tropical storm warnings. so winds up to 60, 70 miles an hour extend out from the storm 180 miles. land fall late tonight, early tomorrow as a category one, thankfully. 5 to 15 inches of rain in its path. a storm surge of 6 to 10 feet before all is said and done. anita. >> almost seven years to the day that hurricane katrina hit new orleans, the city is bracing for yet another tropical system to make land fall and tonight, the surge gates are closed and all eyes are on the levees. karen is in the crescent city bracing for isaac.  now a category one, capable of producing serious rain, flooding, and loss of power. >> usually lively french quarter which is abandoned this evening as new orleans awaits the arrival of this bislow moving storm. isaac approached the gulf coast tuesday forcing people in at least four states to hunker down and prepare for the worst. authorities across the region

are advising residents to be ready for heavy rain, flooding, and power outages. president obama told people to in effect, listen up. >> as we prepare for isaac to hit, i want to encourage all residents of the gulf coast to listen to your local officials and follow their directions. now is not the time to temp fate. now is not the time to dismiss official warnings. you need to take this seriously. >> as wednesday marks the seventh anniversary of hurricane katrina. mitch warned residents. >> do not let this storm lull you into complacency. that would be a terrible mistake. we have dodged a bullet in the sense that this is not a category three storm, but a category one. >> katrina caught us off guard. we had five or six warnings and everybody became complacent when the big storm came. and that's one of the problems

we have with these people making them run off and get into a frenzy. >> meteorologists say most deaths are caused by water, not wind. the national weather service says isolated areas could receive up to 20 inches from isaac and flooding is expected. it's not just flooding that is expected. the other factor is storm surge. they expect 6 to 12 feet of storm surge to invade the area. but they are confident that this time more than ever before, they are prepared. reporting live from new orleans, now back to you. >> karen, we have seen pictures from the french quarter, what about the rest of the city? did people leave? >> reporter: people hunkered down. a will the of them decided they were going to wait out this storm. they stocked up on supplies. they know that power failures are inevitable. some have generators and prepared for that as well. there are a few stragglers in the quarter, as you can see. for the most part, where i'm standing now the french quarter

has completely cleared out. there were no mandatory evacuations ordered because of the category of the storm. they did tell people to stay indoors and to board up and hunker down and that's exactly what they have done. lesli. >> actually, it's anita. what are we thinking as far as the public health threat. we know it doesn't have katrina's punch. what are they worried about? >> reporter: they are actually worried about the flooding, anita. they are worried that the water is going to come into this area and the storm surge is going to drown the places outside of the levee system and that's why they asked people in those areas to go ahead and evacuate if they can. but those inside the levee system, they are confident they have high enough levees to withstand 16 feet of storm surge. anita. >> thank you, karen. thank you for that. >> dug deeper, built stronger, and standing higher after

katrina, the u.s. army corps of engineers is confident it will hold up against isaac and worse. new orleans' new and improved system of levees were finished just last september so isaac is the first test. designed to withstand the storms similar to hurricane katrina. engineers activated the surge barriers. >> we have built these tremendous flood walls and surge barriers out in these water areas and we are in the process of closing them right now. some are already closed. we'll be closing them today and tomorrow. so we can block the amount of surge. >> forecasters say isaac's storm surge is expected to be 6 to 12 feet. more than half the size of katrina's surge. which led to devastating flooding seven years ago. we have much more on isaac and its track at wusa9.com. you can follow the storm, down load our hurricane tracker, and see photo galleries from along the gulf coast. the republican national convention kicked off in tampa

today and at the top of the agenda, pushing the ticket to the white house. >> we have a message for america. elect mitt romney and paul ryan and they will get this country working again. >> and the delegates aren't wasting much time. they approved a new platform that will bar abortions and reshape medicare. virginia governor addressed the delegates earlier today and tonight, delegates are expected to make mitt romney the official republican nominee and then they'll hear from his wife, ann, and new jersey's governor, chris cristie. congress member, paul ryan, is expected to accept his nomination as vice president tomorrow and romney himself addresses the convention and accepts his nomination thursday night. bruce leshan is in tampa as well anchoring a live web cast with u.s.a. today and bruce joins us live right now from inside the convention hall. bruce. >> reporter: hey derek. not wasting any time is absolutely right. mitt romney has just officially

clinched the nomination of the republican party to the white house. plenty of screaming and hole hollering going on about that. the roll call continues. but how important is virginia in this? virginia's governor says it is the mother of patriots, the cradle of democracy, and it was a virginiaen who was the seconder of the nomination for mitt romney. >> i am so deeply honored and so proud to second the nomination of mitt romney for the office of president of the united states of america. >> so lots of questions about the general election tactics and folks are talking about mitt romney, perhaps taking a harder lin to move ahead in the polls that have been stuck 50/50. talking about this issue that came up, although he says that was a joke.

