Fears of political violence as Trump accuses Democrats of ‘seditious behavior, punishable by death’: Live updates

The acting commander of the US Coast Guard, Admiral Kevin Lunday, confirmed on Thursday that swastikas and nooses will remain banned.

His comments come after a new harassment policy, posted on the Pentagon’s website, suggested that the symbols were just “potentially divisive.”

“Potentially divisive symbols and flags include, but are not limited to, the following: a noose, a swastika, and any symbols or flags co-opted or adopted by hate-based groups as representations of supremacy, racial or religious intolerance, or other bias,” the guidance read.

Represnative Lauren Underwood took to X to slam the new harrassment policy and confirmed that she met with Admiral Lunday.

“Today it was revealed that the Coast Guard would no longer classify swastikas and nooses as hate symbols. Unacceptable,” she posted. “I just met with Admiral Lunday, and got his committment to publish a new policy.

“Hate has no place in our armed services,” she continued.

Yesterday, the DOJ sued the State of California in a federal court, claiming that providing in-state college tuition to unauthorized students is illegal.

The claim also alleges that it discriminates against out-of-state Americans who pay tuition costs.

A press statement from the Office of Public Affairs claims that the policy helps to “create incentives for illegal immigration, and reward illegal immigrants with benefits.”

“California is illegally discriminating against American students and families by offering exclusive tuition benefits for non-citizens,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This marks our third lawsuit against California in one week — we will continue bringing litigation against California until the state ceases its flagrant disregard for federal law.”

The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California.

Governor Newsom, the State Attorney General, and the Regents of the University of California, the Board of Trustees of the California State University, and the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges are also named in the lawsuit.

Zohran Mamdani, the mayor-elect of New York, has confirmed that he will meet Donald Trump in the White House today.

The pair have repeatedly locked horns in the past, over Trump’s claims that Mamdani is a “communist” and the mayor-elect’s frequent criticism of the president.

Mamdani, who has denied being a “communist” and identifies as a democratic socialist, won the mayoral race in a landslide victory, after leading the polls for months.

“Let’s run the table [with] a simple plan, aggressively executed,” Bannon, the host of “War Room” and Trump’s chief strategist during his first term, told Axios. “The President may have to bang some heads. [His] entire plan has an objective of GROWTH, JOBS, HIGHER WAGES — now execute.”

Just weeks after a blue wave swept elections across the country, a series of recent polls this week suggest Trump’s approval rating is slipping as the administration copes with the fallout from the Epstein files and a turbulent economy.

A Reuters-Ipsos poll this week found Trump’s approval rating dipped to 38 percent, his lowest since returning to the White House. Even among Republicans, his approval rating has dropped to 82 percent, down from 87 percent earlier in the month, the poll found.

Kelly Rissman has the full story…

He later posted a message in which he repeated his all-caps accusation of “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR” from the lawmakers before claiming that such “behavior” is “punishable by DEATH,” along with a repost of another Truth Social user who encouraged him to “HANG THEM.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday ahead of President Donald Trump’s meeting with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, “It speaks volumes that we have a Communist coming to the White House.”

Mamdani identifies as a democratic socialist and has rejected the label of communist.

“I also think it speaks to the fact that President Trump is willing to meet with anyone and talk to anyone to try to do what’s right on behalf of the American people, whether they live in blue states or red states or blue cities,” Leavitt said.

Democrats have voiced their concerns about growing political violence after President Donald Trump accused Congress members of “seditious behavior, punishable by death.”

Trump’s comments came after a group of six Democratic senators and representatives released a video calling on members of the military to “refuse illegal orders.”

“Like us, you all swore an oath to protect and defend this Constitution. Right now, the threats to our Constitution aren’t just coming from abroad, but from right here at home,” the lawmakers said in the video released Tuesday.

President Donald Trump lashed out at a group of Democrats who called for troops to uphold their oaths to the Constitution by demanding that the legislators be arrested and tried for posting a social media video where they urged military members to refuse unspecified unlawful orders.

Writing Thursday on Truth Social, Trump accused senators Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Mark Kelly of Arizona, plus Colorado Rep. Jason Crow, New Hampshire Representative Maggie Goodlander and Pennsylvania’s Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of engaging in “seditious behavior at the highest level” and called the senators and representatives — all of whom are military or intelligence community veterans — “traitors to our country” who should be “arrested and put on trial.”

“Their words cannot be allowed to stand – We won’t have a Country anymore!!!” he added.

In a second post written after he’d deleted the previous one, Trump called the Democrats’ statements “really bad, and Dangerous to our Country.”

Trump then added: “Their words cannot be allowed to stand. SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR FROM TRAITORS!!! LOCK THEM UP???”

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani said Thursday ahead of his meeting with President Donald Trump, “I will work with anyone to make life more affordable for the more than eight and a half million people who call this city home.”