and today, she said, even if there is no trial, the world now knows what kind of a man dennis hastert is. >> he'll plead out, and try to he can. and he can do that, but the truth is out. >> reporter: innhe end, authorities say, what tripped up hastert was his recent effort to pay off one of his victims. he's charged with violating bank laws for the way he handled his huge cash withdrawals and then lying to the fbi about them. he's expected to plead guilty to one of those two counts, either one of which usually leads to time behind bars. brian ross, abc news. >> brian, thank you. >>> next tonight, to the other developing headline today. a reversal from president obama on afghanistan. revealing he will now keep far more troops there, beyond 2016. that means as many as 5,500 troops will still b b ere, stead of thehe 1,000 he had planned. all of this comesamid growing concern about the taliban strengthening. and the recent deadly u.s. air strike on a doctors without borders hospital. tonight, we have new images of the aftermath at that hospital, and the president's explanation. larger num

former speaker of the house dennis hastert. and a move that could keep his secrets from coming out in open court. signaling he will plead guilty in a criminal case. prosecutors accusing hastert of paying hush money to hide misconduct. that misconduct going back to his time as a high school teacher. abc's chief investigative correspondent brian ross on hastert's move, the prison time he might now face and the family tonight, saying, the truth is out. >> reporter: the decision today by 73-year-old dennis hastert to plead guilty means there will be no trial, and none of his dark secrets will be exposed in open court. >> mr. speaker. >> reporter: but in exchange, the former speaker of the house, once second in line to the presidency, may spend time in prison, the first speaker ever to do so. the charges against hastert grow out of his role as a popular illinois high school wrestling coach in the 1970s. authorities say hastert sexually abused several teenage boys on the team, and then a few years ago, began to pay one of them more t

and she said, even if there is no trial, the world now knows what kind of a man dennis hastert is. >> he'll plead out and try to make this go away as quickly as he can. and he can do that, but the truth is out. >> reporter: authorities say what tripped up hastert was the recent effort to pay off his victim. he's charged with violating bank laws for the way he handled his huge cash withdrawals, and then lying to the fbi about them. he's expected to plead guilty to one of those two counts, either one of which usually results in time behind bars. brian ross, abc news. >>> the u.s. is working to get custody of a computer hacking suspect with ties to isis. the man is a citizen of kosovo and he was arrested last month in malaysia and is accused of stealing the personal information of more than 1300 u.s. military and other government personnel. then officials say, he passed the material to isis which then posted it online hoping its supporters in the u.s. would use it to stage attacks. if he's tried and convicted in the u.s., he faces 35 years in prison. >>> u.s. troops will remain in afghan

former speaker of the house dennis hastert, once one of the most powerful men in america cutting a deal over charges he paid millions in hush money to cover-up allegations of sex abuse. >>> going to new extremes. the new forecast for winter released. there are big changes from years past. why millions are in for a roller coaster season. >>> credit card warning. complaints piling up about those new cards with security chips meant to protect you. what you should know and why you should be checking your bills even more closely than usual. "nightly news" begins right now. >>> from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is nbc "nightly news with lester holt." >> good evening. we learned today it will be up to the next president to end the american war in afghanistan. a conflict that lasted as long as world wars one and two and the civil war combined. today president obama did an about-face on his previous pledge to bring home all but an embassy security force by the end of next year. instead he announced there will be at least 5,500 american troops in afghanistan into 2017. beyond the

. >>> will the former house speaker denny hastert go to prison? he is agreeing to plead guilty but to what after he was of crimes including lying to the fbi, paying someone to keep a dark secret. let's get to it. >> first from the news deck, american military analysts knew, knew in advance a hospital in afghanistan was a protected site. knew days before the bloody bombing that burned to death patients in their beds and killed surgeons in the o.r. that's according to an investigation by the "associated press," which now reveals u.s. special ops analysts were gathering intelligent on the hospital before the bombing because, the ap reports, those analysts thought the taliban operative was using the hospital as a base. 22 patients and hospital staffers died in the american attack. the top american officer in afghanistan has called the bombing a mistake. president obama has apologized. but the revelations from the "associated press" add to the big question surrounding one of the worst civilian casualty incidents in america's longest war, and today word

i mean, he just looked at me and said, it was with dennis hastert. i know i was stunned. >> reporter: she says she was disappointed, but not surprised that hastert made a deal with the government. >> i think it's unfair, because he gets a pass and his victims didn't get a pass. they didn't get a choice. >> reporter: the crime that hastert pleaded guilty to involving banking loss carries a maximum sentence of five years. yet, under his deal, the government will recommend that hastert serve at most only six months and probably in a halfway house, not a federal prison. brian ross, abc news, chicago. >>> okay. we're going to switch gears now to a mission accomplished in low earth orbit. >> nasa officials say commander scott kelly and his coastronauts dr. well lindgren completed their first ever space walk yesterday. it lasted seven hours and 16 minutes. >> nasa says the two the completed a series of upgrades to the outside of the international space station. >> first up, the installation of the thermal cover on the station's alpha magnetic spectrometer. i

