D-Day 75th anniversary marked by Trump and world leaders: Live updates - CNN

US President Donald Trump is traveling to the Normandy beaches to mark three-quarters of a century since Americans and their allies stormed the shore in a bid to wrest Europe from the Nazis.

"We are gathered here on freedom's altar," Trump will say in his remarks, according to excerpts of the speech provided by the White House. "On these shores, on these bluffs, on this day 75 years ago, 10,000 men shed their blood -- and thousands sacrificed their lives -- for their brothers, for their countries, and for the survival of liberty."

President Donald Trump at an event to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day in Portsmouth, England, on Wednesday.

Trump is the latest in a string of presidents to mark the anniversary of D-Day in France, each successive ceremony seeing fewer and fewer of the veterans who carried out the harrowing mission make it back to the windswept cliffs and stretches of sand. Now in their 90s, and of a thinning generation with first-hand memory of the war, those veterans will join Trump and other world leaders to mark the occasion near the American cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer.

Trump is expected to deliver remarks and meet with some of the few remaining survivors from that day -- many of whom were teenagers when they received their orders. Later he'll sit for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron before departing for his golf course in Ireland, where he is spending two nights.

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2019-06-06 08:37:00Z
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D-Day 75th anniversary marked by Trump and world leaders: Live updates - CNN

US President Donald Trump is traveling to the Normandy beaches to mark three-quarters of a century since Americans and their allies stormed the shore in a bid to wrest Europe from the Nazis.

"We are gathered here on freedom's altar," Trump will say in his remarks, according to excerpts of the speech provided by the White House. "On these shores, on these bluffs, on this day 75 years ago, 10,000 men shed their blood -- and thousands sacrificed their lives -- for their brothers, for their countries, and for the survival of liberty."

President Donald Trump at an event to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day in Portsmouth, England, on Wednesday.

Trump is the latest in a string of presidents to mark the anniversary of D-Day in France, each successive ceremony seeing fewer and fewer of the veterans who carried out the harrowing mission make it back to the windswept cliffs and stretches of sand. Now in their 90s, and of a thinning generation with first-hand memory of the war, those veterans will join Trump and other world leaders to mark the occasion near the American cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer.

Trump is expected to deliver remarks and meet with some of the few remaining survivors from that day -- many of whom were teenagers when they received their orders. Later he'll sit for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron before departing for his golf course in Ireland, where he is spending two nights.

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2019-06-06 07:49:00Z
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Border Arrests Surge to Seven-Year High as Mexico Tries to Head Off Tariffs - The New York Times

WASHINGTON — Central American migrants surged across the United States border with Mexico in record numbers in May, officials announced Wednesday, as American and Mexican diplomats began discussions at the White House in a bid to avert potentially crippling economic consequences of President Trump’s threat to impose tariffs on all Mexican imports.

More than 144,278 migrants were arrested and taken into custody by Customs and Border Protection along the southwest border during May, a 32 percent increase from April and the highest monthly total in seven years. Most crossed the border illegally, while about 10 percent arrived without the proper documentation at ports of entry along the border.

Vice President Mike Pence and other top administration officials are set to meet Wednesday with Mexico’s top diplomat. Mr. Trump has vowed to impose a 5 percent tariff on all goods from Mexico beginning Monday and to increase the tax to 25 percent by October if Mexico does not prevent migrants from illegally entering the United States.

The announcement of the surge in border crossings was designed to put pressure on the Mexican government to meet Mr. Trump’s demands that the government take action quickly. But it remained unclear what will satisfy the president, who has offered conflicting statements about his intentions.

On Tuesday, Mr. Trump said that it was “more likely that the tariffs” would be imposed. But on Wednesday, the president said he believed Mexico was ready to make a deal to prevent the tariffs from going into effect.

”Mexico, you know, wants to make a deal,” Mr. Trump said during a trip to Ireland. “They have their entire delegation right now going over to probably the White House location to negotiate with our people.”

Mexican officials, along with Republican lawmakers, are trying to prevent Mr. Trump from imposing tariffs on Monday, as he has threatened. Marcelo Ebrard, the Mexican foreign minister, is scheduled to meet on Wednesday afternoon at the White House with Mr. Pence, a senior administration official said, in an effort to convince the president that Mexico is doing everything it can to help prevent illegal immigration across the United States border. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Robert Lighthizer, the United States Trade Representative, were also expected to attend the meeting.

