Steve Kelman on politics, culture, and life June 16, 2025
Left and right both exaggerate number of deportations
An interesting article in The Times notes that anti- and pro-immigration activists on the right and left both have an interest in saying that the number of deportations that have taken place is very large. However, in reality, there have been very few deportations so far, and Trump is now excluding farms, as well as hotels and restaurants, the source of almost all immigrant workers, from enforcement.
Abadin-Soros wedding
Huma Abadin married a son of George Soros over the weekend in the Hamptons on Long Island. According to the article on the wedding in The New York Times, the only foreign dignitary to attend was the Prime Minister of Albania. (this is not a joke)
Trump’s parade
During Trump’s first term, the military pushed back and rejected his idea of a parade. “I’d rather swallow acid,” the Defense Secretary at the time, James Mattis, said. I don’t believe he was referring to LSD. Massachusetts Congressman Auchincloss, who served in the military, stated, “I’d rather get rolled over by one of his tanks” than attend his parade.
Spanish-language TV programming in Boston
I have discovered that the Spanish-speaking TV network Telemundo has programming originating in Boston, with local Boston news among other things. Amazed there are enough Spanish-speaking people here to justify setting up such a channel. Will be starting to watch this in the morning, it is on my phone, but not on cable.
New countries on Trump travel ban
The Trump administration is considering adding 35 countries to the travel ban to the United States, mostly from Africa. He doesn’t want us to have any more Black faces on our soil than we absolutely have to.
Naming Harvard library after an immigrant (one hundred years ago)
When the major Harvard library in Harvard Yard, now known as Widener Library, was being built, an obvious potential donor was Andrew Carnegie, who was setting up libraries throughout the country. However, the head of the Harvard Alumni Association vetoed the idea because Carnegie was an immigrant. The library ended up being named after a recent graduate who had gone down with the Titanic when it sank.
New ways to celebrate weddings in China
An article in Beijing Review discusses new ways that young Chinese individuals are celebrating weddings — toasting with bubble tea instead of alcohol, holding the wedding at fast food restaurants rather than luxury hotels. Nice to see the growth of individuality.