—From Ft. Worth, Texas

World: British Prime Minister David Cameron overcame pre-election polling predicting a tight race to win a majority for his Conservative Party, trouncing the Labour Party. The BBC predicts that when all the votes are counted the Conservatives will have gained 24 seats in Parliament. It’s a big disappointment for labor and liberals who were convinced the race was so tight they would share power with the conservatives.

Nation: The FBI had warned Texas authorities about a potential attack on a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest hours before the assault took place and the two attackers were killed. One of the men, Elton Simpson, had been under observation since 2006 and referred to the attack on Twitter. FBI Director James Comey said, “I know there are other Elton Simpsons out there.”

New York activist Pamela Geller, who organized the cartoon contest in the name of free speech, told the Associated Press she had no regrets about it. “If you want to know who rules over you, find out who you cannot criticize,” she said.

They Knew That: A federal appeals court in New York ruled yesterday that the NSA’s massive collection of Americans’ phone records is illegal. The three-judge panel did not order a stop to the data collection, but if the Republican-led Congress wants to continue with it, they may have to pass an alteration to the Patriot Act, the massive post 9/11 security law.

Soft Balls: New England Patriot quarterback Tom Brady said yesterday at a Massachusetts college that the NFL report on deflated footballs in a playoff game does not taint his Super Bowl win. “We earned everything we got and achieved as a team, and I am proud of that and so are our fans,” he said. Brady is waiting to learn whether he and the team will get a smacking from the league.

Houston: The Russian supply ship for the International Space Station that went rogue and stopped responding to radio commands has burned up on re-entry to Earth’s atmosphere, according to the Russian space agency. The ship was launched April 28 and operators nearly immediately lost control.

Going, Going: Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez hit his 661^st home run last night against Baltimore, passing the career record of the great Willie Mays. A-Rod is now fourth on the career home run list, but the Yankees have declined to pay him an optional $6 million bonus for tying Mays. After a one-year suspension for using performance drugs, A-Rod is lucky to be in the game. Last night he said, “The league, the Yankees, the fans, nobody owes me anything. I am so grateful to be playing baseball, and I’m thankful to everyone.”

The Obit Page: Since 1960 when Guy Carawan sang “We Shall Overcome” to a group of black students in Raleigh, NC, the song has been the anthem for the civil rights movement. Carawan, a white folk singer and folklorist, has died at age 87. Carawan didn’t write the song. It was an obscure folk song when he dug it up and put it on the lips of millions of Americans who changed history.

The Way East: It’s been about 80 years since Jimmie Rodgers sang his ode to getting home to Tucumcari, but he wouldn’t want to go there today. Despite being a mysteriously popular location in music and movies, Tucumcari, New Mexico borders on becoming a ghost town. Businesses along Route 66 are abandoned and crumbling and the old downtown is nearly forgotten. The cornerstone Federal Building burned in 2006 and is partially demolished. The beautiful Princess Theater is fire damaged and vacant.

The city is proud of its interesting murals painted on the walls of buildings, commemorating its history in the old West and as a major stop on Route 66, but today, as the old Andy Mason song goes, “There’s Nothin’ to Eat in Tucumcari.”

-30-