MR GRADY'S DAILY BLOG: AMERICAS NEWS

EXCLUSIVE: New book reveals Hillary Clinton blames abuse by Bill’s mom as a youth for his sex addiction

FAA lifts ban on flights into Israel's Ben Gurion Airport

The Federal Aviation Administration lifted its ban Wednesday on U.S. flights in and out of Israel, which the agency had imposed out of concern for the risk of planes being hit by Hamas rockets.

Driver, 12 children killed after train in India crashes into school bus at railroad crossing

Twelve children were killed Thursday when a train crashed into their school bus at an unmanned railroad crossing in southern India, police said.

PICTURED SHE WENT POSTAL! USPS worker turns violent, hurls curling iron over 'slow service' at Manhattan salon

Rachel Meyers, 26, allegedly hurled a curling iron stand at a stylist at Century 27 Beauty Salon last Friday while pitching a fit over what she thought was slow service, according to the salon’s manager.

Star photographer sued by model muse over pricey Polaroids

BEAT IT! Harlem grandma pummeled by neighbor for refusing to move out of apartment building

The stubborn grandmother who has refused to leave her dilapidated Harlem apartment building so that it can be renovated was battered last week by a frustrated neighbor.

Skateboarder, four friends sought by cops in Brooklyn Bridge flag switch: source

While police had no real leads in Day 2 of their probe, the five suspects wanted for questioning were described as in white and in their late teens or early 20s, the source said.

North Carolina teen charged after stuffing newborn in grocery bag, burying body in backyard: deputies

Ashley Marie Reed, 16, turned herself in to authorities Tuesday after authorities say the body of her 8.5 pound baby girl was discovered buried in a grocery bag outside her Franklin County house late last month.

Guess which star is soaking up the sun in this sexy snap?

Perv boss compared me with Kim Kardashian in racist come-ons, sex harassment: suit

AN EXECUTIVE assistant at a global business consulting company says in a federal lawsuit that her boss sexually harassed her and made racist comments comparing her with Kim Kardashian.

Sen. John Walsh of Montana plagiarized much of his master's thesis: report

Sen. John Walsh, a Montana Democrat, appears to have plagiarized much of his master’s thesis, a report Wednesday said.

Boy, 4, BANNED from Conn. doughnut shop for asking customer if she's pregnant, mom says

Rebecca Denham said she was mortified when her son, age 4, asked a fellow doughnut shop customer if she was pregnant. She wasn’t. And that got them banned from Conn. doughnut shop, mom says.

Chelsea feted at intimate baby shower in N.Y.

Bloomberg: I flew to Tel Aviv to show solidarity with Israelis and prove Israel's airports are safe

Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York City, said closing access to major infrastructure networks in the face of terrorist threats can be self-defeating.

StubHub hacking ring busted in scam for Justin Timberlake and Jay Z tickets

These tickets really were hot.

Squatting guest won't leave California Airbnb host's condo after renting it for 44 days

A California landlady is facing a costly legal battle after an Airbnb guest refused to leave her Palm Springs condo — and then nearly acquired the pad through tenants rights.

HAMILL: Tragic and unnecessary death of father of 6 Eric Garner reminds of NYPD cowboy cops

Three other women nodded as they perspired behind a police barricade up the block from Eric Garner’s wake at Bethel Baptist Church on Bergen Street in Brooklyn on Wednesday afternoon. Garner, 43, died last Thursday afternoon after a cop named Daniel Pantaleo applied a chokehold to his neck in Tompkinsville, Staten Island, as he was being arrested for suspicion of selling “loosies” cigarettes.

SEE IT: Harlem fare-beater pepper-sprayed, put in chokehold — just 3 DAYS before Eric Garner incident

Cops put a 22-year-old Harlem fare-beater in a chokehold three days before Eric Garner was killed, a shocking new video reveals.

New York

DOUBLE TAKE: De Blasio eats his pizza with a fork and knife AGAIN — this time in Naples during family vacation

Mayor de Blasio finally got to pizza the way he likes it - with a fork and knife - without offending the locals.

Rob Astorino hopes Chris Christie will help his campaign for governor

ALBANY — Republican gubernatorial hopeful Rob Astorino went west Wednesday in search of support from New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

John Degnan, new Port Authority chairman, pushes through $90M for Bus Terminal improvements

THE 200,000 daily commuters who use the Port Authority Bus Terminal have a reason to like the agency’s new chairman.

Cops hunting for man in white hospital scrubs raped woman at gunpoint in Bronx parking lot

Cops said the man approached the 24-year-old woman near E. Tremont Ave. and Meyers St., across the street from St. Raymond’s Cemetery in Schuylerville, about 5:30 a.m. on Sunday.

