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Critical primaries, ‘rabbit fever,’ moon crash: Catch up on the day’s stories

By CNN

👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! It’s back-to-school season, which means shopping for clothes and supplies and meal prepping. But for many parents, their biggest concern isn’t the cost — it’s whether their kids will be able to make friends.

Here’s what else you might have missed during your busy day.

5 things

1️⃣ Critical primaries

All eyes are on Michigan as voters head to the polls in a high-stakes Democratic race that will test momentum of the party’s progressive wing. Missouri, Kansas, Virginia and Washington also are holding elections. Follow live updates.

2️⃣ ‘Rabbit fever’

First cyclospora, now tularemia? New York reported three probable cases of the rare but serious infection that can cause a high fever, swollen lymph nodes, body aches, tiredness and a large sore.

3️⃣ Split families

After years of steady restrictions on citizenship by descent, Italy’s top court overturned one of the issues barring many from receiving it. Now things are looking up for families once ripped apart by the rule.

4️⃣ Moon crash

Part of a SpaceX rocket used to launch a pair of robotic commercial lunar landers in January is expected to slam into the moon. Studying the impact could protect future astronauts.

➕ SpaceX beats expectations in first earnings as a public company

5️⃣ Biotech beauty

It’s time to up your skincare. Some brands are making products with a process that uses living microorganisms like yeast and bacteria to create “cleaner” formulas.

Watch this

📖 Paws-itive reading: What would it take for an 11-year-old to read for 100 hours? Nehemiah Turner is improving his grades — and helping shelter dogs get adopted.

Top headlines

Check this out

💥 Fiery reveal: Hundreds of World War II shells and munitions have been discovered in the village at the center of France’s wildfire crisis.

For CNN subscribers

Quiz time

📸 Which university recently announced a bachelor’s degree in content creation?

A. American University

B. New York University

C. Arizona State University

D. University of California Los Angeles

⬇️ Scroll down for the answer.

Thanks for reading

✅ Most popular in yesterday’s newsletter: Farmer reunites with donkeys after wildfire

🧠 Quiz answer: C. Influencing is Gen Z’s new glamour job. Arizona State University’s new degree is for those who “dream of monetizing your video channel or making social media your career.”

👋 We’ll see you tomorrow.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

Judge slams the Justice Department as he ‘reluctantly’ dismisses final January 6 riot case

By CNN
(CNN) — A federal judge slammed the Justice Department as he “reluctantly” dismissed the seditious conspiracy case against leaders and members of the Oath Keepers in the final January 6 US Capitol riot case.“This is the last of the prosecutions seeking to hold accountable those responsible for the events of January 6,” Judge Amit Mehta wrote in his order dismissing cases against nine people in which he recounted the events of that day. “That book is now closed.”“Today’s epilogue diminishes the gravity of that day, denigrates the work of the prosecutors and law enforcement officers who secured these convictions, and excuses criminal acts that caused a centuries-long pillar of our democracy — the peaceful transfer of presidential power – to buckle,” Mehta wrote. “The court cannot write a different ending.”The end was heralded first by President Donald Trump’s commutations and pardons of all those involved in the January 6, 2021, attack, one of the first acts of his second term, followed only by Trump’s Justice Department asking that the seditious conspiracy case be dismissed.“The government thus asks to absolve these Defendants of crimes against the United States itself,” Mehta wrote. “In this court’s view, that is not in the public interest.”Mehta oversaw the case against the Oath Keepers – the first that brought seditious conspiracy charges against members of the mob – including sentencing, when he gave the group’s leader, Stewart Rhodes, 18 years behind bars for his actions surrounding that day.During his sentencing for seditious conspiracy and other charges, Mehta said Rhodes had organized Oath Keeper teams that day he had helped bring to Washington, DC, and gave orders to go into the Capitol.Several members, in a distinct stack-formation which garnered attention as the attack unfolded, entered the building and engaged in several confrontations with police officers inside.Members and leaders of the group had plotted out a quick-reaction-force in Virginia and had amassed a number of firearms and ammunition in Virginia for January 6. The group, however, was not used, organized or deployed that day.In writing about the Justice Department’s motion to toss the case, Mehta wrote “this court does strongly disagree.”“But that alone is not a valid basis to deny the motion,” he wrote, adding that “the court must give way to the primacy of the Executive Branch in making charging decisions.”The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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