OMAHA BEACH, France (AP) — The June 6, 1944, D-Day invasion of Nazi-occupied France was unprecedented in scale and audacity, using the largest-ever armada of ships, troops, planes and vehicles to punch a hole in Adolf Hitler’s defenses in western Europe and change the course of World War II.

With veterans and world dignitaries gathering in Normandy to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the landings, here’s a look at some details about how the operation unfolded.

WHO TOOK PART

Nearly 160,000 Allied troops landed in Normandy on June 6, 1944. Of those, 73,000 were from the United States and 83,000 from Britain and Canada. Forces from several other countries were also involved, including French troops fighting with Gen. Charles de Gaulle.

FILE – American paratroopers, heavily armed, sit inside a military plane as they soar over the English Channel en route to the Normandy French coast for the Allied D-Day invasion of the German stronghold during World War II, June 6, 1944. Nearly 160,000 Allied troops landed in Normandy on June 6, 1944. Of those, 73,000 were from the United States, 83,000 from Britain and Canada. Forces from several other countries were also involved, including French troops fighting with Gen. Charles de Gaulle. The Allies faced around 50,000 German forces. (AP Photo, File)

The Allies faced around 50,000 German forces.

More than 2 million Allied soldiers, sailors, pilots, medics and other people from a dozen countries were involved in the overall Operation Overlord, the battle to wrest western France from Nazi control that started on D-Day.

WHERE AND WHEN

The sea landings started at 6:30 a.m., just after dawn, targeting five code-named beaches: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, Sword. The operation also included actions inland, including overnight parachute landings on strategic German sites and U.S. Army Rangers scaling cliffs to take out German gun positions.

Around 11,000 Allied aircraft, 7,000 ships and boats, and thousands of other vehicles were involved.

MANY DEATHS ON ALL SIDES

A total of 4,414 Allied troops were killed on D-Day itself, including 2,501 Americans. More than 5,000 were wounded.

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In the ensuing Battle of Normandy, 73,000 Allied forces were killed and 153,000 wounded. The battle — and especially Allied bombings of French villages and cities — killed around 20,000 French civilians.

The exact German casualties aren’t known, but historians estimate between 4,000 and 9,000 men were killed, wounded or missing during the D-Day invasion alone. About 22,000 German soldiers are among the many buried around Normandy.

SURVIVORS

Inevitably, the number of survivors attending major anniversary commemorations in France continues to dwindle. The youngest survivors are now in their late 90s. It’s unclear how many D-Day veterans are still alive. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs says it doesn’t track their numbers.

A month after a St. Paul man was released from prison, prosecutors say he shot into a car and killed a 21-year-old man who was driving his girlfriend.

Toumai Gaynor died Thursday after the North End shooting.

The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office charged Martavious D. Roby-English, 21, on Tuesday with murder and attempted murder.

St. Paul officers responded to a shooting at 2:28 a.m. Thursday on Simcoe Street near Milford Street. They found Gaynor, of St. Paul, slumped over in the driver’s seat of a Toyota Camry that was backed into a fence and yard of a home. St. Paul fire medics took Gaynor to Regions Hospital with gunshot wounds to his head, hip and arm, and he died about 11:15 a.m.

An 18-year-old said Gaynor was her friend and he was driving her Camry. He was trying to make a U-turn when a man ran up to the car and started shooting.

Police identified the shooter as Roby-English, according to the criminal complaint.

The 18-year-old said she’d been in a relationship with Roby-English for three years and they continued to communicate while he was incarcerated.

Officers arrested Roby-English Monday at his residence about three-tenths of a mile from the shooting. He told investigators that he sent his girlfriend $250 via a cash app and she was supposed to withdraw cash, so he could repay his father. She stopped by Wednesday afternoon and didn’t have the money, but said she would bring it later.

Roby-English said he waited until 12:30 or 12:45 a.m. on Thursday before he texted her, wondering where she was. She told him she was three minutes away and on her way. He checked her location, but discovered she’d stopped shared it with him. He said that made him mad “because it was a sign of mistrust,” according to the complaint.

