party, and we specifically chose september 11th to keep it out of the politics. if these crazies on either side of the aisle want to make it political, shame on them. this is a book about september 11th, and it needs to rest on september 11th, not be brought into the political arena, because this has nothing to do with politics. >> people with access to the book say that his account of what happened at the bin laden compound is not the same story as the pentagon's official version. that version, the navy s.e.a.l. team swooped into pakistan and killed bin laden in may of last killed bin laden in may of last year. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com i'm suzanne malveaux, and this hour in the "cnn newsroom," a dam in mississippi is in danger of failing because of isaac, and hundreds more are

forced from their homes from louisiana today. paul ryan is moving the crowd at the republican national convention, but democrats say that the best lines last night are not true. let me get right to it. authorities are warning people living near new orleans to get out, and while many were prepared for the landfall of hurricane isaac, they have been caught by surprise by the massive amounts of rain, the floodwaters of course, and the aftermath and the search and rescue operations are still under way to make sure nobody is left behind. i want to bring in martin savidge from new orleans. tell us what you are seeing. >> well, suzanne, what you are talking about here as far as the problems, the interesting thing is that they are all located outside of new orleans. seven years ago during katrina, the exact opposite circumstance, so it shows you or it is a testimony to the fact that all of the money that was put into protecting the flood system and improving it has worked on this particular storm. the other areas though that are impacted of course are the dam which you spoke about on the mississippi/louisiana border,

the north shore of lake pontchartrain, and also to the northwest, and that is where the activity was seen yesterday and last night with the coast guard in lapaz, which is a community with water just as everyone else is seeing outside of new orleans and water came up fast and people were trapped inside of their homes so that the coast guard launched the helicopters in there and they had to rescue people, and people and their animals who won't leave without them and so in that case, both were raised up. this is how the people reacted to being rescued. >> he had the harder time, because he had the bigger dog. >> it gives you a much more appreciation for what these guys do. >> yes. >> they are god. they are god in a helicopter. >> top notch. >> and speaking of the helicopters, there is one flying over our head right here, and that is the u.s. coast guard head heading out over lake pontchartrain, and the water in the lake is extremely high and driven by a wind that is pushing

strongly from the south. it is just being pushed up against the north shore, and slidell is one of the communities being impacted and evacuations are being ordered for the people in the area. >> and we know that you are standing in front of the massive pumps there and we can hear the noise in the background, and we know there were lessons learned from hurricane katrina, but are there concrete lessons are the isaac? >> well, yes, and you can see the pumps on here and they have a couple of them on here and during the storm they had all 42 cranking, and they felt they did the job they were supposed to do. mayor mitch landrieu was talking about last night the fact that it was a category 1 storm, and yet a tremendous impact, so in the future, they will rethink, because there was no mandatory evacuation for the city of new orleans, because they didn't believe they needed it, but now nay they have to go back to say, even though it is category 1, people should move because of the problems afterwards. >> lessons learned.

thank you, martin. we are hearing from more folks who were rescued after floodwaters swallowed their homes. one elderly man said he is not going back. >> i didn't think it would happen again. i have two trucks, two motor homes under there never used. >> did you leave for katrina? >> yes. that is it. i have had enough. i ain't coming back no more. >> it came at once. woke up and it was fine and the next minute, it was like all over the place. everything underwater. >> it came up slow, and started rising real, real high and came as a surprise. >> authorities say that more than 3,000 people now have been rescued. mitt romney taking center stage tonight, and he accepts the party's presidential nomination and delivers the biggest speech of his political

career and last night it was paul ryan who got the crowd revved up with the acceptance speech and his attack on the president and the democrats. >> these past four years we have suffered no shortage of words in the white house. what is missing is leadership in the white house. >> they have run out of ideas. their moment came and went. fear and division is all they have got left. with all of the attack ads, the president is just throwing away money. and he is pretty experienced at that. >> ryan also making a play for younger voters who supported the president back in 2008, and he pretty much asked them how's it working for you? >> college graduates should not have to live out their 20s in their childhood bedrooms staring up at fading obama posters and wondering when they can move out and get going with life.

>> former secretary of state congolese is a rice firing up the crowd talking about america's role in the world. one of two things will happen if we don't lead, either no one will lead, and there will be chaos or someone will fill the vacuum who does not share our values. my fellow americans, we do not have a choice. we cannot be reluctant to lead and you cannot lead from behind. >> tonight, chance for mitt romney to convince voters that he should leave the country for the next four years. and now brooke baldwin is going to look at convention speeches and how it can make or break a candidate's chances. >> reporter: it is a microphone moment unlike any in politics the presidential convention speech. >> to the all big spending do nothing me-first/country-second crowd, change is coming.

>> reporter: a moment that could either catapult former governor mitt romney to next president mitt romney or not. >> there's always the possibility that something very dramatic and very exciting might happen at a convention, and that could hit the reset button on the conversation that has been happening over the last few months. >> reporter: a as far back as barry goldwater, candidates have gotten a post convention bump. pollsters told cnn that the convention speech matters. >> family, work, neighborhood, peace and freedom. >> reporter: but according to pew research center, 3 of the last 12 wannabe presidents have improved their image after those conventions. obama and both bushes -- >> read my lips -- no new taxes. >> i'm running with a compassionate conservative philosophy. >> reporter: that me study showed that romney's challenge

and his unfavorability rating is 52 to 37%. >> i should also tell my story. i'm also unemployed. >> i'm not concerned about the very poor, because we have a safety net there. >> reporter: he steps up to the tampa podium there knowing that the words count. >> i like to be able to fire people and provide services to me. >> reporter: his latest choice of words could determine if the voters get to hire or fire him. >> here's what we are working on for this hour. paul ryan's speech angered and scared democrats last night. see how the presidential vice president's comments reached out to the voters and the republican p party has traditionally had a hard time capturing. isaac's damage is far from over. and now mississippi is fighting a dam break, and we are there live. and louisiana's gulf coast has a big problem with erosion, and i'll talk to a musician and environmentalist who says that the building on the bayou has to

