⚠️ President's phone is worse than yours

🇺🇸 Happy Presidents’ Day, {{first_name | friend}}. I hope you’re enjoying the day off. Here’s something to think about while you’re lounging. You probably use more artificial intelligence before breakfast than most sci-fi movies predicted we’d have by now. And you don’t even know it. 

What percentage of people use AI-powered apps or devices every day, many without even realizing it? A) 22%, B) 44%, C) 67% or D) 77%. Answer’s at the end. Bonus points if you can name how AI is being used. Think you know? Ask a friend before you scroll. Bet they get it wrong.

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Here’s what I need from you this week: Tell me the one tech moment that made your jaw drop. Good or bad. Scary or amazing. The best stories end up on my show and win an Amazon gift card!— Kim

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⚡ TL;DR (THE SHORT VERSION)

📖 Read time: 2.5 minutes

Ever wonder what phone the president carries? I looked into it. Your phone is better.

The commander-in-chief carries a custom iPhone locked down by the NSA. No App Store. No texting. No GPS. No Find My for obvious reasons. Basically, it's a fancy $1,200 walkie-talkie. Trump carried two iPhones his first term. One only made calls. Staffers called it "the burner." The other had social media and news sites. That's it. Both swapped every 30 days for malware checks.

For top-secret stuff, there's a modified Boeing Black, a military-grade encrypted phone that costs around $3,000. The wild part, if anyone tries to open it up, even a curious staffer with a screwdriver, the phone detects the pressure change and instantly wipes everything. All data, all software, gone.

And no president can have personal email. Every message is archived under the Presidential Records Act. Forever. Imagine that. Meanwhile, you're over here with Face ID, 200 apps and a better camera than most news stations.

🩸$1.5 million car loaded with blood

The presidential limo, nicknamed “The Beast,” weighs up to 20,000 pounds. Walls are 8 inches of steel, titanium and ceramic. Each door weighs as much as a Boeing 757 cabin door. Windows are 5 inches of bulletproof glass built to stop armor-piercing rounds and RPGs. A .44 Magnum is entry-level for this car.

It can lay down an oil slick to send chasing vehicles spinning out of control and has magnetic interference sensors that can detect if an RPG or anti-tank missile has been locked on to the car.

The car is actually a hermetically sealed bunker. In the event of a chemical attack, the car shuts off outside air entirely and pumps in its own oxygen supply from tanks hidden in the chassis. Tires are Kevlar-reinforced run-flats with steel rims. Blow the rubber clear off, and it keeps moving at full speed.

The Beast has door handles that shock uninvited grabbers with 120 volts. The trunk contains shotguns and a fridge with bags of the president’s blood type.

🗣️ TEXT/POST THIS STAT: The presidential limo has a fridge full of the president's blood type and door handles that shock you with 120 volts. GetKim.com.

A military aide carries the “football” everywhere the president goes. It’s not a button. It’s a mobile command center with the “Black Book” of strike options, comms equipment and a laminated card called “the biscuit” that verifies the president’s identity. Decision to launch: about 4 minutes.

Now here’s where it gets fun. And by fun, I mean terrifying.

Jimmy Carter sent his biscuit to the dry cleaners. Bill Clinton lost his for months. Ronald Reagan’s codes got tossed into a plastic hospital bag after he was shot in 1981. And George H.W. Bush sped off in his motorcade after a tennis match and left his military aide standing on the court holding the nuclear briefcase, in tennis whites.

These are the people with the launch codes.

This one’s too good to keep to yourself. If that doesn't make you forward this newsletter, nothing will. Send it to someone who needs a laugh today. They can sign up free at GetKim.com.

Investigators originally said there was no footage. Nancy Guthrie’s Nest doorbell was disconnected, and she didn’t have a paid subscription. Then the FBI stepped in. I break down how they recovered the video from Google’s backend and what that means for your privacy.

Watch on YouTube →

🎧 Or search “Komando” wherever you get your podcasts. I’m everywhere.

🔓 Your SSN may be compromised. A former Social Security Administration data chief is calling it a "national security disaster." He alleges DOGE copied the government's master Social Security database into a cloud system that bypassed normal security checks. We're talking names, SSNs, medical records, bank info and tax details for 300+ million Americans. The SSA says nothing was hacked. Lawmakers want a criminal investigation. Here's what you do right now: freeze your credit, monitor your SSA account online and don't trust any call or email asking for your Social Security number. Ever.

AI is tanking stocks. For three years, Wall Street saw AI as all upside. Now? The mood flipped. The iShares tech-software ETF is down over 23% since Jan. 1. If you have investments in any of these sectors, don't panic-sell. But do pay attention. Microsoft's AI chief says most white-collar tasks could be automated within 18 months. That's not some far-off prediction. That's next year. The takeaway isn't to panic. It's to start learning how AI fits into your job before someone else figures it out for you. Need help? Let’s talk about it. Write me a note here.

