delaware. won't be lasting long. next week we're even warmer. >> looks good. sheena and all of us here thanks for watching news continues now with "nbc nightly news." have a good weekend. on this friday night, violent outbreak. tornados tearing off roofs, ripping homes from their foundations. neighborhoods buried under four feet of hail. a police suv swallowed by a sinkhole. a dark secret kept hidden for decades. now a woman says dennis hastert sexually abused her brother. and for the first time nbc news talks to a high school friend what he says the alleged victim told him years ago. growing fear someone in colorado is randomly shooting at people. a hunt for a possible serial sniper. and dashed dreams an american pair olympic hopeful

blazing fast and about to compete for a national championship only to have his running blades stolen. nightly news begins right now. from nbc news world headquarters in new york this is nbc nightly news. reporting tonight, lester holt. good evening. as we head into the weekend. millions will need to keep a close eye on the weather after a violent outbreak destroyed homes and left neighborhoods under feet of hail in colorado. this afternoon, new tornado warnings were posted in the west. at least one tornado already spotted today near denver and the threat from these dangerous storms continues. our national correspondent miguel almaguer starts us out with the latest. >> reporter: across colorado this vie limit, punishing storm is packing it all, from multiple twisters to pounding golf ball sized hail. the sheriff outside denver says it's a miracle nobody was

killed. >> it's really been unlike anything we've ever seen today. we actually sought tornado from our front porch. >> reporter: the small town took a direct and violent hit, one neighborhood obliterated. at least 25 homes damaged. this man's house literally blew away. >> it threw a bunch of shingles down to the bottom of the stairs. >> reporter: in some areas, hail four feet deep. lightning piercing the sky. the wild weather even buckled roads. a police car swallowed by a sinkhole. >> lightning and thunder and everything continued for hours and hours. >> reporter: now it's rain doing the most damage. 8 inches in parts of colorado. in states like wyoming, missouri and arkansas face their own severe flooding. along the red river expected to reach its highest level in 07 years, evacuations are under way. >> these storms have

been going off and on now for about 72 hours. soil is saturated. tornado warnings continue to be issued. >> reporter: dangerous storms packing a powerful punch. tonight they're on the move. miguel almaguer nbc news. tonight in the ever-disturbing case surrounding former house speaker dennis hastert, a voice we haven't heard from before has emerged, telling nbc news about his conversation decades ago with a friend who told him about sexual encounters with hastert when the man was a teenager. he is the second person to come forward in the past 24 hours with the story of steven reinboldt a student where hastert teached wrestling. >> reporter: steve reinboldt was the student equipment manager for the team dennis hastert coached. in an interview, his

sister jolene told her years after he graduated he told her he had a sexual experience. >> he said it was with dennis hastert. and i just i know i was stunned. i said why didn't you ever tell anybody, stevie? he was your teacher. why didn't you ever tell anybody? and he just looked at me and he says who is ever going to believe me? >> reporter: her brother died of aids in 1995. another another friend and classmate of reinboldt says he confided in him back in 1974. >> he starts to talk about his relationship with denny hastert and told me that they had been sexual, and i was flabbergasted. >> reporter: he says he believes there was more than one sexual encounter. >> he said sometimes if would smart with a massage. and we didn't go much

further into that. >> reporter: reinboldt's friend says he doesn't know who individual a sunshine the person cited in the yien diemt against hastert. it alleges that hastert agreed to pay $3.5 million to conceal past misconduct. law enforcement officials say the misconduct was of a sexual nature with a male student. but hastert is accused of trying to avoid banking requirements and lying to the fbi. this man says he barely remembers reinboldt but has a hard time hastert would abuse a student. >> he was a great teacher, a good coach. great motivator. >> reporter: former representative barney frank says the allegations are stunning. >> a reminder of the hipypocrisy hypocrisy. he went before the

speaker twice constitutional amendments that would have banned same-section marriage. >> reporter: hastert has not commented. neither has his attorney. he's scheduled to make his first court appearance next week. authorities in minnesota announced criminal charges against the roman catholic archdiocese in the twin cities. six misdemeanors from failing to protect children. the prosecutor says we are alleging a disturbing and systematic pattern of behavior committed by the highest levels of leadership of the archdiocese of st. paul and minneapolis. the archdiocese says it regrets the abuse suffered by the victims and will continue to cooperate with prosecutors. communities in colorado are on the edge over fears that a serial sniper may be targeting people at random. at least three people

have been shot under mysterious circumstances. police are racing to connect the dots and stop whoever's pulling the trigger. jacob ras cone has this report. >> reporter: there are questions among many who live in this this peaceful community. >> they can't find the guy. i know it's tough, but it's scary. >> reporter: investigators admit, they don't have the answers. only saying that two shootings are definitely linked and a third is likely. >> 911. what's the address of your emergency? >> i'm on my way right now, and somebody just hit me and i'm bleeding from my heck. >> reporter: the first victim survived her attack shot in the neck during the day while merging onto the interstate. several weeks later, only five miles away a 47 year old special needs man was shot while he was riding