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republicans looking for some political red meat and they got

it last night with paul ryan serving it up in his speech at the republican national convention taking direct aim at the president and accusing him of failing the country. >> if you are feeling left out or passed by, you have not failed. your leaders have failed you. none of us -- none of us should have to settle for the best this administration offers, a dull adventureless journey from one entitlement to the next and a government-planned life and a country where everything is free, but us. listen to the way we are already spoken to. it is the exact opposite of everything i learned growing up in wisconsin or a college in ohio. you know, when i was waiting

tables, washing dishes or mowing lawns for money, i never thought of myself as stuck in some station in life. i was on my own path. my own journey, an american journey where i could think for myself, decide for myself and e define happiness for myself. that is what we do in this country. that's the american dream. >> and i want to bring in our chief political correspondent candy crowley who is anchor of "state of the union" and great to see you, candy. i saw you there last night and what was your immediate reaction when how was this received and you said he really did blow the roof off of this place. why do you think that people responded the way they did last night? >> well, a couple of things. first of all the conservatives and face it the activists or a majority in the arena are conservatives and they love paul

ryan pick and first time they have seen him since the selection, so they are crazy about the selection. number two, it was just a well written, well delivered speech. you know, we have done a lot of fact-checking about it, but in terms of the art form, paul ryan was sort of spot-on, and he had that kind of thing that you put out there, and that kind of harsh criticism of president obama's agenda, but at the same time, he talked about bold ideas and the republicans can get it done, and he talked about, you know, his taste in music and had some levity, so it was just a speech that the audience really went with it. it kind of crescendoed, so they just loved it. they were waiting for it. i mean, ann romney was great and warm and she got a warm embrace, and chris christie was fine, but this, this was the real deal. this is part of the ticket right here. so they have been waiting for him, and they did not at all seem disappointed. >> it felt from watching it and not being there on the

convention floor, but from watching it so much energy and passion and one thing that we saw last night and we didn't see was emotion that he actually became emotional here. i though that the dnc is taking issue a number of things that they say were misstatements and cnn is also taking a look at a number of the statements as well, bhwell sh well, but how are they countering the emotion that really brought to that crowd and perhaps could be a motivator to get people to the polls? >> well, that is exactly the point. first of all of a vice president's kind of help get folks to the poll. it is why paul ryan was picked. it is why those folks are so crazy about him is that, there has always been a part of the mitt romney picture that was missing is that real enthusiasm from the conservative base. they get that now with paul ryan on the ticket. how the democrats counter this quite frankly is next week, they get their turn. and you know, there is a lot to be said for the optics of this.

and you are, and your insight and the true believers inside of the arena as for the democrats next week, and they don't have to wait that long. it opens up tuesday, so that the emotional part of it and certainly a connection there, and this is a man talking about his mother, and his mother being his hero and she is crying and he is wiping away a tear and hard to kount counteract that emotional reach to the audience and they will get their chance and i will guarantee you that there are emotional highlights at the democratic convention as well. >> that is the way we play it, and we have everybody gets their chance at their turn. and i want to play a sound bite from condoleezza rice, because she brought some enthusiasm to the crowd. lit's listen in. >> mitt romney and paul ryan have the integrity and the experience and the vision to lead us. they know who we are. they know who we want to be. they know who we are in the world and what we offer. that is why, that is why this is

a moment and an election of consequence. because it just has to be that the freest and the most compassionate country on the face of the earth will continue to be the most powerful, and the beacon for pros pperity and liberty across the world. god bless you and god bless this extraordinary country, this exceptional country, the united states of america. >>. >> candy, i don't know about you, but this is not the condoleezza rice i have been used to when i was covering her. she used to appear anxious in the briefing room and a professor and kind of cautious, but she really brought this performance to that convention hall. do you think that perhaps the romney campaign is taking a second look at whether she should be a part of the campaign in the next couple of months or a cabinet position? >> well, the fact of the matter is that i am sure she will be a

part of the campaign where they ask her to be. she has been out and raised some money for some republican candidates already. i like you, i knew she was capable of this, because i have seen her talking as she has written a book and a couple of books actually, so i have seen her out there talking and she is great. she is powerful. she is knowledgeable. and just to state the obvious, she is female, and african-american, and i mean, this, and she just -- there were folks in the crowd that said, oh, i'm worried paul ryan can't live up to this. it was paul ryan's night and he did, but it was a great speech and they loved her there, but the problem for mitt romney is that, you know, in select iing her, remember, we talked about would she be a vice presidential pick and number one, she has sort of always said that, you know, suzanne, politics is not in my blood and i'm not a political person and i don't believe her anymore after seeing that speech. i think, maybe, maybe she doth

protest too much, but remember, she is pro choice, and that just was a non-starter for mitt romney this year. perhaps there will come a time in the republican party, but not this year. >> it is fascinating candy, because it was condoleezza rice and paul ryan and now mitt romney and they have raised the bar. so it will be interesting to see how he does tonight. thank you, candy. cnn's prime time coverage continues tonight at 7:00 p.m. with wolf blitzer and i will be live all next week from charlotte, north carolina. and now a dam is on the verge of failing, and now a mandatory evacuation for people living next to a river there. we will be coming live from mississippi. er support, backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee. so go to legalzoom.com today and see for yourself. more than 50 times a day? so brighten your smile a healthy way with listerine® whitening plus restoring rinse.

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is important to us. and we're proud to work with all of those who are creating a stronger future for everyone. tropical storm isaac slowly working inland now, but it is still having a major impact in mississippi. look at this.

this is water essentially everywhere and people stranded inside of their homes. the governor of mississippi said at least 70 rescues over night at the gulf coast. i want to bring in david mattingly from gulfport, mississippi, because it sounds alarming, but we want to make sure we get this right, a dam is suspected to fail in southern mississippi, and do we know if that is correct? >> this is a dam that creates a 700 acre lake inside of mi mississippi at a state park. that dam has been damaged by all of the water that has fallen from the tropical storm hurricane. so they are working right now with the sandbagging operation to shore that dam up. at the same time they have some other operations to go to possibly relieve the pressure behind it, but this dam in mississippi should it fail would affect people downstream most of them living in louisiana, down river, down the tangipahoa river. so if the parish president has

ordered a mandatory evacuation a mile from that river and the governor is backing him up on this because they don't know what will happen with the dam. we heard from the louisiana governor about this a short time ago. listen. >> we are proceeding with the plans to purposely breach that levee today between 2:00 and 3:00 p.m., and the idea is to allow the water to flow out of that area, and now that the winds are shifting they plan to have pumps on site to de-water that area as well. >> reporter: that operation planning to relieve some of the pressure that is on that dam right now so that the repair operations can continue, and hopefully that dam will not fail, but people in two states right now are very worried about it, suzanne. >> and david, we already are relearning about a fatality, and can you tell us or give us any details about that in mississippi?

