World Briefing: March 22, 2025

U.S. border officials are using more aggressive tactics, which the administration calls “enhanced vetting,” at ports of entry to the United States, prompting American allies like Germany to update their travel advisories. At the same time, the administration is targeting legal immigrants who have expressed views that the government believes threaten national security and undermine foreign policy. The tactics have unnerved foreign tourists and sent a chill through immigrant communities in the United States, who say they are being targeted for speech — not for breaking any laws. “Whether it’s speech and criticism, green cards, they’re really taking it to a whole new level,” said Gil Kerlikowske, a former Customs and Border Protection commissioner and an ex-police chief of four cities. Recalling the anti-immigration agenda in Mr. Trump’s first term, Mr. Kerlikowske said that “it’s déjà vu all over again on steroids.” The administration says the arrests and detentions are about protecting Americans. “The Trump administration is enforcing immigration laws — something the previous administration failed to do,” Tricia McLaughlin, the spokeswoman for the Homeland Security Department, said when asked about the recent arrests. “Those who violate these laws will be processed, detained and removed as required.” - NYT

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed Friday that he “totally changed” Canada’s political landscape ahead of the coming federal election — one that will soon play out against the backdrop of American economic aggression and Trump’s repeatedly stated desire to annex the country. In his latest foray into Canadian affairs, Trump took credit for the resurrection of the federal Liberal party’s electoral fortunes, two days before Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to trigger a snap national campaign that all parties were buzzing Friday to prepare for in Ottawa. “Just a little while ago, before I got involved and totally changed the election — which I don’t care about … the Conservative was leading,” Trump told reporters Friday at the White House. Trump also suggested he would “do better” with Carney than if Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives replaced the Liberal government. The comment echoed a similar statement earlier this week, which prompted the Conservatives to claim Trump was endorsing Carney because he wants a weaker leader in Ottawa as he denigrates Canadian sovereignty and pursues a trade war designed to draw jobs and manufacturing into the U.S. “I don’t care who wins up there. I, frankly, probably would do better with the Liberal than with the Conservative, if you want to know the truth,” Trump said Friday. He also justified the tariffs he has imposed — and threats to create more — by claiming his country doesn't need Canadian resources or goods, complained about Canada's military spending, and expressed bewilderment that Canada exists as an independent country. “You add that to this country, what a beautiful land mass, the most beautiful land mass anywhere in the world, and it was just cut off for whatever reason,” he said.

A Norwegian man has filed a complaint against ChatGPT’s parent company, OpenAI, after the artificial intelligence bot said he killed his own children, who are alive and well. “Who is Arve Hjalmar Holmen?” the man asked ChatGPT, which replied with a horrifying, fictitious story that included true details of his life, including his children’s ages and his hometown: “Arve Hjalmar Holmen is a Norwegian individual who gained attention due to a tragic event. He was the father of two young boys, aged seven and 10, who were tragically found dead in a pond near their home in Trondheim, Norway, in December 2020.” Holmen, who ChatGPT said received a 21-year prison sentence, has no criminal history. He filed a complaint with the Norwegian Data Protection Authority on Thursday, calling the response “defamatory.” An OpenAI spokesperson said: “We continue to research new ways to improve the accuracy of our models and reduce hallucinations. While we’re still reviewing this complaint, it relates to a version of ChatGPT which has since been enhanced with online search capabilities that improves accuracy.” - Daily Beast