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I'm Asieh Namdar at the CNN.com Newsroom in Atlanta. Here's a look at what's happening NOW IN THE NEWS.

Hurricane Gustav is beginning its assault on the US Gulf¹ Coast. Rain and winds are starting to hit the area from Florida to Louisiana. The storm, the size of Texas, is barreling towards the Gulf States, the very same region that was battered² by Hurricane Katrina three years ago. Tens of thousands of people are abandoning their homes, taking with them all they can and getting out of town. For the first time ever, authorities in the New Orleans area of Jefferson Parish are ordering mandatory³ evacuations. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin is ordering residents to get out.

And it remains⁴ to be seen if the Republican National Convention will go on as scheduled tomorrow. Two Republican officials tell CNN substantial changes will be announced later today after top McCain campaign officials meet with Convention planners in St. Paul. The governors of Mississippi, Flo rida, Louisiana and Texas have all canceled their plans to attend. The White House says President Bush will also likely cancel his trip. He'll speak via satellite if he can not attend the Convention.

Senator McCain is heading to Mississippi to see how the state plans to weather the storm. He has been contacted with Gulf Coast governors, the director of FEMA and Homeland Security.

Senator Barack Obama is urging Gulf Coastal⁵ residents to listen to evacuation warnings and not try and ride out the storm. The Democratic nominee⁶ says he and running mate Joe Biden were briefed by top Louisiana officials yesterday.

Two hospitals are on lockdown and two people are dead after a chemical leak in St. Louis Missouri. Officials say at least eight people got sick after being exposed to a highly toxic⁷ material at a chemical storage and mixing plant yesterday. The hospitals where they sought treatment had to be quarantined. No patients or staff at the hospitals appeared to be contaminated. The incident happened as the lid of a barrel popped off after it was dropped, spilling the white powdered chemical inside.

And as many as 50 healthcare workers in Southern California have been fired or resigned for carrying fake CPR cards. Citrus Valley Health Partner says nearly two dozen registered nurses are among those who lost their jobs. The hospital group launched an investigation⁸ after a healthcare instructor⁹ noticed a worker's CPR certification card was a fake. The group says patient care was not affected¹⁰.

And those are the headlines this hour. For more on these stories and other news of the day, CNN is your source online, on TV, or when you are on the go.