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Why this matters:

• Parents and spouses of people in the military have generally been shielded from deportation under bipartisan consensus for decades. Experts warn that the reversal could undermine military preparedness even as the U.S. is at war in Iran. It’s left military members without emotional support and caretakers for their children, delayed deployments and forced some to take leave.
  
  

• “DHS and ICE value the contributions of all those who have served in the U.S. military,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. “U.S. military service alone does not automatically grant lawful immigration status, or exempt aliens from the consequences of violating U.S. immigration laws.”

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POLITICS

Judge criticizes the Justice Department as he dismisses Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy case

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta decried efforts to rewrite the history of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol as he reluctantly dismissed the seditious conspiracy case against members of the far-right Oath Keepers extremist group. Read more.

Why this matters:

• The Department of Justice in April acted to vacate the convictions of Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and others who had their sentences commuted but did not receive pardons.
  
  

• Mehta, who oversaw the Oath Keepers’ trials, criticized the department’s move, writing in his ruling that the government “asks to absolve these Defendants of crimes against the United States itself.” But Mehta wrote that he had no choice but to grant the administration’s request. Mehta’s order closes the book on the Jan. 6 cases that were wiped out with President Donald Trump’s sweeping pardons and commutations last year.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

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• State of New Mexico sues Justice Department and Todd Blanche, saying they blocked its Epstein probe
• North Carolina congressman Edwards quits reelection bid after committee finds inappropriate conduct
• GOP Rep. Max Miller resists pressure to drop reelection bid as party anxiety grows over abuse claims
• Fauci’s decision to invoke the Fifth Amendment tees up a legal debate and a contempt vote
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US NEWS

Firefighters get a handle on Spokane wildfires as tens of thousands remain evacuated

Firefighters have taken advantage of cooler weather to try to take control of the wildfire in Washington state’s second-largest city. But hotter, drier and breezier days lie ahead. Read more.

What to know:

• The fires — one of which authorities say was deliberately set by a man who was arrested and charged with arson — have destroyed about 850 buildings and forced the evacuation of around 67,000 people since they erupted last weekend. Damage assessment crews have yet to tally exactly how many houses have been lost or damaged. No deaths have been reported.