>> i saw the bullets hitting the ceiling. i saw smoke and everything, so i kind of figured it was a gun. then it was silent and then we heard another thing. so i got up and grabbed my stuff and ran out the door, just broke down crying, because i didn't know what was going on. i didn't know if anyone was hurt. >> we will get to that tragic

story in just a minute. but first, isaac on a direct path to new orleans and president obama has declared a state of emergency in louisiana. >> the storm is expected to be a hurricane when it hits land late tomorrow or early wednesday seven years after hurricane katrina. drew levinson has the latest from new orleans. >> reporter: thousands in louisiana are boarding up their homes and getting out of town. >> we lost almost everything to katrina, so we're not taking any chances. >> reporter: the airports in new orleans cancelled all flights for tuesday. 53,000 people in low-lying areas around the city are being told to evacuate. >> if you plan for an event like this was to leave, now is the time to leave. >> reporter: isaac is moving through the warm waters of the gulf and picking up strength. it could be a category 2 hurricane when it hits the coast and is expected to drop more than a foot and a half of rain in some places. >> the coastal flooding is going to be a problem as well. that area of the coastline we know from past storms from louisiana all the way to the florida panhandle, very

vulnerable to storm surge. >> reporter: isaac is bearing down on the gulf coast as this area prepares for the seven- year anniversary of katrina on wednesday. 1,800 people died after the levy system failed, flooding neighbors everneighborhoods around new orleans. after katrina hit, this area was under more than 20 feet of water. since then, the army corps of engineers spent $14 billion to build bigger, stronger levees and walls just like this one. new orleans is now protected by 133 miles of new levees and floodwalls. many people outside the levy system are being told to evacuate. bruce harris lives inside the walls and is staying. >> before katrina, we were real vulnerable. now we're not because of all the levees and improvements they made. >> reporter: harris believes those improvements will keep him safe during the storm. drew levinson, cbs news, new orleans. >> a state of emergency has been declared in mississippi and alabama as well. 8,000 people on alabama's coast were told to get out.

for the latest on tropical storm isaac, let's go to our chief meteorologist, topper shutt. >> it hasn't strengthed into a hurricane just yet, but is still a high end tropical storm. winds right now are sustained at 70. the storm is 190 miles southeast of the mouth of the mississippi. movement is now northwest at 10. it slowed just a tad since we saw you earlier this afternoon and this evening. already, we're seeing a lot of rain bands across the florida panhandle and also already up into mobile bay, biloxi and into new orleans. the rain is already starting. the hurricane center is keeping it as a category 1 which is great. 7:00 on tuesday, very close to making landfall. remember, we talk about landfall, it is the center, the eye of the storm crossing land. that doesn't mean they're not going to feel the effects of this long before it reaches landfall, nor does it mean folks 200 miles up to the north won't feel the effects either because the storm is 300 miles

in diameter. after that it begins to move up the mississippi and will produce much-needed rainfall in the midwest. we'll come back and talk about the direct effects of this storm for them when it hits tomorrow night and what it could mean for us over the weekend. the american red cross is already on this. the national region is sending one dozen volunteers to louisiana. we caught up with them as they got their marching orders from headquarters in fairfax. >> we will be taking our emergency response vehicles that will go down and be stationed in baton rouge. once it's safe, they'll go into the impacted area delivering hot meals, water, snacks, and information to those affected by the disaster. >> those volunteers will be part of the first wave of response. the red cross will send more folks as emergency teams on the ground get a better handle on how much damage isaac has done. violence and chaos at a maryland high school. tonight, one student is fighting for his life. another is in custody.

it happened this morning in perry hall, a normally placid suburb north of baltimore. our own matt jablow is live from perry hall with the latest. what happened up there today, matt? >> reporter: derek, it was the first day of classes unlike any other in the 49-year history of perry hall high school, whose students tonight still cannot believe what happened. >> i was scared to go and be in a new school. >> reporter: 13-year-old sarah had been nervous lately about her first day of high school. >> i got off and everything and i was nervous about going. >> reporter: turns out being in a new building and making new friends would be the least of her worries today. >> once i realized that something bad was going on, i just got up and ran, because i was so scared, i had no clue. and like everyone was just running around. >> reporter: sarah was one of dozens of students in the cafeteria around 10:45 this morning when according to police, a 15-year-old student randomly fired a gun. >> i saw something go up and

