nice to have you with us. it's 11:00 o the east coast, 8:00 on the west coast. means we're about to get new numbers on isaac, a powerful tropical storm may be turning into a hurricane churning northward towards the gulf coast and that big threat is the rain. possibly a foot or many and also the tidal surges those storms could bring anywhere up to 3 to 12 feet, so clearly, this is a crisis in t making. at this point right now, we can tell you that the center of the storm is on track to hit louisiana a little over 12 hours from now. tomorro tomorrow, the seventh anniversary of katrina. i know we're just 23 seconds into the top of the hour and that's usually when they make this declaration as to whether we turn from tropical storm to hurricane. do you know with we're category 1? >> still a tropical storm. the winds are sustained at 70

miles per hour. latest information coming in from the national hurricane center, still looking at gusts up to 85. moving to the northwest at 10 miles per hour, right now, located about 80 miles from the mouth of the mississippi. now, this system is going to be a slow mover. we thought it might have become a hurricane. tuesday, winds at 80 miles per hour, so still expecting this to become a category 1 and then sweeping up towards the northwest. a very slow mover, so this is going to mean increased about of rainfall. anywhere between 8 and 12 feet and this is aboveground. now, we're expecting tropical storm conditions twork into the region later on this afternoon into the evening and then the center of circulation likely to make a land fall and

then for the next 24 to 48 hour, moving really slow, holding on to tropical storm strength. as i said, it's really going to be the heavy rainfall as well as the storm surge and of course, we're going to add in those winds as well, but right now, we do have a tornado watch in effect for southeastern parts of louisiana spreading into mississippi, alabama, over towards the east of florida. >> i know we've got some of these pictures that have been showing the waves hitting dauphin island, alabama. we really shouldn't be talking about just the eye of the hurricane, these outer bands can be just as deadly and damaging and it looks like they're starting to get this by these pictures here. what's the story right now as we look along the various states in the gulf coast in terms of those outer bands? >> right now, the outer bands are starting to look a lot better and that's why we are seeing that tornado watch in place because the storms are

starting to look a little bit better developed. that is what's going to be the problem with the heavy rainfall and the onshore flow. >> all right, keep an eye on that. if that changes to category 1, jump in and let us know what the developing situation is. thank you. and already, president obama has offered up federal disaster aid to louisiana. he actually spoke about isaac just last hour. >> as we prepare for isaac to hit, i want to encourage all residents of the gulf coast to listen to your local officials and follow their directions, including if they tell you to evacuate. we're dealing with a big storm and there could be significant flooding and other damage across a large area. now is not the time to tempt fate. now is not the time to dismiss

official warnings. you need to take this seriously. >> take this seriously. words to live by. certainly if you're from new orleans. that's for sure. so, just after those remark, the the president actually set out for a road trip. he's campaigning in iowa and colorado, which means that isaac isn't the only major distraction for the republicans who are trying to start that convention in tampa. got much more on that in just a moment. we're going to do full on politics throughout this program, but still, there is this looming danger and if you do live in new orleans and haven't gotten out already, your mayor is telling you don't. sit there. sit tight. it's too late to get on the move and be clogged in the traffic and be in a more dangerous situation. however, that cyd said, the city leaders, state officials and all the feds, they're agreeing that the buckets of money, billions of dollars to upgrades to nrns

have left the city better protected than ever before, but is it enough? brian todd is there. he's been assessing the story. first, give me the weather update. >> reporter: we're seeing some of the earliest band offi isaac coming through. some of the rain came through earlier. that's disapated, but we know it's coming back and just told by a colleague in atlanta that we can expect a strong band here pretty soon. what we're told, the flood gates, seawalls, we were just told officials are about to close the flood gate at the west closure station. they are sealing off all 127 flood gates in the area to sea off the city of new orleans from possible overtopping of the upper levees. one of the areas they're going to be watching closely is lake pontchartrain. my team got some video of the

wind, tide in lake pontchartrain. that is really the key point that people are watching right here because that was the area that overspilled during hurricane katrina in 2005. some of the areas around the lakes, some of the levee points were breached there. right now, you mentioned ev evacuations. no mandatory evacuations for the city of new orleans. the mayor is saying if you live in the low lying areas, the areas not protected by the levees, you should get out. inside the city of new orleans, no mandatory evacuations as of now. >> i have breaking news. it comes out of gulf port, mississippi. the officials in that vicinity have put in place an official curfew in gulf port, mississippi. p:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. tonight to 7

clk 00 a.m. tomorrow. these outer bands will give you a good indication of what's coming, but when it gets dark and difficult to get around, you're better inside if you you aren't already gone. in the meantime, there is your radar. still tropical storm isaac, but by the hour, this can change. we are awaiting the potential of this being a development into category 1 and this can happen at any time. again, cur few coming your way, 7:00 p.m. tonight. back in a moment. unless you have the right perspective. bny mellon wealth management has the vision and experience to look beyond the obvious. we'll uncover opportunities, find hidden risk, and make success a reality. bny mellon wealth management ♪

