D-Day anniversary: Days before Normandy, ‘Texas Army’ triumphed in Italy

News and updates from Austin's news in your inbox Email not displaying correctly? [View Online]( [Statesman]( MORNING HEADLINES Start your day with a fresh roundup of news, features and commentary. Thursday's Top Story [D-Day anniversary: Days before Normandy, Texas Army triumphed in Italy]( [D-Day anniversary: Days before Normandy, ‘Texas Army’ triumphed in Italy]( Seventy-five years ago, on June 6, 1944, more than 160,000 Allied troops under Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower crossed the English Channel and landed at Normandy in the largest seaborne invasion in history. The landing involved more than 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft in a complicated and bloody assault on seasoned German soldiers, well-bunkered in occupied France.While June 6 is a date remembered around the world, just a few days before, the Texas National Guard's 36th Infantry Division - known as the "Texas Army" - had pulled off a brilliant overnight maneuver known as the "breakout at Anzio," which led to the immediate fall of Rome on June 3 and 4. [Read More »]( Local News [Dan Patrick breaks with fellow Texas Republicans, supports Trump tariffs on Mexico]( [Dan Patrick breaks with fellow Texas Republicans, supports Trump tariffs on Mexico]( Breaking sharply with other statewide elected officials, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick came out in support of President Donald Trump's proposed tariffs on Mexico if the country does not decrease the number of unauthorized immigrants traveling to the United States. [Read More »]( [Texas Democrats think Beto O Rourke should challenge Sen. Cornyn instead of running for president]( [Texas Democrats think Beto O’Rourke should challenge Sen. Cornyn instead of running for president]( Texas Democrats would prefer that Beto O'Rourke leave the 2020 presidential race and challenge U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in 2020 instead, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll of Texas voters. [Read More »]( [Austin principal accused of discriminating against immigrant families resigns]( [Austin principal accused of discriminating against immigrant families resigns]( An Austin school district principal accused of discriminating against immigrant parents has resigned and will not take another job with the district. [Read More »]( [After topless photo scandal, Eanes adding restrictions to iPad program]( [After topless photo scandal, Eanes adding restrictions to iPad program]( Just weeks after Eanes parents presented a petition to the school district demanding to opt their children out of the iPad program because of excessive screen time and access to inappropriate content, district officials are reconfiguring the tablet system to address the concerns. [Read More »]( [Beto unveils ambitious plan to boost voter turnout, diminish money in politics]( [Beto unveils ambitious plan to boost voter turnout, diminish money in politics]( Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke released a sweeping plan Wednesday that aims to expand voter turnout, increase the security and transparency of the electoral process, and decrease the influence of money on politics. [Read More »]( Business [Dallas Fed: Trade tensions slowing Texas economic growth]( [Dallas Fed: Trade tensions slowing Texas economic growth]( President Trump's threatened tariff on imports from Mexico isn't set to take effect until Monday, but rising trade tensions have already begun to curtail output in a number of Texas economic sectors, according to a report Wednesday from the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. [Read More »]( [Austin ranked top 5 among most LGBTQ+ inclusive cities in the U.S. by Yelp]( [Austin ranked top 5 among most LGBTQ+ inclusive cities in the U.S. by Yelp]( In honor of Pride Month and the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, Yelp ranked Austin 5th among the most inclusive cities in America.  The company put together a list to help users find LGBTQ+ friendly businesses, and from that list Yelp organized a top-20 list of most inclusive cities.  The rankings were based on two attributes a company offered to its community, gender neutral restrooms and the company being "open to all. [Read More »]( [Austin s SmartDog Services acquired by App Associates]( [Austin’s SmartDog Services acquired by App Associates]( Boston-based App Associates, a cloud migration and managed services provider, has acquired Austin technology company SmartDog Services. [Read More »]( [Austin s Q2 Holdings aims to raise millions with stock, debt offerings]( [Austin’s Q2 Holdings aims to raise millions with stock, debt offerings]( Austin-based Q2 Holdings, which sells online banking software, is aiming to raise hundreds of millions of dollars through a secondary stock offering and a debt offering of convertible senior notes. [Read More »]( Sports [Texas Piperi opens NCAA outdoor championships with a national shot put title]( [Texas’ Piperi opens NCAA outdoor championships with a national shot put title]( Texas track athletes are celebrating their home field advantage in all its hot, oppressively humid glory. And the guy with the grandest achievement to celebrate was Adrian "Tripp" Piperi, who won the shot put with a heave of 69 feet, 3 and 1/4 inches. It allowed him to beat defending champion Denzel Comenentia of Georgia. ... [Read More »]( [Photos: NCAA Track Field Championships at Mike A. Myers Stadium]( [Photos: NCAA Track & Field Championships at Mike A. Myers Stadium](   [Read More »]( [Bohls: Texas Tech s world-class sprinters look simply Divine at NCAA outdoors]( [Bohls: Texas Tech’s world-class sprinters look simply ‘Divine’ at NCAA outdoors]( Wes Kittley found the best pair of sprinters he's ever coached at pretty much the opposite ends of the earth. The veteran Texas Tech coach located A.J. Hudson at high school powerhouse Cibolo Steele outside San Antonio. He spotted Divine Oduduru at a junior meet in Eugene, Ore. Everyone else discovered him there, too, when ... [Read More »]( [Texas-based sprinters zoom past the