He left his house and texted his girlfriend to say he was on his way. She told him she wasn’t going to his house and they could talk later.

“Roby-English said he was watching from down the street,” according to the complaint. “She told him she was just sitting in her car before dropping a person off. Roby-English saw someone get in her car, so he texted bye and that he was going home.” But he ran up to her car, knocked on her window and yelled at her, “Get the (expletive) out of the car!”

In surveillance video from the area, a male voice could be heard saying, “Get out of the (expletive) car or I’ll kill you! Get out of the car or I’ll kill you!” and about seven gunshots were heard.

Roby-English told police he heard gunshots and then he used his gun to fire at the car and he left.

Officers found a firearm, which had blood on it, directly behind the Camry. The 18-year-old told police she had thrown Gaynor’s gun behind the car because she thought he “was going to live and she didn’t want him to get in trouble for having a gun,” the complaint said. “The gun was hot when she touched it, so she realized it had been fired.”

Roby-English said the gun he fired belonged to a cousin and he had it for protection. He asked his cousin to retrieve it after the shooting.

He said he told a friend what happened the next morning. “He told his friend that he regretted it, and he did it to himself,” the complaint continued. “Roby-English said that going to prison for 10-12 years wasn’t a problem, but doing life in prison was a different issue.”

Roby-English was released from prison under supervision on April 22. In May 2022, he was sentenced for second-degree assault in Ramsey County after an innocent bystander was struck by gunfire when Roby-English and others were involved in a gang-related shootout in a store parking lot, the complaint said.

In June 2022, Roby-English’s extended juvenile jurisdiction sentence sentence was revoked and his adult sentence was imposed. In that case, also in Ramsey County, Roby-English shot into a vehicle and a man was hit in the chest, the complaint said.

An attorney wasn’t listed for Roby-English in the murder case as of Tuesday afternoon. The attempted murder charge alleges he tried to cause his girlfriend’s death in the shooting.

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The Morning Report, our newsletter, signs off with photos of readers’ pets on weekdays.

In May, the pets we featured included a cat who peruses the newspaper, three Basset Hounds who like to hang out together in St. Paul and a cat who has appeared in the Saintly City Cat Show.

“Thank you for your column and for everyone who contributes to it!” wrote Beth, one of the pet owners who sent in photos of her dogs. “It is always always a heart-warming day-brightener!”

(For more fun scrolling, here are the pets we featured in April.)

Sign up for this free newsletter at twincities.com/newsletters.

Wednesday, May 1

“Leela, our Shih Tzu, welcomed her new sister with open … paws and a snuggle when we got our Ragdoll kitty, Kiko,” writes John of Minneapollis.

Kiko and Leela

“They don’t sleep together quite this closely anymore, but they do like to chase each other around the condo — usually right at dinner time.”

Leela and Kiko

Thursday, May 2

“This is my dog, Cody,” Liz writes. “His full name is Cody the Dog because we need to remind him that he is not a cat or a human. Cody will turn nine this summer but still acts like a puppy.”

Cody

Friday, May 3

“This is Benny!” Peggy writes. “He’s a sweet boy who loves morning walks and napping in the sun. He joined us for the eclipse but wasn’t too impressed.”

Benny

Monday, May 6 (Memorial Monday)

Copper

“One year ago on May 6, we lost Copper!” Calla writes. “He was 16 years old and made his journey from the Twin Cities to Duluth and then to Southern California where he enjoyed sun bathing, snuggles and treats. His white paws captured the attention and hearts of everyone!”

Tuesday, May 7

“Trouble thinks he is camouflage behind the flowers!” writes Crista of Isanti.

Trouble

Wednesday, May 8

“Please meet Halle (Hal-Lee as in the actor Halle Berry!),” Beth writes.

“Halle is a spirited 3-year-old Keeshond who provides daily entertainment and as empty-nesters, keeps us young with her energy and spontaneity!

