MR GRADY'S DAILY BLOG: AMERICAS NEWS

CAUGHT IN THE ACT: Surveillance video captures burglar in 3-story, $1M closet heist at Texas mansion

The black and white video taken from inside Theresa Roemer's astonishing three-story, 3,000-square-foot closet on Friday shows the crook eagerly grabbing and tossing items onto the floor while clearing off entire shelves.

Grandmother babysitting toddler is mauled to death by family’s pit bull: sheriff

Cindy Whisman, 59, was babysitting her 2-year-old grandson at the child's Ohio home when out of nowhere the pit bull named Polo turned on the woman and pinned her to the ground, said a neighbor.

Lupica: Government not done with Alex Rodriguez after Tony Bosch plea

All we heard last summer, in the run-up to an arbitration hearing that ended up with Major League Baseball effectively throwing Alex Rodriguez into the trunk of a car and driving him away from the sport, was what a witch hunt this all was.

EXCLUSIVE Veteran FDNY firefighter set to be second in command after 36 years

Bob Turner, 57, has worked nearly every job in the department during his storied 36-year career, and is now preparing for his new role as Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro’s second in command. “I think with my experience, I bring a lot to the table,” Turner told the Daily News on Tuesday.

YEARS OF 'UNSPEAKABLE' ABUSE: Queens couple accused of savagely beating 12-year-old girl and starving her until she was 58 POUNDS

Authorities say the victim was beaten with a broken metal broom handle, punched and kicked in the body and face, smashed with a rolling pin and a baseball bat, and forced to stand in an icy shower.

Martha Stewart's younger sister dies from brain aneurysm

EXCLUSIVE Riker's Island bosses promoted after managing jail where teen inmates were beaten

Two top jail bosses were recently promoted to plum spots in the city Department of Correction even though they ran a Rikers Island facility for troubled teens where a federal report found repeated inmate beatdowns were improperly reported and investigated.

VIDEO Home explosion in Port Washington, N.Y. causes massive blaze, killing 1

A massive fire broke out in Port Washington, New York, after a suburban home exploded Tuesday evening, witnesses said.

SEE IT Hillary Clinton name-drops her way into surprise 'Colbert Report' appearance

Hillary Clinton made an unannounced visit to the Colbert Report on Tuesday night, where she playfully name-dropped her way through a comedy bit with host Stephen Colbert while promoting her new memoir.

Man hospitalized in New York City 'highly unlikely' to have Ebola: officials

As NYC officials announced Tuesday that a hospitalized man is likely not an Ebola victim, a second infected American aid worker flew home from Africa for an experimental treatment.

Cowell's ex Terri Seymour leaving 'Extra': sources

EXCLUSIVE Money seized from criminals will pay for NYPD cops' bulletproof vests

Money seized from criminals will be used to make NYPD cops safer.

Russian cyber gang steals 1.2 billion usernames and passwords, 500 million email addresses: report

A Russian gang of computer hackers has gathered a staggering cache of some 1.2 billion stolen usernames and passwords, exposing vulnerability in some 400,000 websites targeted, according to a report.

Tennessee man admits using bomb disguised as lamp to kill in-laws he owed $40,000

A Tennessee man deep in debt to his in-laws disguised a bomb as a lamp to kill the elderly couple, the double-murderer admitted in court Tuesday.

Drunken woman crashes car into L.I. fire station with stolen snake around her neck: police

Sarah Espinosa, of Albany, was driving on Jericho Turnpike on Monday when she crossed the median and collided with a vehicle, Nassau County cops said.

Philadelphia Congressman’s son accused of stealing federal funds for city schools says charges are ‘politically motivated’

Chaka Fattah Jr., 31, was charged in an indictment with bank and wire fraud, theft from a federal program and filing false tax returns.

Moms open up about breast-feeding challenges

More city schools make state's 'persistently dangerous' list

City schools dominated this year’s state Education Department’s list of 'persistently dangerous schools' with 40 of 47 schools on the shameful list located within the five boroughs.

