The writer Ta-Nehisi Coates says he noticed something about one of this year's major news stories. When Trayvon Martin, a black teenager, was killed by a white man in Florida, there was widespread dismay. And then President Obama spoke.
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Water has been slopping over at least one levee in Louisiana this morning. The levee is down the Mississippi River from New Orleans, near the place where Hurricane Isaac came ashore. So far, the storm has caused street flooding along much of the Gulf Coast and left hundreds of thousands of people without power. But the full-scale of its effects will depend in part on just how long Isaac sticks around.
OK, we've heard from Greg that if this storm overwhelms the pumping system in New Orleans, there could be significant flooding in the city.
And let's go now to NPR's Christopher Joyce, who is in the heart of New Orleans along Canal Street. Chris, good morning.
CHRISTOPHER JOYCE, BYLINE: Hello, David. How are you?
GREENE: Very good. So tell me what you're seeing and what the mood is in a city that is both marking a Katrina anniversary and dealing with, you know, another big storm.
Rescue workers transport residents trapped by rising water from Hurricane Isaac in the River Forest subdivision on Wednesday in LaPlace, Louisiana. The large Level 1 hurricane slowly moved across southeast Louisiana, dumping huge amounts of rain and knocking out power across the Gulf Coast.
Credit Gerald Herbert / AP
An uprooted tree lies across Poydras Street in downtown New Orleans. Isaac packed 80-mph winds, making it a Category 1 hurricane.
Credit Butch Dill / AP
Sand bags block the entrance to a Wells Fargo bank in Mobile, Ala.
Credit Gerald Herbert / AP
Residents who were rescued from their flooded homes are transported to waiting assistance, after Hurricane Isaac made landfall and flooded homes with 10 feet of water in Braithwaite, La. Isaac was downgraded to a tropical storm Wednesday afternoon.
Credit Frederic J. Brown / AFP/Getty Images
A street sign is turned upside down and bricks cover the sidewalk of a deserted street in New Orleans.
Credit Eric Gay / AP
Research students from the the University of Alabama measure wind speeds as Hurricane Isaac makes landfall Tuesday in New Orleans.
Credit Chris Granger / The Times-Picayune/Landov
First responders carry people across the top of the levee from Plaquemines Parish to St. Bernard Parish as Hurricane Isaac sends powerful winds and rain through the area.
Credit John Bazemore / AP
Waves from Hurricane Isaac batter a pier in Gulfport, Miss.
Credit Chris Graythen / Getty Images
Rescue workers transport residents trapped by rising water from Hurricane Isaac in the River Forest subdivision on Wednesday in LaPlace, Louisiana. The large Level 1 hurricane slowly moved across southeast La., dumping huge amounts of rain and knocking out power across the Gulf Coast.
Credit NOAA via AFP/Getty Images
This satellite image shows Hurricane Isaac over the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf states Wednesday. Rising waters spilled over a levee south of New Orleans and inundated a residential area that had been ordered evacuated.
Credit Skip Bolen / EPA /Landov
A storm surge causes tides to quickly rise while rough waves pound the concrete seawall along the shores of Lake Pontchartrain. Hurricane Isaac made landfall along the Gulf Coast and now threatens New Orleans.
Originally published on Wed August 29, 2012 10:04 pm
The Latest at 10:20 p.m. ET. More Than 650,000 Power Outages In La.
That tidbit emerged in a letter from gov. Bobby Jindal to President Obama in which he requested expedited major disaster declaration for the state as a result of damage caused by Isaac.
Georgia delegates Ruby Robinson (right) and Kathy Noble hold signs and cheer during the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., where a parade of female officials and officeholders appeared on stage Tuesday.
Credit J. Scott Applewhite / AP
Ann Romney, wife of U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, addresses the Republican National Convention on Tuesday.
Credit J. Scott Applewhite / AP
Mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah, Mia Love addresses the Republican National Convention on Tuesday.
Originally published on Wed August 29, 2012 6:36 am
In case you missed it, the theme here in Tampa at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday was: "We Built It." Intended as a reference to building a business, the three words also suggested another construction project under way — a bridge to female voters.
San Francisco Giants' Melky Cabrera fouls off a pitch. Cabrera was suspended Aug 15 for 50 games without pay after testing positive for high levels of testosterone.
Certain forms of art are performed in private. The painter is alone when he paints, the writer likewise.
But the most pertinent aspect of the performing arts is that they are watched. Dance, music, drama and sport are most challenging — and most thrilling — precisely because they are real, before our eyes.
When women go on a diet, we tend to avoid our favorite restaurants because they are filled with temptations — bread, booze and desserts. But are we doomed to sit in our kitchens eating salad alone while everyone else is headed out on the town if we want to keep the weight off?
Take heart, ladies. A new study of women in their 50s and early 60s finds they could eat out and still succeed at long-term weight loss.
Mitt Romney's speech to the Republican National Convention on Thursday will be his chance to tell his story to the world. Perhaps the most unique part of that story is his devout Mormon faith.
Romney comes from a prominent Mormon family. He's held important leadership positions in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But he rarely talks about his faith. When he does, he seems uncomfortable.
Originally published on Wed August 29, 2012 6:17 am
A soft murmur of familiarity rippled through the packed GOP convention hall Tuesday night when Mitt Romney's wife, Ann, spoke not of their "storybook marriage" but of one touched by cancer, multiple sclerosis and the trials of raising five sometimes screaming children.
"A storybook marriage? Not at all," she said, during her much anticipated prime-time speech. "What Mitt Romney and I have is a real marriage."
It was that moment that encapsulated the job that Ann Romney had to do, and how well she managed it.
Originally published on Wed September 5, 2012 4:38 am
If you missed some of Tuesday's action at the Republican National Convention, we were live blogging here and you can always read through it to see how the day and evening went.
But if you'd like to save some time, here are five things that struck us:
