MR GRADY'S DAILY BLOG: AMERICAS NEWS

EDITORIAL THE NEWS SAYS: After the savage slaughter of an American, staying the course is no longer an option... It's time Obama finally takes action

President Obama blasted for golfing after tough speech on ISIS following James Foley killing

The vacationing commander-in-chief, after promising a relentless hunt for the terrorist butchers of a U.S. journalist, teed off on a Martha’s Vineyard golf course just a short time later.

RESCUE MISSION FAILED: Obama says operation to find ISIS-held Americans in Syria came up empty — months before James Foley's death

President Obama sent U.S. troops to Syria earlier this summer to rescue a number of Americans held by a violent extremist group, including slain journalist James Foley, but did not find the hostages, senior Obama administration officials said Wednesday.

Petition to save Steve Sotloff calls on Obama to 'take immediate action' to rescue him

Supporters of Steven Sotloff, an American journalist being held by the bloodthirsty ISIS terrorists, are pleading for President Obama to save his life.

Robin's ashes scattered in San Francisco Bay

Hamas claims 3 senior leaders killed in Israeli airstrike on Gaza Strip

The Islamic militant group says in a text message sent to media that the three — Mohammed Abu Shamaleh, Mohammed Barhoum and Raed al-Attar — were killed in the Israeli airstrike near the southern town of Rafah early on Thursday.

Nurse recalls moment teen girl came in with stomachache after weight-obsessed mom fed her TAPEWORM eggs

The stomach-turning discovery was made after a girl entered a Florida hospital's emergency room for a stomach ache but left after relieving herself of a toilet bowl-full of tapeworms.

JURASSIC FARCE: South Carolina high school student arrested for writing story about shooting a DINOSAUR

A South Carolina student and his mom are steamed at school officials who called the cops after the high schooler wrote a story about killing his neighbor's pet dinosaur.

City Council passes bill mandating reports on how inmates are put in solitary

'Darkness' shrouds rampant violence at Rikers Island, a City Council committee heard Wednesday before passing a bill that would shed light on how many inmates are thrown into solitary confinement.

Shakira’s ‘Loca’ is a complete rip-off, judge rules

EXCLUSIVE Sacked NYPD cop who claimed racial discrimination in pension loss has lawsuit dismissed

A Manhattan judge has dismissed a suit from a former NYPD cop who was fired and stripped of his pension and later argued that the loss of his retirement benefits was rooted in racial discrimination.

Child killed after falling 550 feet at Yellowstone National Park

Little Zahra Allahyari apparently strayed from a trail at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and plummeted 550 feet to the rocks below, park officials said.

Colo. Marine heading home to surprise little brother killed in Utah car crash

Lance Cpl. Brenna Ching, 20, was en route to Fort Collins, Colo., when the pickup truck he was a passenger in Friday rolled over along Interstate 70 in central Utah.

Zephyr Teachout cleared by court for Democratic primary run against Andrew Cuomo

Gov. Cuomo Wednesday lost his second attempt to boot upstart Democratic primary challenger Zephyr Teachout from the ballot.

North Carolina mother jailed after 2013 death of suffocated infant

Police arrested Katherine Anne Jennings in suspicion of involuntary manslaughter in the death of baby Luke, who allegedly died in a case of co-sleeping with his mother.

Kathie Lee & Hoda: All hail Julia, cast of 'Veep' — the funniest show on TV

Tennessee teen suspended after saying ‘bless you’ to classmate who sneezed

Kendry Turner, a senior at Dyer County High School, says she was removed from her classroom and punished with an in-school suspension after telling a peer 'bless you' after they sneezed.

Bodies of three hikers missing for months removed from Mount Rainier

A helicopter equipped with a mechanical claw plucked the bodies of three climbers from a glacier on Mount Rainier, in the same area where six went missing in late May, the National Park Service said Wednesday.

'I honestly think he probably just forgot': Times Square Super Mario a no-show at court to face groping charge

A man charged with groping a woman in Times Square while dressed as Super Mario was a no-show in court Wednesday — leading a judge to issue a bench warrant.

