for more, we go to bill harwood, he joins us from the jet propulsion laboratory. bill, good morning to you. >> good morning. >> rovers have done this before. this isn't the first time this happened. but this is certainly one of the most difficult missions. how big of a deal is this for nasa? >> oh, it's a very big deal for nasa. they're under enormous budget pressure right now. the obama administration reduced funding for planetary exploration and nasa mass backed out of two joint missions with the european space agency to mars. this is the last so-called flagship mission currently in the pipeline in getting it safely to the surface of mars was a huge step for nasa. >>> the ultimate goal to put a human being on mars. where are we on the timeline with that? >> we're a long way from putting humans on mars, terrell. somewhere in the late 2020s or 2030s is the earliest opportunity. but with this successful landing, it shows once again, american ingenuity is up to the task. this was one of the most complicated entries and landings they've ever attempted and they pulled

we'll talk to cbs news space consultant bill harwood a little later on this morning. in the meantime, we'll move on. >>> at least 16 egyptian soldiers at a gaza -- the gunmen bursa cross the border and -- israeli forces killed eight of the gunmen. they fired on one of the cars, the other exploded at the border crossing. >>> syrian troops are preparing for a decisive battle for the city of aleppo. aleppo has been under siege for weeks. rebel leaders say there's an increase in syrian government tanks and troops. refugees report indiscriminate shelling of civilians and short annals of food and other supplies. tv reports a bomb exploded at the office in damascus injuring at least three. later on "cbs this morning," charlie rose interviews on the situation of syria and the middle east. >>> coming up, battling more than a dozen fires in oklahoma, evacuees are being allowed to return. but the danger remains. this is the "cbs morning news." here's my morning routine. gotta start the day off right. wardrobe. cute. then new activia breakfast blend. a great way to help start the

bring back in larry kudlow and john harwood. it also struck me that she talked about the education crisis and really noted that we need to be a leader around the world and we cannot do that if we maintain an education system that hurts the disadvantage and forces essentially, many people to drop out. foreign policy speech as well from the former secretary of state rice. >> i interviewed her today. she was very critical of obama policies in the middle east, especially syria. so i wasn't surprised. i personally loved the education choice arguments that she's making because i think that would improve the whole education system as she said for the poor. and i thought it was also very, very important that she said there is no tradition in this country of envy or jealousy or success. it's not where you came from. it's where you're going. powerful stuff that brought the whole place to its feet. >> romney saying don't be envious of other success. john harwood, one thing we did not hear much of was romney and ryan. it was a big picture s

dimos vice president heather mcgee, cnbc chief washington correspondent john harwood of "the new york times." there's a lot of monkey business going on in tampa. no, literally. for three years police have been looking for this monkey that is believed to have wandered off a reserve 100 miles from tampa. the mystery monkey has been showing up regularly since then in backyards, outside restaurants, in a church parking lot and, in fact, it has its own facebook page with 83,000 followers. the mystery monkey of tampa bay. local police, state wildlife agencies and freelance trappers are tried to after it, but to no avail. the monkey has rebuffed these efforts, even removing tranquillizer darts shot at him in a display of defiance. >> made a monkey out of everybody who tried to catch him. >> republicans are about to head to tampa for this convention next week and will find themselves in a strikingly similar position as the authorities trying to catch the rogue sim yan. a gop congressman is on the loose. missouri senate candidate todd akin. the more powerless they've become. here's the differe

it happened in harwood early yesterday. police say 20-year-old stewart sohobich of emwater hit a man along solomon's island road near harwood road and kept going. police have not identified the pedestrian who was killed. >>> d.c. police are investigating three separate shootings from saturday night. a teenaged boy was shot in the 1300 block of w street. investigators have not said anything more about the victim. another shooting papped in the 300 block of 37th street. we are told one man was shot there. -- another shooting happened in the 300 block of 37th street. >>> bridge joint police have are ad a teenager for a murder in capital heights on saturday. officers were called to the 700 block of glacier avenue saturday afternoon. that is where they found 29- year-old oliver davis dead inside of a home. sunday, they arrested 19-year- old travis hospital kips. hoskins and davis were roommates in side that home. police say they were arguing over food when they say say hoskins shot davis. >>> -- they arrested 19-year- old travis

