MR GRADY'S DAILY BLOG: AMERICAS NEWS

EXCLUSIVE: Convicted drug dealer ordered by local hip-hop gangster to dress in drag to stalk and kill rival — 'I put on a wig, lipstick, makeup and I went looking for him'

A burly drug dealer testified Thursday that he took the advice of reputed hip-hop gangster Ronald (Ra Diggs) Herron (center) to dress up like a woman in order to get the drop on a rival he was trying to murder. The gangster and his crew terrorized residents at the Wyckoff Gardens housing project in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn. read full story »

$2B BIGOT! Donald Sterling gets record-setting offer from former Microsoft big Steve Ballmer to sell L.A. Clippers

Donald Sterling, the basketball bigot, is on the verge of a $2 billion payday after a former Microsoft CEO made the stunning offer to buy the Los Angeles Clippers.

Lupica: If somehow you felt Donald Sterling was a victim in this, you can stop feeling sorry for him now after historic offer

From the start, the whole business with Donald Sterling has been as messy as the inside of the old man’s brain.

iKILL: Virginia 16-year-old slaughters his parents with knife and crowbar — because they took away his iPod

A Virginia teen said he beat and stabbed his parents to death because he was sick of routine punishments “like my dad taking away my iPod and stuff,” authorities said.

House OKs $19.5M measure to improve background checks

Six days after a gunman’s rampage in California, the Republican-run House on Thursday took what likely will be the only step by the current Congress to address gun violence.

Expert: NRA is not properly protecting gun owners

Every system is perfectly designed to produce exactly the results it produces, but every system also needs the occasional tweaking.

Chelsea: Replace me with a girl... and make it Khloe Kardashian

Albuquerque cops fatally shot homeless man three times — including once in the back: autopsy report

James Boyd, who was armed with a knife when shot on March 16, reportedly underwent an arm amputation, the removal of his spleen, part of his large intestine and a lung lobe in an effort to save him.

Washington fumbles #RedskinsPride Twitter campaign

Washington politicians and Washington football executives can’t agree on whether or not the name Redskins is racist. And for once it seems the politicians are leading in the public opinion polls.

Raissman: Yankees taking temporary backseat on NY sports scene

The inquiry directed at John (Pa Pinstripe) Sterling was very deep, more meaningful than Suzyn (Ma Pinstripe) Waldman knew. 'Jawn, are we anywhere near Kansas City?' Waldman asked Wednesday night with the Yankees up 7-1 over St. Louis in the fourth inning.

CAT BURGLAR! Feline hoarder allegedly breaks into humane society to steal kitties

A feisty feline fan became a true cat burglar when she allegedly stole 15 cats from the Coulee Region Humane Society in Onalaska, Wis., Sunday night.

'Modern Family' star rips KISS rockers for being rude to mom

EXCLUSIVE Damion (World) Hardy, mentally ill ex of Lil' Kim, will not face death penalty in Brooklyn murder trial

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has ordered Brooklyn prosecutors not to seek the death penalty after all against rap star Lil' Kim's murderous, and mentally ill, ex-boyfriend Damion (World) Hardy.

Opposition against Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki growing in Congress

The beleaguered but quietly defiant Veterans Affairs secretary lobbied hard to keep his job Thursday amid increasing calls in Congress for him to step down.

Arizona man shot execution-style in Mexico after U.S. issues emergency travel warning

A series of bloody shootings over the Memorial Day weekend has prompted U.S. officials to re-issue a travel advisory urging American citizens to avoid the Nogales area in Mexico.

Middle school teacher with high school fetish tried to solicit sex from minors: cops

Joel Daniel Fowler was arrested in Minneapolis Tuesday after allegedly calling in sick to meet with who he thought would be a 14-year-old girl, according to a report.

Google sued by former in-house massage therapist for alleged sexual harassment

A New Jersey man has filed a lawsuit accusing Google of retaliating against him by firing him as on-site masseuse after he complained a worker masturbated during a session at the company's New York office.

