>>. some of our viewers, is it sunday or monday. it's a sunday. special edition. special coverage. >> i'm not sure myself. we thank you for joining us. >> america's newsroom is next. >> welcome to tampa! home of a modified version of the 2012 national convention and good to have you us. this is special edition of america's newsroom. i'm bill hemmer, i hope you are dry wherever you are. >> good to be here. i'm martha mccallum. the convention shortened by one day due to tropical storm isaac. we are watching the weather changing around us. forecasters for heavy rains and concern for tornadoes and bring

in delegates and visitors around the country. we are right around the water and there are concerns about flooding. >> we'll get about this rnc's plan "b" because they are working through the details by the hour. we want to start south of here in key west florida are feeling the effects of this storm. phil keating, what is your situation at this hour? >> reporter: we've got localized street flooding in key west, seven inches of water, a lot of residents independently minded that did not take the recommendation of evacuating miami-dade county and they stuck it out and they are playing in the water. the center of tropical storm isaac right now should be arriving in the keys right around key west or slightly up the keys within the hour. several minutes around town there was this localized

flooding but utility power crews were making sure it didn't go out as it did in miami-dade county. losing power for 35,000 residents. yesterday the recommendation was to evacuate, as we drove down in or out of key west at this point. there was steady stream of cars heading northbound. few cars headed in the city. key west was absolutely quiet. only locals and tourists had left actually. down in haiti definitive proof that the storm is expected to strengthen to a contemporary two hurricane. it has been deadly. 7-80 fatalities, three of them children and the risk remains for mudslides and klachs h

collapsed buildings. everybody is taking it in stride. my miami county and broward county impacted by high winds and will continue throughout the night. >> bill: we'll see folks in the keys got lucky. phil is live on the scene. >> we are seeing large power outages as a result of all this. florida power and light reporting 14,000 people have no service right now. there is 8400 in the miami-dade county, 5,000 in brow ard county and 2300 in palm beach county and several scattered outages along the gulf coast counties. >> we're looking at the local newspapers and you can imagine the story, the "a" is convention

and story "b" is the storm. ice a ago intrudes is front headline but inside a special pullout, center of of it all it really is center of it all. so we'll see which way the storm goes and the way the convention planners and make the audible calls that will be necessary. >> one problem with the weather. it's so unpredictable. republican party organizers cutting the convention down to three days of events. there could be more changes on the way. this is a moving weather pattern they are trying to deal with. john roberts is live inside the convention center. john, how is the schedule shaping up because of all of this? >> reporter: they are doing what they did four jeers ago. they have to compress the schedule, try to fit it in three

days. so far they didn't have to cut any of the speakers. it's a big deal and keep people the chance. we may have to cut time of the speech but we are trying to get everything in. it looks like one day delay in tampa. republican national committee didn't have any choice, hey, we're pulling down our tents and they really said we have to act out of an abundance of caution. one convention official, say god forbid, if something happens, imagine how the other side would play this. as the track moves further to the west the city is more hopeful, not expecting a lot of flooding except for from the rain. winds will be pushing offshore and avoid some of the storm surge. horn is mayor of tampa and this

is what he told me. >> you will not see any flooding certainly not down here. this will be fine and convention center will be fine. we've got sandbags available for people who wanted to shore up their property. this storm and scheme of things by comparison is a minor distraction as opposed to something major. >> reporter: this is minor storm. >> what about the possibility of changes later in the week, john? >> it if tracks westward and big city, chairman of rnc it would be very difficult to have a balloon drop in a big party if another city is being devastated by the storm. they will be prepared to move wherever they need to. >> one day at a time. >> bill: and why the g.o.p. may have chosen tampa, the city is

home to large numbers of swing voters. it's the corridor and president obama narrowly won in in 2008. >> strong comments from governor mitt romney at the start of the convention and exclusive interview with fox news analyst chris wallace. here is part of it. >> when the president accuses me of being a felon and he doesn't distance from that, when they have a pac that i'm responsible for someone's deaths, i would suggest that campaign of anger. i think it's about dividing the american people. >> that is just some of it. he had a lot more to say with chris wallace. he will be joining us at the bottom of the hour. get his thoughts on his extensive sit down with ro78zs

and governor alone. >> bill: meanwhile, the governor's team responding to comments by president obama that romney is extreme. that the governor has locked into extreme positions on economic and social issues. team romney is saying the american people know they are not better off than they were four years ago. steve hayes, fox news contributor is with us here in tampa. good day to you. a different time of the day but good to see you. what do you believe the strategy is behind the interview pre-convention and to label governor romney an extremist? >> what the president wants to do is set the tone for the republican convention and have a lot of journalists talking about this and trying to make the case that mitt romney is an extremist. try to link hip him to house republicans, people are not fond

of congress generally. >> bill: there was a lot in here with the associated press. whether he believes in those opinions, the president suggests. >> i have no doubt he would carry forward some of the things he talked about suggests he is not being honest with his views at the moment? >> the reason a president needs to say that, i think it's very hard for them to paint mitt romney as an extremist. this is guy who ran for governor and pro-choice candidate. now, they are trying to suggest to link todd aiken's comments on rape. they are trying to make romney a huge ideologue and there is very little in the record that he is. you have the obama team talking about healthcare in massachusetts was the model for healthcare. yet at the same time he is trying to say extremist. >> bill: do you feel the romney

team has to respond strongly in this? >> i think they should totally ignore it. two things. they need to layout for the american people who romney is. they need to avoid a plausible alternative to barack obama for the next four years. that is their tactic to the extent they get in tit-for-tat, i it this they are being distracted. >> we'll talk to karl rove about this in about 35 minutes. suggesting that he would be the one willing to work with republicans in congress. if he were to win a second term. a compromised president. >> this is most interesting line from the interview as president obama that would be willing to work with republicans if he re-elected. why would the president say that. i think the obama yes for

journalists to the democratic convention, on what issues would he compromise with republicans. he should lay them out. make the case if he is going to become this centrist in the second term. >> bill: we'll pick it up again with karl rove. good to see you. next two weeks. jeb bush with some blunt words for the president here in florida today. the former governor coming to his big brother's defense, karl rove takes on that and former member of bush administration with reaction and loot more. >> tropical storm isaac whipping the florida keys area. these are live shots and on a collision course with the gulf coast. big concern at this point is the already battered city of new orleans. a lot of thoughts were with the people of that city. we'll get out latest tragedy on isaac. that is moments away. >> and republicans scrambling to put a revised schedule. three days to deal with the

rough weather. we'll hear from the rnc chairman on the last minute changes in a moment. >> we're working around the clock. we have contingent plans. we're going to make the smartest and most decent decisions we can at any given time. [ male announcer ] this is sheldo whose long day setting up the news starts with arthritis pain and a choice. take tylenol or take aleve, the #1 recommended pain reliever by orthopedic doctors. just two aleve can keep pain away all day. back to the news.

