♪ ♪ >> i can't tell you what will happen over the next four years. but i can only stand here as a wife, mother and grandmother and american and make this solemn commitment. this man will not fail! [applause] bill: it was her national debut. that was the line of the night, ann romney bringing down the house in tampa. for delegates this speech was pitch perfect.

then a surprise appearance by her husband with a heartfelt kiss. she talked about the challenges they faced as a couple, as a family, and the challenges facing america. more on what she said and what's expected later tonight when paul ryan makes his own national debut. first, a fox news alert. fresh threats with the gulf coast exactly 7 years to the day hurricane katrina slammed ashore, a new hurricane causing chaos. this storm is a monster and it parked itself over new orleans. martha: good morning everybody. we have a lot to talk about. the national hurricane center warning that a dangerous storm surge and heavy rain, 20 inches they are talking about could be dumped on the new orleans and north area. that's expected to continue

today and into tonight and mississippi as well. bill: jonathan serrie live in new orleans. what is it like where you are right now? >> we are experiencing heavy rains and a torrential downpour. this is the convention center. you may recall during katrina it was a refuge of last resort for people from the rising waters. but they are using it as a staging area for the national guard which has a huge presence. 4,000 national guard are on standby. 8,000 being called in in the aftermath of this storm to help with communications, engineering and possibly medical operations. bill, back to you. bill: i want to hang with you

for a moment. this storm made landfall last night at 5:00 p.m. it's 9:00 in the morning the next day. how are the levees holding up and what has your night been like there? >> reporter: it has been have much like what you see. we have seen very little change. this is such a slow-moving storm that it just continues to batter the louisiana coast. here in new orleans the levees are holding up very well. they underwent a renovation of $14 billion in the wake of katrina. but it's a different story in the low-lying areas. plaquemines parish, there is a local levee only 8 feet high. that storm surge is so strong that water has started overlapping that levee. there were some diehard

residents there, even though it was a planned tory evacuation area who didn't want to leave their homes. they thought it's just a category one hurricane, it's not a big deal. but because the storm is staying over us so long, so much water coming up on that levee they are starting to see flooding along the east bank of plaquemines parish. the local authorities have been going door to door telling residents who have not previously heeded the evacuation that now is the time to get out. bill: plaquemines parish does not have a large pop nation that part of louisiana. that is clear. when a levee is topped that means the water is higher than the levee itself. fit many breached that's an entirely different matter. at this point we cannot confirm the latter is true. let's hope it is not. how many hours when this storm

is stationariy at the moment, it's literally not moving. how many hours of this are you in for? >> reporter: it totally depends whether it picks up speed, whether it stalls or continues moving at a steady pace. but it appears we'll be putting up with this for most of the rest of this day, bill. bill: that is remarkable. jonathan, stay safe. we have watched you for hours ride this thing out. it's a remarkable thing to see that pounding. be well. some 41 parishes as they are known have issued emergency declarations. 7 have mandatory evacuations for areas in their jurisdictions. the louisiana national guard deployed boats and communications teams.

some areas already under water. people are watching and waiting and hoping the levees that have been reinforced in many places in southern louisiana will do their job. >> we can only take 6 feet of tidal surge. and in the west it may be 9-12 feet and that's a lot more than we can take. >> some rain and wind, it will be all right. the levees will take care of us. >> a lot of people have left. i would say 80% of the people are gone it's like a west town. martha: forecasters warn this storm could dump up to 20 inches of rain because it's slow and sitting on top of these areas. we'll have it all covered for you on "america's newsroom." coming up this hour we'll get a live update from the national hurricane center about isaac's track now and how much damage

this storm could cause as it moves further inland. that's what we are watching closely as well. we want to move our attention to the reason we are here in tampa and that is the heart and the center of the political tory happening right now in election 2012. last night they got off to a rousing start at the republican convention from boldfaced names to republican stars perhaps in the making. watch. >> we begin tonight with a fundamental question, can we do better? the answer in my view is obvious, you bet we can. >> mr. president, i'm here to tell you the american people are awake and we are not buying what you are selling in 2012. [cheers and applause] >> we have got to leave here and march and get to everybody to make sure mitt romney and paul

ryan are president and vice president of the united states. >> a vote for mitt romney and paul ryan will put our country back in the hands of leaders who understand what america can and for the sake of our children must be to keep the dream alive. >> this is our country. this is our future. these are our children and grandchildren. you can trust mitt. [applause] >> it is time to end this era of absentee leadership in the oval office and send real leaders back to the white house. america needs mitt romney and paul ryan and we need them right now. martha: that's a taste of what we saw on the floor of the republican national convention. a solid lineup to start things off. some names we have known for a

long time and new faces that are rising stars. national correspondent john roberts is outside at the convention center. >> reporter: there is a theme for every day at this convention. today it's "we can change it." but what the romney campaign needs to change is perceptions of their candidate among women. he's down 10 points among women. ann romney saying to the women of america, we feel your pain. >> i'm not sure if men really understand this. but i don't think there is a woman in america who expects her life to be easy. in our own ways we all know better. okay, fine, we don't want easy. but the last few years have been harder than they need to be. >> reporter: ann romney tried to close the gap between where they are now in the economic strata and when they started off in life. when necessity started off their

kitchen table was their ironing board. martha: she was talking about tuna fish and the early days for the romney family and how her husband did build his own success in her mind. so now mitt romney will step up to the table tomorrow night. he still has ground to close when it comes to the woman's vote. what are they doing to try to close that gap? >> reporter: there is no question mitt romney does not connect with women the same way barack obama does. but the same women are upset with how the economy has been the last four years. the romney campaign believes there is an. >>ing there and ann romney tried to drive her husband through that opening last night. >> let me say this to every american who is thinking about who should be our next president. no one will work harder, no one will care more and more one will move heaven and earth better

than mitt romney to make this country a better place to live. [cheers and applause] >> reporter: the reaction from the obama campaign to all of this, robert tbibs said it was a very angry convention. but you talk to women across the country and they are upset with the way things have been going with the economy the last four days. martha: we are going to hear a lot more about ann romney's speech. bill: how did she do? did she help sway any voters on her husband's side? we'll talk to ed rollins, veteran of so many successful campaigns for the white house. we'll get his reaction. some of the biggest applause words for for scott walker, the republican wisconsin governor who became a national figure

with his battle with the unions in his home state. >> with the announcement of paul ryan as his running-mate, governor romney not only showed he has the experience and skill to become president, he showed he has the courage and the passion to be an exceptional president. [applause] bill: before the governor was announced, the badger state delegate count and getting what hero's welcome, governor walker, a hero to so many republicans in his fight against unions. in his first month in office he introduced a bill to limit collective bargaining. there was a recall effort that made national news. he won that recall vote being one of only three governors in u.s. history to face a recall and survive that vote.

martha: very good guest coming up to analyze everything we saw last night and what's coming up tonight as well. we'll talk to haley barber and ask him about the hurricane. karl rove is here as well. former campaign manager for howard dean joe trippi is here. brit hume will be with us. republican congressman randy forbes is here as well. a lot of people to talk to. bill: hundreds of thousands without power as we speak. isaac slamming into the gulf coast. forecasters warning this storm will be a storm well into the night tonight for these people. martha: new jersey governor chris christie delivered a firey keynote speech. we'll talk to haley barbour.

what's the future for chris christie, coming up. >> i believe in america and her history. there is only one thing missing now. it takes leadership. it takes leadership you don't get from a poll. real leaders don't follow polls, real leaders change polls. [applause] [ angela ] endless shrimp is our most popular promotion at d lobster.

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martha: history in the making at the republican national convention. governor mitt romney officially became the party's nominee for

president on the convention floor on the first full day of business it was new jersey the state that put the governor over the top. it happened at 5:40 eastern yesterday. here is that big moment. watch. >> madame secretary, the garden state, the proud home of tonight's keynote address given by governor chris christie -- proudly cast all 50 of its votes for the next president of the united states, governor mitt romney. [cheers and applause] >> new jersey 50, romney. [cheers and applause] martha: that was todd christy, by the way. that's the governor's brother. he had the honor of putting mitt romney over the top. paul ryan was the pick for strp nominating the vice president by acclamation.

the delegates were quite excited about what was going on on the floor. bill: she has been called governor mitt romney's secret weapon. last night ann romney spoke of their love story and specifically reaching out to women voters and mothers in america trying to keep their head above water in this economy. >> the last few years have been harder than they need to be. the price at the pump, the grocery bills, all those things, the school sports that are just one more bill to pay. the good jobs, the chance at college. the new home you want to buy. everything has become harder. we are too smart to know there aren't easy answers, but we are not actual enough to think there aren't better answers. [cheers and applause] bill: how did she do?

ed rollins, good morning to you back in new york. how are you? how tid she do? >> she was superb. she had high expectations going in and she exceeded them. at the end of her speech i was reminded -- i ran jack kemp's campaign against president bush. i walked away saying if ann romney -- if mitt is good enough for ann romney, he is good enough for the rest of us. she had the passion and charisma that made him looked at i think in a different way and to a certain extent people will talk about her speech way beyond this convention. no matter how great his speech is thursday night, how great paul ryan is and the rest of them are. her speech will be one of the highlights. people will look at this speech

and think of him as a different man as a father, grandfather and speech. bill: you arspeech. >> whether i crown her or not she'll be the buzz. the majority of americans didn't know who she was. she is an attractive woman and she basically gave -- she is not a professional speecher. she gave a speech that articulated hot man was. at the end of the day he's going to be a good president because she knows him best of anybody and knows he always has risen to the occasion. bill: she did not mention president obama by name. chris christie did not mention him by name either. just said the president one

time. but she said she with a real marriage. mitt doesn't like to talk about how he helps others. he considered it a privilege. >> you couldn't frame any better than she did. she was understated talking about the millions of dollars given to schairt. you don't see romney buildings as you often see with charitable contributions. she told you a lot about how they came from nowhere and basically that extraordinary life together, whether they end up in the white house is not the issue. they have had an extraordinary life together. she has seen this man rise up and be a great leader in everything he has undertaken and her comments at the end, give us the job, he will get the job done, that's a great way to do it. not hitting on obama was a perfect way to go. she was a lady. she articulated very well a certain strength.

she didn't need to beat up on obama. we all know the obama record and don't need to have it reinforced. bill: some are calling that the high road this morning. martha: if you don't know mia love's name now, you will. america's newsroom live in tampa. bill and i will be right back. this country was built by working people. the economy needs manufacturing. mhines, tools, people making stuff. companies have to invest in making things. infrastructure, construction, production. we need it now more than ever.

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bill: about 25 minutes past the hour. i want to introduce you to a woman you perhaps have never heard of before until now. perhaps a rising star. her name is mia love, she is a

first generation haitian, she is a mayor in utah. a mormon convert. >> president obama's america is a divided one. his policies have failed us. we are not better off than we were four years ago and no rhetoric, bumper circumstance or hollywood campaign ad can change that. [cheers and applause] bill: she was a big hit inside that form. love would become the first black republican woman in congress if she defeats jim matheson in the election come november. martha: hurricane isaac sweeps through the gulf coast. we have gotten word that it

overtopped a levee in new orleans. cutting power to millions of homes there. they are still feeling some of the remnants of hurricane isaac in some areas along the coast. i'm pleased to be joined by haley barbour, the former governor of mississippi, the former rnc chair. he used to be in charge of this event. talk to me about the people at home in mississippi. how are they doing and when do they expect the worst of it? >> even thought it's a large and well-covered storm, it's not a very strong storm. the storm surge in mississippi has not been great. the winds have not been too bad. a lot of people worry the biggest economic damage may be to the crops.

we have a huge storm being dropped on the field, if you have 20 inches of rain to that it will do billions of dollars worth of damage. martha: our thoughts are with all your folks in mississippi and we'll be thinking about that. i want to play a little bit of chris christie and we'll get your thoughts on that. >> america needs mitt romney and paul ryan and we need them right now. [cheers and applause] we got to tell each other the truth, right? there is doubt and fear for our future in every corner of our country. i traveled all over the country and i have seen this myself. these feelings are real. this moment is real. it's a moment like this where some skeptics wonder if american

great northeast is over. i believe in america and her history. and there is only one thing missing now. leadership. it takes leadership you don't get from reading a poll. mr. president, real leaders don't follow polls, real leaders change polls. martha: that was one of the big lines last night. real leaders change polls. mixed reviews on how he did. how do you think he did. >> i thought he was a big part of the message. i thought he was super and ann romney was super. instead of goring barack obama, he straight talked, trusted the american people to tell the truth and that's the kind of campaign we are going to run and it's going to be a campaign elevated to the problems we face and up to the standards the american people deserve. martha: you have been instrumental in so many political careers. when you look at chris christie

and think about the pressure that was put on him at one point in this race to be the man and take on this nomination, he turned that down, what does that mean for him politically in the future, does it feel like that star for him has changed at all? >> i think his star gets bigger and bigger. he's up for reelection. it's not an easy state. by he looks very strong and i think he will be reelected. he made the decision he wasn't ready to run for president. a lot of guys don't have the courage to tell the truth about that. they can't resist the temptation. but i think he's a real start in our party for a reason. he has taken a state with a democratic legislature and gotten thing done. we pray for a president who will do that. barack obama whines and moans about the republicans in the house. when ronald reagan was president he didn't whine about the democrats in the house. he got the job done.

so did bill clinton. all the things reagan did, we need a president who will do it. christy said in the last little piece, we need a president who will lead. martha: it's always a pleasure to talk to you. bill: we'll take a close look at this storm, too, hitting in the gulf coast as well. during the prime time hour the speakers stayed away from the personal hits, the personal attacks. will democrats do the same when they hold their con string next week in charlotte? the next democrat revealing one of his biggest regrets in life. have you heard? >> this time instead of moving oceans and healing planets, let's pay our bills down and pay down the debt so we control our own future.