WONDER-FUL: Fred Savage reunites with 'Wonder Years’ cast

N.J. man with 40 arrests stole bags at Newark airport: police

A New Jersey man with more than 40 arrests to his name was collared again Wednesday as he tried to make off with two suitcases he allegedly stole from a luggage carousel at Newark Liberty International Airport.

Indian train conductor pushes woman to her death after she boarded the wrong coach

A woman was crushed to death after a conductor pushed her off a moving train for boarding the wrong coach early Thursday in western India, police said.

JetBlue, Delta workers busted in Logan Airport drug money smuggling

Five airline workers were flying high as drug money mules until authorities grounded them at Logan Airport with a sting operation, Boston officials said Thursday.

Texas gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis’ home burglarized, man handed 8 years in prison

An intruder who broke into the home of Wendy Davis, the Democratic candidate for Texas governor, and stole her car in April 2013 is currently serving an eight-year prison sentence, according to police records.

Ex-Marine busted with shotgun at NY subway station is ‘American hero’ but ‘the VA has failed him’: lawyer

Christopher Palumbo, 27, served three tours in Iraq but hasn't received proper medical care since he returned and now lives in a homeless shelter, his lawyer said at his arraignment Thursday.

Kim and Kanye take in a couple movies during their honeymoon...

SEE IT George H.W. Bush joins Michael Bloomberg, Aretha Franklin for Harvard graduation

The 89-year-old former President donned a crimson robe for the festivities, but his technicolor socks managed to poke through underneath.

Crying child leads Michigan police to dead parents in murder-suicide

A wailing child roaming the streets of Lansing, Mich., led police officers to the gruesome discovery of his dead parents in a blood-splattered home.

THE GOOD SON: Illinois lottery winner shares $300,000 prize with parents — 'today, it's all about them'

Suburban Chicago man Petros Marinakos, 36, said he plans on sharing his $300,000 lottery prize with his parents. 'They have always taken care of me so I want to take care of them,' he said.

SEE IT TOO HOT! Billboard with nearly naked woman promoting coffee stand causes stir in Washington state

A billboard for a coffee stand in Washington state is brewing up anger among more conservative pockets of the Spokane Valley.

Alabama police arrest father and son for stealing urinal parts in Birmingham-area restaurant bathrooms

Alabama authorities nabbed a father and son suspected of strolling into the men’s bathroom at restaurants and stealing metal parts from urinals.

... while baby North is off to a stylish start with Carine Roitfeld

Iraq War veteran shot dead by Missouri police after he brandished AK-47 tried in vain to get psychiatric care: family

Army Sgt. Isaac Shawn Sims was shot to death by Kansas City police officers during weekend standoff. Family says he was turned away by the VA when he sought treatment for PTSD.

PILL POPPING SCARE: 5 teen students hospitalized for possible overdoses at South Carolina middle school: reports

The girls, who are 13 or14 years old and attend Fort Johnson Middle School, told Charleston County EMS officials that they had taken some kind of pill or drug Thursday morning.

Boehner, Pelosi reserving judgment on V.A. boss Shinseki

The top Republican and Democrat in the House aren’t ready to join other members of Congress who say Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki should resign.

Florida middle school student busted in plot to kill teachers before himself: officials

A Florida middle school student was busted carrying a knife and a detailed map showing how he was going to kill five of his teachers before committing suicide, officials said.

BAMBI BUST: 41 charged in $5 million insurance scam involving dead deer

Forty-one people in Philadelphia are facing charges in what prosecutors call an elaborate insurance fraud scheme that used dead deer to fake car accidents.

What a view! Iggy Azalea shows off her killer curves

Tiffany discriminates against blacks by not hiring them for high-level jobs: lawsuit

Tiffany & Co. discriminates against African-Americans by shutting them out of top positions, a Texas man says in a lawsuit filed in Manhattan Federal Court.

Crane exec facing lawsuit over two deaths in 2008 accident 'severely injured' in car crash two days before trial began: court papers

James Lomma, 68, was injured on May 21, two days before the start of the civil trial in Manhattan Supreme Court, according to court papers filed by Lomma's lawyer.

