i'm john berman. some nasty weather here this morning from tropical storm isaac, the republican national convention is set to kick off its first full day tomorrow, not today. mitt romney will be making his official debut this week as the party's presidential nominee. the candidate was at church in new hampshire yesterday with his wife, ann, who will join a long list of republican leaders taking the stage this week. i am joined right now by republican strategist and cnn contributor anna navarro. and anna, there is a fresh-new poll out from nbc news and "the washington post" showing mitt romney with a one-point lead heading into the convention. that's got to be a good place for the romney campaign to be before his official rollout here in tampa. >> yeah, he's certainly made up ground, but it's going to be a neck-and-neck race. we are going to be fighting this out to the end. this is an important week for mitt romney. this is his coming out party. he needs to show himself. he needs to open himself up. he

and a little spot of -- and some miller. >> now the spotted cow, the linies and miller, i'm sure john bermanf wisconsin. we got a reference to that from paul ryan. but make no mistake, this is going to be a bare knuckle campaign. you heard david axelrod refer to paul ryan as a right wing ideologue. basically the president had to say, we respect paul ryan and definitely disagree on the issues. mitt romney goes down to miami later today where he'll be campaigning with marco rubio. >> by the way, my research does say that you are correct, about that wisconsin beer. thanks very much. enjoy your day in florida. >> i want to bring in ron brownstein. ron, you've been writing about something that democrats have sort of been talking about from before ryan was even picked. the title is, why ryan could make a romney victory harder. >> he clears brings a lot of assets, dynamic and articulate and intellectual leader of conservatives. his budget plan has galvanized conservatives more than anything since the tax cuts in the '70s. the modern gop coalition as we've talked about, john, is much more dependent

right now. >>> good morning, i am john berman. >> hi john berman, haven't i seen you the last two hours you're stuck with us. a white power past and word that wade page had been tracked for 12 years. new details this morning of the suspected gunman who open fire on a sikh temple. >> could there be a plea deal. jared loughner killing six people and trying to assassinate gabby giffords last year may admit he's guilty today. >>> picking up speed, there he is, tropical storm ernesto brewing, forcing evacuations. the storm could intensify into a hurricane by tonight. >> and overnight, a new catch phrase for the obama campaign. >> it's like robin hood in reverse. it's romney hood. >> and you can imagine this morning the romney camp fiercely firing back. >> we're going to talk about that. a packed show ahead. take a look at the photo, we have joe lieberman and christine todd whitman, olympic gold medalist dan o'brien and the infamous, is that the appropriate word? honey boo boo from toddlers and tiaras. >> "starting point" begins right now. >>> good morning, happy tuesday to you and thank you

right now. >>> good morning, i am john berman. >> hi john berman, haven't i seen you the last two hours

i'm john berman. n grill in tampa where they're holding the republican national convention with the action getting started here today. we'll have more in a few minutes. >> we're looking forward to that, john. a lot of action i'm hoping for today. i'm zoraida sambolin. it's 30 minutes past the hour. first isaac is on a collision course with new orleans right now. it is still a tropical storm and it's slowing down over the warm gulf water. isaac could make landfall tonight. maybe early tomorrow. seven years to the day after hurricane katrina. reporter blake hanson from wdsu joins us from the shore on lake pontchartrain in new orleans. what's going on there right now? >> reporter: hey, good morning, zoraida. as we just started here, a big wave came over the edge. we're at the base. the south end of lake pontchartrain. a lot of heavy waves are coming along the seawall. it's not in the protection area where we're at now. police have closed off this air k i can't to the public. since weave been out here for

let's send it back to john berman.morning. >> good morning, i'm at patches place, a restaurant here in tampa. we're here because back at the convention hall, the speeches ever done and the balloons have fallen and they are sweeping up. but we have big questions, namely, will the poll numbers rise for mitt romney after his convention performance? we'll have expert analysis, all of the answers from tampa coming up. [ female announcer ] ready r a taste of what's hot? check out the latest collection of snacks from lean cuisine. creamy spinach artichoke dip, crispy garlic chicken spring rolls. they're this season's must-have accessory. lean cuisine. be culinary chic. 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 u

