MR GRADY'S DAILY BLOG: AMERICAS EARLY BIRD NEWS

Thursday, July 16, 2015

AMERICAS EARLY BIRD NEWS

DRIVER'S ED DISASTER: Brooklyn native, 16, is third student to die from upstate N.Y. crash during driving lesson — 'We moved him out of the city to keep him safe'

Lucas O'Connor (left inset) died Wednesday night. Antonio Baglivo (bottom right) and Paul VanDoran (top inset), both 16, died the day before.

EXCLUSIVE Staten Island man claims NYPD cops took him on ‘rough ride’ like Freddie Gray

Joseph Rodman, 37, claims cops tossed him into the back of the windowless vehicle and took him on a harrowing ride through Staten Island.

De Blasio avoids questions on whether he talks differently about NYPD to 17-year-old son Dante

Mayor de Blasio said he’s looking forward, not backward, on police-community relations — refusing to analyze whether he changed his tone on cops in a speech he gave on Staten Island this week.

Gunman opens fire at Upper West Side diner: police

Cops were searching for a gunshot victim after a gunman opened fire in an Upper West Side diner Thursday morning, police said.

ANOTHER EXIT: Nicolle Wallace leaving 'The View,' report says

Utah man pours hot sauce on beaten girlfriend, attempts to stuff her in oven — after she responded to Facebook messages too slowly

Joseph Castellanos (pictured), 31, allegedly tortured the woman in a rage after she was slow to respond to Facebook messages he sent from work.

Bodies recovered from Washington state plane crash that teen survived, hiked for help

The two victims haven't been formally identified, but 16-year-old survivor Autumn Veatch has said her step-grandparents, Leland and Sharon Bowman, were killed in the crash.

IT ISN'T HELPING: Bill Bratton angered by New York Post coverage of homeless man urinating in street, says the vagrant is known to NYPD

Bratton lashed out Wednesday at the editor’s cruel crusade to publicly shame the troubled man, saying that the vagrant was known to police.

CAITLYN'S CREW: Jenner's kin shows support at ESPYs

COMMUTER HORROR: Human legs, arm wrapped in plastic bag found along New Haven train tracks: cops

Dismembered and decomposing human remains were discovered Wednesday in the underbrush near Metro-North Railroad tracks and a busy commuter station in Connecticut.

Hillary Clinton spends almost $19M in only 3 months of campaigning

Hillary Clinton spent almost a whopping $19 million in her first three months as a candidate, a sign she's investing heavily in building out a huge campaign organization.

David Sweat out of hospital and now being held in solitary confinement as officials decide punishment

State prison officials have begun internal disciplinary proceedings against surviving Clinton Correctional Facility escapee David Sweat.

THE NEWS SAYS: Despite Obama's stance, it's time to strip disgraced Bill Cosby his Medal of Freedom

Just before soberly yet searingly describing Bill Cosby’s crimes as rape, President Obama demurred that he could not strip

Nikki Reid hospitalized after Comic-Con

SMALL TOWN HORROR STORY: Police launch manhunt after 4 are murdered and an 8-year-old badly wounded in S.C.

A killer is on the run after four people were gunned down and an 8-year-old badly wounded in a small South Carolina town, authorities said. Krystal Hutto was also found dead.

POLITICAL UNDRESS: Md. pol charged with indecent exposure after exposing her breasts at ex-hubby's home

Delegate Ariana Kelly flipped out when she dropped off the couple’s kids in Bethesda and realized her former spouse’s fiancee was home, the Washington Post reported.

Eric Garner Part 2? Witnesses claim unarmed Mississippi man died after cop's 20-minute chokehold

The stunning account was supported by the preliminary results of an autopsy, which found Jonathan Sanders (pictured) was strangled to death, attorney Chokwe Lumumba told the Daily News.

GRAVE INJUSTICE: Rhode Island VA cemetery worker steals soldiers' head markers to pave his garage

Kevin Maynard, 59, will plead guilty to taking government property as part of a plea deal he made with the U.S. Attorney's office.