>> this is a very sad, sad situation. this is a tow truck operator who was out there late at night, and he was actually clearing debris off of a roadway when a tree fell on him and killed him. it is just an example of how dangerous these storms are, and all of the different ways they can cause harm. but this man was out there trying to do something good by clearing off a road and then he was hit and killed by this tree. >> well, it is so tragic, and people have to really be care ful to be safe in that area, and thank you so much, david. we appreciate it. thousands of people have been rescued in plaquemines parish in louisiana including 1,200 residents of the river bend nursing home. we are talking to retired general russel honore who led the rescue operation after hurricane katrina and he said that the government should require the nursing homes to evacuate long before the hurricane hits, and he is joining us from baton rouge, and general, explain to us, because i understand that at least nine nursing homes in southern louisiana did evacuate before the storm did arrive and how did that happen that some places get the folks out, and others don't,

and who makes that call? >> yeah, it is up to the nursing home officials based on the warning. when you have a voluntary evacuation from areas. that needs to be refined again, and we learn something new after each one of the storms, because the people in the nursing home don't have a choice. they do what the nursing home operators based on their decision, and that was an ugly story after katrina, as you remember, suzanne. >> yes shgs, i do remember. a lot of people including my relatives looking for folks in nursing homes, and sometimes it is actually more stressful when you have people evacuated than just staying put. how do you balance that, the needs of the people in these facilities and it is so hard to get them out and the need to be cautious to look ahead? >> absolutely. that's why they get paid the big bucks, and they get paid a lot of money to attend to the relatives who are in those homes. i do think that we have to go back to look at the state

regulations. i don't think that there should be anything such as a voluntary evacuation of a nursing home. when you go voluntary evacuation for the people in a place, the nursing home needs to be empty and moved the people to a more secure place. it is a travesty each time we do this into a flooding type disaster. >> general, when you see what has happened from hurricane isaac, and now a tropical storm, and you see the folks widely spared in new orleans because of the huge wall built around the city, but places outside like plaquemines parish where folk had to again be rescued from the rooftops, what lessons have we learned this go around from hurricane isaac? >> that i think that we have got to go back. and we learned some time ago and it has not stuck in every government or office yet that the category of the storm has little to do with the impact that it can have in a specific area. i think that we want to relook category storms. i think that we have to look at

category storm surge and potential of rain. any time you saw measuring rain in one to two foot, that is a di sas ter. somebody's going to have a bad day. right now over 50% of the state of louisiana is without power. almost over half of the population living in the parishes affected by the storm when it arrived the first day, suzanne. >> so, that is a very good point. obviously, looking at how you categorize the storms and finally, what in the hours, days ahead, is the most important thing when you look at people who are suffering and who have challenges, what is the biggest challenge right now? >> as we get into the second quarter going from search and rescue to accountability for people, you know. they did some nighttime search and rescue, and each one of those homes have to be, you go in and do what we call a knock and listen, and then all of the homes locked have to be entered by search and rescue team to make sure that no one is in

there, so accountability is the big thing now. do we know where everybody is and do we have accountability of it. and big issue in the search and rescue and then we always lose people unfortunately as a result of that many homes being without power from the generator accidents and from people touching live wires. so the storm thenarrative is no overwith and lit travel from alexandria where it is now throughout the state. there is more damage to be done. >> general russel honore, thank you so much, and we appreciate your time as always. the republican national convention seeking to unite, and conservative columnists saying there is something wrong with the men in her party. first, laptop computer of the future and it is here, and greener and cheaper and hopefully in the hands of school kids who could not afford it before. the guy who invented it is on the next list. when we started designing the $100 laptop, we were looking

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republicans getting ready for the big night. mitt romney formally accepts the party's presidential nomination, but the guest says that there is something wrong with the republican party and she is blaming it on the men. conservative syndicated columnist kathleen parker wrote a column for the daily beast

saying what the blank is wrong with mitt. and kathleen is joining us from tampa. good to see you. >> yes. >> and you talked about men in particular and one of them congressman todd akin as we know recently talking about legitimate rape, and rush limbaugh's attack on sandra fluke over the contraceptive coverage and you say that folks, the men in particular are ruining the party. how so? >> well, you know, with the problem is that this emphasis on social issues and on women in particular is distracting. first of all, it takes away from the message that the republican party wants to convey to the american people which is about the economy. that is certainly what mitt romney wants to talk about. so, it is a distraction, but it also, you know, cumulatively, these things create the impression and reinforce the narrative that the obama administration has advanced that there is a war or women. i don't believe for a minute that most republican men s subscribe to the ideas that have

been advanced by todd akin and in fact, they have worked very hard to distance themselves, but nonetheless, the perception is that this is a party unfriendly to women, and by the way, women within the republican party, and within the congress and the senate feel this as well. so i i'm not just, and this is not punditry. >> and kathleen, why do you suppose they have so much impact or influence? >> these particular individuals? well, of course, it is because the reason they have a platform at all is because social conservatives have been necessary, considered necessary to the republican party's sustenance and they needed the voters. they have invited them to the table, and for a long time, they were peripheral characters and now they have a seat at the big table, and they are sort of locked in. this is a marriage now between the social conservatives and the gop, and especially the particularly the side that is more interested in the fiscal issue, and they are kind of stuck with each other. you notice that the speakers at the convention have veered away from social issues. i think that rick santorum is

the only one who brought the issues up. otherwise, they are sticking to values, the word values which conveys certain meaning to republicans, but it kind of stays away from the more prickly issues that divide. >> here is something that you wrote, the gop through the platform is purity tests and pledges and social issues that divide rather than unite have shot itself in the foot, and eaten said foot and managed to stampede to the edge of the precipice and the extings of the dna, and so you talk about the marriage of the social and fiscal conservatives and clearly a divide here, and battle over the emphasis. how do they come out on top without one squelching the other? >> i'd say i overwrote that. for starters. >> you wrote it. >> well shgs, i know, but they talk about it, but writing is one thing and speaking on camera is another. they won't emphasize these

things, but i don't think that you will hear anything about the social issues once mitt romney, and should mitt romney win the presidency, and the people i have spoken to on his campaign very close to him, i have said, look, romney has had to say thing things to engage the social conservatives within the party and is that really where his heart is and the answer has been politic, but i think it is clear. the answer has been, look, we are 100% about the economy, and end of story. so, whether is a continuing debate within the party remains to be seen, but romney presidency is not going to be about the he social issues. >> one thing that is a challenge to the party is a challenge to the women in the party, itself, and a matter of them becoming stronger and more vocal, because last night, people were excited about condoleezza rice, but she looks out there, and there are very few african-american women that she sees in the audience that does not reflect her at

all, and is there a problem there? >> well, of course, condi rice is fabulous and a tremendously effective speaker and she is so forthright and republicans wanted her frankly to be the vice presidential candidate. she simply is not interested. the women within the party are rising up, and now, obviously, there is a contingent completely on board with the pro-life positions, but there are a lot of women who are not, pro-choice and younger women who feel that this is no longer going to be a prt to platform and those women are organizing themselves. we are unfoch nately losing senator snowe, but you have mary bono mack in the house to talk back to the men and they feel they are not heard in sufficient numbers, so they are coalescing and you will hear more from them and so they are hoping to have some diluting effect.

