>> yeah. absolutely. adults do stupid things. >> rielle, thank you for coming on. >> thanks for having me, piers. from cnn world headquarters in atlanta, this is "early start weekend." i declared a state of emergency for the state of florida. >> tropical storm isaac picking up steam. now florida bracing for a hurricane. we'll take you there live. and politics are no match for mother nature as isaac moves north. the republican convention is under threat with some events already canceled. one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. >> mankind loses a legend.

the life, the career, the inspiration of neil armstrong. it is sunday, august 26. good morning, everyone. i'm randi kaye. glad you're with us. we begin this morning with tropical storm isaac. it's already killed at least two people in haiti where streets are rivers. now the storm is barreling toward florida just in time for the republican national convention in tampa. it's throwing a wrench into the rnc's carefully planned schedule. monday's big opening events now on hold. more in a moment. isaac could strengthen into a hurricane whether it crosses the -- when it crosses the keys as soon as tonight. heavy rains expected all through today. we're covering isaac for you from all the angles. cnn's jim spellman is in the florida keys. political editor paul steinhauser on in tampa. and bonnie schneider is at the severe weather center. florida's governor isn't

taking any chances. he's declared a state of emergency. let's go first to cnn jim spe spellman in the florida keys, key west. what's happening now? >> reporter: winds have picked up here, but it's dry now. yesterday we saw a few squalls. it's going to be later today that people are bracing for. the main thing they were doing was encouraging visitors to leave, to get off the island. they added flights yesterday to get people out of the airport here. the last flight has taken off. they've closed down the airport here, leaving just a two-lane road to get out of the keys, an 120-mile drive from key west to the mainland of florida. they wanted everybody who was going to leave on the road yesterday, people who were staying, they were encouraged to stay inside. they've opened four shelters in the keys. especially aimed at people who live in trailers. and people who live on their boats, they want them out of the water, safely in shelters. >> so are a lot of people going to the shelters? what are you seeing in terms -- obviously people in florida are used to hurricanes. how are they dealing with this

one? >> reporter: well, you know, i -- i worry sometimes that people don't take these things seriously. these people have been through it here a lot. the mayor here was speaking with people yesterday, telling them that they should be okay here. people were putting up storm shelters, doing sandbagging, and they're getting ready to ride it out. but i'll tell you, with the track coming so close, they want to be sure that nobody is taking this too lightly. but people come here to party. they come to have a good time of most people we spoke to on the street who are staying are having hurricane parties, and they're going to try to make the best of it. >> typical for the florida keys. jim spellman, thank you very much. meteorologist bonnie schneider joining me now. bonnie, tell us, what is the latest on the storm's track? >> now that the storm's coming over warmer water, we are expecting it to strengthen. isaac will likely be a hurricane very soon. so still a tropical storm with maximum winds at 65 miles per hour. don't let this fool you. a strong tropical storm is

similar to a category 1 hurricane. right now it looks disorganized as it works across cuba. we are going to see it come back over the water and get even stronger. let's look at the track. even as we go toward this afternoon, big change are expected. you see the storm is forecast to be a category 1 hurricane by the time we get to monday. that's less than 24 hours away. we are expecting an impact along the florida keys. so anywhere in the keys and possibly other parts of south florida will experience hurricane-force winds. that's why we have warnings in place. and then going into tuesday, some big changes, as well. we're watching for intensity, a lot of fluctuation here. we saw yesterday, category 2 status by tuesday. now the storm's shifted westward. the cone of uncertainty now includes new orleans and mobile, alabama. it also shows intensity growing to category 2 by the time we get to wednesday. it could be early wednesday, late tuesday where we have a second landfall. i say second landfall because it's possible the first landfall