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extreme weather alert. national hurricane center is extending hurricane watch to include the new orleans area, obviously a big concern. tropical storm isaac barrels toward the united states the outer bands are lashing south florida. florida keys are getting hit. heavy winds up to 60 miles an hour according to the latest clocking of those winds.

that hurricane watch area stretches about 300 miles from east of morgan city, louisiana to the florida panhandle. it could strengthen to a category 2 according to ex perlts by the time it hits the gulf. we'll bring you very latest as it comes in. >> bill: convention is facing chance in an event that took months to plan and doing it just a few hours to change the schedule. i talked to the party chairman about what we can expect and what is happening now. >> thank you for your time.

about big welcome to you here in tampa. >> i'm happy to be here. you can see we are getting ready for a big event here and we have a dress rehearsal behind us. >> bill: many people want to know when this is going to get off the ground. how are you working through this as a team? >> for one thing, we are meeting around the clock. we are meeting with the national weather service on a regular basis. we want to make sure we ensure the safety of all of our guests and delegates. they're coming here and big convention. it's not going to be terrible here. on monday, we have 24-hour period that is very difficult to ensure that it's hundred percent safe. so we decided and we're going to gavel down on tuesday about 1:00 and 2:00 and continue on with

convention wednesday and thursday. >> bill: the band sounds great, by the way. >> i know i feel i should start dancing. >> bill: you are welcome to do that. do you have a set schedule for tuesday that will effectively be day one. >> i imagine you are still working through that at the moment? >> yeah, more for the speak thearsz were scheduled for monday. >> bill: mitt romney tweeted late yesterday the safety of those in isaac's path is utmost importance, applaud those making changes, and you refer to your first answer, has tampa escaped the worst of this storm? >> certainly looks like that.

you know you make a decision -- when they told us on monday with the high winds over those bridges, the secret service was which meant our delegates and guests would actually have to stand outside and potentially rain for hours. then you have the issue what if you fill up the arena and things deteriorate and you can't get guests back to clear water. at that point you have to make the call it's not worth it. it's better to be safe. that is what we did. we can have a great convention on tuesday and wednesday and thursday and that is what we're going to do. >> bill: is there any doubt that the convention starts with the speeches on tuesday or that still a bit of a guessing game? >> right now the intention we're moving forward with the business of the convention on tuesday. that means gaveling down in the

afternoon, down all the party work and then we start the speeches on tuesday night around 7:30 or 8:00. >> bill: do you see a scenario where a category 2 hurricane could be just before making landfall. about the same time, ann romney is making a significant speech, do you see a scenario like that? what would be the back-up plan if that were to happen? >> listen, we made the decision last night around 5:00 or 6:00 we would cancel monday. we're working around the clock. we have contingent plans, we're going to be nimble, we're going to make the smartest and decent decisions we can at any given time. that is why wee decided to make the move. we have the ability to quickly pivot if we need to. right now, we have no reason to believe that we're not going to start on tuesday and have full

days throughout the week. >> bill: we appreciate your time. we'll be talking throughout the week. >> who would have thought two conventions would be interrupted by a hurricane? >> martha: they would say there is no way this could happen. two times in row. that is why they put so much time and focus in these things. >> bill: and they are still putting this together. next two hours, briefings from governors from mississippi, florida and louisiana. we'll get you updates when we get them here on isaac. >> martha: if you noticed, we are live in tampa. preparations are underway for the republican national convention. party leaders are arriving as we speak. everybody is dealing with the weather and getting things sorted out. pam bondi is front in center. she joins us next in her home state.

she is scheduled to speak on wednesday night. we'll talk about what to expect. >> bill: also fox news sunday anchor chris wallace on the interview with governor romney and his wife ann including the tone of the race and ann's advice for her husband. >> do you give advice on strategy? do you give advice on staff? >> he gets advice from everybody even me. [ laughter ] people like options.

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>>. >> martha: fox news alert. we are watching tropical storm isaac. it's on the way to florida coast and officials are urging people to get ready. new orleans really appears to be in the crosshairs as we watching

it come across. we are joined by pam bondi. fourth generation tampa. >> you are right in my home turf >> martha: i know you are used to this weather. unbelievable the timing of this. >> i know. we're hopeful that by monday, late monday evening, tuesday morning it's going to blow on through. we'll keep new orleans and panhandle in our prayers, but as attorney general now that we have a state of emergency. i have activated my price council gouging unit with thousands of visitors we have to be careful people are not taking advantage essential commodities, gas, food and supplies. if i have 24-hour hot line. >> martha: you have to balance the concerns with the enthusiasm of convention which you have

been planning and the safety of your citizens. >> absolutely. we're going protect everyone from the hurricane. it's a tropical storm and prosecute from fries gouging. >> martha: let's talk about politics. >> they came out with an editorial this morning, supporting president obama. what do you think about the journey of charlie? >> knowing we are in middle of a tropical storm, i believe in freedom of speech but he took a poor choice to exercise it. what he has said she reagan republican. she pro-life. he is pro-gun. he is pro family. he is pro business. he says he doesn't agree with hardly anything that president obama says and he was adamantly opposed to obamacare. yet she endorsing this man for

president of the united states. i don't want to waste any more time because i think its distraction by the democrats. >> martha: it's an interesting move as you pointed out and interesting political journey. big night for you. the convention being here in your hometown. you have risen in such a strong way in healthcare ballot and being attorney general for the state of florida and fighting the healthcare plan. what were ru going to say to the people? >> we all work hand in hand and great team. we were speaking on wednesday afternoon after john mccain sometime before paul ryan. >> martha: you have a pretty good slot there? >> i'm so excited. we're very excited to talk about obamacare and overregulation by

