NPR News

As Isaac continues to pound the Gulf Coast from Louisiana east through Mississippi, Republicans gathered in Tampa for their 2012 national convention continue to strike a balance between going on with their politicking and partying while trying not to look indifferent to the suffering of others.

Isaac might not be in the same league as Hurricane Katrina seven years ago, but the latest storm to batter Louisiana's Gulf Coast is punching above its weight class in more ways than one, scientists say.

Chuck Yates is a senior managing director at a private equity firm in Houston. Almost every senior energy executive in town knows him well.

A while back, Chuck learned of the Youth Development Center, a non-profit organization that inspires and equips inner city kids to achieve academic success.

Chuck organizes an annual dinner at the House of Blues where a notable energy personality is roasted by his peers. The dinner is the main source of YDC's funding.

China's latest online sensation is a Bush, but perhaps surprisingly, it's neither the 41^st or the 43^rd President of the US. In fact, Neil Bush, the younger brother of 43 and the son of 41 has become an online sensation in China after posting a joke photo on China's version of twitter.

Neil Bush was virtually unknown in China a week ago, despite being co-chairman of Beijing-based real estate company, CIIC.

This year is on track to be the worst ever for West Nile virus in the United States. Here are the latest numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• 1,590 reported cases, nearly 500 more than a week ago for a rise of 44 percent.
• 889 cases, or 56 percent, involve severe neurological disease.
• 66 deaths, compared to 41 last week.

Last February, five major banks came to an agreement with the United States government that would provide $26 billion in mortgage relief aid to homeowners.