>> let us now how all of that gets sorted out in the convention and of course, in the months ahead. >> good to talk to you. >> thank you, kathleen. as isaac erodes a coastline musician and environmentalist says that folks have to stop building on the bayou. great shot. how did the nba become the hottest league on the planet? by building on the cisco intelligent network they're able to serve up live video, and instant replays, creating fans from berlin to beijing. what can we help you build? nice shot kid. the nba around the world built by the only company that could. cisco.

a potential new crisis from isaac, there is a dam at a 700-acre lake in mississippi that is about to fail. now, authorities in mississippi and louisiana have ordered evacuations along that river and the dam has not breached, but it is badly damaged. if it breaks, it could put 50,000 to 60,000 people in danger, and people are also ordered out of harm's way west of new orleans in st. john

parish, and authorities say that up to 3,000 people have been evacuated or rescued. and national guard troops are going house to house in plaquemines parish to make shur that nobody has been left behind. isaac is proven deadly, because authorities in mississippi say that a tow truck driver was killed by a fallen tree. the wetlands along the louisiana coast helped to slow the hurricanes before they reach the population, but the wetlans are disappearing in an alarming rate of an acre an hour. and in fact, louisiana has lost more wetlands in the past 80 years than the entire land area of delaware. looking at how much land has vanished there. i want to bring in blues guitarist and singer who is working to save this ecosystem, and he is joining us from his home in louisiana, tab benoit. tell us that this is something that you are passionate about, but why is it that the wetlands are being overtaken by the w

wetlands in the gulf? >> well, the wetlands were built by the mississippi river, and the entire delta system, it is built by the river, itself, and the river has been diverted away from the system. so you don't have river water flowing through the bayous and in these areas where, you know, the wetlands exist, and that it needs that freshwater and sedimentt to continue to build, and if you take that water and that sediment away from the mississippi, the gulf reclaims this land that the river built, and that is what you have happening right now. >> and so, tab, if this continues, and the wetlands disappear, what is the big picture effect of louisiana and the rest of the country? >> well, we're going to have to move and move people and move infrastructure and move the port system and all of the things that, you know, that everybody has been relying on for so long. the same people forget how heavily they rely on the port of

new orleans and, you know, all of the systems that we have here in place that provide energy and power and commerce for the country. so it is very important that we look at it and take a good hard look at it and make a decision, are we going the fix this or move it? i don't think that we've ever moved this much stuff in one swoop, you know. >> yes. and tab, we have been looking at pictures of -- sure, and our d audience has been looking at pictures there of how much coastal erosion has happened. you are a big proponent of trying to save the wetlands. what can actually be done? >> the first thing we have to do is to get the freshwater back in here from the river. we need this water to maintain the system, because it relies on the vegetation, and everything that lives and grows here to hold to soil together. we have no rocks and we don't have a hard coastline. we have a marshy coastline and just katrina for instance when a storm comes through like that,

katrina took 217 square miles of land with that one storm which is the size of the entire new orleans area in one swoop like that just sucks it out and drags it out to sea and that land is gone. if you didn't have rebuilding, that is not coming back. that is the real protections from storms and storm surge like this. every three miles of wetlands knocks a storm surge down by one foot. >> i know it is an expensive thing to try to deal and obviously a lot of people are working hard on it. and in addition to a musician and activist, you are a pilot and had the chance to fly over the gulf and have you actually seen the land disappearing over time? >> that is what got me started on this, flying the pipelines and flying the gulf coast on the daily and weekly basis, i would see the islands disappearing and the land retreating and that is what got me involved and i had

to find out why is this happening? a mother nature thing or manmade thing and i found out that it could be reversed and that it was a manmade thing, it got me, you know, in the game to, you know, jump in there and try to use the knowledge that i have and try to get some things going, you know. >> well, tab, we are glad you are in the game and have skin in the game and appreciate your coming on and keep us posted on what is taking place out of your hometown. the price of gas shot up overnight, more than two cents a gallon and we will tell you why that trend may be about to change. while protecting our environment. across america, these technologies protect air - by monitoring air quality and reducing emissions... ...protect water - through conservation and self-contained recycling systems... ... and protect land - by reducing our footprint and respecting wildlife. america's natural gas... domestic, abundant, clean energy to power our lives... that's smarter power today.

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if you have bought gas lately, it is shocking. the national average is $3.83 which is up two cents in the past 24 hours. midwest and southern states saw the biggest increases of the gam the gulf, where production was cut because of hurricane isaac. but dpgas prices are expected t ease early next week as the refineries and pipelines in the dpu gulf, well, they come back online. in housing, the foreclosure crisis is easing, but banks could be doing more. that is the conclusion of a new government report. now, five of the nation's largest banks have provided almost 140,000 struggling homeowners with a total of $10.6 billion in mortgage debt relief. it's all a part of an agreement between the states as well as the federal government. i want to take a look at how wall street is doing this hour. take a look at the big board, the dow jones down close to 100 points, 98.04.

how's the middle class going to do if mitt romney gets rid of the president's health care plan? we're going to take a look at the republican plan for coverage. [ male announcer ] if you stash tissues like a squirrel stashes nuts, you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® liquid gels. nothing starts working faster than zyrtec® at relieving your allergy symptoms for 24 hours.

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west nile virus on the rise in the united states. more people are dying from this, according to the center for disease control number of case across the united states is up 1,590. 66 people have died. 48 states and the district of columbia are reporting cases now.

hardest-hit states texas, mississippi, oklahoma, louisiana, and michigan. now, mitt romney says he's going to repeal president obama's health care reform law if he is elected. well, all this week we've been looking into what romney would put in place of obama care. the big concern, middle class americans who are already having a pretty tough time affording health care insurance, right? elizabeth cohen, she's joining us now to talk a little bit about the subsidies for folks when it comes to health care. and romney says that he would get rid of some of these subsidies. how is this going to work? >> he would get rid of them entirely, actually. because he wants to get rid of obama care, and they're all in obama care. these are subsidies who don't get insurance from their employer and have to buy it on their. and they're pretty generation subsidies, about $8,000 for a family of four that's making $50,000. that's quite a bit of money. romney says, i want to get rid of them. and he has another approach. and i'm just going to read the words from his spokeswoman. mitt romney will institute reforms that control the cost of health care, so that all

americans will be able to afford the coverage they need. that's his approach. and of course, that begs the question, what are those reforms? you know, what are they going to be? so let's hear mitt romney in his own words. >> i want these individuals and businesses to be able to buy insurance across state lines to get the best deal they can get anywhere in the country. and i want to be able to join associations of like types of organizations, so they can get bargaining power, purchasing power, and get insurance at a reasonable rate. >> i would like to make health savings account, which really power the consumer, far more efficient and effective, by such things as permitting health saving account funds to be used to pay the insurance premiums, which isn't allowed today. >> so if romney did all of these things, made these reforms, would it make it so the middle class americans would have an easier time affording health insurance? that remains to be seen. >> and one of the things that he did as former governor of

massachusetts is he did provide subsidies for middle class folks. so how does he explain that? >> yes, very similar. you could -- if you earned up to about $70,000, you could get subsidies. so when people have asked him, well, gee, that's what you did in massachusetts, he said, look, massachusetts is its own state. and that's what we decided was right for massachusetts. it's not necessarily right for everyone. if other states want to copy massachusetts, that's fine. but it's interesting. he's obviously not philosophically opposed to subsidies. he just doesn't want to impose them on every state of the union. >> all right. elizabeth, thank you. we're going to be paying close attention to all of his reforms and what he's got on his agenda tonight when he makes his big speech. we'll see if he's got specifics. thanks, elizabeth. the attorney general of the united states hears from people who want tighter gun control, and they have personal reasons. [ male announcer ] citi turns 200 this year.

