let's go "outfront." good evening, everyone, i'm erin burnett. "outfront" tonight, mitt strikes back. 24 hours after a hidden camera showed him at a private fund-raiser saying that nearly half the nation will not vote for him because those people rely on government handouts. just hours ago, he doubled down. >> i'm talking about a perspective of individuals who i'm not likely to get to support me. i recognize that those people who are not paying income tax are going to say, gosh, this provision of -- that mitt keeps talking about, lowering income taxes, that's not going to be really attractive to them. and those dependent upon government and those that think government's job is to redistribute, i'm not going to get them. >> in the interview with neil cavuto, he also talked about the 47% of people who pay no income tax, saying that many of them wish they did. >> there are a number of retirees, members of the military and so forth who aren't paying taxes, and that's as it should be. but i do believe that we should have enough jobs and enough take-home pay such that people have the privilege of higher incomes that allow them to be paying taxes. i think people would like to be paying taxes. >> the criticism of romney has been withering. and it has been a rough two weeks in terms of headlines for the romney campaign. he didn't get a convention poll bounce, but the president did. and then politico reported this week romney's senior advisers are fighting and not on the same page. and then there were the two incidents, as i'll call them. first, criticizing the president for the attacks on the embassy in cairo. romney was criticized by the left and the right by people like john mccain. and now this sound bite from the fund-raiser. this was from the left, of course. but some republicans also disavowed it. two are important, because they're in tight races for the senate. and their dismissal of romney could be a bad sign for his standing with independent voters. linda mcmann in connecticut told "the daily caller," and i'm quoting her, i couldn't disagree with governor romney more. i don't think people choose often to be in the position they're in. i think by the fact that our economy is where it is and we're not able to have jobs, i think government has failed them in that aspect. and in massachusetts, senator scott brown e-mailed "the hill" saying, quote, that's not the way i view the world. as someone who grew up in tough circumstances, i know that being on public assistance is not a spot that anyone wants to be in. so does this add up to romney being done? over, a goner? people were kind of talking about that today. you may have heard it out there in the ether. but the short answer to the question is no. bear with me. first some of the bad news for the romney campaign. a brand new cnn poll of polls has him three points behind president obama nationwide. now, in swing states like virginia and it really does come down to the swing states, a new "washington post" poll has him falling much farther behind. but history does show there is a path for mitt romney, although it may be a hard to find one. look at this. you need to look at the highlighted years here. the year 2000 and 1980. at this point in 2000, al gore was leading george w. bush by three points. the same as president obama's current lead. we all know how that ended up. and way back in 1980, jimmy carter was leading long old reagan by one point in early september and lost the election by two. and then there's this. the fact that after the egypt embassy statement, which romney was so widely criticized for, a gallup poll today showed him gaining back all of what he lost after the obama convention bounce. now, this includes the reaction to romney's egypt handling. how he handled that situation. so they're now just one point apart, according to this gallup poll. an nbc "wall street journal" poll released tonight shows the president's approval rating on foreign policy fell 12 points among independents after the egypt and libya attacks. if romney keeps pander to go his base, will it be his undoing or salvation? we're joined by contributor david frum, gloria borger who did the definitive documentary on mitt romney, republican strategist alex castellanos, and presidential historian, douglas brinkley. and i appreciate all of you taking the time. gloria, you are on our independent political strike team. is this a fatal move for romney, or when you look at some of these polls, do you say this could actually help him with his base, a base, by the way, that seemed to be picked on and very unmotivated. >> it's not a fatal move for romney. i think what this does on the down side for them, and really on the down side, is that it plays into the whole white house narrative about mitt romney. that he's somebody who is out of touch, he doesn't understand people like me, he doesn't care about the middle class. you know, when you call 47% of voters people who consider themselves victims, that's not a good thing to do. it also plays into the narrative that he doesn't believe anything. will he say the same thing privately, or allegedly privately to a group of fund raisers that he would out in public? but, you know, nothing is a fatal blow these days in politics. hardly anything. as you point out, these polls can gyrate. the president has come down from his post convention bounce, and so you know, we have got a bunch of time left to go. >> we do. i mean, when you look at it that way. and doug, how can mitt romney recover from whatever blow he has taken? and certainly, among those in the middle, as you can see by scott brown and linda mcmann, those people fighting for independents seem to be the ones distancing themselves from him. so how can he recover with that group, if at all? >> well, you know, mitt romney has got the debates coming up. and the expectations are low, and maybe even lower out of these last few weeks with these mistakes he's making. but if he can hold his own with the president or win in the debates, a lot of this will be forgotten. but there is -- he's made a fatal blunder here. first off, not recognizing that everything is taped. the idea that there are things held in secret. and i think it's that cloak of secrecy. this is being called by the media a secret tape. and his taxes are secret. and it leads to the point that we're getting near election day, and people really aren't sure who mitt romney is, and he's spending his time not courting independents, but trying to court his base. so he's a man in trouble right now. >> and alex, let me ask you about this question. what doug saying, a man trying to court his base. so obviously, he didn't expect this 47% comment at the fund-raiser to come out. but now that it has, and we don't have any polls to show how this is going to affect him. will it help him with his base and does he need that help? >> no. i think i kind of disagree with douglas on this. the base is hugely motivated, and it's motivated by barack obama, who has scared the pants off of republican voters and frankly independent voters. look, even barack obama is not running on barack obama's agenda. he's running on bill clinton's agenda. barack obama is not running on what he's going to do the next four years. he's running on what bill clinton would dot next four years. so this could -- right now, mitt romney doesn't need to motivate his base. they are motivated to change it. but what mitt romney has not done is say how he would lead. that's what's next. that's what has to happen in these debates. >> okay. but when you say that, about the base, let me just put this poll up, david frum, have you jump in on this, so you can look at the national gallup poll if you're mitt romney and say look, obama has lost his bounce. then i give you virginia, "washington post" 52% for barack obama, 44% for mitt romney. and that's not the only swing state where we see the president pull ahead. that's got to be terrifying. >> the tragedy of the situation, here is a man who is a competent, capable manager, who has been good at everything, a successful governor. the author of the first universal health care coverage provision in the nation. a person who has demonstrated through his charity and personal life he has a good and generous heart. and he has been pushed and pushed by an angry base into sounding not like the person he is, but into sounding like some class warrior in reverse. and that statement he made to that fund-raiser, that was something that expressed not just his personal idiosyncratic view. what he's saying there, that's the daily talk of talk radio and the washington think tanks and "wall street journal" editorial page. all of the people who hated him, tried to stop him from being the nominee. and at this -- he's got the job. he's got the nomination. and he needs to talk to america, he meets to talk for america. >> all right. >> david -- >> okay, go ahead. >> no, i was just going to say, you know, here's the shocking, breaking news that mitt romney actually said there. he's going after swing voters. that was what he was saying. he wasn't going after his base. he was saying, look, i'm going to concentrate on swing voters. now, did he say it wrong? yes, he absolutely did. he shouldn't have said it that way. he shouldn't have said i'm not going to -- 47% of the people are never going to vote for me if i talk to them about conservative principles and self-reliance. he would have to be president of 100% of the people. he should have said what most republicans say, which is, my job is to lift everybody up and make more people successful and taxpayers, especially those in need. you're right, david, that's what he has done in real life. i've seen him there. >> this dopey idea that the people who are -- who earn too little to pay income taxes are moochers. you know, 60% of the 47% pay payroll taxes. 15.3%. >> and they all pay sales taxes. >> that wasn't what this was about, guys. >> that -- >> you're misinterpreting the whole thing. >> that's a higher rate than mitt romney pays. 60% of the 47% pay more in tax than mitt romney pays. >> so you're supporting higher capital gains taxes. that has nothing to do with this. >> if not paying income tax means you don't take responsibility for your life, mitt romney doesn't pay income tax. why did he feel the need to say that? >> because, i'll tell you why. i'll tell you why, david. because above all else, mitt romney looks at politics like a businessman looks at business. he says what do i need to do to close the deal? so i'm before a bunch of fund raisers, and i'm saying this because they're going to take out their checkbooks and they're going to write their checks. when you're running for the governor of massachusetts, you have to be a little bit more moderate. when you're running for the presidency, you're going to go be more conservative. and what do i need to do to close the deal? because the deal he wants to close is to win. so he sounded like a businessman, and by the way, a political analyst, saying, okay, i need these independent voters. these are the people i'm going to go after. they may -- my tax message may have more resonance with them. the bottom line here is, though, people then don't know who you are. or what you believe. >> right. the whole issue of principles. >> at some point, maybe in the debates, he's going to -- or before the debates, he's going to have to lay out his vision. >> and let me just -- because all of you have raised this point about you have to be president for everyone. and see, this is where the president came back with a real punch. if you're going to say mitt romney went on fox, here's the president. he chose letterman. but this is not a funny line. here's what he had to say about mitt romney, doug. >> i don't know what -- he was referring to. but i can tell you this. when i won in 2008, 47% of the american people voted for john mccain. they didn't vet for me. and what i said on election night was, even though you didn't vote for me, i hear your voices, and i'm going to work as hard as i can to be your president. and one of the things i've learned, as president, you represent the entire country. >> doug, as a presidential historian, i'll give you the final word. can mitt romney still win this? >> i think barack obama is correct, and i think mitt romney's problem is, the clip you played, erin, at the beginning, he was very defensive. on a monday, beginning a new cycle of the week, you don't want to be in a defensive crouch he was in last week. and you're starting to see him have zero offense and constantly trying to defend mitt romneyisms. and the romney campaign is starting to get in disarray over it. they can't control the candidate. when david brooks and the "new york times" slams mitt romney, begging for the guy he knows that's so good at business and politics to step forward, people aren't seeing that person. and barack obama is a lot more popular than mitt romney. so it's not a good day, and it doesn't look like it's a good week for mitt romney. >> we shall see. and everyone, please head to twitter -- take to twitter, and let us know what you think, whether mitt romney can close the deal or not. ahead, congress is trying to delay more than $1 trillion in cuts set to take effect. this is happening on the back burner. but does this plan add up. plus an "outfront" investigation. tonight we're following the record amount of money being spent to get your vote. and it has been one week since the american ambassador was killed in an attack in libya. so why has no one been arrested for his murder? ♪ ♪ wow... [ female announcer ] sometimes, all you need is the smooth, creamy taste of werther's original caramel to remind you that you're someone very special. ♪ now discover new caramel apple filled werther's original. like in a special ops mission? you'd spot movement, gather intelligence with minimal collateral damage. but rather than neutralizing enemies in their sleep, you'd be targeting stocks to trade. well, that's what trade architect's heat maps do. they make you a trading assassin. trade architect. td ameritrade's empowering web-based trading platform. trade commission-free for 60 days, and we'll throw in up to $600 when you open an account. and the candidate's speech is in pieces all over the district. the writer's desktop and the coordinator's phone are working on a joke with local color. the secure cloud just received a revised intro from the strategist's tablet. and while i make my way into the venue, the candidate will be rehearsing off of his phone. [ candidate ] and thanks to every young face i see out there. [ woman ] his phone is one of his biggest supporters. [ female announcer ] with cisco at the center... working together has never worked so well. ♪ [ male announcer ] its lightweight construction makes it nimble... ♪ its road gripping performance makes it a cadillac. introducing the all-new cadillac xts. available with advanced haldex all-wheel drive. [ engine revving ] it's bringing the future forward. it's bringing the future the wheels of progress. seems they haven't been moving much lately. but things are starting to turn around because of business people like you. and regions is here to help. with the experience and service to keep things rolling. from business loans to cash management, we want to be your partner moving forward. so switch to regions. and let's get going. together. our second story "outfront," pay and punt. really a bad combination of things, isn't it? well, the bipartisan group of senators known as the "gang of eight" are trying to hammer out a deal to avoid the $1.2 trillion in sequester money and extend the bush tax cuts for as many as possible. but it's really a stall, and they admit it. i think they do. you'll hear in a second if they're going to take issue. but they're trying to delay the tax increases and sequester for six months to buy time to make a grand bargain. if you're confused because you thought the whole idea of the sequester was to give congress 17 months to make a brand bargain and now that they failed another six months ain't worth a hill of beans, you're not alone. kent conrad, chairman of the senate committee is "outfront." good to see you, sir. >> good to see you. >> am i being fair here? is you guys are trying to stall this six months because you don't think you can get it done this year. >> no. you know, i think this all flows from a story that really mixed two different initiatives. one that senator mccain and senator levin are working on to delay the sequester. another effort, separate and apart from that, that is the group of eight, four democrats, four republicans, that were asked about a year-and-a-half ago by 30 of our colleagues to see if we couldn't come up with a plan that would be the grand bargain, that would follow pretty closely with the bowles/simpson commission came up with. so i think there's some confusion here about what the group of eight is trying to do and what mccain/levin are trying to accomplish. >> if you succeed, are we going to get a grand bargain that prevents the sequester, and we're going to get the grand bargain now, not six months from now. >> look, i can't say what the group will conclude, because we're still negotiating. i would be happy to tell you what i am pushing for, which is to in the lame duck session, after the election, reach the grand bargain, and that that would be a framework that the committees of jurisdiction would then have six months to meet. in other words, they would be given instructions, how much to cut, from what programs, how to reform the entitlements, how to reform the tax system, how much money to raise, all of that would be agreed upon right after the election. the committees of jurisdiction would fill in the details, how those goals were to be met and there would also be a down payment that is hundreds of billions of dollars of cuts and revenue agreed to in the lame duck that would take immediate effect. and on top of the framework, there would be penalties if the committees of jurisdiction did not meet their assignments. so that's what we're working on. >> okay. now, i think that makes sense, although here's the thing. these penalties, right, we're supposed to be facing these penalties with the sequester now. if you get what you want, the sequester gets put off for six months in case they fail and we still don't have anything happen. it's just a frustration. i'm sure you share it, that we cent get something signed and happen. >> that wouldn't be my intention. i'm not interested in anymore kicking the can down the road. look, i started on this effort five years ago with judd gregg, the ranks republican on the committee, first to have a commission that would be totally enforceable in law and we got 53 votes in the senate for that proposition. seven of our original republican co sponsors, original co sponsors, voted no against their own proposal. so then we had no choice but to go to a presidentially ordered commission that did not have the force and effect of law. that put us in a weaker negotiating position with less leverage. but, look, we still have an opportunity here to do what needs to be done for the country. which is to agree on a plan that will save at least $4 trillion off deficits and debt over the next ten years. i'm actually pushing for $5 trillion, because i'd like to actually balance the budget. >> all right. senator, thank you very much. we are rooting for you to get this done and get it done right. he ended with a key number. he wants to cut $4 trillion. that's the same as simpson/bowles. simpson/bowles came around last time, didn't pass, debt ceiling crisis. it feels like a kick in the can. i know he doesn't want it to be. >> god bless, he's at least trying to do the hard work and he's someone who has been fighting this fight for a long time. and sure, there are going to be people who say, look, this will buy us a little bit of time, we can move the fiscal cliff just a little bit. but kent conrad really has been a leader, but he is leaving. so that adds to part of the problem here. he can do all the good work, but at least he's focused on the lame duck. there are too many members totally in denial about the fiscal cliff. >> who are in total denial. my thing, if you get this passed and i hope you do, i know it takes time to implement it, but in six months, we don't like the cuts you made, we want to do it again. frustrating. at least he's fighting the good fight. that brings me to our third story "outfront." big money, a little transparency. a federal appeals court today overturned a ruling that would have tightened disclosure rules for donations and the campaign commercials. so the decisions could make it harder to follow the money trail. in an election year when we've been telling you it's a record in terms of the amount of money going into campaigns, through groups, including super pacs. john avalon continuing his series on the super pac economy. >> yeah. >> it's not a game, the super pac economy, this is real life. and you're focusing tonight on dark money. >> dark money. so these are the 501(c)(4)s, a tax name but social welfare organization. and so very different from super pacs. it's able -- donors are able to give money without disclosure. and we have seen a dramatic increase in the political spending they're making. take a look at this. before citizens united, just around $3 million was spent by these 501(c)(4) organizations. at this cycle, $67 million. that is over 200% increase in the amount of money the political ads that these 501 c 4s are putting forward. direct evidence of dark money making an impact on our election and the tip of the iceberg. >> and nobody has to disclose. so when you give money to a super pac, we all see it. i can see, john avalon gave $2 million to whomever. but 501(c)(4) i can give money to at no disclosure. and can't the 501(c)(4) give money to the super pac? >> they can move money around. the 501(c)(4) is the biggest untold story for that very reason. the whole deal behind citizens united, justice kennedy said, look, we'll have unprecedented amounts of money, but unprecedented disclosure. that was the grand bargain, in effect, that citizens united was supposed to put forward. 501(c)(3)s pop up and subvert. take a look, for example, at the super pacs that have had -- eight of the top 20 super pacs, these are three. priorities usa action. american crossroads, and club for growth action, three of the eight super pacs that have 501(c)(3)s put forward and it's a mockery. folks can say if you don't want to give money publicly, do it through the 501(c)(3) and then the money moves around. >> and there's a way to hide it. can they spend the money any way they want? is it sounds like what you're saying, it's not a charitable organization, that's a 501 c 3 but an organization designed for social causes. >> that's right, elderly. but this is the dark money shuffle. we've an able to find out these folks move money around between different organizations. crossroads gps gave people $4 million to grover norquist. they need to keep spending below 50%, but they can give it to another group who spends it on political spending, so this whole thing becomes a giant sham and when the curtain gets pulled back, corporation aetna, $7.8 million they gave to american action network in chamber of commerce. and no one was supposed to see that. that's an indication of the dark money going through this cycle. >> when the curtain gets pulled back sometimes you see a very unattractive naked person. still "outfront" tonight, it's been weeks since an american ambassador was killed. who are officials focusing on? was has there been no arrest? our arwa damon investigates. and a new milestone for apple tonight. ou'd have some cut-rate policy. nope, i've got... [ voice of dennis ] the allstate value plan. it's their most affordable car insurance -- and you still get an allstate agent. i too have... [ voice of dennis ] allstate. [ normal voice ] same agent and everything. it's like we're connected. no we're not. yeah, we are. no, we're not. ♪ ask an allstate agent about the value plan. are you in good hands? ♪ lord, you got no reason ♪ you got no right ♪ ♪ i find myself at the wrong place ♪ [ male announcer ] the ram 1500 express. ♪ it says a lot about you. ♪ in a deep, hemi-rumble sort of way. guts. glory. ram. welcome back. we have breaking news. yes, the chicago teachers strike has ended, and right now we are joined by the head of the chicago's teachers union, karen lewis, joining me on the phone on this breaking news. ms. lewis, we appreciate you taking the time. are you satisfied with the deal you got? are you happy? >> well, i mean, it's the deal we have. it's an austerity contract. the key is that we beat back the ugliest part of the so-called reform agenda and that's important for us and our members. >> when you say an austerity contract, what exactly do you mean? i just want to throw something up here for our viewers to see. the average teacher's salary in chicago, $74,839, more than new york, los angeles or private sector workers in chicago. sorry, go ahead. >> right. you know what the problem with that number is? they also include anybody that has a teaching certificate, which are administrators. so you push that number up, that's when you get that kind of number. so they've been using that number disingenuously. but the key is, the average teacher salary in chicago is not $74,000. regardless -- >> what is it? >> the issue is, austerity for us, means we have been used to getting 4% raises so now we're not. the issue is, it's not about the money. it's about what school looks like for all of our members and for our students. and the key is, this whole agenda is out of control, and not only is it out of control, we need to move in a different direction, and we need to move into a much more holistic agenda. because if our children don't have music, art, p.e., world languages, we're going to have a -- just a factory. and the only people that win out of that are the companies that make testing materials. so we would like to see the cultural be broad and rich and deep for our kids. and we would also like to see things be more just. >> so one thing that you said, ms. lewis, early on in this, when you were talking about mayor rahm emanuel, you referred to him as a bully and liar. >> yes. >> do you stand by that? >> yes, absolutely. i mean, the key is, he has said certain things, and he took away a 4% raise. that en raged members. especially because the money was there, it had been budgeted for by the previous administration. but the mayor had an education agenda he wanted to ram down our throats, and he thought he had done it with a senate bill that, you know, senate bill 7, that passed almost unanimously in illinois. and, you know, the fact is that we were still able to enjoin our members to move as one. and i think that powerful message of when you work together, you accomplish magnificent things. we still want to work with the board of education so we can accomplish what's really best for our kids. >> so one thing that i think a lot people, when i've heard people frustrated with your side of things, ms. lewis, they said, look, mayor emmanuel wanted to have a longer school day, chicago had a shorter one, one of the worst high school graduation rates in the country. you have -- they would go through this list of things. and they will say that teachers there make more than teachers elsewhere and say, look, we need to have more accountability. we need there to be longer days, we need teachers to be paid who are good teachers and teach who are bad to be laid off and not be given priority in rehiring and all of that makes sense to a lot of people. does it make sense to you? >> first of all, that's not the issue, and the way you've described it is common sense, but it's not what really is. the problem is, they've had flexibility. and they've also been short-lived. so we have a problem with a four-year flexibility -- i'm sorry, a four-year tenure by and large. we cannot have instability every time a new principal comes in the building they want to tear it up because they want their own people. and one of the problems is, it is principals' responsibility to evaluate teachers so the whole so-called bad teacher piece, if you look a little further, it's not people that are incompetent, it's not people that don't know their subject matter. it's predominantly people that have been protected by the principal. not the union. and this is the problem that we have been fighting for years, because the analysis has been that unions protect bad teachers. we do not. we protect due process. that's a difference. in addition, the whole concept of a longer school day is that our test scores have been trending upwards. our graduation rates have trended upwards. and yet we did that all without a longer day. and yet there is no fanfare made about it. if you look at the edelman video, he said he made up all of that stuff about the