y got very little. >> all right. well, i know you'll stay on top of the weather for us as we take one more shot of the flooding there in ocean city. for glenn and all of us here at nbc 10, thanks for watching. on this thursday night, breaking news. the former speaker of the house dennis hastert indicted for lying to the fbi. secret cash payments millions of dollars to cover up past misconduct. who was he paying off and why? new evacuations and new rescues in texas. as we see for ourselves the relentless force of the water tearing through homes and hear from a father about the heart breaking final phone call from his daughter trapped in rising water. and anthrax scare, what we have learned about other lethal parcels being routinely shipped across the country. and the hacking of america. when you're on a plane and you log on to the wi-fi who else is seeing your private information? "nightly news" begins right now.

>> from nbc news world headquarters in new york this is "nbc nightly news." reporting tonight, lester holt. >> good evening. we begin with breaking news. the federal indictment announced of a man who was once one of most powerful politicians in this country. former speaker of the house dennis hastert charged in connection with a scheme to pay more than $3 million of apparent hush money to someone and then lying to the fbi about the cash. the burning questions who is he paying and why? our justice correspondent pete williams has late details. >> reporter: the charges are a bolt from the blue involving dennis hastert, a public official for more than 25 years an house speaker, the long serving republican in the house. >> the chair -- >> reporter: since 2008 he's been a lobbyist here in washington. but prosecutors say for the past four

years he has paid $1.7 million in apparent hush money. court payments say the payments went to someone identified only as individual "a" from 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, quote, i kept the cash. that's what i'm doing. hastert faces two charges that banks report any transactions over $10,000 and lying to

the fbi. as for yorkville, illinois, that's where he was a high school teacher and coach from 1965 to 1981. no comment tonight from him. >> pete williams in washington, thanks. unless you live through it's so hard to imagine the amount and speed and power of the water that tore through central texas communities and up ended lives over the holiday weekend. but tonight as more severe thunderstorm and flood watches are posted in parts of the state we're getting our best look yet at what it was like. nine of the people have yet to be found. the death toll in oklahoma and central texas and as far south as houston is at least 23. nbc's gabe gutierrez reports tonight from wimberley, texas. >> reporter: it was unstoppable. the wall of water bursting through the door. gushing into a living room. up ending furniture, rising in seconds.

incredibly, a terrified woman keeps recording with her cell phone. >> we could actually see what looked like barges going down the river and it was people's home. >> reporter: chuck criswell lives along the blanco river. >> it looked like the water was going 500 miles an hour. debris just flying by. >> reporter: today, throughout texas, wild weather. near houston a family had to be rescued by boat. >> i have never seen it like this. >> reporter: nearby wharton, texas, hundreds of residents evacuated. fearing more storms through the weekend. >> my light switch in my home so when they say flood -- i know to go. >> reporter: so much rain has drenched texas that it would be enough to flood all of rhode island under ten feet of water. it's taking a toll in tight knit texas where the family of 18-year-old ramirez held her funeral. the homecoming queen

and cheerleader was on her way back from prom when her car was swept away. >> i got a phone call from her at 2:45 in the morning. when i'm asleep. and she wakes me up and i say, honey, what's going on? dad, what do i do? my car -- my car has been hit with water, what do i do what do i do? well back the car up she said i can't the car tipping. i said i'm on my way. that's the last i got to speak to her. >> reporter: sadly, there's so much devastation across parts of texas tonight. authorities here in hays county say they have recovered the body of a young child. but it's not been identified. more rain is expected to slow the search effort here through the weekend. the relentless rain seems to have helped reverse years of drought in texas. now, the people of drought-stricken california are wondering are they in for an abrupt weather

whiplash of their own, from dry to deluge? our national correspondent miguel almaguer has more on what we learned today. >> 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 have been in five years. this was late wichita just a few months ago. here it is again today. scientists say climate change is exacerbating the wild swings. >> the swings are getting wilder. climate change is stretching out the variability. >> reporter: in the last 30 days 2.6 trillion gallons of water have filled texas reservoirs, 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 the water level has dipped so low, this hill and many others just like it are no longer submerged. 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 are in a more severe drought. we can expect very severe flooding. >> reporter: with the powerful el nino suspected of bringing heavy rains to texas, experts say it could soon do the same to california. now bracing for fires and mudslides later this year. the weather whiplash, promising to bring even more dangerous and wild extremes. miguel almaguer nbc news. some fast moving

developments in the anthrax fedexed to labs in nine states and you overseas. tonight, more than two dozen people are taking drugs to protects after potentially being exposed to live anthrax. now with we're learning about just how many dangerous agents are routinely being shipped across our nation. our national correspondent kate snow reports. >> reporter: anthrax is hard to kill. the pentagon tonight is focused on how the process of inactivating the anthrax at a utah facility may have gone wrong. before it was shipped out to 19 labs in nine states using fedex. >> i can't believe that anthrax is being shipped by fedex. >> reporter: but shipping the agents is very common so scientists can study disease. there are nearly 1,500 labs around the country, allowed to handle active, deadly microbes and nbc news has learned there were 300 shipments of live agents just last year. usually, via fedex.