the federal government. that is about as much as i'm allowed to say. >> martha: it's fascinateding when you look at healthcare now that paul rye yas yan has entered the race. it infuse that had debate. some folks are looking at it and saying it hasn't turned out so far as the way democrats thought it would. picking paul ryan would be a huge negative for people in terms of how they look at healthcare? >> for the democrats that is right. what president obama is doing, taking $700 billion away from medicare to fund obamacare. that is not right. so more than ever we have to have mitt romney has president. we firmly believe and now this is according we only need 51 votes in the senate to repeal this nightmare of obamacare. >> martha: pam, thank you so much for welcoming us to your

hometown. >> everybody needs to be safe. >> martha: pleasure, pam. >> bill: more from tampa and family of george w. bush coming to his defense today. what the former president's younger brother is saying about president obama and reaction from one of the former president's advisor karl rove. >> martha: mitt romney sits down with our own chris wallace. chris is going to join us in a few minutes away with his take from the interview in new hampshire. >> you may find this hard to believe this is not about me or what this means for me or what it means for our family. this is not an ego ride for me. i'm really concerned about america. the capital one cash rewards card gives you a 50% annual bonus. and everyone, but her...

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>>. >> martha: mitt romney accusing the obama team running a divisive campaign. chris wallace, the governor attacked his opponent this way? >> i think this whole campaign has been about dividing the american people. it's between the haves and have

nots. this is one street versus another street. that is the divisive that americans recognize and one of the reasons why this campaign despite spending more than our campaign, this campaign hasn't gained the traction that you would have expected. >> chris, good to see you here. it seems like something is working in the campaign. numbers of tightening up. it appears that this line the fact that president obama has an angry divisive campaign. that may gain traction for them. >> chris: i was with him at a campaign stoop in michigan. i've seen boxes boxer before they go in the ring, mitt romney is primed and ready to take this fight to barack obama. now barack obama is ready to take the fight to romney but there was a sharpness strength

to his answers, a kind of self-assertion and self-confidence. all i could say, game on. >> martha: it's interesting you see that. once the nomination, they know they have it and you pick the vice president that seems to be a positive move and helping him in the polls. you spoke to him about another element of all of this. the family, the governor, the governor's son and the meaning of that is. this is big moment as he heads into the campaign. >> chris: i thought he was going to get reflective. your father tried the 1968 republican nominee. you tried four years and didn't make it. you finally have achieved this. what does it mean to you? i thought it was a good answer. he said it's not about me, it isn't about something i've achieved or personal

gratification. let's hear him say it. >> finally you are about to become the republican nominee for president. one step away from the oval office. your beloved father george romney tried it. didn't make it. you tried for eight years. on a personal basis, not political, how do you feel. what are your thoughts us a take a very big step? >> you may find this hard to believe, this for me is not about me or about what this means for me or what it means for our family. this is not an ego ride for me. i'm really concerned about america. i think this president is weakening america in very fundamental ways. a lot of people are suffering and over the coming decade the decisions he is making will cause a lot more people to

suffer. it's an honor to be the honoree of my party. >> that is sincere answer to you? >> i thought it was seven seer answer. i think he feels this isn't campaign any mother with paul ryan, its cause and movement. i think that has given him strength picking his vice president and having to make that decision how he wanted to go in that direction has helped him define what the campaign is all about. >> martha: i think that is such a good point. he said at the end, a quote from his father, be bold. i thought when he said that to you, that is what so many people were begging him to do with the vice presidential pick. >> chris: that is hardly how you would define mitt romney over the course of his political career, but i think -- i'm sure he had all kinds of people

advising him and different calculations and when he decided to go with paul ryan, that was statement. by doing it he knew what he thought and what he felt how to wage the campaign. i wanted to make this about visions for the future. he will have to defend medicare and defend the ryan budget but it makes it about the future and agenda for the republicans and the agenda of the obama administration. >> martha: very it go. chris wallace, thanks. you can get his full interview tonight at 6:00 p.m. eastern. check it out. very interesting stuff. >> bill: while you were discussing this. we were watching this. a press conference the louisiana governor holding a news conference about the oncoming storm. now lashing the florida keys.

we will get an update at the top of the hour for the latest conditions on the storm. so stay tuned for that. in the meantime, thousands have been left behind without power in the wake of this storm. how strong could isaac become either later today or tomorrow or tuesday. we'll get you the latest track on that moments away in tampa. >> public shows support for former president george w. bush coming from his younger brother, jeb bush came to his defense against repeated attacks from president obama and karl rove joins us live after this with his reaction. >> turn me to raise taxes and they'll push and ail on a i will say no, no, i'll say to them, read my lips. [ applause ] when you have diabetes...

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>>. >> bill: back here in tampa. new criticism for president obama. jeb bush defending his brother, george w. bush. saying that president obama needs to stop blaming his predecessor. >> i think it's time for him to move on. look. guy was dealt a difficult hand, no question about it. he's had three years. his policies have failed. rather than blame others which i know we were thought that you can't keep going that. maybe offer fresh new solutions to the problems we face.

>> bill: here we are in florida. karl rove is deputy chief of staff to george w. bush and fox news contributor. >> we're standing out in the humidity and rain. >> bill: you could cut this weather with a knife. good to see you. what do you make of the brother defending the brother? >> he was asked a question and he answered it. this is coping mechanism. people said okay fine. things you inherited a bad deal but he has had three and a half years. he had control of congress. he could do anything he wanted the first two years. the american people are saying why are you blaming the guy. you are the guy in charge. americans wanted a strong leader and this is why the president has low ratings. >> bill: you wonder if you are look at the pew research numbers if it is working for president obama. i have 44-34% that blame the

bush administration as opposed to blaming the obama administration? >> there is a question are you responsible now or not. the president is in charge. she supposed to make things different. he is supposed to make things different. president obama says it's all bush's fault. maybe that is way to hide the fact when it came time to rein in fannie mae and freddie mac that president obama help filibuster the reform bill. he is in charge. if you like it or not, he has been in office since january 2009 and it's his policies. >> and jeb bush referred to if you have fresh policies but he doesn't anticipate those given 71 odd days away. >> what is the president's campaign condemning the predecessor. there is no forward agenda. he looks like the guy has run