Halle

“Halle came to our family nearly three years ago, joining her almost-11-year-old older ‘sister’ Star (who was featured in your column a few years ago). Halle loves slippers, taking dirty socks from the laundry room, and spends a lot of time on two legs doing a bouncy ‘boxing’ move every morning excited to get breakfast.

Halle and Star.

“Spring is a favorite season for her to be on our three-season porch and on the couch looking out the window at the birds and neighborhood activities. We also appreciate Star’s patience with showing Halle what a calmer Keeshond looks like so we can get a break!

Star and Halle

“Thank you for your column and for everyone who contributes to it! It is always always a heart-warming day-brightener!”

Halle

Thursday, May 9

“Gray likes to go into the garage after being outside,” Doris writes. “I’ll have give her a haircut when the weather gets warmer.”

Gray

Friday, May 10

“Belle is our favorite ‘translocator,’” Dennis writes, “taking shoes, socks, clothing to other area of the house, but never chewing them.”

Belle

Monday, May 13 (Memorial Monday)

Rosie

“My best friend raised purebred Persians,” Eileen wrote. “She passed away in the early 2000s and left me a number of cats. This is Rosie, aka GC Odin Stop and Smell the Roses, who was one of the first Lilac Persian grand champions. My friend never could breed her for reasons unknown until I took her to be spayed after my friend’s passing. She was very underweight and was discovered to have a litter of eight kittens atrophied in her uterus. You can see Rosie here, about a year after she was spayed, and well up to weight. Without the pressures of a show career, Rosie became an incredible, loving house pet and enjoyed her retirement for several years. She passed (of natural causes) in the mid 2000s. I miss you, Rosie.”

Tuesday, May 14

Sushi

“This is our buddy, Sushi,” Sean writes. “He turns nine this summer and has moved with us from Kansas to Texas and now to our home in Lowertown. Sushi loves sunbathing, taking naps on our laps and playing with his brother Dempsey, who was in the Daily Meow a couple of years ago.

“Thank you for putting these together, we always enjoy seeing everyone’s pets!”

Wednesday, May 15

Claudia

“This is Claudia, a long-haired, mostly Norwegian Forest cat,” writes Sally Parry of Bloomington, Ill.. “Although she’s never been to Minnesota, she loves to sit next to me when I read the novels of Sinclair Lewis. She also likes sitting on the blanket with the pictures of her face on it (the blanket is from a company called Cuddle Clones).

“Thanks for considering her picture. She thinks she’s pretty photogenic!”

Claudia

We asked Sally how she found our newsletter.

“I’m the executive director of the Sinclair Lewis Society and have been for over 30 years, so I’m up in Minnesota every couple of years for Lewis events such as the occasional conferences in Sauk Centre and the exhibit on Lewis that was at the Minnesota Historical Society in 2021,” she replied. “This year I visited Rosemount, which did a play version of Lewis’ early novel, ‘Free Air’ and used some stills from the silent film as a backdrop (it was the first silent film made in Minnesota).”

How fascinating!

“Keep up the good work,” Sally writes. “The daily dog or cat picture is a great way to start off the day!”

Thursday, May 16

Lona

“This is Lona, a purebred Lynx Balinese who allowed us to have the cat we never thought we could due to cat asthma/allergies,” Chris writes. “She loves to be around people and entertains us every day.”

Friday, May 17

Sookie and friends.

“Sookie the rescue dog — in the pink collar — is pictured here with her friends while her parents, Karen and Patrick, are away,” Geri wrote about her out-of-state grand dog.

We asked if this photo was taken at a doggie daycare.

“This is a private, one-man, full-time doggie care they discovered several years ago, I believe through Rover, ” Geri replied. “He often has six dogs at a time he cares for. Sookie loves going there.”

We would too — looks like fun!

Monday, May 20

“This is Winston and one of several puppies he fostered for service dog organizations,” Teri writes. “Our workload as human parents was truly minimal, as the puppies closely followed his lead.”

Winston and friend.

Tuesday, May 21

Wheezie

“This is my cat, Wheezie,” Gayle writes. “I adopted her when she was 14 from Ruff Start Rescue via Cafe Meow. She is now 17+ and owns my heart.”

