is trying to build up its defenses. this man, who works in construction, is building a bunker for his family. his children take a quick peek into the darkness below. perhaps this will save them. perhaps it will be their grave. his younger brother is now a rebel fighter. he was a mechanic who wanted to be a deejay. he plays music as he recalls the fate of one of their media activist friends. detained by syrian security forces and returned to them with his eyes gouged out. >> and they take the eyes. the same, my job. why? as the democratic faithful descend upon charlotte, they're i can go down bashar. too much dangerous here in syria. welcoming committee, angry protesters filling the streets. the death of the reverend moon.

he started a religious movement. >> thank you. but when i finish with >> that became a multimillion dollar enterprise. revolution, i catch the camera nearly 50 years in the making, like this and i throw it. and they've still got hard core fans. >> we can't afford to let up on >> even parents saying, oh, our child was conceived during "free this story because every day bird." civilians and children are getting brutally killed. >> lynyrd skynyrd talks to cnn. that was cnn's arwan damon reporting. we'll be right back. their nerd flag proudly waving, the fun of dragon con up close. hello, i'm gary tuchman sitting in tonight for don lemon. let's get you up to speed on some of the day's headlines. president obama on the road and making his case for re-election. he spoke today in boulder. lighting up a crowd at the university of colorado. >> we have come too far to turn back now. we've got more good jobs to create. we've got more home grown energy to generate. we've got more young people to send to college. we've got more good teachers to hire. we've got more good schools to build.

we've got one more war to end. we've got more troops we've got to bring home. we've got more veterans we've got to take care of. we've got more doors of opportunity that we have to open for every single person who's willing to work hard and walk through them. that's why i'm asking you for a second term. >> we'll take you live to charlotte, north carolina, to preview this week's democratic convention in a moment. mr. obama's republican rival mitt romney attended church today in new hampshire. his wife ann was by his side. new hampshire is one of those all-important swing states that could decide this race. romney has crossed the 1 million mark in twitter followers. he sent a tweet that reads, 1 million active followers, thanks everyone for your support. help us keep the momentum going. he also added a link to a donation website for his campaign. an afghanistan u.s. special operations forces have suspended the training of afghan police

recruits efblgttive immediately. more than 40 nato members have been killed this year by insurgents dressed as police or afghan soldiers. 14 were killed in august alone. for fastidious librarian emily skinner, u.s. forces will revet all each day was fueled by thorough preparation for events to come. current members before reinstating the training. well somewhere along the way, emily went right on living. the reverend sun myung moon is dead. he's the founder and leader of the controversial unification but you see, with the help of her church. raymond james financial advisor, best known outside of church she had planned for every eventuality. circles for conducting mass weddings, sometimes with ...which meant she continued to have the means to live on... thousands of church-arranged couples all saying "i do" at once. ...even at the ripe old age of 187. life well planned. moon died today in a hospital in see what a raymond james advisor can do for you. seoul, south korea. he was 92 years old. his funeral will be held on thursday. an outbreak of legionnaires disease has hit quebec city. it's killed ten people, sickened 165 more. health officials don't know how people are getting it. the government has ordered some buildings to clean their cooling systems, which is a common this week president obama heads to the democratic source of the disease. convention.

it's a severe form of pneumonia wall street eyes the economy. that spreads when people breathe and a reality tv show pledges to in droplets or mist with the bacteria. it didn't take long for to be kinder and gentler. really? drivers to run into trouble at our correspondents have it all. the belgian grand prix. we begin with the president. >> wow! >> hamilton goes sideways. >> reporter: i'm athena jones in texas. president obama speaks at a labor day event in toledo, ohio, >> that is some crash. on monday before heading down to four drivers had to leave the louisiana to meet with people affected by hurricane isaac. race after an accident caused by on tuesday, he travels to roman rojan. norfolk, virginia, and on wednesday he goes to charlotte, formula one is pun ining him for north carolina, for the the accident. democratic national convention. he will miss next weekend's italian grand prix and has to he officially accepts his pay a $63,000 fine. party's nomination for president on thursday night. for his part, the french driver says he doesn't know who caused >> i'm poppy harlow in new york. it will be a shortened trading the accident. week with markets closed for labor day. democrats are gearing up for the big show in charlotte, north carolina. a show with much different aims when trades kicks off tuesday, wall street will be all eyes on than republicans had in tampa, the august jobs report. florida. that is set to be released on some pundits say mitt romney's task for the republican friday morning, and it will be critical for consumer confidence convention was to introduce himself to the american people. and also in the race for the president obama does not really white house. have that task. also on tap this week, the his introduction came before he august car and truck sales data entered the white house. that comes out as well as a look so what's at the top of obama's at how much folks are spending to-do list for the democratic on construction, a pretty good convention? sign of how they're feeling about the economy. shannon travis joins us live