talking about welfare and welfare and work. we talked to ken cuccinelli, virginia's attorney general about what kind of strategy he thought mitt romney should take. >> you shouldn't change to get votes. you should tell people why you believe what you believe and why it matters to them in their lives as voters. that's what i've done. >> so there was a bit of a demonstration from ron paul delegates. they were screaming and shouting here. but the folks here say there's no questions that republicans will go out of this convention united in the effort to defeat barack obama. derek. >> and hoping to be united and energized. bruce leshan live at the convention in tampa. thank you. now president obama is heading to some colleges in swing states during the republican convention. today he was at iowa state university. tomorrow he heads to the university of virginia in

charlottesville. and on friday, he'll be at colorado state university. well, a soldier has copped a plea and will now testify against three fellow soldiers. they are accused of killing two people to protect a secret militia group bent on killing president obama and over throwing the government. the trial now underway in georgia is where those soldiers were based. among the kill, a young man who had just left the army and his teenage girlfriend, michael burnette says the militia killed the pair for fear they knew too much about the organization. >> i don't know how it got to the point where two people got murdered. >> say that again. >> i don't know how it got to the point where two people got murdered. >> the group stockpiled weapons and target government leaders. >> coming up tonight at 7:00, political power play?

why same-sex marriage are joining forces for this year's election. i'll have the story for you at 9news now at 7:00. >> we'll see you then. still to come, is the capital's favorite couple expecting or not? the national zoo's attempt at finding out today. that's coming up. >> first, a bold call for fuel efficiency from the feds. we'll be right back.

check now with a green alert that could have you going

further. today the obama administration released new standards. they call for all new cars and trucks to be able to average 54 1/2 miles per gallon in the next 13 years. that is up from 28.6 miles per gallon at the end of last year. we're learning more tonight about what the virginia department of transportation might do with tolls that it could raise along i-95. the richmond times dispatch says money from a plaza would go toward repaving, bridge replacement, and other improvement projects. vdot wants to charge $4 for cars and $12 for tractor trailers. a caravan of more than 1,000 vehicles escorted a fallen prince georges county police officer to his final resting place today. adrian morris was promoted to police officer first class. the 23-year-old died last week after his cruiser flipped over and crashed along i-95. >> still ahead in the mist of an investigation into his own

campaigning, d.c.'s mayor makes a bold proposal to change the way things are done in the city. we'll be back. president clinton: this election to me is about which... candidate is more likely to return us to full employment. this is a clear choice. the republican plan is to cut more taxes on upper-income... people and go back to deregulation. that's what got us in trouble in the first place. president obama has a plan to rebuild america from... the ground up, investing in innovation, education... and job training. it only works if there is a strong middle class. that's what happened when i was president. we need to keep going with his plan. president obama: i'm barack obama and...

i approve this message.

we are waiting, but no word yet on whether the national zoo's giant panda is pregnant, but today vets did get to do that ultrasound. she didn't want to do it yesterday. zoo keepers recently saw a jump in hormone levels that could indicate the panda is pregnant or experiencing a pseudo

pregnancy. she has had five since 2007. she gave birth to her only cub back in 2005. we are keeping our fingers crossed. >> they need another panda baby. that's what we need. d.c. mayor's campaign is under federal investigation. three staffers are awaiting sentencing after taking guilty pleas. mayor gray is taking his attorney's advice and refusing any new comment on the probe. but as bruce johnson reports, unveiled a major proposal that would stop a will the of the current campaign funding practices. >> we are trying to make this, you know, as transparent and open as we possibly can. >> the bill would end the pay to play practice by local corporations that do business with the city. anybody with a contract or grant value that $250,000 or more would be banned from contributing to a campaign. lobbyists would no longer be able to bundle contribution. >> it is perceived that they get extra access to the elected

officials. >> money orders would be treated like cash with a $25 limit and candidates would be more accountable for what their committees do. the gray administration admits there's added pressure because of a federal probe that targeted the mayor's campaign and perhaps the mayor himself. >> i don't think the most useful thing is evaluate me or anyone else in the course of this. >> keep in mind, this is a very big deal. most of these are approved, it will change the way all elections are conducted in the district. it will change the way all elections are funded. but also keep in mind d.c. council voted down most of these provisions 11-1. >> watchdog groups are split on the reform bill will ever become law. whether mayor gray has the credibility needed to see it through when three of his own campaign staffers have already pleaded guilty to felonies for their efforts to get gray elected. >> it's a feel-good thing. i don't know what it will

solve. i really don't know. and from the source of it, i'm shocked that the mayor would stand up there and try to present himself as mr. clean in terms of presenting it. >> bill goes to the council next month when it returns from summer recess. bruce johnson, 9news now. >> and sources tell bruce johnson the federal probe continues. >> let's go back to topper in the tropic tracking center. what's going on with hurricane isaac? >> hurricane isaac is a category one. a low-end category one. 90 miles now from new orleans. but you know what? the storm is big. we have tropical storm force winds to the florida panhandle and that includes pensacola. for more on that, here is scott broom. >> reporter: i'm scott broom between storm squalls here in pensacola beach, florida, where they have experienced tropical storm conditions that have left behind some minor flooding. regardless, this city has become a refuge for some evacuees from new orleans.

