5 Things to Know This Morning
5 Things to Know This Morning
— -- Your look at the five biggest and most buzz-worthy stories of the morning.
1. Gokul Venkatachalam and Vanya Shivashankar Win Scripps National Spelling Bee
Gokul Venkatachalam and Vanya Shivashankar were named co-champions at the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
The spelling bee veterans traded words for several rounds at the competition, held tonight in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Venkatachalam, 14, of St. Louis, Missouri, correctly spelled "nunatak" to finish the championship round.
2. Dennis Hastert: Former US House Speaker Indicted by Feds
The Justice Department has charged former House Speaker Dennis Hastert with lying to FBI agents and trying to hide financial transactions intended to keep prior misconduct secret, prosecutors alleged.
The 73-year-old Hastert, a top Republican on Capitol Hill before he left Congress in 2007, agreed five years ago to pay an unidentified person $3.5 million “to compensate for and conceal” prior “misconduct against” that person, according to prosecutors.
Over the next four years, Hastert withdrew about $1.7 million in cash from various bank accounts and provided that money to the unidentified person, according to the Justice Department.
3. FIFA President Blatter Asks to Be Re-Elected Despite Crisis
The worst corruption crisis in soccer history stems from the governing body's decision to award Russia and Qatar the next two World Cup tournaments, FIFA President Sepp Blatter said Friday.
Blatter spoke at the FIFA congress hours before the presidential election in which he is a seeking a fifth term. He has refused calls to resign after FIFA was targeted by U.S. and Swiss authorities in separate corruption investigations.
4. Heavy Rain Eases Texas Drought, but High Water Could Linger
This week's record rainfall in Texas eased the state's drought and swelled rivers and lakes to the point that they may not return to normal levels until July, scientists said Thursday.
Just weeks ago, much of the state was parched with varying levels of drought. But the same drenching rainfall that paralyzed parts of Houston and swept away a vacation home with eight people inside also offered relief from a long dry spell.
Many cities were still in danger of flooding as heavy rain from earlier in the week poured downstream, pushing rivers over their banks.
"There's so much water in Texas and Oklahoma that it's going to take quite a while for those rivers to recede," said Mark Wiley, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Fort Worth, Texas.
5. Midnight Sun: This Town in Canada Is Experiencing Sunlight 24/7 for 56 Days Straight
Residents of Inuvik, Canada, are having midnight barbecues and going fishing and tanning at 3 a.m.
No, they aren't crazy. They're just celebrating and soaking up the 24/7 sunlight shining down on them for 56 consecutive days.
The northwestern Canadian town is part of a small region around the globe north of the Arctic Circle currently experiencing a phenomenon known as "midnight sun," when the sun remains visible at midnight or later local time.
Related Stories
ABC News Live