…And the World:

We being today in Taiwan, which has elected its first female president in a resounding victory for the Democratic Progressive Party. Tsai Ing-wen, a former law professor, leading her party back from the abyss in 2008, will face daunting task of the island’s tepid economy. While her party has traditionally advocated for independence from China—both the mainland and Taiwan have traditionally argued they are the rightful rulers of the other—Tsai said she would maintain the status quo. For its part, China has so far shrugged off the nationalist leader’s election.

Iran has implemented the deal between the P5+1 countries (the permanent United Nations Security members plus Germany). The Shia-dominated Islamic republican has also released a number of prisoners in an exchange with the United States including The Washington Post’s Jason Rezaian. A detained Massachusetts resident from Hingham was also released.

The United Kingdom’s Labour party has put out a report on its loss in last May’s general elections. Dame Margaret Beckett, a former cabinet minister who authored the report, identified multiple factors in Labour’s May 2015 loss. Elsewhere in Britain, Parliament begs off on banning Donald Trump from the country, ostensibly to NOT give him the attention such a move would entail.

A terrorist attack in Burkina Faso strikes at the heart of the capital and follows terror attacks in countries as far apart as Indonesia and Iraq.

The European Union’s leader, Donald Tusk, formerly prime minister of Poland, has tried taking a middle road with his country as it appears to veer more sharply toward authoritarianism.

The Feds:

Following Sunday’s debate in Charleston, most prognosticators offer a split verdict between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. While most believe Clinton has a firewall in South Carolina, her campaign appears to be readying for a long slog against Sanders. For his part, Sanders has become, to some, the unlikely leader of a youth movement. Finally, after shouting out to Flint, Michigan’s contaminated water crisis, the city’s mayor backs Clinton.

While his supporters vehemently disagree—although they are also not inspired by Sanders’s wonky policy offers—coming into focus as a credible challenger to Clinton has put Sanders in the spotlight. Ezra Klein of Vox.com eviscerates Sanders’s Medicare-for-all proposal (his critques are reasonable), while Kevin Drum at Mother Jones says Klein goes too far and that this is merely a campaign proposal (a fair counterpoint).

Matthew Yglesias of Vox spanks Sanders on other policy prescription and Alex Seitz-Wald of MSNBC asks if Sanders really wants the job.

Are Marco Rubio’s boots made for walking? The youngest presidential candidate running for either major party’s nomination appears to be going overboard to undercut his rivals’ attempts to castrate him.

Ugh! Sarah Palin backs Trump.

The US Supreme Court will review President Barack Obama’s immigration order that would temporarily grant some legal status to undocumented immigrants and allow the administration to focus on other priorities (like actual criminals) to combat illegal immigration.

California Governor Jerry Brown is not slowing down as second stint in Sacramento lumbers toward its close in 2018.

As the former leaders of both of New York’s legislative chambers face jail time, that the legislature’s ethics panels rarely meet is becoming conspicuous.

The State of Things:

“Mahty” to deliver the state of the city. Entering his third year as the mayor of the commonwealth’s largest city, Marty Walsh has achievements to highlight, but there is still a great deal left to do.

Holyoke’s tax collector has resigned to take a better paying job with the state.

Senate President Stan Rosenberg expands his communications staff.

While Boston jumps for joy over General Electric’s move there (financed by $120 million from Bay State taxpayers), the Pittsfield still has sour memorieshttp://bit.ly/1JW7IFk about the company’s departure some years ago. Moreover, the cleanup of the Housatonic River goes on.

WMassP&I Editor-in-Chief joined columnist and public relations consultant Natalia Munoz joined Susan Kaplan for NEPR’s Short List last week. While you’re at it, read Munoz’s column from last week’s Daily Hampshire Gazette on the presidential race.

It’s Working:

The Huffington Post has opted to voluntarily recognize the Writers Guild of America, East as its employees’ union. The decision is particularly notable as Huffington Post media is owned by Verizon, now, which has historically been quite hostile to organized labor.

City Slickers:

MGM takes City Councilors for a ride… The gaming company offered councilors and the press a site tour ahead of Council votes to approve the site place, street closures and changes to the host community agreement.

The City Council is also considering extending its ban on new pawn shops in the city.

Ward 8 Councilor Orlando Ramos is appointed to a statewide post for a national young elected leaders group.

Twitter Chatter:

It is impossible to know exactly what the late Martin Luther King, Jr. would have thought of the LGBT movement. However, that may really only an academic point it was quite clear he stood for justice for all. Therefore, it is only right that his memory be a banner for justice and equality for blacks, Latinos, Asians, women, gays and lesbians and people of all faiths. To underscore this point, the tweet prize this week goes to transgender actress Laverne Cox, who stars in the show Orange Is the New Black. In selecting this observation from King, she underscores that the battle for a just and equal society is not over until all people can enjoy it.