MR GRADY'S DAILY BLOG: AMERICAS EARLY BIRD NEWS

SOCCER RAT! The inside story of how former U.S. soccer exec and FIFA bigwig Chuck Blazer became a confidential FBI informant

DAILY NEWS SPORTS I-TEAM INVESTIGATION: Chuck Blazer, pictured right, a New Yorker and former member of the FIFA Executive Committee and a top boss for CONCACAF, gathered dirt on some of international soccer's most powerful figures. read full story »

‘WE MOVE ON VERY QUICKLY’: NYPD boss Bill Bratton says No. 2 job will be filled soon after being blindsided by resignation of city’s top black cop

Bratton, one day after the abrupt retirement of incoming First Deputy Commissioner Philip Banks, said he was confident in his new selection will be warmly received.

Man, 25, shot by cops in Brooklyn after pulling out pistol in unmarked car: police sources

Authorities say the suspect hopped in the back of the squard car on Avenue D and Nostrand Ave. in East Flatbush and started fighting with a sergeant and police officer inside early Sunday.

Hamill: We may lose lives to road rage with Mayor de Blasio's new 25 mph speed limit

Come blow your horn. I was running late last Thursday morning driving my kid to school through the streets of Queens with a car in front of me moving at the speed of bureaucracy.

Utah National Guard officer stripped of position after allowing bikini-clad women to have video shoot

A Utah National Guard officer has been stripped of his command after allowing bikini-clad women to fire high-powered weapons and ride in tanks for an unauthorized video shoot.

Lupica: Knicks may have new offense, but it's still players who win games

Here’s hoping there is a basketball season to talk about at Madison Square Garden instead of a triangle offense, which is routinely discussed these days as the next closest thing to a cult.

The Diceman reveals how 'SNL' boycott crushed his career

France takes in U.N. employee infected with Ebola for treatment in 'high-security isolation' near Paris

France's government says it has taken in a U.N. employee infected with Ebola in Sierra Leone for treatment.

Mother of NYPD chokehold victim Eric Garner says police did not give her special treatment during traffic stop

Police-union officials charged cops were forced to repair the busted headlight to help the 65-year-old Gwen Carr avoid a summons.

Warren: Obama could eat humble pie should Republicans take the midterm elections

A President in love with words may grope for the right ones Wednesday.

Unhinged man STABS onlooker for recording his shouting fest on a phone

An unhinged goon arguing with a man in the East Village after the Halloween Parade stabbed an onlooker for recording his wig out, authorities said Saturday.

Youngest brother goes missing from ‘Growing Up Gotti’ reunion episode

Famed Bellevue Hospital put to the test with Ebola patient after seven cures elsewhere in the U.S.

Public attention has now turned to New York City, where Dr. Craig Spencer is fighting for his life in Bellevue’s seventh-floor isolation unit.

Ex-CIA analyst arrested after trying to crash event with David Petraeus

A former CIA analyst was arrested after trying to crash a discussion about foreign policy with retired Army Gen. and former CIA Director David Petraeus — even though he claims he purchased the $45 ticket.

Stricter laws against texting while driving take effect in New York — with maximum $200 fine for first offense

New Yorkers who text while driving better get this message.

'I can infect whomever I please': HIV-positive woman steals frozen food from Texas Walmart and threatens employee, cops say

A woman tried to swipe a stack of frozen dinners from a Texas Walmart by threatening a store clerk with HIV, police said.

‘Real Housewives of New Jersey’ star may dish on family feud in new show

Eight men receive THREE YEARS in prison each for attending alleged same-sex wedding party in Egypt

An Egyptian court Saturday convicted eight men of “inciting debauchery” following their appearance in an alleged same-sex wedding party on a Nile boat.

EXCLUSIVE City principals overwhelmingly approve of Schools Chancellor Fariña

New York City principals love education boss Carmen Fariña, according to survey results obtained by the Daily News.

ISIS militants line up and shoot dead at least 50 tribesmen and women in Iraq’s Anbar province

The shooting happened late Friday in the village of Ras al-Maa, north of the provincial capital of Ramadi, Anbar councilman Faleh al-Issawi said.

New York pot kingpin on the lam for TWO DECADES nabbed in Oregon — after applying for Social Security

John Franklin Forbis appeared bald and grizzled after Lane County Sheriff’s Office caught the 72-year-old on the edge of the coastal Siuslaw National Forest where he’s been hiding out under a pseudonym.

New York

EXCLUSIVE Judge orders Emergency Management Commissioner to finally show up to court after using Ebola, ISIS as excuses

Excuses ranging from ISIS, Ebola and even nasty weather weren’t enough to get a top city official out of having to answer questions under oath, the Daily News has learned.

Cops, kids square off in chess tournament at NYPD headquarters

Cops and kids squared off Saturday for an epic chess tournament at NYPD headquarters

GOP challenger Astorino accuses Gov. Cuomo of scare tactics — while playing his own

Just three days before the election, Republican challenger Rob Astorino on Saturday accused Gov. Cuomo of using scare tactics, even as he played a fear card of his own.