will occur along the keys. maybe not a direct strike, but certainly an impact of hurricane force as we can see. then watching the storm over toward the end of the week, it could be a big rainmaker for areas in the mid south. looking at the forecast models, they're much more uniform, pushing further westward. we're looking at the storm moving a little further away from florida. but remember, it's a large storm. tropical storm-force winds extend well over 200 miles. much of the southeast will be impacted, even if a direct strike from isaac does not occur. >> and tampa in particular, obviously, with thousands of people heading there for the rnc and the convention there in tampa. i mean, how concerned should tampa be be? >> they should be concerned. when you're talking about a storm and proximity of where it is in relation to florida, a slight shift in the track, even though the trends are moving westward, that can change by monday and tuesday. we're still 48 hours away. it's something to monitor very closely because once again just a little shift to the east would bring stronger winds and heavier

rain to florida and to tampa. we're still going to see the storm be a big rainmaker and a windmaker. damaging winds are ahead for florida. >> all right. bonnie schneider, we'll check back later, as well. thank you. >> sure. the republican national convention was supposed to kick off tomorrow, as we told you, with a full slate of events and speakers. now that is on hold until at least tuesday. cnn political editor paul steinhauser joining us by phone from tampa. paul, good morning. bring us up to date on the change to the convention. >> reporter: good morning. you're absolutely right. the convention was supposed to start, kickoff tomorrow. that will not be happening. the announcement was made last evening. the new news, the convention will convene on monday but will immediately recess until tuesday afternoon, as of now. governor scott of florida held a news conference yesterday. and then also the republican national committee members held a news conference. listen to what scott and the rnc chairman had to say. >> i made the decision based on

the fact that we know we're going to have a very strong tropical storm and possibly a hurricane make landfall. i'm going withdraw from all my rnc activities on monday. i was honored to have the opportunity to give a speech at the convention, but i'm going to cancel my speech and cancel all of my rnc activities on monday. i've informed the convention and the mitt romney campaign that i'm going do that. >> reporter: the republican national convention is going to take place. we know that we will officially nominate mitt romney, paul ryan, and the party has other business that it has to address. >> reporter: what gets pushed back -- here's what was supposed to take place on monday. the big pick issers were to be governor nikki haley of south carolina, and former governors mike huckabee and jeb bush. those speeches will be pushed back later in the week. basically they'll take a four-day convention and move it to three days. ann romney had been moved back

to tuesday. the other big thing was that the romney -- romney's name was to put in and roll call will start. i spoke to an rnc official. he told me they'll probably have an announcement this afternoon, sunday afternoon, as to when the speakers will speak and the news schedule. and you remember, this is very much like what happened four years ago to the republicans. they were holding their convention in st. paul, but hurricane gustav was slamming into the gulf coast and the first day was basically curtailed. >> i would imagine they will have to keep speeches short if they have to compress to one last day? >> reporter: yeah. there's a lot of scheduling snafus here. they're going to have to kind of compact everything into three days rather than four. >> yeah. >> reporter: they've done it before. i guess they'll do it again. the other interesting thing here, too, we learned that joe biden, the vice president, will not be coming to florida anymore. he originally was going to be campaigning in tampa. that had been canceled on friday. he was supposed to campaign tuesday in orlando and st.

augustine, florida. that has also been canceled because of the storm. >> yeah. impacting a whole lot of folks. this is just the beginning. paul steinhauser, thank you very much. an american hero has died. neil armstrong was so much more than just the first man to set foot on the moon. we'll take a closer look at his legacy and his impact. >> i think obviously he's best known and will be best remembered as being the first man on the moon. the first -- hard to believe that in our generation, neil was the one who -- who made the first footprints on someplace other than earth. and that's something that he'll always be remembered for. i'll remember him for some other things, too, and just as a personal friend. but i think the world will remember him as the first person to set place on someplace other than earth. ♪