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there's a new push for gun control. it comes from 12 folks who were injured in the shooting that killed six and gr bush, son of t

george h.w. bush, former florida governor, jeb bush, and smack dab there in the center of your screen, one of the rising stars, certainly, of the republican party, hailing from the state i'm sitting in right now, florida. you have senator marco rubio. he is a high-profile slot, speaking just ahead of mitt romney. and if i may add, a bit of convention intrigue. this is what a lot of buzz among journalists and some delegates this morning is about. the mystery guest, whose name is being kept under tight, tight wraps at this hour. said mystery guest is listed on tonight's schedule as "to be announced" and is also in a high-profile position, right before senator marco rubio. and you know, rumors -- and let me say that again -- but these are rumors, and they are flying that it's hollywood heavyweight, "dirty harry" star clint

eastwood. but as i said, convention insiders, they are playing this one tight. we just know it's a mystery th. this has never happened before. and they reminded me, if you look at the advisory, a republican nominee has not come from massachusetts since calvin coolidge in the 1920s. so it has literally been

generations since they've had this opportunity. and they, of course, are going to be watching and listening to what their nominee says, just like everybody else. you know, it is almost cliche, brooke, to say how important this kind of speech is for any party's nominee. but particularly for mitt romney's, since even republicans admit, the obama campaign has done such a good job throughout the entire summer of spending so much money, defining for him, and defining him in a way that republicans do not like, and it has hurt him when it comes to his favorability ratings. he really has to change that tonight in a big way. and that is what everybody is going to be watching and listening for here. >> in addition to, of course, the man of the evening, mitt romney, we mentioned a couple of other big speakers, including jeb bush. what do we think the forme eside.

now the time has come for mitt romney to tell us himself. some say it's do or die for him tonight. i take a look at how true that statement, can be especially when you're a candidate who has to deliver a killer speech. it's a microphone moment unlike any other in politics. the presidential convention speech. >> to the old, big-spending, do-nothing, me-first, country second crowd, change is coming. >> reporter: a moment that could either catapult former governor mitt romney to next president mitt romney, or not. >> there's always the possibility that something very dramatic and very exciting might happen at a convention. and that could hit the reset button on the conversation that's been happening over the

past few months. >> as far back as barry goldwater, party nominees have gotten a post-convention popularity bump. osama bin

laden compound last may, the night th he ed. new sayiite e counaccots ounthe ara totally wrong. plus, folksivin l along one louisiana river are being told to get out. why? because a dam may fail, flooding

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today, just as intense, as more people are forced to evacuate. right now, isaac is just creeping through louisiana, expecting to finally blow through the state. at some point tonight, we just think about that for a moment. it hasn't left yet. the people there have been through 40 plus hours of what many are calling this once-in-a-lifetime rains, winds, rising water. several hundred people are thankful they were rescued at all. >> it came up slow and started rising real, real high. and it came up so high, and it was getting higher. >> everything's underwater. >> water in your house? >> oh, yes, everything. we lost everything. >> this is a real nightmare. i never in my entire life could ever imagine being caught in something like this. >> thousands of others, thankful isaac didn't take more from them. >> we are extremely lucky,

compared to the people down south, we're very, very lucky. i mean, this is nothing. this is nothing. >> reporter: the governor estimates by the time isaac does finally leave this state -- look at that water. by the time it finally leaves, three out of four people in louisiana will have been impacted by this storm. and you can see the flooding's been so intense, so brutal, it has dislodged caskets. this is plaquemines parish, here. this is braithwaite. one spot in plaquemines parish hit particularly hard. this is just louisiana. the red cross says isaac forced 4,700 into shelters seven states. more than 940,000 are without power in four states. and one man died after a tree fell on his truck in mississippi. now, a new crisis. a dam at the louisiana/mississippi border, this is the lake tangipahoa dam.

thousands have been told to evacuate. here is cnn's david mattingly. >> reporter: this is a dam on the lake tangipahoa river. that dam has been damaged by all the water that's fallen from this tropical storm hurricane. so, they are working right now with the sandbagging operation to shore that dam up. at the same time, they have some other operations going to possibly relieve some of the pressure behind it, but this dam in mississippi, should it fail, would affect people downstream, most of them living in louisiana, downriver, down the tangipaoha river. so that the parish president in louisiana has issued a mandatory evacuation order for people living a mile on either side of that river, as a precaution. the governor's office is backing him up on that, telling people they should pay attention to this, because they don't know what's going to happen with the dam. in fact, we heard from

louisiana's governor about this just a short time ago. listen. >> there are concerns, at percy quinn, about thea dam over in mississippi, if that dam were to break, it would take about 90 minutes for that water to get to kentwood. we have been in contact with our mississippi counterparts. they are planning a planned breach of that dam, torevent this dam from breaking. this morning they were concerned that the breaking was imminent. >> david mattingly for us reporting, talking about the tangipahoa dam. and i want to bring chad myers, who's been looking at this so, so closely. chad, my question would be, is there a timeline at all? if this is going a break, do we know went that could happen? >> this is an earthen dam, meaning they built up a bunch of dirt and plants grass, and hope that it would held. but we've seen some sliding,

where the dirt has become mud and started to move, almost like liquefaction, and just sliding down the hill, so damaging the dam itself. percy quinn park, here's the dam itself, here's the little spillway that should be dumping water over, and it always does, except now there's just tremendous amounts of water coming down, way too much water coming down. and it will eventually dump into lake pontchartrain. so let's take you. this is less than a one-square-mile lake. there's water here, a lot of water, but this isn't like some tsunami, like in -- you know, like the tsunami in japan that's going to flood all the way down to louisiana. there will be, if it fails, it hasn't yet, and they're working on it to stop that. if there's water coming down the way, if it does fail quickly, water will go back a quarter mile one way or the other. go ahead and fly all the way down, sean, show you where it's going from here. comes down here, into osyka, the water coming through here, this is kentwood, they're concerned a little bit that some of these eastern homes in kentwood could