out of gas and may be running out of time. >> i thought the associated presses interview on the thursday before he went off to camp david was quite revealing in the following sense. he talked about working with republicans in a second term. almost suggesting that he would be the one who would go halfway and be a great compromise. >> why hasn't he done that the last four years. remember republicans offered them about stimulus bill and won and cut them off. ee met them with 2009 i want to work on healthcare system and next the meeting was 51 weeks later. he has gone months at a time without seeing the republican leader of the senate or talking to him on the telephone. this is not a guy who has demonstrated. >> then his record reflect that but his message will. >> but does the message sink in

other not. >> we promised to do it four years. fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. he said i'm not going to be president of red and blue states but united states. but he has governed hard on the party with little regard. and vice presidential running mate, paul ryan offered a serious proposal, boles of north carolina said it was serious proposal. how did the president respond to it. he invited paul ryan and then he captor yiatd for offering the plan. we need to look what he has done and not what he might do if given a second time. >> day one has been essentially scratched. you could have split screens for the next few days with the storm on one side and the convention on the other. how is this affected by the

isaac? >> it is affected by it. you lost one-quarter of the time to talk about big things. monday night was about the why critique of the obama administration. looking, you don't like losing time. they lost a lot of that time anyway because the democrats because of monetary problems and a lack of crowd attendance for labor day had cancelled the first day of their convention and the national networks broadcast networks similarly said we'll cancel the first day of coverage. it's not helpful if you have a four day plan and four day narrative and then suddenly at the last minute. >> bill: karl, could is a to see you. >> martha: key players are now making final adjustments tweaking ltd the speech. candidates and delegates

officials are getting rea for the billing day and tropical storm isaac barrels through the gulf. we'll be right back with a special edition live from tampa. p made a commitment to the gulf. and every day since, we've worked hard to keep it. bp has paid over twenty-three billion dollars to help people and businesses who were affected, and to cover cleanup costs. today, the beaches and gulf are open for everyone to enjoy -- and many areas are reporting their best tourism seasons in years. we've shared what we've learned with governments and across the industry so we can all produce energy more safely. i want you to know, there's another commitment bp takes just as seriously: our commitment to america. bp supports nearly two-hundred-fifty thousand jobs in communities across the country. we hired three thousand people just last year. bp invests more in america than in any other country. in fact, over the last five years,

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>> so the media plays a huge role in all this. it goes back to 1940, when wendell wilkie was running against fdr. then they competed against each other right on the home turf. now we'll see about 15,000 members of the media. you can see right behind me. john roberts is working in the fox area of the media bench and all the way goes all the way around.

through the whole course of the convention. media and delegates all the representatives of the party coming together to make a huge event tomorrow. >> it is quite an operation. when you watch everybody getting set up, wires and cable, hundreds of frequencies coming in and out of these buildings, you it's miracle you hear us talk. but they do a phenomenal job. >> bill: terrific crew out here. and any time those guys are around you know it's going to be a party. they'll have the music. >> martha: looking forward to that. >> bill: social media will be a large part of the convention in tampa. they call it the convention without walls. they have hired a full time blolger to only talk to people online. they have a facebook and twitter sites.

youtube plays a major roll. rnc plans to post online next three or four days. >> martha: we have been tweeting. reach me at march that mccallum and bill hemmer. we'll be speaking to you through the next two weeks. >> bill: we're that cool. >> martha: we try. >> we are monitor ago news conference in this very serious element of what is going on now. bobby jindal will be speaking about tropical storm isaac. here is what he said moments ago. >> we have issued a state deck ligaments of emergency for the storm. we'll tell you about the parishes, also secondly i'm now calling on and we are contact with local issues. we are calling on officials who live in low-lying areas in the 15 parishes that are in the hurricane watch area of louisiana to go ahead and start voluntary evacuations today.

>> martha: so the national hurricane center issued the updated storm track at the top of the hour. we are watching it very closely all the way through the pachb handle. >> bill: its quickly moving storm. if there is a silver lining, it is that. we'll see if it remains the case. our coverage continues from the republican national convention. we are live from tampa with a preview of the party platform in a matter of moments live. >> this is about an opportunity to get america on track again. that is what i'm thinking about. can i win this thing? can i be successful in replacing president obama? if i can, i want to make sure to get the country back on track.

>> fox news alert. two major developing stories right now, folks. moments ago the louisiana governor declare add stated of emergency as tropical storm i day barrels to the u.s. mainland with concerns about mississippi.

voluntary evacuations are in effect for low-lying areas in those states. we are waiting for updates from the national hurricane center with warnings and watches off the gulf. there is a look at two come beating stories. isaac's approach forces the republicans to revise the convention schedule. a new hour of a special "america's newsroom," on sunday evening, like, from tampa, florida. >> good to be with you on the road. how are you, martha? first of two weeks, really exciting time here. we are watching the storm and the republican convention. next week we give the democrats from charlotte full coverage. now we are learn that isaac could possibly hit new orleans, that area, on or very close to the 29th of august, the same day, believe it or not that hurricane katrina devastated the city seven years ago.

>> unbelievable. and maria is live in the weather center with the latest. maria: we do have an update. i am awaiting the complete report from the national hurricane center on the updateed path. it will remain a tropical storm and has not strengthened into a hurricane just yet. we have an update as far as hurricane watches in the northern gulf coast. they have been upgraded, now, to a hurricane warning, for parts of the northern gulf coast. that does include areas east of morgan city, louisiana, into parts of destin, florida, with the city of new orleans under hurricane warning. you need to be preparations now for category to landfall as we head into late tuesday and early wednesday. again, you are under a hurricane warning in new orleans. and the surrounding areas into parts of the mississippi coast.

