MR GRADY'S DAILY BLOG: AMERICAS NEWS

Lupica: De Blasio, Bratton hiding under 'reform' as they deflect blame over Eric Garner death after Sharpton rips into them both

This wasn’t the politics of reform on Thursday at City Hall, because reform is just a word that politicians like Bill de Blasio and Bill Bratton use when they think they look bad.

Fired Miami Beach cop blames positive cocaine test on ‘sex cream,’ winds up reinstated

A Miami Beach detective was hired back by the city’s police department Thursday after he argued that a positive drug test for cocaine in 2013 was due to a sex cream he’d gotten from “an old Cuban guy.”

DESPICABLE ME: Queens man collected $56G in benefits meant for his mom — a Holocaust survivor — by lying about her death, DA says

Gary Jacoby, 61, pictured left, cashed in on his mother’s 2008 death by keeping her demise a secret — and collecting her Holocaust survivor checks from the German government, said District Attorney Richard Brown, right.

Congress skips vote on border bill and other laws as summer recess is set to begin

House Republicans at the last minute canceled a vote on their bill to boost funding to address the stream of unaccompanied minors arriving at the U.S. border.

EXCLUSIVE Charles Rangel received PAC funds without a treasurer, violating election rules

The April 16 death of Basil Paterson left Rep. Charles Rangel without a treasurer for his personal political action committee — a violation of Federal Election Committee rules.

Which cheeky celeb rocks short shorts?

Man whose wife set him on fire — claimed shooting him was 'too nice' — charged with child molestation: report

Vincent Phillips, 52, who is in intensive care, is expected to be charged with first-degree child molestation, according to a report. Wife Tatanysha Hedman, pictured, said he assaulted her 7-year-old daughter.

HELLO DOLLY! Parents shocked by anatomically correct baby doll

It was the last thing parents expected to find when they bought a realistic baby doll. The anatomically correct toy has been available for several years, but only until recently has it upset a wide range of mothers.

WTC contractor defrauded Port Authority: prosecutors

A Canadian man who got almost $1 billion worth of contracts to rebuild the World Trade Center and its transportation hub was accused by federal prosecutors Thursday of defrauding the Port Authority into thinking that his firm was qualified as a minority-owned enterprise.

'THE KID OF MY NIGHTMARES': Alleged N.H. kidnapper was 'sadistic' bully, 'tortured' classmate claims

Abigail Hernandez' alleged kidnapper was a violent high school bully who was obsessed with drawing dark-haired girls in bondage, his former classmate says.

Orlando spotted with ex-wife of Miranda's rumored beau

Crazed airline passenger attacks crew with prosthetic leg, demands parachute: witnesses

The woman reportedly demanded 'cigarettes and a parachute' so she could jump out while on a Scotland-bound flight from Tunisia Wednesday night, according to a report.

Woman sues Facebook for $123M over 'revenge porn'

Her friend, it appears, was no friend at all. A Texas woman claims Facebook owes her $123 million for failing to get rid of a site that posted fake nude photographs of her.

SEE IT Woman falls 50 feet down California cliff days before it was scheduled to be closed to hikers

A woman’s slide down a sheer rock cliff face at a Pasadena canyon was caught on video — and happened two days before the U.S. Forest Service will close the area that has claimed five lives since 2011.

SCHOOL OF FOOLS: Utah language blogger writes about homophones, gets fired for 'associating school with homosexuality'

A Utah education blogger claims he was fired from a job at a language school after he wrote about homophones — a topic that associated the school with homosexuality, his boss allegedly thought.

Israel and Hamas agree to 72-hour ceasefire starting Friday while they negotiate a truce

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel will destroy the Hamas tunnel network in the Gaza Strip "with or without a cease-fire," as the military called up another 16,000 reservists.

Drew's half-sister was showing rapid weight loss before death: brother

EXCLUSIVE City will participate in massive drill Friday to prepare against possible anthrax attack

A massive anthrax attack will hit the city Friday — or at least that’s what 1,500 staffers from a dozen city agencies will hear first thing in the morning, setting off the biggest surprise emergency response drill the city has ever attempted.

5 men arrested and arraigned in relation to fatal shooting of Manhattan man

A 27-year-old man murdered outside his Hamilton Heights home was shot and killed because he allegedly assaulted a violent gangbanger’s sister, cops said Thursday.

Protesters slam teacher tenure foe Campbell Brown outside 'The Colbert Report' studios

ABOUT 20 protesters gathered outside “The Colbert Report” studios in Hell’s Kitchen Thursday shouting there’s nothing funny about Campbell Brown’s legal assault on teacher tenure.

Cuomo will sign bill closing sex offender loophole

Under the bill Cuomo plans to sign, time served in prison will no longer be counted as part of the 10-year period that qualifies a repeat offender for the felony crime of "persistent sexual abuse."

Man arrested after allegedly groping sleeping passenger on Delta flight from Detroit and Amsterdam

A 32-year-old man has been charged with fondling a 19-year-old woman who was asleep on an international flight more than two years ago.

