MR GRADY'S DAILY BLOG: AMERICAS NEWS

'I feel you when I pray': James Foley's parents release heartfelt last letter he penned while imprisoned by ISIS

On the same day that friends and family mourned James Foley’s murder by Islamic terrorists, his parents released a letter written by Foley during his years in captivity.

Israeli attacks kill 2 in Gaza, airstrike hits Hamas official's home

A new round of Israeli airstrikes and tank fire pounded Gaza on Monday as officials in the coastal strip said two more Palestinian civilians died from the violence.

'They released it to make him look bad': Michael Brown's family speak out against police video

To those who knew Michael Brown, the grainy video image of a hulking man pushing around a store clerk didn't add up.

PICTURED Boston journalist freed after being abducted almost 2 years ago in Turkey: report

An American man, and purported journalist, Peter Theo Curtis has been freed after being kidnapped on his way to Syria almost two years ago, reports Al Jazeera.

PHOTOS J.Lo, Kim K. lead way for sexy sirens on VMA red carpet

EXCLUSIVE City Councilman Ben Kallos wants to revamp FOIL law but withholds personal office documents

City Councilman Ben Kallos wants to speed up Freedom of Information requests - but he’s a slug himself at responding to them.

Ebola kills two people in Congo, but officials believe it's not related to outbreak in West Africa

Two Ebola-related deaths have been confirmed in Congo, the country’s health minister said Sunday, though local officials believe the cases are unrelated to the outbreak in West Africa that has killed more than 1,400 people.

MAKING LEMONS OUT OF LEMONADE: Florida man clashes with 12-year-old neighbor over 'illegal' stand

A neighbor may be trying to give T.J. Guerrero lemons, but the entrepreneurial pre-teen just keeps making lemonade.

TOO CLOSE! Rosie to share building with nemesis Kelly

Obama returning to White House after 2-week vacation on Martha's Vineyard

President Obama’s golf-filled summer vacation off the Massachusetts coast is about to end.

KKK is using pamphlets to recruit in the Hamptons in Long Island

The Ku Klux Klan has been leaving recruitment pamphlets next to mailboxes and in driveways in Hampton Bays over the past few weeks.

James Foley, slain U.S. journalist, opened our eyes, bishop says during funeral Mass in Rochester

A Roman Catholic bishop in New Hampshire says slain U.S. journalist James Foley was living his faith by showing the world images of people affected by war.

Tropical Storm Cristobal hits Bahamas, may strengthen to hurricane on Wednesday

The storm was upgraded from a tropical depression Sunday morning, but the center is expected to curve away from the U.S. coast.

Powerful 7-magnitude earthquake strikes central Peru

A large 7-magnitude earthquake has struck a sparsely populated area of central Peru, the U.S. Geological Survey said Sunday.

WATCH Boy, 6, miraculously survives being run over by vehicle in China

The boy was playing on a Shandong province road on Wednesday when a red SUV drove right over him.

Shooting spree near L.A. kills three, injures four

Police are on the hunt for a Hispanic duo believed responsible for killing three people in a Sunday morning shooting spree scattered throughout a Los Angeles suburb.

UC Berkeley-based early-warning system detected Napa earthquake 10 seconds before it hit

Just 10 seconds before the Napa earthquake found its way to the Bay Area, a computer at University of California Berkeley knew about it.

Miley uses formerly homeless youth to accept award, spotlight epidemic

Lorde wins VMA for Best Rock Video... over ACTUAL rock bands

Lorde, have mercy. The New Zealand pop star took home the MTV VMA Award for Best Rock Video in an upset that greatly angered rock fans on social media.

Red carpet looks at this year's Video Music Awards accented stars' assets

While Kim Kardashian was desperately campaigning for breast in show, the MTV VMAs red carpet was all about the ass.

MTV's Diem Brown battling cancer for the third time

"The Challenge" star Diem Brown is in the midst of another uphill battle with cancer. Brown, 32, who has beaten ovarian cancer twice, was recently diagnosed with colon cancer - but she's not giving up.

