it's friday, may 29. coming up on "early today," ex-speaker of the house dennis hastert is indicted over alleged hush money totaling almost a million dollars. and then weather whiplash. the severe weather week endured by much of the country may be just a precursor of things on the horizon. plus, awesome images including a volcano in japan, a snow and ice pile still melting in boston and stonehenge in new york city called "early today" starts now. good morning, everybody. happy friday to you. a man who was once the most powerful politician was been indicted on federal charges. former speaker of the house dennis hastert has been charged in connection with a scheme to pay more than $3 million of hush money to someone and then lying

to the fbi about the money. nbc justice correspondent pete williams has the latest. >> reporter: the charges are a bolt from the blue involving hastert, a public official for more than 25 years and house speaker from 1999 to 2007, the longest serving republican in that post. >> the rule and it stands as approved. >> reporter: since 2008 he's been a lobbyist in washington, but prosecutors say for the past four years he has paid $1.7 million in apparent hush money. court papers say the payments went to someone identified only as individual "a" from yorkville, illinois. the papers say he agreed to pay that person $3.5 million, quote, to compensate for and conceal his prior misconduct against individual "a" that occurred years earlier. the documents do not say what the prior misconduct was or whether individual "a" is a man

or a woman. prosecutors say he started making withdrawals of $50,000 at a time then cut them to 10,000 when questioned by the bank. prosecutors say when asked about whether he was trying to evade federal currency reporting requirements or cover something up, he denied having any improper purpose and suggested he didn't feel safe with the banking system. court papers say he told the fbi "i kept the cash. that's what i'm doing." >> that was nbc's pete williams reporting. hastert faces two charge, trying to evade federal requirements that banks report any transactions over $10,000 and lying to the fbi. also this morning, we are getting a brand-new look at the extreme weather still smashing through large parts of the country. we'll start in maine and a sign from above. a huge lightning bolt struck a church. the only damage there, busted shingles and electrical damage. then over in ohio, check this out. it's from a surveillance camera. wind brings down tree branches like they're twigs. not only that an industrial ac unit was yanked from the roof and hit a few cars. but the big story is still the flooding in texas. they have gotten so much rain over the past month that it

would be enough to flood all of rhode island under ten feet of water. here's an example of its sheer force. an unstoppable wall of water bursting through a door right into a living room. then outside a runaway basketball hoop carried away, yep, by the rain. not much different next door in oklahoma. the state had to close off roads and highways to protect drivers. but it wasn't just the water. it was the wind, as well. look at this shed getting picked up and tossed over a fence. with all that, there was a nice gesture from beer giant, anheuser-busch. it stopped beer production at its georgia brewery to make 50,000 cans of drinking water for those affected by the storm, although we're sure some might prefer a cold beer at this point. so here's a quick blast from the past. remember boston getting hit with winter weather just a few months ago. well, some of that snow is still there covered in dirt and trash. and that serves as a good reminder all this extreme weather, hot and cold, rain, snow, drought, floods. nbc's miguel almaguer explains what is being called weather whiplash. >> stop, stop, stop.

>> reporter: they call it weather whiplash, a year of historic floods, fires, tornadoes, snow and ice now whipping from one wild extreme to another. in wichita falls, texas, it felt like the drought ended overnight. in just three weeks, much of the state has gone from extreme drought to crippling flood. lakes are fuller than they've been in five years. in the last 30 days, 2.6 trillion gallons of water have filled texas reservoir, enough water to serve california for at least a year and a half. but still only a quarter of what california needs to end its drought. the golden state parched like never before. take this reservoir, for example, here at oroville, the water level has dipped so low this hill and many others just like it are no longer submerged and that bridge you see behind me used to be suspended just over the water line.

