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Man Accused Of Threatening Obama; Congressman Defies GOP Leaders; Diana Nyad Says No Regrets; West Nile Virus Case Rise; Skateboarder Claims Police Brutality; Fact Checking Welfare Attacks on Obama; Florida Governor Worried about Tropical Storm; Video Shuts Down Slaughterhouse; Mitt Romney Stumps in Iowa; Late-Night Talk Show War Heats Up

Aired August 22, 2012 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Suzanne Malveaux and this hour in the CNN NEWSROOM, voters in three battleground states listening to the president as well as Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan. They are all speaking live this hour. The government says it's shut down a beef slaughterhouse after seeing video of inhumane treatment of cattle. And a federal judge rules poker is not gambling. Really? Let's get right to it.

A man accused of making threats against President Obama, he is expected in court this afternoon. Now, secret service agents arrested Anton Caluori at his apartment in suburban Seattle yesterday, that happened on yesterday. Te investigation started when the FBI contacted the secret service about what they say are alarming e-mails. There's no word on the exact threat that was made, but agents say when they went to Caluori's apartment, he was armed with a shotgun. They say he made comments about the explosives, but the bomb squad didn't find anything.

Missouri Congressman Todd Akin defies the Republican establishment. Akin, he is ignoring calls for party leaders to drop out of the U.S. Senate race. He has apologized for his comments about what he called legitimate rape. In an NBC interview today, Akin tried again to explain the remarks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. TODD AKIN (R), MISSOURI: A -- legitimate does not -- should not -- should not be in the context of rape at all, that's completely wrong. And what I understood that I had been offensive to people and that I had misspoken then, I first off apologized. I think that's appropriate. And that's -- because that word just doesn't belong. There is no rape that is legitimate. It is a heinous crime, one of the most serious and I understand that the victims are harmed for a long time and I take that very seriously. But while I apologize for the misuse of that word, at the same time, I don't apologize for the fact that I am strong in my belief of pro-life.

MATT LAUER, HOST, NBC "TODAY": But you misused a word and then you compounded the problem by getting the medical facts just plain wrong when you said that in the case of a forcible rape, that a -- or a legitimate rape, a woman's body has the ability to shutdown and avoid pregnancy. That's just not true.

AKIN: That's correct. That's not true. I was misinformed and I recognize that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Dana Bash, she's joining us from Washington. So, Dana, first of all, we realize that Akin, he's not budging and let's talk specifically about his race and we'll kind of broaden it out a little bit. First of all, do we think -- does he think that he has enough support to win?

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He says he has support from what he calls the small people, and what he means by that are the voters in his state of Missouri. And whether or not that's true, that's an open question, Suzanne. But what he does have on his side are the demographic of Missouri. He is a devout evangelical Christian and in the last presidential election, 39 percent of all voters in Missouri considered themselves evangelical. So, if he can get most of those voters, he's doing pretty well. But, of course, 39 percent is not a majority, and that's why Republican party officials and even handicappers now of all of these races think that at this point it might be more likely that he loses. And just a few days ago, it was the other way around.

MALVEAUX: And Akin, so far, says he's going to abide by his party's request. He's not attending the Republican convention but otherwise he seems to be moving forward. How is this playing out, Dana, with Mitt Romney and even this personal plea from Paul Ryan for him to get out of the race. Have they resolved that? Have Romney and the Ryan ticket essentially moved on and try to ignore him now or what happens with that?

BASH: At this point, it looks like they are trying to ignore him publicly. That they're done with what they did with their -- with their public statements calling on him to get out because it didn't work. But you mentioned the fact that Paul Ryan who, of course, is a House colleague of Todd Akin, he called him and tried to get him out of the race. Listen to what Akin said about that conversation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AKIN: Yes. Paul Ryan did give me a call and he felt that I had to make a decision, but he advised me that it would be good for me to step down.

LAUER: And what did you say to him?

AKIN: Well, I told him that I was going to be looking at this very seriously, trying to weigh all of the different points on this, and that I would make the decision, because it's not about me, it's about trying to do the right thing and standing on principle.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: And, Suzanne, a senior Republican source told me, earlier today, that they're just, at this point, going to have to, quote, "grind it out for now," see how much money Akin can raise, because, of course, as we have been reporting, the party has frozen him out of the money, outside groups, important ones with a lot of money like Karl Grove's -- Karl Grove's Crossroads is also not giving him money. So, the question is how much he can sustain from grass roots activists who are really annoyed at their party for bailing on him.

MALVEAUX: And we know that Romney and Ryan, obviously, they're trying the focus on the economy and jobs, but now the Republicans getting themselves caught up in this abortion issue. How much of this, Dana, do you think reflects the party split within the Republican party between the power of the fiscal conservatives, like Ryan and Romney, and the social conservatives, like you have this gentleman who is -- who is running in Missouri.