from charlotte. we'll track all of that on "cnn first of all, really weird news. we're hearing about a theft on money." >> i'm a.j. hammer. here's what we're watching this the campaign trail today. week. "basketball wives 2.0," is the what do you know about this? >> reporter: yeah, this is a show really going to cut out all the violent drama this season? pretty bizarre incident we're just getting word of. i'll speak with one of the stars of the l.a. franchise. apparently a u-haul truck all i need to do is mention containing equipment for an "sweet home alabama" and "free event featuring joe biden bird," and you know who i'm tomorrow in detroit, this u-haul talking about. truck was stolen. lynyrd skynyrd. that's coming from the u.s. secret service. defining the sound of southern i'm going to read just a quote rock since the 1970s. from a spokesman. after a tragic plane crash in '77 killing three of the band quote, a u-haul that we were members, skynyrd played on utilizing was stolen at the cranking out hit after hit. weston hotel overnight. that's from ed donovan with the secret service. album after album over the years. they are not saying what was now on tour with a new album, actually in the truck, so we're "last of the dying breed," unclear about that. but the secret service giving the band its highest representative is saying that this should not interfere with biden's event tomorrow in bill board chart since the '70s. downtown detroit. gary. >> that's an unusual development. we don't hear that kind of story fredricka whitfield talked with too much. let's talk about, shannon, about the band members and asked them what expectations barack obama to share stories about their music. needs to meet at the democratic convention. >> oh, yeah. but we can't discuss them on this program. >> reporter: yeah, in a lot of yeah, but, you know, everything

ways his charge is different from mitt romney's last week in tampa. mitt romney had to introduce throughout our career has been a himself to a lot of people who don't know him, but the story. that's what we write about and president obviously is well known, as you mentioned right be able to last so long. off top. his case is his charge -- his people can't understand the case to make the case for re-election. stories we tell and the songs. we can expect the speakers to we just try to play for the come out and talk about the people. things the administration has >> and people, you know, love the ones that i just mentioned and so many others. done for the economy. they've readily acknowledged even when you come out and that the economy is not moving you're launching your new tour, as fast as they want. your new album, new songs, and there's not as much job people in the audience are growth as they would like. talk about their economic chanting, you know, "free bird." success, the auto bailout and how the auto industry is doing fine. when are we going to hear that? >> what song is it you want to you can expect them to play up hear today? the benefits of the nation's >> free bird! >> you got it, baby. health care law, as well to talk >> we always do the old favorites and stuff. about his national security we love to do those for the people. success, especially the killing but it's fun every once in a of osama bin laden. while to do a new tune here and take a listen at one person to there, keep it fresh. basically sum all that up in a >> what happens when you look in night, tidy sound byte. the audience and you see those take a listen. who have been growing with you and then they're bringing their >> people want to know about the first term. kids. very simple. >> oh, yeah. general motors is alive and well >> some of the songs, "simple man" and "tuesday's gone," you and osama bin laden is not. can see people crying. that's what got done. sometimes they think about their

>> reporter: a nice little sons being overseas or bumper sticker slogan there from something, in the service. rahm emanuel, the mayor of there's memories that come up. chicago, who was president obama's former chief of staff. it's kind of like a lifetime of gary? memories through our music. >> indeed, that is a tidy sound byte. shannon, let's name only names. ♪ tuesday's gone with the wind what political stars are we going to hear from at the convention? >> i'll tell you what's cool is how can these specific democrats help the president make his the stories you hear from, you case? >> reporter: yeah, i mean, know, people all over the years. basically the democratic stars, as you just mentioned, are all the stories that they have about going to be trotted out. certain songs, how certain songs john kerry, the 2004 democratic nominee. have touched them in a certain nancy pelosi, harry reid, way. they'll be up on stage as well. it's amazing to me to listen to probably the biggest draw on all the different ones from graduation to, you know, even wednesday night, former president bill clinton. parents saying, our child was he will be putting president conceived during "free bird." >> you're like, whoa, too much obama's name in to nomination information. and making the case, more importantly, the case for re-electing the president and ♪ because i'm as free as a bird against electing the republican now ♪ challengers. he will be a big draw on wednesday. also, we expect to hear from the first lady, michelle obama. >> shannon, that's so ♪ and this bird you cannot fascinating about politics. change ♪ four years ago bill clinton was saying nasty things about barack >> i hear "free bird" and i