hit the ceiling and i saw a little bit of smoke around. >> reporter: hitting a 17-year- old student before being tackled by a teacher. >> my friend when she was running out, she saw lots of people running into each other trying to get out of there. >> reporter: the victim was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. police arrested the suspect, whose father told the associated press that his son had been bullied at school. >> i heard that people were like being rude to him in the hallways and they weren't really being nice. and i heard things thrown at him in the cafeteria. >> reporter: after being released from lock down, many of the 2300 kids at baltimore county's largest high school were left deeply shaken. >> how are you feeling right now? >> it's shocking. i didn't think anything like this was going to happen. i just really am afraid to go back. >> reporter: in fact, perry hall high school will be open tomorrow complete with brief and trauma counselors for students who need them n. case you'rewondering, the names of the victim and the suspect from

today's shooting have not been released. >> a rough first day of school. matt jablow, thank you. police officer adrian morris will be buried tomorrow. the prince county died during a chase when his cruiser crashed. crowds came out to pay their respect in bellsville. >> he came from jamaica with his mother. became a citizen in 2009. so you couldn't write a script that could depict a young person so dedicated to public service. >> officer morris will be laid to rest tomorrow at lake mont memorial gardens in davidsonville. new tonight at 11:00, a prince george's county police officer is recovering after accidentally shot himself. a woman called police saying she was being attacked by what she thought was a rabid fox. three officers got there. the fox charged them. one of the officers backing away from the animal when he tripped on some steps and

accidentally shot himself in the leg. he also shot and killed the fox. new tonight at 11:00, four u.s. soldiers accused of plotting to assassinate president obama and take over fort stewart in georgia. prosecutors say they bought 87,000 dollars worth of guns and bomb-making material. they're also facing murder charges. they're accused of killing a former soldier in december who knew about their plan. his 17-year-old girlfriend was also killed. tropical storm isaac as we said is already had a big impact in tampa where republicans started their national convention today. immediately cut the schedule short waiting to see where isaac hits and how hard. that means our gary nurenberg has less reporting to do tonight than we thought. but as the storm approaches, he was hit with a strong sense of deja vu. what you thinking about, gary? >> reporter: we've done this before, anita. the republican convention four years ago and a hurricane with winds strong enough to blow up republican plans for convention

day one. >> the presumed republican nominee in 2008 as hurricane gustav was approaching. >> they need to know and i know they know they're in our thoughts and prayers as this impending hurricane approaches. >> reporter: and the prayers of 2012. >> i think we should right now put in our minds and our prayers the people who have been victims of hurricane isaac and those who still stand in the path of a storm. >> reporter: in 2008, republicans cut back on the convention and bob cheffer quoted party leaders as saying. >> it wouldn't be appropriate for the nation to see republicans enjoying a festive occasion while there was tragedy unfolding somewhere else. >> reporter: and this year, monday night. >> republicans here do not want to be seen as having a big time while other americans are in peril. >> reporter: so republicans cut back, gaveled the convention to monday afternoon and adjourned until tuesday to see what

happens, mitt romney knowing the convention gives him the chance to broaden his appeal. >> the people really open to voting for me that i need to get to vote for me to win the presidency are independents and democrats who have been disappointed by the last four years. >> reporter: former cnn white house correspondent. >> mitt romney has to do several things and some are at odds with one another. first he has to convince people he can create jobs. secondly, he's got to convince the conservator core of the republican party that he's with them on these critical social issues that are so divisive. he needs to do that without alienating the larger national public dropping into this convention through the television. and finally, he's got to convince people that he personally is someone they want to spend time with the next four years. >> reporter: a phrase used often about this week, reintroduce himself to the american public and focus on the message, jobs and the economy. last week, the headlines were about abortion and rape. tonight they're about the storm. mr. romney knows in the next few days, he has to get those

headlines to change. anita? >> we'll be following it closely. thank you, gary. still ahead tonight, former maryland governor joins us from the republican national convention. speaking of headlines, anita, tomorrow we can find out if a baby panda will be born. she had an elevated hormone level and veterinarians plan to do an ultrasound tomorrow. if she is pregnant, the baby panda could be here within the next 30 or 40 days. and the possibility of a baby panda is not the only reason the national zoo has to celebrate. today it's the male panda's birthday. he's 14 years old. still ahead, some good news for all of us sick of putting away electronics every time your flight takes off and lands. up next, a warning that every breast cancer survivor

needs to hear. the role your weight might play in determining whether your cancer will come back.

in tonight's health alert, we've got a warning for breast cancer survivors. so many out there. your weight could play a role in whether the cancer returns.