longer school day, and rahm emanuel used it as a campaign tool. so the key is, let's be honest, and let's have honest conversations, and that's the beauty of this issue that we brought up, was that we started having honest conversations about what school reform really is. so we want a better day for our kids. we could have planned this together. but when somebody stands on top of you and tries to ram something down your throat, nobody likes that, erin. nobody. >> well, i think everybody can agree with you on that. all right, thank you very much, karen lewis, we appreciate your taking the time. as we said, the chicago's teachers union strike has ended. and our understanding is that those teachers say they're going to make up those days that the kids have lost later on in the school year. now our fourth story "outfront." who killed chris stevens? it is one week after the horrific attack in which ambassador chris stevens and three other americans were killed at the u.s. consulate in benghazi. u.s. officials have not arrested anyone directly linked to the attack. they have focused on members of the militia sympathetic to al qaeda. but the arrests they have made are of people outside that night but not having to do with the attack. arwa damon has been fighting for answers. it's been hard. she is in benghazi, and a few moments ago, i asked her how the investigation is going. >> reporter: it's been incredibly frustrating to try to get a straight answer from the government, because even within the government itself, we're still continuing to hear these conflicting accounts. how many people have actually been arrested? how many of them were associated with the attack? what sort of leads has the government come across? at this point in time, you still have the head of libya's general national congress effectively the country's president, saying that amongst those detained, there were some foreigners that are believed to have links to al qaeda. that this was a preplanned attack carried out by these extremist entities. and yet you have other senior officials saying there really is no concrete evidence pointing to any of that. and it's been a week since that horrific attack took place. >> and arwa, as you say, it's been a week. and people would think we would have answers on something as horrific as this. but there haven't been arrests of anyone directly linked to the attack. why is that? do you think that it's ever going to happen, if it hasn't happened yet? >> reporter: well, a lot of this ties into the very complex situation that is libya today. those extremists militias, so many fingers being pointed to, know fully well the libyan government cannot go after them. these groups know fully well that right now they are the most powerful entity inside libya. and the government knows that, as well, and it does admit that it cannot take them on right now. >> and arwa, it's amazing when you say that. even in benghazi, i know that from some of your reporting, that the -- the safety and security of the city, perhaps of the consulate itself, have been in the hands of the very people who may have killed ambassador stevens. >> well, it's quite an interesting dynamic that does exist here, because on the one hand, one of these extremist militias has a base, its emblem is right on it, they do drive their cars around. they also have their extremist militia emblem alongside it. and on the other hand, other militias much less of a threat to the u.s. yes they might be slightly conservative. they were tasked with security at the embassy. one of these militias, the 17th of february brigade, they were actually the only unit that responded to the firefight that took place at the embassy. what you have is this incredibly complex tapestry of various different militias made up of these former revolutionary brigades that all come together at times with conflicting interests to create this effective security vacuum that we have here right now. >> all right, arwa damon, thank you very much for her fearless reporting from libya tonight. well, today, qim, which is part of al qaeda, called for the death of american ambassadors in morocco, tunesia. we have reported on the rise of militant groups in these countries and others in northern africa. and now they're calling for attacks on other american embassies. this map, we like to put it up, because it just shows you the spread here -- will these calls for violence lead to more violence in the united states. rudy, it is always good to talk to you. and, you know, this comes at a moment when we have heard that al qaeda is on the run. and what we see now is groups sympathetic to al qaeda, linked to al qaeda or not on the run but frankly more powerful than the government in places like libya. are these -- should we take this threat of attack seriously? >> absolutely, i think we should take these attacks seriously, because although we're making headway in the afpak region, we have not made any headway in the north africa region. we have new governments in libya and tunisia and egypt. and frankly, some governments are sympathetic more into the cause or the lane of the extremist elements. so when they pose this threat, you also have a collapsed lip libya that has been a conduit for arms pushing across the region. now you have weapons and people who are sympathetic, and causes a big concern for me, at least. >> and what are the risks that there could be attacks outside that region? when people in america try to say, well, is this going to be something that spreads, there are attacks on europe, attacks on the united states. are these groups getting stronger? >> these groups are getting stronger, and they do have a fairly large presence outside of north africa. a perfect example, approximately 10% of the citizens in france are north african. there are some people there that have sympathetic to the cause that carry dual citizenship. not saying that a french-north african is going to attack, but the possibility lies there. these guys are very creative. they find ways to attack. 9/11 was a surprise to all of us. they came up with ways to attack us. and so we always have to be on our guard. >> rudy, thank you very much. and next, a man who knows about secret tapes and presidents, bob woodward talks romney, he talks obama in his new book. "outfront," next. le announcer ] it's called ocuvite. a vitamin totally dedicated to your eyes, from the eye-care experts at bausch + lomb. as you age, eyes can lose vital nutrients. ocuvite helps replenish key eye nutrients. [ male announcer ] ocuvite has a unique formula not found in your multivitamin to help protect your eye health. now, that's a pill worth taking. [ male announcer ] ocuvite. help protect your eye health. of more than 550 miles you'll inevitably find yourself on a desolate highway in your jeep grand cherokee. and when you do, you'll be grateful for the adaptive cruise control that automatically adjusts your speed when approaching slower traffic. and for the blind-spot monitor... [ beeping ] ...that helps remind you that the highway might not be as desolate... as you thought. ♪ ♪ (train horn) vo: wherever our trains go, the economy comes to life. norfolk southern. one line, infinite possibilities. our fifth story "outfront." a referendum on mitt romney. mitt romney's strategy was to make this election a referendum on president obama, and his record. but because of his own actions, the conversation keeps coming back to romney and his missteps. for instance, comments made at the private florida fund-raiser a few months ago. >> there are 47% of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. all right? there are 47 people who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe that government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they're entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it. >> well, just hours ago, mitt romney appeared on fox news to explain those comments, but it took eight minutes, okay? it took the entire interview until the end of the last question for mitt romney to get to talk about the one thing he actually wants to talk about. >> if people think they're better off, i would say well take a look at the -- at the numbers when it comes to median household income which is down every year for the last four years. look at unemployment stuck above 8% now for the last 43 months. look at what's happened to the number of people on food stamps, going up, up to 47 million now. there are a lot of people hurting in this country, and the presidents policies aren't working. >> "outfront" tonight, bob woodward out with a new book, "the price of politics." great to see you, sir. you've been covering politics since nixon. you know the good, the bad, the ugly. there isn't much good anymore. do these missteps for mitt romney, are they going to cause voters to walk away? how -- long will this last? >> well, we can't tell. it's september, and there's always october surprises. things may occur. but what he said is, a president, one of the things you learn is that a president has to be interested in the next stage of good for a majority of all people in the country. and for somebody, even a candidate to say, well, i'm writing off almost half of the people, they will never vote for me, i think he's just -- he's not clear about what he's talking about. because a lot of those people who are on social security and medicare, the health insurance program for the elderly, are republicans. and so to a certain extent, he is dising some of his own base. >> and how does this stack up to past campaign mistakes? a lot of people have brought up president obama's comment back in 2008 when he talked about people clinging to their guns and religion. he obviously got past that easily. will this be more significant for mitt romney than a speed bump like that? >> you know, we obviously don't know. and we try to predict, and i think that's -- there's a lot of folly in that. it may have legs and it may not. but as you earlier on your show talking about the fiscal cliff and the economic problems this country faces, i mean, the simple reality that applies to everyone and has immense impact is that we have a federal government whose fiscal financial house is not in order. in fact, it's in total disorder. and in four or five months, we're going to be dealing with what's called the fiscal cliff. but in english, that means the congress is going to have to go back and approve in some way borrowing perhaps trillions of dollars more. and whether that can be worked out politically is really in many ways what the campaign should be about. not to dismiss what romney has said here. he should be held accountable, and he is. >> and it's interesting, because you know as we said, it took the whole interview for him to get to try to say, you know, his point of view on hey, look at the economy, the way i see it, it's worse than all these ways, so vote for me. your book, "the price of politics" is about -- and is painful in so many ways, about the failure on so many levels of so many people to actually get a deal done to avert a fiscal crisis by the biggest economy and greatest nation in the world. it's a tragedy. do you think we are going to be able to get a deal, no matter who wins? if barack obama wins re-election, he's not going to have both the house and the senate. we're going to be in much the situation we are now, even if -- even if he wins. >> we quite likely are. in the three-and-a-half years i describe in minute detail, the negotiations, the discussions, the emotions,ing there big themes all right but they are also big lessons, and obama in my discussion with him for if this book a couple of months ago, he clearly understand we have to get some control of the spending binge we're on and we need to do something to reform the entitlement programs. he doesn't want to say that or come up with the plan before the election, because he's made the political calculation it wouldn't be popular. >> we appreciate you taking the time. we're passionate about this issue of the fiscal cliff, who did what, when, and it's worth checking out. next, the true power of america, apple. [ heart beating, monitor beeping ] woman: what do you mean, homeowners insurance doesn't cover floods? [ heart rate increases ] man: a few inches of water caused all this? [ heart rate increases ] woman #2: but i don't even live near the water. what you don't know about flood insurance may shock you -- including the fact that a preferred risk policy starts as low as $129 a year. for an agent, call the number that appears on your screen. so it was yet another big day for apple. shares of apple actually closed about $700 for the first time. this is one of those things, a landmark after landmark. after hitting a high of $702.33 earlier today, the stock closed at $701.91. okay. the stock's rise is all about the iphone 5 because last week's unveiling got everybody really excited, and the company tallied a record two million preorders in the first 24 hours. now, to give you some context, that is double the first eight orders recorded last year for the iphone 4s. and the company is setting records in both the business and tech worlds which brings us to tonight's number. 16,611. it's a really important number. according to paul hickey, if the apple was added to the dow jones industrial average you see every night, supposed to be a benchmark of where our country and economy is, if apple was put in there in june 2009, that is where the dow would currently be trading. you say how significant is that? i will tell you. the dow jones currently sits at about 13,500. a 16,000 dow would be 2,000 points higher than the all-time record of 14,100 struck back in october 2007. so apple could save our whole market and make us set records and apple's $655 billion market cap is also something to be proud of. it is larger than the entire s&p 600, that's a smaller company. you put them all together and you still don't get one apple and it is nearly equal to the combined market cap, this stuns me, of exxonmobil and microsoft, the second and third biggest companies in the u.s. about two years ago, exxon was bigger than apple so apple's surge has been incredibly fast. maybe you think it will keep going or maybe you think it's a bubble but apple is a world power right now. its market cap is larger than the gdp of all but 18 countries. take that, switzerland, saudi arabia. apple is a monster. it is only getting bigger. on that note, here is piers morgan tonight. and regions is here to help. making it easier with the expertise and service to keep those wheels turning. from business loans to cash management, we want to be your partner moving forward. so switch to regions. and let's get going. together. but proven technologies allow natural gas producers to supply affordable, cleaner energy, while protecting our environment. across america, these technologies protect air - by monitoring air quality and reducing emissions... ...protect water - through conservation and self-contained recycling systems... ... and protect land - by reducing our footprint and respecting wildlife. america's natural gas... domestic, abundant, clean energy to power our lives... that's smarter power today. like in a special ops mission? you'd spot movement, gather intelligence with minimal collateral damage. but rather than neutralizing enemies in their sleep, you'd be targeting stocks to trade. well, that's what trade architect's heat maps do. they make you a trading assassin. trade architect. td ameritrade's empowering web-based trading platform. trade commission-free for 60 days, and we'll throw in up to $600 when you open an account. [ male announcer ] you start your day... love you, too. ...thinking about what's important to you -- your family... ...the mortgage... the kids' college tuition. [ cellphone ringing ] but life insurance? [ horn honking ] life is unpredictable. that's why at fidelity life we want you to think about term life insurance -- taking care of your family's future expenses
security had to tear gas some of those protesters you see there and obviously, it looks calm at this particular moment, but they had to tear gas security basheded wire. we're hearing from a social activist there on the ground. protesters were able to push that down and the fight according to cnn sources on the ground, moved to a mosque in tahrir square, where there is tear gas. about 200 meters from the u.s. embassy. as we get ian lee ready, i'm joined by nick kristof here, columnist for the "new york times," a man who has spent a lot of times covering the arab spring and now, thinking about the tragedy that has happened in cairo and libya, which we're going to talk more about in a moment. what is your reaction to how this seems to be escalating? >> i think the thing that strikes me the most is that at least in the libyan government, you have a real sense of people apologizing and people trying to prevent it from happening again. trying to crack down the perpetrators. in egypt, you have a government that is waffling. hasn't been living out to its responsibilities to protect people and it has been appealing to the crowds. >> we have ian as well. what can you tell us is happening on the ground right now in cairo outside the u.s. embassy? >> reporter: right now, we have protesters and police squaring off, molotov cocktails, throwing between the protesters and the police. not many protesters, but definitely enough to create a large disturbance and we're seeing the two go head to head. these are definitely more your hard core protesters that you see that are willing to go up into the front lines and really go in and attack the police, erin. >> and i know you were reporting last night, there had been flags destroyed, flags burned, american flags. what is your sense of how much worse it has gotten or has it gotten worse? some thought maybe this would be happen one day and then burn out. obviously, does not appear to be the case. >> reporter: well, this is definitely an escalation. yet when they enter the embassy, we didn't see the police react and now, we're seeing the police react and protests in the past where we see protesters and police start to square off and start using tear gas, using rubber bullets, protesters using molotov cocktails, these things can sometimes turn into a life of their own where you're going to see days, potentially of clashes between protesters and police and unfortunately, most of times, these turn very, very deadly. >> when ian says these most of the time these turn very, very deadly, how much worse could this get? >> substantially worse. anytime you have a embassy there, an american embassy, these kind of crowds and people competing to demonstrate their religious and patriotic credentials, then you obviously worry about it especially when the government doesn't seem to be standing up to do its job. >> that is the key question. one of the clerics that was supporting the government, banish sleep from the eyes of the jews, who morsi just nameded to the human rights council in egypt. >> i kind of fear we're just big players in this. that what is going on is a competition between the muslim brotherhood and salahi element, and each trying to compete for religious support, for patriotic support and trying to attack you know, that the u.s. embassy may not only be their target, but they're trying to outflank the government and show its vulnerability. >> how much anti-american sentiment as you've had a chance to report, to talk to people to be there, how much anti-american sentiment specifically have you heard? >> reporter: you know, it definitely is a lot among the crowd, obviously. the people are very, very upset about that film that came out that they say insults the prophet. i did talk to a few on the street who say they're completely against the scenes we're seeing right now on the streets of cairo. they said they want stability, security, they want their country to move forward and they think these sort of things don't help egypt move forward and one thing i want to point out, too, is a lot of the time, these protesters, the ones that clash with the police have a tendency to be ultras from local soccer clubs that were very, that have a very strong presence during the revolution and we still see them out there battling the police most of the time during the clashes. >> do you see security though? we're talking about tonight, ian, the tear gas that egyptian security forces are firing outside the u.s. embassy. but have you seen a real security presence that they've really stepped or and what have the americans done? >> reporter: definitely look like the egyptian security forces have stepped up their security crackdown. they're allowing the protesters to go by the embassy right now. you see the protesters and the police on their side throwing rocks at each other. tear gas -- definitely looks like making a stand to protect or at least protect the area around the embassy. >> all right. thanks very much. very lucky to have nick with us tonight as well, a man who knows more about this than anyone. it has been a very shocking and confusing day. as you just saw the the breaking news out of cairo, but the u.s. is still reeling from attacks on american diplomats in libya. u.s. officials telling cnn it's too early to determine the motive for the attack on the u.s. consulate in libya. earlier, they said it was premeditated. now, when we first reported the news last night, we didn't know how many people had been killed. now, we know four americans were murdered, including u.s. ambassador, christopher stevens. the attack in libya happened just hours after the first where they burned down the american flag. in libya tonight, america is responding. within the past hour, two american warships are on their way to libya. u.s. marines are en route and the defense department is ramping up the number of drones. now, american troops have been put on alert and may be moved at a moment's notice to protect worldwide and in egypt tonight, jomana karadsheh is on skype and chris lawrence is at the pentagon. chris, first of all, what can you tell us ab about the u.s. response? what the united states is now doing? >> you mentioned it briefly, erin. right now, we've learned two navy warships are heading to the coast of libya. both of those are equipped with tomahawk cruise missiles. those are satellite guided and can be programmed to strike a specific target. now, when one got the order, it was just a couple of miles away. the other was a few day's sail. but we know that the u.s. had been conducting surveillance drone flights over libya for several months. over libya for months. today, we learned that surveillance will be much more focused on trying to find the insurgent cell responsible for this attack. so, between the drone surveillance and these two ships, when they get there, that gives the administration some options. >> what's the response on the ground in libya to that, to the fact united states is sending in warships? marines? >> we have not heard a reaction yet from the government here. they have been busy electing a new prime minister amid this chaos and what seems to be a real disaster for the new libya, but i have spoken with ordinary libyans to get their reaction and they seem to be pretty divided. some said it is a good thing. someone needs to take action. someone needs to take out these extremist groups that the government and the rest knows has been operating in eastern libya and these people say that if their government is unable, it seems to have been idle, not doing much to tackle this issue, then someone else should and if the united states is going to do that, they should, but others here completely rejecting this, erin, saying they are going to try and turn libya into another iraq. >> and they've said that that explicitly, about turning libya into another iraq. how did -- so many people are deciding, could you tell me more about those who are very anti nus their sentiment. >> these people did say they do not agree with this attack. they really felt ashamed by what happened, saying that diplomats here, foreigners here should be protected, but at the same time, they said they reject the presence of any foreign troops or any sort of outside military intervention in libya. they said we've also heard that last year during the revolution, there was unity in the stands of libyans who were fighting the regime of moammar gadhafi. they welcomed the support of nato air strikes, but said they did not want to see any boots on the ground. so at this point, this could be a real controversial issue here in libya. we have to wait and hear, see what the libyan government officials say about this. they have said they're unable to deal with groups. >> and that, nick kristof, let me bring you in here. some people had told her tonight, regular libyans, they don't want americans in the military and want to turn libya into the next iraq. >> but i do think libya is profoundly different in that respect. there's a rell current of anti-americanism in egypt. there is clearly a sense of deep mourning. they want americans to take action against the killers, but i think the government is really going to go after them. it's going to do what it can and there is you know, libya may well be the most pro american country in the region in a way that is not true and i'm the little skeptical about what american warships are going to be able to do in that kind of context. >> i don't want to put words in your mouth, but are you going in the direction of that's more of a political move? mitt romney's been critical of barack obama's response, so go all in visibly with force and -- >> if you have an attack and you don't have anything clear that you can do, you move warships to the area. it's a show of force. even if it doesn't revolve things. it does give you options. i think you can vaguely imagine a scenario where through drones, some al-qaeda linked group may be, but that's a little far fetched. >> what's your -- of the u.s. response. first, they said premeditated, then not sure what the motive might be. now, there's warships going in. was it disorganized or no, just sort of dribbled out that way? >> it does dribble out that way because first accounts are just rarely right in any circumstance. in this case, the u.s. did respond quickly to the actual situation there, in benghazi, in tripoli, with the diplomats. the marine fast reaction team was on the ground as of early this afternoon. they're going to be beefing up security there at the embassy for the few american diplomats still left there and they're just keeping these other troops and units on alert right now, seeing perhaps where they may have to move them to embassies around the world if those embassies require additional support. >> thanks to all three. next, senator dianne feinstein, is chair of the intelligence committee, on who she thinks is behind the attack and the controversial film that has sparked so much outrage. one of the actors in the film says she was conned to do it. we have an exclusive interview with her "outfront" next. ♪ why not take a day to explore your own backyard? with two times the points on travel, you may find yourself asking why not, a lot. chase sapphire preferred. there's more to enjoy. keeping up with the kids is tough, so i drink emergen-c. with vitamin c for immune support and b vitamins for natural energy, i'm ready for whatever they get into. get your free sample at myemergenc.com. stay healthy and feel the good. the economy needs manufacturing. machines, tools, people making stuff. companies have to invest in making things. infrastructure, construction, production. we need it now more than ever. chevron's putting more than $8 billion dollars back in the u.s. economy this year. in pipes, cement, steel, jobs, energy. we need to get the wheels turning. i'm p. making real things... for real. ...that make a real difference. ♪ like in a special ops mission? you'd spot movement, gather intelligence with minimal collateral damage. but rather than neutralizing enemies in their sleep, you'd be targeting stocks to trade. well, that's what trade architect's heat maps do. they make you a trading assassin. trade architect. td ameritrade's empowering web-based trading platform. trade commission-free for 60 days, and we'll throw in up to $600 when you open an account. and now, the film that's been blamed for the violence. the angry protests against the u.s. are blamed in part on a prophet muhamad. we have decided not to show it, but we can tell you it's bizarre and portrays him as gay, a child molester and quote, murderous thug. it depicts muslim as a fraudulent relinlon. "outfront" tonight, miguel marquez. i know you spoke to an actress, had some of the painful lines there, were among hers. what did she tell you? >> she is horrified at what's happened and the only reason she went on camera is because she horrified. she doesn't want her name used, she's more angry at what the film maker has done. she said she took a small role in this film that she thought was called desert warriors, that it was an adventure film set 2,000 years ago. there was no discussion of the film, she says the character that mohammed was in the film was named george in the film and was referred to as master george. she said she was paid 500 bucks, she made a small, low budget film and now finds herself in an international nightmare. >> i would never be involved in a film to ever hurt or bring harm to anybody. and this makes me sick to my stomach to think i was involved in that movie. that brought death to somebody else and i think it's unfair. i think it's very unfair. and i'm very sorry for that man, his family and everybody else that was hurt. i really don't know what to say. >> she is absolutely shocked by how this thing has taken off. this was a little tiny film. she also during that interview apologized to muslims everywhere. she wants them to know she nor the other actors had anything to do with this being a propaganda film. none of that, she says, was what she got into this for. it was a simple film and was completely misrepresented to her and changed after they had filmed their parts. >> i'm curious because you know, watching it, there were a lot of people involved. apparently, according to a statement cnn obtained, the statement said quote the entire cast and crew are extremely upset and feel taken advantage of by the producer. we are 100% not behind this film and were grossly misled. however, when i watch it, they're talking about mohammed and not the prophet mohammed, and they're talking about him being a child molester and being gay. do you believe this statement? do you think they possibly may not have known and really are upset? what's your take? >> she says they did something called looping. they made the film. came back later and did other lines. it is possible some were also read by other people. if you watch that film, which looks like a cheap, low budget, like a comedy more than anything, it appears that some of the lines have been completely dubbed over. she said she talked to the film's producer today, who is defiant. 's described as somebody hiding for his life. but she says this guy is defiant, that he says he's done this because he's tired of radical islamist killing americans and that he is at fault for the movie. he is the writer. don't let anyone blame you. it's me, the writer, who is at fault here. >> thank you very much and miguel just mentioned that name, sam bacile. so much is unknown about the filmmaker. he has been identified by that name. earlier, i spoke with jeffrey goldberg of the atlantic. he has been digging and digging to find out more about him and i started out by asking him if that person even exists. >> i don't know if that person exists. there's tho record of this person. he claims to have been a real estate developer. nobody's heard of him in that community in california. people in the jewish community haven't heard of him. hollywood. imdb has no record of this person. the state of israel says they have no citizen by that name. so my guess and this is provisional is that this is a pseudonym, this person does not exist. this person is not an israeli jew, he is someone else and whoever it is has been making up stories about the orgins of his film. >> so, who is he and what did he tell you about why, when, who this movie came to be? >> going back to the hall of mirrors, i did talk to a guy named steve klein. i think he's a real person. there's the footprint on the internet for this guy. he is a militant christian activist in california. he spends a lot of time protesting outside mosques and schools warning people, these his word, about the dangers of islam and he claims to have been a consultant on this film. he says he met sam, but this is what he told me. he says he believes that sam is not an israeli jew. he believes he is an evangelical or cop. this is what he suggested -- a coptic christian. this is what he suggested the people involved in the film are. and he also said that it's not his real name. >> right. well, the christian part, sorry -- that would be obviously when you get to see the violence that's already happening in egypt against krfcoptic christi in egypt, that could insight more violence. >> it's fairly obvious that if you're going to make a film like this, you're probably going to want to hide your name. let's assume that for starters. >> our brian todd also spoke to steve klein. i want to play a short clip of that and ask you something about that. here it is. >> very brave man. he's very depressed. and he's upset. i talked to him this morning and he said that he was very concerned for what happened to the ambassador. >> he's obviously talking about sam, the man you were looking at there is steve klein. so do you believe what he said? >> there's somebody who put this thing together and put this on youtube. that's all we know. and steve klein's reporting this person feels upset. we'll take him at his word, but what we'd really like to know is who is this person and more to the point, who is alleging a vast jewish conspiracy to make this film. this is spreading around the middle east that a group of jews in california are behind this. >> some of the things i've seen, a group of jews who put millions up to fund this film. >> you've seen this clip. there's no million of dollars. >> no, definitely, no, it doesn't appear that way at all. so, do you think if they were going to find out who did this or is this going to remain sort of a mystery? >> there are a lot of reporters right now trying to flub the zone and come up with the identity of this person. i know there are people who are right now trying to see steve klein in person, so i imagine it's only a matter of time before we understand the true identity of the person or people behind this. assuming he is not real. there's a small chance that he is a real person. this is as i said, we're this a wilderness here of misinformation. >> thank you very much. he's been reporting on who and what was behind this film. thanks again. and next, the senate intelligence committee chair on who she thinks is behind the attack, plus, mitt romney stepped into the conversation. was it a misstep? [ female announcer ] you want family dinner to be special. dad, we want pizza. you guys said tacos. [ female announcer ] it doesn't always work out that way. you know what? we're spending too much money on eating out anyway. honey, come look at this. [ female announcer ] my money map from wells fargo is a free online tool that helps you track your spending. so instead of having to deal with a tight budget, you could have a tighter family. ♪ wells fargo. together we'll go far. wells fargo. imimagaginine e ifif y yod alalwawaysys s seeee l e [m[mususicic]] inin t thehe b besest t lil. eveverery y titimeme o of f. ououtdtdoooorsrs, , oro. trtranansisititiononss® ls auautotomamatiticacalllly y fift ththe e ririghght t amamouountn. soso y youou s seeee e eveg ththe e waway y itit is memeanant t toto b be e ses. mamaybybe e evevenen a lilittttlele b betette. exexpeperirienencece l lifife e, asask k fofor r trtrananss adadapaptitiveve l lene. one is for a clean, wedomestic energy future that puts us in control. our abundant natural gas is already saving us money, producing cleaner electricity, putting us to work here in america and supporting wind and solar. though all energy development comes with some risk, we're committed to safely and responsibly producing natural gas. it's not a dream. america's natural gas... putting us in control of our energy future, now. agents, say hello to the biggest hailstone in u.s. history. oh, that will leave a dent. which is exactly why we educate people... about comprehensive coverage. yep. the right choice now can pay off later. [ announcer ] we are insurance. ♪ we are farmers bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ the attack in libya has raised serious questions about america's presence in the war torn country. >> today, many americans are asking, indeed, i asked myself, how could this happen? how could this happen in a country we helped liberate in a city we helped save from destruction? >> right before the show, i spoke with senator dianne feinstein, the chair of the senate intelligence committee and asked about secretary clinton's comments. >> the secretary of state is correct. we have tried to help libya in every way, shape or form and now, our ambassador, who was somebody very skilled in the area and had been in jerusalem and cairo and a number of other places and had helped in the transition is murdered. as well as three other americans and this is unacceptable. >> you were briefed today. can you tell us the latest you know about what happened or who was responsible? >> i think this is the investigation that's going on now. it isn't clear. and nobody quite knows. you know -- has done a message avenging the death of an al qaeda leader. i think that was too soon to have caused the event, but it may well be. >> so you think it could be al-qaeda? >> i think it could be. i can't say it was, but it could be. their weapons were somewhat sophisticated. they blew a hole in the building. they started a big fire and that's how the ambassador died, in the fire. >> it would seem if it was al-qaeda, their hallmark would be to claim responsibility. does this make you think it could be another group we don't know about? >> it's hard for me to think regular libyans would do this. people who wanted to be free and we've helped that freedom be achieved. as the secretary has so eloquently stated, it's very hard for me to think that. and the head of the national assembly issued a very strong statement, i thought. i thought it was completely appropriate, saying the justice will be met, that they will find the perpetrators. i hope that's true and i know we have 50 marines on the way, so there will be a big investigation. i don't think we should let this one go. >> when you say let this one go, the decision to intervene in libya was bipartson. that's fair to acknowledge. but now, americans see the u.s. ambassador's been murdered, three other americans have been murdered. it just seems like the u.s. was really caught flat footed in a situation that was already sort of a disaster. >> well, i don't think we were caught flat footed. i think this was a premeditated attack and it was carried out to do what it did. i have no doubt about that. i think what it's a symbol of is that there is a great deal of unrest in the nine muslim countries that were products of the arab spring and i think nobody really knows which way things are going to go. >> this summer when we were in north africa, we experienced a little bit of the aftermath. they were telling us about our surface to air missiles. the morning after we left a village on the border, a local called us to say al qaeda linked affiliates were there with machine guns launched on the back of a peculiickup truck. did the u.s. government really understand all the reprecussions? gadhafi's cache of weapons could go missing in al qaeda in northern africa? >> i think we have to be prepared for some unforseen events. there is no question that al-qaeda hasn't gone away. we've made a real dent in al-qaeda. in terms of removing a good deal of its leadership. problem is, leaders are replaced and as you said, they've gone to mali, so terror is not going to end as i see it, anytime soon. >> do you think, senator, from your briefings and understanding so far -- what do you think about the timing? obviously, this happened yesterday in libya and the attack on the embassy in cairo, on september 11th. this video though fully or partially behind what happened has been online since july. >> well, it's a stupid video. inaccurate, provocative, just plain stupid for an american to do that. nonetheless, it was done. now, i'm surprised that anybody saw it, but someone did. and used that as a point of organization to really institute an attack. i mean, this wasn't the lonely person attacking. this was a group of 20. they were well armed. they knew what they were doing. so i have to assume they were fighters of come kind, and they certainly weren't on our side, that's for sure. and they did tremendous damage. and i think we have to see that and do something about it and catch them and put them to justice and hopefully, libya and the new government will be in the forefront on doing just that. >> all right. senator feinstein, thanks as always. good to see you, ma'am. >> thank you. nice to see you, erin. and now the political fallout from the attack in libya and the attack continuing in cairo tonight. sadly, it took this tragedy to put the foreign policy debate at the center of this election and has turned nasty. >> the administration was wrong to stand by a statement sympathizing with those who had breached our embassy in egypt instead of condemning their actions. it's never too early for the united states government to condemn attacks on americans. and to defend our values. >> president obama then hit back late this afternoon on cbs news. >> governor romney seems to have a tendency to shoot first and aim later. and as president, one of the things i've learned is you can't do that. it's important for you to make sure that the statements that you make are backed up by the facts and that you've thought through the ramifications before you make them. >> have both sides made mistakes with regards to libya and does this foreign policy debate benefit one or the other? wesley clark, who is also a foreign policy expert for the obama campaign joins us now along with the former u.s. senator, norm coleman, a foreign policy adviser for the romney campaign. what mitt romney was referring to there was a statement put out by the american embassy in cairo talking essentially about the fim m we were just reporting on saying condemning quote efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of muslims, so essentially apologizing for that video. that statement was put out before the embassy was attacked. does that mean it's fair for mitt romney to say that it's disgraceful, using his words, that the obama administration's response was not to condemn, but sympathize with those who -- >> it was disgraceful and the obama administration didn't disavow that statement until after romney made his statement. when american embassies are being attacked, the first response should not be to sympathize with protesters and it wasn't until governor romney stepped forward that they responded. by the way, our enemies watch this. the problem is not about statements. it's a problem of lack of leadership. things are a mess in the middle east and america leading from behind has put us in a very difficult position, so that statement was absolutely accurate. the obama administration disassociated after governor romney acted in. in a romney administration -- >> general clark, is there anything to that or do you think no, the obama administration did the right thing and the embassy, which they say the ambassador wasn't in cairo, didn't approve the message and president obama certainly didn't know they were putting anything out. >> the embassy was just trying to diffuse the crowd outside and i think that's what we would want. it's not an authoritative statement of the united states or the obama administration and it wasn't after the embassy was attacked. it was in order to diffuse the crowd. further more, there was nothing in that statement apologizing for america or for american values. so, i think it was just atactical move by the embassy and what it shows is that i think you know, i think it's important to have a foreign policy debate and i think the american people welcome it. fand this is what it takes to get it starred, fine. but in general, usually, the first reports are wrong. >> right. >> and when you jump too soon to make statements and especially a statement like mr. romney made in the middle of the night last night, just to get on the record with a statement, you generally end up regretting it the next day and what i've seen is that the rest of the republican party is not behind it. they recognize the most important thing about this is first, the fact that we lost four diplomats there, including a very distinguished ambassador and secondly, that this was a serious attack on the united states. it's our property over there. there's no excuse for it and the obama administration's condemned it in the strongest possible way. >> senator, what is mitt romney going to do next here because to general clark's point, dan coates among others, have criticized mitt romney for this statement, i'm quoting making a knee jerk or quit political response, you have to amend that before we jump to too many conclusions, referring to mr. romney's statement. >> the response was absolutely, very appropriate and there was no statement condemning the violence until after governor romney stepped forward. the most important thing here, the sadness of the loss, the murder of four americans. that's primary and our hearts go out to the families. secondly, the people -- the lack of leadership. that's what this is about. you ask senator feinstein, flat footed. the issue is not flat footed in what happened at the embassy. we were flat footed in egyptian from the transition from mubarak. hillary clinton called assad in syria a reformer about a year ago. syria, we subcontract our syrian policy to kofi annan, which has been a failure. and the israeli prime minister, you think you should be a little concerned about whether america's going to stand with you when facing an iranian nuclear weapon? >> general clark, you were caution on this. you wrote an op-ed saying be careful, it's going to be your problem. in a sense, it's a miracle this hasn't happened yesterday. you were a one cautioning the obama administration not to do this. >> and not to rush in there, just like i'm cautioning right now, those in the republican party so eager to push the united states into syria. i think the president's shown extremely good leadership in this matter. he got the allies to do everything they could to in libya. it hasn't worked out quite as smoothly. we knew it wouldn't, but it was better than standing by watching gadhafi slaughter people. mubarak and assad work with the bush administration extensively so to say he doesn't have leadership is crazy. they've been in power for years and years and bush's father worked with him, so there's nothing new about the fact that mubarak and assad dealt with americans there. if the republican party want to get a grip on foreign policy and enter this election, it should propose policies. >> thanks very much to both of you and obviously working with dictators is something both parties have been guilty of for many administrations. and of course as you know, tragically, four americans lost their lives during that violent attack last night in benghazi. next, colleagues and friends remember what truly was a remarkable man. we'll talk about the ambassador. you've been busy for a dead man. after you jumped ship in bangkok, i thought i'd lost you. surfing is my life now. but who's going to .... tell the world that priceline has even faster, easier ways to save you money. . . on hotels, flights & cars? you still have it. i'll always have it. so this is it? we'll see where the waves take me. sayonara, brah! i've been a superintendent for 30 some years at many different park service units across the united states. the only time i've ever had a break is when i was on maternity leave. i have retired from doing this one thing that i loved. now, i'm going to be able to have the time to explore something different. it's like another chapter. the u.s. ambassador to libya who died in last night's attack was a career member of the service. he was 52 years old. he grew up in northern california. he was fluent in arabic and french. he was actually in the peace corps, taught english before he joined the state department. he served in israel, egypt, syria, saudi arabia, and finally, libya. today, his colleagues and friends praised his work and legacy. >> he was a role model to all who worked with him and to the young diplomats who aspire to walk in his footsteps. >> he risked his life to sto then gave his life trying to help build a better libya. the world needs more chris stevens'. >> the american people have lost a self-less and dedicated servant of our interests and our values. and i have lost a friend. >> both of my next guests new knew chris stevens as well. one of our fests specializes in post conflict countries such as libya and has spent a lot of time there. david, how passionate was he about libya? i know you have been there several times recently and worked with him. >> yes, chris stevens was one of the finest diplomats the u.s. has to offer. he was an expert on libya. he spent time in libya. after the war, he was appointed as the representative to the opposition, which was a great distinction and he worked very hard and tirelessly in that role, both coordinating the response to the humanitarian crisis and serving as liaison to the opposition figures. he was a critical person for the administration in working through the problems in libya. it's a huge loss and it's not only a loss in terms of a great diplomat, but someone who was really important to the past and future of libya. >> elyse, what was he like personally? he, his family, the choices he made to go overseas? >> well, he was what you call at the state department, a classic arabist. really loved the middle eastern region. kept traveling around the region. really loved libya in particular and was really interested in helping this country build anew, but as one colleague put it today, he was just a very laid back guy. had this incredibly cool kind of northern california exterior, but inside, had this kind of burning desire to get it right. it's not that he wasn't a serious diplomat. he was very serious about the work he did, but he was very passionate and wasn't a pinstriped diplomat. this was not a guy who stood in his office and went to meetings with government officials. he would put on his khakis and really get in the trenches as david said, working with the rebels on the ground. he was a funny guy, a nice guy and really seen as the cream of the crop at the state department. really popular guy among the foreign service. >> did this get in the way of the passion for his job, that he would be all right to die in the service of his country as a diplomat? >> well, he certainly put his life on the line during the war by going to libya, serving in benghazi. he was a very courageous man. also, cool, calm and collected under pressure. it's ironic that he died now in benghazi, the place where he served during the war where people really loved him because he helped save so many people. you know, other than that, i can't answer that question, but he truly a great public servant. >> thanks very much to both of you. we appreciate it. and the other stories we're following, including the latest on the teachers strike in chicago and apple unveiling a new iphone. we'll be back. you know, i have done something worthwhile. when i earned my doctorate through university of phoenix, that pride, that was on my face. i am jocelyn taylor. i'm committed to making a difference in people's lives, and i am a phoenix. visit phoenix.edu to find the program that's right for you. enroll now. they're whole grain good... and yummy good. real fruit pieces. 12 grams of whole grains and a creamy yogurt flavored coating. quaker yogurt granola bars. treat yourself good. quaker yogurt granola bars. why they have a raise your rate cd. tonight our guest, thomas sargent. nobel laureate in economics, and one of the most cited economists in the world. professor sargent, can you tell me what cd rates will be in two years? no. if he can't, no one can. that's why ally has a raise your rate cd. ally bank. your money needs an ally. with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine living your life with less chronic low back pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing skin or eyes. tell your doctor about all your medicines, including those for migraine and while on cymbalta, call right away if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles or serious allergic skin reactions like blisters, peeling rash, hives, or mouth sores to address possible life-threatening conditions. talk about your alcohol use, liver disease and before you reduce or stop cymbalta. dizziness or fainting may occur upon standing. ask your doctor about cymbalta. imagine you with less pain. cymbalta can help. go to cymbalta.com to learn about a free trial offer. insuring that stuff must be a pain. nah. he's probably got... [ voice of dennis ] allstate. they can bundle all your policies together. lot of paperwork. [ doug ] actually... [ voice of dennis ] an allstate agent can help do the switching and paperwork for you. well, it probably costs a lot. [ voice of dennis ] allstate can save you up to 30% more when you bundle. well, his dog's stupid. [ voice of dennis ] poodles are one of the world's smartest breeds. ♪ bundle and save with an allstate agent. are you in good hands? care about where we're focusing on our reporting from the front lines. tonight in chicago we're told some progress is being made to reach a deal to end a teachers strike that's now in its first day. the vice president of the teachers union said the latest discussions are focused on teacher evaluations but added substantial movement was made. it still appears both sides think a deal is not near. chicago is the third biggest school system in the country with 350,000 students. >> russian prime minister demitiry medvedev believes that pussy riot should be released from jail. he said a prolonged jail sentence seemed to be unproductive. they went to a moscow cathedral singing a song criticizing russian president vladimir putin. vladimir putin makes the decisions so standing up to him could be a big deal for medvedev. talking to the husband of one of the band members, he said it's tough to give any weight to medvedev's opinion because he's not taken as seriously as putin. a plan to rescue the euro -- it cleared a major hurdle today. it backed a $500 billion euro bailout fund that will provide loans and buy bonds to try to stabilize the euro, which is used by 17 countries. now, following the news, european stocks went up, borrowing costs and some of the really in duressed countries went down to their lowest level in six months. all good news but it appears right now members of the euro have, quote, central bank beer goggles on that turns all good news into good news. the iphone 5 arrived and there's one question for the biggest country in america. will it be special enough? ♪ ♪ lord, you got no reason ♪ you got no right ♪ ♪ i find myself at the wrong place ♪ [ male announcer ] the ram 1500 express. ♪ it says a lot about you. ♪ in a deep, hemi-rumble sort of way. guts. glory. ram. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 like a lot of things, the market has changed, tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 and your plans probably have too. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 at charles schwab, we'll give you personalized recommendations tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 on how to reinvest that old 401(k). tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 so talk to chuck tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 and bring your old 401(k) into the 21st century. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 rollover your 401(k) or ira and receive up to $600. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 see schwab.com for terms and conditions. those little things for you, life's about her. but your erectile dysfunction - that could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or if you have any allergic reactions such as rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a 30-tablet free trial. big news for apple fans. the iphone 5 is finally here. as expected apple unveiled the new phone at a packed invitation-only event. the new iphone is lighter and thinner. it has a larger screen. the processor is twice as fast and has better battery and camera. sounds pretty good. you can get it in black or white and it starts at $199. so you can start preorders on friday and the 5 will launch officially on september 21st. now, since the original iphone came out in 2007, apple has sold about 244 million of them. for the new one they're going to sell ten million in the first ten days and 50 million by the end of the year. the total, about 300 million iphones in history. which brings me to tonight's number. 500 million is the number of google android devices that have been activated. in a google plus post last night just before the apple announcement, google announced the total and said there are 1.3 android activations every day.
and giving the biggest speech of his life. romney and running mate paul ryan held a rally in lakeland, florida, a short time ago. at the republican national convention last night mitt romney said that president obama's promises have turned to disappointments and division. and brianna keilar is recapping romney's big night. >> this president can ask us to be patient. this president can tell us it is someone else's fault, and this president can tell us that in the next four years he will get it right, but this president cannot tell us that you are better off today than when he took office. >> the centerpiece of the mitt romney's acceptance speech, an attack on president obama's economic record. >> does the america we want borrow $1 trillion from china? >> no. >> does it fail to find jobs for 23 million people and for over half of the kids graduating from college? >> no. >> reporter: romney laid out a five-point plan to create jobs and become energy independent by 2020 and cut deficits, but he fell short on the details and the republican nominee did not shy away from the experience at bain capital. >> that business we started with 10 people has grown into a great american success story. some of the companies we helped start are names you know from and you have heard from tonight. a office company called staples where i'm pleased to see that the obama campaign has been shopping. he had almost no experience working in a business. jobs to him are about government. >> reporter: for a candidate who is trying to downplay the mormon faith and sometimes avoiding the word mormon, he pivoted with personal anecdotes. >> we were mormons and growing up in michigan that may seem unusual or out of place, but i don't remember it that way. my friends cared more about what sports teams we followed than what church we went to. >> reporter: and voters saying that they believe more president obama understands them, romney tried to turn the page. >> president obama has promised to slow the rise of the oceans -- and to heal the planet. my promise is to help you and your family. >> reporter: romney recast ronald reagan's classic election question. >> are you better off than you were four years ago? >> reporter: telling the voters. >> you know that the best feeling you had was the day you voted for him for president. and dana bash, one of the last reporters standing there and we appreciate your being there. tell us whether or not the republicans and romney believed they got done what they needed to at the convention. >> i think that big picture they feel pretty good about that speech that brianna did a report on, and particularly the last part. the theme that president obama was the guy that maybe if you are talking about this as a relationship that really wooed you and courted you and thought that your relationship was going to be wonderful and make your life fabulous and then a couple of years into the relationship you thought, this is not the guy i fell in love with is the exactly the kind of connection that he was trying to make vis-a-vis the president. but as you well know, when a challenger is trying to unseat an incumbent president, they have to make it not just firing the guy, but why you should hire mitt romney, and he did more than ever before have a platform and stage and connection about who he is personally, the father and grandfather, and husband. and also as a business guy, and really tried to explain his business and embraced it more than running away from it than he has in the past. >> and dana, they are moving on from the convention and they certa certainly hope that people are talking about it, but all of the talk is really over clint eastwood's conversation with this empty chair that we saw pretending to talk to president obama. i want to play a clip here. >> what do you want me to tell romney? i can't tell him to do that. he can't do that to himself. you are crazy. you are absolutely crazy. you are getting as bad as biden. >> dana, clearly a lot of people thought it was funny the audience, but twitter has been blowing up and lot of people felt it was very disrespectful to the president, and does the campaign have any regrets bringing him on like that? >> if they do, they are not saying so at least publicly. i will tell you that i was in the room, and i was on the floor as you said and there were a lot of people there who laughed at that one particular moment which was a cringe worthy moment across the board. our jim acosta was head on with the romney family and they sat stone-faced and they did not laugh at all. i mean, look, they brought in clint eastwood because they thought that he would have been somebody who would have connected with americans that might not otherwise be watching politics and be kind of an affirmation about mitt romney, but he ended up, you know, kind of doing a schtick that was surprising. but i have to tell you that this is obviously very unscientific and i'm at a college campus here in tampa and i bumped into a couple of kids walking by and they are independent voters and i asked them what did you think of clint eastwood? and so they thought it was funny. so he was out of touch with the age and gender, and it is unscientific, so we will see how they play out. >> yes, in the next couple of months. and we know that romney is going to go to virginia and stop in louisiana to get a look at the storm damage and president obama is heading to the louisiana as well. kind of a competition here to see who really feels their pain when it comes to trying to relate to folks here? >> oh, of course. look, i mean, it's for mitt romney, it is looking presidential, but it is also trying to carry on the theme that he tried to put out there in the convention which is to try to overcome the empathy deficit that he has in the polls. there's no question that this is the next step in trying to do that. >> all right. dana, you have put in some long, long hours and take a break if you can, and perhaps we will see you just in a couple of days at the dnc. good to see you, dana. >> see you in charlotte, suzanne. >> and mitt romney's convention speech was a chance to connect to americans and try to sway the undecided and the independent voters as dana said, and our tom foreman watched a group of folks who are undecided and using a set of dial monitors and here is a report on what connected and what didn't. >> it was fascinating to watch the reaction from the 28 undecided voters around here who lean republican, but democrats in the crowd, too, and mainly independents, and watch in particular how they responded to the highest point of the night for this group when mitt romney talked about his dad and mom and how they related to his mom's aspirations. >> when my mom ran for the senate, my dad was there for her every step of the way. i could still see her saying in her beautiful voice "why should women have any less say than men about the great decisions facing our nation?" [ applause ] >> a massive cheer from the crowd there and a big reaction from the women here also when he said about his mom running for senate and dad supporting her, and why did that make you feel good? >> it just kind of humanized him that he has parents and he has a warm loving family that he has come from and he understands what we are going through as parents in bringing up our own children. >> even if that makes you feel that way, does it move you closer to wanting to vote for him? >> i'm still undecided. >> even after hearing that. it made a difference, but not a big difference? >> not a big difference. >> one things that was interesting in all of this is the reaction of all of you to the attacks. when the attacks began interestingly enough, the women here liked them much more than the men did. watch what happened on this. the women are the pink line and the men are the blue. and watch how they respond in this attack on the obama record. >> but tonight, i'd ask a simple question. if you felt that excitement when you voted for barack obama, shouldn't you feel that way now that he is president obama? [ applause ] you know there is something wrong with the kind of ojob he has done as president when the best feeling you had was the day you voted for him. >> reporter: why do you think that men here did not seem to like the attacks as much as women? >> i mean, for me, personally, it doesn't do anything for me. it is not informative, so it does not cater to my decision-making at all. >> reporter: you don't really care about that. and here is a woman who thought that the attacks were good thing, and you had to be here, because you are registering that way. who liked the attacks? >> a little bit? i thought it was a fair question to ask are we better off than we were four years ago. >> reporter: that is all it came down to a fair and decent question to ask at that time? >> well, it is fair to look at the record what has obama done in the last four years? and he had a right to ask that. >> let me move to the back here and ask a couple more questions. did anything happen tonight that changed your mind? because the overall impact seemed not particularly strong throughout the speech. >> well, it did not actually change my opinion at all. i wish there was something that would have shocked me or persuaded me to, you know, vote that way, but i just kind of was still even-keeled. >> reporter: ready for it, but didn't get it. and how about over here, anything that moved you at all n in this? >> well, i like what he said, but i wish that there was a better alternative. he sounds better than obama, but i don't give up the hope. >> reporter: well, this is a group as i said from the beginning undecided voters, and they all tend a little bit more republican, but mainly they are independents, and when you watch the dials tonight, i am telling you that there was not a tremendous amount of movement. so is that's the thing that mitt romney probably most has to worry about, because these are the voters that he has to get all over the country, the undecideds and the independents. they will decide it. and there are not any official polls out to gauge the reaction of the convention speech, but a cnn opinion poll asked if it changed opinions of romney, and here is what we is so far. 39% are more supportive of him after the speech, and 34% less supportive and 27% said the speech did not change their opinion one way or another. the democratic national convention is kicking off tuesday and i will be there live in charlotte, north carolina, to kocover the parties and the speakers and the high profile guests and of course, all politics. if you ask ann romney, her husband might have changed some minds last night. >> those who may not have voted for republican in the past are coming up to tell me this that enough is enough. >> but is it enough to turn her into the next first lady? [ male announcer ] this is rudy. his morning starts with arthritis pain. and two pills. afternoon's overhaul starts with more pain. more pills. triple checking hydraulics. the evening brings more pain. so, back to more pills. almost done, when... hang on. stan's doctor recommended aleve. it can keep pain away all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is rudy. who switched to aleve. and two pills for a day free of pain. ♪ [ female announcer ] and try aleve for relief from tough headaches. insuring that stuff must be a pain. nah. he's probably got... [ voice of dennis ] allstate. they can bundle all your policies together. lot of paperwork. [ doug ] actually... [ voice of dennis ] an allstate agent can help do the switching and paperwork for you. well, it probably costs a lot. [ voice of dennis ] allstate can save you up to 30% more when you bundle. well, his dog's stupid. [ voice of dennis ] poodles are one of the world's smartest breeds. ♪ bundle and save with an allstate agent. are you in good hands? my name is adam frucci and i'm the i love new technology,om. so when i heard that american express and twitter were teaming up, i was pretty interested. turns out you just sync your american express card securely to your twitter account, tweet specific hashtags, and you'll get offers on things you love. this totally changes the way i think about membership. saving money on the things you want. to me, that's the membership effect. nice boots! as promises gave way to disappointments and division, this is something that we don't have to accept. this is the moment that we can do something, and with your help, we will do something. i'm running for the president to help create a better future, a future where everyone who want s a job can find a job. where no senior fears for the security of their retirement. an america where every parent knows that their child will get an education that leads them to a good job and a bright horizon. now is the moment when we can stand up and say, i'm an american. i make my destiny. we deserve better. my children deserve better. my family deserves better. my country deserves better. >> those are the highlights and the most important speech of mitt romney's political career and his wife, ann, says that his husband walked away are the the acceptance speech feeling confident. >> we shared more about the fact of the journey and shared more about the feelings that we had for our parents that had passed on and how we wished they could have been there, and it was more of a reflective thing. i mean, i knew he had done a great job and i think that mitt was pretty con fident that he felt very good about the speech and excited to deliver it. >> romney's speech getting mixed reaction reactions. we are joined by larry sabato joining us from charlottesville, and tell us a little bit about your response and reaction afterwards. when i listen ed ed to and this afterwards we had republican analysts alex castellanos summing it up as very good, and david gergen saying a lot of heart, but needed soul. what did you think? >> it is workman-like, and you have to take the speech in the context of what the republicans were able to do in the convention. and yes, that i were able to humanize him, and warm him up and the wife helped to do that and so did some of other speakers. is this speech going to live in history? no. they are not to get gettysburg address. >> of course, he is taking the show on the road now, and he said he does have a specific plan for jobs. >> what is needed in our country today is not complicated or profound. it does not take a special government commission to tell us what america needs. what america needs is jobs, lots of jobs. unlike the president, i have a plan to create 12 million new jobs. >> all right. larry, he did not explain how he would do that and i don't know if people really specifically were looking for that prescription right now, but certainly in the weeks to come, they are going to be looking for more details now, and what does he have to do? >> well, he certainly is right to focus on the jobs, because the only way he can be possibly elected is as a mr. fix-it who presents himself not as the warm next door neighbor that you want to have a beer with, but rather as somebody who has the experience to fix the economy and provides jobs. did he give a specific plan last night, no. they say it is all on the website, but of course, people want more, and i guess they will have to deliver more. but we are also into the dreamland phase of the campaign. it is when candidates simply throw out phrases and slogans and we often don't get to the specifics. >> larry, is there something specifically that the dnc has to counter after watching the rnc convention? >> they have to get back into their mode of present iing this election as a choice rather than as a referendum on president obama. they have to make voters comparatively shop. and i'm sure that they will be doing that not just on the economy, but also on the social issues, and that is where republicans are vul nnerable wi groups they'd like to have including women and young people. >> and, you know, obviously, it was romney's night to shine, but we have been all been talking about the clint eastwood situation, actually stealing the show and talking to the empty chair and that represented president obama and you sent out a tweet saying that i would feel better if i knew for sure that clint does not see anyone in the chair. do you think that there is a certain lack of dignity or lack of respect for this president when you have someone like clint eastwood looking to the chair and saying, you know, well, you -- don't tell him that, you can't do that to yourself and we know what that means. >> in a word, suzanne, yes. it was a clintastrophy, and it reflects more on clint eastwood than mitt romney. i'm mystified why they didn't provide him with the text. i thought that is what the actors did, read scripts and if anybody needed a tell prompter it was maybe 82-year-old clint eastwood, but will it affect votes in november, no. was it one of the great low points of not only this convention, but any of the 19 i have attended, yeah, it was a low point. >> all right. larry sa bshgssabto, thank you joining us. and my twitter blew up after the bit, and roger ebert said, clint, my hero, is coming across as sad and pathetic. he didn't need to do that to himself. it's unworthy of him. this one, i like eastwood, but that was utterly disrespectful, and now people are tweeting empty chairs and even president obama tweet ed with this seat i taken. they had to swim for their lives to avoid isaac. >> it kempt coming and coming ad eventually swept us both off into the water. questions? anyone have occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating? yeah. one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. approved! [ female announcer ] live the regular life. phillips'. in that time there've been some good days. and some difficult ones. but, through it all, we've persevered, supporting some of the biggest ideas in modern history. so why should our anniversary matter to you? because for 200 years, we've been helping ideas move from ambition to achievement. and the next great idea could be yours. ♪ now, the latest on isaac, and the storm has weakened into the ark, and that is where the flood waters are expected in arkansas and missouri and illinois which is a relief to a lot of the farmers in the midwest because they are in the middle of the worst drought in 50 years. but back along the gulf coast, the disaster is not over, because more homes and businesses have no power. many of them for the third day in a row. flooding from the storm surge is still having some of the comm e communities under water. rob marciano caught up with a couple from plaquemines parish who barely, barely escaped. they were trying to evacuate wednesday at the height of the storm when water started pouring into their truck. here is what happened next. >> the coast guard choppers continued the work of rescuing victims of hurricane isaac. >> we were directed by the sheriff's department to evacuate, but we could not get too far down the road before we were taken. >> reporter: they were caught by the storm surge in plaquemines parish. >> the wear the was rising inside of the vehicle and the dogs were anxious and needless to say, so were we, and we called 911, and they said to stay with the vehicle and we tried to do that, but the water was coming over and over and started to crack the front windshield, so i felt that the best thing was to try to get out. >> reporter: melanie's declining health made it difficult to evacuate before the storm, and more treacherous during the storm. >> i had her wheelchair in the back of the bed of the truck, and so we were able to crawl through the back window and i broke it out and i set her up on the wheelchair getting her elevated and the water kept coming and kept coming until eventually swept us both off, and we were both in the water estima estimated 10 to 12-feet deep. >> reporter: joe is a retired marine colonel, a strong swimmer helping his disabled wife stay afloat. >> shenot going to make it, i'm not going to make it, and i said, yes, you are. we were only a couple hundred yards from the levee where we saw cattle on. >> and they were looking for something to latch on to. >> she was shivering and obviously close to hyperthermia, so i tried to stabilize her as best i could on a toll phone -- on a telephone pole and try to leave there and try to get over the levee. >> reporter: and have to leave her to go for help was the worst decision of his life. >> reporter: but he was able to return. >> considering the lapses of mobility, and the paralysis and the ability to withstand the severity that we went through. >> reporter: what are you most thankful for? >> that we are here talking to you. >> reporter: rob marciano, cnn. it was a rare moment for the campaign putting mitt romney's faith on display. >> it is the church of jesus christ of latter day saints and if you understand the amount of commitment and volunteerism that goes into it, it is an amazing part of who he is and what he has done. >> but will america put the first mormon into the white house? for human resource management and its members know... how to harness that power, because we help develop it. from the next economy, to the next generation, we help get... the most out of business, by getting the best out of people. shrm. leading people, leading organizations. the economy needs manufacturing. machines, tools, people making stuff. companies have to invest in making things. infrastructure, construction, production. we need it now more than ever. chevron's putting more than $8 billion dollars back in the u.s. economy this year. in pipes, cement, steel, jobs, energy. we need to get the wheels turning. i'm p. making real things... for real. ...that make a real difference. ♪ [ "the odd couple" theme playing ] humans. even when we cross our "t"s and dot our "i"s, we still run into problems -- mainly other humans. at liberty mutual insurance, we understand. that's why our auto policies come with accident forgiveness if you qualify, where your rates won't go up due to your first accident, and new car replacement, where if you total your new car, we give you the money for a new one. call... to talk to an insurance expert about everything else that comes standard with our base auto policy. [ tires squeal ] and if you get into an accident and use one of our certified repair shops, your repairs are guaranteed for life. call... to switch, and you could save hundreds. liberty mutual insurance -- responsibility. what's your policy? ooo no. the hotel lost our reservation. nonsense! you book at travelocity, your reservation's guaranteed. well, i did not book with travelocity, okay?!? [ female announcer ] get the travelocity guarantee any way you book, including our new app. you'll never roam alone. politics and religion are in the spotlight h after mitt romney opened up about his faith in his speech at the republican national convention, and sometimes romney avoids using the word mormon, but not last night. >> we were mormons and growing up in michigan, and that might have seemed unusual or out of place, but i don't really remember it that way. my friends cared more about what sports teams we followed than what church we went to. >> i want to bring in dan gilgoff, because he is the editor of the belief blog, and dan, first of all, some people may have been surprise ed thd t was so open about his faith and religion, and why is this so important to bring it up now? >> yes, suzanne, we are not accustomed to hearing mitt romney utter the "m" word so last night was a departure from what he has been doing, and it is is important for the campaign now. he is reintroducing himself to the american public and one of the big stumbling blocks is that he he has not been able to h humanize himself and that is because he can't talk about the fundamental aspect of who he is, his mormonism, and he started to pivot on that and goes some way to humanize him as he reintroduces himself to the voters. >> dan, it was interesting to watch the convention, because you testimony of some of the people in the mormon church and particularly very moving is one couple who talked about how romney met their 14-year-old son diagnosed with lymphoma and the experience with that young boy. listen. >> how many men do you know would take the time out of their busy lives to visit a terminally ill 14-year-old and help him settle his affairs? david also helped us plan his funeral. he wanted to be buried in his boy scout uniform. he wanted mitt to pronounce his eulogy. and mitt was there to honor that request. we will be ever grateful to mitt for his love and concern. >> dan, it's well known that mitt romney really doesn't like to talk a lot about some of the things that he has done in terms of helping people. do you think that this really made an impact, that people are, that he is more likable type of person, and that this will actually have some weight when people think about him as somebody in the polls? >> i think it did, suzanne. you could look at the crowd in the convention last night, and there were a lot of delegates openly shedding tears through those testimonies. you know, a lot of what makes people skittish about mormonism is the specific doctrines and the beliefs of the religion, but what romney did last night and the other people he knew through church did was to shift the conversation on to life within the mormon church and how noble that life is. so he really connect and succeeded in changing the conversation and opening up a real intimate window into his life and the life of the church that a lot of people will admire. >> dan, good to see you and appreciate your reporting. a tourist hot spot turns into the site of a bloodbath. we will explain the violence in mambazo, kenya. at usaa, we believe honor is not exclusive to the military, and commitment is not limited to one's military oath. the same set of values that drive our nation's military are the ones we used to build usaa bank. with our award winning apps that allow you to transfer funds, pay bills or manage your finances anywhere, anytime. so that wherever your duty takes you, usaa bank goes with you. visit us online to learn what makes our bank so different. try capzasin-hp. it penetrates deep to block pain signals for hours of relief. capzasin-hp. take the pain out of arthritis. >> normally a tourist hot spot, but right now the kenyan city of mombassa is under fire. our reporter spoke exclusively to one of the long-time confidents, and i have to warn you that the images are graphic. >> reporter: the evidence of a driveby shooting in mombassa, kenya, and this is clearly an orchestrated hit. some family members, some still wounded are in shock. [ speaking foreign language ] >> reporter: slumped over the target, the prominent cleric blacklisted by the u.n. he is accused of recruiting kenyans to fight and revolt, and the response to his killing? chaos. days of rioting in mombassa, kenyan's sickest city, and three police men were killed in the attack. amongst the youth in mombassa, the support for the shaikh ran deep, and the situation is still ten tense. they brought the shaikh's body right after he was killed and took it away from the police and brought it to the mosque just down the street, and what is striking is this area is nearly completely deserted. you have paramilitary police stopping anyone coming in or out in vehicles, and here you see the burnt remains of tires. this neighborhood is angry, and this place is all but deserted. one of the long-time confidants has agreed to meet us. he has been hiding for days. he say the kenyan police have killed him and he could be next. >> if a policeman comes to arrest me, i have to go to with him. if i go, i am dead. i have to stay in any house, because if they come for me, i am going to be killed. >> reporter: he is on the same blacklist for supporting al shabab. >> i prefer to go back the somalia to live with al shabab and i will have peace there and live a normal life. >> reporter: the police have dismissed claims that they killed the shaikh, but in mombassa, the same claims that many feel unforgotten by the state, and some have fallen under the influence of a militant influence. >> it is a democracy and islam and whoever opposes democracy with islam gets killed. what is happening in kenya is going to affect the peace in kenya. if they are going to kill us like this, we have to fight back. >> reporter: ominous words in a country where sectarian violence is an ever-present danger. >> bringing in david mckenzie from mombassa, and i have been there several times and it is so strange to see this picture, because it is a tourist place and looks like things are falling apart there. how do you explain this, what is taking place there, and this is a group of a fringe group or are they actually gaining power in that tourist city? >> well, suzanne, authorities here say they are a fringe group, but if you talk to the radical muslim leaders here in mombassa, they say they are gaining traction, and the especially amongst the youth feeling disaffected, because the actions here have affect ed the people here which is normally calm. today, it is calm, suzanne, but the feeling is that with the killings of the killing like this muslim cleric could spark up again at any point, and in those underlying tensions remain. s suzanne. >> david, kenya depends on mombassa for the tourist industry, and it has a high muslim and indian population there, and it is obviously on the water. a lot of people come there specifically to spend money and to see the country, and have people basically scattered? >> well, there is a feeling that the tourism is already down here in mombassa and i don't think that necessarily if this does continue, we will have a long-term effect, but along the coast, it is long problems not dealt with in kennia, and another thing that the muslim leaders are telling us are that the actions of the police in the riots have fueled the tension even further. the kenyan police have been frequently accused of taking extrajudicial killings, meaning to take the law into their own hands. the shaikh on that ambush was on the u.s. terror watch list and as well as awaiting trial for terror charges here, but the fact that he was killed in broad daylight with the family some 16 to 18 bullet holes very near a police station here in mombassa and people are asking how this was done and not done in the court of law is making many here, particularly the youth, angry. >> thank you, david mckenzie. they were standing in line waiting for bread, and a human rights group says that what happens next is evidence of a massacre in syria. [ male announcer ] if you stash tissues like a squirrel stashes nuts, you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® liquid gels. nothing starts working faster than zyrtec® at relieving your allergy symptoms for 24 hours. zyrtec®. love the air. yep...doh. [ boy ] slurpably fun and a good source of calcium. dads who get it, get go-gurt. one is for a clean, wedomestic energy future that puts us in control. our abundant natural gas is already saving us money, producing cleaner electricity, putting us to work here in america and supporting wind and solar. though all energy development comes with some risk, we're committed to safely and responsibly producing natural gas. it's not a dream. america's natural gas... putting us in control of our energy future, now. we are hearing about new fighting in syria's largest city aleppo and activists say that 38 soldiers have been killed in battles with rebel fighters and in homs we are seeing scenes like this. syrian state tv says that government forces have inflicted quote big losses and also a raid on what the regime calls a terrorist den in homs province. human rights agency says that these people were waiting in line for food when they were attacked by their own government. and now mohammed jamjoon shows what is happening in syria. i have to warn you, you might find this quite disturbing. >> reporter: the horrific aftermath of a strike in aleppo, a and the chaos, and the wounded covered in dust and smoke, and it seems this is no random strike. according to the human rights watch, this attack happened on august 21st. witnesses said that a helicopter had been circling overhead hours before the bakery opened. a cue of 200 people had form and a bomb was dropped on a adjacent building putting shrapnel and debris all over the victims. >> on at least 10 occasions, government forces have attacked bread lines using the artillery helicopters and fighter jets and some of these attacks killed and wounded dozens of civilians. >> reporter: human rights watch says that of all of the cases the government forces attack the bakery when the local residents were waiting in line, and that they gave no warning. the bakeries were in neighborhoods or towns where no fighting was taking place. these repeated attacks are either deliberate on civilians or reckless indiscriminate attacks, both of which are war crimes. they are one part of the deadliest month yet in syria's conflict. just last week the brutality seemed to reach new depths with opposition activists reporting that over 200 bodies had been found in dayara. and hundreds of civilians have fled the districts around the capital amid intensified artillery attacks. after 18 months of protests against the president bashar al assad, the war in syria is a war of attrition, and the rebels grabbing more weapons, but the security forces still possessing an overwhelming advantage. amid the insurgency, a growing humanitarian crisis as syrians flee out of the war torn land in record numbers and neighboring countries worry about coping with the influx. and bashar hle a assad says that the battle for syria is a battle of persistence, and there are few options for intervening. mohammed jamjoon, cnn. he is a wounded warrior who lost a limb on the battlefield, but that is not holding him back at london's pair olympics. don't have them. questions about treatment where to go for extra help, how to live better with the disease. so many questions, where do you start? alzheimers.gov. the answers start here. mom's smartphone... dad's tablet... or lauren's smartphone... at&t has a plan built to help make families' lives easier. introducing at&t mobile share. one plan lets you share data on up to 10 devices with unlimited talk and text. add a tablet for only $10 per month. the more data you share, the more you save. at&t. . >> it is the second day of the paralympics in london and a glitzy opening ceremony, steven hawkings challenged the athletes to look to the stars as they compete for gold. now more than 164 countries are taking part, and over 4,280 athletes. and some of them participating are veterans of the wars in iraq and afghanistan. >> i was injured in iraq by bombs. i happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. i lost my left arm and resulted in an am pew tigs. -- amputation. >> reporter: for this athlete, it has been agonizing journey from battlefield to racetrack. his injuries were so horrific he spent 12 months in rehab and only finding sport after intensive therapy. and now he is double world champion and his sights are firmly on paralympic gold. >> it came after the explosion, and after i came back and after i was introduced to sports and tried some different sports out, i just got into the cycling, and thought that sounds good. >> reporter: it is a sobering thought, but there are more military veterans injured in battle competing in the paralympics than have been for years. if it weren't for wars in afghanistan and iraq, people like john allen butterworth would have had different lives. and each has a remarkable story of survival. this man now a gold hopeful in the discus had his legs blown off in afghanistan. he said he was being zipped into a body bag when army medics noticed that he still had a pulse. samantha bowen, a artillery gunner was so badly injured in iraq, that she said her comrades could not recognize her and now she is a key member of the british sitting volleyball team. and captain nick bayton lost his legs in afghanistan and hoping for a medal in rowing. former soldier that was also injure injured in afghanistan, he says this sport has restored his self-respect. >> we just don't want to, you know, sit on the corner and hide. we just want to come forward and just do what we want to do and that's the goal of the athlete. >> reporter: what is amazing they don't live in regret. >> the best thing is that i have met new people and learn new things about sports and doing things that i have never done before and i have kind of changed since losing my arm, but it is only for the better. >> reporter: it is a testament that sport can change lives for the better, and even lives shattered by war. matthew chance, cnn, london. legendary astronaut neil armstrong is being memorialized in a private service in ohio. the first man to walk the moon die died last weekend and he was 82 years old and it seems that even the moon is paying tribute, because if you look there will be a rare lunar eclipse tonight. it is a blue moon, and it happens only when two full moons occur in the same month and it won't happen again until 2015. and this is not por the faint of heart, but we will go behind the scenes to see how our own cnn reporters weathered isaac. you know why i sell tools? tools are uncomplicated. nothing complicated about a pair of 10 inch hose clamp pliers. you know what's complicated? shipping. shipping's complicated. not really. with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service shipping's easy. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. that's not complicated. no. come on. how about... a handshake. alright. priority mail flat rate boxes. starting at just $5.15. only from the postal service. like the elephant on my chest... he thought he was having a heart attack. she said, "take an aspirin, we need to go to the hospital." i'm on a bayer aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. i'm very grateful to be alive. aspirin really made a difference. >> our reporters head into hurricanes when most folks are trying to get out and you may not think about what it takes to get some of the amazing shots. our rob marciano takes a look behind the scenes. >> the city limits have been significantly improved. they are much more protect ed nw than they were seven years ago. >> we see the barrier that is essentially a souped up seawall that goes two miles across. i was surprised by how new everything looked. and i mean i know it went right up in a hurry, but everything looked fresh out of the box. it never looked weathered, and we got a great ride from the coast guard, and we are going to like going up in the chopper, right, john? >> right. >> and he thinks it is coming in this way, so we don't want to be here. >> we might want to just tuck right over here. >> yes, i do. do you hear me? >> do you want the move? i don't know how much tether you have. >> well, this is a -- trying to tuck in here. >> this is what we do to remember all of the work that we do. we take these ridiculous things and we send them to our significant others, like our kids. i look rough. this is what 36 hours on the clock will do to you. >> you get so wet and so wet that you can't remember that you could get this wet. and every time you try to dry off, there is no point to try to dry off after a while. it just, just wet. >> and the worst part is the waiting. get out there and get ready. and wait. and we'll be right to you. we are coming to you next. ,
forced from their homes from louisiana today. paul ryan is moving the crowd at the republican national convention, but democrats say that the best lines last night are not true. let me get right to it. authorities are warning people living near new orleans to get out, and while many were prepared for the landfall of hurricane isaac, they have been caught by surprise by the massive amounts of rain, the floodwaters of course, and the aftermath and the search and rescue operations are still under way to make sure nobody is left behind. i want to bring in martin savidge from new orleans. tell us what you are seeing. >> well, suzanne, what you are talking about here as far as the problems, the interesting thing is that they are all located outside of new orleans. seven years ago during katrina, the exact opposite circumstance, so it shows you or it is a testimony to the fact that all of the money that was put into protecting the flood system and improving it has worked on this particular storm. the other areas though that are impacted of course are the dam which you spoke about on the mississippi/louisiana border, the north shore of lake pontchartrain, and also to the northwest, and that is where the activity was seen yesterday and last night with the coast guard in lapaz, which is a community with water just as everyone else is seeing outside of new orleans and water came up fast and people were trapped inside of their homes so that the coast guard launched the helicopters in there and they had to rescue people, and people and their animals who won't leave without them and so in that case, both were raised up. this is how the people reacted to being rescued. >> he had the harder time, because he had the bigger dog. >> it gives you a much more appreciation for what these guys do. >> yes. >> they are god. they are god in a helicopter. >> top notch. >> and speaking of the helicopters, there is one flying over our head right here, and that is the u.s. coast guard head heading out over lake pontchartrain, and the water in the lake is extremely high and driven by a wind that is pushing strongly from the south. it is just being pushed up against the north shore, and slidell is one of the communities being impacted and evacuations are being ordered for the people in the area. >> and we know that you are standing in front of the massive pumps there and we can hear the noise in the background, and we know there were lessons learned from hurricane katrina, but are there concrete lessons are the isaac? >> well, yes, and you can see the pumps on here and they have a couple of them on here and during the storm they had all 42 cranking, and they felt they did the job they were supposed to do. mayor mitch landrieu was talking about last night the fact that it was a category 1 storm, and yet a tremendous impact, so in the future, they will rethink, because there was no mandatory evacuation for the city of new orleans, because they didn't believe they needed it, but now nay they have to go back to say, even though it is category 1, people should move because of the problems afterwards. >> lessons learned. thank you, martin. we are hearing from more folks who were rescued after floodwaters swallowed their homes. one elderly man said he is not going back. >> i didn't think it would happen again. i have two trucks, two motor homes under there never used. >> did you leave for katrina? >> yes. that is it. i have had enough. i ain't coming back no more. >> it came at once. woke up and it was fine and the next minute, it was like all over the place. everything underwater. >> it came up slow, and started rising real, real high and came as a surprise. >> authorities say that more than 3,000 people now have been rescued. mitt romney taking center stage tonight, and he accepts the party's presidential nomination and delivers the biggest speech of his political career and last night it was paul ryan who got the crowd revved up with the acceptance speech and his attack on the president and the democrats. >> these past four years we have suffered no shortage of words in the white house. what is missing is leadership in the white house. >> they have run out of ideas. their moment came and went. fear and division is all they have got left. with all of the attack ads, the president is just throwing away money. and he is pretty experienced at that. >> ryan also making a play for younger voters who supported the president back in 2008, and he pretty much asked them how's it working for you? >> college graduates should not have to live out their 20s in their childhood bedrooms staring up at fading obama posters and wondering when they can move out and get going with life. >> former secretary of state congolese is a rice firing up the crowd talking about america's role in the world. one of two things will happen if we don't lead, either no one will lead, and there will be chaos or someone will fill the vacuum who does not share our values. my fellow americans, we do not have a choice. we cannot be reluctant to lead and you cannot lead from behind. >> tonight, chance for mitt romney to convince voters that he should leave the country for the next four years. and now brooke baldwin is going to look at convention speeches and how it can make or break a candidate's chances. >> reporter: it is a microphone moment unlike any in politics the presidential convention speech. >> to the all big spending do nothing me-first/country-second crowd, change is coming. >> reporter: a moment that could either catapult former governor mitt romney to next president mitt romney or not. >> there's always the possibility that something very dramatic and very exciting might happen at a convention, and that could hit the reset button on the conversation that has been happening over the last few months. >> reporter: a as far back as barry goldwater, candidates have gotten a post convention bump. pollsters told cnn that the convention speech matters. >> family, work, neighborhood, peace and freedom. >> reporter: but according to pew research center, 3 of the last 12 wannabe presidents have improved their image after those conventions. obama and both bushes -- >> read my lips -- no new taxes. >> i'm running with a compassionate conservative philosophy. >> reporter: that me study showed that romney's challenge and his unfavorability rating is 52 to 37%. >> i should also tell my story. i'm also unemployed. >> i'm not concerned about the very poor, because we have a safety net there. >> reporter: he steps up to the tampa podium there knowing that the words count. >> i like to be able to fire people and provide services to me. >> reporter: his latest choice of words could determine if the voters get to hire or fire him. >> here's what we are working on for this hour. paul ryan's speech angered and scared democrats last night. see how the presidential vice president's comments reached out to the voters and the republican p party has traditionally had a hard time capturing. isaac's damage is far from over. and now mississippi is fighting a dam break, and we are there live. and louisiana's gulf coast has a big problem with erosion, and i'll talk to a musician and environmentalist who says that the building on the bayou has to stop. our abundant natural gas is already saving us money, producing cleaner electricity, putting us to work here in america and supporting wind and solar. though all energy development comes with some risk, we're committed to safely and responsibly producing natural gas. it's not a dream. america's natural gas... putting us in control of our energy future, now. in communities across the country. whether it's supporting a delaware nonprofit that's providing training and employment opportunities, investing in the revitalization of a neighborhood in the bronx, or providing the financing to help a beloved san diego bakery expand, what's important to communities across the country is important to us. and we're proud to work with all of those who are creating a stronger future for everyone. his morning starts with arthritis pain. and two pills. afternoon's overhaul starts with more pain. more pills. triple checking hydraulics. the evening brings more pain. so, back to more pills. almost done, when... hang on. stan's doctor recommended aleve. it can keep pain away all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is rudy. who switched to aleve. and two pills for a day free of pain. ♪ and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels. they're whole grain good... and yummy good. real fruit pieces. 