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Louisiana's Terrebonne Parish was put under a state of emergency Thursday night in preparation for tropical storm Gustav. Michel Claudet, president of Terrebonne Parish, criticizes the federal government's response to their pleas for help.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain has named Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. Palin, 44, is the first woman named to a spot on the GOP ticket. She has been Alaska's governor since 2006.

Sen. Barack Obama gave an historic address last night before a record-breaking crowd of thousands, officially accepting the Democratic party's presidential nomination. In a final check in from Denver, NPR's Michel Martin and Cheryl Corley discuss last night's high notes.

The University of Florida in Gainesville is the No. 1-ranked party school. It's a distinction that surprises some students, and administrators hope new policies will help the school change that reputation.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the first woman picked for a Republican presidential ticket, appeals to social and economic conservatives — and possibly disgruntled Clinton supporters. But it appears that John McCain will forfeit a chance to question Barack Obama's relative lack of experience.

Republican Sen. John McCain has chosen Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his presidential running mate, a surpise decision that pundits scrambling to learn more about the first-term governor. NPR's John Ydstie offers analysis on Palin's selection and what it means for McCain's prospects in November.

What was the thinking behind John McCain's pick for vice president? Madeleine Brand talks to Republican strategist Dan Schnur about why McCain chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and how much "experience" matters.

Sen. John McCain surprised a lot of people Friday by picking Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate. McCain is in Dayton, Ohio to make the announcement. Madeleine Brands talk to David Schaper who's at the McCain rally in Dayton.

Record-setting Olympian Michael Phelps made an appearance Thursday in New York to promote a swimming program for inner-city kids. The event was sponsored by Visa, one of seven companies that has commercial ties to the swimmer. Phelps' agent says he could end up earning $100 million in endorsements.

The co-founder of the first national lesbian-rights organization in the United States — and the country's first national lesbian magazine — died Aug. 27 at age 87. We remember her with a Fresh Air interview from 1992.

As John McCain's scheduled vice presidential announcement neared Friday, a surprising name emerged as his likely pick: Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. She's a 44-year-old mother of five who was elected in 2006 on a platform of challenging the old guard of the Republican Party.

A civilian jury in Riverside, Calif., has acquitted a former Marine on charges of voluntary manslaughter. Jose Nazario Jr. was accused of killing unarmed Iraqi detainees in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2004.

National Guardsmen are on standby on this third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina as Tropical Storm Gustav makes its way toward the U.S. Gulf Coast. In New Orleans, officials said a mandatory evacuation might be necessary.

Sarah Palin is no stranger to the "maverick" label often assigned to Sen. John McCain. Alaska's youngest and first female governor has pushed for ethics investigations of fellow Republicans in her state and bucked the powerful oil industry on a major natural gas pipeline project.

North Korea recently allowed foreigners to visit parts of the country that aren't usually seen. Tony Banbury, the World Food Program's regional director for Asia, is there now and has visited several locations close to the border with China.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools revoked accreditation for the Clayton County School District south of Atlanta. This is only the second time in 40 years that an entire district has lost accreditation. That means the district's 50,000 students might not be able to qualify for scholarships or attend the college they've chosen.

The presumptive Republican presidential candidate has chosen Sarah Palin as his running mate. The 44-year-old is the first female governor of Alaska.

Presumptive Republican nominee John McCain is expected to unveil his vice presidential choice Friday at a rally in Dayton, Ohio. A few prominent names dropped off the list, and a new name emerged ahead of the announcement: 44-year-old Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

Barack Obama accepted the Democratic Party's nomination for president in a speech Thursday night that fired hard at his rival John McCain. Portraying a McCain administration as a continuation of the current Bush White House, Obama said, "On Nov. 4, we must stand up and say: 'Eight is enough.' "

A separatist enclave in Moldova could be the next place Russia will try to assert its control over the former Soviet republics.

The Justice Department on Thursday announced new guidelines for investigating corporate crime cases. The changes follow criticism that prosecutors went too far in pressuring companies to cooperate with criminal probes, and restricted individual defendants' rights.

