Softball: New England quarterback Tom Brady yesterday said he hand picks every game ball for the way it feels, but didn’t notice that any of the balls in Sunday’s game against Indianapolis were soft by two pounds of air pressure. “I didn’t alter the ball in any way,” Brady told a press conference.

ESPN has reported that 11 of 12 Patriot game balls were underinflated by two pounds. Coach Bill Belichick also denies knowing anything about it.

Brady’s denial has been met with doubt by several former pro quarterbacks who say no one would tamper with a ball without the first string quarterback knowing about it. But Brady said, “I don’t put any thought into the footballs after I choose them.” One reporter asked, “Is Tom Brady a cheater?” and he said, “I don’t believe so.”

Permawar: The US and allies fighting the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq claim they have killed half the organization’s top leaders and thousands of fighters. The allies have conducted 2,000 air strikes and stopped the group’s advance, according to Secy. of State John Kerry. On the dissenting side, the Associated Press reports that Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi complained that the allies have been slow giving Iraq weapons. “There is a lot being said and spoken, but very little on the ground,” al-Abadi told the AP.

Nation: A day after they were stymied by some of their own members on a stricter bill, House Republicans yesterday approved a law to prevent any federal money from being used for abortion coverage in health insurance. It would also stop tax credits for people and businesses with Obamacare policies. On Wednesday women Republicans blocked a ban on late term abortions.

World: The government of Yemen collapsed last night, a day after Shiite rebels took over the presidential palace. The ally of the US appears to be fracturing under pressure by its pro-Iranian rebels and a strong resident faction of al Qaeda, which claims responsibility for the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris.

Last Tango: Argentina’s president said she believes the death of a crusading special prosecutor was not a suicide as initially reported. Alberto Nisman, who was found shot dead in is bathroom Monday, was pushing a case that the government covered up a 1994 Iranian bombing in Buenos Aires in exchange for cheap oil. Nisman claimed current President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was in on it. Now she says Nisman was murdered in a plot to make her look guilty.

Hitting the Brakes: NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon, one of the biggest names in car racing, announced that this is his last year as a full time Sprint Cup driver. Gordon is the third most winning driver in the history of the circuit.

Weather Report: A wet and snowy winter storm that dumped snow in Texas is moving up the East Coast toward Canada, expected to hit over the next two days. The storm could develop high winds.

The Obit Page: Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has died at age 90. He had been in the hospital since December. Abdullah’s half-brother Salman, 79, has already ascended to the throne and names his own successor. While maintaining strict Muslim rule, Abdullah was a shrewd player running the world’s largest exporter of oil. Abdullah allied with other leaders to fight Muslim extremism and Syria’s dictator Bashar al-Assad. Salman takes over while the price of oil is diving and the Middle East is facing the threat of the Islamic State. He was known as a reformer but Saudi Arabia is still a country where they behead criminals in the street. But King Salmon has a Twitter account with 1.3 million followers.

End of the 60s: Legendary singer/songwriter Bob Dylan, who wrote the lyric, “the times they are a-changin’,” is on the cover of the AARP Magazine. That’s the American Association of Retired Persons.

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