john harwood just mentioned the part about the medicare. the idea that the republicans are playing on the democratic turf is an indication of how much the progressive agenda has won. now they have resorted to the fak tick of demagoguing and accusing president obama of cutting medicare while they want to cut medicare and paul ryan's budget includes the same savings that president obama included. the comments about the jamesville plant, it closed under the bush administration, he never acknowledged that. he made it seem as though it closed under the obama administration. there was a great deal of untruth in what he said. >> you know, i want to ask you, too. you can write the headlines tomorrow morning, i suppose. where do you think that democrats will come at the speech the hardest? it won't be jamesville and gm. what will it be? >> i'm not sure. there is a hypocrisy element about it all. i think the idea that paul ryan is a great deficit cutter yet he voted for two wars and two tax cuts. he voted for the prescription drug bill. he voted for

i'm john harwood.odd akin, the embattled senate candidate has just given the republican party the news they did not want to hear. all heavy hitters in the republican missouri because of his controversy comments about legitimate rape whether or not it can result in pregnancy, todd akin dug in today along with social conservatives backing him, telling mike huckabee's television so, i will be absolutely clear, staying in this race. that is a complication for mitt romney and paul ryan because the last issue republicans want to talk about this year is social issues and abortion. >> that is a complication. >>> to the markets and mary thompson with a market slash. >> investors cool stocks. an epa ruling limiting emissions that can cross state lines oversteps the agency's boundaries and needs to be revised. peabody energy, alpha natural and james river coal all higher on the news. back to you. >> very interesting news. let's kick off coverage of the new york mercantile exchange, goal closing now. sharon has th

our own john harwood is at the republican national convention site in tampa where he joins us now.ohn? >> reporter: there's no question this is the most important speech of mitt romney's life and an important moment looking back on the km pain and whether or not he got over the hump appealing the people he hasn't been able to reach so far. paul ryan was effective. republicans loved the substance and the delivery. democrats found several ways to distort the truth and agreed it was an effective speech and one thing paul ryan did not neglect to do is set things up for mitt romney, the guy who put him on the ticket. >> our nominee is sure ready. his whole life -- his whole life prepared him for this moment. to meet serious challenges in a serious way. without excuses and idle words. after four years of getting the run around, america needs a turnaround and the man for the job is governor mitt romney! >> reporter: now, convention workers prepared for his speech by rejiggering the stage. they moved the platform down a little bit. a few steps closer in to the crowd and one of the ways of

on the edge of solomans island road near harwood road.police determined he had been hit by a vehicle. vehicle.based on evidence gathered at the scene... police are looking for a 2003 volkswagon golf, m- k- 4 with damage to the passenger side... specifically the grille, bumper, windshield and mirror.police have not released the identity of the victim.anyone with informatioo is asked to call anne arundel county police. still no word on what sparked a townhome fire in pasadena.we were there, yesterday... as firefighters tried to put it out.officials say the 2-alarm fire began in the basement of the home on della rose court near edwin raynor boulevard. one person was taken to the hospital with sevvre burns, but is expected to be okay. . if one lawmaker has his way... peoole who commute to washington d-c will soon have to pay up.representative darrell issa... a california republican who chairs a house committee overseeing the district's affairs... says a 3- percent income tax hike is worth looking at after the presidential election.maryland is the district's largest source of employees...

. >>> tonight police need your help trying to find a driver who killed a man in harwood. pedestrian was found just before 7:30. the driver was in a volkswagen golf and did not sto. the victim is described only as a black male wearing dark clothing appearing to have been following the rules of the road when he was hit. call 410-222-8573 if you have information. >>> the repairs on the water main break that caused that traffic nightmare on light street are done. here's the bad news. the work is not completely done. crews have to repaste road. the repaving job starts this week. they're predicting it will be completely repaved by august 20th. the sidewalks are still open. >>> before you pick up a bag of sliced apples at the grocery store. ready pack foods is recalling nearly 300,000 cases and 300,000 packaged apples because of listeria concerns. the apples were sold to burger king, mcdonalds and wegmans. now if you have the fruits and vegetables in your fridge, call ready pack at 1-800-800-7822. >>> the fda is stocking up on meat, fish and poultry. the president said it will h

john harwood, larry kudlow there and ready to go, but first, i need to bring in todd gross to help gets set up on the path offize i can. >> it's crazy. this is a really dramatic change of events this evening as the storm tried to make landfall, then moved back over the water and started to strengthen again. you can really see the organization of the storm. 80 mile per hour winds officially, but the last few minutes, showing signs of even coming together stronger than that. the first that first tried to make landfall, it increased surge in port sulphur. they have levees that are 16 feet high and they were already challenged with a 14-foot storm surge unofficially from reports off of twitter, but it's not just there. new orleans is suffering at this hour with 150,000 without power already and the storm is not even near them yet and once again, what's happening in new orleans right now, with all the wind and rain coming down, they have gusts reported, 60 to 70 miles per hour and again, still miles and miles away from them. now, there is one thing interesting though. remember i said that t

