Here’s a Thing: The President Can Text Everyone in the US at Any Time

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President Barack Obama has the power to push text messages to just about every smartphone in America, anytime he deems it necessary. Who knew? The Wireless Emergency Alert system was born of President Bush’s frustration with the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response during Hurricane Katrina, and has morphed since. If you’ve ever received one of these alerts, it was probably about a missing child Amber alert or a severe weather warning. But buried in the documents describing its function is this fact: President Obama can use the system to send messages on a special channel to anyone in a given geographic area, or even the whole US.


Here’s a Thing: The President Can Text Everyone in the US at Any Time