A maelstrom of media, supporters, and protestors will be descending on North Carolina Tuesday for the first day of the Democratic National convention, but on the eve of the big event, President Obama visited Louisiana in order to get a first-hand look at a different kind of storm: the damage inflicted on the state by Hurricane Isaac. The president flew into New Orleans and traveled to St. John the Baptist Parish, one of the hardest hit areas, to meet officials in charge of the relief effort and assess the damage. He promised residents that federal officials are "on the case very quickly" to determine what kind of aid is necessary for the state.

If Israel strikes its nuclear bases, Iran will retaliate. That was the message from the leader of Lebanon’s Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah Monday. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said that Iran could strike U.S. bases in the Middle East if Israel decides to attack any of its nuclear facilities. “A decision has been taken to respond and the response will be very great,” Nasrallah said. "The response will not be just inside the Israeli entity—American bases in the whole region could be Iranian targets. If Israel targets Iran, America bears responsibility."

President Bashar al-Assad seems determined to settle the conflict in Syria through brute military force. Speaking on behalf of Assad and the Syrian regime, the country’s information minister said Monday, “There will be no dialogue with the opposition prior to the Syrian army's imposition of security and stability in all parts of the country.” The opposing forces have long said that they would not negotiate with the regime until Assad is removed from power. A turning point in the escalating conflict was reached in August when Assad began using air strikes to attack the rebels. Earlier Monday, the new U.N. envoy to Syria said he believes ending the conflict will be “very, very difficult.”

The Republican National Convention may have ended last week, but some party members aren’t done rallying. Just outside of the security perimeter of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte this week, a group of Republicans is setting up an anti-Obama headquarters, which they say will serve as a “rapid- response” unit tasked with dampening and refuting the pro-Obama message. Among the high-level Republicans set to join the attack in Charlotte: RNC Chairman Reince Preibus, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin. The group is expected to play up the notion that the U.S. is not better off than it was four years ago.

Those organic blueberries you just shelled out 6 dollars for?  According to a new study, they may not be worth the extra cash. Researchers from Stanford University and the VA Palo Alto Health Care System found that organic foods typically don’t contain any more vitamins or nutrients than foods grown with pesticides. Researchers did find however that organic food lives up to its billing when it comes to containing less pesticides and antibiotic-resistant bacteria residue, a fact which may provide health benefits of its own.

The United States just made an expensive deal with Egypt, offering to take care of $1 billion of the country's debt as part of an effort to facilitate a move towards democracy. The agreement has been in the works for over a year, but was delayed by the Obama administration's hesitancy to get involve itself with newly-elected Egyptian leaders--amid political turmoil--at the risk of harming relationships with other countries, like China. The U.S. government is also supporting a $4.8 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund to Egypt, further proving its dedication to helping the country as it stands to provide stability amid the turmoil still raging across much of the Middle East. 

A car strapped with explosives rammed into a U.S. consular vehicle in Peshawar, Pakistan, on Monday morning, injuring two Pakistanis and two Americans. There were reports, however, that the two Americans had died. The attack happened in the northwestern city of Peshawar, a key post that links the tribal regions of Afghanistan to Pakistan’s border. The blast left a large crater in the road, and police said there were 200 pounds of explosives in the car. The Taliban is suspected to have perpetrated the suicide assault.

The sore loser is sorry, kind of. South African Oscar Pistorius has issued a formal apology for comments he made following his second-place finish in the Paralympic 200 meters. The current recordholder in the 200m, Pistorius was outrun by Brazilian Alan Oliveira in the final 20 meters of the race, finishing in 21.52, behind Oliveira’s 21.45. Although still adamant that the International Paralympic Committee reevaluate their artificial leg regulations, he now says that the timing of his comments was off. “I accept that raising these concerns immediately as I stepped off the track was wrong,” said Pistorius. “That was Alan's moment, and I would like to put on record the respect I have for him.”

