this morning on "early today," closing in. all eyes are on isaac as the massive storm gains strength and heads for the gulf shore. back on track. candidate mitt romney joins his fellow republicans at the storm-delayed convention in florida. >> and climate change. the sweltering summer melts crucl ice in the arctic ocean the sweltering summer melts crucl ice in the arctic ocean to record lows. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >> narrator: this is early today for tuesday, august 28th, 20 stwefl. hello and good morning. today we begin with the gathering storm. as isaac takes aim at new

orleans, the next 24 hours will determine just as destructive this storm will be. nbc's jay gray reports from new orleans. >> reporter: normally a sign of hope, this rainbow over the mississippi late monday is nowhere near enough to provide comfort for some in the path of isaac. >> yeah, you never know what you're going to get. >> reporter: there are mandatory is evacuations in plaquemines and other coastal pay parishes and thousands are saiding to higher ground. >> i'm heading to a motel. i've been in it before. for like it. >> reporter: but perhaps bolstered by a refurbished and in many cases completely reworked $14 billion network of pumps, canals, levees and floodgates. >> i want to assure you all that there is nothing that this storm is going to bring us that we do

not believe that we are prepared to handle. >> reporter: many in and around the city are drawing a line in the sand and trusting this new 350 mile first line of defense. >> we have the complete confidence in the perimeter system to defend us against this storm. >> reporter: still, there are other lives here. shrimp boats lined up and leaving. lines at gas stations for those filling up and getting out. and for some, a lack of trust no matter what's been done in levees they saw give way seven years ago. >> i have faith in god. i don't ve faith in those walls. >> reporter: lisa haywood's home was washed away in katrina. she won't stick around for this storm. >> here we go again. one day i'm actually going to lose my home again and have to start all over with. >> reporter: a fear no many here that like isaac is agreeing. jay gray, nbc news, new orleans. bill karins is tracking isaac for us. bill, that's the big question.

>> the intensity. p storms need warm water, very humid air and they also need conditions in the upper level winds not to be shearing the storm apart. we have two of those three. the one dwreent that has caused isaac not to become a hurricane is the dry around wrapping around the system. the blue shows where the dry air has been on the east side of the storm, now on the north side and wrapping into the center and disrupting the thunderstorms. if the center really can't get rid of that dry air, it really can't intensify quickly and that's why we're still dealing with a strong tropical storm. it's only about 230 miles from new orleans and it will be heading in that general direction later today. >> we'll be watching it. bill, thanks so much. despite a delay caused by isaac, the republican national convention was able to technically get under way monday. but today, the convention and its main event begins in earnest. and nbc's tracie potts joins us with a preview. she's in tampa for us.

good morning. >> reporter: good morning, everyone. we'll see the delegates fill the floor here later today and they've got a big job because while the polls are telling us that people are not wholly satisfied with president obama, they also say that they're not yet convinced mitt romney's the guy to replace him. ours from now, mitt romney and paul ryan arrive for the delayed start of the republican convention. ann romney speaks tonight. her role some boost her husband's likability. nearly 30 points behind the president's in the latest reuters poll. and convince mom paying bills and raising children that romney gets it. >> this is somebody who has lived it, but more importantly, she can tell you how much mitt romney understands that. reporter: this convention is all about convincing swing voters that a super rich successful businessman can identify with the struggling middle class. >> we are so used to being entertained and wowed. do we have to be wowed for

everything? can't we just vote for somebody that is imminently qualified? >> reporter: marshall blackburn is scheduled to speak today. >> you'll hear me talk about the great opportunity party and about recommitting and revitalizing the american dream. >> reporter: and wrapping it up tonight, new jersey governor chris christie after denying reports that he privately predicted romney won't win. >> much of what was said wasn't true. and they never talked to me. >> reporter: delegates after a one day delay are eager to get started. now, the roll call votes it for the nominations, they normally happen later in the convention, but because of the storm threat, because everything has been moved around, that's actually scheduled to happen today. >> all right, tracie potts there for us in tampa. thank you. well, now for a look at some of the other stories making news early today in america, in oregon, surveillance video captured the dramatic end to an attempted child abduction. the alleged kidnapper was cornered by neighbors after

