RUSSIA VS. UKRAINE (Shutterstock).

Billions of dollars of military help has been promised to Ukraine as a result of Ukrainian President Volodymyr  Zelensky’s tour of Europe.

According to The New York Times, he visited four nations – Italy, Germany, France and Great Britain – cand ollected vows of air defense missiles, attack drones and more.

Those contributions come as Ukrainian forces prepare for a major counteroffensive to drive the Russian invaders back, and possibly recover Crimea, lost when it was illegally seized in 2014.

Trump-Russia investigation slammed

Special prosecutor John Durham’s investigation into Donald Trump’s possible ties to Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign was heavily criticized in a report revealed on Monday.

An inquiry by a Justice Department watchdog said the investigation was flawed and relied too much on “raw and unconfirmed intelligence” in its inquiry.

Also in the news…. The coming Memorial Day weekend  could become the third-busiest travel time since 2000, according to the American Automobile Association. It expects 42.3 million Americans to travel more than 50 miles from home, a 7 percent increase over 2022.

Sports: Shohei shines in Baltimore

SHOHEI OHTANI is the rare pitcher who can excel at the plate (Angels photo).

Shohei Ohtani continued to follow in the tradition of Babe Ruth on Monday, putting on a hitting show while pitching a winning game as the Los Angeles Angels defeated the Baltimore Orioles 9-5 in Camden Yards.

He hit two home runs – including one monster blast where no baseball had gone before – and went 4-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs scored to improve his batting average to .303.

As a pitcher, he worked seven innings and gave up four hits – including three homers – five earned runs and struck out five while walking three. His record is 5-1 and the Angels are 22-20, one percentage point out of second place in the American League West.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are hosting the Minnesota Twins.

Weather:  Clouds, maybe sprinkles

There will be a fair amount of cloudy skies for the next few days in the West Orange County area. The forecast calls for morning clouds and afternoon sun on Tuesday, with a daytime high of 71 and an overnight low of 58. On Wednesday, partly cloudy skies are expected with an 11 percent chance of rain. The high should be 70 (59).  Thursday will be similar with a 10 percent chance of precipitation.