his bike. >> he's bleeding uncontrollably on the side of the road. >> reporter: and this week a third roadside shooting. 65-year-old grandfather bill ca noel. >> it has to be desperate, for the safety of the public. if it has to be. >> reporter: investigators are keeping some details about the shootings to themselves but tell me if and when they find a definitive link they will likely share that information immediately. the damage still being assessed from perhaps the largest hacking attack in u.s. history. data stolen on millions of federal employees, many of them with access to sensitive information. and as andrea mitchell reports, fingers are

still being pointed in china's direction. >> reporter: you've been hacked. that's warning that will be sent to 4 million workers, unwilling victims in a cyber war. >> somebody isn't paying attention. >> my clients and everything already know everything about me. >> reporter: many of those targeted already have security clearance. but the hackers wouldn't know who has the highest clearance. who did it? the fbi is zeroing in on china, despite china's denial. >> we hope the united states side could discard this kind of suspicion and stop groundless accusation. >> reporter: still, u.s. officials and outside experts say the attack had china's cyber finger print. >> we don't see enormous numbers of attacks like this against u.s. government institutions coming from china that are not

government-sponsored. >> reporter: there has been plenty of warning in april, it was reported 24 different agencies including treasury homeland security and defense had increase risk of compromise from cyber-based attacks and other threats. and in march, the gao reported that the faa has security control weaknesses threatening the ability tocomplete the uninterrupted operation of the air system. why would three want so much frfgse information? >> personal information is extremely sensitive. it effectively becomes a map to help an adversary target the individuals of greatest interest. >> reporter: officials say that many of the government's computers are so antiquated it won't be easy to figure out what was sole stolen. and if china proves to be the culprit, deciding how to retaliate becomes a huge challenge. there's good news

for the economy after a sluggish few months. employers added a healthy 280,000 jobs last month. the unemployment rate ticked up only slightly to 5.5%. but economists say that's for a good reason. because hundreds of thousands of more people are now seeking work as the economy improves. it's been 37 years since we've seen a champion claimed. but all of that could change at belmont park where excitement is building for american pharaoh. >> reporter: he won the kentucky derby against a field many call the most talented in decades and overcame a monsoon to win the preakness. but the belmont stakes known as the test of the champion will be the longest race of this young horse's life. over the only mile and a half race track in the country.

the one they call big sandy. >> see a triple crown with american pharoah. >> anyone can do it, i hope he can. >> reporter: as the only horse to run in boast the derby and the preakness, he will face a field of well-rested contenders. >> he's a sweetheart of a horse, but when he gets on the track he's all business. >> reporter: he has a fourth chance at capturing the most prestigious honor in horse racing. you're here more than any other trainer. >> i can't believe what's happening here. >> reporter: victor espinosa will be the first jockey with a third shot at a triple crown. winning the most coveted title in the sport is something no horse has done since affirmed in 1978. nevertheless, american pharaoh's owner says they're prepared. if american pharaoh runs his race, it

doesn't matter who else is out there? >> there's a lot of good horses but this horse is going to win the triple crown. he's going to earn it the hard way. >> reporter: he drew position number five a start gate that has ended in a belmont horses including seattle slough. a trim crown winner himself, now just a mile and a half stands between american pharaoh and history. again, that history is dpauntsing since 1978. 13 horses have won the kentucky desh by and the pleekness. none have left here with horse racing's greatest prize. that's history that perhaps all ends about 24 hours from now. lester? >> all right, josh thanks. we'll look for live coverage starting tomorrow at 4:30 eastern right here on nbc what do you do

when the only thing that can save your child is against the law? parents fighting for their children and fighting to change the law. and later, 27 valedictorians at one school? isn't there supposed to be just one? why it' did you know that meeting your daily protein needs actually helps to support your muscle health? boost® high protein nutritional drink can help you get the protein you need. each serving has 15 grams of protein to help maintain muscle, plus 26 vitamins and minerals including calcium and vitamin d to support strong bones. boost® high protein is the #1 selling high protein complete nutritional drink and it has a great taste-guaranteed! help get the nutrition you need everyday with boost® high protein. join the club at brandpower.com. meet the world's newest energy superpower. surprised? in fact, america is now the world's number one natural gas producer... and we could soon become number one in oil. because hydraulic fracturing technology is safely recovering lots more oil and natural gas. supporting millions of new jobs.