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well, as a young boy growing up in new jersey, you know, he as well as a few other astronauts, the ones i knew, much my inspiration. i mean, i was 5 years old when neil armstrong and buzz aldrin landed on the moon. and you know, they -- it allowed me to understand that people can do these thing and maybe one day i could be one of those people. >> neil armstrong was an american pioneer. president obama called him a hero for all time. armstrong has died at the age of 82. his family says it was due to complications from heart

surgery. but it's hard to think of him as anything less than a larger than life figure, a man who went beyond limits, fulfilling the dreams of a nation. john zarrella looks back at the man and his legacy. >> reporter: neil armstrong of born on his grandparents' farm in ohio in 1930. when air travel was still in its infancy and space travel was the stuff of science fiction. but armstrong says he had the same dream over and over again. he was hovering above the ground by holding his breath. armstrong took his first airplane ride when a ford trimotor, the kin goose, came to local airfield. the bug had taken hold. as a teenager, he began taking flying lessons, even before getting his driver's license. armstrong pursued his passion and earned a degree in aeronautical engineering. he joined the military during the korean war and flew 78 combat missions in navy panther

jets. later, armstrong became a test pilot for the x15. the rocket plane that laid the groundwork for space travel. it was some ride. soaring an amazing 40 miles above the earth at 4,000 miles an hour. and then in 1961 during the height of the cold war, in the midst of the space race with the soviet union, president john kennedy made a dramatic challenge. >> i believe that this nation should commit to see achieving the goal before this decade is out of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. >> reporter: the next year, armstrong joined the enormous undertaking and became an astronaut. four years later, he made his first journey into space as commander of the gemini 8 mission which nearly ended in disaster. armstrong kept his cool and brought the spacecraft home safely after a thruster rocket malfunctioned. the next trip to space was on july 16, 1969.

he and astronauts buzz aldrin and michael collins blasted off in "apollo 11," on a journey of nearly 250,000 miles. a journey into history. it took them four days to reach their destination. the world watched and waited as the lawnar module "eagle" separated from the command module and began its descent. then came the words from armstrong -- >> the eagle has landed. >> reporter: about 6 1/2 hours later at 10:56 p.m. eastern time on july 20, 1969, neil armstrong became the first person to set foot on the moon. >> that's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. >> reporter: he was followed by aldrin. armstrong was on the surface for two hours and 32 minutes, aldrin just 15 minutes less.

the two astronauts staked an american flag, scooped up moon rocks and set up scientific experiments before returning to the main spacecraft. the three crew mates returned home to a heroes' welcome, though none ever returned to space. armstrong, seen on the left, was 38 when he made his historic landing. the first man on the moon left the astronaut corps the next year and taught at the university of cincinnati. he once joked, "i am and ever will be a white sox, pocket protector, nerdy engineer." he was, of course, much, much more than that. he was also a husband and father of two and a man who left his footprint forever on the u.s. space program. you know what's exciting? graduation. when i look up into my students faces,

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in syria the death toll continues to soar. opposition activist say at least 23 people have been killed today and at least 330 were reported dead yesterday. that makes saturday the deadliest day of syria's 17-month-long conflict, adding to what has already been the bloodiest month. jim chancy is live in beirut where the fighting is starting to cross over into lebanon.

jim, what is happening? what's being done to keep syria's war out of election oon? >> reporter: there have been high--- lebanon? >> reporter: there have been high-level talks aimed at ending the crisis in tripoli. two poor neighborhood facing one another, ironically across the street, called syria street, have been at war in recent days with sniper attacks and other problems that have been brewing there. it's been a shoot-out between armed gangs if you will. on one side, alawites in a neighborhood that supports al ara a-- al assad. on the other side, those trying to oust al assad as head of the syrian government. the situation has calmed now. people are hopeful that something more permanent can be put in place. the election he's army has deployed -- the lebanese army

has deployed in tripoli trying to prevent further violence. people don't have a solution. importantly, not one person has been charged with any crime in all of this. we're talking about almost 20 deaths and scores of people wounded over the course of the last week alone. >> jim, is the rise in violence -- is it a reflection of the u.n. exit by chance? >> reporter: probably not. this has been -- this has been a problem that's been in place for some time. i think the violence that we're seeing now, at least within syria, is largely driven by the government's efforts to crush the opposition. that's why the death tolls have been triple digits for the last week. that's why we saw a record set only in the last 24 hours, the number of deaths. some put the toll at more than 400 people killed. many of those are civilians. yes, there's a lot of fighters

in the not umber, but civilianse paying a heavy price indeed. the regime trying to clear out suburbs of damascus. this is a huge embarrassment to the government, randi. losing control of these suburbs right in the capital. the regime has been very forceful, they've been relentless, and they have been ruthle ruthless. one mosque was reportedly filled with scores of bodies. people that have been killed. children's bodies lined up along the walls there. and clearly the free syrian army is in retreat at this moment. a lot of people trying to support the regime. >> jim clancy in beirut. thank you. florida is under a state of emergency here at home. what could soon be hurricane isaac is pounding toward the florida keys. find out what the republican national convention is doing to make sure its delegates in tampa stay safe. plus, a deadly grizzly bear