the victim was found dead on the edge of solomans island road near harwood road just before 7- determinede had been hit by a car. car.hours later ...20 year old stuart sohovich of edgewater... walked into the police station to confess to the hit-and-run.right now charges are pending. police arrest the former owner of the senator theater. theater.it comes a little more than a day after the current owners of the theater say tom kiefaber trespassed and harassed workers.police say kiefaber was arrested at the theaaer this morning after he was making threats and refusing to leave the property. the current owners previously had a peace order against kiefaber but it had expired. kiefaber is charged with trespassing. day three of the special session in annapolis...as lawmakers resume debateon that bill to expand gambling... gambling...john rydell... reports... from the state house.../ where.. lawmakers are.. struggling ..to reach a compomise.... 3 (rydell) the house of delegates convened briefly late this morning, but the real work has been in a housee committee whose members are still trying to

. >> can i react to it again to john harwood? if you look at romney and ryan's plan, they're putting a cap on the amount of money spent. >> but they're not telling the hard truth to specific people. >> he's been very specific, people under 55 will be affected. >> that's ten years from now. >> the reason you do that is because if you don't, you become greece where you tell 85 year olds. >> this is a convention. the points that you're making are ones that will be litigated in a presidential debate. tonight, we're looking at this is where the narrative is set, the tone is set, you're trying to achieve very fundamental things. not the specific details on these cases or the points for seniors. i think anybody serious about entitlement reform will be inclined to support republicans and not democrats. >> factually, it's medicare, not social security. that's what cap is about. i think dan is right in normal times. these are not normal times, and larry i thought you gave a couple very impassioned sentenced. i don't want to be pegged in a

>> john harwood in tampa for us.ou a little bit later. >>> meantime tampa, ok, getting spared from tropical storm isaac. louisiana is bracing for the worst declaring a state of emergency. latest models show isaac is zeroing in on the gulf coast. the same region, of course, devastated by hurricane katrina seven years ago tomorrow. here first on cnbc, republican senator david vitter of louisiana. good to have you with us. good morning to you. >> good morning, carl, good to be with you. >> i'm not sure whether to be heartened or not by the relative weakness, i guess. relative to some of the fears here. army corps says it's not going to test the design limits of the levees. are you -- is it too soon to breathe a sigh of relief. >> we're all hopeful that it will remain weak. we're all also taking it seriously, preparing for the worst, taking every precaution as we should. >> how would you characterize the army corps' preparedness, how would you characterize fema's preparedness? >> i'll do a lot more about the corps in a d

on the edge of solomans island road near harwood road.police determined he had been hit by a vehicle.ehicle.based on evidence gathered aa the scene... police are looking for a 2003 volkswagon golf, m- k- 4 with damage to the passenger side... speccfically the grille,,bumper, windshield and mirror.policeehave not released the identity of the victim.anyone with information is asked to call ane arundel police. it was supposed to be fixed in a couple weeks. now city crews say it will take up to three months to replace aad repair a broken pipeline in east baltimore. baltimore.melinda roeder is live from monument street with reaction from business owners...melinda? melinda? when the underground pipes burst - they created a huge sinkhole in the middle of the street.now business is sinking . too. it's been three weeks - since the sinkhole irst appeared. 12:12:40 "i was scary because we thought the whole hing was gonna cave in."nevfille philpotts was outside - and 12:12:26 "a towtruck went by... opened up." sine then - nearby shops on monument street have been watching -- and wondering when -

a pedestrian was found between solomon avenue and harwood road. the driver was heading northbound on solomon road and did not stop. the pedestrian was described only as a black male. if you have any information about this, call anne arundel police right now. >>> baltimore police looking for suspects and a motive a man was shot at a block party. according to police, the 20- year-old victim was attending in party in 3000 block of woodland avenue. they started arguing and a suspect shot the man several times. >>> a bed and breakfast murder here in baltimore. it happened earlier fried morning. joseph ulrich, everybody know him. he was found shot to death right outside the empire house. the 40-year-old was with friends and larry peterson who still is in the critical care. right now hopkins police are lookinger two suspects. they think robbery is the motive here. >>> after a deadly shooting claimed the lives of 6 people, the sikh temple is reopening. gunman wade michael page opened fire on the temple last week. he killed himself in the parking lot short

