Presidential message sent to over 200 million Americans

A txt from Donald Trump?


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Imagine receiving a phone message from US President Donald Trump! Well, that thought became a reality when over 200 million Americans received a message from the US leader yesterday, over 75% of phones existing within the continent.

It wasn’t anything controversial, or a friendly message, but rather a TEST of the USA’s new phone notification warning scheme, or the ‘Wireless Emergency Alert system’.

In 2006 legislation was passed in US parliament that meant that the President could commandeer communication networks in the case of national emergencies, including incoming nuclear missiles, a massive terrorist attack, or any man-made or natural disaster.

Similar tests of this nature were conducted in 2011, 2016 and 2017 but not on this grand scale. Even US television broadcasts were interrupted with a ‘Presidential Alert’.

Residents of Hawaii are all too familiar with this type of warning via phone alert. Earlier this year with tensions flaring between the US and North Korea, the state’s emergency personnel sent out an alert message that read: "BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT INBOUND TO HAWAII. SEEK IMMEDIATE SHELTER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.”

It sent the island into pandemonium for almost 40 minutes until it was realised that the message was a false alarm, and the mistake was rectified.

To be honest, it would be hard to ascertain what would be worth, a meeting with a missile or with President Trump!

Sean for Breakfast covered this story in the breaky show, with a twist to what it would be like if Australian leaders had the same powers…

4 October 2018




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