obama when his wife was running for president. think about my high school and now he's a valued asset for the junior high dances. obama campaign. it was just the build up and shannon travis, thank you. everyone gets excited about the we look forward to hearing from song and takes you to the floor. you during the democratic national convention. protesters are already in it's very nostalgic. charlotte getting a jump on this for you, johnny, is it nostalgic week's convention. when you play the older tunes, the signature tunes, but then the protest was called march on you have to introduce the new wall street south. stuff too and it becomes a different tone on stage, doesn't it? >> right now we've got the new record out, "last of the dying breed." cnn's joe johns spent some time i love it because we start our talking to demonstrators today show off -- i'm kind of giving in charlotte about their motives and plans. it away, but gary comes out >> reporter: here in charlotte, playing the slide. and the run up to the democratic national convention, the march we have this thing happening. it's just a lot of fun for us. you know, i've been hearing the band for 25 years. onall street south had been subject to a lot of hype but my brother ronnie started the came off without a hitch with only two arrests and no reported band with gary and allen violence. collins. >> hey, hey, ho, ho, wall street south has got to go. >> reporter: between two and 10,000 people were predicted for it's been my pleasure to be out this march. here and see how it's grown and, only a few hundred showed up, but they were loud. you know, see all the young fans >> our children get sicker. come in to this. the old with the new. your pockets get bigger. >> reporter: about what you >> a lot of you rock and roll would expect for a march against fans may already know this, but the story of how lynyrd skynyrd

got its name is an amazing story. they had a gym teacher named the banks that make charlotte leonard skinner. one of the leading financial centers. honestly, it was the police who led the way, but not far behind it was a mocking tribute to them pushing a bicycle was an organizer from occupy wall street in new york, who had come over from tampa where he had because he demanded they cut been protesting at the their hair. republican national convention. he said he'd lost some people after the event in florida. we'll have another segment next >> we ultimately ended up coming weekend. a little girl with autism down with a couple of buses and was unable to speak, and doctors did not give her very good odds some other people found their of ever saying a single word. own transportation. but she beat those odds with a little help from an ipad. now, as for numbers here, her incredible story next. mom: ready to go to work? they're a lot less. half the people ended up going back to new york. ♪ >> reporter: why did they do that? ♪ >> a lot of our people have jobs. a lot of people aren't interested in protesting obama. >> reporter: for the police in the city, of course, the smaller ♪ numbers made the march more manageable. political conventions of the ♪ past have often exploded in ugly confrontation, but not so far this year. every mom needs a little helper. what is the recipe for success that's why i got a subaru. with these marches? we've seen a peaceful march in announcer: love. tampa and apparently a peaceful it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. march here.

very different from what we saw in denver and minneapolis four years ago. the wheels of progress haven't been very active lately. >> i think it's anticipation and communication. but because of business people like you, you got to anticipate and have things are beginning to get rolling. the willingness to meet with and regions is here to help. people and talk to people, making it easier with the expertise and service understand what they want to do, and then you try to negotiate to keep those wheels turning. from business loans to cash management, yourself through it in order to make sure in the ends that we want to be your partner moving forward. everybody is safe. >> reporter: protests are expected to continue here on the so switch to regions. holiday, including one and let's get going. demonstration featuring members of organized labor. gary. together. >> joe, thank you very much. coming up on cnn tomorrow night, obama revealed. so how much do we owe you? that'll be $973.42. my colleague jessica yellin ya know, your rates and fees aren't exactly competitive. reveals the man for the people who know him best, personal confidants, his closest advisers, and even president who do you think i am, quicken loans? obama himself. [ spokesman ] when you refinance your mortgage watch "obama revealed" tomorrow with quicken loans, you'll find that our rates and fees are extremely competitive. night at 8:00 eastern time and pacific on cnn. > all eyes will be on the because the last thing you want is to spend too much on your mortgage. president this week as he delivers his acceptance speech. one more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. what will he say? what should he say? answers next. [ female announcer ] think a thick cream is the only way to firm skin? ♪