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chris christie were out there hitting the high road and talking about their vision for america and not personal attacks against president obama. his name wants even mentioned. will the same thing happen next week in charlotte? karl rove and joe trippi, both are fox news contributors. what is your take on that? >> they would be smart to avoid a lot of personal attacks on romney next week at the event. but we'll see pretty quickly here. martha: when you take a look at last night. one of the things that struck me, there was a moment in this political process where there seemed like there wasn't a good nominee for this republican party. last night we saw scott walker and nicky haily and mia love, and it started to teal like there is a deep bench.

>> the deep bench what is apparent last night. nicky haliy. and people expected good things out of her. artur davis was another surprise. chris christie, a good surprise. bill: talk about the negativity that was absent last night. whether that's followed up last week. >> it's probably going to be followed up with negativity at the democratic convention, i think. the parties have two different things they have to do. the republican party convention i think is about framing mitt romney and really introducing. i think ann romney did a great job of doing that. he hasn't had a clear area to do that because of the primary season and some of the thing that happened over the summer. but last night -- if they come out of this convention really positioning mitt romney, that's

better for the republicans. the democratic side, i think this is still about a chance -- we are fighting over the definition of mitt romney. this party able to do that and send him off? can the democratic party define him. keep defining the way they have, bain, not doing your tax returns. i think today and the rest of this week and the democratic convention could decide something. these conventions could matter because it is who defines mitt romney. martha: when you look at the definition we were presented with of mitt romney. he came across as a greenup, as the dad, the ceo, the task-oriented guy, ann romney said it's a strong moment, this man will not fail. what we are getting is this package that says, no, he's not chris christie, he's not going to knock our socks off with his

one-liners but perhaps this is the man for the times. >> joe hit on an important point. this is a critical time, three to four weeks in the runup to the conventions where people's attitudes about mitt romney, particularly the attitudes of situation persuadable voters will not be set in concrete but will take up a firmness and solidity they hadn't had before. ann romney was nervous at the beginning. even the nervousness gave it an authenticity. this was a woman talking about her husband in a deeply personal way, and about their marriage in a powerful way. when she said the chapters of that storybook marriage don't have five boys screaming on a rainy day or m.s. or breast cancer. >> it is about reaching the

undecideds out there, not in the hall. i think christy has been a disappointment he didn't go after obama enough. that's what paul wanted to hear. but what he did was talk to the undecideds out there. if he had poundinged on obama in that way i think it would have turned those people off. bill: robert gibbs called this a very angry convention. he called it a strange night. >> he wrote that line last week at a meeting they had. i hate to agree with joe. but joe is absolutely right. christy made that speech for the people who were watching. the people in the audience wanted him to treat it like a town hall meeting in new jersey. but he hit that perfectly. then of course he did have to to stand up. and at the end he got them to stand up. i think he was absolutely

focused on the people watching sitting there saying i'm watching this thing because i heard about him and i'm trying to figure out what this was all about. martha: it played better at home. >> there was. >> negativity about it was delivered in artur davis' speech was powerful. he said in he sense, i was with obama four years ago. for those of you watching, here were our expectations and here is what he has done. he talked about attacking success and boosting the occupiers and so forth. it was -- it didn't come across as mean spirited or vicious. but it came across as a strong contrast. he was one of the two surprises of the evening. >> one thing is people expect too much out of one speech. it's not going to be ann hominy's speech or chris christie's speech. do they build on this, can

romney continue to build on it? do they come out of the convention and define mitt romney in a better way? >> you are interested in the arc of the narrative. you want these things fitting together like a gigantic lego puzzle that moves you along in the direction you want to go. i have to take my hat off to the crowd putting this together because they were paying a lot of attention to it. bill: you make a great point. martha and and i talked about it late into the night. walks into a bar in a hotel and sits down. two anchors sitting there. bill: when you are in the hall it's one thing. when you see it on a tv monitor later it can take on a whole new dimension. we'll bring you back tomorrow if you are willing. we have a jam-packed show for you including former minnesota

governor tim pawlenty and former candidate for president michele bachmann. all that is coming up tomorrow. martha: we are going to talk to brit hume about why he thinks the speech was the best ever from a candidate's spouse. bill: tonight belongs to this man. say hello to the vice presidential nominee. >> we are finally having that adult conversation we need to have in this country if we want to fix america's problems and get people back to work. ely. but because of business people like you, things are beginning to get rolling.

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martha: four years ago ex-democrat and congressman artur davis played a key role in the democrats' convention but last night he was on the stage at the republican convention. here is what he had to say. >> this time in the name of 23 million of our children and parents and brothers and sisters who are officially unemployed, underemployed or who have stopped looking for work, let's put the poetry aside. let's suspend the hype. let's come down to earth and start creating jobs again.

[cheers and applause] martha: that got a huge response on the floor of the convention. he changed his party affiliation to republican after failing to win the party nomination for alabama governor in 2010. >> if you want to understand me. it's this. i'm not trying to be anybody other than who i am. i'm proud of my record in congress and proud of the principles that built this country. what i want to do is make sure we reapply the principles so we can revive the american dream and get people back on the road of opportunity. bill: that is paul ryan introduction himself to america on his biggest stage in his young political life. wisconsin senator ron johnson is with me. tell me about your relationship with paul ryan. you met him when? >> before i got elected.