Prince Harry made his first public appearance since his crown jewels made their TMZ debut last month. The occasion was a charity event Monday for the organization WellChild, a group that helps seriously ill children and their doctors. No one has seen or heard from the royal exhibitionist since the photos of him carousing nude in a Las Vegas hotel room were leaked. A young boy with acute leukemia who was presented an award by Harry at the event got his chance to tease, telling ITV News that he would tell the prince, “I’m glad you’ve got your clothes on,” when he saw him. Tastefully but unfortunately, the boy did not end up making the comment.

Michael Clarke Duncan, the towering actor best known for his Oscar-nominated performance in The Green Mile, died Monday morning. He was 54. Duncan had been hospitalized after suffering a heart attack on July 13. In addition to his memorable turn opposite Tom Hanks in the 1999 drama, Duncan starred in Armageddon, Sin City, and last season’s Fox drama series The Finder. According to IMDb, the actor has two more completed projects set for release: In the Hive and The Challenger.

Beautiful-people problems. A representative for British singer Seal has issued a statement to People explaining that statements he made during an impromptu TMZ interview Friday have been misconstrued. His comments, including that he wished Heidi would wait to “fornicate with the help,” came after photos of his estranged wife and her bodyguard Martin Kirsten in Sardinia went viral. “Seal would like to clarify that he was not implying his wife was cheating on him while they were together,” the statement reads. “But rather he was pointing out that they are separated and the divorce is not final so they are legally still married.” Seal and Klum split in January after seven years of marriage. A divorce is still pending.

For the first time in seven years, U.S. movie box-office revenue fell this summer—down 3 percent from 2011. Attendance at movies was down 4 percent, despite massive hits like The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises. Analysts chalk up the decline to several factors, including the Olympics, higher ticket prices, and a rash of bad movies. Oogieloves, anyone?

This past week was already called the deadliest week in the Syria crisis, and the situation didn’t get any better Monday. Opposition activists report that more than 25 people were killed by an air strike in Aleppo. A building in al-Bab, just northeast of Aleppo city, was attacked by a government jet. In Damascus, a car bombing left at least five people killed, amid  reports that government forces were bulldozing houses. In a discouraging interview with the BBC, The UN’s new envoy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, said that stopping the fighting in Syria will be “nearly impossible.”

Nearly 1,000 people marched through Charlotte's business district on Sunday—two days before the start of the Democratic National Convention in that city—in protest of the influence of corporate money in politics. The crowd railed against the bailouts that big businesses received in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis and carried signs that read, "Banks got bailed out. We got sold out." The marchers planned to pass by Bank of America's corporate headquarters and a Wells Fargo office. Many of the activists said they were there to protest other concerns like the government's inaction on climate change and the human rights abuses. At least two people were arrested, Charlotte police said.

Louisiana authorities have lifted the evacuation order for St. Tammany Parish on Saturday—but they warned that troubled West Pearl River is expected to crest at five feet past the flood point on Monday in the nearby town of Pearl River.  In St. Tammany Parish, engineers have stabilized a key lock on the Pear River Diversion Canal. The high water on West Pearl is a separate issue, with structural flooding expected as the West Pearl could reach 19.5 feet by 7 p.m. on Monday. “It’s going to be a long couple of days,” said St. Tammany Parish President Pat Brister. Meanwhile, more than half of Jefferson and Orleans counties had restored power by Sunday evening, with Entergy Corp. reporting that 242,000 of its Louisiana customers without electricity—down from a peak of 769,000.

As the threat of an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities looms, the Obama administration is moving forward with a plan it hopes will preclude a nuclear disaster. The strategy, to be rolled out over the next few weeks, consists of naval exercises and new antimissile systems in the Persian Gulf, as well as a tighter grip on Iranian oil revenue. But for many of Obama’s top advisers, the plan isn’t strong enough. In a pivotal election year, none of the moves Obama has made with Israel address the biggest—and most important—concern internationally: slowing Iran’s nuclear progress.

As Obama heads to the Democratic National Convention, he faces questions of how he’ll respond to allegations that he’s against free enterprise—stemming from his business “didn’t build that” comment. Senior advisers hinted that the president will point to the Romney camp’s “tripod of lies” and say that the “didn’t build that” remark was taken out of context, and that the president has always had a clear faith in private enterprise. While many RNC speeches mentioned the soundbite, the president hasn’t said the words in six weeks. The original quote: “If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help ... If you’ve got a business—you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.”