bands of heavy rain, a steady, strong wind and surf has produced minor flooding here, but no serious damage. at least one boat broke away leaving this crew scrambling to save their dock. >> it is rough. >> between squalls, life guards are keeping careful watch on a 14 to 20-foot surf nearly over washing the pier at casino beach. despite the conditions, pensacola beaches is a refuge for families who evacuated from louisiana. >> we were in gustoff and we have big damage in our apartment and decided not to do that again. >> schools on the panhandle are closed today and some hotels are closed as well due to earlier evacuation orders. orders that many people here at pensacola beach simply ignored as isaac strikes a glancing blow. >> yeah, in fact, the good news for pensacola and the

florida panhandle, they'll be done with isaac as we go through the next 12 hours. all right, let's take a look at the satellite picture. there's all the showers and storms hammering pensacola. so yeah, the storm is the 90 miles away from new orleans and 20 miles away from the mouth of the mississippi. but the effects of the storm have been felt for quite some time. in fact, we had 83-mile per hour winds reported south of the mouth of the mississippi. hurricane warnings where they have been for a while. most of louisiana, the coast of mississippi. also alabama and a little bit of the florida panhandle. notice the yellow, that's tropical storm warnings. they extend to 180 miles. good news, it will make land fall as a category one. again, never really going to be a wind storm. it's been a water storm. storm surge, maybe 6 to 12 feet. 5 to 15 inches of rain. technically land fall will be late tonight, early tomorrow morning and pass to the west, southwest of new orleans.

early tomorrow. and then begins to turn off to the north and through northern louisiana and also arkansas. in addition to the storm surge and wind gusts over 80 miles per hour, we're looking at isolated tornadoes along the coast of alabama and mississippi and louisiana. good news, it goes back into the midwest, turns back to the northeast. that will bring beneficial rains to illinois, indiana, ohio, and yes, it will eventually give us a chance for showers and thunderstorms over the holiday weekend. right now, live look outside. looking at 88. dew point 57. that's nice. the dew points in the 50s. means you have a good hair day and you can open your windows and turn the ac on for a couple days. next three days, code green. spectacular tomorrow, 84. 88 on thursday. fantastic. hotter on friday, but still code green, 94. next seven days, on saturday, fairly hot. maybe 90. an isolated storm possible. in terms of the weekend, i think the wettest day is going to be labor day, but showers and storms are possible sunday

and monday. mid 80s and back up to 90 on tuesday. >> too bad we can't switch out thursday and friday. >> right, but not a washout. >> thanks, top. >> today we got a reminder of the harsh reality of football. >> oh yeah. >> no matter how much the fans love you or how much you are making, you are not always going to stick around, unfortunately. it's been a busy day, more players get cut, including a fan favorite. hear the emotional response from number 47. plus, strasburg in the skid tonight. a look ahead to their matchup with the fish. sports is next. president clinton: this election to me is about which...

candidate is more likely to return us to full employment. this is a clear choice. the republican plan is to cut more taxes on upper-income... people and go back to deregulation. that's what got us in trouble in the first place. president obama has a plan to rebuild america from... the ground up, investing in innovation, education... and job training. it only works if there is a strong middle class. that's what happened when i was president.

we need to keep going with his plan. president obama: i'm barack obama and... i approve this message.

now, 9sports with kristen berset. the best sports in town. >> well, it was supposed to be a quiet day at redskins park. it's time for players and the media to focus on the preseason finale tomorrow night. the next round of teen cuts isn't until friday. the skins didn't wait. in a press conference after practice today, tight end, chris cooley announced he has been released by the team. known for his cruel demeanor, number 47 has been a fan favorite of redskin nation throughout his eight years here. the cut gives him a chance to be a starter somewhere else. but cooley says that's not going to be easy. >> it would be a tough decision for me to put on

another jersey. it is something that i really never had to imagine and i guess finally, thank you to our fans. it's been great. >> such an emotional day out there. here's a look at cooley's time. he was drafted in 2004. one of the longest tenured players on the team. he holds the record for most catches on catches as a tight end. moving forward, fred davis was your projected starter at tight end. logan paulson rounding out the core and he won't play, which means mike shanahan means he is the starting runningback. one day after it appeared he had won the battle against neil. instead, the skins signed billy who was just cut by baltimore on sunday. and one week after clinton portis retires, another runningback says he is done. brian westbrook announced he is

retiring as a philadelphia eagle after nine years in the nfl. >> all right, after a much needed day off, the nationals take the field tonight in miami for a two-game series. returned to the lineup after injuries and the rigy has a chance to stop the bleeding stephen strasburg takes the mound. right now, they have a five- game lead over atlanta. >> high school football is here, which means the return of our toyota game of the week poll. here's some of your choices, like centerville. robinson at stone bridge. go to u.s.a.todayhighschoolsports.com we'll announce the winner thursday night. and venus williams breezes through the first round of the u.s. open. 6-3, 6-1. and lasted 62 minutes. also, andy rodack advances. >> derek is back with our area's only local newscast at

7:00. have a great night.