now it soars 200 feet above it. the governor says this is just the beginning. >> we're under a severe drought and it will get more severe. we can expect very severe flooding. >> reporter: with a powerful el nino suspected of bringing heavy water to texas experts say it could do the same to california bracing for fires and mudslides late they are year. the weather whiplash promising to bring even more dangerous and wild extremes. miguel almaguer, nbc news. defiant and unapologetic despite the recent scandal involving allegations of bribery and fraud within soccer's top officials, fifa's president is not backing down. >> we or i cannot monitor everyone all of the time. if people want to do wrong, they will also try to hide it. >> he has not been indicted. in fact, today sepp blatter is favored to win an unprecedented fifth term extending his 17-year

reign, but he can't count on a vote from the president of u.s. soccer who told "the new york times," he'd side with the chief rival. and now russian president vladimir putin is accusing u.s. authorities of meddling trying to wrestle away russia's hosting of the 2018 world cup. the state department dismissed those allegations. for the second year in a row, the scripps national spelling bee has crowned two champions. last night two eighth graders battled it out with impossible seemingly impossible words. now they will each get a trophy, $35,000, a complete reference library. and much more. nbc's tracie potts is live in washington. i don't know about you but i couldn't spell some of these words if i tried. >> reporter: they proved they can keep spelling when there are

no words left. many of them anxious and a few kind of funny. >> may i have an easy word please. >> emotions run high whether you get it wrong or right. it's a lot of pressure for a kid. number one 132 had to let off some steam. it came down to ten then just two two, an eighth greater from missouri and an eighth grader from kansas. this is her fifth bee. her final word --

>> correct. >> declared a tie for the second year in a row. a tie this year and last year but before that there hadn't been a tie in the national spelling bee in more than 50 years and all of a sudden back-to-back. >> my favorite was charles who said may i have an easy word please. >> there are no easy words. in japan a volcano erupted early this morning. it sent massive plumes of smoke and ash over a southern japanese island and authorities issued an emergency evacuation. roughly 140 live on that island. but there have been no reports of injuries. the volcano erupted last summer amid an uptick of volcanic activity in japan. meteorologist domenica davis is here on our friday morning.

>> the humidity is coming down. we see storms in the rockies and the southern plains where we are dealing with strong thunderstorms rolling through all morning long. dallas now into the houston area. this is additional rainfall which is going to aggravate the flooding concerns. also we see the storms fire up once again later today and into saturday. the flood watches and warnings are going to stay in effect an additional one to two inches are likely. where some of the storms when come we could see upwards of two to four inches. to the west it will be hot. phoenix 102. the rockies see storms. san francisco 67 for the high uth. we see temperatures in the low

80s around the sacramento area. fresno 96. and that's a look at your friday forecast. some pictures of a gorgeous phenomenon. it's happening tonight and tomorrow in new york city. it's called manhattan-henge. it only happens twice a year, the sun sets in such a way that its path happens between the skyscrapers and happens quick. it's stunning. you'll know it's happening when you hear car horns going off telling instagramers to get out of the middle of the world. jay z, beyonce explaining a possible big split. what are those? the mysterious bits of something washing up in some of the most popular surf cities in america. you're watching "early today." you know i can still remember where i was the first time that i had a mcdonald's sirloin third pound burger. i was at a mcdonald's. because that's where they sell them. for a limited time, anyway. good times.

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most stelara® patients saw at least 75% clearer skin and the majority were rated as cleared or minimal at 12 weeks. stelara® helps keep my skin clearer. ask your doctor about stelara®. feel secure in your dentures... feel free to be yourself all day. just switch from denture paste to sea-bond denture adhesive seals. holds stronger than the leading paste all day... without the ooze. feel secure. be yourself. with stronger, clean sea-bond. this weekend expect a showdown in the senate over nsa surveillance and the patriot act which expires june 1st. democrats will continue pushing for reforms while senate majority leader mitch mcconnell

wants to extend the laws with no changes. attorney general loretta lynch has also weighed in. she is urging the senate to reform and extend the patriot act before the monday deadline. president obama visited the national hurricane center in miami yesterday to talk about climate change, and he even took to twitter to answer people's questions on the subject. the twitter chat soon switched to basketball. the president even answered a tweet regarding the firing of chicago bulls' coach tom thibodeaux saying "love thibs and think he did a great job. sorry to see him go but expect he will be snatched up soon by another team" now to southern california where mysterious balls of tar are washing ashore. now, some of them are the size of footballs and they feel like putty. six miles of shoreline have been closed just south of los angeles. >> we spend a huge amount of time out here, and to see our backyards get fouled like this is really heartbreaking. >> officials still don't know where the tar balls are coming from. some wonder if they're part of a natural oil seep or an offshore platform leak.

let's get down to business. >> j.p. morgan chase reportedly cutting 5,000 jobs mostly from consumer banking as the company overhalls branches to focus less on human tellers. amazon is expanding the grocery business reports say adding more private label food items. last year amazon launched elements brand. and jay-z and beyonce could be heading to a split. asking tidal for big advances in return for rights to stream songs. it could lose beyonce's music. it has 900,000 users but most are trial memberships.