get a little bit wet, and down towards robert and amite. a lot of river bottom is farmland. there's robert. we know people are evacuating here already. they're packing up and moving and then the water goes all the way down to the lake pontchartrain area right there. there's lake pontchartrain, and it shouldn't affect anybody after that. it is still raining. this is part of the problem. it is still raining and even raining on that dam. water is still going into the dam, north of there, running downhill, and eventually even into the gulf of mexico. there's the storm right now, to the east of shreveport. going to turn up towards springfield, into st. louis. do not be concerned about this. you may get wind gusts of 25 miles per hour in st. louis, maybe even towards columbus, ohio. more of a rain event than a wind event once it's that far inland. brooke? >> okay. well, the second something changes with regard to that dam, let us know. >> absolutely. >> tchad, thank you. >> you're welcome. >> if you're sitting at home and

wondering how you can help these folks absolutely devastated by this storm, isaac, go to cnn.com/impact and you can help. coming up, this former navy s.e.a.l. breaks a code and writes this book about the mission that killed osama bin laden. but here's the thing. his story contradicts white house reports. we're going to take an in depth look and talk to a former cia operative who has been talking to s.e.a.l.s and they are angry about this book. at usaa, we believe honor is not

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we are finally getting a good look at the retired navy s.e.a.l., part of that s.e.a.l. team 6 team who now wrote a book about the osama bin laden raid. and there has been so much buzz about this book. it's called "no easy day." it has already jumped to the number one spot on amazon, and it doesn't even get released until next week. the author who says the pentagon now says can be revealed, he is ma matt bissonette and he talks about his book being released during the political conve

either party. keep iout t ficallchosy emr 11 you ow, if these crazies on either side of the aisle want to make it political, shame on them. this is a book about september 11th and it needs to rest on september 11th. not be brought into the political arena. because this has nothing to do with politics. >> not political whatsoever, he says. cnn contributor and former cia operative, bob baer, joining me live from irvine, california. bob, i know you've seen, as we all have, some of the excerpts from this book. and a major difference, the white house account said that the s.e.a.l.s walked in, bin laden was there, he was armed, they shot him. in this guy's book, they said obl was kind of peeking around a door corner and they took him out. that's a huge difference.

my question to you is, will we ever know if he provided this immediate, immediate threat that the white house claimed? >> i don't think he provided an immediate threat, according to this book. he didn't have a weapon in his hand. but you have to understand, when the s.e.a.l.s do a takedown like this, they are moving at such a high speed, that anybody that acts in the least suspiciously is shot and killed. it'sdus operandi, they never change it. you would have to see it, when they run through a house, shooting, throwing flash bang grenades. once you hit that door, you're pretty much dead unless you're on the floor vendsurrendering. >> are you saying the accounts don't really seem that much different? >> well, it's the white house hyping an event. they had to make it look like bin laden was resisting. it's a typical political spin you'd get out of any white house. and the political aides of the president want to make the president look as best as he can through this. and the truth is really the

first casualty in a raid like this. but i think the point is that the white house did approve it, it was a courageous decision, the s.e.a.l.s did a wonderful job, and we've got a s.e.a.l. coming out and talking about it. it happens -- as i understand from the s.e.a.l.s, this guy was a very, very good operator, one of the best. he's a hero in the rest of it, but the s.e.a.l.s do not like talking in public about their operations. they like to be quiet heroes. it's just a fact. so as i understand it, from the s.e.a.l.s, they're unhappy that this guy went to print. and it clearly was not approved by the pentagon or anybody else in the s.e.a.l.s. on the other hand, i believe it's an accurate account. >> but then, if they're frustrated that he did speak, do they even know why he did this in the first place? he said it's not political, even though this thing has come out during the dnc, during the democratic national convention. why did he do it? >> he doesn't have -- i understand, doesn't have a

political bone in his body. he doesn't have that sophistication to come after anybody, whether republicans or democrats or the president. he wanted to get his story out. it is a dramatic story. he was a hero in this. and once you retire from the s.e.a.l.s, there's this resistance. but what i think is going to happen, and this is speculation, i add, is the pentagon is going to come after him, either for leaking secrets or breaking his contract, the code of silence. >> so you think, could he be prosecuted? >> oh, absolutely. you know, i haven't seen the full text of this the book, but if there are secrets in there, especially cia secrets, the cia will refer it to the department of justice, and the department of justice has a possibility of a criminal prosecution. but the fact that he didn't submit the book, in advance, they can sue him in a civil trial for breach of contract. >> bob, let me play just one

more clip. this is when they're talking about those mock drills that led up to the raid. take a look. >> this is nothing new to us. the part that was new was all the vips sitting there watching, you know, one of the things that i liked after the fact was, i remember admiral mullen coming by and talking to each one of us, and admiral olsen as well, and i thought that was cool that you know, they walked by, shook each of our hands and said, are you guys ready? can you guys pull this off? and i'm pretty sure to a man we all said, yes, absolutely. >> bob, final question. how do you think his book will change our history books? well, i think this is the most significant part of our war in afghanistan. in a sense, president bush said, we're going to go after this guy, dead or alive, and it took a second president to carry those orders out. and i think it's going to be an egress for us in afghanistan. which is going to happen probably earlier than 2014. it was truly a great commando

raid. there's no question about it. it's -- and i'll be fascinated to read the book. and i will read it. >> it is stunning, just to finally have one of these faces revealed. we talked about s.e.a.l. team 6 for so, so long. bob baer, thank you. >> thanks, brooke. all right. everyone is talking about what mitt romney should be talk about tonight. but john mccain, arizona senator, he's got some surprising advice. he talked to piers morgan. we're going to play that for you. plus, are republicans going to surprise everyone with a mystery speaker this evening? apparently they are, according to the romney camp. who it is, we don't know. and my favorite political power couple places bets. look at them already, arguing over politics, next. i don't spend money on gasoline. i don't have to use gas. i am probably going to the gas station about once a month. drive around town all the time doing errands and never ever have to fill up gas in the city. i very rarely put gas in my chevy volt.