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with two times the points on dining in restaurants,? you may find yourself asking why not, a lot. chase sapphire preferred. there's more to enjoy. ntgomery and abigail higgins had... ...a tree that bore the most rare and magical fruit. which provided for their every financial need. a little girl with autism and then, in one blinding blink of an eye, finally learned to speak with the help of an ipad. their tree had given its last. for years she never said a word. she just cried and cried. but with their raymond james financial advisor, they had prepared for even the unthinkable. cnn's lisa sylvester sat down with the little girl's parents and got this emotional story. and they danced. >> it's okay. see what a raymond james advisor can do for you. >> reporter: we see a piece. this 5-year-old sees the whole puzzle.

>> she would be trying to put the picture together. she would do it from memory. that's how it works for her. >> reporter: she's happy, playful, and with remarkable memory has autism. >> she had all the classic symptoms and everything. she was doing the repeated behavior, the communication delay. everything. when they did tell me, it was a really difficult time, you know, because all the research tells you there's just no cure and that's just the way she is and you kind of grieve a little because you wanted her life and so what can we expect to your life to be different. hear from president obama at >> reporter: she was still not this week's democratic talking at 3. convention? her parents were told her odds earlier i posed that question of ever speaking, at best, and more to lz granderson and 50/50. will cain. they're both cnn contributors. so she did the only thing she could do. since we can assume that the president won't specifically ask >> she'd wake up in the morning delegates if they're better off and wants to watch a cartoon. now than they were four years ago, what he thought the president might say. she had no way of telling me which cartoon she wants to watch >> about nine months ago, i'd and from which part she wanted say, he gave a speech in kansas to watch it. where he talked about the middle the only way she would

class. communicate with me is pointing towards the television and crying. >> polar bear. he pos itted the status of the >> you're right. >> reporter: but about that time middle class against those that in 2010, her father heard about are wealthy. i think those are themes we'll hear from again. something new, the first ipad, i said nine months ago, so which was just hitting the that's not going to be a new market. message. what he should do would be to say something along the lines of >> she was doing drink. what you suggest he shouldn't, you can do chocolate milk. gary. are you better than you were ur years ago? look, i inherited a difficult >> reporter: the electronic situation. tablet and new apps changed it's on the right track. i've turned it around slightly. everything for this family. i think you can try to make that difficult message. >> lz, what do you think the president should say this week? >> it was funny listening to the did it lead to her speaking? >> yes, definitely. that's how it all started way will characterized the because before that we tried everything. but nothing was clicking for her because she's a very, very president and the way the dnc platform is going to be. visual person. i don't see it as a division. for her, everything is visual. and ipad gave her that option, being able to do that. i see it as pointing out what's >> reporter: and for the first good for the american people. time, she gained a sense of there's no division when you control. point out the numbers. >> compared to, like, people with children, you know, who are regular children, they probably the numbers of the last 40 years put in an effort and see the reactions right away. have said one thing. that's the fact that income has you teach them something, and left the middle class and the they react quickly.

lower class and at a number that's disproportionate to the for us, sometimes it's like 200% growth of rich people, has all gone to the rich americans. we've seen that gap for the last effort and maybe 5% of result. and, you know, we have come to live with that. 40 years. not the last 3 1/2 of the obama we have understood that this is going to be the way. administration. not even during w's >> reporter: she went from the administration, but the last 40 years. that's not division. child who was not able to say a that's pointing out the trends. word to this. >> do you want six or eight? once he does that, then he's able to talk about why he made >> eight. or seven. the decisions that he did. >> it's amazing hearing mommy why he instituted obamacare, for instance. and daddy or, you know, even for herself when she needs something >> lz, let's talk about the last and she can say, you know, i democrat president. want goldfish. wednesday, the second night at >> reporter: the electronic the convention, will be bill tablets don't work for all children with autism. clinton time. he's remembered for a lot of things. she has a mild to moderate case. and there is a potential one of them is a good economy, a downside, that it becomes a surplus. crutch. any risks that bill clinton >> we worry she becomes a little could upstage the president? too fixated on it. especially when she's not in >> you know, when i saw that question, i just sort of laughed school with a structured day. i feel like she doesn't do it as because in order to be afraid of much. that, the person who follows bill clinton would have to be it can be a problem sometimes insecure. when she gets a little too president obama is not insecure. in fact, i think it says a lot fixated and we want her to interact with us and do something different. about him as well as democrats it can be a bit of a problem. it can be a challenge. that they're not even going to it's more helpful than not. bring out president clinton, but president carter. >> reporter: more than a toy, it

