Dear Friend, This week, I have traveled to the beachfront in Normandy, France, with Congressional colleagues to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the beginning of the end of the Second World War. Before leaving, I applauded the historic investment by Elon Musk’s xAI company in what will be the largest and most powerful supercomputer in history, being built in the former Electrolux oven factory in Southwest Memphis. I also discussed Memphis crime with Attorney General Merrick Garland at a Judiciary Committee oversight hearing, announced a major grant to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital from the National Science Foundation, celebrated the groundbreaking for the Tailout Trail in Tom Lee Park, spoke at the United States Institute of Peace about the need to free dissident Russian journalist Vladimir Kara-Murza, discussed the Abraham Accords and Israel’s war with Hamas with the Israeli Ambassador to the United States and others, received a briefing on Boeing from Federal Aviation Administrator Michael Whitaker, applauded a $100,000 African American History and Culture grant to the Beale Street-based Withers Collection Museum and Gallery, announced two National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), and offered a health tip about a health fair being held in Memphis on Saturday. Keep reading and follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to see what I am doing as it happens. Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day Invasion in France Applauding Elon Musk’s Investment in Memphis for Powerful Supercomputer Discussing Memphis Violent Crime with the Attorney General Announcing $2.3 Million National Science Foundation Grant to St. Jude Celebrating Groundbreaking for Tailout Trail in Tom Lee Park Speaking about the Need to Free Vladimir Kara-Murza Meeting to Discuss Abraham Accords with the Israeli Ambassador Getting a Briefing on Boeing from FAA Administrator Whitaker Applauding $100,000 Grant to the Withers Collection Museum and Gallery Announcing Two NIH Grants to UTHSC Weekly Health Tip Quote of the Week
Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day Invasion in France
On Wednesday, I joined my Congressional colleagues in a trip to Normandy to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944. On Thursday, I attended the ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer on the bluff above Omaha Beach where more than 9,300 are buried to hear Franch President Macron and President Biden speak of the sacrifices made here, and what’s at stake when tyrants threaten democracies and the rule of law like they are doing today in Ukraine. Both spoke of the Western Coalition of 12 nations that landed on the beaches of Normandy that day, a coalition built around the love of freedom and commitment to peace and liberty. At two separate ceremonies, a dozen elderly American D-Day veterans received the French Legion D’Honneur, the nation’s highest decoration for merit created in 1802 by Napoleon. I spoke afterward with President Macron and told him that choosing to award the Legion D’Honneur to the American veterans was inspiring and conveyed the love and regard that the French people have for Americans. I also spoke to President Biden who told me one of the elderly veterans told him to beat Donald Trump “and to beat him bad.” Among those present at the international ceremony were Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Prince William of Britain, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. On Friday, the delegation went to the National Assembly in Paris and met with lawmakers. Throughout this weekend I will be learning about issues that relate to friendship, American-French relations and political and government issues with our embassy officials and French officials as well. Applauding Elon Musk’s Investment in Memphis for Powerful Supercomputer
On Thursday, Elon Musk and the Greater Memphis Chamber announced that Musk’s xAI company will build the world’s largest and most powerful supercomputer – the Gigafactory of Compute -- in the former Electrolux oven factory in Southwest Memphis. This is good news for Memphis and the Memphis economy and I am hopeful that it will make our region a focus for the future of artificial intelligence. I congratulate Greater Memphis Chamber President and CEO Ted Townsend and his team for coordinating this historic investment in Memphis’ future. See my release on the development here. Discussing Memphis Violent Crime with the Attorney General
On Tuesday, Attorney General Merrick Garland appeared before the Judiciary Committee for a hearing on oversight of the Justice Department. While Republicans on the Committee focused on distractions and disinformation, I asked the Attorney General about addressing violent crime in Memphis and noted that Memphis was the second city to join the Violent Crime Initiative which increases federal resources in specific communities. I also pointed out that Republicans’ claim that the Department has been politically “weaponized” were belied by the federal prosecutions of Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Congressman Henry Cuellar of Texas, and Hunter Biden, the president’s son – all high-profile Democrats. See my release on the hearing here. Announcing $2.3 Million National Science Foundation Grant to St. Jude
