Esquire: How U.S. Customs and Border Protection Accidentally Sent a JD Vance Meme into the Viral Stratosphere

The altered photo of the vice president might’ve revealed his weird, sweaty soul better than Hillbilly Elegy ever could.

This week, a 21-year-old Norwegian tourist named Mads Mikkelsen was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at Newark Airport, and the most important part of the story is NOT that there’s another guy named Mads Mikkelsen. The most important part of the story is that Mikkelsen claims he was detained and eventually returned to Norway at least in part because of an image CBP agents found on his phone, which is this doctored photo of JD Vance.

Upon his return to Norway, Mikkelsen gave an interview to local newspaper Nordlys, saying that CBP agents threatened him with a $5,000 fine if he did not unlock his phone and allow them to scroll through his photos, and when they saw this hilarious and unsettling image, that was the last straw. The story spread far and wide, and CBP felt the need to address the situation on social media.

Because the CBP chose to address the story publicly rather than let it blow over, the JD Vance meme has been on the front page of European newspapers and websites all week long, which is the dumbest and funniest and most obvious possible outcome. It is proof that people in power do not understand the Streisand Effect.

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a65223992/us-customs-and-border-protection-jd-vance-meme

Travel Bucketlist: Multiple Countries Issue Travel Warnings for USA After Immigration Crackdowns Target Foreign Visitors

  • Germany Warns Citizens After Border Detentions
  • United Kingdom Issues Stern Entry Warnings
  • Ireland Updates Guidance on Gender Requirements
  • Netherlands and Belgium Join the Warning Wave
  • Denmark and Finland Issue Gender-Specific Warnings
  • Norway Overhauls Travel Advisory System
  • France and Spain Join European Response

Thank you, King Donald. Under your divine leadership, we’ve gone from being the leader of the free world to a pariah.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/multiple-countries-issue-travel-warnings-for-usa-after-immigration-crackdowns-target-foreign-visitors/ss-AA1FM8eV

Inquirer: Nordics hope to attract US researchers alienated by Trump

With US universities facing challenges to their independence and funding, Nordic countries hope their emphasis on academic freedom and strong welfare societies can lure researchers seeking to leave the United States.

“To researchers in the United States: welcome,” Sweden’s Education Minister Johan Pehrson told AFP, reaching out to academics affected by a wave of measures under US President Donald Trump.

“We can offer trust and long-term investments. We’ve got academic freedom. If you are looking for a place to do your work and contribute to solving global challenges, we value your knowledge,” the minister said in a written statement.

“Our aim is to make it easier for talented individuals to come to Sweden,” he added.

https://www.msn.com/en-ph/news/other/nordics-hope-to-attract-us-researchers-alienated-by-trump/ar-AA1E5aJB

The Independent: Under Trump, 80 years of collective security have been dismantled in as many days

The Atlantic Alliance used to believe it had liberal democratic values in common and a shared interest in collective security and free trade. That, thanks to the US president, is no longer true. Europe must adjust to this altered reality, or die.

It may be that the US’s tilt to the Kremlin, accompanied by the twin-track diplomatic and trade wars now being waged on friends and allies, will before long drive Europe to stand on its own two feet and be the independent force in world affairs that the founding fathers of the project of European unity dreamed about. At long last, Europe begins to assert itself. To borrow a famous phrase from a happier era of US-European relations, Europe, like president Barack Obama, is saying: “Yes we can.”

The “coalition of the willing” (or “coalition of action”, as French president Emmanuel Macron prefers to call it) is a concrete example of this emerging European consciousness. The project is to provide a safe and secure future for Ukraine, irrespective of what Russia or the US might desire. Russia is rightly distrusted, while there is still hope that the Americans can contribute in some way to keeping the peace in Ukraine – and in Europe more widely.

Under Trump, 80 years of collective security have been dismantled in as many days | The Independent