Big hurricane about to bear down

The US dept of energy was just out with a statement saying it's ready to use SPR if necessary due to Laura.

The latest statement says they are expecting a "catastrophic storm surge, extreme winds and flash flooding along the gulf coast."

The storm is headed towards the area of major US offshore oil production and several of the nation's largest refineries.

On the political side, the storm will sap some of the attention from the RNC tonight, with Pence set to speak.