The Short List: Getting a grip on Deflategate hysteria

Patriots Deflategate reaches peak hysteria

One might be an accident, and three could be a coincidence. But when the New England Patriots come to a game with 11 of their 12 footballs deemed illegal by NFL standards, it looks seriously shady. ESPN reported last night that's how many allotted game footballs were under-inflated by 2 pounds per square inch for Sunday's AFC Championship Game rout of the Indianapolis Colts. It was a wet night at Gillette Stadium and an under-inflated football could be a lot easier to grip and throw. As part of its investigation, the NFL contacted the Baltimore Ravens, the team the Pats played the week before the Colts. "We did not notice anything," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. If the Pats did intentionally deflate footballs, it wouldn't have been as easy to pull off as it might seem. NFL rules require that 12 primary balls are tested before each game, and if protocol is followed, the only opportunity to manipulate the balls is minutes before kickoff or during the game on the sideline. For the Win's Chris Chase says the Pats should be disqualified from the Super Bowl (even though he knows they won't be). So what do the Colts think about all this? At least one player isn't buying into the madness. Tight end Dwayne Allen said, "They could have played with soap for balls and beat us."

Internet Explorer may soon be dead

Hallelujah. And if you still use IE, we have no words. Microsoft had an event today to talk about its new operating system, Windows 10. Among the new features unveiled was the introduction of a successor to Internet Explorer, dubbed Project Spartan (because of course). Other details from the event: 1) The new system will work on everything from PCs to game consoles to smartphones to tablets. It's built so you can work seamlessly, no matter what device you're on. 2) If you're currently running Windows 7, Windows 8 or 8.1, you'll get a free upgrade to Windows 10 for the first year. 3) The company got futuristic with the introduction of holographic goggles. Reactions ranged from fears of a "dystopian future" to excitement about "a big step into a new medium." Windows 10 is the first significant upgrade to the platform since Satya Nadella took over as CEO last year. "We want to move from people needing Windows, to choosing Windows, to loving Windows," Nadella said.

'I have no idea why he snapped': Boston hospital mourns surgeon who was fatally shot

"Everything seemed to be going really well. I have no idea why he snapped like this." That's what the sister of the man who police say brutally murdered his mother's doctor told the Boston Herald today. Stephen Pasceri, 55, went to Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital yesterday and specifically asked for heart surgeon Michael Davidson, according to police accounts of what happened. Davidson was shot twice outside an exam room. He later died. Pasceri was found at the scene, dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot. The emblem flag at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital was lowered to half staff today as the hospital and community mourned the loss of Davidson, 44, who was the director of endovascular cardiac surgery. Pasceri's sister, Marguerite Joly, told the newspaper the family had a good relationship with Davidson while their mother was a patient. She said she did not know why her brother would blame Davidson for their mother's death. "We can't even wrap our brains around this," she said.

Yemen is in chaos. Here's what you need to know.

What's going on in Yemen is complicated. First, know this: The U.S. supports President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. If Hadi loses power, the U.S. loses an ally. (The notorious al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which Washington considers to be the terror group's most dangerous branch, is based in Yemen.) AQAP claimed responsibility for the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris. Now questions remain about who is actually in charge of Yemen. What else you should know: Iran and Saudi Arabia also have interests in Yemen, with some saying the Shiite rebels known as the Houthis have backing from Iran. But back to President Hadi. This week, it's been looking grim as he reportedly has been held captive in the presidential palace amid a violent standoff in the capital Sanaa. Today we got some good news, as a reported deal was reached with the rebels to end the violence. Read more about the key players in Yemen here. Read more about what's going on in Sanaa here.

Pharrell and Al Gore team up for climate change

For those of you who aren't paying super-close attention to what's happening at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week, you might have missed this bit of news you can use: Al Gore and Pharrell Williams announced they are teaming up to target climate change through music. The two are working together to revive the Live Earth concert series. Planned for June 18 — with more than 100 acts performing in venues around the world and broadcast to an expected audience of 2 billion — the goal is to boost support for a U.N. climate pact in Paris in December. The last Live Earth event was on July 7, 2007. (Oh, and if you do want to keep up with what's happening in Davos, you can check out our full coverage here.)

Extra Bites

Day in Pictures: Our favorite photo from today's gallery.

Have you seen it? These are the world's top hotels for 2015.

We can now add Bill Cosby's TV son Malcolm-Jamal Warner to his list of defenders.

Say goodbye to cheesy orange fingers and hello to cinnamon brown ones. Cheetos is rolling out Sweetos.

Jennifer Aniston dishes on kids, her mom and Brad (are we seriously still talking about that?).

This guy is the richest elected official in the U.S.

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This is a compilation of stories from across USA TODAY.

Contributing: John Bacon, Brett Molina, Oren Dorell, Jane Onyanga-Omara, USA TODAY; Cooper Allen, USA TODAY Network;Jarrett Bell, Gary Mihoces, Tom Pelissero, Chris Chase, Nate Scott, USA TODAY Sports; Associated Press