main thing is, is that the truth has come out, and his actions have been revealed. >> reporter: dennis hastert was once the republican party's white knight elected speaker in 1999, after the leading candidate for the job, bob livingston, admitted he'd had a series of extramarital affairs. during the clinton impeachment debates, hastert condemned the president's conduct. >> he has abused and violated the public trust. >> reporter: a guilty plea would allow hastert to avoid a humiliating trial that could delve into the details of his past. former federal prosecutor says the government gets something out of the deal, too. >> the government is rightfully concerned about protecting the identity of victims. there are frequently victims who don't want to testify. who don't want to go forward. >> reporter: hastert's first state champion wrestler says today he still respects his former coach. >> he will always be my friend, forever. he has been, he will always be. >> that was pete williams reporting. the judge in this case set october 28th for hastert's plea hearing. >>> now, still ahead on "way too ea

denny hastert tomorrow will be facing a potential sentence of ten years in prison.s of expectations, he's expected to get between six months and two years in prison. we don't know, we won't know until the judge pronounces the sentence. bit appears in this case, actions will still have some very considerable consequence, even for a man who was among the most powerful people on earth when he served as the longest-serving speaker of the house in the history of the republican party. watch for that tomorrow. that does it for us tonight. we will see you again tomorrow. now it's time for "the last word" with lawrence o'donnell. >> denny hastert's fall from grace may be the greatest one we' seen in recent memory. i can't think of anything worse that's happened. >> yes. speaker of the house has been a little bit star crossed in modern times, but his fall from grace, especially after kind of a spotless record, is shakespearean in its dimensions. >> it's amazing. thank you very much, rachel. donald trump went to iowa tonight in a desperate -- and i mean desperate -- attempt to

denny hastert tomorrow will be facing a potential sentence of ten years in prison.erms of expectations, he's expected to get between six months and two years in prison. we don't know, we won't know until the judge pronounces the sentence. bit appears in this case, actions will still have some very considerable consequence, even for a man who was among the most powerful people on earth when he served as the longest-serving speaker of the house in the history of the republican party. >>> it's wednesday, october 28th. right now on "first look," ben carson is surging in the polls as donald trump calls on voters to fix the problem by asking them to get his numbers up. we'll preview tonight's all-important gop debate. >>> new details of the fbi investigation into the disturbing officer/student incident at south carolina spring valley high school. we hear from those involved. >>> from the first pitch, a 14-inning game one thriller as the world series goes late into the night. plus, a disturbing new study about faulty tires that may be on your vehicle. >>> and the president

host: dennis hastert said there rule.asn't has ta guest: it is not a rule per se but the next rotation first related by dennis hastert in the early 2000's. the ideas that bills should not come to the fourth that do not have the support of the majority party. that has always been an unofficial rule in the house, at least in the early 20th century, that hasnot a rule to be followed. one of the things i talk about in the book is speakers have violated the so-called dennis hastert ruele. what is interesting about john boehner is he has done just that. whether it is raising the debt limit ceiling, he has brought to the floor where the majority of republicans voted against but they passed the democratic foe, so john boehner has been excellent the so-called has tert rule than predecessors. host: terry is next on the republican mind. caller: i went european on newt gingrich. he worked with bill clinton and did some good things that when he runs for president, he was vilified. i wanted to get your comment. dayt: i could talk all a

attorneys for former house speaker dennis hastert say they've reached a and he will plead guilty to charges accusing him of lying to the f-b-i about bank withdrawals of three-point-five million dollars. hastert allegedly used that ney to pay a man to keep quiet t out dededes-old sex abuse allegations. hastert is expected to appear in court on october 28-th to enter the plea. that's when details of the plea agreement will be revealed. (matt) still to come.... the miracle of modern medicine. how a norfolk, nebraska surgeon was able to reattach a man's hand after an accident. the doctor, and his patient, hospital was able to save a man's hand after a bizarre accident while waterskiing. (matt) now, three months later, that patient is talking about the ordeal, and the medical miracle that saved his hand. ktiv- us92's rachel urbanski has << benjamin witkowski was a passenger on a jet ski when something went totally wrong. he had noticed a rope dragging behind the jet ski and tied it around his hand prior to prevent it from getting caught up in the motor. unfortunately, a sharp turn by the driver

