It’s Thursday…
President Biden’s public schedule for 06/06/2024:
| 1:00 AM | The President receives the President’s Daily Brief |
| 2:15 AM | The President and The First Lady depart Paris, France en route to Normandy, France Paris Orly Airport Out-of-Town Pool |
| 3:25 AM | The President and The First Lady arrive to Normandy, France Out-of-Town Pool |
| 3:35 AM | The President and The First Lady depart Caen Carpiquet Airport en route to Normandy American Cemetery Landing Zone Out-of-Town Pool |
| 3:50 AM | The President and The First Lady arrive at Normandy American Cemetery Landing Zone Out-of-Town Pool |
| 5:15 AM | The President and The First Lady participate in a greet with veterans Out-of-Town Pool |
| 6:30 AM | The President delivers remarks at the D-Day Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony Out-of-Town Pool |
| 8:00 AM | The President and The First Lady participate in a wreath laying Out-of-Town Pool |
| 9:45 AM | The President and The First Lady depart Normandy American Cemetery en route to Omaha Beach Out-of-Town Pool |
| 9:55 AM | The President and The First Lady arrive at Omaha Beach Out-of-Town Pool |
| 10:00 AM | The President and The First Lady attend the D-Day Anniversary International Ceremony Restricted Out-of-Town Pool |
| 11:20 AM | The President and The First Lady depart Omaha Beach en route to Normandy American Cemetery Landing Zone Out-of-Town Pool |
| 11:30 AM | The President and The First Lady arrive at Normandy American Cemetery Landing Zone Out-of-Town Pool |
| 11:40 AM | The President and The First Lady depart Normandy American Cemetery Landing Zone en route to Caen Carpiquet Airport Out-of-Town Pool |
| 11:55 AM | The President and The First Lady arrive at Caen Carpiquet Airport Out-of-Town Pool |
| 12:05 PM | The President and The First Lady depart Normandy, France en route to Paris, France Out-of-Town Pool |
| 12:50 PM All times listed are U.S. Eastern Times | The President and The First Lady arrives in Paris, France Paris Orly Airport Out-of-Town Pool |
D-Day Tweets
From Thursday…
Join me as I deliver remarks from Normandy, France on the 80th anniversary of D-Day – honoring all those who bravely served and sacrificed for our liberty and prosperity. https://t.co/fFOgA817fq
— President Biden (@POTUS) June 6, 2024
President Biden’s remarks transcript will be posted by the White House later today; the YouTube is 1 hour and 11 minutes long.
The brave service members who fought on D-Day represent the Greatest Generation in our history.
— President Biden (@POTUS) June 6, 2024
Together, they stood to oppose the forces of fascism, volunteered to lay down their lives for our liberty, and answered freedom’s call at its hour of greatest need.
And today, on… pic.twitter.com/th69CCsnQf
Show more =’s And today, on the 80th anniversary of D-Day, I met with 41 World War II veterans in Normandy to honor their service. Together we remember their sacrifice and recommit to the future they fought for – one grounded in freedom, democracy, equality, and opportunity for all.
The video clip is 2 minutes and 15 seconds long.
Opening Text: Less than 1% of the men who that fought for us on D-Day are still with us today. There are some of the heroes we are honoring today and every day.
Sydney “Sid” Edson: I saw nothing but ships in the sea and I saw millions of Americans on the beaches. I said to myself, “by golly, these guys really are going to go through hell.”
Onofrio “Nono” Zicari: Just full of ships. That’s all you could see–just boats, landing crafts coming in, boat after boat, supplies, men, tanks, everything. Just unbelievable.
Harold Radish: Freedom is worth any price. It took a long time, but I found out.
Floyd F. Blair: Landed on the 6th for me. I’ll never forget that. And I just barely made it. My wing man flew straight into the ground–and that still bothers me to this day.
Arthur “Art” Petersen: I’m glad that I went that I was able to do it–and I’m twice as glad to be able to be here. The cemetery in Normandy–and I saw that the graves, a lot of my buddies, those kids were just like me, 20 years old, 22 years old, and they never came back.
Charles Norman Shay: Many of my friends died on these beaches, but I guess that’s life. I’m still here. That’s sorrow that so many men had to die here.
Onofrio “Nono” Zicari (1:31): I’m hoping that–going back to Normandy gives me closure of some kind.
Felix “Moe” Maurizio: I’m not ashamed to admit that I was crying like a baby, and so was my brother as he went off. I told him, I said, you know, keep your head low. And then I didn’t see him again until after the end of the war.
Harold Radish (1:50): Don’t ever think of me as a hero, I am alive and I’m happy and I’m still trying to keep the years going by. The true heroes, are not with us.
Felix “Moe” Maurizio (2:01): That was actually our main concern. The freedom of this country.
James “Jim” Kunkle: We had a job to do and we did it.
Jill and I greeted 30 World War II veterans who fought on the shores of Normandy 80 years ago.
— President Biden (@POTUS) June 6, 2024
I thanked each of them for their service to our country.
On behalf of the American people, and as Commander-in-Chief, it is an honor to salute you here in Normandy once more. pic.twitter.com/PEQbxjbNMk
From the White House…
06/04/2024:
- Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan En Route Paris, France; the YouTube is 35 minutes and 44 seconds long.