Mr. Trump, frustrated by what he views as Mexico’s failure to stem the flow of migrants, said he would use broad emergency powers to impose punishing tariffs on the country. But top American officials have spoken in vague terms about what steps Mexico must take, and it remains unclear exactly what Mexico could do to persuade Mr. Trump to back down.

Peter Navarro, a top trade adviser who has advocated using levies to punish Mexico, said in an interview with CNN on Wednesday that Mr. Trump’s threat had gotten the Mexican government’s attention and that the United States might not have to impose the tariffs.

“We believe that these tariffs may not have to go into effect precisely because we have the Mexicans’ attention,” Mr. Navarro said

He outlined several things that Mexico must do to prevent the tariffs, including committing to taking “all the asylum seekers and applying Mexican laws which are much stronger than ours.”

He also urged Mexico to do more to secure its border with Guatemala and tighten check points for migrants within Mexico.

Mr. Ebrard has also expressed optimism, telling reporters on Tuesday in Washington that there was an 80 percent chance that Mr. Trump would not impose the tariffs.

But others in Washington were more doubtful that the two sides could come to a resolution before Monday’s deadline. Carlos Heredia, a professor at the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas in Mexico City, said Tuesday that whatever action Mexico takes to prevent migration into the United States, it was unlikely to satisfy the president.

“If there is any logic to the way that President Trump handles policy, it’s that he likes conflict,” Mr. Heredia said. “I don’t think that there is a way to please Trump.”

Others said that it would take time for Mexico to make the changes the Trump administration was requesting.

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Marcelo Ebrard, the Mexican foreign minister, on Tuesday at the Capitol in Washington.CreditErin Schaff/The New York Times

“This is not going to happen in seven days,” said Arturo Sarukhan, a former Mexican ambassador to the United States. “You can’t enforce your way out of a migration crisis.”

Mr. Trump’s threat to tax Mexican products has rattled financial markets and prompted an outcry from businesses that would be affected, including automakers, agricultural companies and retailers. The chairman of the Federal Reserve said on Tuesday that the central bank was watching Mr. Trump’s trade war warily and would act to prevent economic damage from the conflict.

Mr. Trump has made heavy use of tariffs on trading partners from China to Europe, but imposing tariffs on Mexico, the United States’ largest trading partner, would be a significant escalation in the president’s trade war. Mexico is a key supplier of products like fresh tomatoes and grapes; bluejeans; televisions; medical devices; and automobiles. Many companies have created supply chains that snake back and forth across the border — meaning some companies could be forced to pay Mr. Trump’s tariff multiple times as their products travel from farms to factories to consumers.

Businesses are also worried that the president’s move risks derailing what would be his signature trade achievement: passing the newly negotiated North American trade agreement.

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement was signed last year, but it still needs to be ratified by legislators in all three countries. Mexico submitted the text to its Senate hours before Mr. Trump’s threat. But Mexican officials are unlikely to move forward with that vote with the threat of tariffs hanging over them.

Mr. Ebrard, who has been in Washington all week meeting with Trump administration officials and members of Congress, said earlier in the week that Mexico was already enforcing its own immigration laws but argued that there was more the countries could do to work together. He said Mexican officials had come to Washington ready to “design actions together.”

Kevin McAleenan, the acting secretary of homeland security, repeated the administration’s demands in an interview with The Hill published on Tuesday. He said Mexico must crack down on illegal crossings from Guatemala, and use American intelligence to target smuggling operations that try to sneak migrants across the border.

Mr. McAleenan also said the administration expects Mexico to help tighten the shared border, even though the Mexican government has agreed to take in migrants while their asylum cases are processed in the United States.

“We can’t have the situation where 1,000 people in one group can cross the border at 4 a.m. without any interdiction or any effort to stop that unlawful activity,” said Mr. McAleenan, citing a group that illegally crossed last week into El Paso. The group of 1,036 migrants was the largest ever recorded by the Department of Homeland Security to cross illegally into the United States.

But Mexico has maintained that it is already taking action to stem the flow of migrants.