ambassador to the country argues that may not be enough >>> and a prosecutor says dennis hastert, once second in line for the presidency is preparing to enter a guilty plea in federal court. >>> flash flooding in southern california left hundreds of people stranded in their cars earlier tonight. this was the scene along interstate 5 north of los angeles. heavy rains caused mud slides that left the highway impassable. several other roadways were buried under as much as five feet of mud. there were no reports of any deaths or injuries >>> a federal prosecutor says former house speaker dennis hastert will plead guilty in the federal hush money case against him. it's not clear exactly what charges he will plead guilty to or what punishment he could face. he's accused of trying to hide more than $3 million he paid to cover up allegations of sexual misconduct with a male student decades ago. he is scheduled to appear in court on october 28th. >>> the president of afghanistan welcome the news that the u.s. was delaying its withdrawal from his country. he has warned the white house that the ta

. >> dennis hastert has agreed to plead guilty in a hush money case. the employee dale could mean he avoids a trial but he may have to spend time in prison. he's an caused of sexually abuse abusing ten boys chew he was a high school wrestling coach paying at least one of them to keep his secret and then lying to the fbi about his bank transactions. >> a knox news pundit is due in a virginia court today accused of lying about his credentials. wayne simmons was arrested yesterday and charged with fraud. he made frequent appearances as a commentator on fox news claiming to be an expert in terrorism who spent nearly three decades with the cia. >> we dealt in facts. the trade craft that we learn that we use to develop intelligence is second to no other intelligence agency in the world. >> the charges were filed after simmons allegedly lied on an official government document for contracting jobs and security clearances. court documents say he also had a criminal history that included felony convictions. >>> the republican presidential front-runners are threa

heather: attorneys for former house speaker dennis hastert say he plans to plead guilty in a federal hush-money case. hastert allegedly withdrew millions of dollars to pay a man to keep quiet about decades-old allegations that he sex abused a high school student while he was a wrestling coach. he' s then accused of lying about it to the fbi. court later this month for a plea change which would prevent him from going to trial and keep details about the accusations quiet. ed: an airport security glitch has been fixed, but not before causing major problems nationwide, including boston last night. the department of homeland security system that checkbox injures -- that checks passenger involved. it affected los angeles, logan, dallas-fort worth, among others. there is no indication that it was malicious in nature. a new review shows the state' s ending at just $7 billion per year to repair big dig leaks. they are pumping millions of gallons of water out of the williams tenniel -- the williams tunnel and it may be getting worse. they reach the 16 million gallon mark in just the first few

the mystery continues, and it's fueled the fire. >> and dennis hastert did not say much. he did not respond to reporters' questions, but if you could sense his demeanor today, what was it like? >> he seemed very uncomfortable, of course, he had no family with him, just his lawyers there, so when he was standing there he definitely looked uncomfortable. and he was not eager to linger afterwards. he came down and walked past the media without saying a word, got in a black suv and took off. it was a lot more civilized than it was when he came in for his arraignment in june, when things got a little out of hand. people were trying to approach him, and a couple of reporters got in trouble with the security, but this time he got in his suv and took off. he didn't say a word. >> the full story available online at chicagotribune.com. and jason meisner in the court following the story as the federal courts reporter. thank you for being with us. we appreciate it. >> thanks a lot. >>> benjamin netanyahu is scheduled to visit next month. difference ross and tom donnelen talked about

rhinebolt was one of hastert's victims. >> she of he just looked at he and said it was with with dennis hastert, and i was stunned. reporter: authorities say a few years ago hastert began to pay another one of his victims more than a million dollars in hush money. when his bank asked him about the large withdrawals, hastert began taking money out in smaller amounts to avoid the scrutiny. that's the felony charge the former speaker pled guilty to today, illegally structuring banking transactions to avoid reporting requirements. the judge has accepted the plea deal and sentencing will happen in february. hastert will remain free until sentencing. and by pleading guilty he avoids the drama of a court trial in which details of more serious offenses would likely come out. josh: a sheriff in south resource officer that was caught on camera flipping a teenager out of a desk. today the sheriff said the maneuver used to the student was not based on training or acceptable procedure, he went onto say that the student posed no danger to anyone. she was arrested though on a charge of disturbing schools. jea

he looked at me and said that it was with dennis hastert. i know i was stunned. >> reporter: today, she says she was disappointed, but not surprised hastert made a deal with the government. >> i think it's unfair. his victims didn't get a choice. >> reporter: david, the crime hastert pleaded guilty to today carries a maximum sentence of five years. yet, under his deal, the government will recommend that hastert serve at most only six months and probably in a halfway house, not a federal prison. david? >> brian ross and his team covering this case from the start. brian, thank you. >>> and next here tonight, to a stunning image of a young high school football player collapsing on the side of the field. at first, the teen stumbling off the field, and then collapsing, rushed immediately into surgery. this incident, of course, the latest in a dangerous season already. seven young players losing their lives in just seven weeks. and tonight, there are new questions about the helmet this player was wearing, with a sensor designed to give warning. and