the victim was found dead on the edge of solomans island road neaa harwood road just before -thirty sunday morning. police determined he had been hit by a car. car.hours later ...20 year old stuart sohovich of edgewater... walked into the police station to confess to the hittand-run.right now charges are pending following the investigation. 3 today... a maryland lawmaker says he will propose changing a gambling measure to create a joint house and senate panel to oversee gambling. gambling. delegate eric luedtke announced his plans during a meeting with memberss of the house of delegates. the &pmeasure would reshape the state lottery agency into a ánewá "state lottery and gaming ccntrol" agency. the governor with the consent of the senate. some lawmakers are concerned because it doesn't include input from the house. if one laamaker has his way... those who commute to washington d-c for work will have to pay a tax.california representative darrell issa... says a 3- percent income tax hike is worth looking at after the presidential election. maryland is the district's largest sourceeof employ

not huge but some. >> john harwood, thank you very much. paul ryan, up next the man of the hour. vice presidential candidate paul ryan joins me next exclusively. stay with us. you'll want to hear the whole story. [ male announcer ] how do you trade? with scottrader streaming quotes, any way you want. fully customize it for your trading process -- from thought to trade, on every screen. and all in real time. which makes it just like having your own trading floor, right at your fingertips. [ rodger ] at scottrade, seven dollar trades are just the start. try our easy-to-use scottrader streaming quotes. it's another reason more investors are saying... [ all ] i'm with scottrade. it's got that sweet honey taste. but no way it's 80 calories, right? no way, right? lady, i just drive the truck. right, there's no way right, right? have a nice day. [ male announcer ] 80 delicious calories. fiber one. [ woman ] welcome to learning spanish in the car. you've got to be kidding me. this is good. vamanos. vamanos. vamanos. gracias. gracias. gracias. ♪ tre

thank you, john harwood. we appreciate that very much. now we welcome back to "the kudlow report" an old friend, majority leader eric cantor from virginia. thank you. we appreciate it. let me begin with this. i want to talk growth with uh you. you are one of the most prominent growth people in the congress. first, i'm not hearing the 4% growth yet in this convention that mitt romney laid out. i'm not hearing the 12 million jobs he laid out and i don't see how the gop can win the election until it persuades people they have a solution. >> i think you are going to hear that tonight. paul ryan, my friend from the house, will be laying out his vision, introducing himself to america. you know, as i do, that paul has been working long and hard on a growth plan for this economy. mitt romney will officially accept his nomination tomorrow night and you're right, mitt romney consistently throughout this campaign has been the one individual with the pro growth economic policy. >> got to get it out. politics of that repetition. am i wrong about that?

john harwood at the white house. a crucial time for the romney campaign, right, john? >> reporter: it is and a tricky choice to make. as you mentioned, those polls indicate that president obama may be opening up some significant lead over romney after they've been deadlocked for a long time. you saw the nbc/"wall street journal" poll last week with a six-point advantage for the president. reuters with a seven-point advantage. fox news last night, a nine point. obama creeping up to about 49%. romney in the low 40s and adds pressure to the vice presidential choice. paul ryan, a lot of conservative intellectuals are pushing paul ryan but for the reasons they're pushing him, very serious about cutting the budget. that makes him a risky choice. democrats say they would love to run against paul ryan and the plans for medicare. you have tim pawlenty, may be the safest choice in the field. former governor of minnesota. didn't win many votes but drew some applause from other republicans for the dignity of his campaign, some working class appeal, been a loyal surrogate of mitt r

john harwood. >> reporter: brian, mary shapiro of the securities and exchange commission has just put statement calling what happened with knight capital unacceptable. she said that the staff is looking into whether compliance measures were followed in that episode. also said that circuit breakers that had been implemented in order to prevent the impact of flash crashes did limit the impact, including the impact on individual stocks by halting trading. said it will accelerate ongoing efforts to create new rules in this area. again, that's mary shapiro of the securities an exchange commission coming out with a statement saying it's unacceptable and she's going to direct the staff to accelerate their efforts to create new rules on this area. >> john harwood thank you very much for this. now the stock is up 60% in change. it's well above the four buck level once again. >> trifecta of breaking news on a slow summer friday. >> let's see if we can make it a decafecta. that would be ten breaking news. >>> up next on "street signs." the big book bounce. why one publisher is wall street's best

to get the latest on today's events who else but cnbc's own john harwood on the floor of the convention. good evening. >> good evening. tropical storm isaac did delay the action at this republican convention but it's certainly not going to stop it. the show is going to go on. it's quiet on the floor now. we are standing amid some of the key delegations here near the podium. you have a lot of wood panelling to soften up mitt romney and make him more appealing to american voters. we did have action this afternoon at the convention. it did convene though despite isaac -- and i have to caution viewers the action was intense. here are the highlights. >> it is my privilege to proclaim the 2012 republican national convention in session and called to order. [ cheers and applause ] >> republican national convention stands in recess subject to the call of the chair. >> the real thing starts, larry, tomorrow, when we begin the heavy speaker program with the headliners that republicans have lined up. anne romney, designed to soften mitt romney's image. chris christie, governor of new jersey. on wed

covering the week, john harwood of cnbc and the "new york times." beth reinhard of "national journal," and jeff zeleny of "the new york times." >> award-winning reporting and analysis. covering history as it happens. live from our nation's capital, this is "washington week with gwen ifill and national journal". corporate funding for washington west virginia is provided by -- >> this rock has never stood still. since 1875 we've been there for our clients through good times and bad. when their needs changed we were there to meet them. through the years from insurance to investment 34g9, from real estate to requirement solutions, we've developed new ideas for the financial challenges ahead. this rock has never stood still and that's one thing that will never change. prudential. >> a line is a powerful thing. it connects the global economy to your living room. cleaner air to stronger markets. factory floors to less crowded roads. today's progress to tomorrow's promise. norfolk southern. one line, infinite possibilities. >> additional corporate funding i

john harwood in washington. >>> all right.e' we'll get you up to date on the markets in two minute's time. thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money ? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. exclusive to the military, and commitment is not limited to one's military oath. the same set of values that drive our nation's military are the ones we used to build usaa bank. with our award winning apps that allow you to transfer funds, pay bills or manage your finances anywhere, anytime. so that wherever your duty takes you, usaa bank goes with you. visit us online to learn what makes our bank so different. >>> immigration is likely to be a key political issue in the coming weeks, especially in some western states. for some, california farmers, the immigration crackdown is having a real unintended consequence. jane wells went up to piru, california, just east of oxnard. they

part of that is by design. >> john harwood, always good to see you. you. >> also making news this morning, thousands of people have evacuated their homes in northern california as a raging wildfire continues to burn out of control. almost 1,000 firefighters there are trying to protect homes and businesses. 19 square miles have been scorched just since saturday. the west has been a tinderbox. there have been evacuations in utah as well. >>> joint chief chairman martin dempsey is in afghanistan right now talking about how to stop this recent wave of attacks against u.s. troops. ten american service members have been killed in the last two weeks by afghan police or soldiers. >>> the united nations says all of its observers in syria are now gone. their four-month mission ended at midnight. they were supposed to be monitoring a cease-fire between the president's military forces and rebels, but they stopped in june after coming under fire themselves. >>> the family of hollywood direct tony scott is asking for privacy today after his apparent suicide yesterd

let's get out to our john harwood now in washington. and john, it's interesting how this is being shaped today. governor romney clearly focusing on the 8.3 tick in the unemployment rate and the president focusing on what needs to be done here and now to improve the jobs picture. saying we still have too many people looking for work. but you certainly get an idea of how this is going to be shaped going forward. >> no question, they're both saying things that are true. that are just different facets of this economic puzzle. mitt romney is making the point that this is a weak and slow recovery. there are too many americans out of work. the unemployment rate is too high. that's all correct. president obama is making the point that we're headed in the right direction -- that financial recoveries from financial crises are slower than others. and he's trying to justify his policies and saying that if congress would pass his jobs proposals, we'll get even stronger growth. we're going to hear this argument, scott, all the way through election da

cnbc's john harwood joins us with more. this morning, right, john? >> reporter: exactly. ohio is the ultimate battleground state, obama and romney fighting over it, the vice presidential candidate could be rob portman, the u.s. senator from ohio, but we've also got a big race for congress. you look at the polls they tell you clearly just like voters will tell you here in the parking lot of a shopping mall, this congress simply is not getting the job done. >> a lot of talk, and not a lot of action. >> reporter: what action would you like to see? >> jobs, better jobs, better pay, people not losing their houses. you know, to see a family on the streets or going to a food bank to make -- it's just sad. i work t jobs. >> fresh faces are always a good thing, you know, if you're there for only to back the people that have put you in there, and not to do what's best for the country overall, and you night us all, then i think is t is a very good thing to have new people on the scene. >> reporter: but of course that's the problem in

john harwood a good question. what do they do?they tell the delegates it is a solemn event, take a different tone? we don't need america to see pictures of people cheering and partying while there is a storm ravaging new orleans seven years after katrina. >> i don't think you can have a national political convention without cheering. you have a whole bunch of people united in a singular cause to try to win an election, defeat an incumbent democratic president. i think it is going to depoepd the severity of the hurricane. that's going to determine whether the split screen is trivial or whether it is a big deal. the more devastating that hurricane is, the tougher it is and that's why republicans are watching this and look, if it turned out to be an utter disaster, with a lot of loss of life and tremendous devastation on land, you can see them canceling tomorrow night and making changes. but i don't think that that's their inclination and i think that -- i will be surprised if that's where it ends up and see how the storm does. >> i