Mexico’s ambassador to the United States, Martha Bárcena, said in a press conference Monday that without Mexico’s efforts, many more migrants would be arriving at American borders.

“There is a clear limit to what we can negotiate,” Ms. Bárcena said. “And that limit is Mexican dignity.”

On Tuesday, Mr. Ebrard met for a half-hour with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and several other Democratic lawmakers.

Republican senators are also mobilizing to prevent the White House from moving ahead with tariffs, warning Mr. Trump on Tuesday that they were almost uniformly opposed to his plans to tax Mexican imports.

Several big states would be hit hard by the proposed tariffs on Mexican products, including Texas, Michigan, California, Illinois and Ohio, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

“We’re holding a gun to our own heads,” said Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas.

Officials at Customs and Border Protection were making preparations on Wednesday to begin imposing the tariffs just after midnight on Monday morning.

In an interview, a Customs spokesman said the department was waiting for Mr. Trump to issue a presidential proclamation, which would then by followed by a Federal Register notice, outlining the basis for the tariffs and the universe of Mexican products to which they would apply. But even without a formal order establishing the tariffs, Customers workers are already building up the informational technology infrastructure needed to apply the tariffs on Monday morning to importers bringing in goods from Mexico.

Officials said they were readying technical guidance for importers, to help them properly fill out paperwork and pay the appropriate tariff — and preparing to assist those importers who have grown accustomed to paying no tariffs under the terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

They also said administration officials are still discussing whether there will be exemptions for certain industries from the tariffs, and whether there will be a formal process for American companies to apply for tariff exclusions for certain products they import, as was the case with steel and aluminum tariffs and some tariffs on products from China.

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2019-06-05 18:42:51Z
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Trump adviser: Mexico can do this to avoid tariffs - CNN

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2019-06-05 15:24:23Z
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D-Day veteran, 97, parachutes into Normandy 75 years later: 'I'd go up and do it all again' - Fox News

CARENTAN, France — Parachutists are jumping over Normandy again, just as soldiers did 75 years ago for D-Day - but this time without being shot at.

Engines throbbing, C-47 transport planes dropped group after group of parachutists, a couple of hundred in all - including a 97-year-old D-Day veteran, Tom Rice.

"It went perfect, perfect jump," Rice said after his jump. "I feel great. I'd go up and do it all again."

The jumpers were honoring the airborne soldiers who descended into gunfire and death ahead of the June 6, 1944, seaborne invasion.

D-DAY VETERAN, 99, GETS OVATION FROM THE QUEEN AND TRUMP AS HE LEADS TRIBUTES

U.S. World War II paratrooper veteran Tom Rice, 97 years-old who served with the 101st Airbone, jumps during a commemorative parachute jump over Carentan on the Normandy coast ahead of the 75th D-Day anniversary, France, June 5, 2019.  (Reuters)

The landing zone for Wednesday's operation was fields of wildflowers outside Carentan, one of the objectives of the thousands of paratroopers who entered occupied France from the sky dropped over Normandy in the D-Day prelude.

Rice, of San Diego, jumped into roughly the same area he landed in on D-Day. He said it was dark when he touched down in 1944 and he can't be sure exactly where he was.

Rice jumped with the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division on that momentous day 75 years ago, landing safely despite catching himself on the exit and a bullet striking his parachute. He called the 1944 jump "the worst jump I ever had."

VAN HIPP: ROOSEVELT'S D-DAY PRAYER STILL RESONATES - ALL AMERICANS SHOULD READ IT THIS WEEK

"I got my left armpit caught in the lower left-hand corner of the door so I swung out, came back and hit the side of the aircraft, swung out again and came back, and I just tried to straighten my arm out and I got free," he told The Associated Press in an interview.

His jump on Wednesday was a different story. He came down in tandem with another parachutist, after preparing for six months with a physical trainer.

U.S. World War II D-Day veteran Tom Rice, from Coronado, CA, after parachuting in a tandem jump into a field in Carentan, Normandy, France, Wednesday, June 5, 2019.  (AP)

Rice flew down with an American flag fluttering beneath him and landed to a wave of applause from the crowd of thousands that gathered to watch the aerial display.