i'm zoraida sambolin. >> i'm john berman.etting an early look at some of the local news making national headlines from around the country. first up from the detroit free press, two men, thomas and raymond highers are free this morning, at least for the time being. they walked out of prison last night after spending 25 years behind bars for a 1987 murder. new evidence, apparently has come to light over the last several months. it happened on a facebook chat. people noticed on a facebook chat a couple years ago there were people saying they were witnesses to this crime. it may not have been these two brothers. you can see here obviously delighted to be free. a judge has released the men on bail for now. while they hear more from these two witnesses and decide whether to hold a new trial. they spent last night apparently at their aunt's house. their first night free. >> it was very low bail. $1,000. $10,000 bond. >> the judge said they weren't a threat. he thought they should get a break. >> they said on the facebook chat, folks

let's go back to john berman anchoring our coverage of the republican national convention. john?you back home. it is nice to see you even if just on tv here. >> i miss you, too. i tweeted out a picture saying this is a view i will have for the next two weeks because you go from there to the dsc. going to miss you. >> it will only make you are on bond stronger. paul ryan brings his a game, the biggest speech of of his political career and went after the president hard and set the stage for mitt romney's moment in the spotlight. tonight our special coverage of the republican national convention from tampa continues in a moment. the wheels of progress haven't been very active lately. but because of business people like you, things are beginning to get rolling. and regions is here to help. making it easier with the expertise and service to keep those wheels turning. from business loans to cash management, we want to be your partner moving forward. so switch to regions. and let's get going. together. but don't just listen to me. listen to these happy progressive customers. i plugged i

i'm john berman.ar-old boy is dead and the search is on for his 6-year-old brother, both swept away in the river at yosemite national park. they were taking a brea from hiking when the tragedy happened. the 10-year-old is the park's third drowning victim has begun. the controversial keystone pipeline has broken ground. construction officially started near livingston, texas. it was met with heav protests yesterday. at least one group has threatened sit-ins. approval for the international portion of the pipeline is still pending. president obama rejected that permit in january over concerns a rupture might threaten a sensitive aquifer in nebraska. >>> all right. president clinton reunited with bill clinton. a 14-year-old ugandan native. bill clinton, who was born the same month the president first visited the east african country, was reunited with that bill clinton during his recent trip. president clinton encouraged his young namesake to stay focused on his dream of getting a medical degree and even o

i'm christine romans. >> i'm john berman.till set on unseeding incumbent claire mccaskill, senator from missouri, defying calls from party leadership to abandon ship after inflammatory comments about abortion over the weekend. akin at the st. louis airport last night. >> were you upset with how the republican did not back you during all of this? does it bother you that they kind of bailed on you? >> it's been exciting days. we're doing the best we can. >> and do you still think you can win the race? >> i believe so. >> akin had until 6: last night to withdraw from te race without needing a court order. while he's indicated no plans to drop out, the congressman is expected to face even more pressure leading up to the republican convention next week. republican strategist margaret hoover is with us now. clearly with a week before the convention this is not what the republican party wanted to be talking about. >> we can say very diplomatically that this is an unhelpful distraction. this is not what the republicans want to be tal

i'm john berman. >> and i'm zoraida sambolin.ave you this morning. >>> well, there is a standoff outside an embassy in london right now. one of the most controversial men in the world is inside. julian assange has been granted diplomatic asylum in ecuador, but really, nothing has changed for the wikileaks founder. british authorities say safe passage is simply out of the question. police have surrounded the ecuadorian embassy in london where assange has been hold up for the past two months to avoid extradition to sweden, but wikileaks says assange will make a public statement outside the embassy on sunday. cnn's atika shubert is following the diplomatic standoff. he is live in london right outside of the embassy. paint a picture for us and what exactly is happening. >> reporter: well, seems like all parties are raising the stakes, not only in wikileaks saying that julian assange will come out, will be in front of the ecuador embassy making a live statement on sunday, his first public appearance in months, ecuador has now called a

