NPR News

Isaac is headed toward the Gulf Coast, and Louisiana's governor has declared a state of emergency. The storm is threatening to hit New Orleans as the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches. Host Michel Martin speaks with Lt. Col. Jerry Sneed of Homeland Security in New Orleans, about how they're preparing the city for the storm.

Saying that "it's offensive to me as a woman and as a minority" that Democrats portray the GOP as "the party that hates you" when they reach out to non-whites, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley made the case this morning that it's the Republican Party that minorities should be looking to join.

With the Todd Akin controversy barely in the rear-view mirror, another Republican senatorial candidate is causing some waves of his own.

If men could become pregnant, they'd probably visit the doctor more often.

But without a compelling inducement like contraception to get them in the door, they often miss out on sexual and reproductive health services that could protect not only them but also their partners.

There are lots of ways to get to 270 and they don't all involve Florida's 29 electoral votes, according to Rich Beeson, the national political director for the Mitt Romney Campaign.

Beeson, speaking with Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep on Tuesday, says the Sunshine State would be nice to have in the red column, but it's not a sine qua non for clinching victory in November.

Transcript

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

An Israeli court sided with the government today, ruling that Israel was not at fault for the death of American activist Rachel Corrie.

Corrie's parents were suing for accountability and $1 in damages for the death of their 23-year-old daughter. Corrie was killed in 2003, when she stood in front of a bulldozer to try to keep the Israeli soldier manning it from razing Palestinian homes.

Good morning from Tampa where the Isaac-delayed Republican National Convention is set to get going for real this afternoon.

It's going to be a busy day for the GOP once the delegates are called to order at 2 p.m. ET. Here are some highlights from the schedule:

Police say Fernando Santana Eagleheart was watching a movie in Sparks, Nev., when he dropped his gun and it fired. According to the Reno Gazette-Journal, Eagleheart apologized to the crowd in the theater as he left. Nobody was hurt except Eagleheart. He faces a misdemeanor charge for firing the gun.

In 2004, I started a project called A Book from Mom that provides incarcerated mothers with brand new children's books to give as gifts to their children during prison visits.

A Book from Mom helps strengthen the parent-child bond while a mother is away, seeks to increase literacy in both mother and child, and helps ease the tension of prison visits.

In its nine years, the project has placed more than 20,000 brand new books on prison shelves in Massachusetts and has inspired someone else to expand the program to a women's prison in Arizona.

Besse Cooper, the world's oldest living person, turned 116 over the weekend. For her birthday, Walton County, Ga., named a bridge after her. Over at Facebook headquarters, tech savvy Florence Detlor was honored by Mark Zuckerberg. At 101, Detlor is recognized as the social network's oldest registered user.