tropical storm isaac still maximum sustained winds at 60 miles per hour. the storm will intensify as we head into the next couple of days. right now you can see it is still a tropical storm over the next couple of days. now we are anticipating a weaker storm system, but, still, expecting it to be a category to storm headed into the southern mississippi area and, also, to the east of new orleans, with maximum must stain winds of 100 miles per hour. martha? maria: all right, thank you very much. well stay tuned. >> and all the other factors could result from the storm. isaac could expose another devastating effect of the drought. dry weather driving the mississippi river to new record low water levels. to see the full extent of the damage, look at satellite photos taken roughly a year apart. the mississippi delta now left helpless against intrusion of salt water that could push further up the river,

threatening new orleans' fresh water supply. maria: isaac is forcing the coast guard to halt all ship traffic moving into and out of tampa bay, right now. that order too effect two hours ago. it includes cargo and cruise vessels. the coast guard says there are no exceptions unless "there is a significant change in this storm's path or the intensity." the coast guard is also involved in securing the waters around the convention area. we have seen them up and down the river outside of the building we are watching the area bridges. they have a lot on their hands between the two events. >> now a like look at the convention center floor where the republican a party is getting final preparations done in the arena where the hockey team plays in tampa. the threat of isaac forcing the party to cram four days of convention over vents into three days including the release of the party platform.

and now live to the floor in tampa. james? >> hello, bill and martha. all kinds of wild rumors that, perhaps, the convention will be extended another day. we have not confirmed that. sources are down playing it. the latest here at fox news is that the prime time over the next three nights, tuesday, wednesday, thursday night -- in convention terms, 10:00 to 11:00 -- those are unchanged. we will have the same speakers. around those areas, however, other speakers will see their speaking times shortened and others see their slots eliminated. as you mentioned at the top of the show, hurricane isaac, rather, tropical storm isaac is playing havoc. we are seeing the florida governor, the alabama governor, and the mississippi governor, all three those governors have canceled appearances.

use noted about louisiana governor jindal he declare add "state of emergency," and it is unlikely he 8 leave his state to attend the convention here. things are up in the air with a work in progress, to be sure, for the convention. >> on this playlet -- platforms, it includes language of a kind we have never seen before, along with the changes from past years. what is the difference? >>guest: the most controversial issue, bill, was abortion. the platform for the republican party in 2012 on abortion is unchanged as it has been from the past. there is complete opposition to abortion. the document remains silent on whether there should be exceptions for cases of rape and incest and where the life of the mother is in danger. that is a split from mitt romney who does favor carving out those exceptions. however, on some of the new language it has been interesting to see the revolution, some of

the fruits of the ron paul followers, promising to lit regulations that stifle competition and resist efforts to establish multinational control over the web and another new plank emphasizes the senator -- centrallality of the platform. and they are sounding tough in language with calls for completion of a border fence, and also, the elimination of all sanctuary cities. >> on immigration, i think the bake platform is to respect the rule of law. enforce the current laws. that means to security the border and enforce the laws in the country and have a common sense approach to those people that have chosen to come here illegally and specifically those that commit crimes.

>> now, bill, one of the chief reasons you can hear this, the house band has stopped warming up, g.e. smith, from the old "saturday night live," house band and two other members of the band called the g.e. smith no button band, they are nonpartisan as they rock this place out. they were doing motown and other things. the band members played for roger waters on the tour of the "wall," and i said how do you go from roger water to the rnc and he said, without words. it is a gig. it's a big. >> thank you, james, from the arena. >> on the floor of the convention, we look ahead to see what else we can expect. bret baier is the anchor, of course, and he joins us. >> we can count on james for interesting band knowledge. that is good stuff.

>> obviously they had to consolidate the convention to get everything in. what do you hear, and what do you expect, and how does this change the dynamic? >>bret: it changes the tone. it is shortened. but logistics, it is impossible to extend it into friday. we have a shortened convention and a different tone. if you have as predicted, a hurricane strength hitting somewhere in the gulf coast, you are going to have a last people concerned about that. we her james mention the governors of mississippi and florida and alabama, and now, governor jindal saying i am not going anywhere, i am not thinking about convention or politics but the top priority and safety of our people, jindal and governor scott had speaking roles and now they will not

speak. obviously, they think, and rightfully so in the minds of many, that taking care of their state and the state of emergency is the top priority. maria: it is so striking, bret, that this storm is headed toward the new orleans area, mississippi and alabama also in that cone of uncertainty we hear so much about. we think about mitt romney, who, according to the romney camp, is putting the finishing touches on his speech, very big night for him coming. obviously, it does not escape them that the tone may have to change, god for bit we find ourselves in a dangerous and perhaps tragic situation along the coastline. >>bret: you have to factor that in. depending on how the storm goes and where it hits, how it affects those people, it will affect this convention. as you and bill have talked about, it is stunning that hurricane gustav affected minnesota in 2008 and, now, likely, hurricane isaac will

affect this. mitt romney talked about his speech, talked about this convention with chris wallace earlier today and it was interesting to hear him say what he hopes will come out of this week. basically, he has a vision for the future. we will hear a lot of specifics. also, he will introduce himself to people, perhaps who have not been paying that much attention, to politics up until now. maria: chris and i were speaking, it feels, when you look at polls, it backs up there is kind of a momentum shift in the romney campaign, a bit more confidence coming in to it and that is reflected in the swing state presidents. this moment is huge for them. this is one of the two major pivot points, this and the debates, right? >>bret: true. this is an unveiling, really, of how the next weeks on the campaign will go. we have always talked about

likability gap in polls between president obama and mitt romney. this is a chance to narrow that. on almost every poll, we see that romney and paul ryan as a ticket compete very well and sometimes lead on the issue of who is better to handle the economy. i imagine that over the next few days we will hear a lot about that, at this convention. maria: thank you, bret, we will see a lot throughout the course of the week. >> what was quite remarkable, last night at this time, isaac was moving at 20 miles per hour, which is a pretty fast moving storm for something that size, but, the latest numbers show it has slowed down to 16 miles per hour. you wonder what that does as you watch the course of this storm. this literally came up across cuba and took a left hand turn right through the florida straits. maria: very warm waters. we have covered many of these and this is a dangerous trend. >> in tampa, now, we have the three main functions: the

candidates for president and vice president are nominated; the party formulates a statement of party principles, the platform; and the rules and procedures governing party activities are adopted, especially the nomination process for presidential candidates in the next election cycle which can be critical. maria: we are like in tampa, as you know, for the republican national convention, trying to get settled in and getting ready for a big week. be sure to watch fox news tonight at 9:00 eastern with bret baier and megyn kelly. >> moments ago the national hurricane center issued warnings of hurricane for the gulf coast including louisiana. the latest on the storm's track and how the governor, bobby

jindal, is react dog -- reacting to that. maria: four years ago mike huckabee won the national caucuses and he is taking the stage again at this convention. what does he want to get across here in tampa? he will join us, like, next. >>bret: governor romney reaching out to women in 2012, a critical voting block. the republican strategy to win the support of more women in america. at usaa, we believe honor is not to build usaa bank. with our award winning apps that allow you to transfer funds,