that was a great quote you picked or your producers picks that describes paul ryan. bill: if you want to understand me, i'm not trying to be anybody other than who i am. >> paul is a great family man with three wonderful kids, a wonderful wife. on a personal basis he puts his faith in family first. from a governing perspective he will put america first. both governor romney and paul ryan, they aren't running for president and vice president because they want the title and want the position. they are highly concerned about this country. they understand the peril we are in from a financial standpoint. they want to fix the problem. they want to provide the leadership we have been looking certainly since i got in the u.s. senate. there has been no leadership out of this white house. bill: paul ryan told bret to be good at the job much leadership

in congress you have to be willing to lose the job. i imagine that is something he will say again tonight. >> this is not about reelection. this is about saving this country. paul brings to the table completely complementary skill sets to what governor romney brings to the table. he brings the business background, understands the business sector and respects it. he understands exactly how difficult our fiscal situation is. he will be able to help governor romney and hopefully president romney craft legislation. he has strong relationships on both sides of the aisle. his medicare reform proposal is a bipartisan bill. it proves that paul can reach across the aisle. we also know governor romney can as well. you have to get things passed. bill: romney and ryan as a ticket, they like the nitty-gritty and they like to

learn. before you decided to run for the senate in wisconsin, which was a stunning upset of the long-time senator russ feingold and you beat them. but before you made your decision to run for office you met with paul ryan. >> paul has always been very gaition with his time. we fly frequently on the same flight back and forth from washington, d.c. paul and i always seem to switch our seats so we sit next to each other and talk about the budget. prior to paul presenting his first budget in 2010 as budget chair. people were concerned, why would you put welfare reform in a non-binding budget resolution? paul was resolute. he never wavered. he said we need to be serious about fixing these problems. we have to be willing to be held accountable. bill: the phrase he uses is america is ready for an adult

conversation. >> and to be told the truth. >> and nobody better to analyze the situation and detail the truth to the american people. put forth a solution where you are willing to be held accountable. bill: what do you think merit thinks about that? >> i think he agrees. bill: giuliani is hanging in the wings. senator, thank you for your time. paul ryan on stage tonight in prime time. martha: that's a power-packed backdrop. the four words that have gotten so much attention "you didn't build that." they became the theme of last night's convention. now that message is front and center in a different way. what party members are saying about the "we built it" comment. >> we need a president who will say to us all, congratulations, we applaud your success. you did make that happen, you did build that in america.

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bill: her husband is vying for the white house on the republican ticket. but earlier today ann romney and jenna ryan attending a breakfast. tonight paul ryan will take center stage before the nation. martha: our big, big story is hurricane isaac. we got word in the last hour it

is producing a very dangerous storm. a lot of water being carried by this hurricane into the gulf coast area. significantly increasing the threat we may see some torrential flooding as well. dr. rick knabb is the director of the hurricane center. what can you tell us. >> we have a slow-moving hurricane maximum winds of 75 miles an hour. category one-strength winds and the gusts we are getting even in places with tropical storm be digs are bad enough. power outages possible. but the large size and the slow forward motion of this hurricane are making for very significant storm surge. the numbers should be attention getting. 6-12 feet above ground level. we are seeing those occurring in southeastern louisiana. the rainfall totals adding up in places where the storm is arguably only half over if that.

over 9 inches in new orleans, and when it's always said and done some isolated spots could see 20 inches of rainfall. the rain isn't the problem by itself, it's the flooding that it produces, both flash flooding and river flooding down the road. martha: the conditions look like it will be allowed to sit over his area for some time. it doesn't look like there is anything forcing it up and over land anytime soon. >> it will take into tomorrow night and early friday morning for the center of circulation to leave the state of louisiana and head into arkansas and even as the center passes by any locations we have the southern half of the southeastern half of it to go. for example, new orleans might be approaching the halfway point. all day today, tonight and into tomorrow, i urge folks to stay indoors, off the roads, out of flood-prone areas as this

approaches. if you go outdoors and get on the roads, that's how you can get yourself in trouble with flooding. and the strong winds. not a great day to be outside. martha: everybody was urged to have a couple days' supplies. hopefully they did that. bill: ann romney on a mission to help her husband change the course and direction of america. her mission for women, for mothers listening to her words. was this the most effective speech of this convention already? some are arguing that. have a listen for yourself. >> it's the moms who always had to work harder to make everything right. it's the moms, single, married, widowed who hold this country together. we are thes mothers, we are the wives. [ male announcer ] bit needy, g. ok don't sweat it. just do your thing. hey! hey!

[ male announcer ] definitely a little bit epic. stride.

martha: starting off with fox news alert. hurricane isaac pounding the gulf coast right now making a second landfall over louisiana. powerful winds, rain, over topping a levee southeast of new orleans, a big concern of course. half a million homes without power. a rescue effort is said to be underway for some people in the plaquemines parish who are trapped in their homes. much more coverage coming up on that. another huge story today the g.o.p. bringing some heat to tampa last night.

as the republican roar gotten to a full swing the big speeches last evening came from mrs. romney. new jersey governor chris christie and a host of other up and commerce who are gerting a lot of attention this morning for their big speeches yesterday as well. the g.o.p. hopes they have lit a fire that they can continue to build momentum on from here as they head into tonight . paul ryan of course is the big headliner this evening. that's how we get started with a brand-new hour of "america's newsroom." good morning, once again, everybody, i'm martha maccallum. bill: i'm bill hemmer. welcome become to tampa. what are you looking at, what are the headlines. martha: ann romney took the stage in a big way. there she is in her red dress. she was focused, she brought it home. every analyst we talked to said she had to make the case that her husband is a warm man, a family man. bill: tampa bay times local paper, isaac's deja vu, one of

the major stories we are watching this hour. it's still dangerous, a category one. here is the headline politically "get to know him." and speaking of last night chris christie was the headliner. we have a sample from last evening. check it out. >> under president obama the dream of freedom and opportunity has become a nightmare of dependency, with almost half of america receiving some sort of government assistance. >> president obama has never even run a lemonade stand. [cheers and applause] >> and you know what? it shows. >> we are going broke. but i'm here today with a word of encouragement. millions of americans are standing up saying, we want our country back.