'Man up and go to rehab': Kanye calls out Scott Disick

MAD MOLLY! Florida man took bad drug, broke out of ambulance and was killed after trying to break into house

Jarod Clemons' (pictured) demise began early Wednesday morning when the 27-year-old jumped out of his girlfriend's car in Havana, Fla., and started running down a street.

ANOTHER 'GONE GIRL'? Ex-Marine, Harvard grad accused in Bay Area kidnapping linked to other crimes dating back to 2009

Matthew Muller (left), 38, appeared to be on his way to a successful law career - until his life seemingly fell apart in recent years. Denise Huskins, left, and her boyfriend Aaron Quinn have demanded an apology from police after the bizarre kidnapping that cops called a hoax led to an arrest months later.

New Jersey Transit to raise fares while cutting services in 'solid plan that had the least impact on our riders'

Riders will get socked with an average 9% raise in fare prices, while seeing a cut of $2.5 million worth of service on several bus and rail lines.

Kathie Lee & Hoda: Enjoy the play, not the phone

Carmine Agnello, reputed mobster and ex-son-in-law of John Gotti, arrested in Cleveland scrap metal scheme

The philandering ex-hubby of Mafia princess Victoria Gotti was busted Wednesday in Cleveland for a $3 million stolen car and scrap metal scam that recalled his crooked ways in New York.

'F--K THE POLICE': Florida man, who shot at George Zimmerman, caught urinating on neighbor's porch while cursing authorities

Matthew Apperson now faces a disorderly conduct count after a passerby said he saw Apperson urinating in front of a house in Winter Springs.

Kid falls out of second-floor window in Queens — expected to survive

The unidentified kid fell from an apartment window at 167th St. and Highland Ave. in Jamaica Hills at 5:30 p.m., according to the Fire Department.

Autos

AUDI'S BEST: 2017 Audi R8 Test Drive and Full Review

Testing Audi’s MMI handwriting in the 2015 A3 Cabrio (VIDEO)

We take the latest version of Audi's MMI infotainment system for a spin in this 'Street Smarts' video special.

The 5 Best BMWs – And 3 classics we’d love to get back!

These 5 Bavarians are the best the brand has to offer, but BMW may be wise to look behind them for their best efforts ever!

New York

EXCLUSIVE State Sen. pushing to keep sex offenders with 'antisocial personality disorder' locked up

Sen. Jeff Klein has drafted legislation to expand New York’s eight-year-old civil confinement law to include those sex offenders diagnosed with “antisocial personality disorder.”

'SUMMER ALL OUT IS WORKING': NYC's most dangerous police precincts see 30% drop in shootings over past 5 weeks

City officials on Monday announced that 10 of the city’s most dangerous police precincts had seen a welcome 30% drop in shootings over the past five weeks.

Lawyers for Hannah Bouveng sue Wall St. CEO Benjamin Wey for alleged smear campaign

Lawyers for Swedish model Hanna Bouveng started their own legal fight with the embattled financier Wednesday.

GUEST COLUMN Rikers is improving, but meaningful reform takes time

After years of neglect and abuse, we are beginning to turn Rikers around. Meaningful reform takes time — but we know what works.

NYC Education Dept. fires half of staff at two struggling Brooklyn schools

Education officials have canned — and will replace — more than half the staff at two troubled Brooklyn schools, the city schools boss said Wednesday.

LATEST FROM AROUND NEW YORK

De Blasio to visit Vatican for meeting with Pope Francis, speech on climate change

Mayor de Blasio next week will visit Rome, where he will meet with Pope Francis and give a speech on climate change at the Vatican, city officials said Wednesday.

Dad doesn't show up to testify in trial of men accused of killing his baby boy

Anthony Hennis — father of 16-month-old Antiq, who died Sept. 1, 2013, when a bullet meant for his dad pierced his head — was a no show.

Melissa Mark-Viverito raises nearly $290G over past six months for 2017 campaign

Mark-Viverito raised a whopping $289,160 over the past six months for her 2017 campaign, dwarfing the anemic $17,350 that Mayor de Blasio raised over the same time period.

First Lady, deputy mayor promote Talk to Your Baby program

First Lady Chirlane McCray and Deputy Mayor Richard Buery read to kids at libraries to promote an infant development effort.

