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The writer Ta-Nehisi Coates says he noticed something about one of this year's major news stories. When Trayvon Martin, a black teenager, was killed by a white man in Florida, there was widespread dismay. And then President Obama spoke.

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OK, we've heard from Greg that if this storm overwhelms the pumping system in New Orleans, there could be significant flooding in the city.

And let's go now to NPR's Christopher Joyce, who is in the heart of New Orleans along Canal Street. Chris, good morning.

CHRISTOPHER JOYCE, BYLINE: Hello, David. How are you?

GREENE: Very good. So tell me what you're seeing and what the mood is in a city that is both marking a Katrina anniversary and dealing with, you know, another big storm.

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People naturally focus on New Orleans, a great American city that is below sea level in many places, but you cannot understand the full effect of the storm without moving along the Gulf Coast. Mississippi, for example, has faced high water, tropical storm-force winds and pounding rain. NPR's Debbie Elliott reports.

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DEBBIE ELLIOTT, BYLINE: As Isaac moves ashore near the mouth of Mississippi River in neighboring Louisiana, outer bands of the hurricane swept into Gulfport, Mississippi.

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This is MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. Good morning. I'm David Greene.

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Let's get one perspective on Hurricane Isaac from Billy Nungesser. He is president of Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. If you look at a map of Louisiana, you'll see Plaquemines, that finger of land sticking far out into the Gulf of Mexico, the farthest reach of the Mississippi River Delta. And he's on the line from there.

Mr. Nungesser, welcome to the program.

BILLY NUNGESSER: How are you today?

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It's MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.

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And I'm David Greene. Good morning.

The water rose so quickly along the coast of Louisiana, that it trapped two men whose job it was to keep it down.

INSKEEP: Two water pump operators were on the job in Plaquemines Parish near the mouth of the Mississippi River. The ocean spilled over a levee and surrounded them with water before they could get away.

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Hurricane Isaac has produced what TV writers might call a spin off - a second storm detached itself from the hurricane and its effects are being felt far from the Gulf Coast.

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This mass of moist air detached itself from Isaac and moved up the Atlantic Coast, and yesterday dumped nearly eight inches of rain over South Carolina. The rain caused flooding in Charleston, including the city's historic downtown market. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.

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This is MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. Good morning. I'm David Greene.

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And I'm Steve Inskeep.

Water has been slopping over at least one levee in Louisiana this morning. The levee is down the Mississippi River from New Orleans, near the place where Hurricane Isaac came ashore. So far, the storm has caused street flooding along much of the Gulf Coast and left hundreds of thousands of people without power. But the full-scale of its effects will depend in part on just how long Isaac sticks around.

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Now, of course, the approach of Hurricane Isaac forced the Republican Party to scrap the first day of its convention in Tampa, but the events did begin in earnest yesterday.

Mitt Romney's wife Anne took the stage in defense of her husband. And New Jersey Governor Chris Christie gave a keynote address that capped the evening. The party also did something significant, though unsurprising: They made Mitt Romney officially their nominee.

NPR's national political correspondent Mara Liasson took in the action.

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And we'll be covering the impact of Hurricane Isaac throughout the morning on the program. Let's turn now to Tampa and the Republican convention. This evening, delegates will hear from Governor Susana Martinez of New Mexico. She's the nation's first Hispanic female governor. The GOP feels Martinez showcases the party's diversity. They hope she'll help attract Hispanic voters. But there's another reason Governor Martinez is a jewel for Republicans - she was once a Democrat. Here's NPR's Ted Robbins.

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This is MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning. I'm David Greene.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

And I'm Steve Inskeep.

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People have been thinking quite a bit about politics in Janesville, Wisconsin, home of the freshly nominated Republican vice presidential candidate. Paul Ryan still lives in Janesville. His hometown is near the Illinois border. Its politics lean Democratic, although Ryan's own congressional district votes Republican. NPR's Don Gonyea talked to some of those who know and knew Ryan well.

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And today's last word in business is a home run for Major League Baseball.

ESPN agreed yesterday to pay the baseball association $5.6 billion over the next eight years for broadcast and digital rights to games. That is a record, we're told, for baseball broadcasting rights. It is also about double what ESPN currently pays to broadcast Major League Baseball games, although the sports network will be getting a lot more for its money this time around - more international rights, radio rights, rights to more games.