10 things you need to know today: May 30, 2015

1. FIFA president Sepp Blatter wins re-election

As expected, FIFA president Sepp Blatter cruised to re-election on Friday, despite allegations that he presided over a culture of corruption that reached the top levels of soccer's global governing organization. Thought to be buoyed by support from African, Asian, and South American countries, Blatter beat his challenger Prince Ali bin al-Hussein of Jordan 133 nations to 73 (three ballots were invalid). The vote was held only miles from the Swiss hotel where many of his lieutenants were arrested on corruption charges Wednesday.

Associated Press

2. Hastert reportedly paid someone to conceal sexual misconduct

Former U.S. House speaker Dennis Hastert reportedly paid off a man to conceal past sexual misconduct, two federal law enforcement officials told the Los Angeles Times. A federal grand jury indicted Hastert on Thursday for allegedly evading currency reporting requirements. Sources told the Los Angeles Times the former teacher and wrestling coach has paid $1.7 million to a former male student over the last four years to conceal sexual abuse against that man.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Los Angeles Times

3. Martin O'Malley formally announces presidential bid

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) formally launched his presidential candidacy Saturday in a Baltimore speech. "I declare that I am a candidate for president of the United States and I am running for you," he told a crowd of supporters with his family by his side. O'Malley spoke of striving to work toward economic, racial, marriage, and gender inequality. He'll face off against Hillary Clinton, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and likely former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee for the Democratic nomination.

C-SPAN

4. U.S. drops Cuba from list of state sponsors of terrorism

The U.S. formally removed Cuba from the list of states that sponsor terrorism Friday, according to a State Department news release. The White House first announced this move last month. In a December 2014 step toward normalizing diplomatic relations with Cuba after 50 years, President Barack Obama ordered the department to review the nation's inclusion on the list.

U.S. Department of State

5. Silk Road founder sentenced to life in prison

Ross William Ulbricht, 31, the creator of the black-market website Silk Road, was sentenced to life in prison Friday. After Silk Road's 2011 launch, Ulbricht ran the cyber-bazaar, where anonymous users traded the cryptocurrency Bitcoin for narcotics, hacking tools, and fake identification, for about two years before he was arrested. Ulbricht received the maximum sentence for his felony convictions of conspiracy, money laundering, and drug trafficking.

Bloomberg

6. Prosecutor claims 'egregious' mistakes in Cleveland cop verdict

An Ohio prosecutor filed a motion Friday asking a state appeals court to correct "egregious" mistakes in clearing police officer Michael Brelo in the 2012 fatal shooting of an unarmed black man and woman, Reuters reports. Judge John O'Donnell ruled a week ago it was impossible to determine whether Brelo fired the shots that killed Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams after a high-speed car chase. The officer had been charged with voluntary manslaughter and aggravated assault.

Reuters

7. Idaho abortion ban ruled unconstitutional

A U.S. circuit court of appeals ruled Idaho's ban on abortions after 20 weeks unconstitutional Friday, the Idaho Press-Tribune reports. The three-judge panel said the rule put restrictions on aborting non-viable fetuses and put an undue burden on a woman's ability to obtain an abortion. Also ruled unconstitutional was a related law requiring all second-trimester abortions to take place in hospitals. The decision upholds a judgment made two years ago.

Idaho Press-Tribune

8. Bob Schieffer is hosting his last Face the Nation tomorrow

Bob Schieffer, 78, will retire from CBS' Face the Nation on Sunday after 24 years at the helm and 46 total with the network. CBS political director John Dickerson is slated to take over. Schieffer's last show, featuring interviews with former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and CIA director John Brennan, kicks off Sunday at 10:30 a.m. EST.

New York Times CBS

9. New lung cancer treatment shows promise

A drug called Nivolumab has been shown to increase life expectancy in lung cancer patients by several months, the BBC reports. Results from 582 patients were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting Friday in Chicago. The drug, also known as Opdivo, is approved to treat melanoma as well. Patients treated with the drug experienced fewer serious side effects than those treated with chemotherapy drug docetaxel.

BBC New York Times

10. The Tampa Bay Lightning will head to the Stanley Cup final

The Tampa Bay Lightning bought a ticket to the Stanley Cup final with a 2-0 win over the New York Rangers in Game 7 on Friday night. After a scoreless 40 minutes in Madison Square Garden, Alex Killorn and Ondrej Palat each notched a goal. The Lightning will face the winner of tonight's Game 7 matchup between the Anaheim Ducks and the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup, which begins June 3.

ESPN NHL