ANNIHILATION: British voters have spoken in local elections seen as a verdict on Keir Starmer’s leadership.

Britain needs literal annihilation of the people who waged war on it from within, but electoral annihilation would be a good start.

OPEN THREAD: Just do it.

BACK FROM THE WASTELAND: J. Budziszewski has been a University of Texas professor for 45 years, but the J strolling to the lecturn today might well not even recognize the one who first accepted the Austin position.

To understand why, check out Terrell Clemmons’ interview with one of the most intellectually courageous people you may encounter in American academia. The interview first appeared in Science & Culture Today. Here’s a taste of the conversation:

“I had come to think that there couldn’t be any real moral authority for anything, that good and evil were things we made up; I am just a process; I don’t have personal responsibility for my actions; I’m not free. But I loved my wife and children.

“Now consider: love is a commitment of the will to the true good of another person. But I didn’t believe in objective good, I didn’t believe in persons, and I didn’t believe my commitments were in my control. So it wasn’t that I didn’t love them. It was that I couldn’t make sense of this love. That was horrible.”

WHAT CORRUPTION LOOKS LIKE:

NEWS FROM MY NECK OF THE WOODS: Gov. Bill Lee signs new redistricting map into law, hours after lawmakers pass it. “The new map reshapes Tennessee’s only Democratic-held congressional seat, District 9, into a Republican-leaning district. Shelby County, which forms the core of the current district, would be divided among three districts. Memphis would be placed in District 5, which would stretch east to include parts of Williamson and Maury counties.”

This is hilarious: “The Tennessee Democratic Party said the new maps, set to take effect for the August 2026 primary, ‘dilutes the voice of Black Memphians and harms their ability to elect a representative from their community.'” The district has been represented forever by Steve Cohen, who is utterly white, not withstanding his propensity for eating fried chicken during hearings.

Plus: Governor signs bill to expand school voucher program.

UPDATE:

LABOR ECONOMISTS REJECT MINIMUM WAGE HIKES: A survey of 166 economists, most of whom are academics specializing in labor economics, found solid opposition across ideological camps to huge minimum wage increases proposed by House Democrats, lefty activists and Mayor Mamdani.

TIT FOR TAT IS THE ONLY WAY TO IMPROVE BAD BEHAVIOR:

No wonder Dems are losing it.