Wednesday, May 22

Babe and friend.

“Babe is my daughter and son-in-law’s Covid foster fail,” Joann writes. “She loves sleeping and sitting on the couch next to her people.”

Thursday, May 23

Lemon

“Here is Lemon catching the skylight sun,” Kara writes. “In the light, you can see in her eyes why her foster mom named her Lemon.”

Friday, May 24

“These three Basset Hounds are friends who get together once a week in Highland Park,” Barb writes. “My Barnaby is on the right, with pals Norman and Alvin, all cooperating for a photo.

Norman, Alvin and Barnaby.

“Here they are busily sniffing the backyard. They are quite a bunch and often have to stop sniffing when there is food to beg for!”

Norman, Barnaby and Alvin.

Tusday, May 28

“Archie is a pretty smart cat,” write Barb and Richard. “Richard often finds Archie absorbing the morning news at the breakfast counter.”

Archie

Wednesday, May 29

“This is ‘Bebe,’ our sweet household pet who has been shown in many CFA (Cat Fanciers Association) shows including the annual Saintly City Cat Club show,” Jill writes. “She was shown at the September Twin City Cat Fanciers show at RiverCentre. She has received the highest award that can be achieved by household pets, a Grand of Distinction. She is half Birman and half American Curl so can’t be shown as a purebred. She helped me through a serious health challenge and now lives happily with our family in Eagan which includes Maine Coons, an Oriental Shorthair, a Kurilian Bobtail and Petey the American Curl, who was featured in the Pioneer Press earlier.”

Bebe

Thursday, May 30

“This is Lexie,” Kristy writes. “She’s our neighborhood watchdog … in that she loves to sit at the glass door and watch the neighbors walk by or alert everyone if a delivery person dares come too close. Occasionally, Lexie will share her door with her cat ‘siblings,’ though usually not for long.

Lexie and friend.

“She loves going for walks and has introduced me to several of our neighbors.I’ve learned the regular passers have invented names for her, like Moop Dog or Coconut. Lexie was actually named after a character from the Scottish TV show, ‘Monarch of the Glen.’

“I adopted Lexie from the Col. Potter Cairn Rescue Network in 2010. They think she was a puppy mill mama and estimated her age at 3.5 years. She is still going strong at 17!

“Thank you for the pet section. It gives me a smile every day!

Friday, May 31

“This is our sweet and friendly rescue dog Ralph (aka Ralphie) on guard duty on our deck,” writes Cynthia of St. Paul. “His personal mission: keep squirrels on the run.

Ralph

“I also thought you might enjoy this nearby St. Paul sidewalk quotation with Ralph’s paws as we paused for the pic.”

Ralph lingers by a sidewalk poem.

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By MATTHEW DALY and LINLEY SANDERS (Associated Press)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Many Americans still aren’t sold on going electric for their next car purchase. High prices and a lack of easy-to-find charging stations are major sticking points, a new poll shows.

About 4 in 10 U.S. adults say they would be at least somewhat likely to buy an EV the next time they buy a car, according to the poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago, while 46% say they are not too likely or not at all likely to purchase one.

The poll results, which echo an AP-NORC poll from last year, show that President Joe Biden’s election-year plan to dramatically raise EV sales is running into resistance from American drivers. Only 13% of U.S. adults say they or someone in their household owns or leases a gas-hybrid car, and just 9% own or lease an electric vehicle.

Caleb Jud of Cincinnati said he’s considering an EV, but may end up with a plug-in hybrid — if he goes electric. While Cincinnati winters aren’t extremely cold, “the thought of getting stuck in the driveway with an EV that won’t run is worrisome, and I know it wouldn’t be an issue with a plug-in hybrid,″ he said. Freezing temperatures can slow chemical reactions in EV batteries, depleting power and reducing driving range.

A new rule from the Environmental Protection Agency requires that about 56% of all new vehicle sales be electric by 2032, along with at least 13% plug-in hybrids or other partially electric cars. Auto companies are investing billions in factories and battery technology in an effort to speed up the switch to EVs to cut pollution, fight climate change — and meet the deadline.

EVs are a key part of Biden’s climate agenda. Republicans led by presumptive nominee Donald Trump are turning it into a campaign issue.

Younger people are more open to eventually purchasing an EV than older adults. More than half of those under 45 say they are at least “somewhat” likely to consider an EV purchase. About 32% of those over 45 are somewhat likely to buy an EV, the poll shows.

But only 21% of U.S. adults say they are “very” or “extremely” likely to buy an EV for their next car, according to the poll, and 21% call it somewhat likely. Worries about cost are widespread, as are other practical concerns.

Range anxiety – the idea that EVs cannot go far enough on a single charge and may leave a driver stranded — continues to be a major reason why many Americans do not purchase electric vehicles.

About half of U.S. adults cite worries about range as a major reason not to buy an EV. About 4 in 10 say a major strike against EVs is that they take too long to charge or they don’t know of any public charging stations nearby.

Concern about range is leading some to consider gas-engine hybrids, which allow driving even when the battery runs out. Jud, a 33-year-old operations specialist and political independent, said a hybrid “is more than enough for my about-town shopping, dropping my son off at school” and other uses.

With EV prices declining, cost would not be a factor, Jud said — a minority view among those polled. Nearly 6 in 10 adults cite cost as a major reason why they would not purchase an EV.

Price is a bigger concern among older adults.

The average price for a new EV was $52,314 in February, according to Kelley Blue Book. That’s down by 12.8% from a year earlier, but still higher than the average price for all new vehicles of $47,244, the report said.

Jose Valdez of San Antonio owns three EVs, including a new Mustang Mach-E. With a tax credit and other incentives, the sleek new car cost about $49,000, Valdez said. He thinks it’s well worth the money.

“People think they cost an arm and a leg, but once they experience (driving) an EV, they’ll have a different mindset,” said Valdez, a retired state maintenance worker.

The 45-year-old Republican said he does not believe in climate change. “I care more about saving green” dollars, he said, adding that he loves the EV’s quiet ride and the fact he doesn’t have to pay for gas or maintenance. EVs have fewer parts than gas-powered cars and generally cost less to maintain. Valdez installed his home charger himself for less than $700 and uses it for all three family cars, the Mustang and two older Ford hybrids.

With a recently purchased converter, he can also charge at a nearby Tesla supercharger station, Valdez said.

About half of those who say they live in rural areas cite lack of charging infrastructure as a major factor in not buying an EV, compared with 4 in 10 of those living in urban communities.

Daphne Boyd, of Ocala, Florida, has no interest in owning an EV. There are few public chargers near her rural home “and EVs don’t make any environmental sense,″ she said, citing precious metals that must be mined to make batteries, including in some countries that rely on child labor or other unsafe conditions. She also worries that heavy EV batteries increase wear-and-tear on tires and make the cars less efficient. Experts say extra battery weight can wear on tires but say proper maintenance and careful driving can extend tire life.

Boyd, a 54-year-old Republican and self-described farm wife, said EVs may eventually make economic and environmental sense, but “they’re not where they need to be” to convince her to buy one now or in the immediate future.

Ruth Mitchell, a novelist from Eureka Springs, Arkansas, loves her 2017 Chevy Volt, a plug-in hybrid that can go about 50 miles on battery power before the gas engine takes over. “It’s wonderful — quiet, great pickup, cheap to drive. I rave about it on Facebook,″ she said.

Mitchell, a 70-year-old Democrat, charges her car at home but says there are several public chargers near her house if needed. She’s not looking for a new car, Mitchell said, but when she does it will be electric: “I won’t drive anything else.”

The AP-NORC poll of 6,265 adults was conducted March 26 to April 10, 2024 using a combined sample of interviews from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population, and interviews from opt-in online panels. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 1.7 percentage points. The AmeriSpeak panel is recruited randomly using address-based sampling methods, and respondents later were interviewed online or by phone.