[cheers and applause] >> we deserve a president who won't sacrifice american did spe

talking about his upbringing and his parents, and the lessons learned at his mother's knee. he got to the meat of the matter how i thinks it is imperative there is a change at the white house. >> we he ended a era with absentee leadership without purpose in new jersey. i'm here to tell you tonight it is time to end this absentee leader and we need mitt romney and paul ryan right now. >> he is a known quantity, but about 40% of americans don't know enough about him to say that they approve of him or disapprove of him. it was an introductory speech somewhat last notice for chris christie. martha: what about ann romney's speech? that got a lot of attention, a really warm reception on the

floor last night. politically how important was her speech. >> this is the speech the campaign wanted in prime-time. when it didn't look like it was going to get prime-time coverage. she was talking towards women, specifically towards moms much of the time about their role and the importance of their role and her relationship, her life-long relationship with mitt romney, including their sort of salad days in their early married days. according to my count 18 different women played prominent rolls including ann romney at yesterday's events at the rnc alone. it gives you the idea of the focus of that day and where they think there are votes or possibly either to change or independent votes to chase off women. what we are told by both campaign, suburban women in particular. martha: we will see a lot more women out tonight. we'll talk about that in a little while, thank you srufp.

bill thanksgiving you very much. bill: john kasich had the forum rocking talking about the national debt, one of his main themes, in addition to jobs and unemployment. pointing to a steadily rising debt clock that hangs on the wall of the convention hall. >> president obama has doubled the national debt. you know i was chairman of the budget committee when we balanced the budget in 97 and i look with horror up with that clock that shows $15 trillion in the national debt, that is the sword of damocles hanging over our childrens' head. president obama is doing nothing about it. each year he's increasing that by $1 trillion. bill: he argued that the conservative policies in ohio are working, that state going from 48th to number 4 in the nation in job creation, erasing its deficit without, he argued, raising taxes. 18 electri18 electoral votes in

the buckeye state. martha: bob mcdonnell saying republican governors are leading the way in job creation, and americans need a president who understands private business. >> conservative fiscal policies are working, and so are more americans in the states with republican governors today. [cheers and applause] >> now, just think what we could do if we had a president who would support us and not obstruct us, someone who has created jobs in the private sector, who understands the economy, and who has actually balanced a budget. heck, for that matter somebody who has actually passed a budg budget. martha: so the theme for day three, which is today is, we can change it. on tap to speak tonight former presidential candidate and

arizona senator john mccain. former florida governor jeb burks he was the only representative of the bush family at this convention. he says the election comes down to a fundamental choice to mitt romney and job growth and the president's record of take officer. vice-presidental nominee paul ryan is sure to be one of the big moments of the evening. two veteran republican speech writers are working on his convention address we are told. we'll have complete coverage of tonight's speeches on the floor. bill and i will be there on fox news channel, of course where else stphaot othe. bill: isaac is still a category 1 hurricane as would he track the storm moving over new or loans and basically at a standstill. more than half a million without power, that number will rise throughout the day because of the conditions we find with john a than that serrie on the ground right there in the heart of new orleans, what is the latest this

hour where you are, jonathan? >> right now standing in front of the convention center. during hurricane katrina the convention center had been used as a refuge of last resort. city officials not doing anything like that this time around, instead the convention center being used as a staging area for the national guard. you can see some of the vehicles off in the distance. 4,000 national guard troops have been placed on active duty to come in, in the wake of the storm, and also serve during the storm wherever they are needed, whether it's engineering, communications, or medical support. also, governor bobby jindal has issued an order temporary hreufrtin lifting licensing requirements for emergency technicians. this will allow other emt's to come in and assist if needed.

there are emt teams already in place here in louisiana. also the levee system, a lot of attention being paid to the levee system. the levees which have undergone more than $14 billion of renovations here in new orleans are holding up. it's a different story in places outside of new orleans. plaquemine parish, water lapping over the levees, they are going door to door telling people they need to go out of there. bill: jonathan you had landfall 5:00 your time last evening. the national hurricane center says it could still be a warm over your area over the evening. that is a 24-plus hour hurricane in one place in southern louisiana. it's hard to get out for the moment, but we can only guess as to what is happening with so many other areas over there. what are you hearing from local officials about the preparation that was in here?

because when hushes hit normally they come and go, and they are gone after a few hours, but this one, this one is a bear. >> yeah, it certainly is. this is one of the things that growing up in florida as a kid you would read in the textbooks that you should be prepared to put up with hurricane-force winds for two days. it's something i never saw in real life. once the storm would make landfall it would be a matter of hours not days. this is a slow-moving stores. locals are talking about how they have to hunk err down. they can't send workers to repair the power until the wind go down into the 30-mile an hour range. it will be some time late tomorrow before they restore the electricity bill. bill: be safe out there. thank you, jonathan, right there in downtown new orleans. martha: we will not leave that story for long much we are about to get an update from the weather center on hurricane isaac, that will come in in a

little while. keep it right here on fox news. we will be tracking its ever move and watching the people there on the ground. bill: it is ironic it was seven years ago today when katrina was in new orleans. 7 years ago to the day. you hope best case scenario this thing comes onshore and blows off. it did not do that. it took a left hand turn and it's hugging the coast right now. martha: the more dangerous part of this is the rain which continues to be dumped and dumped and the storm surge as well. we'll stay on top of that. bill: that is a sustained rain maker. back to this story in tampa, a top political expert raving about ann romney's appearance last night says it was a home run calling it the single most effective speech ever given by a politician's spouse. that's the governor of virginia there, but we're talking about ann romney. brit hume will back up his comment next here, martha. martha: it isn't what you say but how you say it as chris are

christie challenges the republicans to get serious about the count throw's future. a lot of people at home thought it was a good speech. we'll talk about that. >> tonight we are speaking up for ourselves and stepping up. tonight we are beginning to do what is right and what is necessary to make america great again. [cheers and applause] hey! did you know that honey nut cheerios

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martha: a big night in tampa last night. for many people the highlight came from someone who isn't pursuing any political office, ann romney's speech was smack in the middle of a slew of high profile and rising star republicans, but for one election observer it completely stole the show.

>> i think that a lot of woman would look at her, a great many women, particularly mothers, the married women and find her utterly admirable and utterly credible. martha: brit hume is fox news' senior political analyst. you said it was the best speech you'd seen by a spouse at one of these things. >> i thought that last night. and upon reflection this morning i still think that. there isn't a large collection of major speeches by political spouse toes choose among. i can think of speeches that were given by quite beloved figures who were first ladies, barbara bush, for example. laura bush was much admired. none of the speeches that either of those women gave rose to this level in terms of the importance of going in and in terms of its affect in the overall frame of the race. and i think -- and there have been some disastrous ones. i think particularly of theresa haoeupbd hinds kerry.

martha: i thought you would bring that up. >> very bad. not a highlight for him or hernandez. i thought she was great. there was about her 4 -- she has about her a quality of almost glamorousness. she doesn't look like a poor woman, she looks like a rich woman. that is a burden you carry when you're trying to come out on behalf of this extremely rich man and make a connection with wives and mothers, and women across the country and say to them, our lives are not so different from yours, my husband does the thins that your husba things that your husband does and he does them in a way that you would appreciate as i do. i think she did that pretty darn well. martha: we've seen these kind of prices before where the husband kind of shows up at the end, sometimes on the screen. let's just watch this.