Other parachutists jumped with World War II souvenirs, some carrying items their grandfathers took into battle. Many spectators wore war-era uniforms, and music of the time played over loudspeakers.

WORLD LEADERS INCLUDING PRESIDENT TRUMP GATHER TO COMMEMORATE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF D-DAY LANDINGS

Robert Schaefer, a retired lieutenant colonel with the U.S. Army's Green Berets who served in Afghanistan, carried whiskey, cigars and the dog tag and wallet his grandfather, George J. Ehmet, had with him when he fought as an artilleryman in France.

"I feel like I got to jump with my grandpa," Schaefer said afterward.

Approximately 200 parachutists participated in the jump over Normandy on Wednesday, replicating a jump made by U.S. soldiers on June 6, 1944 as a prelude to the seaborne invasions on D-Day.  (AP)

British parachutists jumped later Wednesday en masse over Sannerville. D-Day veterans were expected to be among them. The jumps were part of events marking the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion.

Asked how his D-Day comrades would have felt about him jumping, Rice said, "They would love it."

"Some of them couldn't handle it. Many of them are deceased. We had 38% casualties," he said.

With the number of D-Day survivors dwindling fast, Rice said, "I represent a whole generation."

Like many other veterans, he said he remains troubled by the war.

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"All the GIs suffer from same blame and shame," Rice said. "It bothers us all the time for what we did. We did a lot of destruction, damage. And we chased the Germans out, and coming back here is a matter of closure. You can close the issue now," he said.

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2019-06-05 15:19:43Z
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Mexican officials to meet with Pence in last-ditch effort to avert tariffs | TheHill - The Hill

Vice President Pence on Wednesday will meet with top Mexican officials who are seeking to persuade the Trump administration to abandon plans to impose sweeping tariffs that leaders on both sides of the border warn could damage the continent’s economy.

Frustrated by increasing levels of illegal migration, an issue he pledged to address during the 2016 campaign, Trump suddenly announced last week he would slap a 5 percent tariff on all Mexican goods beginning on Monday, which could rise to 25 percent by October unless Mexico cracks down.

Trump said Tuesday during a press conference in London that “it’s more likely that the tariffs go on” according to schedule, dimming hopes for a quick resolution during Wednesday’s meeting at the White House.

Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard is expected to argue that his country has already taken steps to detain more migrants as well as other steps designed to prevent them from crossing into the U.S. Secretary of State Mike PompeoMichael (Mike) Richard PompeoOn The Money: Trump weighs emergency declaration for Mexico tariffs | GOP senators look to rein in Trump on trade | Powell says Fed may cut rates if trade war hurts economy On The Money: Trump weighs emergency declaration for Mexico tariffs | GOP senators look to rein in Trump on trade | Powell says Fed may cut rates if trade war hurts economy McConnell hopes to avoid Trump confrontation on Mexico tariffs MORE left Trump’s trip in Europe to attend the meeting in Washington.

Ebrard told reporters Tuesday that the delegation's time in Washington had spent preparing for the Wednesday meeting, which had been quickly convened with Pompeo over the weekend.

“What Mexico must do and we are doing is to prepare, and we have our strategy on how to coexist with what sometimes can be unpredictable," said Ebrard. “We can’t guarantee that in the future there won't be another sort of differences with the United States but we have to be prepared to manage them.”

Trump, who decided with a small cadre of advisers to go ahead with the tariffs, has faced major blowback from Republican senators who say the tariffs could slow the U.S. economy and stymie progress on ratifying the revised North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Canada and Mexico.

Some GOP senators have warned the White House that it should not count on their support, as opposed to earlier this year when Trump declared a national emergency to circumvent Congress in order to obtain money for the president’s long-promised border wall. Lawmakers are considering legislation that would disapprove of the tariffs and curb Trump’s ability to impose future import duties on his own.

“This would certainly give me great pause in terms of supporting that type of declaration to enact tariffs versus building the wall, which I completely supported,” Sen. Ron JohnsonRonald (Ron) Harold JohnsonTrump, GOP edge closer to confrontation on tariffs Trump, GOP edge closer to confrontation on tariffs On The Money: Trump weighs emergency declaration for Mexico tariffs | GOP senators look to rein in Trump on trade | Powell says Fed may cut rates if trade war hurts economy MORE (R-Wis.) told reporters on Tuesday. “Listen, Republicans don't like taxes on American consumers, what tariffs are.”

