…And the World:

We begin today in Poland, which tossed out its center-right government today despite eight solid years of economic growth, in exchange for a right-wing populist one. Civic Platform, a pro-Europe, but somewhat moderate conservative party, has ruled since 2007, but suffered from scandal, especially after its onetime leader Donald Tusk left for a leadership post in the European Union. The campaign of the Law & Justice party, which promised more government benefits, but also advocates more power concentrated in the president and a hardline on social issues. Law & Justice ruled before 2007, but lost partly due to Kaczynski twins which once jointly ran the party.

Lech, who once served as president, died in a plane crash, but his brother Jaroslaw, a former premier, still runs the party and campaigned in part by making salacious claims about migrants fleeing persecution in the Middle East. Anti-migrant rhetoric was generally part of Law & Justice’s platofrm Inexplicably, the party has the support of the Catholic Church, whose leader Pope Francis called on parishes to shelter migrant families. Beata Szydlo will become prime minister and polls suggest her government will be the first to govern Poland without a coalition party since free elections began in 1989.

A major quake rattles Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Times reports at least 208 are dead.

In other election potpourri: Argentina also voted over the weekend, although with an inconclusive result leading to a runoff. Some sources say the failure for Daniel Scioli, President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner’s preferred candidate, was a setback for Fernandez and her political movement. Haiti also voted in presidential elections. Among other elections, Tanzania voted, too.

With violence still percolating in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has been mulling revocation of East Jerusalem Arabs’ residency within the city. That prompted this tweet from Haaretz’s US Editor Chemi Shalev about the notion of Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel. The idea also drew an American rebuke and a thumb’s down from Haaretz‘s editorial board.

Meanwhile, Israel prepares to remember slain Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was assassinated 20 years ago next month by a Jewish extremist. Israeli media has interviews with Rabin’s daughter, President Bill Clinton and coverage of remarks from pols including Netanyahu noting Rabin’s death.

The Tories in Britain suffered a major setback after the House of Lords rejected a rollback of tax breaks.

The Feds:

House, Senate and White House negotiators are working a spending plan that runs through March 2017 and raises the debt ceiling by the necessary amount through that date. This would both “clear the deck” for incoming House Speaker Paul Ryan, but also relieve the GOP of some of the madness that wounds it going into the 2016 presidential election.

Bernie Sanders start criticizing Hillary Clinton amid a stall in his poll numbers, but his campaign said Clinton struck first. Meanwhile, Clinton tries to learn from her mistakes in Iowa during the 2008 campaign.

Chris Christie’s comments that the Black Lives Matter movement advocates the murder of police officers are getting pushback.

Meanwhile Ole Miss takes down the state flag, which includes the Confederate battle flag in its design.

Connecticut legislative leaders from both parties met with Governor Dannel Malloy to discuss how to close another yawning budget gap. Possibly in the mix is a tax cut to improve the state’s business climate.

The Boston Globe considers the Hassan-Ayotte Senate race shaping up in New Hampshire and how it is a battleground for women’s issues complete with two women candidates.

The State of Things:

Leading off Political Happy Hour tonight, The Boston Herald reports that the state inspector general has slammed Boston’s perpetual grant of an easement for Yawkey Way to the Red Sox.

Our reports from last week on City Council candidates and/or races in Chicopee and Holyoke. First the campaign of Holyoker Adrian Dahlin and also the race in Chicopee’s Ward 5 between incumbent Fred Krampits and challenger Miguel Roldan-Castro.

Senator Eric Lesser pens an Op-Ed on his and the legislature’s efforts to help seniors.

Paul Tuthill at Northeaster Public Radio reports that the state’s first medical marijuana dispensaries are doing brisk business.

Our editor-in-chief Matt Szafranski and The Reminder’s Mike Dobbs join New England Public Radio’s Susan Kaplan for another edition of the Short List.

Dueling ads in the Holyoke Mayor race. Fran O’Connell goes super-negative in his ad, while Alex Morse sticks to a more hopeful message.

Haven’t got your fill of Holyoke politics? The Reminder‘s Dobbs describes O’Connell and Morse’s debate at Gateway City Arts. Dobbs was also on the media panel for the debate.

The special election to fill a state senate seat left vacant by the death of Senator Thomas Kennedy is drawing a lot of attention from both party’s bigwigs.

City Slickers:

Springfield has rejected MGM’s site plan as incomplete amid growing acrimony about the company’s failure to keep city officials up to date on changes. MGM luminaries are set to meet with Sarno on Thursday. The Council will be briefed next month.

The Republican endorses Mayor Domenic Sarno for reelection in an unsurprising editorial.

Sheriff Michael Ashe has his final say on the Alcohol Center that will not be at the previously selected North End location. The Sheriff’s office is currently looking for alternatively sites.

Twitter Chatter:

In light of Gov. Chris Christie’s grossly ignorant comments about the Black Lives Matter movement—every movement has elements that say and do vile things, that shouldn’t malign the whole thing—it seems fitting to recognize progress on another front. The University of Mississippi’s decision to take down the state flag, complete with its representation of the Confederate battle flag is a tiny, overdue step, but an important one. Today we award the tweet prize to the University itself for announcing the change and linking to a statement on the issue. Faculty and students had long pushed for the move, but it was an important, if largely symbolic, move for the school to make. Perhaps, the lesson is listen, rather than shout, when we confront fraught issues from our past.