[cheers and applause] >> you were fabulous. [cheers and applause] martha: i was down there, i thought he was a little misty i'd. he seemed genuinely moved when when he walked out there last night in a way i didn't see him emote before. >> he reminds me, martha of george herbert walker bush, if i had to like even him to any single politician it would be him. he has that certain modesty and reserve, the result of a certain kind of upbringing and it creates a challenge for him, because you talk to people who have known him or done business with him or had encounters with him sort of outside of public life over the years and you hear these amazing stories of personal generosity and consideration for other people, and you heard her say last night

he doesn't like to talk about them and she got off this great line about how he considers it a privilege and not a political talking point. on the other hand knowledge of some of this would be useful. she sort of started that, opened that door. perhaps others will walk-through that and begin to tell us about some of the things that constitute mitt romney the man and his personal life, because the stories are really quite remarkable, and i think if people knew them, and felt they knew more about him they might warm up to him more than they have. martha: i think that sort of patri c.i.a. n quality that george bush, the first president had and they come from a time when it was cool to be humble, that when humility was something that was really respected. it spills now if you don't spill your story all over the place people think that there is no story. i wonder in these times -- is there room to sort of respect that kind of politician again? >> i think that people are very

disaffected with professional politicians, and there was in the not too distant history of this country a long line of political figures, and office holders who were patrician in a sense, who came out of successful careers, or backgrounds involving money, who served the country almost out of what was called nobles-noblige. tpwoerpblg bus george bush said his father had inculcated service into him. is the country now disaffected with the professional political class, perhaps more prepared than it otherwise might have been to hire somebody who is in that tradition which i think mitt romney clearly is. martha: you saw that contrast between chris christie who was bugged to run for this office. people told him that it was

unpatriotic of him to pass it up, and he is such a different figure up there obviously, in so many ways than is mitt romney. >> it was a startling contrast. martha: in so many ways. martha: how do you like to have to have been him and follow her. martha: tough thing to do. he said today sort of sticking up for his speech giving last night that he was glad that she was taking on the role of talking about her husband in such great detail and he saw it as his role to talk about the mission of the party. >> and also, you know, this is a time when romney has made this choice with paul ryan that they are going to run on doing hard things, hard and unpopular things, things that have created real political vulnerability in the past when republicans have gone near them, entitlement programs reform being chief among those things. his job was to come out and make the case that these kinds of hard choices have to be made,

they can be made and it can be done successfully, and it isn't going to be easy, and you need a tough guy to do it, and he's in a category of republican caucus holders now, a new generation, who have taken on the hard choices, let's keep this going. and people may turn away from that or may not. but they may be ready for it. >> i'm telling you it's terrible. people have no idea what this hi. i'm henry winkler. and i'm here to tell homeowners that are 62 and older about a great way to live a better retirement. it's called a reverse mortgage. [ male announcer ] call right now

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bill: you remember the theme from last night, we built it. house speaker john boehner pressing home that theme last evening remembering his time works in an ohio family's bar as a younger man. >> a man walked into a bar and before he could say anything he over heard a regular telling his story. turns out this guy ran a small

business, gotten solved in it while he was in school, then out of nowhere his business partner died. they had just one customer. so they fought like hell through sleepless nights and close calls and they made it, thank god, paid their dues, proud of what they managed to do. now the guy walked into a bar and heard that story and he said, well, if you can get a business you didn't build that, well you know what we do with him, don't you? we throw him out. martha: speaker boehner getting a roar from the delegates on the floor last night saying that americans can do a lot better, he believes, and he said that it would start with a new president. bill: this is one of the many monitors inside the times marina here, the delegates will watch and the journalists too. 15,000 have come in from across the country and the world to

cover this web's event. it will be very difficult for them to miss this sign up here, u.s. national debt clock. for the first time in a major political convention the debt clock has a presence inside t arena some time over the next week or two we expect the u.s. national debt to go over 16 trillion tkhr-rz for the first time in our nation's i history. you can expect that will be a major focus and theme throughout the week here in tampa. >> in fact it already has. we will show you that debt clock as it continues to move there. there are two clocks actually inside the arena, there is one for the total accumulated number which is pushing 16 trillion as i mentioned. it's going to tick over that mark of 16 trillion some time in the coming days here. in addition there is a clock that shows how much debt we've accumulated since reince priebus tkpwafld th tkpwafr gavelled the session to order. martha: there has been little talk so favre foreign policy, but that is about to change

about. mitt romney and republicans turning their sights to the president's record oversees. wha over overseas. we'll talk to virginia congressman randy forbes about the foreign policy part of this whole event, coming up next. >> we can do better. we can do a lot better. >> mitt understands the hopes and dreams of small business owners. >> we need a new partner in washington. this relationship is just not working. >> president obama will do everything he can to stand in your way. >> you did build that in america. >> we believe in freedom, and the responsibility that comes with it. >> we have a country to turn around. >> no one will work harder. no one will care more, and no one will move heaven and earth like mitt romney to make this country a better place to live. [cheers and applause] >> our ideas are right for america and their ideas have failed america. >> this is the man america

needs. >> america needs mitt romney and paul ryan and we need them right now. [cheers and applause] >> the speech was exactly what republicans have been crying out for. >> in the end he was a forceful supporter. >> i thought she was utterly credible and powerful. >> we'll have continuing coverage of the republican national convention. [ owner ] i need to expand to meet the needs of my growing business. but how am i going to fund it? and i have to find a way to manage my cash flow better. [ female announcer ] our wells fargo bankers are here to listen, offer guidance and provide you with options tailored to your business. we've loaned more money to small businesses that's a good thing, but it doesn't cover everything. only about 80% of your part b medical expenses.

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bill: a vision for america's role in the world front and center for republicans today. a change in tone a little bit from the topic of jobs and the economy. governor mitt romney set for a foreign policy speech today in indianapolis. he flew there earlier today, just hours away from that. here in tampa republicans taking aim at president obama's record on issues overseas. virginia republican congressman randy forbes a member of the house armed services committee here with me to talk about that. good morning to you. >> good morning, bill. bill: welcome to tampa. what do you want to hear about this when it comes to foreign policy? where do you think this white house is weak. >> i don't think they've had a coherent and foreign policy at all. this is a president that has not been very clear in our support for israel, hasn't even visited israel. if you look what we've done with the russians he tried to appease the russians by pulling off our missile defense systems in europe, what does he get, he

gets rewarded by the russians spending $720 billion to bring on a fleet of aircraft designed against the united states. if you look at what he's done in libya and sear kwhr syria there is no coherence between the two of them. if you look across when this president came in today tell me a hot spot that hasn't got even worse than when he came in office. bill: mitt romney is talking about that. the issue has been the economy, jobs, i do believe that will be the major part of paul ryan's address tonight when it comes to the budget and spending, right? where does this argument fit in? >> bill, there is no question but that the number one issue in people's minds in this election will be the economy and jobs, but this is a multifaceted campaign. you're going to look at foreign policy, look at how we create jobs, what we do with energy. all of that we think is very important for the next president of the united states, and it's something that this administration just hasn't had a good record on. bill: you think ping slips could be a matter of weeks away for members of the military?