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welcome back. thanks for starting your morning with us. i'm randi kaye. it's about half past the hour. florida's governor says his state is ready for isaac. the powerful tropical storm is churning toward south florida, and folks are getting prepared. isaac could be a hurricane by the time it makes landfall, possibly late tonight. its strong winds and rains could be a very unwelcome guest at the republican national convention in low-lying tampa, even if it doesn't make a direct hit. the convention will convene as

scheduled tomorrow, but that's it. they will immediately recess, and events will be pushed back including the state's roll call vote nominating mitt romney. paul steinhauser joins us live from tampa. so paul, we mentioned there are a couple of the changes. they're going to convene on monday and then recess. what's the plan from there? >> reporter: exactly. they're taking it minute by minute here. the rnc, republican national committee officials and convention officials are in constant contact with federal authorities, state authorities, and local authorities, as well. the storm will probably dictate a lot of this. we'll get details later today it how they'll reschedule the convention. they'll take four days and probably scrunch is to three days. you mentioned the roll call. that will obviously be pushed back. also the big speakers for monday were going to be nikki haley, republican governor of south carolina, as well as former governors mike huckabee of arkansas and jeb bush, the former governor of florida. they obviously will be moved to other nights. ann romney, mitt romney's wife, was originally to speak on

monday, as well. but she had already been rescheduled for tuesday night. the theme for monday night was going to be that we can do better. that basically mitt romney as president can do better than what president obama has done in office. that theme, republican officials tell me, will be sprinkled throughout the other nights. this is like deja vu. remember four years ago, the republican convention in st. paul, minnesota, was also shortened. the first day was basically canceled because of hurricane gustav as it was slamming into the gulf coast. >> yeah. >> reporter: regardless, republican officials tell me the most important thing is the safety of the some 50,000 people who are supposed to attend the convention. >> right. and joe biden was supposed to be campaigning in tampa on monday, right? what are his sflans. >> reporter: -- his plans? >> reporter: yeah, they canceled the monday events over the weekend and have canceled the tuesday events. he was going to be in tampa monday, in orlando and st. augustine on tuesday. that is not happening. the obama campaign says, of course, because of the

hurricane. basically, listen, the most important thing now is the safety of the people down here. politics takes second place. >> so obviously the republicans have had a hard time staying on message with all that's been happening. does this throw just another wrench into that? >> reporter: i guess you could say it's another distraction. at the same time maybe it brings more attention to the convention, as well. but again, politics is not the most important thing now. the most important thing is the safety of people here in tampa and across florida and the gulf coast. >> yeah. safety first. all right. paul steinhauser in tampa. thank you. in other headlines that we're watching this morning, a grizzly bear has killed a backpacker in alaska's denali national park. hikers alerted rangers after finding an abandoned backpack and signs of a struggle. rangers later found the victim's remains and at least one grizzly bear during an aerial search. the first known bear mauling fatality in the park's history. to sports now. roger clemens made a successful return to the pitcher's mound yesterday. the 50-year-old former all-star

threw 3 1/3 scoreless innings for the skeeters of the independent atlantic league. he said it was fun but expects to be sore this morning. clemens hasn't yet committed to pitching a second game for the skeeters. and we're hearing from lance armstrong for the first time since he stopped challenging doping accusations. he told reporters about his new focus at a bike competition in colorado. >> i'm more at ease now than i have been in ten years. listen, i don't have anything to worry about. i'm focused on the future iempt got five great kids, i've got a great lady in my life, i've got a wonderful foundation that is completely unaffected by any -- any noise out there. and we're going to continue to do our job. >> in the past, armstrong called the doping investigation a "witch-hunt." the head of the world doping agency called armstrong's decision a sad day for sports. coming up, a witness to friday's deadly empire state building shooting tells us her story. she says her friend was mid

sentence when he was killed by a gunman in broad daylight. [ 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. ♪

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welcome back. 36 minutes past the hour.

this morning we're hearing more from the witnesses of friday's deadly shooting at the empire state building where an office grudge left two dead including the gunman and nine other injured. darla miles from our affiliate wabc reports. trying to sleep and kept replaying it over and over in my mind. i thought, maybe you could have kicked the gun out of his hand and steve would have only gotten shot once instead of five or six times. i just ran. i didn't know what else to do. i really didn't. >> reporter: it's that haunting thought that 35-year-old irene tyman may never shake loose. she was walking alongside steve ercolino on 33rd street when he was murdered mid sentence as they chatted before work. >> i was like, oh, my god, that's jeff johnson. i'm like, he's going to kill him. i know he's going to kill him. he pulled out a gun, and he shot steve. right next to me. right next to me. >> reporter: this is amateur video of the seconds after tyman fled in fear and steve ercolino

screamed, hitting the ground. >> i turned around, and i saw steve on the ground. but i kept hearing shots. then all the people started running toward me. and i still heard shots. and i thought he was going on a shooting spree. and i really thought he was coming back for me. >> reporter: those gunshots didn't come from johnson's weapon. the nypd released this surveillance video of what 58-year-old jeffrey johnson pointed his .45 caliber gun on two officers but didn't get off a shot. >> it appears that all of the victims were struck by fragments or by bullets fired by the police. >> reporter: at johnson's apartment saturday, there was no sign of friends or relatives. much of his life still a mystery. >> he was always by himself it seems. like he was kind of very lonely. >> reporter: what was it in your gut that made you say instantly jeff is going to kill steve? >> i don't know. i mean, i knew there was, you know, bad blood. >> reporter: tyman worked at haysman import for six years.

she said johnson's animosity toward jeff was well-known. >> we didn't really know what or why. we just knew that jeff did not like steve. >> that was darla miles reporting. as you heard, nine pedestrians were wounded by officers after they unloaded 16 rounds at shooting suspect jeffrey johnson. one officer shot nine rounds. another shot seven. this marks the second time this month that police gunned down a suspect in the crowded streets of new york. two weeks ago, police opened fire on a man with a knife, shooting at him 12 times. so are these kinds of responses justified? i asked retired new york police officer lou palumbo. >> they come into a situation spontaneously, they had to assess what they had. they realized immediately that he was armed with a deadly weapon and that their life was in imminent danger and so were the lives of other people in their proximity. and that's the justification for the use of deadly physical force per the penal law in new york. they were within their right to use deadly force.

>> city leaders like mayor bloomberg have been quick to point out that new york is the safest big city in america. with one small step for man, neil armstrong made history in 1969 when he became the first man to walk on the moon. america's most celebrated space pioneer died yesterday. next, i'll talk with an astronaut about armstrong and how armstrong changed his life. >> i think it was such a significant event that human beings had actually stepped on the moon for the very first time had profound impact on the entire world and n all areas, not just space exploration, science, and technology. if they could in-- i think it inspired all of us in america, the americans to be -- walk taller and reach farther and try harder. and i think it inspired -- not just america. i think it inspired everyone around the world.