helps her find her own little w. was absent during the rnc and voice. >> an ipad. the reason why is because they're embarrassed by him. the democrats are not embarrassed by their previous presidents because they're quite >> that'll brighten up your proud of a lot of good things they've done when they were in office, but more importantly sunday night. thanks to lisa sylvester for after office. that report. hurricane isaac is gone, but which gives you more insight into the character of the men. many cnn reporters are still wringing out their clothes. i think what it does is just a behind the scenes look is next. further illustrate how unified there've been some good . they are in trying to help the country. and some difficult ones. >> in all fairness, after a but, through it all, we've persevered, president loses, for example supporting some of the biggest ideas in modern history. jimmy carter back in 1984, he didn't come to the convention either. eventually, they become elder so why should our anniversary matter to you? statesmen. because for 200 years, we've been helping ideas move they shop up and seven very proud of them. we've seen this story before. from ambition to achievement. either way, will, what do you think about that? is bill clinton the democrats' secret weapon? and the next great idea could be yours. could his presence highlight problems we're having with the economy right now? ♪ >> i think bill clinton is a and the next great idea could be yours. wonderful speaker for liberal ideology in a democratic party. in 2009, the u.s. took home over 75 medals in athletic competitions. i think he's nothing but a plus for them taking the stage. do i think he'll remind people of a time when they had a democratic president and the economy was better? today our students rank 25th in the world in math. i don't know.

what's going to be more there's no medal for that. impactful than that is the fact let's get america back on track. that during this week while the democratic national convention the more we invest in teachers, is taking place, the united states' total debt is going to the better our students will perform. eclipse $16 trillion. let's solve this. that speaks louder than any kind of reminiscing to when bill clinton was president. >> cnn contributors will cain and lz granderson. many thanks to you. and you can take part in the dnc and cnn's election round table. ♪ this tuesday join wolf blitzer and our political team for a live virtual chat. ♪ go to cnn.com/roundtable and submit your questions. [ male announcer ] join the masters of style... we will give you the answers in realtime. the cnn election round table is even trimming, a close shave, and accurate edging... at 12:00 noon eastern on tuesday. with the gillette fusion proglide styler. charlotte preps for the ♪ fusion proglide styler, democratic national convention. some who will arrive there won't use with gillette's most advanced blades. necessarily receive a terribly ♪ warm welcome. they've been called the paparazzi of politics. you'll hear from one next. seems they haven't been moving much lately. but things are starting to turn around because of business people like you. why not take a day totte's explore your own backyard?.

and regions is here to help. with two times the points on travel, with the experience and service to keep things rolling. you may find yourself asking why not, a lot. from business loans to cash management, chase sapphire preferred. there's more to enjoy. we want to be your partner moving forward. so switch to regions. and let's get going. together. so how much do we owe you? that'll be $973.42. ya know, your rates and fees aren't exactly competitive. who do you think i am, quicken loans? [ spokesman ] when you refinance your mortgage with quicken loans, you'll find that our rates and fees are extremely competitive. because the last thing you want is to spend too much on your mortgage. one more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. ♪ the entertainment turned frightening at a monster truck show in harrisburg, oregon.

very scary. three people at monster air 2010, that's the name of the show, were hurt. one of the 48-inch tires of this out of control ford landed on them. our affiliate kval reports. a sheriff's sergeant says the victims will survive. that's good news. an eyewitness says the driver lost control after he hit a mud pit. now, here's an inside peek at how our cnn correspondents got the emotional stories during hurricane isaac. a lot of it involves trying to stay dry. >> they are much more protected now than they were seven years ago. >> we see that barrier that is essentially a souped up sea wall that goes two miles across. i was surprised by how new everything looked. i mean, i knew it went up in a hurry, but it looked like everything was fresh out of the

box. fresh concrete, the steal casings, everything looked to be fairly new and not really weathered. we had a really great ride from the coast guard. who doesn't like going up in a chopper? right, john? >> right. >> it's just going to be swirling. >> i think charlie said he thinks it's going to come in this way. we definitely 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 to move a little bit? i don't know how much tether you have. >> you all right, brian? >> yeah, i am. >> trying to tuck in here. >> this is what we do to remember all the work that we do. we take these ridiculous things and send them to our significant others and our kids. i look rough. this is what 36 hours on the clock will do to you. newsmakers have to be