City correction officer, ex-con accidentally shoot their legs in unrelated incidents

The officer’s gun went off while he was holstering his weapon inside Brooklyn’s Central Booking jail. Hours later an ex-con shot himself inside Port Authority Bus Terminal. =

Son pays tribute to fallen cop on Halloween by wearing dad's NYPD uniform hat and shirt

He could have been Spider-Man this Halloween, but 12-year-old Paul Ferrara Jr. chose to be his hero - an NYPD police sergeant just like his fallen father.

LATEST FROM AROUND NEW YORK

Historic Queens restaurant Kennedy's reopens two years to the day Hurricane Sandy hit

Kennedy’s, which had to be gutted after the October 2012 storm, is now open for business in Breezy Point, with a spacious new look, after a $2 million renovation.

Mayor de Blasio's hopes for Democratic state Senate rely on races beyond the five boroughs

The weekend before the election, with nearly $50 million spent by candidates and parties, the upshot of the fiercely fought battle remains unpredictable.

Costumed thieves rob Long Island home, pistol-whip dad after family opens door for trick-or-treaters

A Long Island woman opening her door on Halloween was expecting trick-or-treaters but instead was greeted by armed robbers who tied her up and pistol-whipped her husband in front of their 2-year-old son, cops said Saturday.

Man falls to death from Bronx apartment building: police

A MAN fell to his death from a Bronx apartment building Saturday morning, authorities said. The unidentified man, believed to be in his 40s, was found dead in an alley in the rear of the Gerard Ave. building near E. 165th St. in Highbridge at about 11:15 a.m., police sources said.

The long and Short of it: Martin relives love and heartbreak in new memoir

Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch could make history as first black female attorney general

The other day in front of a room packed with law enforcement and judicial VIPs, Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch received an epic shoutout from the chief federal judge hoping that she replaces outgoing Attorney General Eric Holder.

POLAR OPPOSITES: Gov. Cuomo, Rob Astorino could not be more different on state issues

$New York State Gubernatorial Candidate Republican candidate Rob Astorino, left, listens to the response of Democratic incumbent Andrew Cuomo, about fracking during a debate Wednesday, Oct., 22, 2014, in Buffalo , N.Y. (AP Photo/Gary Wiepert)$ The race between Gov. Cuomo and Republican challenger Rob Astorino presents voters with a stark contrast on the most pressing issues facing the state.

Woman busted for drugs also charged with having sex with dog

A woman arrested for selling drugs has been charged with bestiality after officers found videos of her having sex with a dog on her cellphone.

Bellevue Ebola patient upgraded to stable condition: officials

The doctor being treated for Ebola at Bellevue Hospital has been upgraded to stable condition, city officials said Saturday.

Snooki, JWoww ready to deliver for final season of 'Shore' spinoff

Obama's final two years hang on Senate races where he is unpopular

The outlook for the last two years of Barack Obama’s presidency hangs on a handful of too-close-to-call Senate races Tuesday in states where he is deeply unpopular.

'SUCH A TRAGEDY': Four crab fishermen drown when boat capsizes on California coast

BODEGA BAY, Calif. — Four people on a crabbing boat died Saturday off the coast of Northern California when a wave capsized their vessel.

Chinese cops find $33 million cash at top energy official’s house

Anti-corruption police in China made a big discovery when searching a top energy official's house - $33 million in cash. There was so much money that it broke four counting machines, reports the BBC.

Raissman: Non-MSG media flaks already targeting Knicks boss Phil Jackson

What’s with all this media heat on Phil Jackson? No, we’re not talking about the local crew, some under COMP-rehensive control of the Madison Square Gulag Corp.

Sports

Gloating Rex Ryan details scheme he used to stop Mike Vick

Rex Ryan can’t figure out how to win these days, but one thing he does know is how to stop his own quarterback.

No. 6 Notre Dame survives scare from Navy. 49-39

Everett Golson threw for three touchdowns and ran for three scores to help No. 6 Notre Dame beat Navy 49-39 on Saturday night after blowing a 21-point lead.

A stroke of Luck: Andrew came along just in time for the Colts

Andrew Luck says he tried not to think about the pressure. If he had, it would’ve been overwhelming. It wasn’t just that he was the top pick in the 2012 draft, the savior of his new franchise, and considered by some to be the best quarterback to enter the NFL since Peyton Manning, 14 years earlier.

Sunday Morning QB: Brady-Manning is top QB duel in NFL history

The Peyton Manning-Tom Brady rivalry celebrates its Sweet Sixteen on Sunday in Foxborough and the way these two guys are playing, they could be going at it for another three or four years.

Oops! Kim flashes her Spanx at basketball game

Lindsay WHOA-HAN! Star poses in topless selfie

Mom beheaded by son on Long Island ID’d as Farmingdale State College professor

A psychotic killer lopped off his mother’s head and dumped her bloody corpse on a Long Island street before jumping in front of a LIRR train in a grisly murder-suicide.

PHOTOS Is NYC Global Ambassador Taylor Swift trying TOO hard to be a New Yorker?

New York City newcomer Taylor Swift has certainly copped A LOT of criticism for becoming the Big Apple's Global Welcome Ambassador, despite her best efforts to convince the world she's just Taylor from the Block. Check out the ways Taylor Swift tries to be a New Yorker...