MR GRADY'S DAILY BLOG: AMERICAS NEWS

Lupica: In text messages that tie another top aide of Gov. Christie to Bridgegate scandal, a tale of high hope hinges on PA dopes

On Election Night less than four months ago, Chris Christie did not just look like the darling of the Republican Party, he looked like the super-sized man of the moment in all of American politics. Now wrapped up in a scandal over the George Washington Bridge, his run could be in serious jeopardy — but things could also get better without alienating the nuts on the right. read full story »

DEADLY TOYS: Memphis teen posts gallery of guns, drugs, cash just hours before being shot dead by friend

Cartrail Robertson, 13, uploaded the gangster-style gallery — where he's seen holding a 3.57 Magnum pistol, smoking pot and fanning wads of $100 bills — to Facebook on Monday. Other photos paint a troubling picture of children playing with deadly weapons.

SEE IT BASKET-BRAWL! Fight breaks out between Utah Valley, New Mexico State players and students

When storming the court goes wrong. A celebratory victory for Utah Valley quickly turned into an ugly brawl with New Mexico State on Thursday after fans rushed the court in a 66-61 overtime win.

Relationship between Vice President Biden, President Obama frosty during 2012 campaign: report

Vice President Biden’s seemingly cordial relationship with President Obama has been far more tense than either pol has let on, a new revealing report alleges.

SILENCE OF THE KNICKS: Miami Heat star LeBron James debuts terrifying face protection in rout of Knicks

LeBron James wore a mask but in reality he could have been blindfolded and with one hand tied behind his back and he still would have dominated the Knicks.

What's a Ponzi scheme? Bernie Madoff’s secretary, 65, claims to be unfamiliar with fleecing plot

Bernie Madoff's longtime secretary said she didn't know what the S&P 500 was and she didn't understand the concept of a treasury bond.

British boy, distraught over spending $700 of his mom's money on XBox games, hangs himself

A 13-year-old British boy hanged himself after he used his mother’s credit card to buy about $700 worth of XBox games.

You be the judge: See the Oscar picks for best costumes

Minnesota girl, 6, found apparently FROZEN to death outside apartment

The child's body was found inside the front entrance of a Bemidji apartment building at 6:23 a.m. after two 911 calls were placed by the girl's mother and a neighbor, according to police.

Utah police locate and destroy igloo hotbox hideout of pot-smoking students

An igloo constructed on the University of Utah campus sheltered alleged pot-smoking students from the cold, but not a police officer who discovered their icy hot box.

Texas man dies after running into burning building to get cell phone

Rex Benson, 72, was able to initially escape the powerful blaze in Plano, Texas, but inexplicably braved the sky-high flames with another man to retrieve a phone to call 911, fire officials said.

New Orleans police issue arrest warrant for former NFL safety Darren Sharper

Already facing charges of drugging and raping two women in Los Angeles, to which he has pleaded not guilty, former NFL safety Darren Sharper faces two counts of aggravated rape in New Orleans.

California judge rules drivers can read maps on cellphones while driving

Drivers in California can legally read a map on their hand-held cellphones while behind the wheel, a state appeals court ruled Thursday.

CHAOS: Pro-Russian group seizes airport in Ukraine's Crimea region: reports

Armed men sympathetic to the Russians seized an airport in Ukraine's strategic Crimea early Friday as tensions in the region escalated.

Six San Francisco police officers indicted on drug, extortion, theft charges

Five police officers and a former cop were handed federal indictments Thursday on a slew of charges in two different cases alleging they stole money, dealt drugs and extorted.

TSA agent nearly rejects Washington, D.C., driver's license, sparking outrage

A Washington resident was flabbergasted earlier this month when a Phoenix Transportation Security Administration agent nearly rejected the woman's city-issued identification at an airport.

Legally blind Florida woman suing nudist condo after told her service dog is no longer welcome

Though clothing is entirely optional at Paradise Lakes Resort in Lutz, the size of Sharon Fowler's service dog, Laura, is apparently not.

Would-be Reagan assassin John Hinckley gets to spend more time at his mom's

John Hinckley, who shot and wounded President Ronald Reagan in 1981, soon will be spending more than half of his time outside a Washington mental hospital.