89-year-old Washington store owner battles sword-swinging robber with golf club

A livid robbery suspect waved a Japanese sword at an 89-year-old woman, but the owner of the Washington convenience store fought back with a golf club.

Will you get a Wocket? High-tech smart wallet revealed as new weapon against identity theft

Slightly smaller than an iPhone, the Wocket is an encryptic, tamper-proof gizmo that can only be activated with voice recognition, a personal identification number or a shape drawn on a touch pad.

Mobster gets 12 years for ordering murder while attending grandmother’s wake

Theodore (Teddy Boy) Persico, Jr., was sentenced Thursday in Brooklyn Federal Court for the 1993 murder of Joseph Scopo, who was leading a rival faction during a civil war within the Colombo family.

TGIF! Check out this week's hottest celebs

Former California vice cop convicted of forcing prostitutes to have sex with him while in uniform

Jose Jesus Perez was convicted Wednesday of making two prostitutes in the San Bernardino area perform oral sex and have full intercourse with him when he was on duty in 2011.

Jail worker guarding cell when inmate 'baked' to death has history of leaving post: report

Police say Riker’s Island jail guard Carol Lackner left her post when a 56-year-old inmate died in an overheated jail cell earlier this year.

Pittsburgh heroin ring members wore ‘Bricks R Us’ shirts: feds

Forty-four people were accused of participating in a Pittsburgh-area heroin ring in which investigators say some members brazenly sold drugs while wearing T-shirts with the slogan, “Bricks R Us.”

City to pay $11G per student in three charter schools booted from public space

The city will pay a whopping $11,000 in rent for each student in three Success Academy charter schools booted from public space in February by Mayor de Blasio.

Two arrested in gunpoint robbery of Nevada veteran, 100

Two men were jailed Thursday in the home invasion robbery of a 100-year-old Carson City veteran and his caretaker over Memorial Day weekend.

Adam Sandler explains why he will never host 'SNL'

'See everyone on the blackout express soon': Snapchat CEO 'mortified' by his emails to Stanford frat brothers that reference excessive drinking, drug use

Evan Spiegel, 23, the CEO and cofounder of the mobile app Snapchat, said he was “mortified” when a string of emails he sent to members of his Stanford University fraternity, Kappa Sigma, surfaced.

SEE IT San Diego cops push veteran home after his motorized scooter breaks down on Memorial Day weekend

When the California police officers saw Gilbert LaRocque, 67, stranded on the side of the road, they were determined to help.

32-year-old California woman killed mother with hammer and knife: cops

A 32-year-old woman was arrested after she confessed to brutally killing her mother with a hammer and a knife during a fight inside her California apartment, police said.

Cambodian activist resigns from her own foundation after lying allegations

Somaly Mam, the Cambodian activist who rose to prominence combating human trafficking, has resigned from her post atop the foundation that bears her name, the organization announced Thursday.

RPattz reveals he still talks to Kristen Stewart despite split

'Weed Fairy' distributed free marijuana in Seattle over Memorial Day weekend

Yeni Sleidi, 23, distributed 50 flier with nuggets of pot taped to it throughout Seattle neighborhoods during the Memorial Day weekend that said: 'These are tough times. Take this weed.'

Outed CIA agent Valerie Plame calls leak of Kabul operative 'colossally stupid'

The former agent, who was outed during the George W. Bush administration, said her situation differed from the recent naming of the CIA station chief in Kabul.

Crane exec facing lawsuit over two deaths in 2008 accident was severely injured’ in car crash two days before trial began: court docs

James Lomma, 68, was injured on May 21, two days before the start of the civil trial in Manhattan Supreme Court, according to court papers filed by Lomma's lawyer.

Pakistan PM demands to know why police did not stop family from beating pregnant woman to death because she married man she loved

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has demanded to know why police apparently stood by while a pregnant woman was stoned and beaten to death by her family in front of one of the country's top courts.