Saudi Arabia gets a new king. Yemen’s government collapses. And ‘Deflategate’ is a thing.
It’s Friday and here are the 5 things to know for your New Day
KING ABDULLAH
Death of a king: Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al Saud, who reigned for close to a decade, has died at age 90. He was hailed as a reformer, as someone who tried to modernize his kingdom, often over the constant objections from hard-line conservatives in his country. In some areas, he succeeded. In some he didn’t, such as greater independence for women. The kingdom quickly appointed his 79-year-old brother Salman bin Abdulaziz to the throne.
ISIS HOSTAGES
Deadline passes: ISIS reportedly is set to release a statement soon on the two Japanese men the group is holding hostage and threatening to execute. The terrorist group demands Japan pay $200 million or it will kill the men — Kenji Goto and Haruna Yukawa. The deadline expired at 2:50 p.m. Friday, Tokyo time (12:50 a.m. ET Friday). Yesterday, Goto’s mother made a heartfelt plea to the militant group. But ISIS has a ruthless track record. And it often uses the videotaped killings as propaganda tools.
YEMEN UNREST
Desert collapse: Yemen’s President resigned Thursday night shortly after his prime minister and the Cabinet stepped down. The consequences of the disintegration of Yemen’s government ripples far beyond its borders. The country’s a key U.S. ally in the fight against terrorism, specifically al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. And the resignation leaves in question just who’s in control. The U.S. Embassy there is still open, but staffing’s been reduced because of the security concerns.
DEFLATEGATE
Huh?: In a pair of sometimes curious news conferences, both New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady said they had no idea how their team’s footballs used in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game came to be deflated. Belichick said he had “no explanation” while Brady maintained he “didn’t alter the ball in any way.” The controversy, called “Deflategate,” is casting a pall over the Patriots’ upcoming Super Bowl showdown with the Seattle Seahawks. T
ABORTION BILL
Abortion politics: The House of Representatives passed a bill yesterday banning taxpayer money from being used for abortions. The White House says it’ll veto the legislation if it ends up on the President’s desk. It’s not the bill the GOP-led chamber wanted to pass. The Republicans wanted to pass one banning so-called “late-term” abortions, but had to pull it at the last minute Wednesday night because some moderates in the party thought the measure was too extreme. Specifically they objected to a provision that provided an exception for women who are raped, but only if they reported the crime to the police.
Those are your five biggies for the day. Here are a couple that have the Internet buzzing.
Let sleeping dogs lie: But by all means, lie on them. Let Opportunistic Cat show you how.
Kablooey!: I’m sure you remember your first kiss. If it didn’t make your brain go ‘kablooey,’ you didn’t do it right.
Adorbz: Here’s proof that the baby version of anything is cute. Even pygmy hippos.
Ghost rider: Car catches fire. Firefighters respond. Flaming car takes off.
Kitchen nightmares: Conan O’Brien visits the Taco Bell Test Kitchen and makes a Guinness-soaked tortilla. But wait, there’s more. So much more!