Michelle Obama joins forces with Jenna Bush Hager to promote healthy living and positive self-image

First Lady Michelle Obama and former First Daughter Jenna Bush Hager chewed the fat about fighting childhood obesity without shaming young people into disliking their own bodies.

Tennessee is considering bill requiring sex offenders to have marked driving licenses

Sponsored by tea party Rep. Matthew Hill, the bill would demand motor vehicle licenses to carry three red 'sex offender' labels. Legislation sparks spirited debate Wednesday.

THAT '70s LOVE: Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher engaged

AIN'T THAT A KICK IN THE HEAD?: CVS customer dispenses justice to knife-wielding robber with a strong right foot

A fearless pharmacy customer climbed on the counter and kicked a knife-wielding crook in the face — causing the culprit to drop his cell phone. The suspect was caught after he called his lost phone.

GRAPHIC PHOTO: Baby has TEETH removed from brain tumor

A 4-month-old baby from Maryland is doing well after surgeons removed teeth that formed inside his brain, according to a report.

Californian Taliban sympathizer, who wanted to blow up bank, gets 15 years prison

A California man with delusions of joining the Taliban has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for trying to blow up a bank with a car bomb he thought would go off but was actually an FBI decoy.

Robin Thicke on wife: 'I'm just trying to get her back'

Strip show spies! British surveillance agency monitored raunchy video chats: report

Big Brother is watching you watching porn. UK surveillance agency GCHQ collected vast amounts of screengrabs from Yahoo video chats, but struggled to separate pornography from images with intel value.

Self-administered flu vaccine patch gets thumbs-up from testers

Self-vaccination may be possible using a microneedle patch instead of a traditional needle, according to researchers.

'Cannibal cop cohort' had bag full of torture tools as he stalked woman in Manhattan: prosecutor

Christopher Asch and Michael Van Hise are charged with scheming to kidnap, rape, torture and murder women, prosecutors said during the opening statements at their trial.

Attorney General Eric Holder treated and released from hospital after experiencing faintness, shortness of breath

'During his regular morning meeting with senior staff, the attorney general began experiencing symptoms including faintness and shortness of breath,' read a statement by spokesman Brian Fallon.

Robber-wannabe gets body slammed by California convenience store worker

A California convenience store employee thwarted a would-be robber by fearlessly body slamming the gun-wielding crook to the ground and holding him there until police arrived.

LIFE SAVING SHOT: 11-year-old girl quickly grabs rifle and kills 'starving' cougar that was following her older brother outside family's home

11-year-old Shelby White fired a rifle at an emaciated female cougar estimated to weight a paltry 50 pounds.

Ousted Ukrainian president resurfaces in Russia, says he is still lawful ruler

Ukraine’s fugitive President Viktor Yanukovych resurfaced in Russia Thursday, bemoaning that his country was in the hands of extremists and insisting he was still its lawful ruler.

'I'm certainly not going to waste this pain': Evangelist pastor Rick Warren plans mental health ministry after son's suicide

A year after his son's suicide, popular evangelical pastor Rick Warren is taking on a new mental health ministry inspired by his personal tragedy.

Cheese aged for 3,600 YEARS found with mummies in China

Experts identified a strange substance found preserved in archaeological dig as the world’s oldest cheese. It dates back to Bronze Age.

Mexicans demonstrate for release of drug lord 'El Chapo' Guzman

More than 1,000 people took to the streets Wednesday, including schoolchildren, chanting 'Release him!' The world's most-wanted narcotics kingpin is said to have caused the deaths of 10,000 people in Mexican drug wars.

It FINALLY rains in drought-stricken California, but storm creates fear of mudslides and flooding

The Bay Area received more than an inch of rain Wednesday night, with more coming. Officials may evacuate parts of California over fears that water will flow quickly through areas ravaged by wild fires.

Prosecutors maintain assault charges against biker gang as injuries to beaten dad not healing as well as previously hoped

Alexian Lien's facial injuries are not healing as well as prosecutors thought in December, when they announced they would likely downgrade charges against 11 suspects.