competition Day 1 of NCAA outdoor championships]( [Texas-based sprinters zoom past the competition Day 1 of NCAA outdoor championships]( Texas-based sprinters circled the track Wednesday in such a blur, it was practically impossible to keep up at the NCAA outdoor championships. [Read More »]( [Golden: It takes a village at the NCAA outdoor nationals, anyway]( [Golden: It takes a village – at the NCAA outdoor nationals, anyway]( For the 1,215 athletes in town, the NCAA outdoor championships not only represent a chance to make history, but also a chance to do so in a cool city. The athletes are here to win, but there isn't anything wrong with having a good time between heats. It's Austin, after all. Take Kentucky sprint relay ... [Read More »]( Opinion [Commentary: On D-Day anniversary, lessons about courage and sacrifice]( [Commentary: On D-Day anniversary, lessons about courage and sacrifice]( On the eve of the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, I find myself on Omaha Beach, leading a small band of college students into the past. [Read More »]( [Editorial: Keep the focus on what homeless people need: Housing]( [Editorial: Keep the focus on what homeless people need: Housing]( A city as prosperous and big-hearted as Austin shouldn't have more than a thousand people living in the streets, tucked away in drainage culverts or highway overpasses, or camped outside a shelter that can't house them all. [Read More »]( Nation [Services begin for the 12 victims of Virginia Beach shooting]( [Services begin for the 12 victims of Virginia Beach shooting]( VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) " Bereaved families are holding services and laying to rest the 12 people who were killed during a mass shooting in Virginia Beach. [Read More »]( [Chicago releases 911 calls from Smollett incident in January]( [Chicago releases 911 calls from Smollett incident in January]( CHICAGO (AP) " The city of Chicago has released two 911 calls made after "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett claimed he was the victim of a racist, homophobic attack. 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George Pontikes, president and CEO of the Houston-based construction firm Satterfield & Pontikes, said Wednesday he stood by his comments reported to The Associated Press recounting meetings [Read More »]( World [Veterans mark 75 years since D-Day in solemn observances]( [Veterans mark 75 years since D-Day in solemn observances]( OMAHA BEACH, France (AP) " D-Day veterans and other people are marking exactly 75 years since the invasion of Normandy that helped change the course of World War II.The sea of mercury blue couldn't have been more peaceful as the sun rose Thursday over Omaha Beach. [Read More »]( [Much to disagree on as Trump, Macron meet on D-Day]( [Much to disagree on as Trump, Macron meet on D-Day]( CAEN, France (AP) " France wants the D-Day commemoration to showcase its long friendship with the United States, but relations are strained as President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron prepare to meet Thursday on the sidelines of the 75th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy that helped free Europe from Nazi occupation. [Read More »]( [Prosecutors: Australian cardinal s convictions should stand]( [Prosecutors: Australian cardinal’s convictions should stand]( MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) " Australian prosecutors argued in court Thursday that child sex convictions against a Roman Catholic cardinal should not be overturned and said his accuser had been a compelling witness. [Read More »]( [Pope to meet Putin before Vatican Ukraine meeting]( [Pope to meet Putin before Vatican Ukraine meeting]( VATICAN CITY (AP) " Pope Francis will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next month. [Read More »]( [Ronaldo rape lawsuit in Vegas moved from Nevada to US court]( [Ronaldo rape lawsuit in Vegas moved from Nevada to US court]( LAS VEGAS (AP) " A lawsuit by a Nevada woman accusing soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo of raping her in 2009 at a Las Vegas Strip resort has been moved from state to federal court in Las Vegas, her lawyer said Wednesday. [Read More »]( Austin360 [5 ways to celebrate National Ros Day in Austin]( [5 ways to celebrate National Rosé Day in Austin]( Are you ready to drink pink? You might be doing it on the regular already. But this weekend gives you double the reason to be pulling out your favorite bottle of rosé wine: Saturday is National Rosé Day. [Read More »]( [Betty Who, Hootie the Blowfish, Lonely Island and more music in Austin this week]( [Betty Who, Hootie & the Blowfish, Lonely Island and more music in Austin this week]( Our top picks for live music to see in Austin this weekend. [Read More »]( [What it s like to see WWE s Raw live for the first time]( [What it’s like to see WWE’s ‘Raw’ live for the first time]( It has been more than two years since WWE's Monday night "Raw" came to Austin to record a taping of its flagship show."Raw," which started in 1993, is the longest-running weekly episodic program on television, and on Monday, the three-hour live show came to the Frank Erwin Center. [Read More »]( [Johnathan Rice talks split with Jenny Lewis, Instagram haikus before Austin show]( [Johnathan Rice talks split with Jenny Lewis, Instagram haikus before Austin show]( You might not recognize his name, but you've more than likely come across Johnathan Rice's creative output since the early 2000s, whether from his role as Roy Orbison in 2005′s Johnny Cash biopic "Walk The Line" or through his 12-year romantic and musical partnership with indie-rock star Jenny Lewis. [Read More »]( [Manage Account]( | [Contact Us](mailto:customercare@statesman.com) | [Privacy Policy]( | [Unsubscribe]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Newsletters]( We have an app for whatever you want - news, weather, entertainment and more. Statesman Live: [iPhone®]( [Android]( Statesman Weather: [iPhone®]( [Android]( Austin360: [iPhone®]( [Android]( Statesman does not participate in unsolicited email. 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