it's working out pretty well for you by the way. >> thanks. >> john harwood is in washington. john, the republicans talking a lot about a possible return to the gold standard. do you think that actually might become a policy discussion or is it simply politics given the campaign cycle? >> reporter: it's politics. not going to happen any time soon. think of the gold commission that the republican platform is calling for as a sugar cookie to republicans who are highly concerned about that. maybe a stiff drink for larry kudlow. but no. this is something that the ron paul forces are quite interested in. they were pushing for this. the romney campaign wants a smooth republican convention and one way to do that is to throw something to people who want policies that you don't support so you have a commission. when richard nixon went off the gold standard, criticism of conservatives. when ronald reagan was nominated in 1980, the republican platform then called for a gold commission which, of course, in the end didn't end up changing policy for some of the reasons steve articulated in

our john harwood traveled up from tampa. good the see you again, john. this is not necessarily a cake walk for the democrats. >> reporter: absolutely not a cake walk. that is very vulnerable incumbent president who's locked in a dead even race with mitt romney and the president's team expects mitt romney to get some sort of bounce out of that convention. you know, we were at the arena in tampa last now and now in charlotte, north carolina, which is also a swing state that president obama carried four years ago. the president i think will not, sue, repeat the gambit of a mystery guest like clint eastwood. didn't work out too well for mitt romney but he will have bill clinton, former president, on wednesday night of his convention make the economic case for obama's re-election. the president is weighed down by the weak economy. bill clinton makes economic arguments between republicans and democrats better than anyone and then president obama will have the big moment on thursday night to do his acceptance speech. mitt romney used his last night to try to sk

covering the week, john harwood of cnbc and the "new york times." beth reinhard of "national journal," and jeff zeleny of "the new york times." >> award-winning reporting and analysis. covering history as it happens. live from our

>> joe, you are right and john harwood is wrong. in his entire life run away from the facts. mitt runs into the fact, gets them all wellnd control and then acts, unlike the current administration who wants to kick the bucket down the road, whether it's simpson bowls or anything else that would address our tremendous problems of the nation, they want to talk about them and don't want to solve them. mitt does. >> you had staples. you know business. what is that saying that business is war and it's tough. you know romney well. and given what the perception that has been engendered by the other side is of romney, is politics -- is business anywhere near as nasty and underhaded as poll tex? would you just give it up? you must be tired of the portrayal we have about mitt romney right now? >> mitt's a pretty tough guy. he's used to taking shots and he comes up smiling. as we expose the real mitt romney in this convention and i think ann did a wonderful job talking about her years with mi mitt. anyone who doesn't think mitt is a terrific hu

. >> john harwood joins us now. you know, it's a dirty business, but i've heard -- one of my favorite things is, you know, palin, for a couple of days, energized the base, too. and then we took a closer look and you saw what happened. it doesn't appear to me that this in any way, shape or form is similar to picking palin at all. but you're going to hear that posited and it's sort of implying that sooner or later it's going to sour and it's going to look like, you know -- it's not going to look quite as rosy as it did at the beginning, john. but the comparisons are le ludicrous in my view. >> i agree with you. the only similarity is they both provided electricity into the race. but for totally different reasons. paul romney, as mitt romney said over the weekend has become the intellectual leader or the republican party, the house republicans and he's genuinely got them fired up. fired up in a base is important. he's young, he's vibrant, he's likable. he is more fluent in economic policy and tax policy and deficit pol

but we're going to get to john harwood. one thing that's kind of disturbing we lost neil armstrong, one of the most humble great men. my god, so cute. very sad about it. i remembered when he was landing on the lunar land motion dull, flew 72 missions in korea but when he was landing, they needed to conserve fuel or else they couldn't take off and he was coming down and nowhere to land and i think he said something to the fact in ground control oil be busy for a minute here so i can't talk. he moved around and i think he had like 11 seconds left of fuel or they couldn't have taken off when he found a place where it wasn't rocks or mountains or something. so we lost him but we got snooki's baby. so just seems we -- the worst weather from isaac is now expected to miss the republican convention in tampa. >> you never know. >> we all have a chance. the schedule still being adjusted republican national committee chairman is going to call the convention to order. then they will postpone it until tomorrow. shortly thereafter gamble

