MR GRADY'S DAILY BLOG: AMERICAS NEWS

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EXCLUSIVE: Secret 'Voice' contract says NBC can change rules, ignore fan's votes and release talent's psych tests on TV — and contestants who reveal any details can be sued for up to $1M

NBC’s megahit singing competition “The Voice” makes contestants sign a “dehumanizing” 32-page legal document that allows for plenty of potential for fakery during the production of the supposed reality show. read full story »

BLOODSHED: Five people HACKED to death after knife fight in China, suspect gunned down by cops

Five people were hacked to death, and one person was fatally shot by police following a dispute at a market Friday in southern China, local authorities said. The killings in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province, come two weeks after a knife attack in another southern city involving members of the ethnic

Louisiana parents poisoned infant son with hand sanitizer, rum and perfume to end suffering of Down syndrome: deputies

Erika Wigstrom's 7-month-old son was found with a blood-alcohol level of 0.280 — more than three-times the state's legal limit to drive — when he died on January 24, an autopsy report found.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg calls President Obama frustrated over government’s internet behavior

Zuckerberg calls for the U.S. government to be more transparent about what they are doing, or "otherwise people will believe the worst."

Gonzalez: For the first time in years, contract talks between city and unions show both sides want a deal

Talks began this week between the de Blasio administration and city unions over labor contracts for 300,000 municipal workers. It was night and day compared to the Bloomberg era.

SEE IT Vandals wearing rock band Kiss masks trash cars at N.J. auto body shop

Vandals wearing Kiss masks have been caught on camera trashing dozens of cars at a New Jersey auto body shop. Shocking surveillance footage shows the quartet causing $40,000 worth of damage at SB Maaco's in Saddle Brook on Saturday night.

EXCLUSIVE: 'Real Housewives' get nasty at NY cast party

'Everything just makes me want to cry right now': Cancer-stricken Iowa teen who once cared for his family is now in hospice care

Justin Chey, 13, was only diagnosed with cancer in October but has been moved to hospice as his prognosis has worsened. The teen cared for two ailing grandparents while his mother worked at night.

Psycho who called himself 'Black Hitler' when he nearly tortured his live-in nanny to death is also a working pimp: prosecutors

Sherman Gamble, 53, was arrested Friday right after posting bail for an attempted murder charge. Prosecutors say in new court papers that Gamble was working as a pimp.

Three weeks after he kicked himself out of body bag, Mississippi man declared dead a second time

Walter Williams, 78, died at his Lexington home Thursday at 1 a.m. after spending the remaining days of his life in hospice care, according to a report.

Iowa man arrested for prostituting self for boat trailer: cops

Stan Syring of Clarence reportedly set out to barter another man for a trailer but was instead charged with prostitution on Monday.

State comptroller cannot audit charter schools: judge

Charter schools are not technically "units of the state," judge said.

State Senate proposes $540 million for city pre-K, afterschool programs

In a giant step forward for Mayor de Blasio’s prekindergarten plan, the state Senate Thursday proposed giving the city $540 million a year for five years to fund full-day pre-K and afterschool programs.

Calif. teen dad bites off 1-month-old baby's nose: police

A demented teen dad bit off the nose of his 1-month-old baby because the infant would not stop crying, police in California’s Bay Area say. The tiny child’s 17-year-old mother was “hysterical” when she called Fairfield police to report her little boy was bleeding from his nose.

BLAST DEATH TOLL RISES: Fifth victim of deadly gas blast identified; at least 8 dead as rescuers continue search for survivors

The death toll from the East Harlem explosion rose to 8 Thursday as workers continued the grim work of searching through the wreckage.

Ex-NFL safety Darren Sharper remains in custody in L.A. after being denied bail

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge dismissed a fugitive warrant out of Louisiana for former NFL safety Darren Sharper Thursday, but he remains in custody in L.A. and is being held without bail.

Self-described cosmetologist charged with manslaughter over fatal butt lift injection is indicted

Tamira Mobley was indicted Thursday for allegedly injecting Tamara Blaine in a botched butt lift procedure in a hot sheets hotel near the West Side Highway.

Tina Fey: Like 'fetch,' 'Mean Girls' sequel is not going to happen

Hogwarts Express to be among rides at Harry Potter theme park in Orlando

The seven-minute ride at Universal Orlando’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter will take travelers from Diagon Alley to Hogwarts — the magical boarding school for aspiring witches and wizards in J.K. Rowling’s mega-successful book and movie series — via London’s King’s Cross Station.

AIDS no longer in top 10 death causes in NYC

Health Commissioner Mary Bassett Thursday said AIDS dropped off the top 10 list in 2012 for the first time since 1983. City officials say better treatment is allowing New Yorkers with AIDS to live longer.

Rooney Mara cast as Tiger Lily in 'Pan' sparking backlash

Former fire commissioner blasts FDNY for culture of racism, homophobia

The bravest got a scathing rebuke — accused of everything from racism to anti-Semitism — from a man who used to be one of its own. Thomas Von Essen, the city’s former fire commissioner, told a rapt audience in February that firefighters were mired in a 'culture of incivility.'

Teen jailed after spiking teacher's drink with hand sanitizer

Things don’t seem so funny now. A high school student in Florda was arrested and put in jail after dropping hand sanitizer into his teacher’s soda as a joke.

FBI agent testifies Osama Bin Laden’s son-in-law admitted inciting terrorists after 9/11 attacks

Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, a son-in-law of Osama Bin Laden, spilled his guts about his role as an Al Qaeda spokesman during a flight to New York, a witness said Thursday.

