video from the daily paper in new orleans. it shows isaac's impact yesterday. the fierce rain and wind roaring into the crescent city, all seen here in a few seconds. those pictures tell the story, for sure. now, a look at where isaac goes from here. we continue our coverage live at the accuweather forecast center. >> meteorologist jim dickey is tracking the storm for us. >> isaac is crawling its way, north and westward, it's producing heavy rainfall, especially across mississippi, moving at 5 miles per hour. plenty of rain to go here. the storm will crawl its way northwest, through many spots. extreme eastern louisiana. six to eight inches of rain on top of what we already have. and that will continue to spread its way into the nation's midsection, into the ohio valley. and will induce flash flooding through friday. rob and diana, wback to you. now, to our other big story

this morning. that's down in tampa. >> a big week in politics, as well. the republican national convention wraps up with mitt romney's acceptance speech. paul ryan made his national debut last night. t.j. winick is in tampa, now, with the very latest. t.j.? >> reporter: good morning. that's right. it's all been building to this. tonight, mitt romney will make his case that he's the man to lead america over the next four years and to turn america's economy around. but last night, it was his running mate's turn. america learned a little about paul ryan's wisconsin roots. >> i live on the same block where i grew up. we belong to the same parish where i was baptized. >> reporter: and a lot about his political beliefs. >> these past four years, we have suffered no shortage of words in the white house. what is missing is leadership in the white house. >> reporter: mitt romney will accept his party's nomination

tonight in the biggest speech of his life. his running mate tried to assure the many americans that believe romney is looking out for the wealthy over the middle-class. >> we have a plan for a stronger middle-class, with a goal of generating 12 million new jobs over the next four years. >> reporter: and finished with one, last sales pitch. >> join mitt romney and me. let's give this effort everything we have. let's see this thing all the way through. let's get this done. >> reporter: two other prominent republicans also spoke about what they believed is a lack of leadership at the white house. 2008 nominee and senator john mccain. >> our president is not being true to our values. >> reporter: and former secretary of state, condoleezza rice. >> my fellow americans, we do not have a choice. we cannot be reluctant to lead. and you cannot lead from behind. >> reporter: democrats contend those 12 million jobs promised

by paul ryan over the next four years are nearly identical to what is already projected under existing policies. rob and diana? >> abc's t.j. winick in tampa. now, an embarrassment for the secret service detail covering mitt romney. an agent left her gun in a bathroom aboard a plane carrying the candidate yesterday. a reporter found the weapon. the secret service says the matter is being handled internally. now, checking the nation's weather this morning. other than isaac, heavy rain is coming down in the carolinas. showers in dallas, as well. thunderstorms in the four corners of the southwest. another scorcher up in the rockies. up to 20 degrees hotter than normal in the midwest and the plains. >> upper 80s from chicago, into the ohio valley and east coast. mild, around 70 in the pacific northwest. still ahead on "america this morning." the big jump at the pumps.

we're sure you noticed it. plus, new math brings about a new policy at chipotle. your business news is next. and something you're not supposed to be seeing out west for at least another month. stick around for details on that.

welcome back, everybody. thanks to tropical storm isaac, drivers are seeing a storm surge in gas prices. gas rose a nickel yesterday, to an average of $3.80 a gallon, as

that storm swamped oil and gas facilities along the gulf coast. it's the biggest one-day jump in a year and a half. and prices are expected to climb through the labor day weekend. despite high gas prices, there is some good economic news this morning. the federal reserve says the u.s. economy grew a little over the summer. and hiring improved, as well.l auto sales, tourism and home sales offset weakness in manufacturing. auto repair shops are finding it tough to hire mechanics these days. today's young adults grew up playing computer games, not rebuilding carburetors. and don't seem as interested in auto repair as a career. the industry says auto repairs today are just as high-tech as any other profession. and these jobs are unlikely to be outsourced. theuld soon be fewer surprises when you balance your checkbook. bank of america says its checking account disclosures now fit on a single chesheet of pap. other banks are streamlining the

information they give to customers about their account. and chipotle restaurants seem to be reinventing math to avoid using pe customers get receipts where the totals were incorrect but always ended in a zero or five. >> the company admits it's been rounding numbers to avoid using pennies. but promising it will only round the totals down. >> customers like that. >> most aren't going to quibble about pennies. it's good to keep the line. >> round it down, though. don't round up. when we come back, an fupdae on the nation's west nile virus outbreak. and why it's only getting worse. and it must be late summer when we're seeing this video out of spain. come on back. v@ it's time to live wider awake.

