MR GRADY'S DAILY BLOG: AMERICAS EARLY BIRD NEWS

PAINFUL SMACK: New York gangs are trading heroin for guns to continue their street wars against rival crews

More and more street gangs and crews are getting involved in the city’s burgeoning heroin trade — and have begun swapping the deadly narcotic for guns to continue their street wars against rival crews.

Sponsor Content Provided By

Why Road Trips Bring Out Meaningful Conversations

What do two musicians talk about on a mini road trip?

What do two musicians talk about on a mini road trip? Watch Elle King and Betty Who bond as they make their way through New York City in a Ford Focus.

DANGER IN YOUR BACKYARD? Interactive map reveals where gangbangers are lurking — SEE IT

Gangs and street crews can be found in every pocket of the city, according to this map based on information provided by the NYPD. Are you on their turf? Click here to find out.

PHOTOS Photographer Nicolas Enriquez captures gang life in New York City

From shootings to drug deals, photographer Nicolas Enriquez saw it all while following and photographing various gang members in Brooklyn, New York.

'They thought he was bluffing, and he proved he wasn't': Man rams pickup truck into Oklahoma hotel over declined credit card — SEE THE VIDEO

Surveillance footage captured the moment John Parsley, 62, slammed his pickup through the entrance of Alva Comfort Inn and Suites Thursday afternoon.

EXCLUSIVE Registered sex offenders live in NYCHA despite rule barring them from public housing

City Council Member Ritchie Torres (pictured) announced a report with State Senator Jeffrey Klein on registered sex offenders living in NYC public housing.

Toronto business woman wanted in unprovoked stabbing of shopper in city's financial district

Rohinie Bisesar is sought on an attempted murder charge after Toronto authorities identified the 40-year-old as the assailant in the 2:55 p.m. attack that critically wounded the victim.

Brother of fired cop in Corey Jones death is among 5 deputies who shot suspected armed robber

Adnan Raja is on paid leave after gunning down Olie James Goad (pictured) following his alleged two-day string of armed robberies at a pizza shop, grocery store and bank.

STAR PARTY: Celebs hit the red carpet for 'The Force Awakens'

SEE IT Cape Cod mailman forced to fight off turkeys while on the job

The defiant mailman carries a stick to keep the turkeys – dubbed The Gang of Falmouth – at bay as he goes about his daily route.

DIMMEST BULBS ON THE TREE: 5 protesters busted after trying to climb Rockefeller Center Christmas tree

Three were charged with attempted criminal trespass, the other two with disorderly conduct and obstructing governmental administration after the protest, an NYPD spokesman said.

Florida former teacher’s aide who admitted trying to entice sex from 11-year-old boy found dead from suicide in apartment fire

Alecia Dotson, 45, admitted she tried to arrange a sex romp at a movie theater with the fifth-grader after police found over 100 sexually graphic texts between them in June.

Jennifer Lawrence can en-'Joy' a clean break

EXCLUSIVE Brooklyn grandmother's ‘natural’ death found to be a murder one month later — after funeral home worker finds stab wound

Myrtle McKenny, 82, was found dead in the kitchen of her Brownsville apartment Nov. 9. Her death was considered natural at the time, as McKenny was being treated for hypertension and diabetes.

Maryland man pledged loyalty to Islamic State, received thousands from ISIS, then claimed he was scamming terrorists

Mohamed Elshinawy, 30, wrote in social media messages Feb. 17 to a childhood friend asking his pal to convey his loyalty and commitment to jihad with the terrorists.

Chicago firefighter dies after falling down elevator shaft while battling warehouse blaze

A Chicago firefighter died early Monday after falling two stories down an elevator shaft while fighting a smoky blaze in a warehouse.

Georgia mayor fatally shot during domestic disturbance, no arrest made

Mayor Terry Greene, 53, was found wounded in his Clarksville home after police responded to the spat between the mayor and his wife, Anne.

Gwen ex-nanny continues to steal her style — PHOTOS

WHERE ARE YOU, WAYNE? LaPierre no-show as protesters gathered outside NRA headquarters

About 100 people lined the roadway at the National Rifle Association in Fairfax on the three-year anniversary on the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Missouri man wearing bullet-resistant vest shoots neighbor dead during ‘imaginary’ noise dispute

James C. Blanton, 26, donned a bullet-resistant vest, grabbed a handgun and confronted his apartment complex neighbor Ya-Ping "Peter" Chang, telling him to "turn down the bass."

SEE IT Qatar Airways Airbus A350 flight was speeding down JFK runway when the brakes slammed on at 'full force' — VIDEO

Dramatic video shows a historic Qatar Airways flight slamming to a halt on the runway — and concerned passengers squirming in their seats due to the aborted takeoff.

Despite anti-Muslim remarks, Donald Trump STILL leading in poll

Donald Trump’s caustic comments about banning Muslims from entering the United States didn’t hurt his poll numbers.

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 2015

GONNA MAKE YOU SWEAT: Check out the coolest holiday threads

Need ideas for that upcoming ugly sweater party? Check out these festive sweaters to get you into the holiday spirit.

TIME TO HIT THE HAY: Check out the most festive holiday pajamas

Baby, it's cold outside so make sure to wrap up warm this winter in our favorite festive pajamas for the holidays. By Tracy Brock and Raakhee Mirchandani

AUTOS

Dodge makes Star Wars-themed muscle cars

The Dodge Hellcats and Viper ACR get a Star Wars makeover the week of the movie’s premiere.

FUN-DER THE RADAR: 7 of the most unexpectedly fun-to-drive cars

Fun doesn’t always come with a ‘GT’ or ‘SS’ badge. Here are 7 of the most fun cars you may not have noticed.

Big car auctions – and huge prices – in the Big Apple!

Rent isn’t the only thing that’s sky-high in Manhattan. Collector cars are pulling huge prices in New York City.

Bizarre Car of the Week: 1987 Land Rover Defender

Bizarre Car of the Week is back, and this week we have a one-off Land Rover Defender to commemorate its end of production.

New York

DELAYED AGAIN: Second Ave. subway may miss December 2016 opening deadline

With a year left to finish the new subway line, an independent engineer told MTA officials on Monday there’s “moderate risk” of blowing the December 2016 deadline.

Brooklyn man on trial for allegedly trying to steal cars with minors inside

Nissan Benshitrit allegedly jumped into a parked car on April 24, 2014 with 15-year-old Tawanna Vassell sitting in the front passenger seat as her stepdad was dropping off tools for a co-worker.

Cops catch suspect in Staten Island man’s deadly shooting

Cops say they've caught the man who gunned down a 23-year-old Staten Island man on a New Brighton street last month.

Indian Point nuclear power plant shuts down after electrical issue

A nuclear reactor inside the Indian Point power plant was shut down Monday after an electrical disturbance. The plant, located about 30 miles north of Manhattan, had a voltage-transmission problem.

Bronx pols announce new crime-fighting unit for public housing

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and City Council members Ritchie Torres and Vanessa Gibson on Monday announced the formation of a Bronx Public Housing Authority Task Force.

Transgender woman attacked in Brooklyn said 'sorry’ to assailants before assault

“They said f----t, freak. I said sorry,” said Kimball “Kimy” Hartman (pictured) as she testified on Monday in Brooklyn Supreme Court against Mashawn Sonds.

LATEST FROM AROUND NEW YORK

EXCLUSIVE NYC urged to make every taxi, Uber and livery cab accessible for wheelchair users

It’s time for every taxi, Uber and livery cab to offer wheelchair-accessible rides, a disability advocacy group said Monday.

NYC's municipal ID cards will stay free in 2016 — giving residents free access to city's cultural institutions

The city’s booming municipal identification program — which is open to all New Yorkers regardless of immigration status — will remain free for a second straight year, officials said Monday.

Woman struck and killed by MTA bus while crossing Brooklyn street

The woman, who was weighed down by at least two heavy bags of groceries, was crossing E. 17th St. in Sheepshead Bay just before 6 p.m., when a B36 bus made a left turn from Avenue Z and hit her.