Raissman: Phil Jackson taking over the Knicks? Plenty of complaints about that in Valley of the Stupid

If Phil Jackson ends up running the Knicks, he can look forward to sheer bliss, at least initially, with James (Guitar Jimmy) Dolan. The media will not provide him with a similar honeymoon.

Germany holds man suspected of fighting for terrorists in Syria

German authorities say they are holding a man suspected of fighting for a hardline Islamic group in Syria during a stay in the country last year. Federal prosecutors said Friday a judge ordered the 19-year-old German citizen, identified only as Kreshnik B. in keeping with German privacy rules, kept in custody pending a possible indictment on charges of membership in a terrorist group.

Boehner accuses N.Y. of 'cheating' food stamp rules

New York Democrats lashed out at House Speaker John Boehner Thursday after he accused New York and four other states of “cheating” and “fraud” for sidestepping billions of dollars in federal food stamp cuts.

Spanish Christian Church, destroyed in NYC blast, was 'a little church that had an amazing impact'

The pastor of the destroyed Spanish Christian Church, which lost at least five parishioners in the Harlem blast, struggled for words after surveying the scorched site.

EXCLUSIVE Four inmates in New York prison use toilet to break cinderblock cell walls in escape attempt

Four Rikers Island inmates tried to escape from their solitary cells by ripping a porcelain toilet out of the floor and smashing it through the cinderblock walls of five cells inside the city jailhouse on Monday.

Paul Ryan says comments on poverty were 'inarticulate' after Democrat accuses him of using 'offensive and racially charged' language

The former Republican Vice Presidential nominee sought to clarify comments he made on Bill Bennett's radio show this week.

Reporter in phone hacking trial claims Princess Diana leaked royal directory to him

Former News of the World royal editor Clive Goodman said Thursday that Diana gave him the directory in 1992 during her feud with her estranged husband, Prince Charles.

Kardashians take Miami! Kim sizzles in stolen bikini...

Manhattan trader dies after jumping in front of Long Island Rail Road train

Edward Reilly, 47, a trader at The Vertical Group, jumped into the path of the Long Island Rail Road train as it came into the Syosset station at about 6 a.m., according to officials.

Rutgers suffers embarrassing 92-31 loss to Louisville

Chris Jones scored 15 of his 18 points in the first half, and fifth-ranked Louisville routed Rutgers 92-31 on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference tournament.

Most think NJ's Christie is lying about Bridgegate: poll

People across the nation aren’t buying New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s claims that he didn’t know anything about the Bridgegate scandal, a new poll shows.

...as pal pushes Kourtney on balcony in her underwear

Chelsea Clinton to make her film debut at Tribeca Film Festival

The former first daughter is the executive producer of ‘Of Many,’ a documentary short about the remarkable friendship between a rabbi and an imam at NYU.

Up to 100 critters badly neglected on Pa. farm: rescuers

Nearly 100 animals were rescued from a Pennsylvania farm where they languished in utter squalor, authorities said. The property's three adult residents were hit with 87 charges for allegedly hoarding animals and depriving them of basic necessities.

Gunmen kill more than 100 in northern Nigeria over land dispute

Dozens of gunmen on motorbikes have killed more than 100 villagers in an ongoing conflict over land in northern Nigeria, survivors said Thursday.

Almost the weekend! SEE the hottest celeb pics of the week

White House tried to mediate dispute between Senate panel, CIA

The White House tried to mediate between the CIA and the Senate panel that oversees it after both sides alleged they were spied on by the other over a Bush-era interrogation program, a source familiar with the discussion told Reuters on Wednesday.

Senate committee says domain idea ‘.sucks’

The Senate Commerce Committee wants to block ".sucks" domains. Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D., W.V.) advised the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) that the vulgar domains will turn the World Wide Web into the wild west of brand attacks, saying there is "little or no socially redeeming value" in the domain ending.

Rosie cuddles with sleepy pups in bed

More adults taking ADHD medications, study finds

Children aren't the only ones taking ADHD drugs. The number of adults taking medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has jumped more than 53% since 2008, according to a new study.

Charges against Indian diplomat, who paid nanny $3 an hour, dropped because she had immunity

The Indian diplomat arrested in Manhattan last year and accused of paying her nanny as little as $3 an hour had her charges dismissed Wednesday, but she can't come back.

J-GLOW! Lopez stands out in hot pink outfit

SEE IT THE HILL GOES DARK: U.S. Capitol dome loses power amid intense D.C. storm

SEE IT Cyclist confronts driver who drove too close, who then blames dying parrot in his shirt

Ashton, Mila spotted on double date with Jon Cryer, wife

Oklahoma Fox station covers over evolution segment on Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s ‘Cosmos’

WATCH American Tourist makes famously stone-faced Queen's Guard crack up

Sports

Trouble in Philly? Rollins and Sandberg already feuding

Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins was out of the starting lineup against the New York Yankees on Thursday, benched for a third straight game. Rollins said he’s healthy and unsure why manager Ryne Sandberg decided to bench him this week.

Eagles pick up RB Sproles from Saints for a 5th-round pick

The Giants will have another dynamic playmaker to worry about when they face the Eagles this season. Big Blue's NFC East rival has shipped a fifth-round draft pick to the Saints for running back Darren Sproles.

His Job to Phil: With no interest from L.A., Knicks gig belongs to Jackson

Barring a last-minute change of heart, or short of Kobe Bryant holding Phil Jackson hostage in Los Angeles, the Knicks will officially have a new basketball savior next week.