Lollapalooza 'zombie' bites Chicago man, draws blood during Arctic Monkeys show

A 29-year-old Chicago man was bitten by an intoxicated "zombie" while watching an Arctic Monkeys performance Friday evening on the first day of the annual summer festival.

EXCLUSIVE De Blasio wants to keep agency set up after 9/11 attacks to revitalize Lower Manhattan

A city-state agency created to help revitalize Lower Manhattan after the 9/11 attacks is still in business 12 years later — and Mayor de Blasio wants to keep it that way.

Hillary Clinton inks deal for private office in Midtown skyscraper owned by big Democratic donor

Hillary Clinton has inked a deal for a brand new personal office in a Midtown skyscraper owned by real estate bigwig Stephen Green, a big Democratic donor.

American two-star general from upstate N.Y. — on his first war zone deployment — killed in Kabul 'insider attack'

Maj. Gen. Harold Greene was the highest-ranking U.S. officer killed in combat since Vietnam, the Pentagon said. He had been in the Army for more than 30 year but this was his first deployment in a war zone.

New York

Civilian Complaint Review Board chair proposes 'Cop-stat' to chart police abuse claims

New Civilian Complaint Review Board Chair Richard Emery wants the board to tabulate police abuse claims into a format where the NYPD’s brass will be immediately alerted to troubling trends among police officers.

UNWANTED RIDERS! Bedbugs found on at least three N line subway trains

Bedbugs were discovered on at least three subway trains on the N line this week, authorities said.

City Council public safety chair calls for grand jury, blasts police union heads in Garner case

The City Council’s public safety chair called for a grand jury to be quickly empaneled against the cops involved in the death of Eric Garner.

LATEST FROM AROUND NEW YORK

New York Sikhs demand feds’ involvement after alleged hit-run ‘hate’ attack

The Sikh community turned the heat up Tuesday on the NYPD to find the lead-footed bigot who ran down a Queens businessman with a pickup truck after yelling, “Go back to your own country, Bin Laden!”

New York City prepared to 'rapidly' ID Ebola cases: Health Commissioner

The Mt. Sinai patient who showed symptoms of Ebola after traveling to West Africa probably doesn't have it - but the case helped show the city is prepared if someone is diagnosed with the disease.

LISTEN: 911 call for late American Idol' star Michael Johns

Veteran Massachusetts firefighter charged with poisoning to death neighbor’s ‘noisy’ chickens

A longtime Massachusetts firefighter is off the job after admitting to killing his neighbors' chickens because their incessant squawking drove him nuts, police said.

5-year-old accidentally shoots 3-year-old girl in Colorado: cops

A 5-year-old in Colorado accidentally shot a 3-year-old girl in the chest while playing with a gun Monday, police said. The girl underwent surgery and is in critical but stable condition at the hospital.

North Carolina restaurant offers 15% discount to customers who pray in public before eating

Servers at Mary’s Gourmet Diner in Winston-Salem can cut 15% off customers' bills if they see guests displaying an “attitude of gratitude” before eating

'Spoiled' New Jersey teen who sued parents for support drops restraining order against ex-boyfriend

The New Jersey teenager who once moved out of her parents' home and sued them for support and college tuition has reportedly reached an agreement with her ex-boyfriend to dismiss their requests for domestic violence restraining orders against each other.

Strahan's ex vacations with former NBA star amid cheating scandal: report

Seven-hour standoff ends with Colorado man, son dead

The tragic shooting inside a Kennesburg home early Tuesday morning was reportedly the summation of months of problems between Shawn D. Kilker, 42, and his estranged wife, Denise. Friends and family say Kilker vowed to do 'anything to hurt her' after she moved out in June.

Ex-Wisconsin police officer charged in death of woman found in suitcase

Steven Zelich, 52, of West Allis, is charged with first-degree homicide and hiding a corpse in the death of one of two women whose bodies were found stuffed in suitcases left along a Wisconsin highway in June.

Love at first flight: Irish traveler uses Twitter to find Canadian woman he met on international flight

On a flight from Spain to Ireland, Jamie Kelly, 24, sat next to a beautiful Canadian woman, but didn't get her phone number before they parted. Determined not to give up, he asked Twitter for help.