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lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior, or any swelling or affected breathing or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. with less pain, i'm feeling better now that i've found lyrica. ask your doctor if lyrica is right for your fibromyalgia pain. recapping our top story this morning.

isaac is still on a slow crawl inland, dumping up to two feet of rain on parts of the gulf coast. after a day of rooftop rescues, thousands of folks in southeast louisiana are still waiting to be evacuated. meanwhile, 700,000 people are still without power. officials plan to breech a levee to aleave yat parts of plaquemines parish. isaac drenches highways along the gulf coast. and that flooding extends inland, all the way to little rock and memphis. wet roads in the carolinas and the desert southwest. >> if you're flying today, airport delays are possible in new orleans, memphis and atlanta. to health news, now. and a new study that founds extreme low-calorie diets do not lead to longer life. thank goodness for this study. the research was conducted over 23 years on monkeys that ate fewer calories than average. the skinnier monkeys lived no

longer than their cousins. >> one scientist says he skips breakfast and lunch on the weekdays and breakfast on the weekends. federal health officials say west nile virus cases are up 40% since last week. and the outbreak is likely to get worse. there's been 1,600 cases of the mosquito-borne disease this year. most of the cases are centered in six states. those states are texas, south dakota, mississipp oklahoma, louisiana and michigan. sentencing is scheduled today for a former university of virginia lacrosse player who is convicted for killing his ex-girlfriend. the jury that convicted george huguely for killing yardly. getting a plea from the killer's mother for her, quote, beautiful son. it was a terrible scene outside of a los angeles elementary school after an

elderly driver backed over a sidewalk and into a crowd. nine children were hurt, four of them critically, in the mid-afternoon accident. the driver who turns 101 years old next week said his car had mechanical problems. but police say it was more likely bad decisionmaking. all the children, though, are expected to be okay. well, louisiana and mississippi are dealing with floodwaters from isaac, some other parts of the country are running dry. frustration is boiling over in one town in the extreme drought zone, new mexico. the water supply had slowed to a trickle, with only 1 working well for 225 households. port-a-potties have been set up. and patience is wearing thin. utah and the mountains of salt lake city are changing colors a full month ahead of schedule. experts say the lack of rain is forcing trees into dormancy ahead of their time. that means less fuel to feed the

wildfires. the nfl has made it official, starting the season with replacement referees. the league told teams yesterday that the lockout of officials is not close to being resolved. and that the season would start with the replacements. the season's first game is now less than a week away. thank you, lord. time for some football. let's go. all right. some sports highlights, too, on this thursday morning, including some football. we get those from espn. >> good morning. randy scott with your "sportscenter" update. pirates trying to play playoff baseball for the first time since 1992. taking on the cardinals. pedro alvarez, he has enjoyed hitting against st. louis this season. that's his seventh home run against the red birds on the year. number 26 against all of baseball. josh harrison, later. this one's going to stay in the yard but still do some damage. and the pirates shut out the cards in consecutive games for the first time since when? you guessed it. 1992. athletics, in a wildcard race of their own, taking on

cleveland. travis blackley serving up a three-run job to josh donaldson. cleveland has lost 26 of his last 31. ouch. nfl preseason, wrapping up. cowboys and dolphins. no tony romo. although, he would wear the jersey. ryan tannehill puts it to good use. marlon moore, for a gain of 11. hooks up with charles clay. here's the bad part. mario butler, flagged for roughing the passer. here's why. i would call that a late hit. also, possibly a rib and hip shot. tannehill would be all right. thomas, some reggie bush insurance there. 20 yards. no romo. doing a romo impression here. doesn't go out of bounds. eludes a pair of defenders.

cowboys go on to win. 30-13, is your final. a reminder, college football starting up this week. it starts up tonight. washington state and byu in the nightcap. and don't miss the s.e.c. showdown. it's time for the world's biggest tomato battle, that takes place each year in a small spanish town. >> 30,000 tourists pelted each other with tons of tomatoes. portable showers are set up to wash off the mess afterwards. the town's streets and walls are hosed down after that battle ends. >> never a shortage of tomatoes. coming up next in "the pulse," something distinctly knnew coming to "the price is right." and the proposal that no one could say no to. we'll be right back. (bell rings) hi. good morning. big news. we're spreading the word about new honey bunches of oats fruit blends and their unique taste combinations.