Also Tuesday, I announced that St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital will be receiving a $2,340,000 grant from the National Science Foundation for research in collaboration with scientists from Britain and China on avian influenza. See my release on the prestigious grant award here. Celebrating Groundbreaking for Tailout Trail in Tom Lee Park
I commend Carol Coletta, the Riverfront Development Corporation and all those behind the effort to build the Tailout Trail along the Mississippi River in Tom Lee Park. I am the only member of the current Tennessee Congressional delegation who voted for the American Rescue Plan Act that provided the $3.7 million for the Department of Commerce investment in the project. I am pleased to see the continuing transformation of our beautiful riverfront and look forward to walking the trail. Speaking about the Need to Free Vladimir Kara-Murza
On Monday, I went to the United States Institute of Peace to deliver remarks at the Washington Dialogue. This event highlighted the voices of nearly 100 civil society leaders and organizations exiled from Russia for their promotion of peace and democracy. As the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly’s Special Representative on Political Prisoners, I concentrated my speech on the case of the dissident journalist and my friend Vladimir Kara-Murza, imprisoned for speaking the truth about Putin’s war in Ukraine and the corruption of his oligarchs. Kara-Murza told me before returning to Russia that the greatest fear of a political prisoner is being forgotten, so I raise his cause as often as possible. Meeting to Discuss Abraham Accords with the Israeli Ambassador
Pictured left to right: Congressman Cohen; Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA-05); Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Herzog; Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO-02); and Congressman Brad Schneider (D-IL-10) I met with Israeli Ambassador Michael Herzog and fellow lawmakers on Tuesday to discuss the Abraham Accords, the establishment of cordial relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors upon which a future peace in the Middle East largely depends. We also discussed the latest updates on Israel’s fight against Hamas. The discussion centered on how Congress can best support Israeli forces, rescue hostages, provide aid to Israeli and Palestinian civilians, and help with recovery and stability in the Gaza Strip. Getting a Briefing on Boeing from FAA Administrator Whitaker
On Tuesday, members of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee heard from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Whitaker about Boeing’s plan to address ongoing safety and manufacturing quality concerns. Whitaker assured us that the FAA will hold the company accountable since he and the committee all agree that safety must be our first aviation priority. Applauding $100,000 Grant to the Withers Collection Museum and Gallery
Earlier today, I announced that the Memphis-based Withers Collection Museum and Gallery on Beale Street will receive a $100,000 Museum Grant for African American History and Culture from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. The grant will be used to digitize and make available on a public platform approximately 4,000 of the unique images created by Dr. Ernest Withers Sr. (1922 – 2007), a native Memphian, who was an internationally acclaimed photographer recognized for his iconic photographs in Memphis and the broader south during the Civil Rights era. Ernest Withers’ photographs of the major events in Civil Rights history, and his extraordinary access to the major figures of his day, often in private settings, deserve protection and improved availability to the public. The Institute of Museum and Library Services grant will accomplish both goals and will make Withers’ work more widely known. Announcing Two NIH Grants to UTHSC
On Tuesday, I announced that two National Institutes of Health provided grants totaling $836,990 to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), one for molecular research and one for nursing protocols. See my release here. Weekly Health Tip
The Shelby County Health Department will host a community resource fair this Saturday, June 8, at Renaissance Pocket Park located at 1467 Mississippi Boulevard, Memphis 38106, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The “Community Care Fair” will offer immunizations, including COVID-19 vaccines, information about valuable Health Department programs and resources. For more information, click here. Quotes of the Week
“Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! “You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hope and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.” – General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s D-Day order of June 6, 1944
“Isolation was not the answer 80 years ago and is not the answer today. We know the dark forces that these heroes fought against 80 years ago; they never fade. Aggression and greed, the desire to dominate and control, to change borders by force — these are perennial. The struggle between dictatorship and freedom is unending.” – President Biden speaking Thursday at the Normandy American Cemetery commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day. As always, I remain.
Most sincerely, Steve Cohen
Member of Congress | 