MR GRADY'S DAILY BLOG: AMERICAS NEWS

How a genius druglord who made millions peddling 50 tons of pot became a destitute, drug-addled deadbeat with a hooker habit

NBC writer Tony Dokoupil (pictured left) tells the tale of his kingpin father in “The Last Pirate,” an astonishing account of a marijuana millionaire’s hedonistic life — one so stuffed with cash that he literally buried nearly a million dollars worth of bills in ice coolers on Long Island and in New Mexico before hitting rock bottom. read full story »

EXCLUSIVE 'I opened the door and that was it': Grandson recalls when granddad shot him in the face after murdering his fiancée

WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: Cops say a family dispute led to a bloodbath in Staten Island after Heriberto Pagan opened fire on Michael Feliciano (inset, bottom right) and Claritle Christina Huerta (inset botom right) before turning the weapon on himself.

RIOT MADNESS! Riots break out in Arizon after NCAA basketball team loses to Wisconsin

Students at the University of Arizona apparently did not take Saturday night’s loss to Wisconsin in the Elite Eight well.

English teacher avoids jail after cops nab her in hotel room with 17-year-old student in Oklahoma

Erin Kathleen Queen, a former English teacher at Charles Page High School in Sand Springs, was given three years probation, a $600 fine, and banned from teaching after she plied a teenage student with vodka.

Secretary John Kerry to meet with Russia's Lavrov in Paris to discuss Ukraine crisis

A range of issues including intimidating moves by Russia toward Ukraine are on the table for the meeting. Meeting follows a surprise phone call between President Obama and Vladimir Putin.

BAD COP: New Orleans police officer convicted of sexually assaulting three girls gets just three years in prison after victims refuse to testify against him

43-year-old Desmond Pratt, a former officer with the New Orleans Police Department’s 6th District, agreed to spend three years behind bars after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting three young girls.

'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' blends brains and brawn

Lupica: As Opening Day approaches, plenty of questions surround Mets and Yankees

At the end of the month when the big news was Phil Jackson returning to New York City, the news now becomes baseball on Monday, a little after 1 o’clock in the afternoon.

Washington mudslide death toll rises to 18 while number of missing drops

Authorities say the number of missing from the deadly Washington state landslide has plummeted to 30 after many people were found safe. The confirmed death toll has risen to 18.

Raissman: Marv Albert, not Jim Nantz, should be calling Final Four on TBS

Turner Broadcasting is paying a hefty chunk of the $10.8 billion it and CBS shelled out in a 14-year contract with the NCAA to televise March Madness.

Vice President Biden pushes for higher federal minimum wage in weekly address

Biden argues why he thinks increasing the federal minimum wage would improve the economy in this week’s address from the White House.

Squatters in Detroit tap gas line, blow up house

A group of squatters with two toddlers barely escaped an exploding house in east Detroit after botching an alleged gas theft. The Fairport house was supposed to be vacant, but six people were inside including two children, 2 and 3, who medics took to a local hospital for burns Thursday night.

WEDDED BLITZ: Ravens star marries woman he's accused of knocking unconscious in Atlantic City elevator: report

It’s official: Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice and fiancee Janay Palmer aren’t feuding. In fact, they’re married — just one day after Rice was indicted.

'She just laid him on the ground': Florida mom held in kitchen-knife stabbing death of 4-year-old son

Tasha Trotter ‘just politely laid him on the ground,’ says a witness. Cops report family members say mother has a history of mental illness.

Debris bearing colors of Malaysia Airlines flight found in search zone

The Chinese Ilyushin IL-76 spotted three floating objects a day after several planes and ships combing the newly targeted area closer to Australia saw several other objects.

Utah boy discovers 1,000-YEAR-OLD American Indian bones while digging in backyard

A 14-year-old boy digging a trout pond in the backyard of his father's Salt Lake City home stumbled across a surprise: the remains of an American Indian who lived about 1,000 years ago.

'Love & Hip Hop' star SHOT during mother's funeral procession

SHOCKING ABUSE: Georgia man arrested for taping dog’s mouth shut

Antonio Furlow was charged with animal cruelty for the bizarre step he took to keep the pit bull Bullet from eating, drinking or barking.

Gwyneth Paltrow's mom 'begged' her to rethink split: report

SKIN DEEP: New York model sues for $21 million after slashing by jealous rival at high school: suit

Jazmin Drain, now 18, says a classmate cut her face last May at Freeport High School, according to her $21 million Brooklyn Federal Court suit

Ex-Florida A&M marching band member gets one-year sentence for hazing death

A circuit judge in Orange County, Fla., sentenced a former member of Florida A&M University's marching band to one year in jail for the death of a drum major during a hazing ritual.

SEE IT Britain’s most tattooed man lasers off some ink — to get more

The 34-year-old, who changed his name to King of Ink Land Body Art The Extreme, has spent more than $10,000 on the painful treatment just so he can be re-inked.

Immigrant man freed from Louisiana detention facility after daughter asks Pope Francis for help

Jersey Vargas pushed her way through the crowd at St. Peter's Square in the Vatican to ask the Holy father for his help in releasing his father Mario who was about to be deported.

Man runs over, kills own father on way to pick him up: 'I ran across something that I thought was a lump of ice'

A Norwegian man ran over and killed his 74-year-old father as he drove to pick him up for a hospital appointment.

