MR GRADY'S DAILY BLOG: AMERICAS EARLY BIRD NEWS

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

AMERICAS EARLY BIRD NEWS

SLASH AND SPURN: After NYPD top cop Bill Bratton dismisses train attacks, 10th victim in just a month is sliced on subway

An hour after New York’s top cop tried to minimize fears of skyrocketing slashings and stabbings, a 30-year-old straphanger on a No. 3 train in Brooklyn became the city’s 10th victim this year, authorities said.

Idaho weatherman, 23, accused of raping woman at his apartment as she tried to fight him off

John William Holland, a 23-year-old meteorologist for KMVT in an area of the state called Magic Valley, allegedly committed the crime Friday night after taking his date out to drinks.

Georgia's oldest death row inmate, 72, executed by lethal injection for 1979 murder of store manager

Brandon Astor Jones (pictured) was pronounced dead at 12:46 a.m. Wednesday after an injection of the barbiturate pentobarbital at the state prison in Jackson.

25-year-old woman plunges 200 feet from George Washington Bridge — AND LIVES!

A 25-year-old woman survived a 200-foot plunge from the George Washington Bridge on Monday evening.

EXCLUSIVE Jailed DJ says bible keeps her from gal-on-gal sex, so far

SEE IT Crying gunshot victim streams video after Fla. shooting in Burger King drive-thru — GRAPHIC

Donesha Gantt, 18, held a tan purse to her bleeding stomach, crying out to God and her mother while waiting for first responders to arrive.

Mercer basketball player Jibri Bryan, 23, shot dead in parking lot of Georgia convenience store

Jibri Bryan, a graduate student from Savannah and a member of the Mercer basketball team that unforgettably shocked third-seeded Duke in the opening round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament.

Suburban Chicago woman accused of killing husband of 31 years with poisoned smoothie

Julia Gutierrez is accused of putting the drug Temazepam, which counteracts insomnia by slowing brain activity, in her husband Eduardo’s blended beverage to kill him.

EXCLUSIVE Kaepernick wants to 'Jet' San Francisco and join Gang Green

North Korea bombards South Korea with balloons packed with used toilet paper in bizarre propaganda war

The bizarre balloons were sent into the demilitarized zone between the two countries, and were also discovered to contain cigarette butts and tissue paper.

Fake Los Angeles priest accused of pocketing cash from parishioners for Pope Francis trip

Erwin Mena was arrested Tuesday after allegedly pretending to be a priest for decades and selling bogus trips to New York and Philadelphia for the visit of Pope Francis.

British dad wins $3G vacation thanks to horse photobomb — but owner demands share of prize

David Bellis, 31, won the prize from Thomson Holidays’ 'Made Me Smile' competition when his fun snap with his son was photobombed by a horse called Betty.

Giants' Jay Bromley urges strength on social media amid rape allegations

Giants defensive tackle Jay Bromley told his friends to 'stay down' in his first Facebook post since being accused of attempted rape.

A look inside the homes Kardashian kash can buy

Donald Trump admits that debate no-show may have cost him Iowa caucus

Donald Trump on Tuesday blamed the one person who may have cost him a second-place finish in Iowa — himself.

GONZALEZ Cuomo to name former El Diario editor Rossana Rosado as New York’s next secretary of state

Gov. Cuomo on Wednesday will name Rossana Rosado, the former editor and publisher of El Diario-La Prensa, as New York’s next secretary of state, the Daily News has learned.

LAPD cops violated no rules in shooting of homeless man, commission finds

The Los Angeles Police Commission decided that cops did not violate police policy when they shot and killed an unarmed homeless black man.

WHAT'S THE NAME OF THE GAME: Beezow Doo-doo Zopittybop-bop-bop arrested again in Wash.

Beezow Doo-doo Zopittybop-bop-bop is taking his crime spree nationwide.

Kristen Stewart is new face of Chanel makeup line

Oklahoma City bombing informant, also Colombo mobster, in battle for sentence reduction as reward

Federal Judge Edward Korman has repeatedly sparred with prosecutors over whether Gregory Scarpa Jr. (pictured) deserves credit for his snitching behind bars.

Ted Cruz can't say he supports NYPD cops when he voted against the Zadroga Bill

GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz can't have it both ways.

LIPS SEALED ABOUT A PIG: Sarah silent on Trump’s Iowa loss as she leaves airport, daughter calls News reporter 'rude'

Sarah Palin really doesn’t want to talk about her pal Donald Trump's loss in Iowa.