Naked full-body scanners FAILED to detect weapons: study

Not only did the body scanners at some U.S. airports expose a traveler’s every line and curve, they weren’t very good at finding weapons, researchers say.

At least one death reported after boat explodes at New York marina — SEE THE VIDEO

A boat exploded at a Port Washington, N.Y. marina Wednesday afternoon, sending billowing black smoke into the sky as the vessel burned.

Kids on school bus chant 'hands up, don’t shoot' amid Ferguson protest — PHOTOS

Turmoil erupted in Ferguson, Missouri as police and protesters clashed following the death of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teen who was shot by a police officer.

Alabama teacher accused of telling students to reenact Michael Brown shooting

An elementary school instructor was placed on administrative leave following complaints from parents that she had her students recreate the racially-charged shooting in Ferguson, Missouri.

St. Louis-area cop suspended after he's caught on tape threatening to kill protesters and pointing gun at media

St. Ann officer, identified as Lt. Ray Albers, was captured on video aiming his semi-automatic assault rifle at several media members and peaceful protesters just before midnight Tuesday during a demonstration along the streets of Ferguson.

VIDEO St. Louis police shoot, kill man holding knife at officers

The suspect reportedly refused to drop his weapon after stealing from a Six Stars Market convenience store along Riverview Blvd., approximately five miles southeast of Ferguson, around 12:30 p.m., KTVI reported. When he allegedly lunged at responding officers, they opened fire.

New York

PICTURED Construction worker breaks leg in Second Ave. Subway mishap, leads to 100-feet crane-assisted rescue

A construction worker taking part in the Second Ave. Subway project broke a leg in a subterranean mishap Wednesday and had to be lifted by crane 100 feet to street level, officials said.

Brooklyn-based Livestream major force in Michael Brown video feeds

A Brooklyn tech company has turned into major player in the Ferguson chaos. People on the ground in the small Missouri town have used Livestream, an online video service based in an East Williamsburg warehouse, to broadcast some of the most stunning footage from the clashes between police and protesters.

Religious and city officials have closed-door meeting in wake of Eric Garner’s death

Wednesday's gathering included Timothy Cardinal Dolan, the Rev. Al Sharpton, Mayor de Blasio and top NYPD officials to discuss Garner's death and the planned march Saturday on Staten Island.

LATEST FROM AROUND NEW YORK

Family of Ramarley Graham, Bronx teen gunned down by cop, petitions Justice Department to investigate killing

Ramarley Graham, 18, was gunned down in his home in February 2012 in front of his grandmother and 6-year-old brother. His family submitted 33,000 signatures demanding a Department of Justice investigation into the killing.

Nearly 60,000 people apply for 105 affordable units in Greenpoint building

Nearly 60,000 people have entered an affordable housing lottery for a chance to rent one of the 105 below market-rate units up for grabs at 1133 Manhattan Ave. in Greenpoint, officials said.

'$8M and climbing': Ticket sales for new Lane, Broderick play soaring

Toddler found playing in road naked, covered in feces: North Carolina police

The child's parents, Michael Banks and Crystal Knight, were charged with child neglect after police say their 2-year-old son was found wandering around outside their Landis home Monday afternoon.

Ex-con guns down Rhode Island man after seeing pictures of cash, sneakers on Facebook: witness

A 24-year-old ex-con in search of expensive sneakers and cash opened fire and killed a 26-year-old man inside a North Providence, R.I. home before he shot the man’s mother and bit off her finger, then shot himself in the face as cops closed in, police said.

COLD-BLOODED SON: Queens man guns down his father outside home after a night out: cops

Anthony Guyton, 37, allegedly shot his 55-year-old father Langley Bruce as he sat in his car outside his son's home in South Jamaica on Tuesday night, allegedly over family drama, the victim’s mother said.

'Enough is enough': NAACP and family call for federal probe into case of California dad who died after he was Tased by police

A grieving California family has called on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the death of a father of five who died after getting electroshocked several times by police during an arrest last week.

Obama considering immigration system changes requested by business groups

The President is considering key changes in America's immigration system requested by tech, industry and interest groups, in a move that could blunt GOP's election-year criticism of his immigration approach.

'We're just real happy that he's home': Pot-bellied pig Mr. Wiggles FOUND after breaking out of pen in Washington state

The animal was spotted in a neighborhood street in Poulsbo on Sunday after running away from his farm. The police officer who spotted him initially thought it was the strangest dog he had ever seen.

Empire State Secret! Taylor's NY visit, new album release kept on the hush

Canadian man sentenced to 27 years in prison for smuggling marijuana into U.S.

A Canadian marijuana kingpin who admitted he ran a $1 billion smuggling ring was sentenced Wednesday to 27 years in prison by a Brooklyn federal judge.

WATCH Hundreds rally in Harlem to demand housing developers designate more new units as affordable

They want affordable housing — and they want it now!

Irish family irked with United Airlines over nut allergy flap aboard flight: report

An Irish family says they were taken off a United Airlines flight in a dispute over their daughter's severe nut allergy, complaining that crew members told them the carrier wasn't a "nut-free airline."

Kentucky sex offender wanted for attempted murder gives chase while naked: report

Jerry Brown, 34, was described as only wearing a wristwatch when collared by police after making a run for it through fields and yards in Russell County Tuesday, according to a report.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry formally enters not guilty plea in abuse of power case

Texas Gov. Rick Perry has formally pleaded not guilty to criminal charges of leveraging his power to try to oust a Democratic DA convicted of drunken driving, according to court docs obtained Wednesday.

'There's really bad stuff in mom's car': Florida boy, 7, turns in his own mother for cooking meth

Sometimes kids parent their moms. A 7-year-old Florida boy turned in his mother for cooking and using methamphetamine, authorities said.

That was fast! Michelle, Zac take express train to Splitsville

'Girls!' showcases the world’s most beautiful women — PHOTOS

Sports

Yanks pen can't hold lead, drop second straight and seven of last nine

Joe Girardi was without the services of David Robertson, Dellin Betances and Shawn Kelley Wednesday night, each of whom had pitched three times in the past four days.

Rex rips Giants rook Andre Williams for calling Big Blue 'real New York team'

Rex Ryan doesn’t discriminate: Take a shot at the Jets and the coach will fire back — even at a rookie running back.

As Rose sits with knee soreness, Team USA puts on clinic vs. DR

The Garden crowd didn’t get its man. Despite the chants of “Der-rick Rose,” the point guard remained in a familiar position — on the bench. Team USA certainly didn’t need its biggest star to steamroll the Dominican Republic in Wednesday’s exhibition at the Garden. James Harden and Kyrie Irving put on a show for the Americans in the 105-62 victory, an easy tuneup against a small Caribbean island nation more famous for producing baseball players.

Rory McIlroy looks a lot like Tiger Woods heading into Barclays

There has always been a void at whatever tournament Tiger Woods has missed, but this week at The Barclays at Ridgewood Country Club, that void is measurably smaller.

Katie talks marriage to Tom Cruise and her acting career

Video shows former AG and state Senate candidate Oliver Koppell insulting residents of district he's running to represent

While campaigning last week in advance of his Sept. 9 primary against Senate co-Leader Jeffrey Klein (D-Bronx), Koppell was caught on video saying that “they’re not the most broad-minded people.”

North Korea slams John Kerry as a wolf with a ‘hideous lantern jaw’

In its latest personal attack on a prominent official from a rival country, North Korea on Wednesday called U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry a wolf with a "hideous lantern jaw."

Republican Dan Sullivan beats Tea Party challenger in Alaska Senate primary

Former state Attorney General Dan Sullivan became the latest mainstream Republican to turn back a tea party challenger, winning the Alaska GOP primary to become his party's candidate to take on U.S.

'You better hope I don't see you on the street': Wannabe Manhattan actor charged with threatening to kill 77-year-old voice coach

Richard Hymes-Esposito, 34, allegedly peppered Anna Ivara with over 100 text messages, 40 emails and 11 voice messages between June 17 and Friday, calling her 'venom' and an 'alcoholic piece of s--t.'