PHOTOS Best and worst VMA looks through the years

Since Madonna writhed on the floor in a wedding dress for the first Video Music Awards in 1984, the guests have been expressing themselves in some truly outrageous get-ups.

BAD RAP: Minaj has crotch-grabbing, wardrobe malfunctioning set

IGGY FLOP: Azalea falls off stage during pre-VMA show

Iggy Azalea has tumbled off the stage during an MTV Video Music Awards benefit concert. There is no immediate word if the Australian rapper was injured.

A look back at Beyoncé's Top 10 red carpet looks of all time (PHOTOS)

On the red carpet, Beyonce mostly sticks to diva-licious labels such as Cavalli, Givenchy and Versace, but some of her best looks have come from then-unknown labels or fashionista favorites like Thakoon.

PHOTOS From Bey to Nicki: Relive the show's hottest moments

If you thought things were heating up on the red carpet, take a look at the action that unfolded onstage at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards.

How Miley soared, Robin fell after infamous twerk heard 'round the world

Its been nearly one year since the twerk heard 'round the world. Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke took the stage together during the 2013 MTV VMAs at Brooklyn's Barclays Center on Aug. 25 for one unforgettable — and controversial — performance.

New York

SHOOTING MAYHEM: Seven people shot in six separate incidents across New York

Seven people were shot — one critically — across four boroughs Saturday, including a drive-by outside the Hudson River Cafe in Harlem, police said.

Manhattan delegation of City Council warned against leaks

Hours after the Daily News reported that the Manhattan delegation of the City Council met behind closed doors to select a replacement for a departing Board of Elections commissioner, Manhattan lawmakers were warned that leakers might be barred from future meetings.

FINALLY NABBED: 2 men arrested, charged in 2013 death of Bronx man

Nearly two weeks after the one-year anniversary of Clayton Wright's death, Jermaine White, 26, and Pearce Cuthbert, 31, were arrested.

LATEST FROM AROUND NEW YORK

Responders pulled 8 people to saftey off sinking boat near Fire Island: cops

Police rescued eight people from a sinking boat after its engines conked out off Fire Island early Saturday, authorities said.

Mysterious piece of jet plane falls from the sky, lands in Long Island yard

Authorities are trying to figure out how a metal part from a jet airliner fell out of the sky and landed in a Long Island yard.

Wilde about 'breast milk'? SEE Olivia's bucket challenge

Chinese scientists a step closer to developing supersonic submarine that could travel 3,600 mph under water

The new ‘supercavitation’ methodology could see the vehicles travel at rates up to 3,600 mph underwater, being able to make the trip from Shanghai to San Francisco in about two hours.

Working Families Party has yet to disclose spending on campaign for Brooklyn state Assembly seat

The Working Families Party has yet to publicly reveal spending on its campaign for a Brooklyn state Assembly seat.

Utah woman, 67, who unknowingly drank iced tea mixed with cleaning solution released from hospital

Jan Harding, 67, is now recovering at home, although she will continue to undergo tests and procedures to find any long-term complications.

Obama sending three White House officials to Michael Brown’s funeral

President Obama is sending three White House officials to the funeral service of the Missouri teenager whose death in a police shooting in Ferguson, Missouri, has sparked days of racial unrest.

APPRECIATION Richard Attenborough leaves a unique screen legacy

Sen. Rand Paul suggests voters won’t elect Hillary Clinton for president because she’s a ‘war hawk’

Sen. Rand Paul called Hillary Clinton a “war hawk” and charged Americans won’t want to elect her president out of fear she’ll get the country into another war in the Middle East.

China defends intercepting U.S. Navy plane - blames Washington for close-in reconnaissance operations

China's Defense Ministry rejected U.S. accusations that a Chinese fighter jet's intercept of a U.S. Navy surveillance aircraft off the southern Chinese coast was dangerous, and blamed Washington for mounting large-scale and frequent close-in reconnaissance operations.