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just a quick note. if you are heading out the door, you can continue watching cnn from your mobile phone. go to cnn.com/tv. very, very easy. even i can do it. so, the republican national convention is getting underway in tampa, florida today and it would be the lead story if there weren't this potentially deadly storm bearing down on the gulf coast today. mitt romney's arriving there in tampa at any moment, but with

isaac sometimes steel stealing the slight, it is a very different game for republicans. they've already lost a day just because of weather. let's bring in paul steinhauser, who's with our team in tampa. what lousy timing. honestly. but do you think, paul, or is anybody there on the ground talking about any significant loss in bump potential because of what's happening with isaac and not obl the stories leading with the danger of isaac, but also some of those key players in the media pulling up stakes and moving to new orleans to cover the storm coming? >> we've got soledad o'brien, anderson cooper and a host of people here in new orleans. here in tampa now, and new orleans along the gulf coast. the conventional wisdom is yes, this is a big distraction. it's going to take attention away from this convention and the theme is and the michelle is to reintroduce mitt romney to the american public. here's the contrary view to

that. it may help. i was talking to a top republican strategist who said the storm coverage may help in a way because when big storms like this come through, the ratings for cable news and news in general go up and we at cnn and the other newscasts are not only covering the storm, but the convention here, so there may be more eyeballs than less. >> talk to me about the schedule of events. you mentioned everything truncated, squashed into the fewer days they have. what'stoday got in store? >> well, about three hour frs now right behind me is when the action gets underway. the first thing ha happens, they're going to adopt the platform and rules voted on last week and we could get a little bit of a noisy protest from some ron paul supporters. we saw a little bit of a protest yesterday. then the role calls for mitt romney and paul ryan. both arriving here in tampa in

the next hour. we know mitt romney's going to be nominated as republican presidential nominee. same thing for ryan as the vp. then in prime time, big speakers. 7:00 p.m., rick santorum and he went at it in the primaries. he is one of the early speakers. i think you'll see him say a lot nicer things about romney now than back in the primaries. scott walker, he will be speaking. also, some high pro file women. nikki haley, the governor of south carolina. they're trying to reach out to women at this convention. there is a gender gap. ann romney, a big speech. 10:00 eastern in prime time. that's the big hour. the most important speakers go in the 10:00 eastern hour and she will try to portray her husband and give us the the taste of what he is like, the family man.

then chris christie. all eyes will be on that speech of course. >> yes, so obviously, cable news is the place to be because most of those broadcast networks aren't going to touch those speeches until 10:00 eastern. quickly for you, as mitt romney and hopefully, his plane will be on time. i don't know if the weather is being affected in tampa right now. if he arrives anytime now, what does he do between now and the big speech on thursday? >> well, the campaign is not giving us details on what he is doing today. what he may be doing just a guess, meeting with some of the key delegations. he may be meeting with his own campaign officials here and other republican officials and lien, ann romney speaks tonight. so would he want to make a surprise out this at the podium, it's anybody's guess. tomorrow, th is interesting. he's still scheduled to give a speech tomorrow in indianapolis, then thursday night is supposed to be his big night in tampa. >> i'm getting word breaking as we speak that mitt romney has

landed. the eagle has landed in tampa, florida. so he's at the airport and probably headed your way. >> coming right to me. >> to speak directly to me. >> yeah, that's i >> thanks, paul. 30 minutes from now, we're going to take you live to the convention floor. stakes are big. tonight's speakers are a big, big deal. ann romney to do the softening effect, perhaps, then chris christie to really hammer home the platform and personality of the party as well. and you know, one thing we've come to expect from the conventions is the bounce. that's the jump in support for the candidates after they've finished pleading their case and really appealing to the american people. but you might be interested to see the list of the past. last few years, the convention bounce has been kind of meh. nonexistent. john mccain and john kerry in

2004, almost nothing. if you compare that to clinton, almost nothing. and john king, our wizard of all things mentioned '88, not heavy into cable new, then the cable news hits and you kind of get saturated. the romney campaign hoped for a bit of a bump without question after adding paul ryan, but that didn't come despite these fantastic pictures. ryan's a real likable guy. he resognates well inside the party and outside the party, too. now, looks like they may have to wait and see if the convention, short or not, is going to give them the boost they are looking for. [ male announcer ] citi turns 200 this year.

