Tropical storm Isaac caused water to rise to the top of the dam in southern Mississippi near the border with Louisiana. Tangipahoa Parish President  Gordon Burgess says residents need to get out immediately.

They are sending over buses, whatever we need for transportation, we got the aircraft from the way over. So we are going to be evacuating people as soon as possible. 

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindul plans to visit the region today to assess evacuation efforts. Authorities are considering whether to purposely breach the dam to relief some of the pressure. Otherwise a dam collapse could rise the river several feet above flood levels. Christopher Joyce, NPR News, New Orleans.

 

 

In New Orleans, Mayor Mitch Landrieu says the city's levees and pumps that were improved after Hurricane Katrina seven years ago, have held up under Isaac. But with nearly a million people without power across the state. Landrieu says New Orleans' residents need to realise their troubles not over yet.

If you go back and look at every storm that we had, there is a day when everybody thinks that is not a easy shortcoming. So we let our guard down. Today is a very serious day. 

 

 

Along lake Pontchartrain near New Orleans, a lot of buses and high water vehicles have been deployed to evacuate about 3,000 people from the rising flood waters. In one case, a coast guard helicopter had hoisted a couple and their dogs from their home today.

 

 

Mitt Romney is preparing for his big moment tonight on the stage of the Republican National Convention, where he will formally accept his party's nomination. He spent part of the day with extended family while also lobbying for campaign donations. 

 

 

A new study finds that women who have multiple abortions may be at higher risk for poor birth outcomes when they do have their fist babies. But as NPR's Julie Rovner reports the risk remains relatively small. 

The study of more than 300,000 first-time mother comes from Finland which keeps detailed records of both births and abortions. It found that one abortion has relatively little impact, but two in particularly three or more increases the risk for first babies being born either prematurely or at low birth weights . The researchers caution that the study can not demonstrate conclusively that abortion is the cause of the poor birth outcomes. It could be a lifestyle or socioeconomic factor they could not control for. But they warn that women and doctors should at least be aware of the increased risk that comes with multiple abortions. The study appears in the European Journal, Human reproduction. Julie Rovner, NPR News.

 

 

Dow is down 80.

This is NPR.

 

 

Supporters of Texas Voter ID Law have suffered a setback. A federal appeals panel in Washington has ruled that the law places unforgiven burdens  on the poor and also disproportionately affects minorities. 

 

 

The International Atomic Energy Agency is expressing increasing frustration with Iran. NPR's Mike Shuster reports the UN's nuclear watchdog agency is concerned about the cleanup of military base Parchin, which is about 30 miles outside of Tehran. 

The IAEA has information that explosive tests related to nuclear weapons development may have taken place there over the past eight years. The agency wants its inspectors to visit, but Iranian officials won't permit them. In recent months, satellite photos showed the demonising of some buildings, the removal of power lines, fences and paved roads and most recently, the shrouding of a main building with plastic sheeting. All of this according to a new report from the IAEA. The agency also reports that Iran continues to expand its uranium enrichment at a deeply buried facility at Fordo. The agency is especially concerned about the continuing production of 20% enriched uranium for which Iran does not have a use at the moment. Mike Shuster , NPR News.

 

 

Syrian activists are reporting a military plane has been shot down over the northern province, Idlib. No confirmation of a down plane though from the Syrian government. 

 

 

The latest employment numbers indicate hiring is still strong enough to lower the jobless rate in the US. The Labor Department says the less volatile four-week moving average of unemployment claims remains below 375,000. Last week, the number of new claims people filed remained unchanged from the week before.