10:00 p.m. ET: An update from Bill Weir in New Orleans:

"In all quarters, storm-hardened locals are weathering another Gulf Coast hurricane with their signature pragmatism and charm. While traffic is nearly invisible, and wind-whipped pedestrians are rare, several French Quarter bars remain open and filled with locals tipping Abita beer and keeping a wary eye on the satellite maps. At Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop-the 150 year old dive at the end of Bourbon-Chris LaRue recommended the four staples of hurricane preparedness. "Water, canned food, candles and booze." "We're going to have some water to clean up," he told me "but this kind of wind is nothing."

7:16 p.m. ET: The book that details a former Navy SEAL's first person account of the mission to kill Osama bin Laden will be released ahead of schedule, the book's publisher said today, following widespread controversy over possible national security breaches.

Read the full story HERE

5:50 p.m. ET: BREAKING NEWS: After a long and hard-fought primary season, Mitt Romney today officially became the Republican Party's presidential nominee, securing the 1,144 necessary votes and taking the presidential election into the homestretch.

Credit: Getty Images

4:44 p.m. ET: "Nightline" producer Brandon Baur sent us this photo of cameraman Steve Senn shooting at Lake Pontchartrain outside of New Orleans:

Credit: Brandon Baur/ABC

3:16 p.m. ET: UPDATE: In the wake of a "Nightline" report about a 17-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted, then faced jail time for tweeting her abusers names, a district court judge ruled today that the once-closed juvenile court records will be opened.

Read the full story HERE

1:51 p.m. ET: Gone fishing? There are a few GOP honchos skipping the Republican National Convention: The Bushes, Dick Cheney and others.

See the full list HERE

Credit: Getty Images

12:27 p.m. ET: BREAKING: The National Weather Service declares that Isaac has now reached hurricane status, with max sustained winds of 75 mph.

11:10 a.m. ET: "Nightline" producer Brandon Baur snapped this photo of downtown New Orleans as the outer bands of the storm bring the first rains to city:

Credit: Brandon Baur/ABC

10:19 a.m. ET: All eyes continue to monitor Tropical Storm Isaac, which is on the brink of becoming a Cat. 1 hurricane. But forecasters are more concerned about rainfall and storm surge, than wind speed as the monster storm nears the Gulf states.

Here's the latest satelite image of Isaac:

Credit: NWS