MR GRADY'S DAILY BLOG: AMERICAS NEWS

TRICKY MICK! Battle over Mickey Rooney's remains erupts as will reveals screen icon left behind estate of just $18K — star also disinherited wife of 35 years and his kids

Mickey Rooney's lawyers rushed to court Tuesday seeking an emergency order barring a mortuary from releasing the actor's remains to his wife, Janice Rooney. The screen icon omitted his wife, his kids and stepson from his will. read full story »

'I DID WHAT ANYBODY WOULD DO': Rev. Sharpton downplays work as FBI informant who brought down infamous mob family

EXCLUSIVE Republicans plan to tie Democrat Recchia to de Blasio in bid to keep Staten Island

Republican strategists have settled on a new strategy in their fight to a keep Staten Island’s lone congressional seat in GOP hands: tie Democratic challenger Domenic Recchia to Mayor de Blasio at every turn.

Police dogs find no drugs in Peaches Geldof's home, death remains a mystery

Police dogs, believed to be trained to sniff out drugs, scoured the home of rocker Bob Geldof’s 25-year-old daughter Tuesday, a day after she was found dead.

Former Arizona stripper guilty of beating husband to death with hammer

An Arizona woman was convicted of first-degree Tuesday for bludgeoning her husband to death with a hammer in what prosecutors said was a failed bid to collect on a life insurance policy.

WWE legend Ultimate Warrior dead at 54

New hope in finding Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 after detecting two pings in the deep

Though battery life is running out on the missing plane's black box locators, the Australia Navy's Ocean Shield picked up a couple beacon pings in the southern Indian Ocean that could lead to the plane that went missing March 8 while transporting 239 people.

Gunman who shot LAPD cop identified as it's revealed he had assault rifle in his car, arsenal of weapons at home: cops

An officer working at the LAPD's West Traffic Division station's front desk was shot in the shoulder after Yealu opened fire with a semiautomatic handgun on Monday night.

Helping to keep immigrants looking for work from being scammed

A MEXICAN immigrant hunting for a job in Queens hands over $120 cash as an upfront fee to a clerk at an employment agency.

Alabama man doused sleeping girlfriend with hot grease: police

Anthony McGraw, 40, dumped half a pan of the boiling fat on the victim’s face and arms early Sunday, then fled the Tuscaloosa home, cops said.

Arizona socialite found guilty of murdering millionaire husband so she could collect insurance and continue lavish lifestyle

Nearly two decades after the death of her millionaire ex-husband, an Arizona socialite was convicted of killing her former flame for $2 million in life insurance.

Indianapolis police arrest boy in murder of newlywed, father-to-be

Murder suspect Simeon Adams was found hospitalized with a gunshot wound to his neck hours after 24-year-old Nathan Trapuzzano was fatally shot while taking a walk April 1, according to Indianapolis cops.

Storrs Sweep! UConn women complete 40-0 season with NCAA title

Geno Auriemma and Connecticut stand alone in women’s college basketball, and they reached the top in unprecedented fashion. The Huskies routed Notre Dame 79-58 in the first championship game featuring undefeated teams, winning their record ninth national title.

Edward Snowden says the NSA ignored his formal complaints before he leaked classified documents

Patriot or traitor, Edward Snowden blindsided the U.S. government's intelligence community — now he's speaking out about why he couldn't keep quiet.

Ex-teacher escapes Utah jail after sexual relationship with teen

Courtney Jarrell, 23, was initially facing five years in prison after her sexual relationship with the 17-year-old girl was uncovered at Utah's Riverton High School last year.

Orioles Adam Jones rips Yankee fans who stormed the field: 'Tase the s---' out of them!

Even though his team was up 10 runs at the time, Adam Jones was livid Tuesday in the bottom of the eighth. That’s because he couldn’t stand that two fans in Yankees jerseys ran onto the field from the left field side as Francisco Cervelli was batting, causing a brief delay in the game.

WATCH OUT KEITH! Colin Firth considers Nicole Kidman his 'work wife'

Ex-teacher escapes Utah jail after sexual relationship with teen

Courtney Jarrell, 23, was initially facing five years in prison after her sexual relationship with the 17-year-old girl was uncovered at Utah's Riverton High School last year.

Miami pastor convicted of trying to sell fake Damien Hirst paintings

Kevin Sutherland was convicted of attempted grand larceny Tuesday in Manhattan Supreme Court for trying to sell a fake Hirst painting to an undercover cop for $185,000.

PREMODERN: Vergara stuns in vintage modeling pic

Millionaire co-founder of Carrabba's Restaurants arrested TWICE in three days after breaking into winery and threatening staff with hammer: cops

Damian Mandola, 61, co-founder of Carrabba's Restaurants, allegedly broke into the Duchman Family Winery in Driftwood, Tex. on Thursday and Saturday, threatening staff with a hammer and knife.

Moroccan man arrested in Connecticut for drone bomb plot targeting school, federal building, FBI says

El Mehdi Semlali Fathi, a 27-year-old former U.S. student, was arrested by the FBI Monday after allegedly speaking on recorded conversations about a desire to bomb a school and a federal building.

11 ANIMALS vying to become the mayor of small Colorado town

City Hall, in many cities, has often been described as a zoo, but for one Colorado town, the label could prove accurate.

Gisele, daughter don matching swimsuits at the beach

EXCLUSIVE Missing Columbia student attempted suicide a week before she vanished and left note saying she was 'sorry she did not live up to expectations'

Jiwon Lee, who also suffers from depression and bi-polar disorder, vanished on April 1. Her roommate and family reported her missing the next day.

Mercy killer not allowed to plead guilty on manslaughter charge in bid to end five-year-old case

Kenneth Minor tried to cop to the lesser charge at his arraignment Tuesday, but a judge refused because he still has a murder indictment against him.