LATEST FROM AROUND NEW YORK

Ex-Bravest has pot luck in federal retrial

AN EX-CITY firefighter beat the rap Wednesday at his retrial on charges of running a massive marijuana farm in the basement of a Queens house.

Long Island inmate dies from 8-hour swelling attack in jail after dad refuses to bail him out

A heartbroken father, John Gleeson says he was just wanted his son — who was addicted to opiates — to reflect on his crimes. But when guards refused the 40-year-old medical care, his dad says, it proved fatal.

William Rapfogel, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver's pal, gets 10 years in prison for defrauding charity

The 59-year-old was sentenced Wednesday for his role in a $9 million scam. The former head of the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty previously admitted his guilt, paying back $3 million.

Kathie Lee & Hoda: If you're 26-years-old, sex should be a weekly activity

Mass court hears details of woman’s alleged assault by teacher slaying suspect

A prosecutor described Philip Chism, 15, as following a 29-year-old woman into a locker room at a Boston youth detention facility in June before grabbing her by the throat and hitting her with his fists. The attack follows Chism's arrest in the murder of Danvers High School math teacher Colleen Ritzer in October.

START OF AN EPIDEMIC? Painful Chikungunya virus infects nearly 600 as it continues to spread via mosquitoes across the United States

More cases of chikungunya, a painful virus spread by mosquitos, are being reported across the country.

EDITORIAL The threat against Ben Gurion Airport must be permanently ended

Hamas scored a victory in its latest nihilistic, death-obsessed war with Israel when its rockets prompted the U.S.

'I AM AFRAID FOR MY LIFE': Sierra Leone's chief Ebola doctor contracts the highly infectious, deadly virus

The head doctor fighting an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in Sierra Leone has himself caught the disease, one of a growing list of medical workers infected while battling to halt its spread across West Africa.

Move over Martha! Blake Lively launches herself as lifestyle guru

SEE IT: British cyclist sent flying by driver — but lands on his feet

WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE. Sign him up for the circus. A British bicyclist miraculously stayed on his feet - and suffered only minor injuries - after a turning car plowed directly into him on a rainy day.

'We certainly have made steps forward': Kerry offers first glimmer of hope in Gaza cease-fire talks after landing in Israel amid flight ban

The United States on Wednesday said negotiations to broker a truce between Israel and Hamas militants are making some progress even if an end to more than two weeks of bloodshed is nowhere near.

'He tried to save a customer': Annoying Comcast rep was just doing as he was trained, according to leaked memo

Somehow, we knew this. The really irritating Comcast representative whose refusal to disconnect a customer created a virtual outrage?

Cuomo takes heat from challengers on Moreland Commission subpoenas

ALBANY — Gov. Cuomo faced a firestorm of criticism from across the political spectrum Wednesday over allegations that his office interfered with an “independent” commission he formed to investigate corruption.

Sports

Vacchiano: Giants GM Reese not feeling so Super after last season's dud

Maybe Jerry Reese learned his lesson from a year ago, when his Super Bowl-or-bust declaration turned from bravado to punchline in six games flat. Or maybe he’s just lowered his expectations to a realistic level after last year.

Mehta: Jets quarterback call must belong to Rex Ryan

The most compelling storyline at Jets training camp is one that doesn’t really exist. Or maybe it does. But probably doesn’t. It could, however, depending on the specific circumstances. Possibly.

Gay sports advocates will huddle with Giants director of player dev. Tyree

Patrick Burke believes it is better to talk to David Tyree and other athletes who make homophobic statements than to bash them with a press release.

Harper: Why Tulowitzki won't be making a move to either Mets or Yanks

Troy Tulowitzki may be the holy grail for Mets’ and Yankees’ fans looking for a shortstop next season, but another trip to the disabled list this week is a reminder of why the oft-injured All-Star won’t be coming to New York anytime soon.

Selena Gomez's hunky mystery beau is identified

'No soldier should be left behind': Secular groups petition Congress for a humanist military chaplain

The American Humanist Association hosted a congressional briefing urging members of Congress to appoint a humanist chaplain to serve the thousands of American soldiers who don’t believe in a God or gods

Kennedy cousin Michael Skakel tries to keep his memoir from being used as evidence ahead of murder trial

Skakel, the nephew of Robert F. Kennedy's widow, faces retrial for the 1975 murder of Martha Moxley. His lawyer is trying to suppress audio tapes he made for a memoir as evidence in the case.

Friend of Boston bombing suspect: ‘I smoke weed because my best friend was the bomber’

Accused heroin dealer Stephen Silva, whom police believe supplied the gun used by the Boston Marathon suspects to kill a university police officer, said he turned to drugs following the arrest of his friend, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and death of Dzhokhar's brother, Tamerlan.