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cnn grill, is the forum, the nucleus of the rnc. dana bash, i hear you have one of the "american idol" stars standing next to you, taylor hicks, who i think, was sort of caught up in the obama enthusiasm a couple of years ago. has he changed his mind? >> we will ask him that. you never know who you're going to run into. we were literally walking by him on the floor here and ran into taylor hicks. obviously, krr not just hanging out here. off very important role tonight. what are you going to do? >> i'll be performing, "taking it to the streets." i think it's important, that song, covering it on "american idol," and it being such a big hit. it's just important that we carry the momentum from the election and how the momentum of voting, i think it's important to carry it into this election too. >> reporter: are you a romney supporter? >> i'm an american supporter. i got the call a couple of weeks ago, and you know, i was just

thrilled to be a part of the political history. i do think the romney/ryan the ticket is a great ticket and i'm excited to perform. >> reporter: who did you vote for in the last election. >> i'm not going to tell you that. >> reporter: no? >> no. i'll play some more monica for you. >> reporter: i have another question. i think about this all the time. as the winner of "american idol," that gets -- the viewership, particularly when you won back in 2006, was so astronomic astronomical. the number of american who is voted on "american idol," i mean, how many voted for you, do you know? >> 64 million. >> reporter: i mean, if they could get americans to put that kind of energy into voting for president or any elected office, it would be fabulous. >> and that's the reason why i really stand on the voting process. because being a part of a voting process, from an entertainment standpoint, also -- this political process is super important. and i believe that we should get out the vote and we should be a

part of that, as much as we can. because that's what makes democracy tick. >> reporter: okay. thank you very much. >> see you tonight. >> reporter: okay. thanks, taylor. there you go. he's not telling us where he's standing, but he is telling us what he's singing, "taking it to the streets." we've heard him do that before. >> you tried. you try with them all. we appreciate it for us there on the floor of the rnc. and you know, the man who was the republican party's nominee for president four years ago actually sat down, just this morning, right where i'm sitting here in the grill, sat down with piers morgan. i'm talking about senator john mccain. so piers talked with mccain and his wife cindy mccain about really everything, from the republican party's platform to whether mitt romney should address his mormon faith head-on when he excepts the nomination tonight. here's just part of their interview. >> it's about strong values, strong american values, which we all share. it's about two men and their wives, of course, that could

possibly be the top tier of this government, being not only strong in with they believe and strong in their faith, but believing in what's best for the country and moving forward. not putting their personal interests first. >> i think, also, that, there is questions about the mormon faith, as you know. and i think that ann talking about it and i am convinced that mitt will talk about it, and to tell people that his faith is part of his life, and that's what's made him the person he is today. because, you know, the mormon faith has come under significant scrutiny and attack from time to time. >> our favorite couple is here to chew on all of this. john avalon, a cnn contributor, and senior political columnist for "newsweek" at daily beast, and his other half and perhaps his better half, the political contributor here at cnn, welcome. you guys seem so far away today. >> we'll bridge that distance. >> you always have good intel on

what we can expect in terms of the upcoming speech. so mitt romney, what should we expect? and do you agree with senator mccain, that he should address mormonism? >> not only should he address, but i think he's going to. and we know they're framing the entire evening, because they have a married couple who were bishops lead the invocation of the evening. so they're going to address it and answer the questions. and i think mitt romney will also address his life of service and how the mormon church helped frame the context of this has inspired him towards a life of service, even if he's uncomfortable talking about part of it. and i think he'll acknowledge that, so people can see that vulnerability. that's why we haven't learned more about it. >> so yes to addressing it. you're writing a column about this. >> i have a column about it today on the daily beast called mitt's missing character narrative. one of the things he really needs to do in the speech is set out a character native. this is something we expect from presidential candidates, john f. kennedy, suffering through those years, or even george w. bush, overcoming the temptations of

alcohol and finding faith. these are character narratives that help people feel that this person has made a hero's journey, that makes them more empathetic, and that wisdom they will bring to their decisions in the oval office. >> what does he have? he can't say being a mission naary in france was -- >> no, but i think that car accident he experienced as a young man, where he was given up for dead, initially, while on a mormon mission in france is a logical candidate for that. it's about the risk of intimacy. he needs to talk about a moment in life where she was challenged and he overcame that challenge and it's coincided with his faith. here's a person with personal exemplary character and his character has been shaped by his faith. i think he needs to take that risk of sbim andintimacy and pel reward that. >> hearing paul ryan, talking about people growing up and staring up at their fade ed oba

poster, there's a possibility with these speeches that ryan outshines romney. do you think that's possible, and is that necessarily a bad thing? >> look, i think it's apples and oranges, right? mitt romney is the nominee, paul ryan is sort of accentuating, highlighting. he was very clear. even in their musical tastes, mitt romney listens to me that sound like elevator music and i. they complement each other, not compete with each other. >> it was a very generational speech. >> he mentioned generation eight times. >> so this is not subtle. >> not subtle. >> the words he's choosing carefully. look, he is the first member of generation "x" to be on a presidential ticket. a lot of generational cues throughout his speech, talking about music. but that faded poster line which was so resonated in the hall, it was a way of updating the

celebrity ad that the mccain ad put forward last year. that was the emotional chord and the visual cue -- and it worked. it worked. >> just hearing in my ear, my executive producer telling me that, in fact, we have now confirmed, thank you, john king, that clint eastwood is, in fact, the mystery speaker. >> how about it! >> good choice. >> live we're hearing now, dirty harry himself will be taking to the podium and speaking, i believe it will go then, clint eastwood, marco rubio, and mitt romney. quick reaction? >> that is dream for the romney campaign. you don't get any better, especially for independent voters, than dirty harry, than mr. unforgiving clint eastwood. this is a great visual. it adds a quintessentially american voice, celebrity star power. that just kicked it up another notch today. >> and clint eastwood did an ad during the super bowl, on the chrysler ad. he appeals to independents and appeals to mainstream american republicans. always have trouble with

celebrity. now we've got it this time. >> all right. margaret hoover, john avalon, guys, thank you. how about that? clint eastwood. make sure you watch cnn tonight for all the speakers. coming up, health officials, they are already saying this could be the worst year ever for the west nile virus. will the flooding in louisiana and mississippi make it all worse? dr. sanjay gupta, he's going to join us next with what you need to know to stay safe. great shot. how did the nba become the hottest league on the planet? by building on the cisco intelligent network they're able to serve up live video, and instant replays, creating fans from berlin to beijing. what can we help you build? nice shot kid. the nba around the world built by the only company that could. cisco. there's natural gas under my town. it's a game changer. ♪ it means cleaner, cheaper american-made energy.