fedex says it has a flawless record in following all application for shipping this material. the cdc is leading the investigation into the army's error, but the cdc has come under fire for mishandling hazardous substances including anthrax and ebola and a deadly bird flu virus. >> i'm angry about it. >> that volume of activities needs to be rolled back. >> reporter: a microbiologist said there are too many labs handling the dangerous material. he said that shipments of supposedly inactivated samples should be ended. the good news is that no one has gotten sick from the army shipped out. it was not as dangerous as what was sent through the mail in 2001, killing many people. >> this is different from what happened in 2001 when an individual or more than one individual perhaps stuffed floatable powdered anthrax into envelopes. >> reporter: this isn't the same thing? >> it is anthrax, but

in a different form. and it is less likely by far less likely to cause large-scale damage. >> reporter: the cdc is now asking the 19 labs that received shipments from utah to send them to atlanta for analysis. using fedex. kate snow nbc news new york. let's turn now to the scandal shaking the world's most popular sport. the powerful head of the organization that controls international soccer defiant today, firing back after american authorities accused his top lieutenants of mafia-like corruption spanning decades. and he had a high profile defender. national correspondent peter alexander has our report. >> reporter: under fire as never before. his top lieutenants indicted and facing calls for his resignation, sepp blatter made a show of pushing back and deflecting responsibility. >> we or i cannot monitor everyone all of the time.

if people want to do wrong, they will try to hide it. >> reporter: blatter has not been indicted in his favor to win an unprecedented fifth term tomorrow. >> in the past when there's been controversies and investigations, many in fifa have fallen. >> reporter: coming to blatter's defense today, vladimir putin. accusing u.s. authorities of meddling and trying to wrestle away russia's hosting of the 2018 world cup. today, u.s. officials dismissed those allegations. >> that's not what we have done. it's not what we're doing. >> reporter: federal authorities allege more than a dozen fifa officials and sports marketing executives pocketed at least $150 million in bribes and kick backs. fifa takes in billions in soccer revenue worldwide. sponsors and commercial partners paid fifa more than

$1.5 billion between 2011 and 2014. among them big household names. visa which signed a $170 million deal is demanding that fifa address these issues. threatening to reassess the sponsorship if fifa doesn't clear up its act. money drying up would hit fifa where it hurts and federal authorities tell nbc news there are more indictments coming. peter alexander, nbc news washington. there is a big mystery unfolding tonight in the beach on some of the most popular surf cities in america. beaches shut down for miles in southern california. hermosa, manhattan beach and redondo beach and the tar is washing ashore and nobody knows why or where it's coming from. nbc's hallie jackson is there. >> reporter: six patties of oily tar line some of southern california's most popular beaches. 6 1/2 miles of shoreline closed to

sunbathers and surfers. >> this is our beach. this is -- we spend a huge amount of time out here and to see our backyards get fouled like this is really heart breaking. >> reporter: clean-up crews are collecting the clumps. 30 cubic yards so far. enough to fill ten pickup trucks. holding the tar balls feels like holding dough or putty. they're typically the size of the quarter but you can see how much bigger these are. >> this a tragedy to see this much oil. i have never seen it in my career. such a dense combination of oil blobs on the beach. >> reporter: the question is why and where are they coming from? could be part of a natural oil leak or a leak from ships or refineries along the coast. officials also say it's possible but not probable the clumps are coming from last week's 100,000 gallon oil spill in santa barbara where they're still racing to save animals caught up in the slick. more than 50 birds and is a eli -- sea lions

so far. down the coast, no wildlife has been hurt. the mystery still unsolved. testing samples of these tar balls could take a few days could take a few weeks. workers here say they haven't noticed any new clumps wash ashore late this afternoon. so if the beaches do reopen, lester, in time for the weekend you can bet they'll look busier than right now. >> all right, hallie jackson, thank you. on the campaign trail, the crowded race for the republican nomination grew larger today with former new york governor george pataki announcing his candidacy. that brings the number of declared contenders on the gop side to eight, with several more still expected to jump in. including well known names like jeb bush. still ahead tonight, the hacking of america. even on a plane. you log into the wi-fi potentially giving other people access to everything that's private on your the off! outdoor refresher course. gatherings. sfx: ding! extended family, meet crowded living space. claustrophobia, meet bite-ophobia. sfx: buzz!