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama made history Thursday night by accepting his party's nomination for the presidency. He's the first black American to hold such a major party nomination. To the cheers of an estimated 84,000 people at Denver's Invesco Field, Obama said America has had "enough" of broken politics and doesn't want John McCain to continue "the failed policies of George W. Bush."

Recent data from the Census Bureau says that the income of the U.S. middle class is on the rise, though it's only just getting back to the level it was before the 2000 recession. David Wessel, economics editor of The Wall Street Journal, talks with Steve Inskeep about flaws in how the Census collects this data, as well as the similarity in responses from the presidential campaigns.

Sen. Barack Obama accepted the Democratic Party's presidential nomination Thursday with "profound gratitude and great humility." The historic moment was witnessed by a packed football stadium in Denver and an audience of millions at home.

High-speed cameras reveal that flies perform an elegant little ballet with their legs. In less than a 10th of a second, flies perceive the direction of the threat and use their legs to angle their bodies for the quickest escape route.

With higher than expected economic growth, economists remain concerned about inflation. Some think the economy is facing enough head winds to keep it in check. Others say the strong GDP numbers mean the economy hasn't slowed down enough yet to curb inflation.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is focused on dealing with the storm Gustav, which could smash the Gulf Coast as a major hurricane. The head of FEMA is in the region and his boss, Homeland Defense Secretary Michael Chertoff, is going, too.

Barack Obama officially accepts his party's nomination for president Thursday at Denver's Invesco Field at Mile High. Up to 76,000 people are expected to attend. Democrats want to hear about the party's future. Obama is expected to emphasize his roots.

Barack Obama's speech is expected to focus on where he comes from, what he's going to fight for, what he means by change and how he's different from John McCain. But McCain hopes to steal Obama's thunder with an announcement of his vice presidential pick.

Barack Obama and Joe Biden will begin Friday a joint bus trip through the key battleground states of Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan, which have been hard hit by the economic downturn. Obama and his running mate will emphasize the economy.

The Commerce Department has revised second-quarter growth in gross domestic product to 3.3 percent, up from the previous estimate of 1.9 percent. The rate of increase is the fastest in nearly a year. Higher exports were credited for the increase.

Eric Melder is one of 10 Barack Obama supporters who won an all-expenses-paid trip to Denver courtesy of the Obama campaign. Last month, Obama's campaign e-mailed supporters saying if they made a donation of $5 or more and wrote a 100-word essay explaining why they support Obama, they could be selected to attend the convention.

Sen. Barack Obama makes history tonight when he speaks before the Democratic National Convention as the first black presidential nominee of a major party. But today also marks the 45th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, "I Have a Dream" speech at the March on Washington. Civil rights activist Marian Wright Edelman discusses the significance of both events.

During the Democratic National Convention, Obama has benefited by being surrounded by a mostly adoring base. But as the election moves forward, delegates and party leaders say that he needs to extend his message to a broader audience — beginning with his speech on Thursday night at the city's football stadium.

Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama will be giving his big speech on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous I Have a Dream speech, meaning the stakes are extremely high. We visit with a local debate team in Denver to see what they are looking for.

Exactly three years after the anniversary of Katrina, Hurricane Gustav is threatening to hit New Orleans. Kenneth Padgett, Jefferson Parish director of emergency services, discusses the lessons learned from Katrina.

Russia is facing international isolation over this month's attacks in Georgia, and the country failed to enlist the support it wanted from China and a group of former Soviet republics in Central Asia. Moscow has accused NATO of "battleship diplomacy."

Proctor, age 60, has been campaigning for GOP candidates since he was old enough to hand out brochures. He says his and others' efforts to organize conservative turnout in southwest Missouri may be key to making sure the battleground state stays red on Nov. 4.

The U.S. economy grew at a better than expected 3.3 percent rate in the second quarter, according to a report Thursday from the Commerce Department. But tax rebate checks and the weak dollar fueled the boost, and experts don't expect the healthy economic growth to last.