i'm john berman.ew details about the deadly shooting spree. seven people dead including the gunman. this morning we may have a motive for this massacre. the temple leader who was shot when he tried to tackle the gunman and save others. law enforcement officials spent the night examining the suspected gunman's home. we don't have his identity yet. a source tells cnn the suspect was an army veteran who may have been a white supremacist. police say the shooter walked into the temple parking lot yesterday morning and began firing. the first officer responded to the scene was ambushed. here is what it sounded like on the police dispatch. >> subject down! >> we have one officer shot. >> david mattingly with live in oak creek. we've heard the gunman described as a 40ish old white male and we keep hearing about this tattoo commemorating september 11th. >> reporter: that's right, but nothing specific regarding a possible motive. we had a law enforcement source telling cnn early this morning that the suspect wa

so let's send it over to john berman, he's live in tampa. and i got to tell you, a lot going us for us. >> so much going on down here. i was on the floor last night of course. chris christie delivering a keynote address, but what had the delegates truly energized was ann romney delivering the heart. >> tonight i want to talk to you you about love. >> millions of people introduced to the woman who could be the first lady as they talks about her husband's softer side. we are live from the republican national convention here in tampa coming up next. go-gurt? yep...doh. [ boy ] slurpably fun and a good source of calcium. dads who get it, get go-gurt. >>> welcome back to "early start." you're taking a live look at gulfport, mississippi being poundeded right now. our top story of course, we're up early tracking hurricane isaac. which made landfall over louisiana last night as a category 1 storm. it was exactly seven years ago today that screkatrina struck. and residents have etz evacuated or they're hunkering down riding throughout storm. there ar

i'm john berman.'m zoraida sambolin. >>> up first the pressure is mount ring for todd akin to drop out of the race. akin is refusing to go. before yesterday, much of the country didn't know who he was. but republicans were counting on him to defeat incumbent claire mccaskill and help them regain control of the senate. but this morning, his remarks have both parties united in their condemnation. >> the views expressed were offensive. rape is rape. >> his comments about rape were deeply offensive. and i can't defend what he said. i can't defend him. >> cnn political editor paul steinhauser live in our washington bureau. this is a long list of people, house speaker john boehner, senate leader, mitch mcconnell urged him to withdraw. the editorial committee will not support his campaign. he's losing money here. what is the likelihood that akin will stay in this race? what are insiders saying? >> as you mentioned, there is a 5:00 local time deadline today. if he gets out, there are no penalties against him.

i'm zoraida sambolin. >> i'm john berman.in india, good news for the people there. half of the country is now breathing a collective sigh of relief after three of the country's interconnected power grids were strained to the point of collapse yesterday. it led to the largest electrical blackout in india's history. the numbers are staggering. more than half a billion people had no power in the summer heat. the blackout stopped trains on tracks. it trapped miners underground. it paralyzed subways and snarled traffic in much of the capital. we're going to be on this story all morning. but it was a big, big blackout. right now the power is back on in india, thankfully. but there's a lot of concern about whether the power grid there can sustain all the need for that growing country. >> they say they have to fix the infrastructure. that's a pretty expensive proposition. i had no idea it was 10% of the population. that's outrageous. when you think of that big number, oh, my goodness. we'll see. we're going to check in with a reporte