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it's been 4,000 miles since my last trip to the gas station. it's pretty great. i get a bunch of kids waving at me... giving me the thumbs up. it's always a gratifying experience. it makes me feel good about my car. i absolutely love my chevy volt. ♪ time, now, to check "the pulse." these are stories that you're going to be talking about today. one day after prosecutors said there wasn't enough evidence to charge lindsay lohan in a jewelry heist, she's managed to put herself right back in the headlines. >> this time she's in hot water with hollywood's famous chateau marmont hotel, who says she skipped out on a $46,000 bill. >> and the charges are not just for a room where she stayed for 47 days.

she wracked up $3,000 for the minibar. almost $700 for cigarettes alone. >> hotel prices are a little crazy. >> that's kind of crazy. a major change is coming the one of the nation's most beloved game shows. "the price is right" is holding its first-ever auditions for a male model on the show. guys who think they have the right stuff can attend an open casting call today in l.a. >> i'm totally opposed to this. the lucky winner will be chosen by viewers and will appear on the show for one week in mid-october. so, come on down, as they say. tonight is mitt romney's big moment in tampa. but a convention staffer decided to make good use of that stage beforehand. >> rnc production manager bradley thompson pulled out the bells and whistles to pop the question to his girlfriend, who happens to be a co-worker. she was shocked to see the screen say will you marry me?

>> after this public proposal, they won't even tell us if they're democrats or republicans. how sweet. who cares? >> love knows no politics. you know, i have done something worthwhile. when i earned my doctorate through university of phoenix, that pride, that was on my face. i am jocelyn taylor. i'm committed to making a difference in people's lives, and i am a phoenix. visit phoenix.edu to find the program that's right for you. enroll now. car insurance companies say they'll save you by switching, you'd have like, a ton of dollars. but how are they saving you those dollars? a lot of companies might answer "um" or, "no comment."

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for a comfortable, confident clean, or your money back. updating our top stories, now. tropical storm isaac is slowly moving inland, bringing torrential rain and winds of 60 miles per hour. touching off at least one suspected tornado in mississippi. meanwhile, floodwaters in rural louisiana, are rising at an alarming pace. rescuers are scrambling to evacuate thousands of folks who are stranded. and one levee will be deliberately breeched to relieve pressure. the republican national convention wraps up tonight in tampa, with mitt romney giving his nomination acceptance speech during primetime. aside from isaac, monsoon storms in the four corners of the southwest. a scorching day in the rockies. showers in dallas. and heavy downpours in the carolinas. and finally this morning, there's olympic excitement again in london.

this time for the paralympics. >> and one of the best archers in the world is competing for team usa and taking the gold. we have the story, now, from fairfield, iowa. >> reporter: 29-year-old matt stutsman was born without arms. he's spent his life using his feet as his hands. >> there's one thing he is certain he can do better than you. >> hands down, the way i shoot is, by far, the best. the best ever. >> reporter: for the next five days, stutsman will be representing the united states, at this year's paralympics game. >> i'm confident i know if i shoot the best i can, i can win. i'm also not trying to be cocky. the wind blew me a little on that one. >> reporter: without the use of any special equipment, stutsman

has become a rock star of sorts within the world of competi archery. within the world of competi archery. >> durin of eight hours a day. up until two years ago, he had hardly even shot a bow. until a friend invited him to compete at a local tournament. ever since, he hardly put it down. >> i basically crammed a lifetime of shooting in two years. i like to look at it as i have 40% less parts. >> reporter: matt stutsman is a favorite to win a paralympic medal. although, he's reluctant to make promises. instead, he says he's trying to make the most of what's been given to him. >> yeah. i feel like i kind of have a gift. and i was blessed with a gift. it was to shoot archery. and i'm trying to take advantage of that stigs. show us what you got. >> reporter: in fairfield, iowa, curt liske, news 8.

>> what amazing spirit there. and persistence. >> we like that gift. thank you. that's what's making n