12 grams of whole grains and a creamy yogurt flavored coating. quaker yogurt granola bars. treat yourself good. republicans looking for some political red meat and they got it last night with paul ryan serving it up in his speech at the republican national convention taking direct aim at the president and accusing him of failing the country. >> if you are feeling left out or passed by, you have not failed. your leaders have failed you. none of us -- none of us should have to settle for the best this administration offers, a dull adventureless journey from one entitlement to the next and a government-planned life and a country where everything is free, but us. listen to the way we are already spoken to. it is the exact opposite of everything i learned growing up in wisconsin or a college in ohio. you know, when i was waiting tables, washing dishes or mowing lawns for money, i never thought of myself as stuck in some station in life. i was on my own path. my own journey, an american journey where i could think for myself, decide for myself and e define happiness for myself. that is what we do in this country. that's the american dream. >> and i want to bring in our chief political correspondent candy crowley who is anchor of "state of the union" and great to see you, candy. i saw you there last night and what was your immediate reaction when how was this received and you said he really did blow the roof off of this place. why do you think that people responded the way they did last night? >> well, a couple of things. first of all the conservatives and face it the activists or a majority in the arena are conservatives and they love paul ryan pick and first time they have seen him since the selection, so they are crazy about the selection. number two, it was just a well written, well delivered speech. you know, we have done a lot of fact-checking about it, but in terms of the art form, paul ryan was sort of spot-on, and he had that kind of thing that you put out there, and that kind of harsh criticism of president obama's agenda, but at the same time, he talked about bold ideas and the republicans can get it done, and he talked about, you know, his taste in music and had some levity, so it was just a speech that the audience really went with it. it kind of crescendoed, so they just loved it. they were waiting for it. i mean, ann romney was great and warm and she got a warm embrace, and chris christie was fine, but this, this was the real deal. this is part of the ticket right here. so they have been waiting for him, and they did not at all seem disappointed. >> it felt from watching it and not being there on the convention floor, but from watching it so much energy and passion and one thing that we saw last night and we didn't see was emotion that he actually became emotional here. i though that the dnc is taking issue a number of things that they say were misstatements and cnn is also taking a look at a number of the statements as well, bhwell sh well, but how are they countering the emotion that really brought to that crowd and perhaps could be a motivator to get people to the polls? >> well, that is exactly the point. first of all of a vice president's kind of help get folks to the poll. it is why paul ryan was picked. it is why those folks are so crazy about him is that, there has always been a part of the mitt romney picture that was missing is that real enthusiasm from the conservative base. they get that now with paul ryan on the ticket. how the democrats counter this quite frankly is next week, they get their turn. and you know, there is a lot to be said for the optics of this. and you are, and your insight and the true believers inside of the arena as for the democrats next week, and they don't have to wait that long. it opens up tuesday, so that the emotional part of it and certainly a connection there, and this is a man talking about his mother, and his mother being his hero and she is crying and he is wiping away a tear and hard to kount counteract that emotional reach to the audience and they will get their chance and i will guarantee you that there are emotional highlights at the democratic convention as well. >> that is the way we play it, and we have everybody gets their chance at their turn. and i want to play a sound bite from condoleezza rice, because she brought some enthusiasm to the crowd. lit's listen in. >> mitt romney and paul ryan have the integrity and the experience and the vision to lead us. they know who we are. they know who we want to be. they know who we are in the world and what we offer. that is why, that is why this is a moment and an election of consequence. because it just has to be that the freest and the most compassionate country on the face of the earth will continue to be the most powerful, and the beacon for pros pperity and liberty across the world. god bless you and god bless this extraordinary country, this exceptional country, the united states of america. >>. >> candy, i don't know about you, but this is not the condoleezza rice i have been used to when i was covering her. she used to appear anxious in the briefing room and a professor and kind of cautious, but she really brought this performance to that convention hall. do you think that perhaps the romney campaign is taking a second look at whether she should be a part of the campaign in the next couple of months or a cabinet position? >> well, the fact of the matter is that i am sure she will be a part of the campaign where they ask her to be. she has been out and raised some money for some republican candidates already. i like you, i knew she was capable of this, because i have seen her talking as she has written a book and a couple of books actually, so i have seen her out there talking and she is great. she is powerful. she is knowledgeable. and just to state the obvious, she is female, and african-american, and i mean, this, and she just -- there were folks in the crowd that said, oh, i'm worried paul ryan can't live up to this. it was paul ryan's night and he did, but it was a great speech and they loved her there, but the problem for mitt romney is that, you know, in select iing her, remember, we talked about would she be a vice presidential pick and number one, she has sort of always said that, you know, suzanne, politics is not in my blood and i'm not a political person and i don't believe her anymore after seeing that speech. i think, maybe, maybe she doth protest too much, but remember, she is pro choice, and that just was a non-starter for mitt romney this year. perhaps there will come a time in the republican party, but not this year. >> it is fascinating candy, because it was condoleezza rice and paul ryan and now mitt romney and they have raised the bar. so it will be interesting to see how he does tonight. thank you, candy. cnn's prime time coverage continues tonight at 7:00 p.m. with wolf blitzer and i will be live all next week from charlotte, north carolina. and now a dam is on the verge of failing, and now a mandatory evacuation for people living next to a river there. we will be coming live from mississippi. er support, backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee. so go to legalzoom.com today and see for yourself. more than 50 times a day? so brighten your smile a healthy way with listerine® whitening plus restoring rinse. it's the only rinse that makes your teeth two shades whiter and two times stronger. ♪ listerine® whitening... power to your mouth. ntgomery and e® whitening... abigail higgins had... ...a tree that bore the most rare and magical fruit. which provided for their every financial need. and then, in one blinding blink of an eye, their tree had given its last. but with their raymond james financial advisor, they had prepared for even the unthinkable. and they danced. see what a raymond james advisor can do for you. but don't just listen to me. listen to these happy progressive customers. i plugged in snapshot, and 30 days later, i was saving big on car insurance. with snapshot, i knew what i could save before i switched to progressive. the better i drive, the more i save. i wish our company had something this cool. you're not filming this, are you? aw! camera shy. snapshot from progressive. test-drive snapshot before you switch. visit progressive.com today. ♪ (train horn) vo: wherever our trains go, the economy comes to life. norfolk southern. one line, infinite possibilities. in communities across the country. whether it's supporting a delaware nonprofit that's providing training and employment opportunities, investing in the revitalization of a neighborhood in the bronx, or providing the financing to help a beloved san diego bakery expand, what's important to communities across the country is important to us. and we're proud to work with all of those who are creating a stronger future for everyone. tropical storm isaac slowly working inland now, but it is still having a major impact in mississippi. look at this. this is water essentially everywhere and people stranded inside of their homes. the governor of mississippi said at least 70 rescues over night at the gulf coast. i want to bring in david mattingly from gulfport, mississippi, because it sounds alarming, but we want to make sure we get this right, a dam is suspected to fail in southern mississippi, and do we know if that is correct? >> this is a dam that creates a 700 acre lake inside of mi mississippi at a state park. that dam has been damaged by all of the water that has fallen from the tropical storm hurricane. so they are working right now with the sandbagging operation to shore that dam up. at the same time they have some other operations to go to possibly relieve the pressure behind it, but this dam in mississippi should it fail would affect people downstream most of them living in louisiana, down river, down the tangipahoa river. so if the parish president has ordered a mandatory evacuation a mile from that river and the governor is backing him up on this because they don't know what will happen with the dam. we heard from the louisiana governor about this a short time ago. listen. >> we are proceeding with the plans to purposely breach that levee today between 2:00 and 3:00 p.m., and the idea is to allow the water to flow out of that area, and now that the winds are shifting they plan to have pumps on site to de-water that area as well. >> reporter: that operation planning to relieve some of the pressure that is on that dam right now so that the repair operations can continue, and hopefully that dam will not fail, but people in two states right now are very worried about it, suzanne. >> and david, we already are relearning about a fatality, and can you tell us or give us any details about that in mississippi? >> this is a very sad, sad situation. this is a tow truck operator who was out there late at night, and he was actually clearing debris off of a roadway when a tree fell on him and killed him. it is just an example of how dangerous these storms are, and all of the different ways they can cause harm. but this man was out there trying to do something good by clearing off a road and then he was hit and killed by this tree. >> well, it is so tragic, and people have to really be care ful to be safe in that area, and thank you so much, david. we appreciate it. thousands of people have been rescued in plaquemines parish in louisiana including 1,200 residents of the river bend nursing home. we are talking to retired general russel honore who led the rescue operation after hurricane katrina and he said that the government should require the nursing homes to evacuate long before the hurricane hits, and he is joining us from baton rouge, and general, explain to us, because i understand that at least nine nursing homes in southern louisiana did evacuate before the storm did arrive and how did that happen that some places get the folks out, and others don't, and who makes that call? >> yeah, it is up to the nursing home officials based on the warning. when you have a voluntary evacuation from areas. that needs to be refined again, and we learn something new after each one of the storms, because the people in the nursing home don't have a choice. they do what the nursing home operators based on their decision, and that was an ugly story after katrina, as you remember, suzanne. >> yes shgs, i do remember. a lot of people including my relatives looking for folks in nursing homes, and sometimes it is actually more stressful when you have people evacuated than just staying put. how do you balance that, the needs of the people in these facilities and it is so hard to get them out and the need to be cautious to look ahead? >> absolutely. that's why they get paid the big bucks, and they get paid a lot of money to attend to the relatives who are in those homes. i do think that we have to go back to look at the state regulations. i don't think that there should be anything such as a voluntary evacuation of a nursing home. when you go voluntary evacuation for the people in a place, the nursing home needs to be empty and moved the people to a more secure place. it is a travesty each time we do this into a flooding type disaster. >> general, when you see what has happened from hurricane isaac, and now a tropical storm, and you see the folks widely spared in new orleans because of the huge wall built around the city, but places outside like plaquemines parish where folk had to again be rescued from the rooftops, what lessons have we learned this go around from hurricane isaac? >> that i think that we have got to go back. and we learned some time ago and it has not stuck in every government or office yet that the category of the storm has little to do with the impact that it can have in a specific area. i think that we want to relook category storms. i think that we have to look at category storm surge and potential of rain. any time you saw measuring rain in one to two foot, that is a di sas ter. somebody's going to have a bad day. right now over 50% of the state of louisiana is without power. almost over half of the population living in the parishes affected by the storm when it arrived the first day, suzanne. >> so, that is a very good point. obviously, looking at how you categorize the storms and finally, what in the hours, days ahead, is the most important thing when you look at people who are suffering and who have challenges, what is the biggest challenge right now? >> as we get into the second quarter going from search and rescue to accountability for people, you know. they did some nighttime search and rescue, and each one of those homes have to be, you go in and do what we call a knock and listen, and then all of the homes locked have to be entered by search and rescue team to make sure that no one is in there, so accountability is the big thing now. do we know where everybody is and do we have accountability of it. and big issue in the search and rescue and then we always lose people unfortunately as a result of that many homes being without power from the generator accidents and from people touching live wires. so the storm thenarrative is no overwith and lit travel from alexandria where it is now throughout the state. there is more damage to be done. >> general russel honore, thank you so much, and we appreciate your time as always. the republican national convention seeking to unite, and conservative columnists saying there is something wrong with the men in her party. first, laptop computer of the future and it is here, and greener and cheaper and hopefully in the hands of school kids who could not afford it before. the guy who invented it is on the next list. when we started designing the $100 laptop, we were looking at how do you protect the keyboard and the screen, how do children carry it around. we set aside between 10% and 30% of the work hours towards those kinds of projects. i can't tell you that, that's just what made business sense every month, but i can tell you that is what made human sense every month. [ male announcer ] it's a golden opportunity... to experience the lexus performance line... including the gs and is. [ engines revving ] because control is the ultimate expression of power. [ revving continues ] ♪ during the golden opportunity sales event, get great values on some of our newest models. this is the pursuit of perfection. the economy needs manufacturing. machines, tools, people making stuff. companies have to invest in making things. infrastructure, construction, production. we need it now more than ever. chevron's putting more than $8 billion dollars back in the u.s. economy this year. in pipes, cement, steel, jobs, energy. we need to get the wheels turning. i'm p. making real things... for real. ...that make a real difference. ♪ anyone have occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating? yeah. one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. approved! [ female announcer ] live the regular life. phillips'. republicans getting ready for the big night. mitt romney formally accepts the party's presidential nomination, but the guest says that there is something wrong with the republican party and she is blaming it on the men. conservative syndicated columnist kathleen parker wrote a column for the daily beast saying what the blank is wrong with mitt. and kathleen is joining us from tampa. good to see you. >> yes. >> and you talked about men in particular and one of them congressman todd akin as we know recently talking about legitimate rape, and rush limbaugh's attack on sandra fluke over the contraceptive coverage and you say that folks, the men in particular are ruining the party. how so? >> well, you know, with the problem is that this emphasis on social issues and on women in particular is distracting. first of all, it takes away from the message that the republican party wants to convey to the american people which is about the economy. that is certainly what mitt romney wants to talk about. so, it is a distraction, but it also, you know, cumulatively, these things create the impression and reinforce the narrative that the obama administration has advanced that there is a war or women. i don't believe for a minute that most republican men s subscribe to the ideas that have been advanced by todd akin and in fact, they have worked very hard to distance themselves, but nonetheless, the perception is that this is a party unfriendly to women, and by the way, women within the republican party, and within the congress and the senate feel this as well. so i i'm not just, and this is not punditry. >> and kathleen, why do you suppose they have so much impact or influence? >> these particular individuals? well, of course, it is because the reason they have a platform at all is because social conservatives have been necessary, considered necessary to the republican party's sustenance and they needed the voters. they have invited them to the table, and for a long time, they were peripheral characters and now they have a seat at the big table, and they are sort of locked in. this is a marriage now between the social conservatives and the gop, and especially the particularly the side that is more interested in the fiscal issue, and they are kind of stuck with each other. you notice that the speakers at the convention have veered away from social issues. i think that rick santorum is the only one who brought the issues up. otherwise, they are sticking to values, the word values which conveys certain meaning to republicans, but it kind of stays away from the more prickly issues that divide. >> here is something that you wrote, the gop through the platform is purity tests and pledges and social issues that divide rather than unite have shot itself in the foot, and eaten said foot and managed to stampede to the edge of the precipice and the extings of the dna, and so you talk about the marriage of the social and fiscal conservatives and clearly a divide here, and battle over the emphasis. how do they come out on top without one squelching the other? >> i'd say i overwrote that. for starters. >> you wrote it. >> well shgs, i know, but they talk about it, but writing is one thing and speaking on camera is another. they won't emphasize these things, but i don't think that you will hear anything about the social issues once mitt romney, and should mitt romney win the presidency, and the people i have spoken to on his campaign very close to him, i have said, look, romney has had to say thing things to engage the social conservatives within the party and is that really where his heart is and the answer has been politic, but i think it is clear. the answer has been, look, we are 100% about the economy, and end of story. so, whether is a continuing debate within the party remains to be seen, but romney presidency is not going to be about the he social issues. >> one thing that is a challenge to the party is a challenge to the women in the party, itself, and a matter of them becoming stronger and more vocal, because last night, people were excited about condoleezza rice, but she looks out there, and there are very few african-american women that she sees in the audience that does not reflect her at all, and is there a problem there? >> well, of course, condi rice is fabulous and a tremendously effective speaker and she is so forthright and republicans wanted her frankly to be the vice presidential candidate. she simply is not interested. the women within the party are rising up, and now, obviously, there is a contingent completely on board with the pro-life positions, but there are a lot of women who are not, pro-choice and younger women who feel that this is no longer going to be a prt to platform and those women are organizing themselves. we are unfoch nately losing senator snowe, but you have mary bono mack in the house to talk back to the men and they feel they are not heard in sufficient numbers, so they are coalescing and you will hear more from them and so they are hoping to have some diluting effect. >> let us now how all of that gets sorted out in the convention and of course, in the months ahead. >> good to talk to you. >> thank you, kathleen. as isaac erodes a coastline musician and environmentalist says that folks have to stop building on the bayou. great shot. how did the nba become the hottest league on the planet? by building on the cisco intelligent network they're able to serve up live video, and instant replays, creating fans from berlin to beijing. what can we help you build? nice shot kid. the nba around the world built by the only company that could. cisco. a potential new crisis from isaac, there is a dam at a 700-acre lake in mississippi that is about to fail. now, authorities in mississippi and louisiana have ordered evacuations along that river and the dam has not breached, but it is badly damaged. if it breaks, it could put 50,000 to 60,000 people in danger, and people are also ordered out of harm's way west of new orleans in st. john parish, and authorities say that up to 3,000 people have been evacuated or rescued. and national guard troops are going house to house in plaquemines parish to make shur that nobody has been left behind. isaac is proven deadly, because authorities in mississippi say that a tow truck driver was killed by a fallen tree. the wetlands along the louisiana coast helped to slow the hurricanes before they reach the population, but the wetlans are disappearing in an alarming rate of an acre an hour. and in fact, louisiana has lost more wetlands in the past 80 years than the entire land area of delaware. looking at how much land has vanished there. i want to bring in blues guitarist and singer who is working to save this ecosystem, and he is joining us from his home in louisiana, tab benoit. tell us that this is something that you are passionate about, but why is it that the wetlands are being overtaken by the w wetlands in the gulf? >> well, the wetlands were built by the mississippi river, and the entire delta system, it is built by the river, itself, and the river has been diverted away from the system. so you don't have river water flowing through the bayous and in these areas where, you know, the wetlands exist, and that it needs that freshwater and sedimentt to continue to build, and if you take that water and that sediment away from the mississippi, the gulf reclaims this land that the river built, and that is what you have happening right now. >> and so, tab, if this continues, and the wetlands disappear, what is the big picture effect of louisiana and the rest of the country? >> well, we're going to have to move and move people and move infrastructure and move the port system and all of the things that, you know, that everybody has been relying on for so long. the same people forget how heavily they rely on the port of new orleans and, you know, all of the systems that we have here in place that provide energy and power and commerce for the country. so it is very important that we look at it and take a good hard look at it and make a decision, are we going the fix this or move it? i don't think that we've ever moved this much stuff in one swoop, you know. >> yes. and tab, we have been looking at pictures of -- sure, and our d audience has been looking at pictures there of how much coastal erosion has happened. you are a big proponent of trying to save the wetlands. what can actually be done? >> the first thing we have to do is to get the freshwater back in here from the river. we need this water to maintain the system, because it relies on the vegetation, and everything that lives and grows here to hold to soil together. we have no rocks and we don't have a hard coastline. we have a marshy coastline and just katrina for instance when a storm comes through like that, katrina took 217 square miles of land with that one storm which is the size of the entire new orleans area in one swoop like that just sucks it out and drags it out to sea and that land is gone. if you didn't have rebuilding, that is not coming back. that is the real protections from storms and storm surge like this. every three miles of wetlands knocks a storm surge down by one foot. >> i know it is an expensive thing to try to deal and obviously a lot of people are working hard on it. and in addition to a musician and activist, you are a pilot and had the chance to fly over the gulf and have you actually seen the land disappearing over time? >> that is what got me started on this, flying the pipelines and flying the gulf coast on the daily and weekly basis, i would see the islands disappearing and the land retreating and that is what got me involved and i had to find out why is this happening? a mother nature thing or manmade thing and i found out that it could be reversed and that it was a manmade thing, it got me, you know, in the game to, you know, jump in there and try to use the knowledge that i have and try to get some things going, you know. >> well, tab, we are glad you are in the game and have skin in the game and appreciate your coming on and keep us posted on what is taking place out of your hometown. the price of gas shot up overnight, more than two cents a gallon and we will tell you why that trend may be about to change. while protecting our environment. across america, these technologies protect air - by monitoring air quality and reducing emissions... ...protect water - through conservation and self-contained recycling systems... ... and protect land - by reducing our footprint and respecting wildlife. america's natural gas... domestic, abundant, clean energy to power our lives... that's smarter power today. exclusive to the military, and commitment is not limited to one's military oath. the same set of values that drive our nation's military are the ones we used to build usaa bank. with our award winning apps that allow you to transfer funds, pay bills or manage your finances anywhere, anytime. so that wherever your duty takes you, usaa bank goes with you. visit us online to learn what makes our bank so different. the calcium they take because they don't take it with food. switch to citracal maximum plus d. it's the only calcium supplement that can be taken with or without food. that's why my doctor recommends citracal maximum. it's all about absorption. if you have bought gas lately, it is shocking. the national average is $3.83 which is up two cents in the past 24 hours. midwest and southern states saw the biggest increases of the gam the gulf, where production was cut because of hurricane isaac. but dpgas prices are expected t ease early next week as the refineries and pipelines in the dpu gulf, well, they come back online. in housing, the foreclosure crisis is easing, but banks could be doing more. that is the conclusion of a new government report. now, five of the nation's largest banks have provided almost 140,000 struggling homeowners with a total of $10.6 billion in mortgage debt relief. it's all a part of an agreement between the states as well as the federal government. i want to take a look at how wall street is doing this hour. take a look at the big board, the dow jones down close to 100 points, 98.04. how's the middle class going to do if mitt romney gets rid of the president's health care plan? we're going to take a look at the republican plan for coverage. [ male announcer ] if you stash tissues like a squirrel stashes nuts, you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® liquid gels. nothing starts working faster than zyrtec® at relieving your allergy symptoms for 24 hours. zyrtec®. love the air. west nile virus on the rise in the united states. more people are dying from this, according to the center for disease control number of case across the united states is up 1,590. 