Maryland school bus driver hits, kills 91-year-old Holocaust survivor crossing street with walker

A 91-year-old Holocaust survivor was fatally struck by a school bus carrying students while crossing the street with a walker Wednesday in Maryland.

Second 'Cuban Five' spy released from U.S. prison

A second member of the "Cuban Five" spy ring was released Thursday from a U.S. prison after spending more than 15 years behind bars.

Philadelphia cop defends former side job running fetish websites and phone sex lines: 'Where are your morals at by judging somebody?'

Terra Barrow said she ran the operation as a way to support her sick father. The Department doesn’t restrict cops from working on erotic hotlines or websites, but will seek to ban it now.

Thank you, Isabel! Family of baby born on Upper East Side street corner reunited with woman who called 911, gave her coat

Polly and Cian McCourt - who found worldwide attention after their daughter was born on an NYC street corner Monday — were finally reunited Thursday morning with the Good Samaritan who stepped up to help.

To the rescue: Jamie saves friend from possible OD

Captain of wrecked cruise liner that claimed 32 lives returns to scene for first time since massive disaster

The captain of the Costa Concordia, Francesco Schettino, went back on board on Thursday for the first time since the huge cruise liner sank with the loss of 32 lives just over two years ago.

Lead detective in Oscar Pistorius murder investigation flies to Apple HQ to access phone records: report

The transcontinental visit ahead of next week's trial in South Africa follows months of struggle by the South African Police Service to gain access to the double-amputee's iPhone 5, according to a report.

YIKES! SEE the worst Oscar dresses of all time

EXCLUSIVE LEFT TO SUFFER: Patients at Brooklyn hospital forced to wait 2 HOURS before seeing a doctor

The average emergency room patient at Kings County Hospital Center waited a whopping 113 minutes before being seen by a doctor in 2013, the Daily News has learned.

Kentucky attorney general asks to delay state’s recognition of out-of-state gay marriages

Kentucky’s attorney general has asked a federal judge to delay by 90 days an order requiring the state to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states and countries.

Wisconsin man who said he grew up with 'socially bizarre norms' sentenced to jail for sexually abusing teen stepsister who was locked in basement

A judge sentenced a Madison man to three years in prison for sexually assaulting his younger stepsister while she spent years locked in the family's basement being abused and starved.

Lupita Nyong'o is fashion's new favorite icon

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott promises appeal to gay marriage ruling

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott's office was working on an appeal Thursday of a federal judge's decision to lift the state's ban on gay marriage. U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia ruled a day earlier that the ban was unconstitutional.

'ARE WE BEING FIRED?' Texts reveal Christie cronies questioned whether they would lose their jobs a month after bridge traffic mess

Chris Christie's appointees to the Port Authority — Bill Baroni and David Wildstein — pondered their fate after the closure of lanes on the George Washington Bridge.

North Korea fires four short-range missiles into eastern waters: South Korea

An official with South Korea's Defense Ministry said North Korea fired four projectiles into the waters off its east coast in what appeared to be an exercise.

Rebekah Brooks says she paid British government sources for information

Former News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks admitted in court Thursday that she sometimes paid public officials for information, but insisted she only did so when it was in the public interest.

Obama seeks more federal spending to train doctors

President Barack Obama will ask Congress to approve spending more than $5 billion on medical training to turn out some 13,000 primary care providers over the next 10 years. Obama will include the proposal in the budget he sends to Congress next week.

Ancient Roman sarcophagus worth $4 million stolen more than 30 years ago to be returned to Italy

The artifact from 200 A.D. was illegally obtained by Gianfranco Becchina's gallery in 1981 and has since turned up in a New York warehouse. Brooklyn federal prosecutors filed a suit to have it returned to Italy.

Cross-dresser in colorful dress steals iPhone from New York wig store

Police are looking for a man wearing a colorful dress who swiped a phone from a Bronx wig store employee while the woman was fitting a customer with a new hairpiece.

She butter stop talking: Paula says she's 'like that black football player'

Sports

Lawrence: Melo should go running to South Beach and never look back

The answer to all of Carmelo Anthony’s problems is right here, with Pat Riley, LeBron James, a proven championship blueprint in place and none of the idiotic maneuvers that Anthony has to put up with back in New York, such as wayward teammates like Raymond Felton.