>> no question, bill. they've cut $800 million out of defense in the last two years, they will cut a half trillion dollars if they allow sequestration to come through. when the president visited virginia he brought a huge pink slips that he's distributing to individuals. the secretary of defense says it's going to cost 1.5 million jobs across the country. a lot of job losses if we don't return this around. bill: you think washington backs out of that deal before the end of the year? >> i don't know. the president said he'll veto anything that we try to do. as you know the house has already put a solution up that will turn back these defense cuts without increasing taxes, but the senate has refused to bring anything up and the president says he'll veto it. the only way we get out of this is to have a new president. bill: "wall street journal" polling 54% of the voters approve of the way mr. obama handles foreign policy. >> i think one of the reasons is that the only thing they've focused on is the war on terror and what they have seen at this particular point in time. i think when they look at the

over all picture of what this administration has done on foreign policy i that i that will be a huge difference, and i think mitt romney begins to lay that out in the speech that he gives. bill: that is today. but this will come up in debates. >> no question. bill: for certain. >> and it should come up in a debate because it's a vision of where the united states goes in the future. economy, jobs, number one issue no question, we need to talk about what we're going to do with foreign policy, foreign policy the key is two things, you have to have clarity and a defense to back up your foreign policy, and this had menstruation has not moved in that direction. bill: the foreign policy, you know, the economy can tkreupbl away or come back but it's a process and it takes time. foreign policy can change in an instant. >> it can change in 24 hours. i can tell you one of the things that their foreign policy has done is it's made our allies question whether we will be there procedure them and it's encouraged some who may not be our alleys to spend a lot more to build up their defenses that they won't have done if we

weren't shrinking hours. bill: randy tpoebs, thank you very much for being with us today. 13 electoral votes in your state. >> it's huge. bill: you know it's important. back to martha. martha: new jersey's governor delivered the keynote address last night at the rnc, he did not disappoint bringing the swagger that he's known for. for many americans this was their first real introduction to a man they may have heard about but not really seen in action. james rosen is live with us here in tampa with a closer look at garden state governor. hey, james. >> reporter: good morning. there were many here on the convention floor last night, this reporter included that were struck by the relative tameness of governor christie's speech as contrasted against the public profile he's cultivated across the last two and a half years as the top dog in trenton. >> barack obama's leadership is driving this business, the united states of america towards a fiscal cliff. >> you do not need a chicago ward politician in the oval

office. >> reporter: no republican brings the might to president obama quite like chris christie. that might be why the first term new jersey governor wauz tapped to give the keynote address. it also might be why despite months of speculation. >> goff christie meeting behind closed doors with republican and conservative leaders in california right now. >> reporter: he was not ultimately chosen for the ticket. >> that is not the traditional way that politicians talk, but that is just the way it is. >> reporter: the former anticorruption prosecutor with the hulking frame is never afraid to speak his peace. he stiff arms reporters. >> thank you very much and i'm sorry for the idiot over there. if you conduct your selfin the courtroom like that you're going to get in trouble, idiot. >> you're not compensating me for my education and my experience. >> well you know what, then you

don't have to do it. >> some in political life are captives of a money special interest that bullies and thugs its way through the hallways of my state house to get whatever it wants. >> reporter: under christie's reforms teachers as well as cops, firefighters, judges, prosecutors and all other state workers now pay more for their own pensions and health benefits. >> you're creating a bit of a firestorm, governor, they say you are being unfair. >> if the stakes are too high and the consequences are too real, so new jersey, whether you like it or not, you're stuck with me. >> reporter: one thing governor christie didn't mention in his speech last night was new jersey's unemployment rate for the month of july which stood at 9.8%, significantly higher than the national average, higher than when christie took office two and a half years ago. make no mistake about it, with his speech last night governor christie has officially arrived as a major voice in the republican party and a strong person to lead it in election

cycles to come. martha: that was a big night last night for governor christie. james, thank you very much. bill: i think he's talking to folks like you, martha. you're stuck with me, right. a new jersey girl. martha: you know, i am, i am i'm a proud new jersey girl, and he said he didn't want to be president, he didn't want to be vice president, he loves his job as the governor of new jersey, and we'll see, you know what the political future holds for him. bill: we will. it was a big night for him. the president's own words coming back to haunt him last night inside the forum here in tampa. republicans get a lot of mileage out of a theme called "we built it." >> as his partner on this amazing journey i can tell you mitt romney was not handed success, he built it. [cheers and applause]

martha: welcome back to tampa, everybody. it was the middle of the summer i would say that president obama uttered four words in virginia that became a rallying cry for the g.o.p. when he said "you didn't build that." those words were not lost on -p the speakers here last night. >> if a guy walked into a president bush and heard that story and he said, well, if you

can get a business, you didn't build that. well you know what we do with him, don't you? we throw him out. >> we need a president who will say to a small business woman, congratulations, we applaud your success. you did make that happen, you did build that in america. [cheers and applause] >> i can tell you mitt romney was not handed success, he built it. [cheers and applause] martha: big, big theme last night. big question now is is it working? and primarily will it work with swing voters, and independent voters? and then we'll get to what we can expect tonight, it's a big task, but he's a big man to carry it out. tucker carlson is with us. editor of the daily caller. good morning, tucker. i looked back to that moment when the president said that and

shortly after it had that feeling that this was something that was going to gain a lot of traction. the white house said it was taken out of context, they are still saying that. what do you say about the four words and their significance? >> if you watch the sound byte the predicate -- they are all of a piece. i actually think it's an interesting and legitimate ideological fault line between people who think the individual is the primary unit in society and those who think the group is, collective is eupl versus individualism, and i think it's very effective for swing voters. it suggests an out of touch pay tra nicing argument. you didn't do that, and that aeu noise the people. martha: the theme don't, we can change it, this theme and the words, they are on the placards and posers and everything. how much do they matter?

