June 6: Today marks 75 years since allied troops landed on the beaches at Normandy to liberate Europe from the grip of Nazi Germany. Politicians delivered lofty speeches to commemorate both the dead and the few still living. When you actually visit the beaches, see the height of the bluffs they scaled under fire, and walk among the perfectly arranged white crosses in the cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, words fail.

  Sixteen million Americans served in World War II and only about a half million of them are still alive. Dozens of them were at the ceremonies this morning. Few of them will be there again. It makes you want to cry.

Border War: Apprehensions of illegal immigrants at the southern border reached a seven-year peak in May and Mexico appears to have failed to stem the flow in time to avert President Trump’s threatened imposition of punitive tariffs on Mexican goods. 

  Trump tweeted, “Progress is being made, but not nearly enough! Border arrests for May are at 133,000 because of Mexico & the Democrats in Congress refusing to budge on immigration reform.”

  Trump has set a deadline of June 10^thto impose tariffs of 5 percent that would rise to 25 percent by October if he’s not happy with Mexico’s efforts. Yesterday in a meeting with American counterparts, Mexican officials said they have already reduced the flow, in part by sending troops to the border with Guatemala. They have also been reported to be rounding up immigrants in border towns.

  While crossings and arrests are up in the US, the administration announced yesterday that it’s cutting the budget for handling unaccompanied minors, thousands of whom are held in detention. Authorities say they will begin cutting education, legal aid, and playground recreation for migrant children. They claim it is for lack of money, but in this administration you have to question whether they think being mean to children will slow illegal immigration.

Malpractice:An Ohio critical-care doctor has been arrested and charged with murdering  25 hospital patients by overdosing them with the opioid painkiller fentanyl. 

  Dr. William Husel, 43, pleaded not guilty.  His lawyer said Husel was trying to alleviate his patients’ pain and did not intend to kill anyone. It’s one of the biggest murder cases ever brought against a doctor in the United States. 

  In northern Germany, a former nurse has been convicted of murdering 85 patients at two hospitals. He was sentenced to life in prison. The judge described Niels Högel’s killing spree as “incomprehensible”. 

  Prosecutors said Högel attacked patients in order to impress colleagues by subsequently trying to save them. He is believed to be the most prolific killer in Germany’s modern history.

Research Ban: The Trump administration issued a ban on medical and scientific research using aborted fetal tissue. It will endfetal-tissue research at  the National Institutes of Health. The move is one of the top priorities of  anti-abortion groups, but scientists say fetal-tissue research is crucial for studies that benefit millions of patients.

The Roundup:Fiat Chrysler abruptly withdrew its proposal to merge with Renault, scotching a deal that would have re-shaped the international auto industry. Fiat was getting resistance from powerful labor forces in France and blamed , “Political conditions.”  — Oil prices have dropped 20 percent since April, an apparent sign that the economy is slowing. — In a rare defeat for their party and anti-abortion activists, North Carolina Republicans failed to override their governor’s veto of a strange bill that would have required medical treatment for any fetus born alive during abortion. It’s a situation that doesn’t occur, and the law requires treatment for live-born babies anyway. 

The Obit Page:Le Anne Schreiber who at The NY Timesin 1978 became the first woman to run the sports section of a major daily newspaper in the US, has died at age 73. She had never been a daily sports reporter in what was then a male-dominated trade, but she was a sharp editor and agreed to do the job for only two years. She later wrote, “I was, depending on one’s view, the bitch, the saint, the amazon, the token, the recipient of awards and death threats and, ultimately, the ingrate, for insisting upon my pre-agreed release after two excruciating years.”

10^thAvenue Freeze Out:  Eat too much ice cream and it will clog your arteries. In New York it’s the ice cream trucks that clog the city’s arteries. With nowhere to park, the trucks park illegally and collect tickets.

 Yesterday New York City towed away dozens of ice cream trucks, accusing the owners of owing $4.5 million in fines for roughly 22,500 unpaid parking and traffic violations. They called it “Operation Meltdown.”

  The ice cream trucks had dodged the tickets by operating under a series of corporate identities like Candie Land Ice Cream, Ice Boyz, and Ice Mania, always reincorporating and staying ahead of collection.

 Mayor Bill de Blasio said this action “marks the end of the road for these scofflaw ice cream vendors.” Remember, de Blasio is running for President; “De Blasio. Vision. Leadership. He cracked down on the scofflaw ice cream vendors.” Bring up the music. 

-30-