MR GRADY'S DAILY BLOG: AMERICAS EARLY BIRD NEWS

'DEGRADE AND DESTROY': Obama authorizes air strikes inside Syria, dispatches nearly 500 military advisers to Iraq in campaign to wipe out ISIS

A politician whose opposition to the Iraq war vaulted him to the White House argued for a renewed, long-term military involvement there — but without U.S. combat troops or, by and large, formal approval of Congress.

NOW AND THEN: Do Obama's past comments about ISIS suggest he hasn't taken them seriously?

President Obama, when he addresses the nation in a prime-time speech Wednesday night, will outline for the public his clearest strategy to date for how he aims to take out the bloodthirsty ISIS terrorist group that has taken over large chunks of Syria and Iraq.

READ IT Check out the full transcript of Obama's addresses to the nation on response to threat posed by ISIS

Below are the President’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, from his Wednesday night speech in which he outlined his clearest vision yet for taking out ISIS.

'He's been removed from service': Queens subway booth clerk faces public lewdness charges, discipline from MTA

A subway token booth clerk was charged with public lewdness for allegedly polishing something more personal than turnstiles in a Queens station, police said Wednesday.

Lupica: Roger Goodell criticized harshly for Ray Rice scandal, but he's not the one who threw the punch

There is a new shot heard ’round the world now, and it is the shot Ray Rice threw at Janay Palmer on Valentine’s Day weekend at the Revel Casino Hotel, now out of business the way Ray Rice is, and the way Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, will be if he has lied to us about any of this.

QUE PASO! JLo and La La's Latino hot spot to shutter

ARE YOU HACKED? Nearly 5M Gmail usernames, passwords posted on Russian forum as Google suggests users set up 2-step verification

Of the 4,929,090 records, one forum user — who posted a screen shot of several crossed-out accounts — claims that more than 60% are valid.

Andrew Cuomo, Rob Astorino tear into each other day after primary

A day after the Democratic primary, Gov. Cuomo and Republican Rob Astorino tore into each other Wednesday, framing their duel for governor as a choice between two starkly different visions for the state.

PICTURED Naked, erect 9-foot-tall Satan statue put up, then removed from Vancouver park

A 9-foot statue of Satan erected along a busy Vancouver, Canada street – and train line – had commuters red-faced after they came upon the large monument, complete with exposed male appendage.

'Within four days I had a new life': Idaho prison fugitive continues to taunt officials by doing Facebook interview

An Oregon man may be on the lam from authorities, but he’s still able to connect on social media.

OPINION What 9/11 teaches New York: Yesterday’s pain is today’s resilience

Cuomo: Sept. 11, 2001, was a tragedy that forever changed our state and our country. We will never forget the pain of that day, the loved ones we lost, and the heroism of our first responders and so many New Yorkers.

Ground Zero ceremony will air live on several cable, network stations

Broadcast and cable viewers can tune in for reading of victims' names; new and repeat specials on 9/11 attacks and their aftermath will also be shown.

OPINION The duty to remember in NY is help for the forgotten victims of 9/11

Thirteen years ago, mass murder came from the sky as Islamist radicals turned those four airliners into missiles aimed at the heart of America.

9/11 events include reading of names, Museum access to victims' families

Thursday's 13th anniversary ceremony at the World Trade Center features the reading of the names of the 2,983 victims of the 2001 and 1993 attacks at the Twin Towers, as well as those who perished at the Pentagon and on Flight 93 in Pennsylvania.

Warren: A 'cool' President Obama tells nation ISIS will be defeated

But a man who is proudly comfortable with complexity faced vexing challenges as he tried to wax calm, bipartisan, idealistic and convincing during a briskly decisive 15-minute address.

ISIS terrorists won’t sneak into U.S. across Mexico border: officials

Despite social media chatter, Obama administration officials are more concerned about passport-holding ISIS jihadists entering the U.S. via airplane.

New York

Mayor de Blasio approves four charters for space in public schools

Mayor de Blasio has signed off on letting four charter schools use public school space, ending what he had pledged would be a one-year moratorium on the controversial co-locations.

EXCLUSIVE Brazilian investors set to bring famed South American hotel brand, condos to crowded 57th St. corridor

Midtown is about to get a little bit more Rio. A group of Brazilian investors is planning to bring another luxury high-rise tower comprising a hotel and condos to the already crowded 57th St. billionaire's row.

MTA bus driver sues Con Ed for $10M after shocking motorcycle ride

Kenneth Coward, 61, said he was lucky to survive the scary misadventure in July. He’s planning to file a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Consolidated Edison Thursday.

DARE TO BE STUPID: Man busted after cops find drugs hidden in stuffed D.A.R.E. lion

A man was busted at an upstate bus station Monday after cops found pot, coke and LSD inside a stuffed lion sporting an anti-drug t-shirt.

LATEST FROM AROUND NEW YORK

Flushing deacon gets light punishment in immigration fraud scheme

Queens deacon Liying Lin was convicted of coaching Chinese immigrants applying for asylum to falsely claim religious persecution and got off with a slap on the wrist Wednesday.

U.S. Postal Service agrees to resume delivery to household with low mailboxes in Borough Park

Neither rain, nor sleet, nor low-placed letter boxes will keep the mail from being delivered in Borough Park.

City Council passes bill to track kids when they leave foster care

The city will have to track what happens to kids when they leave foster care under a bill passed by the City Council Wednesday.