do they represent a real underlying theme that you think is gaining traction? how do you think its going? are they selling the message here so far very well in. >> you can have so many messages. i've covered campaigns, the gore campaign in 2000 which had a new slogan literally ever week. we had a running tally, i think it was 19 by the end. it's impossible to sell something unless you keep eight. coca-cola doesn't change its logo every month, they stick with the same thing for a hundred years and it works. if they stick to, we did build it, i think it works, because it immediately points up the connection between the obama administration and washington, and washington is highly unpopular, it's perceived as out of touch. washington by the way is one of the few really rich places left in the united states. i've lived there, i can tell you real estate in d.c. is selling what it sold for in 2006. bus the government is there. i think people recent that. martha: this is nikki haley right now, somebody who looks

like a real rising star, mia love who is running for congress. >> my parents started a business out of the living room of their home and 30-plus years later it was a multi-million dollar company. but there wasn't a single day that it was easy, and there wasn't a single day that my mom and dad didn't put everything they had into making that business. >> this is the america we know because we built it. [cheers and applause] martha: two very strong young women. >> yes. martha: and you think about what has been said on this war on women issue, that is sort of the under current here that is being put out here, a whole roster and tonight as well of really strong women. >> they are very concerned about it. let me say the first thing that strikes you watch this convention is how deep the republican bench is. that hasn't been the case for a longtime to be honest. it is now for sure. whatever happens in this

election republicans will have quite a primary next time i would say. they are really worried about the gender gap, the romney campaign. women are the majority of voters in the united states, i would argue it actually doesn't have as much to do with the individual candidates but there have been structural and demographic changes in the country, one of them is marriage. far fewer women get married than -- for the first time in human history i think there are more unmarried adult women in the u.s. and western europe than married adult women. in a just favors the democrats, this we know. married people tend to vote republican, unmarried people tend to vote democrat. i'm not sure there is much you can do about that in a convention, or anywhere. this is sort of a process that is unfolding beyond the reach of politics. i don't know why it's happening, but it is happening and it hurts the republicans frankly. martha: there are two ways they are going at women, one toys say we'll protect you, make sure that nothing you've been given will be taken away. another thing is, you're part of the economy, women, you're like

everyone else who is out there and you need to get the message according to the g.o.p. and the romney campaign that we'll be better for you in the long run. >> i think it's a very smart analysis what you just said and i think the messages actually collide at a certain point. one is, we will take care of you, the other is your achievements are your own. they are not necessarily mutually compatible. one is a fundamentally message. one is that you did build it. the next one is that you did build it. i think they should stick with the you did build it. martha: thanks, tucker. bill: tucker good to see you. in a moment here "happening now" rolls your way. jon scott is watching things on that, 12 minutes away. how are you, jon and good morning to you? jon: i'm doing well, bill. we are continuing to watch dueling stories at this hour. the latest from the republican national convention in tampa as hurricane isaac comes ashore and whoever's, sending water over

levees, causing widespread flooding, power outages and storm surges. rescues are underway. it i is is still a hurricane and the photos are incredible. new reaction to some of the major speeches from chris christie and ann romney. we'll look ahead to paul ryan's big speech tonight, and a closer look at the battleground state of colorado, it is my home state, it's very much in the balance. we'll see knew a few minutes "happening now." bill: sure is, nine electoral votes out there. thank you, jon. jon: and both side fighting for it. thanks, bill. bill: got it. thank you. h-rbhurricane isaac a sustained rain maker. the word that the levees are holding, the bumps are working on the seven year anniversary that katrina hit that city. we'll check on the path with janice dean and steve harrigan in another hard-hit area knee deep, live in the big money. or even 20 years?

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alert back to the storm now. isaac still a category 1 hurricane. we are seeing major flooding at the moment. steve harrigan has found himself knee deep in a lot of that. he's in ocean springs, mississippi. what are you standing in, steve? >> bill, this used to be washington avenue in ocean springs, mississippi, not too far from the coast. behind me is biloxi bay. now biloxi bay is higher than washington avenue and higher than a lot of the coastal region. we've had heavy rain all morning, rain we could have for another 72 hours and the water overflowing as well. that means whenever you drive around this part of coastal mississippi you drive for half a mile or so and then suddenly roads are closed. that is creating a lot of problem for rescues for people trying to get out.

of course water like this. four or five feet deep the humvees, the national guard can't get through with vehicles so they have to take rescue boat teams to get people out. getting from one place to another really complicated, going to get more complicated. these people's yards are already underwater. most of these houses were destroyed in katrina seven years ago, they've been rebuilt and tougher, people here out on their porch watching, wondering if this water will wipe them out again seven years later. bill back to you. bill: was it that way last night, steve or is that just at day break that the water is that high? >> it was not that way at all. that is another good point, how remarkably quick this storm is moving, not with heavy winds but with the surge. we've had to move our vehicle two or three times in the last hour, it creeps up on you, and creeps up on you fast. officials are stressing this is not just a coastal storm, this is a full state-wide storm. they are concerned about flash flooding not just here along the

coast but along rivers and lakes throughout the state over the next three days, bill. martha: steve, it's martha here. that is an incredible shot that we're looking at of you out there in ocean springs. talk to me about the evacuation. how many people are left if that area, and were the warnings heated? >> i think the warnings were heeded. i think people took the storm very seriously, 230 people died in southern mississippi in katrina seven years ago. people were cautious. mandatory evacuations were in the three lower counties, that is about 150,000 people got out. the problem is now for those people who stayed in places like wave land you can't even get to them. only some emergency vehicles, some boats are getting in. what i'm standing in right now is far from the worst of it. it's bad, it's getting worse, but there is a place i want to get to down the road that i can't get to yet, maybe tomorrow, and if people are in there it's going to be very tough for anyone to reach them and help them in these daylight

hours. bill: that is a remarkable picture isn't it in ocean springs, mississippi. thank you for that. be safe down there. we should report also the "associated press" is saying that in new orleans on the seven-year anniversary of katrina the levees are holding and the pumps are working which will come to many folks down there to be not only progress but significantly great news at the moment as the storm just churns really over their heeds and has been now since 5:00 yesterday. martha: let's go to janice for an update on the track of this storm and how much longer it looks to be hanging around. >> reporter: new track and the storm is still 75 miles per hour, still a hurricane, and really well-defined. i mean this storm has been really lasting throughout the overnight and into this morning. the threat for tornadoes continues across louisiana, mississippi and alabama. we have a tornado warning just southeast of hattesberg, with the outer bands across the land

and the counter clockwise rotation that's why we have the threat of tornadoes. moisture is moving into moisture-starved regions where we have an extreme drought. that is the silver lining on this. back to you. martha: thank you very much. boy, thoughts are with those folks. that is a bad situation. back here where the other big story is happening right now. tonight is a big night for that man, vice presidental candidate paul ryan who has said that he never expected to find himself in this position, but he is glad to be there he said. he said it's fueling him and energizing him. we'll talk about that when we come back. mom: ready to go to work? ♪

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