>> the patients in the study who had about a 30% higher risk of having a recurrence of their breast cancer and a 50% higher risk of dying from their breast cancer. >> the research team studied close to 5,000 women. they expect the hormone's higher insulin levels associated with extra body fat could play a role in driving cancer growth. it's strongest in women who have breast cancer fueled by estrogen, the most common type in the u.s. >> this is important, because a relatively simple intervention, dietary intervention, exercise that leads to weight reduction could have a profound impact of reducing the recurrence in thousands of benefit. the health benefits of circumcision outweigh the risks for baby boys. however they don't recommend it for all baby boys. but the academy says the decision should be made by

parents and doctors together. the researchers say circumcision lowers the risk of contracting hiv, gentle herpes, and syphilis over a man's lifetime. over the next three days, mitt romney and any number of gop surrow gats will be making the case to america why he should be the president of the united states. the convention in tampa will slip into high gear tomorrow. joining us live is former maryland governor bob urlich. >> evening, derek, how are you doing, my friend? >> fine. the latest poll shows the race is a dead heat. considering the state of our economy, shouldn't your guy be way out ahead on this? does the fact that he's not suggest that mitt romney has yet to make the sale? >> it's mixed news. you can look at it half full, half empty. i guess the democrats are looking at it the other way. when a president is in the mid- 40s this deep in the campaign

so many days out and it's this close obviously with a competitor, with an opponent still to be defined to some extent with regards to the american public, it's also bad news for democrats. it's mixed. the bottom line here is this is going down to the wire. a very close race. for some it reminds you of 2,000 where it could come down to a couple thousand votes in a couple of swing states. we know the identity of those states. so i think at this point, the romney folks, us, my group, are pretty happy with the polling, particularly in wisconsin. ahead in wisconsin. >> how do you make the sale, governor? help him make the sale. >> well, it's a two-part process. one is negative, one is positive. the negative part is what's happened the last four years, the failed stimulus, sustained unemployment. the angst with the american middle class, worried about

kids paying back debt from college and grad school. the other is completing the pass, which is making the case, which is we can do better than the other guy. that sort of politics is all about. we're in the silly season now. we talked about dogs on cars, birth certificates and all that. once labor day hits and the campaign really begins in earnest and the debates begin, that's really where you're going to see the substance here. we're not going to be able to duck and we've from difficult questions. you don't like paul ryan's plan, mr. president? what's your plan to save medicare. that sort of stuff. the american public, particularly independents who don't like either party are looking for that substance. >> thank you for sharing with us tonight. we'll have a lot more on the republican national convention throughout the rest of the week. we've also got continuing coverage on our website. just go to wusa9.com, click on the campaign 2012 banner at the

top of the page. you may be able to keep your kindle, your ipad out the entire time you're flying. by popular demand the faa is forming a group to review its consumer alert policies. right now you have to put them away during takeoff and landing, because aviation experts worry that they could interfere with airplane communications and navigation systems. we don't want that. they won't, however, be looking at the cell phone policy. it's set by the federal communications commission, not the faa. now, the new group begins its work this fall and will report back to the faa in about six months. so don't expect changes any time this year. >> but maybe in time for summer vacation. >> maybe. >> it just strikes me that given the level of terrorists, what they're able to do and try to do, they probably tried leaving their cell phones on before. >> i confess mine has been left on at times. >> sometimes you forget. >> the plane seemed to do okay. let's talk about isaac.

still a tropical storm. >> four more miles and hour and it becomes a hurricane. landfall still tuesday afternoon, actuals evening as a category 1, which is good. 90 -mile-per-hour winds. that's sustained winds. remember, tropical storm force winds extend out almost 200 miles to the north and east. north and east will be the highest winds. that's the worst place you can be as it begins to make landfall. good news, we don't see any 2's, so no longer is the national hurricane center turning it into a category 2 before it spins up to the north and northeast eventually. this is a silver lining here. we're talking very significant rain through arkansas and missouri and illinois and that's where they need the rain. believe it or not, some of the remnants could get in here in time for the last part of our summer weekend. we'll keep you posted on that. hurricane warnings in effect intentionally from the tip of the florida panhandle all the way across the part of the