CRIME SPREE HORROR: Man accused of killing three — including two of his ex-girlfriends — in Newark

Jeffrey Holland began his rampage on Friday at the Newark apartment of Tiniquah Rouse, whom he had previously dated, authorities said.

President of Uniformed Firefighters Association rips Ted Cruz for Iowa speech casting himself as champion of firefighters, cops

During his victory speech following the Iowa caucus, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas cast himself as a champion of firefighters and police officers.

NOT A HAPPY 'GILMORE': Melissa 'wasn't invited'

$20G raised for ex-Daily News reporter Michael Feeney, funeral services Monday

Services for former Daily News reporter Michael Feeney will be held Monday at First Corinthian Baptist Church in Harlem.

Yahoo to cut 1,700 workers as CEO tries to save her own job

Yahoo is laying off about 1,700 employees and shedding some of its excess baggage.

Clinton wins 6 back-to-back coin tosses against Sanders in tight Iowa precincts despite 1-in-64 odds

Delegates with Des Moines’ Precinct 70 sided with Clinton after breaking a 61-61 split with a coin toss, Univision reported. Caucus rules allow for a coin flip to decide a victor in case of a tie.

Stepfather of Akai Gurley says Peter Liang must face justice for death

For me and every other family member of Akai Gurley, life will never be the same.

Bernie and Ruth Madoff’s antique jewelry up for sale in auction for Ponzi scheme victims’ restitution

Madoff’s Ponzi scheme got clipped so now you can buy his money clip.

Autos

Comedians and cars getting funny (VIDEO)

Cars and car brands are more than just pretty faces in pop culture, they are also great sources of comedy.

Honda Ridgeline's Super Bowl ad features sheep singing Queen

Honda uses singing sheep, Queen's "Somebody to Love" to highlight truck-bed audio system.

Barn-find bust? '69 Charger sells for half $180k projection

A rusty Dodge Charger found in an Alabama shed goes for $90,000 at auction.

Mazda recall claims over 400,000 CX-5s

The latest automaker getting hit with a massive recall is Mazda.

Klemantaski: New book highlights master racing photographer's work (PHOTOS)

"Klemantaski: Master Motorsports Photographer" by Paul Parker examines the master work by one of the world's best racing photographers.

A whole lot of Ryan Reynolds and Kevin Hart star in Hyundai Super Bowl ads

Hyundai will plug 2017 Elantra and 2016 Genesis using celebrities and, you guessed it, talking animals.

New York

Fordham Prep to offer grief counseling after students' train deaths

The teen, who died Monday, is the second sophomore at Fordham Preparatory School, an all-male Jesuit high school, to be hit and killed by a train in the past two weeks.

EXCLUSIVE NYC to launch app allowing drivers to pay metered parking on smartphone

Motorists at all 85,000 metered parking spots in the city will be able to pay the meter from their smartphone by the end of this year.

Death of DUI suspect, 28, found hanging in NYPD holding cell ruled a suicide

A drunken driving suspect found hanging from his t-shirt in an NYPD holding cell killed himself, the city medical examiner ruled. Even so, neighbors of Serge Duthely said they couldn’t believe it.

Gun-toting man robs $1,050 from Manhattan convenience store

The suspect went inside the Millennium Smoke & News on Broadway near W. 86th St. around 8 p.m., police said. He then went around the counter, simulates a gun in his hoodie.

Staten Island driver involved in crash that killed passenger died of injuries

Angel Ortiz, 25, died Sunday, after spending nearly three months after the Nov. 9 accident in a vegetative state, sources said.

LATEST FROM AROUND NEW YORK

Uber, Lyft price cuts have attracted the attention of NYC taxi regulators

After Uber and Lyft slashed fare prices last week to attract passengers, drivers were incensed that the new low prices would put a dent in their pay.

Former New York City DOT worker fined $5,000 for seeking confidential info

Junaid Syed, the executive deputy chief contracting officer, left DOT last February to work for engineering firm HAKS, which has city contracts, the Conflicts of Interest Board found.

Celebrities urge City Council to approve Central Park horse carriage plan

Edie Falco sent robocalls to pols urging them to sign off on the deal to cut the number of horses to 75 and keep them in a stable inside Central Park, as did actresses Debi Mazar and Kathy Najimy.

Manhattan cocaine kingpin sentenced to 12 years in prison

Ralph Ben Cotto, 37, was sentenced after telling Justice Edward McLaughlin that his tough childhood may have been behind his bad choices but was no “excuse.”