MIDTERM MANIA

Trump’s FBI summoned state election officials from across the country for an unusual briefing on “preparations” for the midterms, What A Day has learned. At least one top state official is deeply concerned.

• The FBI is organizing a mysterious conference call in late February for local election officials from all 50 states to discuss plans for the midterm elections with federal law enforcement agencies, according to an email obtained by What A Day. The exact purpose of the call remains unclear. But it’s raising concerns after President Donald Trump called for state elections to be nationalized.

• Election officials from every state received an invitation for the call on Feb. 25th, to be joined by Trump’s FBI, Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and U.S. Election Assistance Commission. The email, which was obtained via public records request, was sent on Tuesday by an official named Kellie Hardiman, who gave her title as “FBI Election Executive.”

• Hardiman wrote that the FBI and other federal agencies “would like to invite you to a call where we can discuss our preparations for the cycle, as well as updates and resources we can provide to you and your staff.” She added: “We look forward to speaking with you in support of the 2026 midterm elections.”

• I asked the FBI for an explanation, but a spokesperson wouldn’t give me one, writing: “Thank you for reaching out. The FBI has no comment.”

• The email is raising anxiety at a moment when Trump is calling for the federal government to take control of elections in 15 states, and dispatching the FBI to investigate the 2020 election in battleground state Georgia.

Nevada’s top election official called the email bizarre — and said he suspects it’s all about intimidation.

• Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar told What A Day he’s never heard of a conference call like this being organized by the FBI between state officials and federal agencies. After he received the email, he wrote back to Hardiman an hour later: “Is this real? Given what’s occurred over the last two weeks I am concerned.”

• “I was just like, ‘what is this?’ It’s the strangest thing in the world that the FBI is reaching out to us and trying to coordinate election security,” Aguilar told me on a phone call this afternoon. “It’s never happened in the past. The casualness which they did… it was just beyond crazy.” He added: “They’re just sowing this confusion and chaos to try to intimidate us into compliance.”

• While DOJ does monitor elections during normal times, the email and conference call are unusual, a former DOJ official from the department’s civil division told What A Day. “I can’t imagine why it would be coordinated in that way,” the former official said.

• The FBI recently raided an election hub in Georgia, dispatching spy chief Tulsi Gabbard to tag along, supposedly on the evidence-free theory that there may have been some kind of foreign meddling by China. Intelligence officials reportedly investigated voting machines in Puerto Rico last year, too. MAGA Godfather Steve Bannon is calling for ICE agents to “surround the polls” during the midterm elections in November.

• States are taking these threats extremely seriously. Nevada officials are “constantly preparing and strategizing” for whatever Trump’s team may attempt, Aguilar said. That includes monitoring statements from people like Bannon, even though the former Trump advisor has no formal power.

• “It’s unconstitutional for the president to do what he wants to do,” Aguilar said. “We understand that what he’s trying to do is really disrupt the midterm election, because the ‘26 election is critical to the ‘28 election.”

Nevada is gearing up for a legal fight — if it needs to have one. “We have to prepare for that litigation at a moment’s notice, and we will be prepared in Nevada to push back,” Aguilar said.

WHAT ELSE? 👀

American employers laid off more people in January than any month since 2009, according to new data from a private firm. Yes, you read that correctly: We’re not in a global recession, but Donald Trump’s economy is still handing out cruel bummers to people just trying to get by.

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele used the National Prayer Breakfast at the U.S. Capitol to peddle some insane conspiracies, accusing gang members from his country who crossed into the U.S. of worshipping Satan. “It’s straight up. Literally,” Bukele said. “When we went to their homes to arrest them, we discovered altars that were used for satanic rituals.”

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is challenging House Republicans to call her in for a public hearing over the Clintons’ ties to Jeffrey Epstein. “Let’s stop the games. If you want this fight … let’s have it — in public,” she tweeted. “You love to talk about transparency. There’s nothing more transparent than a public hearing, cameras on. We will be there.” This could get interesting!

The Trump administration is expected to finalize a rule today that would make it easier to fire 50,000 federal workers, including high-ranking career officials. This initiative is overtly political: “When conscientious objection becomes sabotage or trying to find ways to thwart the objectives of the administration — that is not allowed,” White House budget director Scott Kupor told the Wall Street Journal.

What’s going on with Kamala Harris? The former vice president relaunched her campaign’s social media page, this time as some sort of organizing platform: “It’s where you can go online to get basically the latest of what’s going on, and also to meet and revisit with some of our great, courageous leaders,” Harris said in an announcement video. As one former Harris aide told me, amid speculation that she’d run for president again: “I think we’d all prefer to just move forward.”

LIGHT AT THE END… ☀️

The U.S. and Russia are close to a deal to keep observing their nuclear treaty, which limits the number of nuclear warheads from growing, according to Axios. The pact expired today, so this news brought my blood pressure down quite a bit… until I saw this story about Trump wanting to make a new treaty entirely. Either way, it doesn’t seem like we’re going to get blown up anytime soon, so I count that as a good thing.

A federal judge ruled that ICE agents in Oregon cannot arrest people without warrants.

The GoFundMe for laid off Washington Post journalists has raised some $390,000. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, for this unbelievable show of support,” the fund’s organizer wrote today. “You are making a difference when so much feels scary and uncertain here at The Post.” Hundreds of people gathered outside the paper’s office in D.C. today to protest the massive cuts. Former Post star Dave Jorgenson made this incredible TikTok explaining the debacle.

Spanish figure skater Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate is planning to dress in a Minions-themed costume during his performance at the Milan Winter Olympics.

A pair of coyotes known as Romeo and Juliet were caught on film howling in Central Park after sirens rang out. They’re apparently a well-known duo in the city, earning a New York Times feature piece last year which describes them as “shy and graceful, leaping over fences, hunting for rodents and catching at least one Canada goose.”

An adorable cougar cub is recovering after biologists found her injured in Los Angeles last week. The young cat, who looks like a giant stuffed animal, will be released into the wild soon.

A two-month-old otter pup named Bao ate his first shrimp this week, according to his zoo. This little fella, who also looks cute enough to be a stuffed animal, is named after the Vietnamese word “treasure” and “precious.” Have another shrimp, Bao!

This year’s beloved Puppy Bowl will feature a halftime show contest between Team Oldies and Team Goldies, highlighting senior pups who are up for adoption. “Everyone wants the puppy and, unfortunately, the reality of puppyhood is it’s tough,” the show’s lead dog trainer told the Associated Press. “I think people don’t realize that until they’re deep in the thick of it. That’s the beauty of an older dog, an adult dog, a senior dog: They bring a different sort of calm.” I am way more excited for this than the real game.