trying to snatch a 6-year-old little girl. at least one of those neighbors kicked the suspect and when the child's mother showed up, she wramed him with a 2 by 4. the is you you pektd is now under arrest. in texas, state troopers have a new weapon to battle drug smugglers. they're hitting the wall with half a dozen gun boats. each comes with automatic machine gun capable of firing 900 rounds a minute. while the boat can zoom across the water at more than 60 miles an hour. and finally in indiana, the feathers have been flying over a giant sign featuring a chicken put up by a restaurant who wanted to bring in more business, but some people thought the 28-foot monument wasn't not such a great idea and they took their case to the zoning board. last night the chicken won giving the rooster's owner something to crow about. now for a look at your national and regional weather,

here is meteorologist bill ki s karins once again. >> isaac has been a fascinating storm. who knows, maybe it won't be a hurricane. it's very close, but if you look at the radar this morning, definitely expected to be worse than this. the whole northern half of the side has sucked in all the dry air, barely any clusters of organized showers and thunderstorms. just a few near tallahassee. as the day goes on, we think this will fill in a little bit, but as of right now, not all that bad. still a huge storm. the wind field is moving on shore, so there can be tropical storm gusts already down there in southeastern portions of louisiana and eventually they will come on shore. the forecast from the national hurricane center does have it becoming a hurricane. it only has to go up five more miles per hour and it would be a hurricane. but it isn't showing signs right now. and as we move over near new orleans by about this time tomorrow morning, it will be drifting up to the north of that. one thing to note is that the

storm has en drifting a little further to the west than expected over the last six hours. so this forecast track needs to be shifted just at bit here to the left. when that new one comes out shortly. now here's a look at the weather outside your window. today around the rest of the country, very warm in the middle of the nation. especially through the drought zone. and one thing that could be beneficial about isaac is the potential for some of those rains to head up in to areas of kansas and missouri, maybe even illinois where we desperately need it. isaac's been a frustrating storm, but i think the fact that it's still a tropical storm, no one's complaining in the northern gulf. >> good point. thank you. coming up, apple shines, big blue buys, and america sells arms at a record rate. your early morning business headlines are straight ahead. plus mirror, mirror, on the wall wlorks is the richest celebrity of all some? coming up, a rocky debut for josh beckett, extras in the bronx and what in the world has gotten into adrian beltre. you're watching "early today."

well come back to "early today." here are some of your top headlines this morning. a maryland student is in custody for allegedly shooting and critically wounding a classmate on the opening day of high school. teachers grabbed the student who was wielding a shot gun and held him until police arrived. prosecutors in georgia say four u.s. soldiers who were also members of a militia group wanted to assassinate president obama and may be charged in the killings of two other people. the group allegely spent at looers $87,000 on assault weapons and bomb components for anti-government attacks. a study finds teenagers who smoke marijuana at least four times a week and use marijuana throughout their life saw an average i.q. drop of eight points. and scientists report sea ice in the arctic ocean has already melted to its smallest point ever and the summer is not

even over yet. they say this shows the worst case forecasts on climate change may be coming true. well, now here's an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 13, 124 after falling 33 points yesterday. the s&p was down a fraction, but the nasdaq added three. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei dropped 52 points. but in hong kong, the hang seng gained 13. wall street saw its lowest volume of the year monday as investors either enjoyed the last days of summer or waited for more clues on the next move by the fed. those not on the beach were on the sidelines monday waiting to hear fed chief ben bernanke's remarks to central bankers later this week in jackson hole, wyoming. expectations are the fed will take some kind of action to stimulate the economy next month. apple was monday's star hitting an all-time high of $680 a share following its billion

dollar judgment. and companies using google's an destroyed system now have to consider design changes. the dow was led down by ibm which agreed to buy qnexa for $1.3 billion. and hudson city for $3.7 billion, the you larnlgt largest bank acquisition this year. armed sales last year making 78% of all weapon sales and over-66 billion a record high. saudi arabia bought the most arms of any country spending almost $34 billion on weapons with 99% of that going to the u.s. and finally, these days every the rich are cutting back. tiffany lowered its outlook for the year monday due to slow sales. coming up, the twins put up a goose egg, the os notch up the pressure and the jays snap a send game skid.

plus an unfriendly welcome to the national league for a former red sox pitcher. your early morning sports headlines are straight ahead. in overnight, isaac has been struggling, but there's still 24 hours to go where it could strengthen. that forecast is coming up. you're watching "early today."