that's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. >> i'm sure you've heard those famous words before. the date, july 20, 1969. the mission, "apollo 11." 43 years ago, neil armstrong blasted off into space and became one of the most famen men in the world when he set -- famous men in the world when he set foot on the men. he died of complications of heart surgery. today the world is mourning his death. former astronaut leroy chow joins me for more on armstrong's legacy. good morning. you had the chance to meet neil armstrong once. what do you remember about that? >> good morning. yeah. i -- you know, he was my boyhood hero, but i only had the chance

to meet him once. he never really came to the astronaut reunions or anything like that. but probably about 15 years ago or ten years ago, he came up to the astronaut office because he was on site at johnson space center for his annual physical, physical exam. he actually came up to give a short presentation to some of the newer folks. and i got to meet him briefly in the hall. >> how old were you when he landed on the moon? and how did he inspire you and others, do you think? >> i was 8 years old when "apollo 11" landed on the moon. i remember like it was yesterday watching a black and white tv in the mission control and listening to the transmissions coming back from the moon. and when it actually touched down, the eagle actually touched down, i remember even as a kid realizing that the world had just changed. and i wanted to be like those guys up on the moon. >> of course. so he was a real inspiration for you? >> he really was. i can -- i've been interested in airplanes and rockets as long as i can remember. but it really was the event of

"apollo 11" landing on the moon that threw the switch in my head that i wanted to be an astronaut, as well. >> what did you think when you got word that he had passed away? >> well, yeah, i was sad to hear that because, of course, he had been my boy hot hero and role model and -- you know, it was bad news for sure to hear that, hear of his passing. >> how do you think he'll be remembered? what will his legacy be? is there more than just the first man on the moon? >> that's what everyone knows him for, of course. but my impression of him and the brief meeting that i had and everything i heard, he was a very humble man and modest. he didn't take himself very seriously about that. he said he had gotten lucky and been in the right place at the right time. i mean, there's an element of that. in the early days, they had planned out the "apollo" missions and assigned crews, but they weren't sure which was going to land on the moon

because it depended on the success of the flights before that. so if something had gone wrong, if there had been a glitch on one of the earlier flights, then "apollo 11" would not have been the one to land on the moon. it was not a done deal by any means. it wasn't until close to the mission that -- after the success of "apollo 10" that it was decided that "11" would try the first landing. >> you mention that he was humble. i read that his wife at the time had said that he was really haunted by the guilt, for getting all the credit for walking on the moon, when really he felt that it was the thousands that helped get him there. does that surprise you? >> it doesn't surprise me. that was certainly an impression i had when i met him and saw him. you know, he was -- he considered himself the one that actually got to get out there with his crew, while it was a work of the cast of thousands of nasa people and the contractors that built the spacecraft and developed everything that got him there.

he usda himself as part of a team -- he saw himself as parts of a team, i'm sure. the fortunate one that got to walk on the moon. >> leroy chiao, pleasure to speak with you. thank you. >> my pleasure. >> armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon. do you know the last? it was gene cernan. in 90 minutes he'll share his memories about the man that started it all. ahead, a recent report says there is an economic time bomb that could launch our country into a recession. >> if they do not start defusing this bomb, it's going to blow up. it will take the u.s. economy with it and the rest of us will feel the shock waves. >> richard quest tells us what congress needs to do to defuse that bomb.

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by now you have probably heard the term "fiscal cliff." some fear we may be about to fall off that cliff. guess what -- that could really affect your bottom line. here's how -- if congress does nothing to ward off tax hikes and spending cuts set to take effect in january, it could trigger massive layoffs and an increase in the unemployment rate. that's according to a recent report from the congressional budget office. earlier, i spoke with cnn international anchor richard quest about what the fiscal cliff means and what our lawmaker need to do to avoid it. >> it's very simple, randi. forget the numbers. you've got tax cuts that will expire and, therefore, taxes go up. you have got spending that will -- the cuts will be implemented. the economy will literally be

like having a heart attack. >> that doesn't sound good. all right. but the cbo is saying if this all goes into effect, as you said, the unemployment could at 9%. they're also saying that the deficit would improve. it would fall to $641 billion. so is that a silver lining here? do you buy that? >> well, is that a silver lining? only in the sense that the patient who has a heart attack isn't breathing as much oxygen so there's more for the rest of us. i mean, no. i mean, what would happen is the deficit this year is forecast at $1.1 trillion. you're talking about overnight cutting that deficit to $600 billion whatever they talk about, and it would fall even sharper thereafter. now if you want to do the -- think of this as being -- you've heard of extreme makeover, extreme cook, extreme workmen. think about this as being