New York

HIKING HORROR: Upstate New York woman plunges 180-feet to her death in Catskill Mountains after losing footing

Ariana Bedka reportedly died after she lost her footing on an unmarked section in the east side of the Kaaterskill Falls trail at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Airport contract workers will have their pay bumped to $9 an hour following Daily News' Fight for Fair Pay campaign

Wages for the lowest-paid airport contract workers have finally taken off, Gov. Cuomo announced Thursday.

Protesters demand prosecution of correction officers who left Rikers inmate to die

A group of protesters said the Bronx District Attorney is taking too long to prosecute correction officers and jail honchos responsible for the death of a mentally-ill inmate on Rikers Island last year.

Cat on tracks in Brooklyn leads MTA to run D and N trains local for more than two hours

The cat was spotted by a signal maintainer in an underground area north of the 36th St. station at Fourth Ave. about 11:50 a.m. The feline was finally corralled a few minutes after 2 p.m.

LATEST FROM AROUND NEW YORK

Man dies after jumping in front of oncoming F train in Manhattan

A man was killed in NoHo Thursday when he hurled himself in front of an oncoming F train, authorities said.

Spider-Man charged with punching cop says costume characters are beloved

Junior Bishop, 25, was in Manhattan Criminal Court Thursday where he learned the district attorney's office had not yet secured an indictment for Saturday's incident in which he allegedly punched a cop.

New York City principal, wife-cheater lavishes mistress with gifts bought using nearly $30K in school money: probe

A former South Bronx principal wining and dining his mistress swiped over $20,000 from his junior high school’s bank account, the Education Department said.

TGIF! Check out the hottest celeb photos of the week

Ruth Bader Ginsburg on rumors of her retirement: 'I’m still here and likely to remain for a while'

The Notorious R.B.G. has been in the house for 20 years and intends to stay there.

Ex-cop seeks footage from HBO's 'Sex Crimes Unit' documentary to prove his innocence in rape case

The lawyer for an ex-NYPD cop suing a fashion executive who accused him of rape is seeking more than 80 hours of raw footage from an HBO documentary about the Manhattan district attorney’s sex crimes unit in which prosecutors discussed his case.

Wood chips bolster case against Long Island man accused in 20-year-old murders: prosecutors

“Wood chips were found on both of the victims,” Suffolk County assistant district attorney Robert Biancavilla said while accused double-murderer John Bittrolff, pictured, shook his head defiantly.

Senate Democrats push to protect 'dating' women from gun violence

Several hundred gun control advocates packed a hearing room as Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and others urged expanding the number of violent domestic abusers covered by the federal Violence Against Women Act.

Rep. Eric Cantor officially steps down as House Majority Leader

Rep. Eric Cantor used his farewell as House majority leader Thursday to lament what he calls a diminished U.S. role in a world that he said is rife with instability and terror.

Ireland Baldwin: Instagram's nudity policy is archaic

Calif. state Senator Leland Yee, already charged with promising guns to an FBI agent, pleads not guilty to racketeering

A California state senator previously charged with bribery pleaded not guilty Thursday to a new charge of racketeering and to previously filed counts of accepting and soliciting bribes.

Seattle officer under investigation for busting too many pot smokers

A Seattle cop was reassigned after police brass found he had single-handedly written 80% of the marijuana tickets issued in the city during the first half of the year, officials said.

WHOA, MOMA: Close call as priceless Pablo Picasso painting falls crooked — unintentionally for a change — at NYC museum

A priceless Picasso painting was left dangling perilously from a wall at New York’s Museum of Modern Art on Wednesday.

Suspected burglar leaves behind phone, calls to have it back: police

Police investigating a burglary in Hollywood, Fla. Wednesday reported hearing the phone ring on the victim's bed. The alleged caller, Wayne Bradley Wade, 46, was collared a short time later on burglary and grand theft charges.

Michigan home searched in connection to teen girl murdered on jogging path

FBI agents have arrested two people at a house on the outskirts of Armada, Mich., searched in connection to the slaying of April Millsap.

Sports

Switching sides as Yankees acquire Stephen Drew from the Red Sox

The Yankees have acquired Stephen Drew from the Red Sox for Kelly Johnson, a source tells the Daily News. Drew turned down Boston’s $14.1 million offer to become a free agent after the 2013 season.

Let's make a deal! Jon Lester and David Price among 37 players sent packing

The defending World Series champs underwent a drastic makeover and the Tigers and A’s made blockbuster deals for pitching that should turn the American League pennant chase into an arms race on a wild trade deadline day that featured several big names.

Bayern Munich wins friendly against Chivas Guadalajara 1-0 at Red Bull Arena

Though German giant Bayern Munich was without resting German stars like Thomas Muller, Manuel Neuer and the championship-winning goal-scorer Mario Gotze for its Thursday friendly against Mexican power Chivas Guadalajara at Red Bull Arena, it did have German-American Julian Green, the 19-year-old who scored off the bench for the U.S. national team in extra time of its 2-1 Round of 16 loss to Belgium.