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♪ fireball ♪ ♪ sticks and stones may break my bones ♪ pitbull gets set to take the stage. mr. worldwide is bringing the party to orlando performing some of his biggest hits. you won't want to miss it.

one of the most successful coaches in the nba has been fired. chicago bulls tom thibodeaux was fired after amassing a 255-139 record along with playoff appearances during every one of his five seasons as the bulls head coach. the reason? friction with the management. his replacement, well, the rumor mill is running rampant that iowa head coach fred hoiberg is high on the list. at the french open serena williams was down a set before she advanced to play victoria azarenka in the next round. and then an upset. fifth ranked caroline wozniacki left the paris party only with a straight set defeat to german julia goerges. embattled running back adrian peterson is frustrated with criticism he is getting over rants about his contract and how he's getting paid but the vikings head coach mike zimmer says he has two choices, he can play for the vikings next season or not play at all. check out world wrestling's john cena. he weighs 251 pounds but he just posted this workout video of him bench pressing an impressive 440 pounds, not bad at all.

finally, 21-year-old detroit pistons center andre drummond made a high school senior's dream come true. student raquel smith drummond's asked how many retweets it would take to take him to prom? he said 12,000. well, she came close and drummond honored his promise. he was a complete gentleman all night. that is a lovely picture. ahead, 14 years years later a "shallow hal" reunion. plus, lindsay lohan turns a page on a dark chapter of her life. and cool video from china. wow. a high-flying contest you are going to want to see. you're watching "early today. ♪ ♪ we all want to see our kids grow up strong. and when you buy your vitamins at walgreens, your purchase helps provide life-changing vitamins to 100 million children. here in the u.s. and around the world through our partnership with vitamin angels. just stop by walgreens for your vitamins. doing good for you, does good for others too. walgreens...

at the corner of happy and healthy. we used to have so many empty rolls! mom! that's why we switched to charmin ultra mega roll. charmin ultra mega roll is 75% more absorbent so you can use less with every go. plus it even lasts longer than the leading thousand sheet brand. charmin ultra mega roll. i'm caridee. i've had moderate to severe plaque psoriasis most of my life. but that hasn't stopped me from modeling. my doctor told me about stelara® it helps keep my skin clearer. with only 4 doses a year after 2 starter doses... ...stelara® helps me be in season. stelara® may lower your ability to fight infections and increase your risk of infections. some serious infections require hospitalization. before starting stelara® your doctor should test for tuberculosis. stelara® may increase your risk of cancer. always tell your doctor if you have any sign of infection

have had cancer, or if you develop any new skin growths. do not take stelara® if you are allergic to stelara® or any of its ingredients. alert your doctor of new or worsening problems including headaches, seizures, confusion and vision problems. these may be signs of a rare potentially fatal brain condition. serious allergic reactions can occur. tell your doctor if you or anyone in your house needs or has recently received a vaccine. in a medical study most stelara® patients saw at least 75% clearer skin and the majority were rated as cleared or minimal at 12 weeks. stelara® helps keep my skin clearer. ask your doctor about stelara®. at book club they were asking me what you're doing now, janice. blogging. your blog is just pictures of you in the mirror. it's called a fashion blog todd. well, i've been helping people save money with progressive's discounts. flo, can you get janice a job? [ laughs ] you should've stuck to softball! i was so much better at softball than janice, dad. where's your wife, todd? vacation. discounts like homeowners' multi-policy -- i got a discount on this ham. i've got the meat sweats. this is good ham, diane.