President Obama to attend Fort Hood memorial service for soldiers murdered on base

President Obama, for the second time in five years, will attend a Fort Hood memorial service for soldiers gunned down by a deranged comrade-in-arms.

Jay Leno breaks his silence on Letterman's retirement, successor

EXCLUSIVE City job center officials steal cases to inflate their own status: judge

Three officials at city job centers stole cases from other centers to inflate their own stats, a judge has found.

North Carolina woman used counterfeit bills to buy Girl Scout cookies: police

Wendy Wilson, 35, was charged by Surf City Police on Monday with passing fake $20 bills to buy the cookies, according to a report. She was also charged with drug possession and possession of a firearm.

John Boehner will likely run for House speaker again: poll of GOP colleagues

John Boehner isn’t ready to retire, according to a survey of his Republican colleagues. The House Speaker will run for the title again if Republicans win control of the Senate, a poll of GOP lawmakers found.

Woman gets less in divorce from lawyer ex because her public accusations hurt his business: judge

Janice Schacter, 51, had complained about her now ex-husband, Ira Schacter, 54, which in turned decreased the value of his partnership in a white-shoe law firm, a Manhattan judge ruled.

Don't call me 'Scarjo!' Star says nickname 'insulting' and 'violent'

Habaneros on Denver playground send 7 kids to hospital

These peppers pack some punch. Six habanero peppers scattered in schoolyard woodchips sent seven kids to the hospital and forced the Denver area Jefferson County Open School to stay closed on Tuesday.

Dutch Jesuit priest shot dead in Syria — after refusing to flee besieged city

Rev. Frans Van Der Lugt was beaten and shot to death in the garden of his monastery in the embattled Syrian city of Homs on Monday, after refusing to seek refuge in a safer place.

WIN-WIN: Lawsuit against UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma dismissed

University of Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma won in another court Tuesday when the Manhattan Apellate Division agreed to dismiss a lawsuit against him by a former official of the NBA.

Priest, Commissioner Bratton head to bedside of cop injured in New York fire

A priest was summoned Tuesday to the hospital bedside of a NYPD housing cop who was badly hurt by a Coney Island arson fire — and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton was on his way as well.

Olympians say White House prohibited selfies with President Obama during visit

A handshake? Sure. A selfie? No way. Some of America’s Olympic athletes say they were asked to keep their cellphones in their pockets last week when they visited the White House.

Rob Ford 'Crackathon' video game lights up the web

'Crackathon' sees players take control of Toronto pol. Rob Ford who has to do whatever it takes to prevent himself from being impeached.

SEE IT Dopey drug dealer arrested after police discover pictures of him holding huge amount of cannabis

Nicholas Waine was caught on camera looking pleased with himself amongst the illegal drugs haul - before the pictures were recovered by the police.

Ukraine leader: Separatists driven from second-largest city

Ukrainian authorities on Tuesday reasserted control over an administration building in Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, evicting pro-Russian protesters and detaining dozens.

New York, Washington, D.C. top cities for new college grads to start careers: report

A joint report released by Indeed.com and Apartment Guide found that the two cities were tops for finding a job after graduation and for starting a career, despite the hefty rent costs.

Fifi Geldof posts touching tribute to late sister Peaches

'I sat over Reeva and I cried': Oscar Pistorius takes off prosthetics, recreates shooting of Reeva Steenkamp in court

Pistorius was on the stand for the second day as the defense tries to show the Blade Runner's shooting of Steenkamp was an accident, rather than the pre-meditated murder charge he is facing.

HOT IN THAILAND: Golden Kim sizzles in sultry shoot

SEE IT NOT LOVIN' IT: Topless woman in a thong ransacks Florida McDonald's in shocking surveillance video

EXCLUSIVE BEING A GAL DOESN'T PAY: Average woman in NYC earns 82 cents for man's dollar, study shows

Beyoncé covers Out mag: 'Women should own their sexuality'

Minnesota attorney charged with dousing sleeping girlfriend with chemicals, setting her on fire

Oregon man, 21, busted for DUI wears 'Drunk As S---' T-shirt in mug shot

Sports

At UConn, make it a double!

Ninety minutes before the UConn women’s basketball team tipped off against Notre Dame for the national championship in Nashville Tuesday night, Shabazz Napier, the Most Outstanding Player of the men’s title game, idled by his home locker room inside Gampel Pavilion.

Ex-UK star Chapman backs off Calipari to Lakers tweet

The tweet that rocked the sports world on Monday night appears to be just a case of #BS. After creating a firestorm before UConn defeated Kentucky in Arlington, Texas for the NCAA basketball championship, Rex Chapman backed down from his tweet in which he claimed that Kentucky's John Calipari was going to the Lakers in what the former Kentucky star called a "done deal" via his Twitter account.

Rubin: Conn-vincing case for hoop champs to rejoin Big East

The University of Connecticut has the top college basketball team in the nation once again. It is time for its administration to finally embrace that it has become one of the nation’s great hoops powerhouses and stop pretending to be so many other things in order to chase football money.

Lawrence: LeBron is right to cry foul as referees reject him

Of course it was a foul. LeBron James should have been accorded a trip to the line with two seconds left after Mason Plumlee hit him on his right hand, as the Net rookie rejected the four-time MVP’s dunk attempt with the game in the balance on Tuesday night.

Autos

Safety group pushes NHTSA to probe faulty Chevrolet Impala airbags

General Motors, which has recalled 2.6 million cars for faulty ignition switches that caused air bags to deactivate, may also have a defect in air bags in 2003 to 2010 Chevrolet Impalas, an auto safety watchdog group said on Monday.