merkel meets monti today, rajoy meets van rompuy. >>> john harwood joins us for a quick preview of thelican national convention. what's going to be the big deal? >> reporter: last night was the first important night of this convention. you had chris christie giving the speech. you played a bite a minute ago. ann romney was more important because she was trying to make a personal connection between the husband she knows and american voters, they haven't warmed up to him so far even though he's close to barack obama. that's what made last night so important. she said, i am speaking from the heart about our hearts. that was an important line. >> plenty more to come from you in "squawk box." thanks for that quick tease. we'll take a break. we're going to wrap the show up. "squawk box" is coming up next. stay here on cnbc. hope you have a profitable day. >>> good morning. hurricane isaac makes a second landfall. pounding the gulf coast, causing major flooding. 18 miles of levee overtopped in lose louse. >>> gop making its pitch for mitt romney in a prime time speech last night, ann romney a

on the edge of solomaas island road near harwood road.police determined he had been hit by a vehicle.n evidence gathered at the scene... police are looking for a 2003 volkswagon gool, m- k- 4 with damage to the passenger side... specifically tte grille, bumper, windshield and mirror.police have not released the identity of the victim.anyone with information is asked to call anne arundel county police. n-f-l star chad johnson is released on bondd.. after allegedly áhead-buttingá his wifeethe former miami dolphins wide receiver was arrested saturday night at his florida home... and charged with domestic violence. his wife... evelyn lozada... is a cast member on the v-h-1 reality show "basketball wives," about 24 hours after the incident... the dolphins announced on their website that they had terminated johnson's contract. no reason was given for his release. 3 today... a maryland lawmaker says he will propose changing a gambling measure to create a joint house and senate panel to oversee gambling. gambling. delegate eric luedtke announced his plans during a meeting withhmembers of the

joining us is john harwood. what kind of impact should he anticipate.ings will go as normal after that or do we expect a pull back? >> certainly hoping i want goes as formal, becky after the one day delay. really these conventions have become so scripted and the american people have become so accustomed to politics it doesn't matter much to lose one day of the convention. most important speech is mitt romney's speech on thursday night, his chance to talk to millions of americans who haven't seen him talk at length the way he'll have a chance to do. what republicans are most concerned about is tuesday and wednesday, when the storm hits in the gulf, perhaps in new orleans is whether or not the storm has such an impact and produces scenes of devastation that produce a contrast they don't want between celebrating republicans here in tampa and suffering of their fellow americans. so, they are praying for the mildest possible hurricane even though we already know it's not going hit tampa very hard they don't want to it hit hard in the gulf because it will mak

and they're tossing soft balls to john harwood. he's kind of funny. >> just what we need.'s enough stuff coming in. >> we got to go. >> when we come back, another two powerful hours of "squawk box." mario gabelli giving us his picks along with ron baron and boone pickens after this message. next. that's genius! we knew you needed a platform that could really help you elevate your trading. so we built it. chances of making this? it's a lot easier to find out if a trade is potentially profitable. just use our trade & probability calculator. and there it is. for all the reasons you trade options-- from income to risk management to diversification-- you'll have the tools to get it done. strategies. chains. positions. we put 'em all on one screen! could we make placing a trade any easier? mmmm... could we? around here, options are everything. yes mom, i'll place a long call to you tomorrow. i promise. open an account today. call 1-888-330-3137 now and talk to one of our options specialists. optionsxpress by charles schwab. as much advanced technology as the world around it. wit

john harwood has the latest. >> everybody is waiting to see how the attractive young chairman of the house committee performs on the national stage. he is not that well known nationally. he is an attractive guy with a gorgeous family. his wife made a speech today, and aides say it will be a prelude to his small town background with the agenda that mitt romney will try to pursue as president. before paul ryan speaks, we'll hear from condoleezza rice, who in addition to trying to deepen romney's appeal among women will it's a a spotlight on foreign policy. she talked about the president's approach to syria and it's shortcomings. >> i just think the united states had a muted voice in this issue. i understand how hard it is in there, and i have been reluctant to criticize successes because i know how hard it is. but syria is getting worse and worse, how much worse can it get? blood is literally flowing in the streets. >> you hear that full interview between larry kudlow and condoleezza rice on the c"the k report" ght.>> stay right there look at the man of the hour for tonight, congressma