A 69-year-old Brooklyn resident sent his daughter running into the street screaming after allegedly dousing her in acid, reports The Associated Press. Neighbors scrambled to help as 49-year-old Darlene Lynch ran hysterically onto to the street while her face peeled and her clothes disintegrated. Neighbors told the local newspaper that smoke could be seen coming from her body and that her face looked like “melting wax.” It remains a mystery why the man—who is in a wheelchair and suffering from memory loss—poured acid on his daughter, his sole caregiver. Lynch was taken the hospital in critical condition Saturday, and sources say she may suffer the loss of her left eye.

Hopefully his Noah will have a better sense of direction. While on Long Island filming Darren Aronofsky's adaptation of the biblical flood story, actor Russell Crowe got lost kayaking with a friend. The two eventually flagged down a Coast Guard officer who brought them back to their starting point. “It wasn’t really a rescue,” said the officer. “Really, more of just giving someone a lift.” Whatever it was, Crowe was appreciative, tweeting, “Thanks to Seth and the boys from the U.S. Coast Guard for guiding the way,” while also insisting, “We knew exactly where we were, padding around from csh into wind, we ran out of day. Grand adventure eh.”

Reverend Dr. Sun Myung Moon, leader of the Unification Church, died from complications of pneumonia in South Korea at age 92. Moon founded media outlets across the world to promote freedom of the press. He began the church in South Korea in 1954, and was a lifelong supporter of anti-Communist causes. Moon also founded several newspapers, including The Washington Times, as well as electronic media outlets and digital publications in the U.S., Japan, and South Korea, and throughout Latin America, Africa, and Europe. Calling himself a “controversial person” in his 2009 biography, he was jailed six times throughout his life and once sent to a North Korean labor camp.

What does it take to break a code of silence? Just some “bad blood,” according to an e-book written by former Special Ops soldiers. The e-book, No Easy Op, says that Matt Bissonnette—the former Navy SEAL who wrote No Easy Day, the book about the Osama bin Laden raid—was annoyed that he was forced out of the unit after hinting that he’d want to head home and start a small business. The e-book, which tends to sympathize with Bissonnette, was based on anonymous interviews with current SEAL Team 6 members and says it’s unlikely that No Easy Day disclosed any classified information.

TomNaz? According to director Paul Haggis, who resigned from Scientology two years ago, Vanity Fair’s report that the church was grooming Iranian-born actress Naz Boniadi to be Tom Cruise’s wife between 2004 and 2005, before he ultimately married Katie Holmes, is true. The Crash director tells Showbiz 411 that Boniadi is a friend of his and he initially kept quiet to shield her from embarrassment, but he “was deeply disturbed by how the highest-ranking members of a church could so easily justify using one of their members; how they so callously punished her and then so effectively silenced her when it was done.”

Paul Ryan isn't the only politician who likes to toot his own horn. Barack Obama has become something of a one-upper himself, boasting recently about his chili-making, pool-playing, and even doodling skills. The president is "a voraciously competitive perfectionist," The New York Times writes Monday, observing that "as he faces off with Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential nominee, Mr. Obama's will to win--and fear of losing--is in overdrive." While as far as polls go, he and Mitt Romney are virtually tied, Obama reportedly said his campaign will block his Republican opponents'. "We're the Miami Heat and he's Jeremy Lin," an aide recalls the president saying. 

Mitt Romney’s RNC speech wasn’t very impressive, according to a new Gallup poll. Of those surveyed, only 38 percent thought his speech was excellent or good—the lowest score for a presidential candidate’s convention speech since Gallup started scoring them in 1996. Last week’s convention had the second-lowest amount of viewers of all eight conventions since 1996. “Americans’ relatively weak reaction to the Republican convention does not appear to have hurt their likelihood of voting for Romney so far, although it apparently is related to the lack of a typical convention bounce,” Gallup said.