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when it comes to tracking hurricanes and tropical storms, the goal is to get the most detailed and exact information as possible. that's where hurricane hunters come into play. and we've got some video that should give you a pretty good idea of their dicesy edge of your seat mission. how would you like to be flying through that?

look at that. that path and what they're going through. that's the eye. crews flyheir aircraft into the eye of the storm. make no mistake, right through it. along the way, they're buffeted by hail and downdrafts and you think you've experienced turbulence? they probe every wind, every pressure change. they repeat this gruelling experience again and again during the ten-hour mission. meteorologist ian cyrs is. at moment, he's flying into tropical storm isaac. he's actually going to speak to me now live on the telephone. ian, can you hear me? i can hear a real staticy line, but can you hear me? >> i can hear you, a little broken. >> first of all, i can't believe

i'm doing this interview to you. how close are you right now to the eye? >> i'm sorry? >> how close are you right now in your p3 to reaching the eye of this storm? >> oh, well, we left isaac about 20 minutes ago for a fly pass this morning, but we started, we took off at 4:00 a.m. out of jacksonville, florida. with each pass, it seems to get a little more organized. by our last pass, we were measuring wind speeds at flight level 8,000 feet of 90 knots. that hasn't reached the surface yet. we found that the eye was starting to get more organized and could fall apart. it was going through these cycles, seemed like it was pulsing where it was trying to get a little bit stronger, then

it would fall apart a little bit. it's still struggling to gain intensity. but there is evidence that it is strengthening with some of the flight level winds that we recorded today. >> so, we're looking at some video that's been taken and some animations that have created in flights in the past where you've sent back some remarkable photos. we're seeing right now, one of the units that you dropped by parachute through the storm that helps to collect the data as well. right now, as you are on the p3 that flies through the storm, there is aircraft that the pictures show you can see it out your window that sets the blueprint for you. i'm trying to get the mechanics from you as to how you do this without dying.

>> i am really sorry. i can hardly understand anything you said. >> i'm not surprised. you're in a hurricane. the question i have for you is how do you do this? does the other plane set your blueprint, your map? >> you know what, i'll just tell you some things i've seen again today, the the crews are having a lot of fun. we're working hard together, making sure that we're collecting all this information so that the national hurricane center can make the best advi advisory forecast. we're tracking the storm for them. getting the measurements of exactly what the storm is doing. where isaac is going, how strong is it going to be. those are the questions we're trying to answer while we're out here. it's really an amazing thing. one of the best jobs in the world. we're just having a good time

providing information to help keep people safe. >> ian, you are amazing. for starters, agreeing to do this interview while you're doing this remarkable work, and then second, you are a former math and science teacher, so the entire country owes you a debt of gratitude and also for collecting the information that helps to determine where this storm is at every moment you can. what ian is doing with his crew is very repetitive. they're having to do through this storm 12 hours a day. flying constantly to update the data. one of those capsules you saw dropped through the eye f the storm with the parachute on it, i'm probably not going to pronounce it properly, but a drop scond. they drop it right through the middle of the eye so that it can collect data as it falls through

the eye and the best of the data comes just before it falls into the water below. that is radioed back up in the plane where they can then transmit it back to us so we can know what's coming. the people on the map, new orleans, mobile, houston even, they need to know this information. stay with cnn for full coverage and updates on isaac. 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.

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it has not made land fall, but is having a huge impact on what you pay for gas. half of natural gas output has been shut down and that means one thing to you. actually, a lot of things, but one thing right away, prices at the pump are spiking. aaa says the national average for regular is now 3.75 and the price could shoot up ten cents. remember when christine romans

was on the set with me and had very specific advice to you? >> fill up your gas tank today. numerous experts have said fill up your gas tanks today. they're shutting down production. >> she said fill up your gas tank yesterday and guess what, one of our producers saw the gas prices have spiked ten cents. >> i saved somebody 15 cents. was not expecting ten cents overnight. >> part of the gulf coast in some areas, you're going to see it jump more than others. in most of the -- you could see about ten cents because we're seeing production shut down. 24 hours ago, i told you that 24% of production would shut down. it's now about 80%. 346 platforms evacuated. here's why.

