Facing threats from Hurricane Isaac, there has been much speculation over whether or not the Republican National Convention, set to start early next week, will be able to take place due to the weather conditions in Tampa, Florida.

When asked about the possibile impacts of the hurricane, RNC communications director Sean Spicer said on CNN, "There's n such thing as canceling." Spicer continued,

Considering the opportunity to move from paper or modified electronic voting to full Internet ballots inevitably sparks a debate surrounding the likelihood of fraud and security of ballots. Prior to diving into the technical means for preventing voter fraud, we will investigate how great of a threat it posits in today’s offline elections.

Presidential pets have been in focus dating back to the first president, with George Washington not only fathering the nation, but also the American foxhound. Now, speculation over "First Dogs" has prompted media attention, with Obama questioned about his preference in breed in his first press conference as President-elect.

The Dog Training Secret posted this infographic, with some fun facts about the Presidents and their first dogs. A few favorite finds include:

In an article titled, "US drone strikes target rescuers in Pakistan," Glenn Greenwald reports that the US government is using tactics on the battlefield that it has criticized in the past as characteristic of terrorism.

President Obama warned Syria's government earlier in the week that the use of chemical or biological weapons in the nation’s escalating civil conflict against the Syrian uprising might illicit a US military response. The president called the use of such weapons a “red-line” with “enormous consequences.”

The presidential race is won by obtaining 270 of the 538 votes in the Electoral College. President Barack Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney are campaigning relentlessly, but much of their focus is on battleground/swing states. Each party has states that they can rely on to vote in their favor, but achieving 270 electoral votes requires reaching out to those undecided states.

In a bold move, Vice President Joe Biden has chosen to speak in Tampa during the Republican National Convention next week. The GOP expressed outrage at the announcement, claiming that Biden is merely crashing the RNC in an attempt to draw voters away.