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maria: welcome back. we are on at a different time

tonight, sunday evening in tampa waiting for dames of the revised schedule we are getting the feel for right now for the republican national convention. obviously, it has been set a little bit off course by tropical storm isaac. a live look, now, at the convention floor in dam pa. i was there today with a chance to look it over a beautiful set and format on what they will do. they are working on the same thing in charlotte. one of the scheduled speakers is my next guest we got word he will take the stage on wednesday night. governor huckabee, good to see you. >>governor huckabee: thank you. maria: this a whirlwind. everyone wondered what would happen. we are scheduled, originally, for wednesday, and that's where you will be. hung -- >>governor huckabee: originally monday. and then they moved me to wednesday. they are doing a terrific job of condensing the program and making it work and having to do

it by basically calling an audible at the line of scrimmage. right here. maria: look at the preparation and the contingencies and people think that will never happen but sometimes it does. what is your feel for what you want to talk about? what is your message going to be on wednesday night? >>governor huckabee: the original plan was monday night would be, we can do better, and talk about how america is in a position where we can do better. what you will hear me talk about on wednesday, we can do better. i believe we can. that is the whole thrust of why republicans have a great opportunity to show the contrast, without being mean, without being unkind, but bringing clarity to the stark difference between the approach of mitt romney and president obama to getting jobs, getting the debt under control, getting america back on track, getting people to where they feel positive about their future. maria: you have been down this

road and i want your feel for what you think about the romney campaign. they were criticized for at the love things, not being responsive enough, not letting him open up enough. what is your feel for where the campaign is now? did they make good choices? >>governor huckabee: it is easy to be critical of the campaigns but he won. maria: he did something right. >>governor huckabee: i am so frustrated with republicans that they second-guess every decision. it is easy to sit from the side line and say, here is how i would do that. the truth is, they have won. now they are polling ahead of president obama in national polls. people did not expect that. i say, it is a classic example, success has a thousand fathers and failure, an orphan, i am sure that mitt romney will win the presidency. it has been a brilliant campaign. maria: and what it is like to

deal with them and other campaigns in the past. there is so much discussion about the platform but you get a lot of different voices at the conventions and each party wants to convince someone they are a big tent? is it? >>governor huckabee: interesting you bring that up. i have spoken at several rnc's and never been given the liberty i have been given in developing this speech, they did not say please do not say this, i was looking for parameters, anything that make you nervous or scares you, but i may or may not have felt comfortable with it, but they said, no, we trust you. do what you feel good about. i said, you are kidding. i have never had that. ever. i am delighted. they will probably live to regret that. it is great. maria: we have video of you on the podium today, and i saw you when i was down there, it is an

exciting moment. you walk in and you get the pulse, how did it feel up there? do they do a good job? >>governor huckabee: they have done a magnificent job. the setting is very, very appealing. it is warm. it does not feel so distant. i was very impressed with how it looked from the podium but also, from up in the rafters. i think it will convey a wonderful kind of platform for mitt romney and paul ryan tobin introduced. maria: are you going to be doing any surprise guitar playing? >>governor huckabee: that is the only thing they equaled -- they requested. i will on that request. maria: and tonight governor huckabee has a special guest, governor rubio, right here on the fox news channel. >> more straight ahead as we follow the other big story of the day, the movement of isaac.

but back here in tampa, a behind the scenes look at our coverage. maria: our campaign insiders way in on the big names that are here this week. who will break away from the pack in the prime time speeches and do something memorable? we will see. okay, team! after age 40, we can start losing muscle -- 8% every 10 years. wow. wow. but you can help fight muscle loss with exercise and ensure muscle health. i've got revigor. what's revigor? it's the amino acid metabolite, hmb to help rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time.

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>> this is what we see when you are watching us live on the air. welcome to our new home in tampa bill kristol is talk with a tv

network across the country but this is where martha and i will do the bulk of our morning broadcast. player you will see "the five," at 5:00, and later, shepard smith will do fox report here. this is the main location across from the times forum. our production team that has been working for months, the planning enormous, it takes months to put this together. we have taken folks in from miami, chicago, denver, new york, and certainly washington, dc, to bring you the best courage we can. you will see a lot of this throughout the week behind the scenes here today. these monitors give us a good gauge of all the feeds that are coming in, not just from here but on the campaign trail with mitt romney and paul ryan as they move closer to tampa. you have two competing stories, the convention is about to kickoff and a hurricane that is about to do the same. >> huge salute to the folks here

who have made our welcome here. >> this is a great place. >> it is wonderful. >> they have done a great job, too. >> we are in the history museum for these areas of the broadcast. they have done a great job getting us rockin' and rolling. >> the times forum is a 9 iron for here. it could be a wedge for you. you hit longer than i do. this is our home base. to you at home stay with us throughout the week as we roll on to the convention coverage. you never quite know what will happen here. that's quite clear from the weather forecast. the party has tried to package it in a way where it is all preplanned but there are always surprises. maria: we are settled in and ready for a big week here. if you are just joining us, we will bring you the latest on tropical storm isaac. we have the national hurricane

center issuing new warnings for the gulf coast. a hurricane warning east of morgan city, louisiana, to destin, florida, in the panhandle, including new orleans , and hurricane watch also in effect for most of the panhandle in florida. a lot of concern there. the big concern is that it could slow down and gain in momentum into hurricane-force winds and head doing that area. you will be kept posted. we promise. we will continue to coverage both of the huge stories. >> they are some of the biggest names in politics and all three of them are front and center. you will see them in prime time this week. what will their appearance in tampa mean for the future standing in the party? we talk about convention kingmakers in our campaign insiders in a moment. maria: making his case to women voters governor romney hopes his record while governor of massachusetts will help win them over. ♪