we've also got the port of new orleans shutting down right now. basically, they're tieing down locking down cranes, clearing out, making sure there's nothing dangerous on those wharfs. six ships will be weathering this inside. a guy inside says we've been through this before. i can show you katrina's path. rita's path. you can see all of those little green platforms and other indications show you a rich infrastructure for energy. there are tens of thousands of people who work in this industry and there are a lot of people who rely on this. can i show you quickly, the other things coming in? you've got all kinds of commodities will be affected. don't forget, you've got petroleum products that come up and down the river.

iron and steel that come up the mississippi river and through these port areas. rubber, paper, all kinds of different grain products. every single one of these industries and the companies that transport these goods are all hunkering down and weathering. >> my guess is that the commodities are affected by the gas prices. >> these are traded like crazy. when you look at the artery or gateway through, the rail arteries that carry all of these things, all of these industries then have natural resources or commodities they're waiting for to process later on, so it really can affect a broad swath of the economy. but gasoline is the thing you feel the most. >> oftentimes when we have a gas crisis go up, we wait for them to go back down, but will this be an exkeys to keep price is high or will they go back down? >> labor day travel season is coming up. most likely, you'll see people

driving fewer miles over the holiday because gas prices are probably going to go up. it's not just this one storm that affects supply and deman around the world. i told you yesterday about the venezuela fire. that has put out the 48 people were killed in the fire and gasoline is exported from that refinery, so a lot of different parts at play here. >> i heard this morning, it was a tank that had exploded. >> the main fire out here. >> it reminds you just how the world still runs on oil and crude products and they're drilling it out of the ocean floor basically, then processing it into chemicals, and that goes out as well. >> assignment for you tomorrow because if this continues, we're going to have drought issues, so a lot of questions as we continue on with the by products of the storm. >> too much rain can be a good

thing. the perfect amount of rain is what they want in the midwest. too much won't be a good thing. >> we're going to keep you updated on all things that have to do with isaac. the latest with the impact on you as well as where the storm is at. most of the pain i experience is in my knees. when i think of aspirin, i really think of it as that bottle in the back of my parents' medicine cabinet. finding bayer advanced was huge. i was really surprised by how well it worked. and i'd definitely use it again. put bayer advanced aspirin to the test for yourself at fastreliefchallenge.com.

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we still have our eye on tropical storm isaac, but first, we got a little politics we need to talk about because there's a big thing going on in tampa. mitt romney just arrived in tampa just a short time ago for day one of the republican national convention. it is starting late because of the weather issues, but they have reset the schedule and have an impressive slate of speakers set to get underway tonight. mitt romney's going to accept the nomination with his speech on thursday night, but tonight, two very important speakers are going to be at that podium. ann romney, mitt romney's wife, and chris christie.

the governor of new jersey. here's how christie described his preferred outcome. >> i think if the american people watch tonight, leave the speech by saying yep, that's him, who i heard about, then i think i will have done my job and if they say i like the vision he's laid out for the country and for his party for the next four years, then i will have done the job for my party and country. >> so, that is his job as he says it, our cnn political correspondent, jim acosta. when you look at these two speeches come up and there has been a lot of talk about who's going to get prime time, who would be more important? ann romney or chris christie, who's just such a fire brand and so exciting to watch and is very unpredictable and can make some big headlines.

>> reporter: are you trying to get me to say who's more important because i'm just not going to go there, ashley banfield. ann romney is here to show the softer side of mitt romney. you saw that in the documentary that gloria borger did. she gives a more human element to romney. so i think we're going to see that tonight. this is a big family. five sons, 18 grandchildren. i expect ann romney to be talking about that tonight and let's face it. chris christie, his specialty is real keeping. he keeps it real. i think there will be some sharp jabs tonight, but chris christie has also said he doesn't really like to engage in personal attacks, so i would not expect to hear a negative, nasty speech from chris christie, but mitt romney is on the ground in tampa. he's on the way to his hotel and

we expect him to come down to the floor later this afternoon. i want to show you what we're looking for. these are the big screens inside the hall. just a few moments ago, we saw some sneak previews of themes we will be seeing. we saw some large pictures of exiter, new hampshire. they were briefing reporters on the campaign plane coming down here, that mitt romney will be making a connection between new hampshire and tampa. what that mean, we don't know, but he'll be talking about that. another adviser said mitt romney will be quote speaking from the heart, so that is something i think a lot of republicans have been dying to hear. they want to hear mitt romney speak from his heart and they're going to be talking about the economy. just a few moments ago, we saw on the screen behind me, we built it. of course going back to that line they like to go after the president on when the president said you didn't build that at that speech in roanoke, virginia. it is a theme they go back to time and again and are going to be doing it again today. >> give me a bit of a feel,