06/05/2024:
National Day of Remembrance of the 80th Anniversary of D-Day
On the evening of June 6, 1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt broadcast a prayer for the Nation. At the time, war was raging in Europe, and Hitler controlled most of it. Freedom and democracy were under assault around the world. But on that day, hope had landed on the beaches of Normandy when 73,000 Americans joined the Allied forces to carry out one of the greatest military missions of all time — a mission that would become known as D-Day. Knowing the fate of the free world rested in their hands, President Roosevelt asked our Nation to pray for these courageous service members’ strength as they “set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.” On the 80th anniversary of D-Day, may we thank these service members for their bravery and sacrifice. May we honor their heroism, which liberated a continent and saved the world. And may we recommit to the future they fought and which many died for.
The brave Airmen, Coast Guardsmen, Sailors, Soldiers, and Marines who fought on D-Day faced unparalleled resistance. Nazi Germany had reinforced the Atlantic Wall, lining miles of dangerous cliffs and rocky coastlines with landmines, beach and water obstacles, and machine gunners while also reinforcing its bunkers. So, when 7,000 vessels carrying nearly 160,000 service members from eight Allied countries approached Normandy, victory was never guaranteed. Our paratroopers that jumped behind enemy lines in the night and other military forces had to endure barrages of gunfire, trek through barbed wire, and climb steep sea walls. Over 2,500 Americans made the ultimate sacrifice, giving their lives so that the whole world might know freedom.
Today, we remember all the Americans who laid down their lives on D-Day to help end the tyranny of fascism across Europe, liberate oppressed peoples, and ensure the flame of liberty would burn bright around the world. Their success marked the beginning of the end of Nazi brutality, World War II, and the Holocaust — one of the darkest chapters in human history. It set the foundations of an enduring peace that still helps guide international cooperation and affairs today. We owe these service members, who represent the greatest of the Greatest Generation, as well as their families a debt of gratitude that we can never fully repay.
As we reflect on the sacrifices made on D-Day, we are reminded that freedom is not free and it has never been guaranteed. Every generation has to earn it, fight for it, and defend it in the battle between autocracy and democracy — between the greed of a few and the rights of many. Eighty years after our Nation’s brave Airmen, Coast Guardsmen, Sailors, Soldiers, and Marines embarked on D-Day — and as Americans everywhere answered the call to prayer and filled their hearts and homes with hope — may we honor the faith they kept in our Nation and their legacy by upholding the future that they died for — one grounded in freedom, democracy, opportunity, and equality for all.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 6, 2024, as a National Day of Remembrance of the 80th Anniversary of D-Day. I call upon all Americans to observe this day with programs, ceremonies, and activities that honor those who fought and died so that men and women they had never met might know what it is to be free.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifth day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth.
National Day of Remembrance of the 80th Anniversary of D-Day. 06/05/2024.
Congressional Picnic Tweet
From Wednesday…
In the last three-and-a-half years, Congress and I have accomplished big things together. With your help, I’ve signed hundreds of bipartisan bills that will make our nation – and our people – stronger, healthier, and better prepared for the future.
— President Biden (@POTUS) June 5, 2024
Let's continue to get it done. pic.twitter.com/ekDibPC8Zv
Remarks by President Biden at the Congressional Picnic & Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at the White House Congressional Picnic; the YouTube is 7 minutes and 25 seconds long.
Reproductive Rights Tweets
From Wednesday…
Republican elected officials’ extreme agenda continues to undermine access to reproductive health care.
— President Biden (@POTUS) June 5, 2024
It's at odds with the majority of Americans.
And it's unacceptable.
My statement on Senate Republicans blocking efforts to safeguard nationwide access to contraception: pic.twitter.com/UT8RqPcIkI
.@VP and I believe that women in every state must have the freedom to make deeply personal health care decisions.
— President Biden (@POTUS) June 5, 2024
We’ll continue to fight to protect access to reproductive health care and we urge Congress to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade in federal law.
Senate Republicans just refused to protect a woman’s right to birth control. This is the second time since the Supreme Court’s extreme decision to overturn Roe v. Wade that Congressional Republicans have refused to safeguard this fundamental right for women in every state. It’s unacceptable.
Today’s vote comes two days before the 59th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Griswold v. Connecticut, which established that the fundamental right to privacy protects the ability to make deeply personal decisions free from the interference of politicians, including to access contraception. Two years ago, the Court put that right in jeopardy by overturning Roe v. Wade and taking away a woman’s constitutional right to choose.
Since then, Republicans have doubled down. Republican elected officials’ extreme agenda—which is at odds with the majority of Americans—continues to undermine access to reproductive health care, from abortion to contraception to in vitro fertilization. Dangerous abortion bans are forcing health care providers to close, disrupting access to critical health care services. Republican officials continue to try to restrict access to birth control and to defund federal programs that help women access contraception.
Vice President Harris and I believe that women in every state must have the freedom to make deeply personal health care decisions, including the right to decide if and when to start or grow their family. My Administration alongside Democrats in Congress will continue to fight to protect access to reproductive health care and keep taking action to strengthen access to affordable, high-quality contraception. And we will continue to urge Congress to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade in federal law and safeguard the right to contraception once and for all.
Statement from President Joe Biden on Senate Republicans Blocking Efforts to Safeguard Nationwide Access to Contraception. 06/05/2024.
“New” from the White House…
06/05/2024:
06/06/2024:
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