extreme austerity. overnight, the u.s. economy would receive such a shock -- yes, in the fullness of time, that lower deficit would feed through to -- to lower interest rates. it would feed through to faster growth in time. that's like saying would the last person here switch off the lights. if anybody's there to switch them off, so to speak. this would be so dramatic and so instantaneous and so draconian that, frankly, only a lunatic would actually take these steps. the danger -- and this is what you need to keep in mind -- is the dates. so nothing happens between now and november, election day. >> right. >> frankly, no politician worth their salt will put their knucksymbol this one and make a decision regardless. >> right. >> secondly, nothing's going to happen in the lame duck congress

that takes place between november and the end of the year. and the real risk is that if nothing else then takes place, then they just literally sleepwalk their way to the end of the year. >> but at some point they can't continue to kick this can down the road. they have to resolve this and not say, well, if we don't, we'll set up another, you know, deadline where this could happen again. >> there will be another deadline, but before -- when they set another deadline, they have to -- this is -- i don't know any other way i can put it. you have sitting in the calendar a ticking time bomb that is going to go off. there is no doubt. now we can try and defuse it by looking for the different numbers, a la james bond, and hope that we cut the right wires in the right sequence before it goes kaboom, or we can get the experts in, and they can start to neutralize the time bomb, and there may be another one for next year or next year and beyond. but there is no option.

if they -- the cbo says it, the imf said it, everybody who's looked at it said it, if they do not start defusing this bomb, it's going to blow up. it will take the u.s. economy with it. and the rest of us will feel the shockwaves. i can't be more blunt than that. i. >> i appreciate that, richard. i always love your use of analogies. thank you very much. i'm sure we'll talk plenty about this coming up until january. thank you. >> thank you very much. two journalists headed to tampa to cover the republican national convention doesn't sound like much of a story except for the fact that they're not even old enough to vote or even go to r-rated movies.

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enroll now. it is not the news anyone wants to hear -- learning they have cancer. two-time cancer survivor johnny imerman has made it his duty to make sure no one battles the disease alone. meet this week's cnn hero. >> all of a sudden it was like air. it was like someone took a syringe and stabbed me directly in my left testicle. at 26, i was diagnosed with cancer. his to go right into creek oh. i'm in the hospital, i saw these people by themselves, i could see the fear. my goal of to get in and motivate patients so that they wanted to jump out of their chemo bed and start swinging at this thing. my name is johnny imerman. i'm a two-time testicular cancer survivor. i created an organization to make sure people diagnosed with

cancer are able to reach a survivor. keep your resistance strong, and listen to your body. it will tell you what you need to do. started with a few survivors sharing information one to one with somebody diagnosed with the same exact cancer. >> it's a 29-year-old healthy, young adult. cancer is not a part of our language. i'm really happy that i have this community that jonny has build. >> we have helped people in over 60 countries. we've matched over 8,000 total since inception. >> he's been my guardian angel. any time i call, he's right there. >> a brotherhood and sisterhood, for sure. we help people at all ages, caregivers, spouses, we'll help the parents get hooked up with other parents. and we get a ton of young adults. we share stories, we listen, we learn. >> i was 30 years old when i was diagnosed. i wanted to make it until my son's at least 5. i'm still here today. >> we heal each other. >> that's the kind of information you want to hear from someone who's been through it. there's no other way. >> i don't really count the days

since cancer because every day is a good day. like happy to get out of bed this morning, life's amazing. >> and remember cnn heroes are chosen from people that you tell us about. and time is running out this year. you've only got one week left to nominate someone. so go to cnnheroes.com today. time for our weekly look ahead calendar. it is all about the republican convention. that's right. politics, politics, politics. the republican convention convenes on monday, but they're actually just going to convene and then going to recess because of tropical storm isaac. it's kind of a mess. they're going to move speeches back, actually compress everything now. just into three days. tuesday, ann romney is going to speak at the convention. he was originally to speak another night, but she's safely landed on tuesday. her speech isn't affected. wednesday, paul ryan, the vice presidential candidate, will be speaking. i'm sure he'll have a lot to say in favor of mitt om