First Thing: Outrage after Trump accuses Democrats of ‘seditious behavior, punishable by death’

US president roundly decried for Truth Social post after lawmakers told military personnel to refuse illegal orders. Plus, Superman comic found in attic becomes most expensive ever sold

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Good morning.

Democrats expressed outrage after Donald Trump accused a group of Democratic lawmakers of engaging in SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH" and that they should be arrested after they posted a video in which they told active service members they should refuse illegal orders.

What did the lawmakers say in the video? Our laws are clear: you can refuse illegal orders, you must refuse illegal orders. No one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our constitution."

What did the report say? A joint situational information report" from the FBI and the New York police department (NYPD), dated 28 August 2025, quoted from a chat on Signal, the encrypted messaging app, and also characterized the court watchers as anarchist violent extremist actors".

Where did it come from? The two-page report was distributed to other law enforcement agencies across the US. The records were obtained by Property of the People, a government transparency non-profit, through public records requests.