66 people have died. 48 states and the district of columbia are reporting cases now. hardest-hit states texas, mississippi, oklahoma, louisiana, and michigan. now, mitt romney says he's going to repeal president obama's health care reform law if he is elected. well, all this week we've been looking into what romney would put in place of obama care. the big concern, middle class americans who are already having a pretty tough time affording health care insurance, right? elizabeth cohen, she's joining us now to talk a little bit about the subsidies for folks when it comes to health care. and romney says that he would get rid of some of these subsidies. how is this going to work? >> he would get rid of them entirely, actually. because he wants to get rid of obama care, and they're all in obama care. these are subsidies who don't get insurance from their employer and have to buy it on their. and they're pretty generation subsidies, about $8,000 for a family of four that's making $50,000. that's quite a bit of money. romney says, i want to get rid of them. and he has another approach. and i'm just going to read the words from his spokeswoman. mitt romney will institute reforms that control the cost of health care, so that all americans will be able to afford the coverage they need. that's his approach. and of course, that begs the question, what are those reforms? you know, what are they going to be? so let's hear mitt romney in his own words. >> i want these individuals and businesses to be able to buy insurance across state lines to get the best deal they can get anywhere in the country. and i want to be able to join associations of like types of organizations, so they can get bargaining power, purchasing power, and get insurance at a reasonable rate. >> i would like to make health savings account, which really power the consumer, far more efficient and effective, by such things as permitting health saving account funds to be used to pay the insurance premiums, which isn't allowed today. >> so if romney did all of these things, made these reforms, would it make it so the middle class americans would have an easier time affording health insurance? that remains to be seen. >> and one of the things that he did as former governor of massachusetts is he did provide subsidies for middle class folks. so how does he explain that? >> yes, very similar. you could -- if you earned up to about $70,000, you could get subsidies. so when people have asked him, well, gee, that's what you did in massachusetts, he said, look, massachusetts is its own state. and that's what we decided was right for massachusetts. it's not necessarily right for everyone. if other states want to copy massachusetts, that's fine. but it's interesting. he's obviously not philosophically opposed to subsidies. he just doesn't want to impose them on every state of the union. >> all right. elizabeth, thank you. we're going to be paying close attention to all of his reforms and what he's got on his agenda tonight when he makes his big speech. we'll see if he's got specifics. thanks, elizabeth. the attorney general of the united states hears from people who want tighter gun control, and they have personal reasons. [ male announcer ] citi turns 200 this year. in that time there've been some good days. and some difficult ones. but, through it all, we've persevered, supporting some of the biggest ideas in modern history. so why should our anniversary matter to you? because for 200 years, we've been helping ideas move from ambition to achievement. and the next great idea could be yours. ♪ begins with back pain and a choice. take advil, and maybe have to take up to four in a day. or take aleve, which can relieve pain all day with just two pills. good eye. there's a new push for gun control. it comes from 12 folks who were injured in the shooting that killed six and gr bush, son of t george h.w. bush, former florida governor, jeb bush, and smack dab there in the center of your screen, one of the rising stars, certainly, of the republican party, hailing from the state i'm sitting in right now, florida. you have senator marco rubio. he is a high-profile slot, speaking just ahead of mitt romney. and if i may add, a bit of convention intrigue. this is what a lot of buzz among journalists and some delegates this morning is about. the mystery guest, whose name is being kept under tight, tight wraps at this hour. said mystery guest is listed on tonight's schedule as "to be announced" and is also in a high-profile position, right before senator marco rubio. and you know, rumors -- and let me say that again -- but these are rumors, and they are flying that it's hollywood heavyweight, "dirty harry" star clint eastwood. but as i said, convention insiders, they are playing this one tight. we just know it's a mystery th. this has never happened before. and they reminded me, if you look at the advisory, a republican nominee has not come from massachusetts since calvin coolidge in the 1920s. so it has literally been generations since they've had this opportunity. and they, of course, are going to be watching and listening to what their nominee says, just like everybody else. you know, it is almost cliche, brooke, to say how important this kind of speech is for any party's nominee. but particularly for mitt romney's, since even republicans admit, the obama campaign has done such a good job throughout the entire summer of spending so much money, defining for him, and defining him in a way that republicans do not like, and it has hurt him when it comes to his favorability ratings. he really has to change that tonight in a big way. and that is what everybody is going to be watching and listening for here. >> in addition to, of course, the man of the evening, mitt romney, we mentioned a couple of other big speakers, including jeb bush. what do we think the forme eside. now the time has come for mitt romney to tell us himself. some say it's do or die for him tonight. i take a look at how true that statement, can be especially when you're a candidate who has to deliver a killer speech. it's a microphone moment unlike any other in politics. the presidential convention speech. >> to the old, big-spending, do-nothing, me-first, country second crowd, change is coming. >> reporter: a moment that could either catapult former governor mitt romney to next president mitt romney, or not. >> there's always the possibility that something very dramatic and very exciting might happen at a convention. and that could hit the reset button on the conversation that's been happening over the past few months. >> as far back as barry goldwater, party nominees have gotten a post-convention popularity bump. osama bin laden compound last may, the night th he ed. new sayiite e counaccots ounthe ara totally wrong. plus, folksivin l along one louisiana river are being told to get out. why? because a dam may fail, flooding homes just like this one. great shot. how did the nba become the hottest league on the planet? by building on the cisco intelligent network they're able to serve up live video, and instant replays, creating fans from berlin to beijing. what can we help you build? nice shot kid. the nba around the world built by the only company that could. cisco. yep...doh. [ boy ] slurpably fun and a good source of calcium. dads who get it, get go-gurt. you see us, at the start of the day. on the company phone list that's a few names longer. you see us bank on busier highways. on once empty fields. everyday you see all the ways all of us at us bank are helping grow our economy. lending more so companies and communities can expand, grow stronger and get back to work. everyday you see all of us serving you, around the country, around the corner. us bank. humans -- sometimes life trips us up. and sometimes, we trip ourselves up, but that's okay. at liberty mutual insurance we can "untrip" you as you go through your life with personalized policies and discounts when you need them most. just call... and speak with a licensed representative about saving on your policy when you get married, move into a new house... [crash!] or add a car to your policy. don't forget to ask about saving up to 10% when you combine your auto and home insurance with liberty mutual. security, coverage, and savings. all the things humans need to make our beautifully imperfect world a little less imperfect. call... and lock in your rate for 12 months. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? try capzasin-hp. it penetrates deep to block pain signals for hours of relief. capzasin-hp. take the pain out of arthritis. we have been talking so much about isaac this week. first a hurricane, now a tropical storm. it has weakened, but the urgency today, just as intense, as more people are forced to evacuate. right now, isaac is just creeping through louisiana, expecting to finally blow through the state. at some point tonight, we just think about that for a moment. it hasn't left yet. the people there have been through 40 plus hours of what many are calling this once-in-a-lifetime rains, winds, rising water. several hundred people are thankful they were rescued at all. >> it came up slow and started rising real, real high. and it came up so high, and it was getting higher. >> everything's underwater. >> water in your house? >> oh, yes, everything. we lost everything. >> this is a real nightmare. i never in my entire life could ever imagine being caught in something like this. >> thousands of others, thankful isaac didn't take more from them. >> we are extremely lucky, compared to the people down south, we're very, very lucky. i mean, this is nothing. this is nothing. >> reporter: the governor estimates by the time isaac does finally leave this state -- look at that water. by the time it finally leaves, three out of four people in louisiana will have been impacted by this storm. and you can see the flooding's been so intense, so brutal, it has dislodged caskets. this is plaquemines parish, here. this is braithwaite. one spot in plaquemines parish hit particularly hard. this is just louisiana. the red cross says isaac forced 4,700 into shelters seven states. more than 940,000 are without power in four states. and one man died after a tree fell on his truck in mississippi. now, a new crisis. a dam at the louisiana/mississippi border, this is the lake tangipahoa dam. thousands have been told to evacuate. here is cnn's david mattingly. >> reporter: this is a dam on the lake tangipahoa river. that dam has been damaged by all the water that's fallen from this tropical storm hurricane. so, they are working right now with the sandbagging operation to shore that dam up. at the same time, they have some other operations going to possibly relieve some of the pressure behind it, but this dam in mississippi, should it fail, would affect people downstream, most of them living in louisiana, downriver, down the tangipaoha river. so that the parish president in louisiana has issued a mandatory evacuation order for people living a mile on either side of that river, as a precaution. the governor's office is backing him up on that, telling people they should pay attention to this, because they don't know what's going to happen with the dam. in fact, we heard from louisiana's governor about this just a short time ago. listen. >> there are concerns, at percy quinn, about thea dam over in mississippi, if that dam were to break, it would take about 90 minutes for that water to get to kentwood. we have been in contact with our mississippi counterparts. they are planning a planned breach of that dam, torevent this dam from breaking. this morning they were concerned that the breaking was imminent. >> david mattingly for us reporting, talking about the tangipahoa dam. and i want to bring chad myers, who's been looking at this so, so closely. chad, my question would be, is there a timeline at all? if this is going a break, do we know went that could happen? >> this is an earthen dam, meaning they built up a bunch of dirt and plants grass, and hope that it would held. but we've seen some sliding, where the dirt has become mud and started to move, almost like liquefaction, and just sliding down the hill, so damaging the dam itself. percy quinn park, here's the dam itself, here's the little spillway that should be dumping water over, and it always does, except now there's just tremendous amounts of water coming down, way too much water coming down. and it will eventually dump into lake pontchartrain. so let's take you. this is less than a one-square-mile lake. there's water here, a lot of water, but this isn't like some tsunami, like in -- you know, like the tsunami in japan that's going to flood all the way down to louisiana. there will be, if it fails, it hasn't yet, and they're working on it to stop that. if there's water coming down the way, if it does fail quickly, water will go back a quarter mile one way or the other. go ahead and fly all the way down, sean, show you where it's going from here. comes down here, into osyka, the water coming through here, this is kentwood, they're concerned a little bit that some of these eastern homes in kentwood could get a little bit wet, and down towards robert and amite. a lot of river bottom is farmland. there's robert. we know people are evacuating here already. they're packing up and moving and then the water goes all the way down to the lake pontchartrain area right there. there's lake pontchartrain, and it shouldn't affect anybody after that. it is still raining. this is part of the problem. it is still raining and even raining on that dam. water is still going into the dam, north of there, running downhill, and eventually even into the gulf of mexico. there's the storm right now, to the east of shreveport. going to turn up towards springfield, into st. louis. do not be concerned about this. you may get wind gusts of 25 miles per hour in st. louis, maybe even towards columbus, ohio. more of a rain event than a wind event once it's that far inland. brooke? >> okay. well, the second something changes with regard to that dam, let us know. >> absolutely. >> tchad, thank you. >> you're welcome. >> if you're sitting at home and wondering how you can help these folks absolutely devastated by this storm, isaac, go to cnn.com/impact and you can help. coming up, this former navy s.e.a.l. breaks a code and writes this book about the mission that killed osama bin laden. but here's the thing. his story contradicts white house reports. we're going to take an in depth look and talk to a former cia operative who has been talking to s.e.a.l.s and they are angry about this book. at usaa, we believe honor is not exclusive to the military, and commitment is not limited to one's military oath. the same set of values that drive our nation's military are the ones we used to build usaa bank. with our award winning apps that allow you to transfer funds, pay bills or manage your finances anywhere, anytime. so that wherever your duty takes you, usaa bank goes with you. visit us online to learn what makes our bank so different. we are finally getting a good look at the retired navy s.e.a.l., part of that s.e.a.l. team 6 team who now wrote a book about the osama bin laden raid. and there has been so much buzz about this book. it's called "no easy day." it has already jumped to the number one spot on amazon, and it doesn't even get released until next week. the author who says the pentagon now says can be revealed, he is ma matt bissonette and he talks about his book being released during the political conve either party. keep iout t ficallchosy emr 11 you ow, if these crazies on either side of the aisle want to make it political, shame on them. this is a book about september 11th and it needs to rest on september 11th. not be brought into the political arena. because this has nothing to do with politics. >> not political whatsoever, he says. cnn contributor and former cia operative, bob baer, joining me live from irvine, california. bob, i know you've seen, as we all have, some of the excerpts from this book. and a major difference, the white house account said that the s.e.a.l.s walked in, bin laden was there, he was armed, they shot him. in this guy's book, they said obl was kind of peeking around a door corner and they took him out. that's a huge difference. my question to you is, will we ever know if he provided this immediate, immediate threat that the white house claimed? >> i don't think he provided an immediate threat, according to this book. he didn't have a weapon in his hand. but you have to understand, when the s.e.a.l.s do a takedown like this, they are moving at such a high speed, that anybody that acts in the least suspiciously is shot and killed. it'sdus operandi, they never change it. you would have to see it, when they run through a house, shooting, throwing flash bang grenades. once you hit that door, you're pretty much dead unless you're on the floor vendsurrendering. >> are you saying the accounts don't really seem that much different? >> well, it's the white house hyping an event. they had to make it look like bin laden was resisting. it's a typical political spin you'd get out of any white house. and the political aides of the president want to make the president look as best as he can through this. and the truth is really the first casualty in a raid like this. but i think the point is that the white house did approve it, it was a courageous decision, the s.e.a.l.s did a wonderful job, and we've got a s.e.a.l. coming out and talking about it. it happens -- as i understand from the s.e.a.l.s, this guy was a very, very good operator, one of the best. he's a hero in the rest of it, but the s.e.a.l.s do not like talking in public about their operations. they like to be quiet heroes. it's just a fact. so as i understand it, from the s.e.a.l.s, they're unhappy that this guy went to print. and it clearly was not approved by the pentagon or anybody else in the s.e.a.l.s. on the other hand, i believe it's an accurate account. >> but then, if they're frustrated that he did speak, do they even know why he did this in the first place? he said it's not political, even though this thing has come out during the dnc, during the democratic national convention. why did he do it? >> he doesn't have -- i understand, doesn't have a political bone in his body. he doesn't have that sophistication to come after anybody, whether republicans or democrats or the president. he wanted to get his story out. it is a dramatic story. he was a hero in this. and once you retire from the s.e.a.l.s, there's this resistance. but what i think is going to happen, and this is speculation, i add, is the pentagon is going to come after him, either for leaking secrets or breaking his contract, the code of silence. >> so you think, could he be prosecuted? >> oh, absolutely. you know, i haven't seen the full text of this the book, but if there are secrets in there, especially cia secrets, the cia will refer it to the department of justice, and the department of justice has a possibility of a criminal prosecution. but the fact that he didn't submit the book, in advance, they can sue him in a civil trial for breach of contract. >> bob, let me play just one more clip. this is when they're talking about those mock drills that led up to the raid. take a look. >> this is nothing new to us. the part that was new was all the vips sitting there watching, you know, one of the things that i liked after the fact was, i remember admiral mullen coming by and talking to each one of us, and admiral olsen as well, and i thought that was cool that you know, they walked by, shook each of our hands and said, are you guys ready? can you guys pull this off? and i'm pretty sure to a man we all said, yes, absolutely. >> bob, final question. how do you think his book will change our history books? well, i think this is the most significant part of our war in afghanistan. in a sense, president bush said, we're going to go after this guy, dead or alive, and it took a second president to carry those orders out. and i think it's going to be an egress for us in afghanistan. which is going to happen probably earlier than 2014. it was truly a great commando raid. there's no question about it. it's -- and i'll be fascinated to read the book. and i will read it. >> it is stunning, just to finally have one of these faces revealed. we talked about s.e.a.l. team 6 for so, so long. bob baer, thank you. >> thanks, brooke. all right. everyone is talking about what mitt romney should be talk about tonight. but john mccain, arizona senator, he's got some surprising advice. he talked to piers morgan. we're going to play that for you. plus, are republicans going to surprise everyone with a mystery speaker this evening? apparently they are, according to the romney camp. who it is, we don't know. and my favorite political power couple places bets. look at them already, arguing over politics, next. i don't spend money on gasoline. i don't have to use gas. i am probably going to the gas station about once a month. drive around town all the time doing errands and never ever have to fill up gas in the city. i very rarely put gas in my chevy volt. last time i was at a gas station was about...i would say... two months ago. the last time i went to the gas station must have been about three months ago. i go to the gas station such a small amount that i forget how to put gas in my car. ♪ [ male announcer ] isn't always the one you plan to take. whoa, check it out. hey baby goat... no that's not yours... [ hikers whispering ] ...that's not yours. [ goat bleats ] na, na, na -- no! [ male announcer ] now you can take a photo right from video, so you'll never miss the perfect shot. [ hikers laughing, commenting ] at&t introduces the htc one x. now $99.99. rethink possible. now $99.99. ♪ (train horn) vo: wherever our trains go, the economy comes to life. norfolk southern. one line, infinite possibilities. ♪ i can do anything ♪ i can do anything today ♪ i can go anywhere ♪ i can go anywhere today ♪ la la la la la la la [ male announcer ] dow solutions help millions of people by helping to make gluten free bread that doesn't taste gluten free. together, the elements of science and the human element can solve anything. solutionism. the new optimism. and the human element can solve anything. ♪ atmix of energies.ve the world needs a broader that's why we're supplying natural gas to generate cleaner electricity... that has around 50% fewer co2 emissions than coal. and it's also why, with our partner in brazil, shell is producing ethanol - a biofuel made from renewable sugarcane. >>a minute, mom! let's broaden the world's energy mix. let's go. just a couple steps from where i'm sitting here in the cnn grill, is the forum, the nucleus of the rnc. dana bash, i hear you have one of the "american idol" stars standing next to you, taylor hicks, who i think, was sort of caught up in the obama enthusiasm a couple of years ago. has he changed his mind? >> we will ask him that. you never know who you're going to run into. we were literally walking by him on the floor here and ran into taylor hicks. obviously, krr not just hanging out here. off very important role tonight. what are you going to do? >> i'll be performing, "taking it to the streets." i think it's important, that song, covering it on "american idol," and it being such a big hit. it's just important that we carry the momentum from the election and how the momentum of voting, i think it's important to carry it into this election too. >> reporter: are you a romney supporter? >> i'm an american supporter. i got the call a couple of weeks ago, and you know, i was just thrilled to be a part of the political history. i do think