Hillary Clinton says it's up to Edward Snowden if he wants to return to the states, but that the discussion he started about the government's spy operations would be best served if he came home.

"He certainly can stay in Russia, apparently under Putin's protection, for the rest of his life if that's what he chooses," Clinton said in an interview with the Guardian. "But if he is serious about engaging in the debate then he could take the opportunity to come back and have that debate."

Clinton added that Snowden should have the right to mount a legal defense should he return to America. The U.S. last year charged Snowden in absentia with espionage, but the NSA secret-spiller had already fled to Russia for protection.

Bill Belichick spoke after the New England Patriots' practice on Saturday, saying the team had conducted an internal study on how footballs used in Sunday's AFC Championship against the Indianapolis Colts might have become deflated.

The short explanation? Science.

The Pats' head coach suggested that "atmospheric conditions" could have affected the footballs' air pressure, so that while the footballs were initially set to a proper 12.5 PSI, they eventually "adjusted to climatic conditions and...reached an equilibrium state" lower than originally set. Belichick said that he and other team officials had spoken to "a lot of people," and that they learned that while a football's texture is easy to identify, the pressure is "a whole different story."

Belichick again reiterated that the Patriots delivered footballs to the officiating crew that had been set to the proper PSI, and he lamented spending the week before the Super Bowl answering inquries about the controversy.

"I'm not a scientist, and I'm not a league official," he said. "(But) we feel like we followed the rules of the game to the letter."

Having rejected further peace talks on Friday, pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine launched a new offensive a day later, attacking the country's strategic port of Mariupol, Reuters reports.

Mariupol city officials said at least 30 people were killed and more than 80 were injured in the Saturday clashes. Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko ordered an emergency security council meeting, to be held on Sunday.

"We are for peace, but we accept the challenge of the enemy," Poroshenko said. "We will protect our motherland."

The European Union's foreign policy chief called openly on Russia to use its "considerable influence over separatist leaders," to halt the offensives; Moscow has continued to deny that it is supporting the rebels.

And you thought your home got chilly in the winter.

Researchers have discovered fish and other invertebrates living deep below Antarctic ice sheets, NBC News reports.

(Facebook.com/WISSARD)

Scientists with the Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling — or delightful acronym WISSARD — discovered the fish earlier this month while exploring Antarctica's western "grounding zone." Land, ice, and sea all converge at this area of the continent; the researchers are the first to drill below the Ross Ice Shelf and actually sample the grounding zone.

The researchers said they will study further how the fish are able to survive in such extreme conditions — the discovery marks the closest to the South Pole that marine life has been found.

American Sniper is setting "records on top of records," according to Warner Bros. domestic distribution president Dan Fellman.

His assessment is not pure hyperbole, CNNMoney notes; the film, which grossed $105 million on its opening weekend, has set a record for the "widest release ever for an R-rated movie." American Sniper expanded by 150 screens this weekend — it is now showing on 3,705 screens in the U.S., total.

The movie has also broken records for "best opening for a movie based on a book," "largest MLK opening weekend ever," and "largest drama opening weekend ever," according to Fellman. Nominated for a best picture Academy Award, the film stars Bradley Cooper — who is up for a best actor Academy Award for the role — as Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle.

The potential field of Republicans with an eye toward the 2016 presidential nomination may be expanding further. Sarah Palin told The Washington Post on Friday that she is "seriously interested" in running for president.

"Who wouldn't be interested?" Palin asked. "Who wouldn't be interested when they have been blessed with opportunities to speak about what is important to this country and for this country?"

Alaska's former governor made the comments before addressing activists at the Iowa Freedom Summit. The GOP's 2008 vice-presidential nominee said she won't rush to make a decision, because making an official, public announcement is a "significant step."

If you didn't watch Tom Brady's press conference about Deflategate, well, you can check out a supercut of the New England Patriots quarterback talking about his deflated balls here.

The lack of skillful sidestepping was noticed by many, including White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest.

"The one thing I can tell you is that for years it's been clear that there was no risk that I was going to take Tom Brady's job as quarterback of the New England Patriots," Earnest said when asked about the controversy during a Friday press conference. "But I can tell you that as of today, it's pretty clear that there's no risk of him taking my job, either."

Is this the best burn in the history of burns? No, but White House press secretaries don't get to let loose very often, so let's give Earnest this one.

"That was kind of fun, right?" he asks, grinning from ear to ear.

Yes, Earnest, yes it was. —Sarah Eberspacher

A new video released by Islamic State militants claims that one of two Japanese hostages being held by the group has been killed. Japanese officials are investigating the validity of the message, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reiterated his country's demand for the hostages' "immediate release" on Saturday, The Associated Press reports.

ISIS threatened on Tuesday to behead the hostages unless the group received $200 million in ransom. Japan has not commented on whether it is considering paying the ransom for Kenji Goto, a 47-year-old journalist, and Haruna Yukawa, a 42-year-old adventurer.

An Egyptian court ordered on Saturday that 37 Muslim Brotherhood members sentenced to death, along with 115 others sentenced to life in prison, should be retried following a swift mass trial last year, Reuters reports. 

The March 2014 trial lasted just a few days and tried more than 500 defendants, some in absentia. It gained widespread criticism from Western countries.

The 152 slated to stand retrial again face charges that they attacked government forces trying to clear out two Muslim Brotherhood protest camps in August 2013, as Brotherhood members demonstrated against President Mohamed Mursi's ousting by the military. The clashes left several hundred dead.

Ernie Banks, the Chicago Cubs' famed slugger and eventual Hall of Famer, died on Friday night. He was 83 years old, The Associated Press reports.

Banks, who began his career in the Negro Leagues playing for the Kansas City Monarchs, made his MLB debut in 1953 and played 19 seasons, racking up 512 home runs and twice landing the league's MVP award. Despite his personal accomplishments, Banks played for a string of Cubs teams that finished below .500, and he never reached the postseason.

Still, Banks was known for his sunny outlook; his catchphrase — "It's a great day for baseball. Let's play two." — is written on his statue outside Wrigley Field.

Revisit Banks' career highlights in a lovely 2014 retrospective from the Chicago Tribune's video department, below. —Sarah Eberspacher

President Barack Obama will cancel the end of his itinerary in India, opting instead to fly to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and pay his respects to the late King Abdullah's family, White House officials told The New York Times on Saturday.

Obama left Washington on Saturday morning for his second presidential trip to India, and he was originally scheduled to visit the country's iconic Taj Mahal on Tuesday. He will still serve as India's chief guest at Monday's Republic Day celebration — a first for an American leader — and meet with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Vice President Joe Biden was originally going to lead a delegation to Saudi Arabia, but White House officials said they changed the plan when it was decided that Obama could attend himself. The Times notes that Obama has not often made trips to pay respects to families of deceased leaders in other countries; one notable exception was in 2013, when Obama attended former South Africa president Nelson Mandela's state memorial.