Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:
No Apologies
Charlotte, North Carolina, Republican Mayor Pat McCrory is refusing to apologize for remarks he made about African-American youth following the arrests of 169 people during Fourth of July festivities.
The Charlotte Observer reports McCrory congratulated police on their efforts during the event and wrote that: "Too many of our youth, primarily African-American, are imitating and/or participating in a gangster type of dress, attitude, behavior and action."
The head of Charlotte's branch of the NAACP called the comments "insensitive" and said they "characterized all young black people as troublemakers and gang members."
But McCrory isn't budging, saying he won't apologize "because my comments were accurate, period." And he added: "My role as mayor is to communicate what I consider to be concerns and in doing so you have to step on some toes. We can't run away from the situation and shoot the messenger."
Sheehan Out
Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan is being kicked off the Democratic blog Daily Kos because she is considering a challenge to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Sheehan posted a goodbye message Thursday, writing: "I can't post here anymore because my potential run for Congress is not on the Democratic ticket. I know a lot of you are hostile towards my candidacy."
Sheehan said earlier this week she would mount an independent campaign against Pelosi if the speaker did not initiate impeachment proceedings against President Bush within two weeks.
Daily Kos is making no apologies. Its Web site clearly states: "It's not a liberal blog. It's a Democratic blog with one goal in mind: electoral victory" for the party.
Marines vs. Murtha
Wednesday we told you that a Marine Corps investigator has recommended that murder charges against Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt be dropped in the killing of three Iraqis at Haditha. Now the Marine's parents say they will ask Congress to censure Pennsylvania Democrat John Murtha for saying that Marines "overreacted" and killed civilians "in cold blood."
Cybercast News reports Darryl Sharratt and his wife plan to visit Murtha's office. Sharratt says Murtha "denied my son — and the other Marines involved — their constitutional rights to a fair trial and a presumption of innocence."
Murtha's office had no comment. Murtha is already being sued by another Haditha defendant who claims the congressman defamed him while discussing the incident.
U.K. School Daze
The new British secondary school curriculum will feature a slimmed-down study plan that cuts out several key historical figures, such as Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Martin Luther King Jr. and — believe it or not — Winston Churchill.
As you might imagine, that has Britons howling. Sir Winston's grandson is calling the decision "madness" and "absurd." The British History Curriculum Association says it is "appalled" by the move, that it will "promote ignorance" and is pandering to a politically correct agenda.
A spokesman for the group that came up with the new school plan sought to justify it by saying good teachers won't blindly follow the new guide and will still talk about Churchill's role in the history of Britain.
—FOX News Channel's Martin Hill contributed to this report.
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