. >>> dennis hastert is going to plead guilty. hastert is the former speaker of the house who has been charged with evading federal bank laws in order to pay $2 million in hush money to cover up conduct in the past. law enforcement officials have said that misconduct was committed before hastert was elected to office. back when he was a high school teacher and coach in illinois and they have also said it was sexual in nature and involved an underaged male student. a guilty plea would spare hastert the potential embarrassment of a child. it is not clear whether the agreement includes jail time. hastert is expected to enter that plea in about two weeks. >>> president obama announced today that the 9800 u.s. troops in afghanistan will remain there through much of next year and the true presence will be 5500 through the end of 2016. that's far larger than the initial plan to leave 1,000 troops. it comes after months of review with top advisers. >> we're adjusting our presence based on conditions on the ground to give the united states

the mysterious fall of dennis hastert. i hope you like it spicy!et complete protection with the purple pill. the new leader in frequent heartburn. that's nexium level protection. at&t and directv are now one. so get ready to laugh here and cry here. scream over here and freak out over there! and maybe go back to laughing here. and crying there. try not to laugh here though, it's rude. and maybe don't cry here, people will get the wrong idea. introducing the all in one plan. only from directv and at&t. who can name the third president? and the largest planet? someone we haven't heard from. anyone else? when comcast offered low-cost high-speed internet to low-income families, more than two million hands went up. and pretty soon, so did everyone's in the classroom. ok, veronica. amphibian excellent! internet essentials from comcast. helping to bridge the digital divide. >>> former house speaker dennis hastert is now a convicted felon. the republican party's longest-serving speaker pleaded guilty today to evading banking laws. exactly why he did it rem

nobody outside of capitol hill had heard of dennis hastert but republicans were really in a jam. the biggest names in the party were off the table and hastert was the only one they could find who just had good personal relationships sort of across the republican spectrum. he was not a loud guy. he was not known outside of d.c. but that's why they turned to him in that moment. and he was sort of an accidental speaker. >> it's a really important precedent at this point because we look back at the gingrich era. the whole reason bob livingston was going to be speaker-elect is that gingrich had sort of resigned in disgrace after those mid-terms. so gingrich is out, there's this huge controversy over whether his brand of ideological confrontational brand of republican politics is going to be the republican way going forward or whether there's going to be a more conciliatory republican party. we see some of those same arguments now. livingston was going to be one very specific guy. when they turned to denny hastert in obscurity and everybody had it look him up without the benefit of goog

tess trice minds me of denny hastert. we had a speaker of the house because of his criminal trouble. have you remembered dysfunction on this level? >> there are lot other members who want to make sure the speaker is vetted. denny hastert became speaker of the house in the middle of the night of bob livingston stepped aside in 1998, and denny hastert never really went through a full vetting, and i think there are lot of members of congress, regardless of what sort of vetting they want to do they want to make sure they have the right person, and that's why john boehner said i'll stick around until there are the votes to elect a bona fide speaker over the house. there's a lot of people here who want paul ryan to run, jeb hensarling, a darling of conservatives. knee were one will run. i talked to jeb hensarling, i said, mr. chairman? he said, that's a good title. he doesn't want to be speaker of the house. the people who could be voted are out of the running. >> chad, that's what makes since here. it's all about the math. you

former house speaker denny hastert will plead guilty in connection with a so-called hush-money case. nbc's pete williams is next with the new details coming in on that story. >>> also ahead -- >> this socialist/communist, okay, nobody wants to say it. >> donald trump ups his attacks on senator bernie sanders while trump dominates new polls. two polls out in early voting states. our political panel is up next. >>> and this -- >> they need to hurry please 'cause he's got blood coming out of his nose, white stuff coming out of his mouth. they can't get him to wake up. >> new details surrounding lamar odom's fight for his life. he's reportedly in a coma being treated for a drug overdose as the kardashians, kobe bryant and jesse jackson gather in las vegas to be at his side. we calm your congestion and pain. you rally the team. we give you relief from your cough. you give them a case of the giggles. tylenol® cold helps relieve even your worst cold & flu symptoms. so you can give them everything you've got. tylenol® at safelite, we know how busy life can be. these kids were headed to their