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maria: mitt romney pulling out all the stops to win critical

support from a voting block he needs. that, of course, is women. he is touting his experience as a massachusetts governor saying he is the one who can help women be successful, he believes, this business. listen to this. >> by the way, just a word to the women entrepreneurs out there: if we become president and vice president, we want to speak to you the we want to help you. women in this country are more likely to start businesses than men. women need our help. maria: and associate editor of "the hill," welcome to tampa. so, it is interesting, because the polls have tightened a bit. romney was way down with women and we have brand new fox numbers to look at as we start this conversation, showing that the split between president obama and mitt romney is about 48-42 in terms of women saying who they will go with. how is it going? >>guest: mitt romney has to work hard.

he can improve with this group and he must. the race is tied and on the margin. president obama, the democrats, too, will work hard to work on those who are undecided on the women's issues. but if you look at the polling on women who are undecided in the swing states, there is something on public opinion strategy, a walmart mom who shops at walmart once a month, 15 percent of the population, kids at home 18 or younger and they do not like either candidate. they are disappointed in the race and they are waiting for a discussion in the debate and they want to know more about mitt romney's family and about him, personally, because they feel they do not connect. that is a huge opening. it it will not be a discussion of health care or contraception. for them, the number one issue is the economy, they could be stay-at-home moms and may not be an entrepreneur but they want to hear ray bout himself and the

family. that is an opportunity at the convention and beyond. maria: this fascinating me. as an observer and as a woman, as well, because the obama and biden camp is going for the, "they will de-fund planned parenthood," assuring women their benefits will not be taken away from them under biden and president obama. and mitt romney and ryan are going the economy work, saying we will work with the economy that benefits you. that would speak to the undecided voter. >>guest: a lot of undecideed swing voters, the 6 percent of the population that can be convinced, they are swing voters, many of them women, and are worried about the economy. the likability and trust factor, really, is looming, for mitt romney. he has to use the remaining 72 days to really make a case to them that he -- he has to show

he understands who they are and how they live. that is a combination of discussing policy, and, really, at a personal level, who he is, and why he is a leader. that is an opening for him as the attacks on other things including contraception, et cetera, continue. maria: what we will see from the romney camp as they try to prevent themselves is the economy on the one hand, and they have ann romney who will try to answer the question you just raised about mitt romney as a man. >>guest: she is the best surrogate. they have to use her. maria: what should we expect from her? we have heard a little bit about what she hopes to convey with him. >>guest: they have opened up. chris wallace was flipping pancakes was them and they want to show what they are like as a family. they talk about their marriage, it is enduring, they are best friends and she has been through many health challenges, they

have an enormous family they are very close to. she, really, is the best person to sell mitt romney. now really to talk about women's issues, per se, but to say, this is a men would backs me up and who i can trust. we are partners, and he is the best grandfather, best father, this is how he is with his neighbors and friends, and share stories. that is going to be more compelling than the campaign realized early on. maria: it is fascinating because women will be choosing between whether or not the typical women's issues are what they are concerned about or whether they are concerned about their role, like anyone else, in the economy and answering the questions. we see. thank you so much. always good to see you. >> governor romney and congressman ryan will be the center of attention in tampa but conventions also senator as a spring board for rising political stars. who could see a boost to their standing in the party? we will get to our campaign

insiders, pat caddell is a former pollster for president jimmy carter, and doug schoen is firm pollster for bill clinton, and former republican congressman john budget -- leboutillier, of new york, is us with. i have a list of names i will run by you that americans will see in prime time. marco rubio, senator from florida. chris christie, governor of new jersey, and of course, paul ryan, the republican from wisconsin. pat, the idea of the segment was to figure out who will emerge as a potential leader down the road but not one of you agrees with anyone on this list. all three you believe this is mitt romney's convention, and he needs to define it on his terms. pat, what does he take out of the convention? what is his objective? >>pat: if we remember someone from the convention, that means romney has lost because that is the only speech who get as boost the next election, if someone

wins everyone forgets. he has to move this to a state of urgency, he has to offer a vision, and he has to serve the doubts people have which is in his grasp. if he can do that at this convention, he can leave here the favorite. if he fails, he will be behind the eight ball. >> you say it is make-or-break. >>pat: make-or-break time. this is it. they have not, two months ago, they did not, in the spring, do what they needed to do which was to establish and define romney. they need to do it now because obama has been doing it. >> doug, what do you think of it? is it make or break? >>doug: i think, yes. bottom line, he has to give people a reason to vote for him. what he has concluded is that it is not enough to just attack president obama. yes, bill, there is a lot of doubt about the president's handling of the economy and a sense we are headed in the wrong

direction and we are adrift but no one, really, has a clear sense as to what the romney alternative is. and that means his 59-point plan not excepting. >> now, to the former congressman what about the vision? >> the vision, and it fits romney, he has been a problem solver for his professional life. a good person. not a great political candidate but by all intents he is a good person who needs to show himself through this convention as someone who will go to washington as president. we suggest he say that he will work for a dollar a year. that he is not in it to feather his own nest, obviously, but in it to solve the nation's problems and as part of the problem he ought to tell the

truth to everyone in the building and on tv that the mess in washington, dc, has been created, in part, by both parties. we are . >> you would imagine that is part of the reason he chose paul ryan? >> paul ryan goes to the heart of the federal budget mess. that's his strength. we still don't know totally whether that will turn out well. whether, in debating medicare, whether that is something we can win on, but we now are doing it. he has to sell that, too, on thursday night, that it all is part of a package. we fix the federal budget, fix the debt problem, and that will fix our economy and grow new jobs in our country. i have 45 seconds which means 15 seconds for each of you. pat, what you wrote do today is to control the definition of the election. how do you define that? >>pat: right now, the question is, whether, the obama campaign

wants do make it a close and romney is unacceptable. romney campaign wants do make it a referendum but there is a bigger definition, which hurts obama and helps romney, which is what john was saying, if there is urgency in this campaign, the country faces crisis. winter is, coulding and i'm a problem solver. here is the vision to grow the country and the economy. then they can control it. they can take charge. >> doug, how would you control the definition? >>doug: grow the economy, create jobs, reduce regulation, take the country in a different direction from president obama with clear specifics, as well as a vision of the kind of country we are. we are exceptional. we are unique. how do we get back do that? >> do you want to add do that? >>john: in watching the governor on fox news sunday, he is attractive and give as great