Kardashian actors take over 'American Crime Story' set

City Council is wrong in denying records of pension proposal to firefighters union: expert

A top open government expert said the firefighters union is right that the City Council is keeping too many secrets.

Andrew Cuomo raised $5.2M in campaign donations in six months

Gov. Cuomo took in a hefty $5.2 million in campaign donations the past six months and used $100,000 off it to pay legal fees.

Uber fined $7M for keeping info from California regulators

Uber picked up a hefty fare Wednesday when a judge fined the taxi-alternative company $7.3 million for refusing to give California regulators information about its business practices.

Manhattan judge grants custody of dog to ex-girlfriend, ending bizarre court battle between media exec and actress' daughter

The battle over a Doberman named Cash ended Wednesday with a Manhattan justice admitting he could have used the help of a dog whisperer.

'GoT' star Nathalie Emmanuel shows off bikini body

LET IT GROW! Government sues UPS, saying ban on beards and long hair violates the Civil Rights Act

The UPS policy prohibits male employees in contact with the public from wearing facial hair below the lip or growing hair below the shirt collar.

Denver grandma, 77, dies in gym’s steam room; body not discovered until next day

The family of Akiko Belich, a 77-year-old who died inside a 24 Hour Fitness earlier this year, is considering filing a lawsuit against the Littleton gym, KDVR reported.

Former Fla. cop with HIV charged with 3 more counts of having sex without disclosing he was infected

Ervans Saintclair, 38, was first arrested last year on two counts of criminal transmission of HIV. He was later terminated from the Greenacres Police Department in Palm Beach County.

Washington teen plane crash survivor released from hospital as searchers find wreckage in woods

Autumn Veatch, 16, enjoyed a meal of McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets from her hospital bed before her doctors let her go home Tuesday.

TWO TIGHT ENDS! Charlotte, Rob star in ‘Gronking' trailer

ITSY, BITSY NIGHTMARE: English woman terrorized by poisonous spider in her home

Natalie Woods, 21, of Gravesend, England, is being haunted by a wolf spider that has been growing inside her bathroom.

Uber slams Mayor de Blasio with TV ad claiming he's 'giving in to the taxi industry'

The car service app Wednesday launched a TV spot against New York Mayor de Blasio for his administration's plan to cap new for-hire cabs to study congestion.

Jesus will pay for my buffet: accused dine-and-dasher

A woman who allegedly tried to dine and dash out of a Myrtle Beach, S.C., eatery told cops the son of God would pay her tab.

EL CHAPO'S DASH TO FREEDOM: Video shows the moment drug kingpin escaped maximum security prison in Mexico

Joaquin (El Chapo) Guzman's dash to freedom went through an elaborately engineered mile-long tunnel bored 30 feet under Altiplano.

George, Amal want baby — couple visited fertility clinic

Texas corrections officer killed by inmate after attack

The officer was escorting the inmate from a dayroom at the Telford Unit when he was attacked with an object, prison agency spokesman Jason Clark said.

Queens baby, 6 weeks, dies after going into cardiac arrest

A 6-week-old girl died after going into cardiac arrest at her family’s Queens home Wednesday morning, officials said.

Former Auschwitz death camp guard Oskar Groening, 94, convicted as accessory to 300,0000 murders in German court

Oskar Groening testified during his trial at the state court in Lueneburg that he guarded prisoners' baggage after they arrived at Auschwitz and collected money stolen from them.

NOT TOO BAD, EH? Canada ranks as most reputable country in the world

Canada, the nation that produced such treasures as Wayne Gretzky, Seth Rogen and Rob Ford, has been ranked as the country that is most admired and has the best reputation in the world.

PHOTOS THAT'S A WRAP: Stars shine inside FAO Schwarz

SUICIDE SELFIE: ‘Squad’ cast squeezes together for epic pic

Sports

BASEBALL INSIDER Harvey still Mets' ace, despite deGrom's rise to stardom

Who's the Mets ace? After watching Jacob deGrom’s great All-Star performance, our answer is... Matt Harvey. Still him. No question, no doubt. You can call deGrom the ace of the Mets staff, just like you can call New York a rainforest, after one soggy day.