good morning. if you're just waking up, this

is "early today." and in sports, the tampa bay rays escaped tropical storm isaac playing in texas, but they could not escape the hot hitting rangers. here's nbc's fred roggin with an early look at all your sports headlines. good morning. adrian beltre hit three home runs in a game, followed that up with a cycle, and yesterday he was at it again. he took david price deep in the second inning. nobody hitting better right now than adrian. next batter nelson cruz left the yard as well. back to back homers and the game was tied at two. in the fifth, two more for beltre and the rangers took the lead. he's been playing out of his mind. texas won it 6-5. here we go to the bronx. rasmus three run shot into the upper deck. jays up 7-6. but the lead was short lived. bottom nine, jeter came to the

rescue, tied with a home run of his own and we're off to extras. toronto won it in the 11th, a runner on third, slow roller, got the man at first but couldn't get mccoy at the plate. blue jays won it 8-7 in 11. orioles had a chance to make up ground in the east. this two run bomb gave baltimore the lead and they beat the white sox 4-3. denver, josh beckett. a lead off homer was the beginning of the end. rockies won 10-0. and would he have saved the best for last. felix hernandez won his last nine decisions which included a perfect game. struck out five and gave up just five hits. a homer in the eighth. hernandez making a late run for the cy young. he won 1-0 in minnesota.

that's your early look at sports on "early today." i'm fred roggin. coming up, detectives appear to be determined to nail lindsay lohan in yet another jewelry theft. your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. plus a college kid saves one of the biggest companies some big embarrassment, if not worse. you're watching early "today."

welcome back. looking at the radar, you'd

think maybe a tropical depression or weak tropical strm was approaching the gulf. so not impressive on ray dan. but a huge windshield and the storm surge is my big concern because it will still push a lot of water into mississippi and coastal louisiana. landfall expected to be later on today towards tonight near new orleans. the rest of the forecast map pretty quiet map. we're hopeful for the rain, though, in the drought area in the days ahead. if you're watching us in any uhe la, see an exhibit inspired by the natural exhibit of montana. and that's your early event of the day. now here's a look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. who is america's highest paid celebrity? no, not bill karins. forbes is out with a new list. it is oprah winfrey who earned $165 million from may of last year to may 2012. this is despite win friday's

much publicized tv network problems.friday's much publicized tv network problems. her syndicated shows plus her magazine and satellite radio station earned her the top spot. tmz reporting lindsay lohan is now formally a suspect in $100,000 theft worth of watches and sunglasses. but he suddenly recanted his story and told authorities you nothing was stolen. police can't closing the investigation despite trying over and over again because they have witnesses who can finger lindsay lohan and her assistant in this case. and finally the daily beast reports in the wake of his new photo scandal, prince harry has closed down his facebook page. he not so secretly maintained under the alias spike wells. that's what we're doing wrong. we need to find a super

undercover website. >> is this really tarnishing his image? let's be honest. >> did the other things he did? >> not at all. >> really. don't make me dig up the old ones on that. and this comes to us from wzit connecticut news where a college student single handedly uncovered an apple security glitch. get this. mark a computer science major who learned to check his own computer's privacy. sure enough, he found a breach in the secure connection between his laptop and the desktop. mark's big discovery brought him job offers from other companies, but apple, the world's most valuable company, gave him credit. no reward for spotting the problem which they have fixed. i'm lynn berry, and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

dozens of people in arlington county forced out of their beds overnight after a possible meth lab is discovered. we're tracking the path of tropical storm isaac this morning. its strengthening bears down on new orleans. good morning. i'm in for aaron gilchrist. >> i'm angie goff in for eun yang. a muggy start to our tuesday. >> it is. so muggy that tom kierein decided not to don a tie this morning, for the first hit anyway. >> looking good. >> i'm checking this lightest on

isaac, too. we'll have the latest on that coming up. i right now, we do have a few showers moving in from the west. light showers now in frederick county, maryland, eastern washington county. that stretch is down into the shenandoah valley and it's heading east but tending to break up as it does move off to the east. it's going to continue to track toward the metro area. so things are going to be a little wet along 270 in frederick over the next hour or so. right now off to our west and north, low to mid 70s. it's just in the mid 70s in washington, upper 70s near the chesapeake bay on this tuesday morning. farther to the west we are getting that rain. it's right around 70 out in the mountains. still steamy there, too. we do have low humidity on the way. that will be arriving this afternoon. by 6:00 a.m., we will have a few showers west and knot of washington. we will be in the low 70s. by noontime, a few showers east and west of washington.