Collins hopes wearing No. 98 inspires

Jason Collins had a game to play Thursday, but then he planned to meet with the parents of Matthew Shepard. Shepard, the murder victim of a gay hate crime in 1998, is the reason Collins chose to wear No. 98.

Timid Tiger can’t get on roll because of ‘slow’ greens at Honda Classic

You kind of got the feeling it wasn’t going to be Tiger Woods’ week when he mentioned how slow the greens were at PGA National.

Rory has reason to smile at Classic

It wasn’t about Rory McIlroy’s wisdom tooth Thursday, just the wisdom he gained from the low point of his disappointing 2013 season.

Autos

General Motors could face up to $35 million in fines over recall: NHTSA

The U.S. government's auto safety watchdog is investigating whether General Motors acted quickly enough to recall 1.6 million older-model small cars in a case linked to 13 deaths.

Latest Autos Reviews

The weekend's almost here! SEE the top celeb pics of the week

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel stops quite short of embracing Bill de Blasio

The door was open for one of America’s most dynamic---and at times profane--- mayors to praise New York’s Bill de Blasio. Rahm Emanuel ---a man who will dive into a freezing Lake Michigan Sunday with Jimmy Fallon---didn’t exactly walk through it.

Hawaii plane crash from Lanai Island leaves 3 dead, 3 injured

An outbound flight from Hawaii’s Lanai Island crashed about a mile from the airport, killing three people and leaving three others injured, authorities said Thursday.

EXCLUSIVE Harper: Sandy Alderson tells Mets executives, personnel that team can win 90 games

At a staff meeting a couple of days ago, Sandy Alderson told Mets executives and baseball personnel that he strongly believes that the ballclub can and maybe even should win 90 games this season. Yes, 90.

Trump bro-mance with Bronx Boro President Ruben Diaz Jr. on full display

One's a billionaire with a popular reality show. The other is a hardscrabble Bronx-born politician who wants to transform the borough into what he calls the “New Bronx.”

American Airlines cancels bereavement fare program

American Airlines has ended its policy of extending special fares to passengers who must book a last-minute flight because of a relative's death.

WATCH Shocking video shows how a terrorist could breach an airplane's cockpit in just two seconds

Cockpit doors were strengthened after 9/11. But Ellen Saracini, widow of United Airlines Flight 175 Capt. Victor Saracini, is pushing for added security.

Chupacabra killed? South Texas family claims to have gunned down the mythical creature in their backyard

Doug and Lucy Ohrt of Victoria, Tex. proudly displayed the slain unidentified beast that their grandson shot on their property last weekend.

Mormons explain: Believers won’t get their own planets in the afterlife

The Mormon Church is pushing back against the notion that members of the faith are taught they'll get their own planet in the afterlife, a misconception popularized most recently by Broadway's "The Book of Mormon."

Rihanna takes the plunge in army green ensemble

'Son of God' review: A less-than-compelling retelling

PICTURED: The farebeater charged with attempted murder of a NYPD officer after admitting to shooting cop in bid to dodge arrest on narcotics warrant, source says

Rookie Officer James Li, 26, was shot once in each leg during the 5 p.m. Wednesday gunfight where 10 shots were swapped after Rashun Robinson was spied sneaking aboard a city bus without paying the fare.

'LOCK UP YOUR HUSBANDS': Jilted man plasters lingerie photo of wife throughout town

Cowboy aficionado and early candidate for worst husband-of-the-year Ian Cuthbert plastered the posters of his wife Alison Kidd near her job in a desperate bid to ruin her reputation.

Theft of 1985 Breeders' Cup trophy from Aqueduct Racetrack was inside job: cops

A break-in last week at Aqueduct Racetrack in which a 1985 Breeders’ Cup trophy was stolen was an inside job, police sources told the Daily News Wednesday.

Doctor testifies that Ambien Kerry Kennedy took can cause 'zombiism,' but says she should have known side effects

Dr. David Benjamin said the medication - also known as Zolpidem - that Kennedy claims to have mistakenly taken before she was busted can cause a form of "zombiism" and can result in "sleep driving."