paperless discounts -- give it a rest, flo. all: yeah, flo, give it a rest. welcome back to "early today." i'm meteorologist domenica davis. we are looking at storms right down through the southern plains. the flooding concerns persist for texas and oklahoma. the rockies have thunderstorms that pop up basically with the daytime heating. phoenix 102 the high today. they are going to stay in the triple digits through the weekend. 106 on saturday in phoenix and then along the west coast we are looking at 68 degrees in san francisco. pretty dry and stays pretty comfortable through the weekend. no rain worries up and down the east coast but it does stay hot. easy for me to say. i'm all tongue tied with this great weather. >> it's friday. you want to get out there and

enjoy it. i know you. now to entertainment news. hulu pulled "19 kids and counting" from its streaming service. this follows molestation charges against josh duggar. for the first time in a while, lindsay lohan is not on probation. an l.a. judge determined she completed her community service from a reckless driving case. >> it just went to a 7.1. get the hell out of there. >> all right, this movie looks good. summer movie season getting into full swing with "san andreas" the disaster film expected to rake in nearly $36 million. >> i lone wolfed it all the way. that's who i am. >> understood. >> also out this weekend, "aloha" starring bradley cooper and emma stone. it has a dismal 14% rating from rotten tomatoes and is only expected to earn $12 million.

after crash landing his plane on a golf course, harrison ford was apparently back in the pilot's seat. the 72-year-old reportedly co-piloted a helicopter in santa monica on thursday. michael jackson's 2700-acre neverland ranch on the market. the asking price, $100 million. >> he even got my lazy eye in. i like it. it's kind of pointing that way. >> singer ed sheeran visited his new wax figure at madame tussauds in new york city, and the likeness is spot-on. finally, it's been 14 years since the release of "shallow hal." co-stars gwyneth paltrow and jack black bumped into each other at an art show and took a selfie for old time's sake. >> beautiful people. i'm alex witt and this is "early "today"today"today"today today.

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leading the news in "the huffington post," a french bartender convicted of manslaughter after a man drinks 56 shots and dies. the customer was apparently trying to break a record at the bar. the bartender received a four-month suspended sentence and is banned from working in a bar for a year. his lawyer says he plans to appeal. in "usa today," father marries son after they dissolve adoption. bill novak adopted norm where their legal partnership was not recognized. they have been together for 50 years, finally got married on sunday, and they say they are, quote, ecstatic beyond belief. some other stories we're following for you. six people arrested after authorities in ecuador seized around 200,000 shark fins. police say they were going to be

illegally exported to asia. around 25,000 sharks were slaughtered to get those fins and they are often used to make shark fin soup, which is a traditional chinese dish. "time" magazine looking into teen trends in sex, bullying, booze and more and there is some good news. according to "time," the latest statistics on teenagers paint a rosy portrait of american teens. they're drinking, smoking and bullying less than they used to and fewer are getting pregnant. and after almost a decade offline, the walrus cam is back. this live stream video shows part of the walrus island state game sanctuary in alaska. the webcam was originally shut down in 2005 due to lack of funding. have you ever seen a flying man on water? it's one of the highlights of a boat show in southwest china. look at that. here's how it works. one person drives the jet ski, the other flies around in the air doing tricks on a water jet device. these flying men can do almost anything from jumps to flips, even somersaults.

the organizer wants to see his team compete internationally. would you do it? >> we should do it. >> you drive. >> i'll see how you go. the observatory at the new one world trade center opens to the public today. it is situated on the 100th, 101st and 102nd floors and features spectacular views of new york city and exhibits. but a trip to the top of what was formerly called the freedom tower is not free. adult tickets cost $32. happy birthday to carmelo anthony, 31, melissa etheridge, 54 and la toya jackson, 59. have a great weekend, everybody. we're going to leave you with a live picture from universal florida where pit bull is set to perform on the "today" show. we shoep you have a terrific weekend.

debuting tonight. hollywood highlighting an earthquake that should shake up the bay area and the country. why fema and local fire officials are focusing on the flick to grab people's attention. and confused water uses in the south bay crying foul at a late nighting meeting. why more cutbacks are getting pushed back. flood battered texas gets ready to take a breath another round of storms barreling in on part of that statements fshlg taking a live look on this friday morning. oracle arena in oakland. it's may 29th. this is "today in the bay." >> from nbc bay area, this is "today in the bay." >> it's 4:30. i'm sam brock. >> i'm