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

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. The video, released on Tuesday, features six Democratic lawmakers who have previously served in the military or in intelligence roles, including senators Elissa Slotkin and Mark Kelly, and representatives Maggie Goodlander, Chris Deluzio, Chrissy Houlahan and Jason Crow. The video seemed to prompt a furious response from the US president. After his statements, the Democrats released a joint statement condemning Trump’s remarks. 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,” they said in the video. The FBI spied on a Signal group chat of immigration activists, records reveal The FBI spied on a private Signal group chat of immigrants’ rights activists who were organizing “courtwatch” efforts in New York City this spring, law enforcement records shared with the Guardian indicate. The FBI, the documents show, gained access to conversations in a “courtwatch” Signal group that helps coordinate volunteer activists who monitor public proceedings at three New York federal immigration courts. The US government has repeatedly been accused of violating immigrants’ due process rights at those courts. 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. Zelenskyy to negotiate with Trump over US-Russia peace deal requiring painful concessions Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he will negotiate with Donald Trump on a US-backed peace plan that called on Ukraine to make painful concessions in order to end the Kremlin’s invasion of his country. The president’s office yesterday confirmed he had received the draft peace plan, which was prepared by US and Russian officials, and that he would speak to Trump in the coming days about “existing diplomatic opportunities and the main points that are necessary for peace”. In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said Ukraine would do nothing to disrupt any diplomatic efforts. How is Europe responding to the plan? EU leaders are scrambling to respond to the US-led proposal for ending the Russian invasion of Ukraine, amid signs that Trump and his administration want to progress the deal to an “aggressive timeline”. This is a developing story. Follow our liveblog here. In other news … Fundraisers collecting for Palestinian civilians in Gaza are seeing a “catastrophic” drop-off in donations since the ceasefire was announced in October. Thousands of displaced families are living in temporary shelters and struggling with illness, hunger and malnutrition. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website has been changed to reflect the belief of Robert F Kennedy Jr that there is a link between vaccines and autism, a view flatly contradicted by experts and scientifically validated studies. A 1940 self-portrait by famed Mexican artist Frida Kahlo has sold for $54.7m at a New York art auction, setting a new top sale price for a work by any female artist. Stat of the day: Up, up and away – Superman comic found in attic sells for $9.12m to become most expensive ever sold A copy of Superman No 1 that was discovered in an attic in California last year has become the world’s most expensive comic book after selling for $9.12m. The copy that sold yesterday was found in 2024 under a stack of old newspapers in a cardboard box by three unnamed brothers in northern California while they were going through their late mother’s attic. Don’t miss this: She was pregnant and addicted to fentanyl. Getting to keep her baby saved them both In much of the US, where a baby is diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) every 18 minutes, infants are still whisked to NICUs and medicated while their mothers face child-protection investigations. But a small, growing network of centers like Maddie’s Place is proving a simple point: when mothers and babies stay together, outcomes improve, foster placements fall and long-term costs decline. … or this: White nationalist Nick Fuentes is exposing a civil war among US Republicans – ‘We look like clowns’ Nick Fuentes, a white nationalist influencer known for antisemitic and extremist views, has thrust the Republican party into open infighting after being welcomed on to high-profile platforms such as Tucker Carlson’s show. His rise from the fringe to the edges of the mainstream has exposed sharp divides, raising questions over whether the party can – or even wants to – draw a line against extremism. Climate check: Cop30 draft text omits mention of fossil fuel phase-out roadmap A new draft text from the Cop30 climate talks contains no commitment to phasing out fossil fuels, despite countries warning they would block any deal without one. As the Guardian revealed last night, 29 nations backing a phase-out wrote to the Brazilian Cop presidency threatening to oppose any agreement that omitted it. Last Thing: Elon Musk’s Grok AI tells users he is fitter than LeBron James and smarter than da Vinci Elon Musk’s AI, Grok, has been telling users the world’s richest person is smarter and more fit than anyone in the world, in a raft of recently deleted posts that have called into question the bot’s objectivity. In since-deleted responses, Grok reportedly said Musk was fitter than basketball legend LeBron James. Grok also reportedly stated Musk would beat former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in a boxing match. Sign up Sign up for the US morning briefing First Thing is delivered to thousands of inboxes every weekday. If you’re not already signed up, subscribe now. Get in touch If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email newsletters@theguardian.com