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WASHINGTON (AP) — A person familiar with the matter tells The Associated Press that payments from former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert were an apparent effort to conceal decades-old allegations involving sexual misconduct. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing and the allegations are not contained in an indictment issued Thursday in Chicago. The indictment accuses the Republican of agreeing to pay $3.5 million in hush money to keep a person from the town where he was a longtime schoolteacher silent about "prior misconduct."
DALLAS (AP) — A pattern of stormy weather continues to repeat over Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. The Dallas area got as much as 7 inches overnight, leaving highways submerged and flooding homes by morning. In Arkansas, Gov. Asa Hutchinson toured flooded parts of the state today and has issued disaster declarations for five counties. Forecasters say there's more rain ahead for the weekend.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is acknowledging that discussions are underway with Qatar (GUH'-tur) about the Taliban five. They are senior leaders of the group who were released from Guantanamo in exchange for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl last year. Travel bans on the five are set to expire Monday, but U.S. officials say the Obama administration is negotiating with Qatar to extend them for another six months.
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The head of Interpol says a growing number of extremist groups are shifting their allegiance to the Islamic State group. Juergen Stock tells the U.N. Security Council that groups from Africa to southeast Asia are lining behind IS, creating greater risks for "cross-pollination" among conflicts beyond Syria and Iraq. He says the ties could provide the groups access to resources for more sophisticated attacks.
NEW YORK (AP) — A San Francisco man who created the underground drug-selling website Silk Road has been sentenced to life in prison. U.S. District Judge Katherine Forrest told 31-year-old Ross Ulbricht he was a criminal even though he doesn't fit the typical profile. She brushed aside his efforts to characterize the business as merely a big mistake, citing six deaths from drugs bought on his site and five people he tried to have killed.
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