vigilant now days as the >> you get wet -- so wet. paparazzi close in filming their every move. you get more wet than you ever but we're not talking about remember. hollywood elite. you didn't even know you could we're talking politicians whose get this wet. own words can be used as every time you try to dry off, ammunition against them. there's no point in even trying to dry off after a while. it's just -- just wet. kelly maher is a political video tracker for the website revealingpolitics.com. >> the worst part is the she's a republican. earlier i asked her what she waiting. hoped to accomplish. get out there and get ready. and wait. >> finding delegates and also we'll be right to you. we're coming to you next. finding people who are rallying oh, no, somebody first. and figuring out what it is that oh, we just lo they're interested in this upcoming election. >> we remembered the case of representative bob etheridge being ambushed by two college students in 2010. watch. >> do you fully support the obama agenda? >> who are you? who are you? >> whoa. >> well, etheridge later apologized and said there is no excuse for his behavior. so what's the difference between this, basically hunting and tracking someone down, kelly, and the everyday press guy

looking for the sound byte of the day? >> well, i think that interestingly enough in this marketplace of ideas, the barrier to entry to becoming a citizen journalist is almost nothing because everyone is walking around with a smart phone that records video. so all you have to do in order to get the important clip that can change the election is show up at an event with your smart phone and wait for somebody to say the what they actually think. >> some people, kelly, would call you a "gotcha" machine. what do you say to that? >> yeah, i'm pretty sure you called me a one-woman torpedo effort two years ago, which i'm not even making this up. one of my girlfriends had that printed on a t-shirt for me after you aired that piece. it was hysterical. and probably one of the best compliments i've ever gotten. but, you know, ultimately what we're seeing is we're seeing that the mainstream media, whether it's print or television, is changing.

and they rely more and more on bloggers and citizen journalists to come in with their cameras and their smartphones and provide a lot of that content for them. and that's largely what i do, is take video at town halls and rallies and all kinds of different events waiting for people to really reveal themselves. >> and we'll see what kelly comes up with. she is a political video tracker for the website revealingpolitics.com. well, is it a stopgap or a ticking time bomb? the nfl and referees haven't come to an agreement. the season begins ne week. so the replacements are here to stay, for now. ow much do we owe? that'll be $973.42. ya know, your rates and fees aren't exactly competitive. who do you think i am, quicken loans? [ spokesman ] when you refinance your mortgage with quicken loans, you'll find that our rates and fees are extremely competitive. because the last thing you want is to spend too much on your mortgage.

one more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. ♪ one more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. chances are, you're not made of money, so don't overpay for motorcycle insurance. geico, see how much you could save. ♪ (train horn) vo: wherever our trains go, the economy comes to life.

norfolk southern. one line, infinite possibilities. for fastidious librarian emily skinner, each day was fueled by thorough preparation for events to come. well somewhere along the way, emily went right on living. but you see, with the help of her raymond james financial advisor, she had planned for every eventuality. ...which meant she continued to have the means to live on... ...even at the ripe old age of 187.

life well planned. see what a raymond james advisor can do for you. the nfl season kicks off this wednesday. if you're watching at home, the game will mostly look the sa as last year, but on the field this $9 billion business, the national football league has a big problem. mark mckay explains.

for a second straight season, labor issues have distracted from the game. >> reporter: as another nfl season gets ready to kick off, disaster could be right behind. >> a correction on the reporting of the foul. both teams will on -- both -- both fouls were on the kicking team. five-yard penalty. >> reporter: the nfl and its referees have been in a labor dispute ever since the last collective bargaining agreement expired three months ago. the nfl locked out the referees and hired replacements called from the lower levels of college football as well as the high school ranks, though the nfl continues to provide on the job training for these officials, results have been mixed with some embarrassing moments that could put the credibility of the league at stake. >> we just hope that these officials know the rules, know how to enforce them, and can keep the game under control and keep order. >> reporter: there are 121 nfl referees. they're considered part-time employees who have other careers outside the nfl.

