and his former company raked in by monopolizing the market and jacking the price for a lifesaving drug, a federal judge ruled. He also banned the imprisoned Shkreli from the pharmaceutical industry for the rest of his life. — New York Republican Rep. John Katko announced he will not run again for  Congress, making him the third of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump to announce their retirement. — The US Army has increased its signing bonus from $40,000 to $50,000 for skilled recruits because they’re having trouble attracting cannon fodder during the pandemic. — The Supreme Court agreed to hear the  appeal by a former high school football coach who says his First Amendment rights were violated when he was fired after establishing the practice  of kneeling and praying at the 50-yard-line.  Some of the players had complained that they felt forced to pray with the coach.

Busted: Britain’s Prince Andrew this week was stripped of all his military titles because of his  involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking scandal here in the US. Andrew used to appear at military ceremonies in elaborate and bemedaled uniforms of the unit. Here’s the list of titles he lost, evidence of the ceremonial nature of being a British royal. 

• Colonel of the Grenadier Guards (UK)
• Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Irish Regiment (UK)
• Colonel-in-Chief of the Small Arms School Corps (UK)
• Colonel-in-Chief of the Yorkshire Regiment (UK)
• Colonel of the Royal Highland Fusiliers (UK)
• Deputy Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Lancers (UK)
• Colonel-in-Chief of the Queen’s York Rangers (Canada)
• Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada
• Colonel-in-Chief of the Princess Louise Fusiliers (Canada)
• Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal New Zealand Army Logistic Regiment

Air Force

• Honorary Air Commodore, Royal Air Force Lossiemouth (UK)

Navy

• Commodore-in-Chief of the Fleet Air Arm (UK)

  Andrew is a rare member of the royal family who actually served in combat. He flew navy helicopters during the Falklands war screening against anti-ship missiles that would have been aimed at his aircraft carrier. He was promoted to vice admiral in 2015 and will be able to keep that title.

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