Happy Day Three of the Trump Era to our American readers. Much of the week was preoccupied with the countdown to inauguration, but there were a few other events that caught Mark's eye. In case you missed it, here's how the last seven days looked to Steyn:
The week began with Mark's Song of the Week and a slinky, shimmering tribute to the late Leon Russell.
~On Monday Steyn noted the passing of a once glamorous figure from Swinging London - Princess Margaret's former consort, society photographer Lord Snowdon.
~On Tuesday's edition of the new Mark Steyn Show, former presidential candidate Michele Bachmann swung by the studio to preview the next four years, Mark looked at celebrity boycotts of the inauguration - and at great inaugural disasters of the past 200 years. And, for Canuck, Aussie and other Commonwealth viewers, he played an opening round of "Know Your Ensigns". More details on the show here.
~As longtime Steyn readers know too well, free speech is in a parlous state through much of the western world. Two years after the Charlie Hebdo massacre, he highlighted a particularly revolting false equivalence from the British Prime Minister. Also midweek, the Cato Institute weighed in on the latest developments in the interminable suit against Mark brought by Big Climate's hockey-stick huckster Michael E Mann. In Cato's view:
The court's reasoning could put thousands of articles, blogposts, and even tweets under a cloud of potential liability, thereby chilling the speech that is the lifeblood of Washington politics.
It is modestly encouraging to see influential American institutions somewhat belatedly waking up to the implications of where this slapdash jurisprudence will take us. We thank everyone around the world who's supported Mark in this long battle, and especially those who've picked up a copy of his climatological bestseller on Mann's damage to science.
~On Thursday night, the eve of inauguration, Steyn looked back at the outgoing and incoming presidents in what became our most-read piece of the week. He also addressed one of the odder columnar trends of the Obama/Trump transition: the Rat Pack on the Potomac.
~On Friday Mark hosted the third weekend edition of The Mark Steyn Show. On the first day of the new administration, the bestselling author Andrew Klavan joined him to consider the intersection of politics and culture in the years ahead. Plus, live from the Steyn stage, a great klezmer performance of his favorite Leonard Cohen song:
~For our Saturday picture date, Mark looked at some memorable movie presidents.
A new week at SteynOnline begins tonight with our Song of the Week - and stay tuned for this week's episodes of The Mark Steyn Show, including a new book on the mass murderer America's media refused to cover, and, by way of contrast, Édith Piaf's loveliest love song.