The Trump administration has been vague about what steps Mexico would need to take in order to prevent the tariffs from taking effect, adding further confusion to the situation.

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan told The Hill in an interview the administration wants to see Mexico help create a “vast reduction” in illegal crossings by tightening security on its border with Guatemala, expanding intelligence sharing with U.S. law enforcement agencies targeting criminal gangs and cracking down on migrants crossing its northern border with the U.S.

“He believes Mexico can do more to address this flow from Central America and that’s the No. 1 metric we are looking for,” McAleenan said of Trump. “We can’t have the situation where 1,000 people in one group can cross the border at 4 a.m. without any interdiction or without any effort to stop that unlawful activity.”

McAleenan was referring to the recent detention of more than 1,000 migrants at the crossing near El Paso, Texas, the largest number on record.

But those changes could take months, if not longer, to take effect. Acting White House chief of staff Mick MulvaneyJohn (Mick) Michael MulvaneyMexico seeks diplomatic solution to avoid Trump tariffs Fox News guest holds up photo of John McCain in case 'the president's watching' Mexico begins immigration talks amid Trump tariff threat MORE said last week Mexico’s progress would be judged on an “ad hoc” basis.

In the meantime, many in Washington fear they might not have that long until the tariffs take a toll on the economy.

The private sector added just 27,000 jobs in May, according to a key study, a sign the president’s multi-front trade war is beginning to have an effect. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Tuesday the central bank is “closely monitoring” the situation and indicated it could respond by slashing interest rates in order to prevent widespread damage.

The diplomatic and economic tensions could slow or stop progress toward the president’s NAFTA revision, which Pence has previously vowed that Congress would approve by this summer.

The trade pact was signed by the leaders of all three countries last year but must still be ratified by their legislatures. The U.S. and Mexican governments have both started the formal legislative process, but consideration could be delayed with the tariffs in place.

Mexico recently became the U.S.’s largest trading partner. Last year, the U.S. imported $346.5 billion in goods from Mexico, according to the U.S. Trade Representative. Automakers, agricultural companies and retailers are expected to be hit hardest by the duties that will be paid for by U.S. importers, which often pass along the cost to consumers.

Rafael Bernal contributed.

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2019-06-05 15:13:26Z
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D-Day veteran, 99, gets ovation from the Queen and Trump as he leads tributes - Fox News

A 99-year-old D-Day veteran got a standing ovation from Donald Trump and the Queen Wednesday as he led the nation's tributes to brave troops who stormed the Normandy beaches 75 years ago.

John Jenkins gave a moving speech at the historic D-Day commemoration ceremony in Portsmouth.

As he walked on to the stage, the entire crowd - including the Queen, Prince Charles, Donald Trump and Theresa May - rose to honor him.

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D-Day veteran John Jenkins on stage during commemorations for the 75th Anniversary of the D-Day landings, in Portsmouth, England, Wednesday June 5, 2019. (PA via AP)

WORLD LEADERS INCLUDING PRESIDENT TRUMP GATHER TO COMMEMORATE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF D-DAY LANDINGS

Mr Jenkins was a 24-year-old platoon sergeant in the Pioneer Corps when he landed in Normandy on June 8, 1944.

He was deployed on Gold Beach, one of the five landing points on the French coast where Allied troops launched their operations.

Mr Jenkins, from Portsmouth, told the crowd: "I was terrified. I think everyone was - you don't show it, but it's there.

"I look back on it as a big part of my life, it changed me in a way - but I was just a small part in a very big machine.

"You never forget your comrades because we were all in there together."

WALTER BORNEMAN: REMEMBER THESE TWO YOUNG MEN WHO HELPED TO WIN D-DAY

D-Day veteran John Jenkins stands onstage during an event to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day in Portsmouth, England Wednesday, June 5, 2019.

The veteran concluded: "It's right that the courage and sacrifice of so many veterans is being honored 75 years on.

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"We must never forget - thank you."

This story originally appeared in The Sun. For more from The Sun, click here.

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2019-06-05 14:58:03Z
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