. >> i'm john berman. it's 5:00 a.m. in the east. just when you thought the race for the white house couldn't get any nastier, it did. mitt romney now claiming that president obama is, quote, angry and desperate, intellectually exhausted and a, quote, disgrace. the white house firing back suggesting the former massachusetts governor is coming, quote, unhinged. it was vice president joe biden who lit this fuse on this latest firestorm. listen to what he said about romney in southern virginia yesterday. keep in mind, hundreds of african-americans were in the crowd. >> he said in the first 100 days he's going to let the big banks once again write their own rules. unchain wall street. they're going to put you all back in chains. >> that comment got romney and the republicans all riled up. and biden had to jump right back in later and do some damage control. take a listen. >> another outrageous charge just came a few hours ago in virginia. and the white house sinks a little bit lower. his campaign and his surrogates have made wild and rec

i'm john berman. let's check your headlines this morning.rodney king's death was the result of an accidental drowning, but alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, and pcp found in his system. they were contributing factors. the autopsy report says that king was in a state of alcohol and drug induced delirium when he died back in june. king's fiance found him in the bottom of his swimming pool. >>> a happier story. incredible video. a boston area woman rushing to catch a train with her 4-year-old son fell onto the tracks with her boy in her arms. she says she thought the train she needed was in the station, but she got it confused with one on the opposite platform. the great thick is bystanders wasted no time to jump in to save them. >> they were right there. they just didn't care. like if trains are coming or what. we fell, and they jumped behind us. i got a new life as of yesterday. we are saved. it's a miracle. >> the mother and her son are doing fine today. however, she says she will never take a train again. >>> now yankees manager joe girardi is o

i'm john berman.'m brianna keilar in for zoraida sambolin. >>> you're looking here at the very first images from curiosity of the red planet. the mission here to hopefully find out once and for all if life was possible on mars. we've got cnn's john zarrella in pasadena at the jet propulsion lab. to land curiosity, nasa used a parachute method that they weren't even able to test. i find this funny because they call this the seven minutes of terror, quote. is this the hardest part of the mission or are we expecting other potential pitfalls here? >> reporter: always potential pitfalls, brianna. the bottom line is, without question, that seven minutes of terror. they never attempted this kind of landing before. the vehicle, you can see a model behind me here is so big at 2,000 pounds, the size of a small car, they couldn't use the other methods they had done in the past, the tried and true methods, air bags opening, bouncing on the planet and deflating and these rovers coming out. this was just too big to

first to 0 john berman with an update on the top stories.g. >>> we have some big news overseas and here at home. more than 5,000 acres have be been scorched by two wildfires in northern california. one of them is forcing dozens of families to evacuate their homes in clear lake. that's about 100 miles north of san francisco. more than 200 firefighters are on the scene. officials say it could be at least another week before everything is under control. a giant wind and dust storm swept through arizona and a cnn ireporter caught these really stunning time lapse images of the phoenix area. experts say more and more of these storms have been rolling through. this one brought high winds, as high as 40 miles an hour. billy graham is alert and in good spirits this morning. niece a north carolina hospital battling a pulmonary infection believed to be bronchitis. he developed a slight fever. graham's spokesman says no date has been set for his discharge. last year he was hospitalized for pneumonia. >>> overseas big changes in egypt. president morsy is

john berman is there for us. >> hey, soledad. drier here and watching down there very closely. meantime, i'm joined by senator rob portman. he is a leader in the republican party. he was also rumored to be on the vice presidential short list. he didn't get that, but he is deeply involved in this campaign. we will be playing the part of barack obama in debate prep with mitt romney. something he is something of an expert on. and you are speaking tonight at the republican convention. >> right. >> before we talk about tonight, let's talk about last night. mitt romney's wife, ann romney, was the speaker who really electrified the crowd. and her role there was to sort of humanize the candidate. and i want to play a little clip of what she said. >> yeah. >> we got married and moved into a basement apartment. [ applause ] >> we walked to class together, shared the housekeeping, ate a lot of pasta and tuna fish. our desk was a door propped up on saw horses. our dining room table was a foldown ironing board in the kitchen. but those were t