the romney/ryan the ticket is a great ticket and i'm excited to perform. >> reporter: who did you vote for in the last election. >> i'm not going to tell you that. >> reporter: no? >> no. i'll play some more monica for you. >> reporter: i have another question. i think about this all the time. as the winner of "american idol," that gets -- the viewership, particularly when you won back in 2006, was so astronomic astronomical. the number of american who is voted on "american idol," i mean, how many voted for you, do you know? >> 64 million. >> reporter: i mean, if they could get americans to put that kind of energy into voting for president or any elected office, it would be fabulous. >> and that's the reason why i really stand on the voting process. because being a part of a voting process, from an entertainment standpoint, also -- this political process is super important. and i believe that we should get out the vote and we should be a part of that, as much as we can. because that's what makes democracy tick. >> reporter: okay. thank you very much. >> see you tonight. >> reporter: okay. thanks, taylor. there you go. he's not telling us where he's standing, but he is telling us what he's singing, "taking it to the streets." we've heard him do that before. >> you tried. you try with them all. we appreciate it for us there on the floor of the rnc. and you know, the man who was the republican party's nominee for president four years ago actually sat down, just this morning, right where i'm sitting here in the grill, sat down with piers morgan. i'm talking about senator john mccain. so piers talked with mccain and his wife cindy mccain about really everything, from the republican party's platform to whether mitt romney should address his mormon faith head-on when he excepts the nomination tonight. here's just part of their interview. >> it's about strong values, strong american values, which we all share. it's about two men and their wives, of course, that could possibly be the top tier of this government, being not only strong in with they believe and strong in their faith, but believing in what's best for the country and moving forward. not putting their personal interests first. >> i think, also, that, there is questions about the mormon faith, as you know. and i think that ann talking about it and i am convinced that mitt will talk about it, and to tell people that his faith is part of his life, and that's what's made him the person he is today. because, you know, the mormon faith has come under significant scrutiny and attack from time to time. >> our favorite couple is here to chew on all of this. john avalon, a cnn contributor, and senior political columnist for "newsweek" at daily beast, and his other half and perhaps his better half, the political contributor here at cnn, welcome. you guys seem so far away today. >> we'll bridge that distance. >> you always have good intel on what we can expect in terms of the upcoming speech. so mitt romney, what should we expect? and do you agree with senator mccain, that he should address mormonism? >> not only should he address, but i think he's going to. and we know they're framing the entire evening, because they have a married couple who were bishops lead the invocation of the evening. so they're going to address it and answer the questions. and i think mitt romney will also address his life of service and how the mormon church helped frame the context of this has inspired him towards a life of service, even if he's uncomfortable talking about part of it. and i think he'll acknowledge that, so people can see that vulnerability. that's why we haven't learned more about it. >> so yes to addressing it. you're writing a column about this. >> i have a column about it today on the daily beast called mitt's missing character narrative. one of the things he really needs to do in the speech is set out a character native. this is something we expect from presidential candidates, john f. kennedy, suffering through those years, or even george w. bush, overcoming the temptations of alcohol and finding faith. these are character narratives that help people feel that this person has made a hero's journey, that makes them more empathetic, and that wisdom they will bring to their decisions in the oval office. >> what does he have? he can't say being a mission naary in france was -- >> no, but i think that car accident he experienced as a young man, where he was given up for dead, initially, while on a mormon mission in france is a logical candidate for that. it's about the risk of intimacy. he needs to talk about a moment in life where she was challenged and he overcame that challenge and it's coincided with his faith. here's a person with personal exemplary character and his character has been shaped by his faith. i think he needs to take that risk of sbim andintimacy and pel reward that. >> hearing paul ryan, talking about people growing up and staring up at their fade ed oba poster, there's a possibility with these speeches that ryan outshines romney. do you think that's possible, and is that necessarily a bad thing? >> look, i think it's apples and oranges, right? mitt romney is the nominee, paul ryan is sort of accentuating, highlighting. he was very clear. even in their musical tastes, mitt romney listens to me that sound like elevator music and i. they complement each other, not compete with each other. >> it was a very generational speech. >> he mentioned generation eight times. >> so this is not subtle. >> not subtle. >> the words he's choosing carefully. look, he is the first member of generation "x" to be on a presidential ticket. a lot of generational cues throughout his speech, talking about music. but that faded poster line which was so resonated in the hall, it was a way of updating the celebrity ad that the mccain ad put forward last year. that was the emotional chord and the visual cue -- and it worked. it worked. >> just hearing in my ear, my executive producer telling me that, in fact, we have now confirmed, thank you, john king, that clint eastwood is, in fact, the mystery speaker. >> how about it! >> good choice. >> live we're hearing now, dirty harry himself will be taking to the podium and speaking, i believe it will go then, clint eastwood, marco rubio, and mitt romney. quick reaction? >> that is dream for the romney campaign. you don't get any better, especially for independent voters, than dirty harry, than mr. unforgiving clint eastwood. this is a great visual. it adds a quintessentially american voice, celebrity star power. that just kicked it up another notch today. >> and clint eastwood did an ad during the super bowl, on the chrysler ad. he appeals to independents and appeals to mainstream american republicans. always have trouble with celebrity. now we've got it this time. >> all right. margaret hoover, john avalon, guys, thank you. how about that? clint eastwood. make sure you watch cnn tonight for all the speakers. coming up, health officials, they are already saying this could be the worst year ever for the west nile virus. will the flooding in louisiana and mississippi make it all worse? dr. sanjay gupta, he's going to join us next with what you need to know to stay safe. great shot. how did the nba become the hottest league on the planet? by building on the cisco intelligent network they're able to serve up live video, and instant replays, creating fans from berlin to beijing. what can we help you build? nice shot kid. the nba around the world built by the only company that could. cisco. there's natural gas under my town. it's a game changer. ♪ it means cleaner, cheaper american-made energy. but we've got to be careful how we get it. design the wells to be safe. thousands of jobs. use the most advanced technology to protect our water. billions in the economy. at chevron, if we can't do it right, we won't do it at all. we've got to think long term. we've got to think long term. ♪ ♪ i can do anything ♪ i can do anything today ♪ i can go anywhere ♪ i can go anywhere today ♪ la la la la la la la [ male announcer ] dow solutions help millions of people by helping to make gluten free bread that doesn't taste gluten free. together, the elements of science and the human element can solve anything. solutionism. the new optimism. my name is adam frucci and i'm the i love new technology,om. so when i heard that american express and twitter were teaming up, i was pretty interested. turns out you just sync your american express card securely to your twitter account, tweet specific hashtags, and you'll get offers on things you love. this totally changes the way i think about membership. saving money on the things you want. to me, that's the membership effect. nice boots! west nile virus infections, they are very much skyrocketing. the center for disease control says human infections from this virus rose 40% since last week. that is almost 500 new cases. more than 70% of the west nile cases are found in these six states. you have louisiana and mississippi in particular here. isaac, as you know, has caused some severe flooding in those states, and standing water may not recede for days. i want to bring in dr. sanjay gupta. just talking about this, sanjay, you would think that the flooding in these states, the extreme flooding, would increase, the possibility that one could be affected by west nile. >> absolutely, you would think that, brooke, because of all the extra water, but we know a lot about just how these mosquitos and the breeding grounds of these mosquitos behave. and what you find, and this may be a little bit counterintuitive, is that that those floodwaters tend to actually really disrupt the existing breeding grounds of these mosquitos. those mosquitos have been causing so much trouble. so the breeding grounds get disrupted, the mosquitos are still there, and eventually they could reestablish breeding grounds, but what they find is that typically, it's a bit of a wash. there's really hardly any change in terms of the overall number of cases with the floods versus not with the floods. i will tell you, brooke, you know, we went back and looked at what happened after hurricane katrina, for example, in this same part of the world, with regard to west nile virus, and the same part of the country. and what they found, there was a slight uptick in cases, but when they really tried to figure out why, it was because there were more people just outside. their homes had been damaged, they were outside rebuilding, and as a result of being outside more, they were getting bit more, and that caused the uptick. but overall, i think you're not going to see much of an impact here, brooke. >> well, that is some good news here. sanjay gupta, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> some good news here. some silver lining, despite these horrific, horrific storms. now to this back here in tampa, republicans are recruiting the young votes, college-aged voters. >> college graduates should not have to live out their 20s in their childhood bedrooms, staring up at fading obama posters and wondering when they can move out and get going with life! >> congressman paul ryan's youthful appeal being put to the test. i was teaching a martial arts class and having a heart attack. my brother doesn't look like a heart attack patient. i'm on a bayer aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. i'm a fighter and now i don't have that fear. to meet the needs of my growing business. but how am i going to fund it? and i have to find a way to manage my cash flow better. [ female announcer ] our wells fargo bankers are here to listen, offer guidance and provide you with options tailored to your business. we've loaned more money to small businesses than any other bank for nine years running. so come talk to us to see how we can help. wells fargo. together we'll go far. yep...doh. [ boy ] slurpably fun and a good source of calcium. dads who get it, get go-gurt. how did the nba become the hottest league on the planet? by building on the cisco intelligent network they're able to serve up live video, and instant replays, creating fans from berlin to beijing. what can we help you build? nice shot kid. the nba around the world built by the only company that could. cisco. mitt romney's vp pick, paul ryan, is a young guy, he's 42. although some say he looks more like 32. and just as barack obama energized the youth vote back in 2008, republicans could well be hoping ryan's youthfulness will help them this time around. ryan, as i mentioned, he's 42, a true jen-xer, and as he walked out last night, look at that crowd wob to give that acceptance speech in tampa, the energy was palpable. and for anyone counting, which we were, of course, congressman ryan used the word "generation" in that speech eight times. roll it. >> i accept the calling of my generation. in this generation -- a generation apart -- from my mom's generation, for my generation -- the founding generation secured those rights for us. and in every generation since -- >> i want to bring in alex shriver. and your title is a bit long. so it is national chairman of the college republican national committee. >> that's right. >> welcome. nice to meet you. >> good to be here. >> let's just begin, obviously, part of your job is energizing the young, the college-aged kids to vote for this ticket. how is that working out for you this year? >> paul ryan made my job a lot easier last night. young people are fired up, they're engaged, a lot like we saw in 2008, just for different side of the aisle. >> do you think it's the same enthusiasm? >> absolutely. young people see the importance of politics. they see how it affects their day to day lives. and they got caught up with hope and change in 2008 and a lot of them feel disen chant edisencha. and paul right brought opportunity and optimism though those disedisenchanted. that's what young people are voting for this november. >> i'm with you, alex, i was in the convention last night and felt the energy as well. here's my but for you, let me cite a poll. the cnn/orc poll asked voters between the age of 18 and 34 who they support for president. 73% said obama. the poll was taken just days before mitt romney announced paul ryan would be on the ticket. do you think, and i think you already are going to say yes, given his speech last night, do you think that paul ryan made the sell to young voters much easier? >> sure. absolutely. there was a poll taken just the day after paul ryan was selected among the same demographic, and it showed governor romney with 41% of young people voting for him. and obviously, we lost this group, 66/32 in 2008, but by staying on the issues that young people care about, jobs and the economy, the number one issue to 74% of young people, talking about student loan debt, talking about getting out of your parents' basement, you'll see more and more people abandon president obama and go to romney/ryan. >> i want to play a little bit more, from the speech last night where he was teasing mitt romney a bit about the music choice. >> we're a full generation apart, governor romney and i. and in some ways, we're different. there are the songs on his ipod, which i've heard on the campaign bus and i've heard it on many hotel elevators. i said, look, i hope it's not a deal breaker, mitt, but my play list, it starts with ac/dc and it ends with zeppelin. >> obviously, that got a big laugh last night. ac/dc, zeppelin, "the rage against the machine," tommobut someone sit heerting here, alex who's truly an obama voter, whose poster is not faded, what's your pitch? >> no group of voters have been affected by this policy like young people. the burden of $16 trillion of national debt is on our pack. a failing obama care bill is on our back. $1 trillion in student loan debt is on our back. and we have to pay that. and we need to start having a realistic conversation with young people about the promises our government makes to them. and it really is a generational opportunity. paul ryan's acceptance last night, i accept the calling of my generation. what a powerful line to young people. i am one of you. paul ryan, 42 years old, closer in age to me than he is to joe biden. i think young people see that, appreciate that, and respect it. >> the question is, do they see it in mitt romney. and we'll see it. we'll see it in his speech. >> tonight. >> alex, thank you very much. nice to meet you. coming up, we'll talk more about tropical storm isaac. more than a million people without power and thousands face this massive, massive cleanup job. cnn's chad myers says inland flooding is now, just as it was yesterday, still a tremendous, tremendous concern. great shot. how did the nba become the hottest league on the planet? by building on the cisco intelligent network they're able to serve up live video, and instant replays, creating fans from berlin to beijing. what can we help you build? nice shot kid. the nba around the world built by the only company that could. cisco. in that time there've been some good days. and some difficult ones. but, through it all, we've persevered, supporting some of the biggest ideas in modern history. so why should our anniversary matter to you? because for 200 years, we've been helping ideas move from ambition to achievement. and the next great idea could be yours. ♪ at the top of the hour, the national weather service did release this update on tropical storm isaac. now they're saying it is moving through louisiana, it is moving through mississippi at just 9 miles per hour. right now, there is a mandatory evacuation in this area of the late dam. one man was killed when a tree fell on his truck. more than 4,700 people in seven states had to stay in shelters last night, and more than 900,000 people are without power in four states. chad myers, let's begin here with you. tell me when this storm is going to finally get out of there. >> well, when does it finally run out of moisture, i guess? because it's still kind of tapping a little bit of the tropical moisture from the gulf of mexico. so as it moves away, brooke. obviously, when it gets to the central part of arkansas, there's just not going to be anymore energy that it can grab from the gulf. it's going to get up here and cross st. louis, and probably over cincinnati, and over towards west virginia. it could go a little bit farther south, it could go farther north, there's still a cone here. but the issue is that it's dying out now. it's losing its energy, lose its power. it will just be a rainmaker. but we are still now seeing new pictures coming in from our affiliates in louisiana still showing people that were flooded out that we didn't even know about yet, like lafitte and other places that got a lot of water. we knew about the east bank, but pictures are finally coming in with the amount of people that are without power. we're not getting pictures as fast as as we would like. there's a lot more of this to come, i believe. we'll see more devastation than we've seen so far. there are a lot more people that are affected than maybe what you're seeing. there's a lot more than 4,000 that need new places to sleep tonight, i'm afraid. >> chad, thank you. we'll check back. there's been a lot of talk about medicare and the money paying for obama care. listen. >> they needed hundreds of billions more so they just took it all away from medicare. $716 billion funneled out of medicare by president obama. >> we are going to talk a little bit more about this with dr. gupta. he will rejoin us at the top of the hour to fact check this claim. also later, both parties reaching out to our nation's military vets, our heroes, returning from the war. and you know what they want? jobs. as part of a heart healthy diet. that's true. ...but you still have to go to the gym. ♪ the one and only, cheerios the charcoal went out already? [ sighs ] forget it. [ male announcer ] there's more barbeque time in every bag of kingsford charcoal. kingsford. slow down and grill. insuring that stuff must be a pain. nah. he's probably got... [ voice of dennis ] allstate. they can bundle all your policies together. lot of paperwork. [ doug ] actually... [ voice of dennis ] an allstate agent can help do the switching and paperwork for you. well, it probably costs a lot. [ voice of dennis ] allstate can save you up to 30% more when you bundle. well, his dog's stupid. [ voice of dennis ] poodles are one of the world's smartest breeds. ♪ bundle and save with an allstate agent. are you in good hands? so, what's the problem? these are hot. we're shipping 'em everywhere. but we can't predict our shipping costs. dallas. detroit. different rates. well with us, it's the same flat rate. same flat rate. boston. boise? same flat rate. alabama. alaska? with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits, it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. dude's good. dude's real good. dudes. priority mail flat rate boxes. starting at just $5.15. only from the postal service. it has been 18 months of just absolute slaughter in syria. and there was even more bloodshed today. at least 94 people were killed, 9 of them children. meanwhile, the free syrian army says it shot down this fighter yet. you see it there flying along, shot it down. it belonged to president bashar al assad's military today. now, cnn cannot confirm the authenticity of this video. also today, egypt's new president urged world powers to support the rebels. this came at a summit in iran, one of the few nations that still supports syria. their relationship goes back many, many decades. president mohammed morsi slamming the
[ voice of dennis ] ...allstate. really? i was afraid you'd have some cut-rate policy. [ kyle ] nope, i've got... [ voice of dennis ] ...the allstate value plan. it's their most affordable car insurance and you still get an allstate agent. i too have... [ voice of dennis ]...allstate. [ roger ] same agent and everything. [ kyle ] it's like we're connected. no we're not. yeah we are. no...we're not. ♪ ask an allstate agent about the value plan. are you in good hands?
ask an allstate agent about the value plan. [girls laugh, bell rings] - whatever. - he asked me right before school started. - no way! - hi. - hi. - ♪ shine, come on and let it shine ♪ ♪ light me up-- - hi.
people." >> thank you. >> judge jeanine: the husband wife attorneys on drew's defense teams here. what do they think about this jury? next. and later in the show, the most hated american. guess who? casey anthony. she is now a free woman. what is next for her? [ kyle my bad. [ roger ] tell me you have good insurance. yup, i've got... [ voice of dennis ] ...allstate. really? i was afraid you'd have some cut-rate policy. [ kyle ] nope, i've got... [ voice of dennis ] ...the allstate value plan. it's their most affordable car insurance and you still get an allstate agent. i too have... [ voice of dennis ]...allstate. [ roger ] same agent and everything. [ kyle ] it's like we're connected. no we're not. yeah we are. no...we're not. ♪ ask an allstate agent about the value plan. are you in good hands?
... and it's perfect. right now, every sleep number bed is on sale. queen mattresses now start at just $599. and save an incredible 40% on our silver limited edition bed - but only while supplies last. once you experience it, there's no going back. wow. don't miss the biggest sale of the year on the bed that can change your life. the sleep number bed. sale ends soon! only at one place: one of our 400 sleep number stores. [ roger ] tell me you have good insurance. yup, i've got... [ voice of dennis ] ...allstate. really? i was afraid you'd have some cut-rate policy. [ kyle ] nope, i've got... [ voice of dennis ] ...the allstate value plan. it's their most affordable car insurance -- and you still get an allstate agent. i too have... [ voice of dennis ]...allstate. [ roger ] same agent and everything. [ kyle ] it's like we're connected. no we're not. yeah we are. no...we're not. ♪ ask an allstate agent about the value plan. are you in good hands?
bill kristol, who in the past has bent the entire republican party to his will, has made them all follow his lead, now wants them to raise mitt romney's taxes. it's the clash of the republican titans. bill kristol versus grover norquist, next in the "rewrite." . [ voice of dennis ] ...allstate. really? i was afraid you'd have some cut-rate policy. [ kyle ] nope, i've got... [ voice of dennis ] ...the allstate value plan. it's their most affordable car insurance -- and you still get an allstate agent. i too have... [ voice of dennis ]...allstate. [ roger ] same agent and everything. [ kyle ] it's like we're connected. no we're not. yeah we are. no...we're not. ♪ ask an allstate agent about the value plan. are you in good hands? ask an allstate agent about the value plan. mid grade dark roast forest fresh full tank brain freeze cake donettes rolling hot dogs bag of ice anti-freeze wash and dry diesel self-serve fix a flat jumper cables 5% cashback signup for 5% cashback at gas stations through september.
[ voice of dennis ] ...the allstate value plan. it's their most affordable car insurance and you still get an allstate agent. i too have... [ voice of dennis ]...allstate. [ roger ] same agent and everything. [ kyle ] it's like we're connected. no we're not. yeah we are. no...we're not. ♪ ask an allstate agent about the value plan. are you in good hands?