Updated

Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:

Lincoln Airport

Illinois Democratic Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. has put in an earmark request for $231,000 for the Abraham Lincoln National Airport Commission to finance what is called "minority and small business development."

But the airport does not exist, and plans for it are the subject of a power struggle between Jackson and the Will County government.

Republicans call the request an example of unnecessary spending.

Will County officials say Jackson is using his influence to waste taxpayer dollars.

Critics also point out that the executive director of the airport commission for the non-existent airport — happens to be the administrator for Jackson's congressional office in Chicago.

Jackson's people say the money is needed to study how the area south of Chicago could transition into an "airport economy" if the facility is ever built.

British Invasion

Zimbabwe's leading cleric is calling for the British to invade his country.

Archbishop Pius Ncube is warning that millions face death from famine and President Robert Mugabe must be toppled.

"We should do it ourselves but there's too much fear," he says in the London Sunday Times. "I'm ready to lead the people, guns blazing, but the people are not ready."

Some parts of Zimbabwe have a 95 percent crop failure rate.

The country's inflation rate has soared to 15,000 percent, with prices more than doubling every week.

Families are struggling on less than $2/week.

Meanwhile Mugabe has spent more than $2 million on surveillance equipment to monitor phone calls and e-mails.

Untimely Demise

That Mickey Mouse lookalike we told you about a few weeks ago being used by Hamas TV to teach Palestinian children to hate Israel — has met an untimely demise.

"Farfour" was beaten to death by an actor playing an Israeli official in the final episode of the TV show last week.

A teenage girl told the audience the character was martyred while defending his land, murdered by what she called "the killers of children."

Officials with the Hamas-affiliated Al Aqsa TV said the show was taken off the air to make room for new programming.

Taxpayer Funding

And a Japanese newspaper is reporting that taxpayer dollars are being used to fund what is called the Nude News Station on a Japanese satellite TV channel.

The Friday night program features a newscaster removing one item of clothing per story. And because the government helps fund TV programs that serve deaf people — taxpayers are subsidizing a segment on Nude News that shows a newscaster shedding her clothes while "signing" the news.

A spokesman for Paradise TV says it gets about $1,200/month from the government — and is especially thrilled that the government officially recognizes its show.

Meanwhile the Japanese Information Ministry points out its contract is technically with a charity — which has its own contract with the satellite channel.

A ministry spokesman says — "We really wish Paradise would stop going around telling everybody that it's being funded by the government."

—FOX News Channel's Martin Hill contributed to this report.