i'm john berman. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. glad you're with us. romans. >> breaking news we've been following for you out of hollywood. hollywood reeling from the news that "top gun" director tony scott apparently killed him self. the l.a. coroner's office treating this case as a suicide saying he jumped off the vincent thomas bridge. the "la times" reported he left a note. directing "top gun" and "crimson tide." tony scott was 68 years old. >>> a developing story in missouri. two out of fire spectators injured when a race car crashed at the missouri state fair. two of the fire refive remain in the hospital. they were watching a charity race near the pit area where a driver left the track and crashed into them. the battle of the badges races featuring old police cars were canceled the rest of the night. >>> 76 people rescued off the coast of alaska when their sightseeing vessel ran aground. passengers were transferred to a cruiseship after the boat began taking on water. no serious injuries were reported. the coast guard is investigating the accid

i'm john berman. a quick check of the headlines now. rk david chapman, is up for parole again. the hearing this week will be the seventh. he gunned down lennon 32 years ago t. could happen as early as tomorrow, a decision on his release is expected by week's end. chapman is serving is 20 years to life for lennon's murder. >>> madonna sued in russia for $10 million for voicing her support of gay rights. reuters says anti-gay activists are suing the singer after she asked concert goers to wave pink arm bands that were distributed at the show. local law makes it illegal to, are quote, promote homosexuality to minors. >>> he has been suspended for 50 games for using testosterone but the which melky cabrera tried to beat the wrap, created a fake website with fake products, how he inadvertently purchased a banned substance. the 50 game ban stands and now the federal government is investigating melky could be in some big trouble. >> here is the problem -- you know, you shouldn't try to harness the power of technology unless you're really a real

. >> and i'm john berman. it's 5:00 a.m. in the east. >>> this is cnn breaking news. >>> we begin this breaking news. word that a flight from new york to moscow was diverted to iceland early this morning. u.s. law enforcement officials say they received an anonymous threat that there were five suitcases with womans on boar-- bombs on board. we don't know how many americans are board. we are gathering more information for you. >> first our lead story this morning, fierce fires just raging in the west. 70 large wildfires burning right now, already consuming 1.3 million acres. california has the most with 13. they've called the marines to help beat back the flames. folks in central washington state had been hit the hardest. the wind whipped tailor bridge fire torched 40 square miles at this point destroying 06 homes. rob marciano joins us live from washington this morning. the issue here, it looks like these are going to get worse. >> yes, in many spots. the good news with this particular fire is the winds calmed down a little

i'm zoraida sambolin. >> i'm john berman. 30 minutes past the hour right now.ympics. it was the textbook definition of domination. team usa crushing the competition in women's gymnas c gymnastics final last night outscoring second place russia by five points. from the very first vault by jordyn wieber to a stellar floor routine by ali raisman, capping off a stellar performance, each girl did exactly what they came to do. the americans didn't botch a single routine. all but three of their 12 scores were 15 or higher. the women's amazing performance on tuesday helped add to the usa's total medal count. the women took the gold for just the second time in history. it was the first time since kerri strug in the so-called magnificent seven of atlanta in the '96 games of atlanta. i'm joined by three-time olympic gymnast john roethlisberger. he joins us from london. so glad you agreed to come back today. watching those women last night, that was something. >> john, it was -- it was domination like i've never seen in an olympic team competition. it kind of reminded me o

i'm poppy harlow in for john berman. >> nice to have you. i'm zoraida sambolin. up first, the shooting rampage in tucson, arizona, takes a dramatic step this morning. jared lee loughner now facing a lifetime in prison after pleading guilty to a shooting that killed six people and almost killed a former member of congress, gabrielle giffords. under the plea deal loughner will be sentenced to life in prison with no parole but will avoid the death penalty. the u.s. attorney prosecuting the case says loughner's mental state was a big factor in this decision. >> the doctors who have treated and observed mr. loughner since the shooting agree that he suffered from a severe mental illness. that is severe schizophrenia. at the time of the shooting and before the shooting. the fragility of his continued competency to stand trial was taken into account. >> we're live in tu san. we're used to seeing loughner's picture we just showed on the screen. you saw him in the courtroom yesterday. how did he look to you? >> reporter: he looked very different. at least his demeanor was