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helping their children while mayorrijuana is still illegal in most states. we show you the battle of one family's mission to get it for their daughter. >> reporter: 15-year-old jennifer collins. she certainly looks like any other teenager but if you look closer, you might see the flutter in her eyes. she's having a seizure. >> my oldest daughter said you know when mom, when jennifer does that she can't hear you. >> reporter: she suffers from a debilitating form of epilepsy. they were advised to use very strong anti-epilepsy medications. but they were soon concerned about the side effects. >> she had one that made her rage so badly that we had to take all the doorknobs off of the doors, because she had locked herself into the bathroom with a knife. it was really scary. and they didn't

control her seizures. >> reporter: did you feel like you were losing your daughter? >> absolutely. lo losing the whole family. >> reporter: they heard about oils made from the cannabis plant. they made the heart wrenching decision to separate the family. beth and jennifer moved to colorado to see if the oil could help jen. patrick and their older daughter alexandra stayed in virginia. one oil, legal in colorado helped jennifer according to her parents, but there's little clinical research on this. and some doctors say more needs to be done. this family is convinced it works. >> reporter: what is it like for you to be free of some of those side effects? >> it's awesome. i, i don't feel like a monster anymore. >> reporter: a monster? >> because i had the rages. i felt like a monster afterwards because i

would just physically attack my parents. and i didn't have any control over it. >> jennifer has a statement. but she's a little nervous, so i'm going to read it for her. >> reporter: the collinss are now fighting for laws that would make the oils legal in all 50 states. hairy smith, nbc news fairfax, virginia. >> much more at sunday 7:00 6:00 ce you owned your car for four years. you named it brad. you loved brad. and then you totaled him. you two had been through everything together. two boyfriends. three jobs. you're like "nothing can replace brad!" then liberty mutual calls. and you break into your happy dance. if you sign up for better car replacement, we'll pay for a car that's a model year newer with 15,000 fewer miles than your old one. see car insurance in a whole new light. liberty mutual insurance.

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it's a crime that will leave you shaking your head in disbelief. thieves stole expensive running blades from a para-athlete in north carolina. and with an all-important race coming up they may have stolen something that can't be given back his dreams of victory.

>> reporter: while peterson can run, one of the fastest in the 100 meter, he has his sights set on the paralympics in rio. >> it means a lot to my mom. >> reporter: but on wednesday, the sprinter from charlotte, north carolina hit a hurdle off the track. peterson says someone broke into his house and stole almost everything including 20 competition medals and three of husband kiss tomorrow-fit running blades. >> they just took it all from me. why take somebody's medals that can't be replaced. why take somebody's legs they need to run on. >> reporter: even for thieves, this was pretty low. replacing the prosthetics could cost $50,000. a go fund me page just kicked off, and nationals start in two weeks. >> i don't have a leg to train on. >> reporter: he lost his right leg in a motorcycle accident when he was 15. >> it happened on thanksgiving day in 2007. it felt like it was happening to me.

>> having to go back to school without a prosthetic at first, i think it made me mentally tough. >> reporter: then three years ago he discovered the track and realized he was fast. suddenly the 22-year-old had a direction in his life and the goal. but for now it hangs in the balance. >> this is not going to stop me at all. >> reporter: for this pair olympic hopeful, gritty determination is nothing new. stephanie gosk nbc news new york. when we come back who says it's lonely at the top. the school has one, [announcer:] what if one stalk of broccoli could protect you from cancer? what if one push up could prevent heart disease? [man grunts] one wishful thinking, right? but there is one step you can take to help prevent another serious disease- pneumococcal pneumonia. one dose of the prevnar 13® vaccine can help protect you ... from pneumococcal pneumonia, an illness that can cause coughing, chest pain difficulty breathing and may even put you in the hospital. prevnar 13 ® is used in adults 50 and older to help prevent infections from 13 strains of the bacteria that cause

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finally, tonight, the title of valedictorian is traditionally reserved for a school's top-ranked student, or at least it used to be. some of this year's graduating classes literally have dozens of them. here's janet shamlian on the growing trend. >> reporter: at this high school in oregon all these students are this year's valedictorians. at vanguard high in florida, 27 will share the honor when they graduate tonight. >> i don't think of it as sharing. i just think of it as we all did this.

>> reporter: but shouldn't there be only one honoree. the dictionary describes it as the student usually having the highest rank. the ones with the multiple winners. >> you have 27 students who met the requirements so therefore they should be recognized and honored. >> reporter: in gem general, many end up with a grade point average above 4.0. but critics say the practice gets a failing grade, and it is like some sports where everyone gets a trophy. >> they're going to have no way how to know how to handle that competition. >> reporter: with the competition fierce to get into college, every valedictorian can legitimately claim top of the class. >> i am the valedictorian. >> i'm kadeem samuel, i'm the valedictorian.

>> reporter: crowded at the top. there can be more than one number one. janet shamlian nbc news new york. that is going to do it for us on this friday night. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for

>> the ultimate goal the same for each team at the start of the baseball season. reaching the goal creates memories for a franchise, that are fan-based. held on to forever. the elite status of champions three times in five seasons raises your success to a whole another level. the defending world champions have arrived for the weekend. well they put the final touches on the playing field here at