Jon Stewart recaps the APEC summit, mocking Obama's clothes, Putin's creepy gallantry
The just-concluded Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Beijing was remarkably productive, concluding with a landmark U.S.-China carbon-reduction deal. But it takes someone like Jon Stewart to make it entertaining. He gave it his best go on Tuesday night's Daily Show, starting with China's anything-but-dry welcoming ceremony. "Who breaks out 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Drummer Corps' for an economic summit?"
The theatrical critique continued when he noted President Obama's purple Nehru jacket getup. "He's not dressed for a summit, he's dressed for The Hunger Games," Stewart quipped, before noting that summit host countries get to choose "fanciful outfits" for all heads of state to wear. There's no such explanation for recently divorced Russian President Vladimir Putin's unwelcomely chivalrous move to drape a shawl over shoulders of the host's wife. "Oh my God, she thought Putin just annexed the Chinese president's wife," Stewart said. "The guy's an annexing machine." Watch on to learn about the cold-fish handshake between China and Japan's presidents, and the "Mean Girls" relationship between Obama and Putin. --Peter Weber
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
‘Space is one of the few areas of bipartisan agreement in Washington’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
How robust is the rule of law in the US?In the Spotlight John Roberts says the Constitution is ‘unshaken,’ but tensions loom at the Supreme Court
-
Magazine solutions - December 26-January 2Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - December 26-January 2
-
‘One Battle After Another’ wins Critics Choice honorsSpeed Read Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, won best picture at the 31st Critics Choice Awards
-
Son arrested over killing of Rob and Michele ReinerSpeed Read Nick, the 32-year-old son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner, has been booked for the murder of his parents
-
Rob Reiner, wife dead in ‘apparent homicide’speed read The Reiners, found in their Los Angeles home, ‘had injuries consistent with being stabbed’
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