and john berman staying with us.ational september 11th memorial and museum fighting a group of atheist in or the. the issue is that amazing 17-foot tall cross, the word trade center cross. the museum is trying to get this lawsuit that's been filed by the group american atheists thrown out. the group claims the cross shaped steel artifact in the museum's collection violates the first amendment. according to the museum, the cross is a key component in retelling of the story of 9/11 in particular the role of faith in the events of that day and particularly during recovery efforts. they are fighting this group to get that cross removed. what i find strange about it is the cross was taken obviously out of its area which was by world trade 6 i believe and moved and lowered by crane into the museum. i don't know how you could effectively argue that an artifact, a religious artifact is violating church and state in a museum. >> given its historic importance, it also has importance as art and as history of the city and histor

. >> and i'm john berman.ith us. >> let's get an early read, some of the local news making national headlines here this morning, including offensive caricatures of mexicans. i'm talking about students dressed as gang members, pregnant women pushing a baby stroller, all part of senior week. remember senior week in high school? this is high school perhaps not like you experienced. this is anaheim, california. take a look at this picture. this is the cover of the "l.a. times" this morning, canyon high school taking a lot of heat for allowing these demeaning costumes during something called senors and senoritas day. it happened for three years at the school. along with sombreros, fake mustaches, some dressed up as border patrol agents and tear drops. the event will be placed with an international week next year. administrators will undergo diversity and sensitivity training and the school will offer an ethnic studies class. >> i can't believe this is going on for three years. >> now it matters. they're saying than

let's get right to john berman at the cnn grill in tampa, florida. sident obama and mitt romney may be neck and neck in recent polls, but the former massachusetts governor does have one serious gap to close. 73% of voters ages 18 to 34 right now support president obama or are leaning that way. and only 25% say they are in mitt romney's corner, according to a cnn poll from earlier this month. so what does mitt romney do about this? he might have a secret weapon on his side. it's the youngest member of congress, 31-year-old illinois congressman aaron schock. he is joining us right now. i am also joined by the eternalally youthful jessica yellen. before i talk about the youth vote, congressman, i want to talk about something else. because mitt romney's likability is a subject i think we'll hear a lot about today with ann romney speaking at the convention. some people have said that the former massachusetts governor is stiff. one of these people who seemed to say that was your colleague, republican sean duffey from wisconsin, who seemed to suggest that ea

first let's get to john berman. >> we have tropical storm warnings after new depression forms in the atlantic overnight, a lot of republicans watching this wondering if it will affect the convention. let's get to rob marciano for the latest. >> that is a possibility but it's a long way off. first orld of business is tropical depression number 9. we have a system off the coast of africa that will develop into a depression or tropical storm. tropical depression number 9, if it does tren sthen, isaac will be its name. tropical storm warnings have been posted for parts of the leeward islands, in anticipation of arriving sometime on wednesday and strengthening in category 1 or 2 storm. brings it towards puerto rico and hispaniola or jamaica or cuba or even the east coast in play as we get towards next week. >>> this system in the gulf of mexico, it is not moving very much, near the mexican coast. mostly heavy rain. rain across parts of this southeast with this front. everywhere north of there looks to be a nice day with

starts pouring in here where we are, where we begin this morning which is in tampa, florida, and john berman is there for us. hey, john, good morning. >> good morning, soledad. tonight is the night for mitt romney, the one he has been waiting for for years. he will give the biggest speech of his political career accepting his party's nomination and making the case for a romney presidency. the talk this morning, though, is focused on romney's running mate paul ryan who really fired up the convention crowd with a wide ranging attack on president obama's record and really his entire philosophy. i am joined by white house correspondent brianna kiehlar to walk us through this address. >> he hit him on the economy and it was the house budget chairman doing so and theomney campaign thinks he is a good messenger for this. in this election that is shaping up to be a referendum on president obama's economic policies, this is where paul ryan went. he said we have had four years of a runaround and now it is time for a turn around in mitt romney. here is part of what he said. >> it all started off with s