convention speeches in the past, the keynote in the past has often been an introduction of someone to the national scene with potential to be the next potential candidate. i want to talk about chris christie and that. is this an introduction of mitt romney or a de facto introduction of chris christie to the rest of us. >> reporter: you know, there were consulate prizes that you could say that came out of this vice presidential selection process. i think mitt romney thought seriously about selecting chris christie. he wasn't selected, but this is a big, big role for him. this is a sort of rollout for christie in 2016 if he chooses to go down that road and he's given indications that he is thinking about 2016, so i think we're going to see some of that tonight. obviously, barack obama had that moment in 2004 that sort of e lichtry fied the democratic party, so yes, that is definitely part of what we're going to be seeing. but again, this is somebody who

has a good connection with mitt romney. he's going to be talking about mitt romney tonight. >> i hope you got a lot of sleep last week. >> reporter: i did not. >> thanks very much, sir. also on to ask you, do you want to know what it's really like to be there? to experience the convention from inside? it is an exciting place to be and today, you can join the cnn election round table with wolf blitzer and our political team. you can submit your own questions and get answers. starts today at noon. about 20 minutes from now. noon eastern. get yourself an inside eye. [ male announcer ] the perfect photo... [ man ] nice!

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and it wasn't the only place determined to rebuild stronger after that monster storm hit that area. today, as tropical storm isaac follows in katrina's path exactly seven years later to the day, gulf port, mississippi is also bracing and they're also

hoping there that all the hard work and investment in their infrastructure is going to pay off. david mattingingly is there now. we had breaking news that gulf port has put in a nighttime curfew, 7:00 tonight going until 7:00 a.m. tomorrow. >> reporter: that's right. just one of the precautions they're putting into place. that is on top in two of the three counties in mississippi. those ordered targeted directly for the low lying areas that people know will flood with the rain and storm surge that's e expected with isaac, but for right now, it's time for everyone to batten down the hatches and make sure that the preparations they've been working on since katrina will stand and hold. st. louis, mississippi, battered by katrina.

today, still rebuilding. gulf port, mississippi. destroyed. today, seaside lots still vacant and for sale. the scars of katrina are subtle, but plentiful as isaac now bears down the same path due to hit the same day, but mississippians acting on tough lessons standing ready. >> you look at what's happened, this house should be high enough to sustain anything. >> reporter: his home was stripped down to its foundation by katrina, so like others, he rebuilt stronger and higher. >> 24 feet above sea level. >> reporter: more than enough, it's believeded, to handle isaac. but nowhere are the changes more obvious than right here on the waterfront. the city's old seawall stood at about eight feet high. when they rebuilt, this is what they put in its place.

in some places, a pile of cement and steel more than double what it used to be. the u.s. 90 bridge broken into pieces by katrina. also restored stronger and higher. and gulf port's new $42 million harbor now bracing for its first test. >> the one that was here before katrina was built out wood. this one is concrete and built like a fortress. >> reporter: that confidence is everywhere. ben stone rebuilt in gulf port when his neighbors did not. a chance he's willing to take for beach front living. >> gets angry from downtown, but the most beautiful sight i can see. >> reporter: this is what happened to stone's house in katrina. the new one was built with the next one in mind. windows that can withstand 200 miles of wind. could this house stand up to

katrina? now, he's making a little bit of a joke there, but clearly, a lot of wisdom in that everyone around here knows that no matter what kinds of preparations you take, there's no such thing as a building or house that's going to be hurricane proof every single time, but right now, everyone just bracing to see what isaac brings. right now, bright blue skies, a chance for everybody to get in some last minute beach time before the storm comes to shore. >> thank you and be, stay safe yourself. want to make sure you stay with cnn as well for everything you need to know. we are on it. got our radars going all day, all night. go-gurt?