U.S. soldier comes home from Afghanistan to give part of liver to dying Vietnam vet grandfather

He's serving his duty to country — and family. A U.S. Army Specialist has flown back to the States from Afghanistan, not for a new assignment, but to donate the majority of his liver to his dying grandfather.

Residents baffled as mystery aircraft in Texas could possibly be U.S. spy planes

Mysterious aircraft spotted in Texas earlier this month have conjured several theories, including the possibility they are U.S. spy planes.

VICIOUS ATTACK: Ohio sisters stripped of their clothes and humiliated in shocking video posted to Facebook

A night at the club led to a vicious attack at a Cincinnati housing project where two sisters were stripped of their clothes while bystanders recorded the assault and did nothing.

Pollution found to give male fish female attributes: study

Scientists in Spain have found that fish in local estuaries are acquiring female features, thanks to pollutants from birth control pills, pesticides and other everyday chemicals that seep into the water.

5-year-old Pa. boy started fire that killed his 2-year-old cousin: DA

A 5-year-old Pennsylvania boy used a cigarette lighter to spark a deadly fire that killed his 2-year-old cousin, authorities said.

World Trade Center top security official resigns after being urged to step down

A top official responsible for protecting 1 World Trade Center tendered his resignation Friday amid a flurry of security flops.

Extreme hoarder who had been missing for weeks found dead in home underneath layers of garbage

The unidentified elderly man's home was so filled to the brim with debris, including jars of urine and feces, that hazmat crews had to enter through the roof.

Oklahoma man wades through dump to find lost wedding ring

Animal doctor Gary McNeill's ring had fallen into the trash during post-op cleaning and the garbage had already been emptied into the office's Dumpster — which was headed to the dump.

Suspect killed after opening fire, wounding cop, in Ontario courthouse

Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit said a man entered the court house in Brampton, Ontario and fired shots, injuring a police officer in the security screening area before being shot dead by police.

Flight of fancy! Go inside the NY Jets dancer auditions

BREAKFAST WARS: McDonald's to offer free coffee for two weeks

The fast food giant announced that participating U.S. restaurants will offer free small McCafe coffees during breakfast hours from March 31 through April 13.

New Jersey man high on cocaine takes naked ride on child-sized tricycle through apartment complex

Jermaine Jones, 31, was collared after police officers found the nude man chewing glass and tobacco under a stairwell in the Ocean County complex, the Ocean Signal reported.

'If you are not afraid of dying then come in and bother me': Minn. dad kills son over refusal to get cable

An elderly Minnesota father fatally shot his son during a dispute over installing cable in the family home, then held a SWAT team at bay during an hours-long standoff, police said.

Calif. Senate votes to suspend Leland Yee after 'guns for campaign cash' allegations

The Democratically controlled California Senate has voted to suspend three Democrats who face criminal charges, after the latest lawmaker to be hauled into court refused to step down.

Evangelical church in New Zealand markets olive oil as cure-all treatment for tumors, schizophrenia, relationship problems

Olive oil has long been hailed for its healthy properties. But can it really shrink tumors, stop schizophrenia and mend broken relationships?

Kennedys honor George H.W. Bush with Profile of Courage award for 'read my lips' flip flop

George H.W. Bush’s epic “read my lips: no new taxes” promise cost him a second White House term but it’s earning him a 2014 Profile in Courage award from the Kennedy clan.

Pennsylvania woman admits smothering, hiding newborn in sports bar bathroom toilet tank

A woman who gave birth in a sports bar, smothered the newborn in a trash bag and stuffed it in a toilet tank has admitted to the heinous crime to avoid the death penalty.

SEE IT New Jersey teen suspended from high school for flying Confederate flag from pickup truck

Gregory Vied, 17, said he refused to take down his oversized Stars and Bars flag, which he was flying from the back of his truck in the parking lot of Steinert High School in Hamilton Township.

Katherine Webb shows off massive engagement ring

Oklahoma man killed family cat for peeing in his boots, cops say

Kevin Grace, 43, of Moore, is facing animal cruelty charges for allegedly killing his family's cat. His wife said he threw the animal against a closet door inside their home after a fight.

California woman's home burgled by Facebook 'friend' when she was on vacation: cops

Stacey Grant said she posted a note that she was away on vacation with her family in Las Vegas. But hours later, her Facebook friend and two others were arrested for breaking into her home.

SEE IT: Gaga dons a week's worth of crazy outfits in NYC

Lonely Planet lists Earth’s top 10 wonders – PHOTOS

Worker falls to death at Brazil stadium hosting World Cup opener

Fashion faceoff: Who wore it better? — PHOTOS

Pilot landing at LaGuardia Airport temporarily blinded by laser

Armenians flee Syria after rebels seize historic area

Sports

Madden: Cabrera will prove once again that longterm deals never work

He is out of baseball, suspended for the entire 2014 season and that, along with his deteriorated physical status as he approaches 40, has for all intents and purposes ended Alex Rodriguez’s career.

Haywood: One-and-done just ain't for everyone

This spring, elite college basketball underclassmen will be making one of the most important decisions of their lives: Should I stay or should I go? Unfortunately, most of them will make the wrong choice.The one-and-done rule has to go. The game is suffering as a result of it.

Weiss: At last, Florida seniors graudate to Final 4

The dynamics of the NCAA Tournament are starting to change for Florida basketball. When the Gators won consecutive national championships in 2006 and 2007, coach Billy Donovan had three stars — Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer and Al Horford — who all went in the top 10 of the ’07 NBA draft.