last year officials were paid an average of $149,000 plus benefits. >> the nfl referees want a raise in that salary. make no mistake, they're requesting a significant raise. they want more than double that over the course of five years. the nfl is countering with annual raises over the next seven years of 5% to 11%. there's quite a distance between those. there's also some issues about pensions and a few other things, but at the end of the day, the problem is financial. >> reporter: the nfl players association has criticized commissioner roger goodell and the league saying they're jeopardizing player safety by using inferior referees. >> i think on the whole, it's just, you know, in the back of our minds as a bit of a concern because like we've said before, these referees have never refereed in an nfl season game. so that's, you know, a bit of a concern. >> laws are only as good as their enforcement, really. in this case, if players sense they can get away with

something, helmet-to-helmet hits, if they sense order is not being uphe would, they will take advantage of that. really, it's a public relations thing. it's a perception that the nfl is not doing everything it can to protect players playing a very dangerous game. >> reporter: the first week of games could determine which side gets the upper hand in negotiations. if the games come and go without incident, the nfl will continue using replacements and the locked out referees will continue to lose paychecks. if not, the outrage from fans, coaches, and players will put pressure on the league to get a deal done. >> and that's mark mckay reporting. a gruesome task for one man in syria, documenting the dead. victims of a brutal and bloody civil war. a terrifying thought. wait until you see what one activist has pledged his life to. that's information. rformance li. including the gs and is.

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let's take a look at the headlines at the bottom of the hour. president obama on the road and making his case for re-election as he makes his way to this week's democratic convention. he spoke to a large crowd in boulder. the convention gets started two days from now.

protesters are already hitting the streets of charlotte. hundreds of people marched by charlotte's banks. it's a big bank city, charlotte, north carolina. some of them were chants "we got sold out." today's protest was called march on wall street south. the number of demonstrators at the republican convention fell short of expectations, in part because of a guy named isaac who showed up. republican presidential candidate mitt romney and his wife ann attended church today in new hampshire. new hampshire is one of those all-important swing states that could make or break this election. we also learned today that romney has crossed the 1 million mark in his twitter followers. this is what he said. 1 million active followers, thanks everyone for your support. help us keep the momentum going. he also added a link to make donations. about 1,500 people wisely got out of the area today where a wildfire is chewing up the san

gabriel mountains about 30 miles east of los angeles. a couple hundred firefighters are hitting the fire on the ground and from the air. about 1,000 acres of forest have so far burned. across syria, more than 140 people were killed just today. about half of them in the capital of damascus and its suburbs. now, add that number to the staggering 1,600 people killed over the past few days, and you've got the single deadliest week in syria since the civil war began. opposition forces say government forces massacred 35 people in a village today and a bomb went off next to government buildings in damascus, wounding several bystanders. nearly 5,000 people died in syria in the month of august in street fighting, air strikes, and shelling. we have to rely on opposition reports of these casualties because cnn cameras and reporters are not allowed in the

country right now. for journalists describing the war in syria, it would not be possible without the videos we see posted online. we see posted online. what these activists see in their villages and towns goes beyond horror. dead men, women, children and their neighbors. in some cases, their own siblings. cnn's arwa damon takes us there. the video was obtained by a freelance journalist. many images are disturbing and may not be appropriate for all viewers. >> reporter: every night he scrolls through the videos he shot that day, reviewing scenes he wishes he'd never witnessed. it's a macabre routine, but one that he's addicted to. he simply can't stop, can't let go, can't give up.

for the past 18 months, he's documented nearly every single death in a town of some 50,000 before the violence started. name, date, location. more than 400 victims and counting. often they are his neighbors, friends, relatives, people he would see around town, and once he pointed the camera at his brother's corpse. >> i didn't know my brother was the first one. after i came, i also i take some photo of another one. suddenly i remember this one my brother. the start i shout, my brother, my brother, my brother. doctor, my brother. but after normal, i am sad also, the first, and angry. but after normal.

>> reporter: the 37-year-old once owned a furniture shop. now he's part of a small team of media activists. filming and posting online the horrific videos that have come to symbolize the syrian uprising. most of the residents have fled, but the indiscriminate shelling still takes its toll on the few who remain. those who have nowhere else to go. in the last few weeks, this 8-year-old girl was killed by a mortar round that hit her home. there was nothing the medical team could do but try to hide the wound to spare her mother the anguish. she collapses when she hears the news. at times, he tries to console families, reassuring this woman that her son is going to be

okay, that he will survive the wounds to his leg. occasionally, he hands over the camera so he can help, but too often there is nothing he can do but film. much of the city lies in ruins, similar to most of what we see from across syria. its people resigned to their fate, knowing that they are on their own. the hospital regularly targeted