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west nile virus infections, they are very much skyrocketing. the center for disease control says human infections from this virus rose 40% since last week. that is almost 500 new cases. more than 70% of the west nile cases are found in these six states. you have louisiana and mississippi in particular here. isaac, as you know, has caused some severe flooding in those states, and standing water may not recede for days. i want to bring in dr. sanjay gupta. just talking about this, sanjay, you would think that the flooding in these states, the extreme flooding, would increase, the possibility that one could be affected by west nile. >> absolutely, you would think that, brooke, because of all the extra water, but we know a lot about just how these mosquitos and the breeding grounds of these mosquitos behave. and what you find, and this may be a little bit counterintuitive, is that that those floodwaters tend to actually really disrupt the existing breeding grounds of these mosquitos.

those mosquitos have been causing so much trouble. so the breeding grounds get disrupted, the mosquitos are still there, and eventually they could reestablish breeding grounds, but what they find is that typically, it's a bit of a wash. there's really hardly any change in terms of the overall number of cases with the floods versus not with the floods. i will tell you, brooke, you know, we went back and looked at what happened after hurricane katrina, for example, in this same part of the world, with regard to west nile virus, and the same part of the country. and what they found, there was a slight uptick in cases, but when they really tried to figure out why, it was because there were more people just outside. their homes had been damaged, they were outside rebuilding, and as a result of being outside more, they were getting bit more, and that caused the uptick. but overall, i think you're not going to see much of an impact here, brooke. >> well, that is some good news here. sanjay gupta, thank you so much. >> thank you. >> some good news here. some silver lining, despite these horrific, horrific storms. now to this back here in tampa, republicans are

recruiting the young votes, college-aged voters. >> college graduates should not have to live out their 20s in their childhood bedrooms, staring up at fading obama posters and wondering when they can move out and get going with life! >> congressman paul ryan's youthful appeal being put to the test. i was teaching a martial arts class and having a heart attack. my brother doesn't look like a heart attack patient. i'm on a bayer aspirin regimen. [ male announcer ] be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. i'm a fighter and now i don't have that fear.

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mitt romney's vp pick, paul ryan, is a young guy, he's 42. although some say he looks more like 32. and just as barack obama energized the youth vote back in 2008, republicans could well be hoping ryan's youthfulness will help them this time around. ryan, as i mentioned, he's 42, a true jen-xer, and as he walked out last night, look at that crowd wob to give that acceptance speech in tampa, the energy was palpable. and for anyone counting, which we were, of course, congressman ryan used the word "generation" in that speech eight times. roll it. >> i accept the calling of my

generation. in this generation -- a generation apart -- from my mom's generation, for my generation -- the founding generation secured those rights for us. and in every generation since -- >> i want to bring in alex shriver. and your title is a bit long. so it is national chairman of the college republican national committee. >> that's right. >> welcome. nice to meet you. >> good to be here. >> let's just begin, obviously, part of your job is energizing the young, the college-aged kids to vote for this ticket. how is that working out for you this year? >> paul ryan made my job a lot easier last night. young people are fired up, they're engaged, a lot like we saw in 2008, just for different side of the aisle. >> do you think it's the same enthusiasm? >> absolutely. young people see the importance of politics. they see how it affects their day to day lives. and they got caught up with hope and change in 2008 and a lot of them feel disen chant edisencha. and paul right brought opportunity and optimism though

those disedisenchanted. that's what young people are voting for this november. >> i'm with you, alex, i was in the convention last night and felt the energy as well. here's my but for you, let me cite a poll. the cnn/orc poll asked voters between the age of 18 and 34 who they support for president. 73% said obama. the poll was taken just days before mitt romney announced paul ryan would be on the ticket. do you think, and i think you already are going to say yes, given his speech last night, do you think that paul ryan made the sell to young voters much easier? >> sure. absolutely. there was a poll taken just the day after paul ryan was selected among the same demographic, and it showed governor romney with 41% of young people voting for him. and obviously, we lost this group, 66/32 in 2008, but by staying on the issues that young people care about, jobs and the economy, the number one issue to 74% of young people, talking about student loan debt, talking about getting out of your parents' basement, you'll see

more and more people abandon president obama and go to romney/ryan. >> i want to play a little bit more, from the speech last night where he was teasing mitt romney a bit about the music choice. >> we're a full generation apart, governor romney and i. and in some ways, we're different. there are the songs on his ipod, which i've heard on the campaign bus and i've heard it on many hotel elevators. i said, look, i hope it's not a deal breaker, mitt, but my play list, it starts with ac/dc and it ends with zeppelin. >> obviously, that got a big laugh last night. ac/dc, zeppelin, "the rage against the machine," tommobut someone sit heerting here, alex who's truly an obama voter,

whose poster is not faded, what's your pitch? >> no group of voters have been affected by this policy like young people. the burden of $16 trillion of national debt is on our pack. a failing obama care bill is on our back. $1 trillion in student loan debt is on our back. and we have to pay that. and we need to start having a realistic conversation with young people about the promises our government makes to them. and it really is a generational opportunity. paul ryan's acceptance last night, i accept the calling of my generation. what a powerful line to young people. i am one of you. paul ryan, 42 years old, closer in age to me than he is to joe biden. i think young people see that, appreciate that, and respect it. >> the question is, do they see it in mitt romney. and we'll see it. we'll see it in his speech. >> tonight. >> alex, thank you very much. nice to meet you. coming up, we'll talk more about tropical storm isaac. more than a million people without power and thousands face this massive, massive cleanup job. cnn's chad myers says inland flooding is now, just as it was yesterday, still a tremendous, tremendous concern. great shot.

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at the top of the hour, the national weather service did release this update on tropical storm isaac. now they're saying it is moving through louisiana, it is moving through mississippi at just 9 miles per hour. right now, there is a mandatory evacuation in this area of the late dam.

one man was killed when a tree fell on his truck. more than 4,700 people in seven states had to stay in shelters last night, and more than 900,000 people are without power in four states. chad myers, let's begin here with you. tell me when this storm is going to finally get out of there. >> well, when does it finally run out of moisture, i guess? because it's still kind of tapping a little bit of the tropical moisture from the gulf of mexico. so as it moves away, brooke. obviously, when it gets to the central part of arkansas, there's just not going to be anymore energy that it can grab from the gulf. it's going to get up here and cross st. louis, and probably over cincinnati, and over towards west virginia. it could go a little bit farther south, it could go farther north, there's still a cone here. but the issue is that it's dying out now. it's losing its energy, lose its power. it will just be a rainmaker. but we are still now seeing new pictures coming in from our

affiliates in louisiana still showing people that were flooded out that we didn't even know about yet, like lafitte and other places that got a lot of water. we knew about the east bank, but pictures are finally coming in with the amount of people that are without power. we're not getting pictures as fast as as we would like. there's a lot more of this to come, i believe. we'll see more devastation than we've seen so far. there are a lot more people that are affected than maybe what you're seeing. there's a lot more than 4,000 that need new places to sleep tonight, i'm afraid. >> chad, thank you. we'll check back. there's been a lot of talk about medicare and the money paying for obama care. listen. >> they needed hundreds of billions more so they just took it all away from medicare. $716 billion funneled out of medicare by president obama. >> we are going to talk a little bit more about this with dr. gupta. he will rejoin us at the top of

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it has been 18 months of just absolute slaughter in syria. and there was even more bloodshed today. at least 94 people were killed, 9 of them children. meanwhile, the free syrian army says it shot down this fighter yet. you see it there flying along, shot it down. it belonged to president bashar al assad's military today. now, cnn cannot confirm the authenticity of this video. also today, egypt's new president urged world powers to support the rebels. this came at a summit in iran, one of the few nations that still supports syria. their relationship goes back many, many decades. president mohammed morsi slamming the