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we are back now with our series the hacking of america. we reported in the past on the dangers of logging in to public wi-fi systems that could be set up by hackers and cyber crooks but now accessing the wi-fi system on your plane. who else can see your information on your computer? here's tom costello. >> reporter: if you have flown at all over the past several years there's a good chance

you have gone suspicioussurfing at 30,000 feet. you may have assumed that the plane's wi-fi is safe and secure, but is it? james line says treat it like any other public wi-fi. >> it doesn't matter if they're encrypted or not. when you connect to them you're handing over your destiny of the internet connection to some unknown stranger. >> reporter: because that airline wi-fi is usually being offered by a third party through which anyone can gain access to your phone or computer. even someone sitting next to you. >> this is the first screen i noticed that something was out of the ordinary. >> reporter: it was a red alert like this bun that greeted shawn murphy. his computer warning him the plane's wi-fi connection wasn't secure. >> if i were to access my e-mail or if i were to access pictures they would have gotten all that information. they would have gotten my user name and password and then the data coming back from there.

>> reporter: one of the biggest provider go go inflight they say it's secure. but once you're surfing the web that connection is not encrypted. gogo operates similar to any hot spot on the ground. in other words, you may be as vulnerable to hackers in the air as you are on land. you could protect yourself on public wi-fis say the pros by using something called a vpn. a virtual private network that takes your information puts it into a bubble and encrypts it. experts say when you're using public wi-fi on a plane or a coffee shop, avoid accessing your bank account information and sensitive e-mails or social media sites with your photos. >> cybercrime is entirely opportunistic. every time you connect to the internet you're a target. >> reporter: even at 30,000 feet it's best to assume you're being watched. tom costello nbc news somewhere over the east coast. up next tonight, hundreds of students that took the s.a.t.s

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imagine being one of 100 high school students in virginia who are being told they have to take the s.a.t.s all over again. not because of a cheating allegation but because school officials say the tests are missing. lost in the mail when they were shipped to be graded. as you can imagine, students and parents are not happy. the s.a.t.s are going to be no match for the group of kids when they're old enough to take them. ten of the smartest kids in the country compete this evening in the final round of the scripps national spelling bee outside of washington, d.c. and for first time in 40 years the golden state warriors are going to the nba finals where they'll face the cleveland cavaliers. that means we'll get to keep watching one of the biggest stars

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finally tonight, the summer travel season is traditionally when airlines lose luggage. most often. nearly all of it is returned eventually but the rest of it once it disappears into the baggage bermuda triangle could turn up later for a price. >> reporter: it's like a well-stocked department store. designer clothing, cases of jewelry. and from iphones to headphones every model made. >> it's the best thing ever. >> reporter: best of all, bargain prices. >> $164 it would be probably $600. >> reporter: but one person's deal is another's loss. >> maybe some of my things are in here somewhere. >> reporter: in rural alabama, hours from any major airport, this tourist destination is the last stop for lost

luggage. >> we actually buy unclaimed luggages from planes, trains, automobiles, sight unseen. >> reporter: at -- 99% of the bags are returned and the rest with no identification end up here. so do the glasses or ipad you left in the seat back pocket. last year they sold 3,400 forgotten ipads 5,000 cameras, 40,000 pair of shoes. >> it's always interesting to see what they have here. >> reporter: shoppers like jerry brown can't stay away. how often do you come? >> just about every day. everything i got on comes from here. >> reporter: you could supply an orchestra with musical instruments. several tennis teams with these racquets. how long will you spend in here today? >> well, we allotted ourselves an hour. >> reporter: is that going to do it? >> no. >> reporter: from wedding gowns to the what is it category more than just a bargain, it's a slice of current culture through the lens of our luggage.

janet shand leeian nbc news. i'm lester holt and for all of us at nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. breaking divorce news. bobby flay's ex taking on the rumors of her husband's cheating, her explosive new claims of january jones. >> now on "extra." bobby flay's love triangle? his ex formally accusing the tv

chef of an ongoing sexual relationship with "mad men's" january jones. january jones. >> the clues we have been tracking all along to the mystery around january's baby. the duggar family fortune going down the drain. what they stand to lose over the scandal. the breakback bachelor shocker. >> falling in love with a man never crossed my mind. >> is it a giant stunt? being kim kardashian. what happened when this magazine editor dressed, dieted and lived like kim for a week? new couple alert? pitch perfect's star spotted with buff zac ef ron. larry david on the seinfeld deal and why he's happy-ish. >> i have to walk aaround with this? you're ruining my. >> now from extra, the entertainment capital of l.a.