TIPPING! Charlie offers $1K to waiter given 20 cent gratuity by Eagles star player

Denver teen jihadi wannabe pleads guilty to trying to help ISIS terrorists in Syria

Shannon Conley, appearing in a striped jail jumpsuit and a brown and black headscarf, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

Ebola could be in U.S. by end of September, but 'no real transmission' expected: study

There's a 20% chance the disease could be here this month, but experts are optimistic that the U.S. could handle it. 'We would not expect any real transmission,' co-author Ira Longini said.

Budding British lawyer jailed in notorious Iranian prison for watching men's volleyball match

Ghoncheh Ghavami, 25, was imprisoned for protesting with a group of women to watch a volleyball game between Iran and Italy in June.

Kathie Lee & Hoda: Ray Rice's wife Janay should have run for it long ago

Texas cop who fatally shot armed 93-year-old woman won't face charges

A rural Texas police officer who shot and killed a 93-year-old woman wielding a gun will not face charges stemming from the May incident.

ISIS terrorists won’t sneak into U.S. across loose Mexico border: Homeland Security officials

ISIS-linked terrorists slipping into the United States from Mexico? Not high on security officials’ worry list.

Idaho man bit girlfriend’s ear off during argument about their relationship: police

While Jose Pina Castro's girlfriend was found outside her Caldwell home early Saturday morning, her torn-off right ear was recovered in her bedroom, KTVB reported.

Haley Joel … who? Child star spotted on set of his next film

Seattle rapist with mental capacity of a 14 year-old went missing after getting 1-day pass from mental hospital: report

Eric Wyatt, who was convicted of two sexual assaults, was released from prison, but was under supervision at the Western State Hospital.

Alaska soldier stationed at Fort Wainwright accused of pimping women

An Alaska soldier stationed at Fort Wainwright is accused of raking in thousands of dollars while moonlighting as a pimp.

California thug tortured and burned girlfriend with red-hot kitchen utensils, pool cue: cops

A Southern California man kidnapped a woman he'd recently started dating, beat her with a pool cue and burned her with red-hot kitchen utensils for hours before she managed to escape, authorities said.

Pro surfer turns up the heat in sexy swimsuit shoot

Furious Ferguson residents fume at city council meeting: 'You've lost your authority to govern this community'

About 600 Ferguson residents attended a city council meeting Tuesday - the first since police Officer Darren Wilson shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown.

Cops: Mechanics took police cruisers for high speed joyride in 'Ferris Bueller'-style stunt on

Cops in a Twin Cities suburb say a pair of local grease monkeys took two souped-up squad cars for a high speed joyride when they were supposed to be fixing the vehicles.

'Genius' nuke engineer poisoned wife with nicotine in 1994 for insurance money: prosecutors

A "genius" former nuclear engineer is on trial for murder two decades after his wife's death, with prosecutors saying he poisoned her with nicotine to line his pockets with insurance payments.

'Leftovers' star Liv Tyler pregnant baby No. 2: report

EXCLUSIVE City awarded record-total $690M in contracts to aid minority, women-owned businesses

The city awarded $690 million in contracts to companies in its program to assist minority and women-owned businesses in the last year, the highest payout ever, officials said.

Mother charged with murdering 8-year-old autistic son transferred $125,000 out of his trust fund after death: prosecutors

Gigi Jordan, 54, allegedly left "fresh bruises" on her son, Jude Michael Mirra, after she stabbed him with a syringe filled with a deadly cocktail inside the five-star Peninsula Hotel in February 2010.

Florida police find 50 dead cats inside home of man suspected of possessing child porn

Police arrested a 55-year-old Florida man for child pornography possession and found 50 dead cats located inside his home Wednesday.

Employees at Penn State Chipotle complain of 'borderline sweatshop' conditions

A Chipotle at Penn State University closed as employees complained of borderline sweatshop-level conditions.

Anna Kendrick: I threw out diamond earrings sent by fan

Extreme solar flare barreling toward Earth could affect power grids, satellite and radio signals

An extreme solar flare is blasting its way to Earth and could mess up some power grids, satellites and radio transmissions, scientists say.

Oregon strip club manager, pimp drugged 13-year-old, forced her into prostitution: cops

The manager of Beaverton's Stars Cabaret and a local pimp forced a 13-year-old to dance nude and have sex with the club's clients, police said.

'He didn’t seem like he was remorseful': Michigan widow recalls road rage shooting that killed husband

As a bewailing Michigan widow held her dying husband, she looked for any sign of remorse in the alleged gunman’s face, but she saw nothing.

Tenn. man arrested on drug charges after butt-dialing 911 and overheard talking about 'pleasure shivers': cops

Grant O’Connor, 25, was allegedly heard talking about 'pleasure shivers' and 'tiny little pins' in his body after mistakenly calling police on his cellphone Friday evening, WKRN reported.

Sports

Yankees comeback on Rays, get HRs from McCann, Young in 8-5 win

Will the Yankees’ biggest comeback win of the season be the one that sparks an epic September comeback? That's exactly what the Bombers are hoping after Wednesday night's win over the Rays.

Mets deny discrimination claim, Montero gets first big league win

Only the Mets could overshadow tying their own season-high winning streak. The Mets beat the Rockies 2-0 Wednesday for just their fifth series sweep and have won seven out of their last eight, but that will not be the headline Thursday morning.

Mara, Rooney to help former FBI head with Rice probe

Giants owner John Mara and Steelers owner Art Rooney were named Wednesday night by Roger Goodell to oversee an investigation into the league’s handling of the Ray Rice domestic violence incident. The independent investigation will be conducted by former FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III.

Giants' McClain: Old teammate Rice 'great guy,' deserves forgiveness

McClain, who spent six years in Baltimore with Rice, hasn't seen the video of his former teammate knocking out his fiancee, but remains strongly in his corner.