interview, but i would urge that he channel the worry, the angst, the fear that is south in this country about where this country is going. he needs to stop being quite so calm. he is the only one who has a chance to change the direction of the country. everything is on him. he needs on thursday night, to look at the american people and say, i hear you, i'm going to lead you, we are going do change the country for the better. >> thank you, gentleman. more from the campaign insiders each monday at 10:30 a.m., eastern time at www.live.fox www.live.foxnews.com. martha? maria: so, sunshine state is going to feel isaac's wrath as the tropical storm packs a one-two punch with heavy wind and rain out there. this is brand new video from

southern florida with the wind picking up and the surf kicking in. this only the beginning of the storm moving into the gulf. we of closely. all the updates and the convention news ahead. ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] a simple gesture speaks to respect... and respect speaks for itself. introducig the new jeep altitude editions. style looks better with substance. gives you a 50% annual bonus. and everyone, but her... likes 50% more cash. but, i have an idea. do you want a princess dress? yes how about some cupcakes? yes lollipop? yes! do you want an etch a sketch? yes! do you want 50% more cash? no

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you'll be dancing too! let the good hands people give you great protection and a great rate. call your local allstate agent now for a fe quote or find one at 888-allstate. that's 888-allstate. maria: we are live --. >> we are like here in denver -- oops, we are live here in tampa. we have watched this unfold and we are starting to get settled and get ready for everything that is coming but the biggest story we have been watching throughout this whole thing is medicare. you guys have written about this quite a bit. you feel that they, really, have brought in a counter punch after bringing paul ryan on and knowing they would take a lot of heat for bringing on the guy who according to the other side really wanted to take a bite out

of medicare. >> the romney campaign anticipated correctly attacks on medicare, republican plans for medicare, the ryan plan specifically, no matter what so they decided to take ownership of the issue, go on offense, and it appears, and this is just a snapshot, but as of today to be working. in two swing state polls, one in florida and one in ohio, romney is leading outside the margin of error on, how would this candidate deal with medicare? from the perspective of older voters they trust romney more. it is amazing, actually. >> it is. there was, really, glee, expressed by the democrats when paul ryan became the nominee, that this is a slam dunk because this is the guy who would take away seniors' medicare according to them and it is fascinating to watch how they have rebutted that at least at this point.

you have florida and ohio, where seniors or are on board and president obama is focusing, really, on students and on education, perhaps he is avoiding this topic? >> for now. the obama campaign is turning the emphasis from seniors who, again, are the most reliable demographic we have. seniors vote. to younger voters who are the least reliable. even last presidential cycle when they voted in unprecedented numbers they did not vote which much. if the obama campaign is pinning votes on voters under 30, that is a tough place to be in if that is their plan. >> you take a look at seniors and, obviously, the medicare issue is very important, and florida is a swing state, ohio is a swing state. there is no daughter that the obama campaign will not lie down and take this. they will fight back. what do you think their most

likely -- when they get off the ground and realize what has happened which, i think, has been effective counter punch, what do you expect if them in charlotte? >>guest: it is the cat food defense. vote for my office point -- vote for my opponent and your grandmother will be eating cat food. they will take away the safety net and doom our seniors to poverty. the same attack you see in the late stages of every campaign. it works. that is why they bring it out. >> what is the one thing that romney has to do here? >> well, he has gotten republicans behind him. it is, really, a matter of explaining how his vision comports with paul ryan's record. we know a lot about ryan's economic views but less about romney. does romney buy into those? what is their plan for bringing down the debt? >> tucker, great to see you. we will be right back more, live

in tampa. there are patients who will question, why does my mouth feel dryer than i remember it to be? there are more people taking more medication, so we see people suffering from dry mouth more so. we may see more cavities, bad breath, oral irritation. a dry mouth sufferer doesn't have to suffer. i would recommend biotene. the enzymes in biotene products help supplement enzymes that are naturally in saliva. biotene helps moisten those areas that have become dry. those that are suffering can certainly benefit from biotene.

>> this is an update from louisiana, now under a state of emergency at gulf coast states brace for what could be a powerful category two storm later this week. it is far from that at the moment. winds at only 60 miles per hour. expected to strengthen as also storm moves through the gulf coast waters. this is republicans rushing to restructure their convention in dam pa. day one now moves to tuesday which was to be considered day two. meteorologist is like in the weather center, tracking all of this. maria: good to see you. we did get a brand new update from the national hurricane

center. at 5:00 p.m., they had a lost information and updates regarding tropical storm isaac. a big update is that the hurricane watch was upgraded to a hurricane warning across the city of new orleans and southern mississippi and southern alabama and western parts of the florida panhandle. in the next 24 to 36 hours you could feel tropical storm force winds so you need to make preparations now for a possible category two hurricane making landfall headed into tuesday and wednesday of next week. right now, isaac still has maximum sustained wind of 60 miles per hour, and the center of it is about 40 miles to the southwest of key west and moving to the west at 16 miles per hour. the updated track is that isaac is forecast to remain a tropical storm for a little bit longer than originally anticipated and not became a hurricane until tuesday, at 1:00 o'clock a.m., with maximum sustained wind of 80 miles per hour.

very warm water in the gulf of mexico, temperatures well into the 80's out here, so, that will provide the fuel for isaac to intensify and forecast to slow down the next couple of days abouting it to strengthen into a category two hurricane before landfall and now forecast across southern parts of mississippi but we can still see changes out here, bill, so we need to watch this closely. >> we do, and things can change. we will be in constant contact with you from the weather center. martha? >>martha: fox is america's election headquarters. stay us with as the republican national convention kicks off in tampa, florida, with agoers revising the schedule as it leads up to the big night for governor romney as he is nominated not presidency, all like, from tampa, right here on fox news channel. >> we will be live tomorrow morning, at 9:00, and when the convention is rolling we will be on the floor of the convention to bring you the hoopla.

>>martha: the fun and buzz. >> the delegates are psyched and fired up. they live for this stuff. we will bring that to you through the week. >>martha: have a great night. we will see you tomorrow morning as the newsroom kicks off tomorrow, live from tampa. flu protection with a 90% smaller needle.

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