Britain scrambles fighter jets at Manchester airport after bomb threat

A Qatar Airways passenger jet was escorted by military fighter jets after the crew received a letter from a passenger saying he had a bomb on board the international flight.

Rosie shows off her curves in sexy lingerie shoot — PHOTOS

Pennsylvania sicko raped 15-year-old girl, then impersonated police officer so that he could pretend to perform rape exam on her: authorities

A Pennsylvania man raped a 15-year-old girl and impersonated a police officer so he could pretend to perform a rape exam on the victim, authorities said.

Son of Cliven Bundy, who engaged in armed standoff with federal agents, arrested in Las Vegas

Cliven Lance Bundy, 34, was taken into custody on criminal contempt and probation violation charges. He faces up to eight years in prison if convicted.

Check out the hottest celebrity photos of the day

WHAT IS IT? Mysterious animal has residents of California town in debate

Surveillance footage of a mysterious four-legged white animal continues to mystify and also entertain residents of a suburban Anaheim town.

Pennsylvania man defecates in police car after threatening to blow up his home: police

A Pennsylvania ban faces a variety of charges after he allegedly blasted the gas inside his home, threatened to ignite it with two kids nearby, and then defecated in a cop car after his arrest, authorities say.

U.S. Attorney's office may have offered white supremacist killer special meal to get guilty pleas in other murders

SEE IT FAIL! Michigan State misspells accurate on locker room sign after spending $24.5M to update football facilities

Sports

Yankees fall to Tigers in extras on Alex Avila home run

The Yankees managed not to get beaten by a Cy Young winner for the second consecutive night, but the guy who has now caught for all three of Detroit's Cy Young winners got the best of the Yanks in extra innings.

Harper: Alderson stocked for arms deal, but is Wheeler untouchable?

While discussing the Mets’ future a month ago, a veteran National League scout was quick to nominate Zack Wheeler over Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, not to mention Matt Harvey, as the one young pitcher he’d trade for the type of impact hitter the franchise desperately needs.

Steroid buyers beware: Names and details of PED deals could be released

Athletes who purchased performance-enhancing drugs from Biogenesis may not face federal drug charges, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be nervous.

Three candidates in running to replace Bud Selig as MLB commissioner

The search for a new baseball commissioner to succeed Bud Selig has been narrowed down to three candidates — MLB Chief Operating Officer Rob Manfred, Red Sox chairman Tom Werner and MLB VP of Business Tim Brosnan — who will be presented to the 30 owners for a vote at their quarterly meeting in Baltimore on Aug. 14.

The honeymoon is NEVER over! SEE how newlywed stars are celebrating

SNOWDEN 2.0? New leaker responsible for latest national security documents exposed, report says

The news comes as documents prepared by the National Counterterrorism Center and dated August 2013 — just after Snowden fled the U.S. for Russia — were published Tuesday by news site Intercept.

Search for Malaysia Flight MH 370 to resume in September

The underwater search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH 370 is set to resume early next month, after a three-month halt, Australian officials said.

Strip club under construction in New Mexico named after the Bronx

A prospective strip club owner in New Mexico has raised the ire of an entire borough by naming his soon-to-open jiggle joint after the Bronx.

Development banks pledge $260M in emergency loans to help Ebola-hit countries

International development banks on Monday committed $260 million in emergency loans for three West African countries hit by the deadly Ebola virus as nearly 50 African leaders gathered in Washington for a U.S.

Naked, drunk Oregon man falls into river while masturbating in park: cops

Ernest Michael Kirk, 31, needed to be rescued after falling into the Willamette River while gratifying himself in Clackamette Park in Oregon City, according to the Portland Tribune.

REVIEW: John Lithgow rules in ‘King Lear’

Heartless thief nabs prosthetic leg from woman's car

A New Mexico woman had her prosthetic leg stolen by a heartless thief over the weekend. Mary Alice London was staying in a Lubbock, Tex., hotel when two suitcases were taken from her parked car while she was sleeping Friday night, according to multiple reports.