Blatter remains at Fifa’s helm despite being plagued for a year and especially for the last three days by allegations that he’s complicit in decades of deep corruption in soccer’s world governing body. 

“I thank you. Together we go. Let’s go, Fifa. Let’s go, Fifa.”

Blatter’s challenger, Jordanian Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein, withdrew rather than face a second vote required after an inconclusive first round. 

“I want to thank in particular all of those of you who are brave enough to support me.”

Much of Prince Ali’s support came from the European soccer federation Uefa, whose leader Michel Platini tried to convince Blatter to resign. It’s unclear whether Platini will really withdraw the group from Fifa as he threatened to do if Blatter won. For NPR News, I’m Teri Schultz in Brussels. 

 

New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and NBC are all reporting former House speaker Dennis Hastert was paying a man to not say publically the Republican sexually abused him decades ago. NPR has not independently confirmed details of the reports. According to the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago, Hastert has not been arrested following yesterday’s indictment linked to allegations he agreed to pay $3.5m to a long-time acquaintance. The indictment notes Hastert was a former high school teacher from 1965 to 1981 and a wrestling coach. 

 

U.S. economy slipped backwards during the first quarter of the year. That’s according to government data out today. NPR’s John Ydstie reports bad weather and a strong dollar were part to blame, but there are also questions about the accuracy of the government’s data. 

The government initially reported a small increase in the economy’s output during the first three months of the year, but edited information shows it actually contracted at an annual rate of 0.7%. A downward revision in U.S. exports was a big reason. The recent strength of the dollar has made U.S. exports more expensive abroad. Decline in business investment also dragged the economy down, and consumers’ spending was weak partly because bad weather kept people at home. But recent research also points to problems in the seasonal adjustment of first-quarter growth data that consistently make the economy look weaker than it really is in January, February and March. Economists are working on a fix. John Ydstie, NPR News, Washington.

 

U.S. consumers were less upbeat this month. The University of Michigan survey shows the group’s consumer sentiment index declined by just over 5% to its lowest level since November. According to the survey, consumers were less upbeat about both current and future economic conditions.   

 

A down ended the week for Wall Street. The Dow dropped 115 points to settle at 18,010. The Nasdaq fell 27 points. The Standard & Poor’s 500 lost 13 points today. 

 

You are listening to NPR News in Washington. 

 

Rivers in Texas again burst their banks today as historic storms continue to palm the state. So far severe weather there is to blame for at least 22 deaths and damaged thousands of structures. At least four others have died in Oklahoma. Between last night and today, upwards of seven inches of rain fell in Dallas, causing hundreds of vehicles to be trapped on a suburban freeway. The National Weather Service today issued flash flood warnings from central Texas to Kansas. 

 

Flights are being diverted and residents are being evacuated as an active volcano continues to erupt in remote southwestern Japan. From Tokyo, John Matthews reports there have been no injuries or damage so far.

A ship is the only way to get to the small volcanic island of Kuchinoerabu-jima, which around 130 residents call home. Emergency respondents are being dispatched to the area after a major explosion at 10:00 a.m. local time sent super-heated power pyroclastic flows into the ocean, triggered and ordered for a complete evacuation. This isn’t the first time the islanders have seen an eruption though. Some areas are still off limits after a volcanic activity last August, which an academic observer says was somewhat less severe than today’s. The observer says there’s no conclusive evidence whether this morning’s eruption will continue or not, pressing the need for ongoing caution to those in the area. For NPR News, I’m John Matthews in Tokyo. 

 

Another Democratic presidential hopeful is apparently preparing to announce. Former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee is expected to announce next week his plans for the presidential nomination. According to Chafee’s spokesperson, the former governor will deliver a speech in Arlington, Virginia. Chafee, who surprised many when he formed an exploratory committee, has been critical of frontrunner Hillary Clinton. Chafee, a former Republican, voted against the invasion of Iraq in 2003.