police say he hit a man along solomon's island road near harwood road yesterday and kept on going. charges are still pending in the case. police have not identified the pedestrian killed in that. >>> the maryland house of delegates will meet as a special session continues to work on a measure to expand gambling o friday, the senate passed the bill to allow table games and a new casino in prince george's county. under that measure, the state lottery agency would become the state lottery and gaming control agency. members would be appointed but e governor with the consent of the senate. that leaves the house out of the process. but one delegate says he will propose the creation of a housant senate oversight panel. >>> now to the top story over the weekend. the new romney-ryan gop ticket in the race for the white house. yesterday, the two were in north carolina. the republican candidates tried to appeal to voter who went for george w. bush in 2004. congressman ryan did not waste any time in assuming the role of the campaign attack dog calling the obama administration wasteful and corr

john harwood joins us from the rnc in tampa. hey, john, my man. did you get a chance to see yourself on that other -- i don't know whether you were able to look at it. you look good. >> reporter: i was. i didn't have much to say. >> which i like. normally that's not the case. i want to talk to you at the end of your report, i don't know where you're going to go. one of the great things that ever happened to me is somebody gave for notice the obama campaign so i get these emails from michelle, i get them from john kerry, i got one this morning from david axelrod that i want to talk to you about. dave and i go way back. but at the end of what you had to talk about, i want to reference it, if you don't mind. but go ahead. >> reporter: let me talk about the speech a little bit. paul ryan hit a home run for his ticket last night. it was a speech that was both highly partisan, highly ideological and a party that is overwhelmingly dominated by conservatives that message went over very well both in his prescription what ought to to be done now but in his

how do they feel about congress in ohio's 16th, john harwood is there live. >> reporter: hi. don't be fooled by this serene summer backdrop behind me. voters in ohio are not happy not with the presidential candidates, obama and romney fiercely contesting the state or with congress they see not getting the job done. >> i just don't think they can compromise. they can't work together. they've got all the lobbyists in their back pocket. they get elected and they have to pay back their -- their bennies that they got from getting elected. we elect them but they don't listen to us. >> fresh faces are always a good thing, if you're there only to back the people that have put you in there and not to do what's best for the country overall and unite us all, i think it is a very good thing to have new people on the scene. >> but this is a district where it's impossible to have new people on the scene because it pits two incumbents, republican jim renecy and democrat rene sutton. both trying to make arguments to the voters. republican drying to blame the democratic senate and the democra

cnbc's own john harwood joins us with details. good evening. >> good evening, larry. as your intro suggested it's an unusual news day. an obscure senate candidate can overshadow a presidential race. that's how dumb todd akin's comments were. there was a campaign. the week old republican ticket went to new hampshire. mitt romney, paul ryan campaigned together and called out president obama accusing him of dodging their desire to have a debate on the issues. >> it seems the first victim of an obama campaign is the truth. [ laughter ] >> it has been sad and disappointing. frankly, when i became the presumptive nominee, the president called and congratulated me on becoming the presumptive nominee and said america deserves an honest debate about the future of the country. i agreed. i'm waiting to hear him begin that. >> president obama also had the press corps waiting for a news conference. he had one today. he defended the tone of his campaign saying he had not gone over the line. he noted that he didn't make the controversial priorities usa ad that linked mitt romney wit

hello, i'm john harwood.n about 25 minutes, the former massachusetts governor will reach the goal he's pursued for the last six years. he'll introduce himself to the nation and the world as the republican nominee for president of the united states. it's his biggest chance yet to frame his battle against president obama and paint a portrait of the agenda and values he'd bring to the white house. expect him to talk about his experience in business and his faith. subjects some americans have had questions about. before he takes the stage, we'll hear from senator marco rube io and clint eastwood. first we'll hear from our own conservative icon, larry kudlow, host of "the kudlow report." this is a time lapse shot over the last 24 hours. you can see the stage is set. people have been streaming in all day in anticipation of mitt romney's speech. now, larry, you're a longtime champion of supply-side economics. you've been critical of this convention so far for not saying enough about tax cuts and economic growth. >>

john harwood is at the convention with the latest details. >> mitt romney has been aiming for this prize for six years. he going to get it tonight, but he's also getting help rhetorically from people speaking in prime time tonight. first of those is chris christie who is a combative republican, who told matt lauer talking about how to get things done by crossing party lines. >> we have compromised on significant pension and health care reform, capped property taxes, done a number of things that people said we weren't going to be able to get done. >> potentially it will help ann romney connect. she checked out the podium today and gave a very brief preview of what's she's going to say. >> you know, we're having a great time, i'm excited about it. >> nose are the headliners tonight, we'll bet paul ryan tomorrow night and mitt romney on thursday. this is when it really kicks off for the republicans and you hear the music mibehind me, they're warming up. stay right there, we are bringing in our next guest to talk about tax rates. a new study found that 58% of people say the rich don't pay en