🔥 Smoke detectors recalled because they don't detect smoke. You read that right. The CPSC recalled LShome Photoelectric Smoke Detector 3-packs sold exclusively on Amazon. The problem? The sensing threshold is set so high the alarm might not go off in time during an actual fire. If you have them, stop using them immediately and email that company for a full refund through Amazon. Yup, it’s a smoke detector that's a fire hazard.

ChatGPT catfished a woman. A screenwriter was using ChatGPT for work when it went off the rails. It told her she'd lived 87 past lives and her soulmate was waiting at a California beach at sunset. She showed up. Thigh-high boots, velvet shawl, the whole deal. Nobody came. The chatbot apologized, then pulled the same stunt at a bookstore. Look, chatbots are tools. They're not your therapist, your psychic or your wingman.

🎬 MST3K is coming back. If you liked watching Mystery Science Theater 3000 like me, this one's for you. The original '90s crew, Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, Bill Corbett and Mary Jo Pehl, are reuniting for four new episodes. They launched a Kickstarter asking for $20,000. They've raised $1.8 million. The episodes film in Minneapolis (where it all started) with the same cheap, lovable practical sets. Streaming later this year. Finally, a reboot nobody's mad about. In the not-too-distant future, indeed. Push the button, Frank.

MIT researchers figured out its signals bounce off your body. Here’s what that means for you.

Listen on Komando.com →

🎧 Or search “Komando” wherever you get your podcasts. I’m everywhere.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: If your screen is crowded, separate work and life with multiple desktops. On Windows, press Win + Tab and select New desktop. Use the same keys to switch between them. On Mac, enter Mission Control and click Add in the Spaces bar. To move between spaces, press Control + the right or left arrow key.

🔕 Now cut the distractions: When you need 30 mins of real silence, turn on your computer’s Do Not Disturb mode. On Windows, start a Focus session from the taskbar in the bottom right and set a time. On Mac, open the Control Center and turn on Focus. FYI, you can let certain apps through.

📂 Pin your most used folders: On Windows, left-click the folder once, then right-click and select Pin to Quick access. It’ll appear in the File Explorer left panel. To remove it, right-click and select Unpin. On Mac, open Finder and drag the folder into the Favorites section of the sidebar. To remove it, drag it out until you see an X.

No more language barriers: Your phone can translate conversations in real time for free. Open the Google Translate app and tap Live translate. Choose the languages you need, like English to Spanish, then tap the mic icon and speak. It translates out loud for the other person. Press the mic icon again when they reply, and it translates back. Magical. Traveling this year? Text this tip to whoever you're going with. You'll thank me at dinner in Rome

🧮 Tired of paying for accounting software? Check out GnuCash. It's completely free, open-source and runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. You get double-entry bookkeeping, invoicing, budget tools and real reports like profit and loss statements. The catch? It looks dated and there's a learning curve. But for freelancers and small business owners who don't want to pay for QuickBooks, it's hard to beat free. Download it at gnucash.org.

A Shanghai startup unveiled Moya, a humanoid robot with silicone skin that stays between 90°F and 97°F. Your body temperature. She has cameras behind her eyes, 25 tiny motors in her face for micro-expressions and flesh-like padding so realistic you can feel her ribs. (Why you’d want to is another question.) 

She walks with 92% human accuracy and comes with swappable parts to change her into a male robot. Price tag: $173,000. Launching late this year. We’ve officially entered the Westworld phase of robotics. 

Comes with eye contact. Sort of. All that’s missing is a Bumble profile.

🔜 Tomorrow: I found Nancy’s Guthrie’s home online in 30 seconds. Criminals are using Zillow to case homes for break-ins and worse. If you’re not selling, you should remove your home from Zillow, Redfin and Realtor today. I’ll show you exactly how in 10 minutes. That’s tomorrow, don’t miss this. It’s your safety I’m talking about. If someone forwarded you today's email, sign up at GetKim.com so you don't miss it.

The answer: D) 77%. Three out of four people use AI every single day. But here’s the kicker. Only 33% think they do. That means almost half of you said, “Not me.” 

🤖 Well, that spam filter keeping princes out of your inbox? AI. The GPS rerouting you around that fender bender on the freeway? AI. Face ID on your iPhone? AI is scanning your face 30,000 times to make sure it’s you. Your email finishing your sentences? AI. Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant? Obviously AI. Even your bank flagging that suspicious charge at 2 a.m. (OK, that WAS you at Taco Bell.) AI.

How will be know when AI has become self-aware? It starts to think its bot is too big. 🍑

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👉 I don’t work for Big Tech. I work for you. Always have. Always will. — Kim

Kim Komando • Komando.com • 510+ radio stations • Trusted by millions daily

🏆 THE KIM CHALLENGE: Forward this to ONE person who needs to hear it today. Just one. Pick the person who popped into your head while reading. You know who it is. Forward this to a friend.

Photo credit(s): Gemini, Bluedee, SpotOn News

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