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want to bring you some breaking news. guess who has arrived? at the convention center in tampa? ann romney at the front podium. no doubt, speaking with her advisers about the speech that she's going to give tonight. she is going to be in primetime right before chris christie's keynote address. this is her first opportunity at this point to get before the podium and discuss sort of the mechanics of delivering that speech. we said the eagle had landed. perhaps that's the swan who has landed as well. ann romney now going through the motions and the blocking for her big speech up on the main stage with her advisers as well.

and mitt romney, we are told, was also en route as well. there's no sight of him at this spot, but there are a couple things you should know about this. this is such a big deal, there are 13,000 to 15,000 reporters, just media, 13,000 to 15,000 media at this event. it's the largest media event in the world other than the olympic games. it's pretty remarkable. you can think this is a convention. this is not a convention. this is a massive, massive civic event and it has consumed tampa. the security that's involved, the planning, the organizing, not to mention the problems that isaac threw into this. the complete switch-a-roo that isaac pulled on the rnc advisers. jim acosta is standing by live for me. we're looking at the live picture. i just lost jim acosta. my apologies. i may be able to one up jim acosta. not sure, but i'm hoping here. if utah governor gary herbert is

available, sir, gary herbert, can you hear me live from the convention floor. >> i can hear you. >> this is a nice last-minute thing as we're watching the breaking news of ann romney. i'm not sure if she's behind you, in front of you or adjacent. tell me about the planning involved. i have a million questions for you. for starters, get me into the beginning of this day. we're in officially day two, b it is day one because of the storm. as we move into the main events, what are you hoping to achieve today with this agenda? >> well, i think there's a lot of concern here for those who are in the path of hurricane isaac, and certainly puts a little bit of a damper on the convention because we understand the concerns that those people are going to be harm's way. that being said, there's business to be done here at the convention. we're all excited about the opportunity to finally formally nominate mitt romney as our republican nominee and help him

become the next president of the united states. >> all right. talk to me a little bit about some of the conversation that's been leading up to this convention, and that is the big tent theory, and republicans feel it's a big tent, when there are disparate issues particularly when it comes to gay marriage. jeb bush was saying the other day, we have changing demographics here, we need to accommodate some of the thoughts. civil unions and haven't even begun on abortion. >> well, i think republican party, it goes back to the days of ronald reagan. we're not all clones of each other. there's rooms for disagreement. the basic principles, though, limited government, fiscal prudence, making sure we live within our mean, empowerment of the private sector to create wealth, to create jobs. those principles are pretty uniform. some of the other areas, there are differences of opinion, but that's okay. that, in fact, is healthy. the discussion that we have.

mitt romney and paul ryan are not clones of each other. again, i think that's healthy. they complement each other and represent a broad spectrum of americans which i think is going to be healthy in their campaign and i think is going to bring america around and help mitt romney turn america around. >> all right. as we move into our keynote address plans for this evening, 10:00, live, which we'll be covering live, chris christie, the new jersey governor, your counterpart in new jersey. the keynote address. what does he need to do in terms of kicking this off and making sure that the focus of this convention is on mitt romney, i don't know if it's humanizing mitt romney but getting the focus on the message that republicans wan to be the message of this election instead of some of the things they have said are distractions leading up to this convention. >> well, i think this convention is an opportunity for america to come to know mitt romney like we do here in utah, and utah we understand he's a person who's

got great leadership qualities based on principles and good values. and was able to, for example, in my own experience, see him turn around the olympics. i think chris christie has an opportunity to introduce those values and principles of leadership that mitt romney represents and remind the country that what we're doing now is not working but with a mitt romney in the oval office we can turn the economy around, we can balance the budgets, we can, in fact, make sure that medicare and medicaid are sensible in their approach and don't bust the budget and make sure that we have it for generations to come. i think all those principles of good leadership is what chris christie needs to introduce to the american public in regards to mitt romney. >> all right. governor gary herbert, just want to remind everyone that beside you is the live picture of ann romney. thank you, sir. enjoy your time there. i'm going to look for an update for you in the coming days. there goes ann romney as she walks away from the podium,

having done mechanics of the speech. we're keeping a close eye on our other story, isaac. it's a top tier tropical storm, expected to reach hurricane strength before it hits land later today into tonight. and where will it hit? southeast louisiana is most likely. following the path of hurricane katrina. exactly seven years ago tomorrow. it is absolutely eerie the similarities in this path. tropical-storm-force winds are being felt almost 200 miles from the center of the storm right now. but the big threat, of course, isn't necessarily the winds but the water. massive amounts of water. a foot or more of rain in some places. and storm surges of anywhere from 3 to 12 feet. so clearly some infrastructure is going to be severely tested with this storm. want to make sure you stay tuned to cnn for all the latest on isaac all throughout today and also throughout this evening as well. that is it for "the newsroom." thanks for watching, everyone. "newsroom international" starts

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