louisiana coast, evacuations have started. we're thinking between a one or a two. a one would be 75 to 95 miles per hour winds. a two would be 96 to 110. what does that translate to? it translates to a storm surge of 6 to 12 feet around new orleans. biloxi maybe 4-8 feet. rainfall amounts 5-10 inches, a blanket amount. isolated rainfall 10-20 inches. obviously you have to throw in scattered thunderstorms that will produce tornadoes in florida, mississippi, and alabama. we'll have information tomorrow morning as it gets closer to shore. movement is northwest at 10 miles per hour. you see the bands of rain and showers pushing already into portions of louisiana, mississippi, alabama and also florida. we've got a cold front that will push through. it might generate a shower or thunderstorm here. a couple of sprinkles near hagerstown. other than that a pretty quiet night. code green tomorrow and

wednesday and thursday. fantastic on wednesday, 85. hotter on thursday, 91. still a pretty nice day. next seven days. it gets even hotter before it gets better. 95 on friday. then the rest. weekend, again, it's not going to rain continuously but some of the moisture and some of the instability from isaac will get in here and produce showers and storms, but still warm. 90. it won't be 60 and raining. >> no, we don't want that. >> still get in the pool as long as there's no thunder. >> i'll be at the grand prix. i don't want to get rained on. >> what's this i hear about no rg3 in the final preseason game? >> no rg3. got to wait a little while. he'll be back, two more weeks. don't worry. one more preseason game to play, but rg3 already has his sights set on new orleans. find out how they are preparing for drew brees and the saints. plus, it was cut down day

in the nfl. both the redskins and ravens were busy. we've got a recap. sports is next. this country was built by working people. the economy needs manufacturing. machines, tools, people making stuff. companies have to invest in making things. infrastructure, construction, production. we need it now more than ever. chevron's putting more than $8 billion dollars

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i hope you got your fill of robert griffin, iii this preseason, because it will be two more weeks before we see him in action again. the starters will sit out the preseason finale wednesday night against tampa bay. curt cousins will get the start and most likely play the entire game. rg3 is evaluating his progress. he says he hadn't done too much game planning for the september 9th game against new orleans yet. mike shanahan, on the other hand, has been looking forward to that game for a while. >> we haven't talked about anything regarding the saints yet. i think guys are watching film on their own. we'll go from there a couple more days and after this game coach will start hitting it hard. >> i've been looking at the saints for about six months. so yeah, pretty familiar, yeah. >> it was also cut down day in the nfl. teams trimming the roster from 90 players to 75. mostly guys who haven't really heard of. but the redskins pulled off a

trade for kevin barnes. he's headed to detroit for a conditional draft pick. right tackle jamal brown will officially mills the first six weeks of the season. the skins placed him on the physically unable to perform or pup list performing surgery on his hip. he missed the last four games of the season because of pain and reinjured the hip the day before training camp. suggs promised he wouldn't miss the 2012 season after tearing his achilles. there's no telling when he will be back, but we know one thing. he will also miss the first six weeks. the ravens put him on the pup list today as well. he had surgery to repair that achilles on may 8th, a tough blow for the ravens. he was the defensive player of the year in 2011. high school football has begun, which means the return of our toyota game of the week poll. here are your choices for this

week. go to usatodayhighschool sports.com. the diamonds hosting the white sox tonight. comes up big again, a two-run shot on to -- orioles win 4-3, snapping chicago's six-game win streak. the u.s. open underway. american donald young facing roger federer in the first round. federer looking to claim his sixth round. no problems today. he advanced in straight sets. maria sharapova also advanced. >> i wish i could be more optimistic about jamal brown coming back from the hip surgery. he hurt it just running. i think you have to run to play football. >> mike shanahan said today he felt a lot better after the surgery. it's good to be hopeful. we'll be right back.

all right, new tonight at 11:00, you will notice some familiar faces outside northwest d.c. check out the mural. we've got some of the restaurant's most famous diners, president obama, bill cosby, chuck brown, donny simpson. a group of artists from d.c. murals have been working on this since last week and hope to finish it tomorrow. anita and i like ben's chilly bowl, but where's our picture? >> come on. >> good night.

in the people, businesses, and organizations that call greater washington home. whether it's funding an organization that provides new citizens with job training, working with an anacostia school that promotes academic excellence, or supporting an organization that serves 5,000 meals a day across d.c., what's important to the people of greater washington is important to us, and we're proud to work with all those who are making our communities stronger.