BASH: It definitely reflects the fact that there are a lot of Republicans who have very strong anti-abortion views. And, you know, Paul Ryan is known as a fiscal conservative, but this has put a spotlight on his social views as well. And he certainly doesn't -- would never go as far and has denounced that the terminology that Todd Akin used, but he has supported some abortion, anti-abortion bills with him in the past. To answer your question, this is -- this is very -- Republicans are very candid about it that I talked to, that this is very damaging to them, because they have been trying to focus on the economy and they've been trying to get more women into their fold.

I just talked to two women who are down in Tampa getting ready for the convention. Republican Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn who is anti-abortion and a Republican who is for abortion rights, both of them -- both of them admitted that this is going to be very problematic for getting those swing voters. And the other thing that they pointed out, very interesting, is that women tend to be among the last to decide who to vote for. And that is not good if they don't separate Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan and other Republican candidates from Todd Akin.

MALVEAUX: That's reminded -- a popular expression my mom says all the time, you have the -- your right to change your mind. So, there you go. All right, Dana, thank you very much, appreciate it.

BASH: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: Just days before the start of the political conventions, President Obama and Mitt Romney locked in a neck and neck race. This is a new NBC News "Wall Street Journal" poll. The Obama teams leads Romney and Ryan 48 to 44 percent. So, that is within the poll's sampling of error so the president on the campaign trail in Nevada right now. Mitt Romney also speaking at a rally in Iowa later this hour. I'm going to take you to both of those events live. And we are now learning more about the lineup of female speakers at the Democratic national convention. This list includes Eva Longoria, she is a co-chair of the Obama campaign.

Also, speakers including Sandra Fluke, she is the law student targeted by Rush Limbal, if you do not recall, after she spoke out for contraceptive coverage. Also, Caroline Kennedy, Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and Lilly Ledbetter, she is the plaintiff in a pay discrimination case that led to a new federal law. Another convention note, Vice President Biden planning to be in Tampa during the Republican convention, that is next week. He joked with reporters about being a speaker at the event.

We have live coverage of the Republican national convention from Tampa, Florida. It begins Monday evening at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. My colleagues, Anderson Cooper, Erin Burnett, Candy Crowley, joining Wolf Blitzer to lead the coverage along with Chief National Correspondent John King and his magic wall. Beginning on Monday, September 3rd, I'll be anchoring live from the Democratic national convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Here is what we are working on for this hour.

(voice-over): We could have a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico by tomorrow. We're watching all of the possible scenarios, including one that could affect the Republican national convention in Tampa.

The CDC says more people have died from West Nile virus. We have the new numbers plus what you can do to protect yourself.

And 63-year-old swimmer Diana Nyad says it's not about winning all the time. It's about living your life passionately. Hear her motivating words.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Some coal burning power plants can keep on polluting. A federal appeals court has over turned an Obama administration rule cutting harmful missions from coal fired plants. Now, the court said that the environmental protection agency had overstepped its power by requiring coal plants to limit sulfa dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions. The ruling effects power plants in 28 mostly eastern states as well as Texas.

They've got severe weather coming, a major storm about to beat up the Caribbean, might head for the United States. We are bringing in Chad Myers to talk a little bit about this. Is this a hurricane yet? Where is it headed?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: No. It is into the Caribbean tonight, not in the Gulf of Mexico for a number of days, like, maybe even until Sunday or Monday. That's if it gets that far. Many computer models are turning it to the right, turning it to the east and maybe heading it up the east coast into even east of Florida. So, let me get to it here, and I'll show you what's going on. Tropical Storm Isaac, if you are keeping score at home, 59.3 west. An impressive looking storm.

This has got a lot more convection just in the past couple of hours. It wasn't very impressive overnight, even the hurricane hunter aircraft in it said, you know, we can't really even find a great center. It kind of got broken up overnight. Moving very rapidly west at 21 miles per hour. So, where does it go from here? Well, it goes very close to Puerto Rico, and probably, with the winds and even maybe some waves into Santo Domingo, over Haiti, Port-au-Prince. They're still living in tents from the earthquake. And then over Cuba.

The longer it stays over land, the weaker this storm gets. If the storm stays on the course down to the south where this dark area is (INAUDIBLE), this is the cone. If it's down here, it stays in the water all the time, it gets much bigger. If it gets north of here and into the Bahamas, it gets much bigger. This is all very warm water. If it stays over land, it gets torn up, it doesn't get bigger, and stays in just that probably that category one. But there's Monday and there would be Tuesday, somewhere very close to Tampa. If it stays on this current track.

Remember, things go left and they go right. This -- that line in the middle shouldn't even be there, because we talk about there's the best chance in the middle, slightly less -- slight less and then probably over here just about a five percent one way or the another. But it is not a cone, it is not a line. We want to keep you knowing that. We can also see some of the radar seeing some rain showers and some thunderstorms here south of San Juan, that's from Dominique getting already some wind and also some tropical storms warnings in effect there.

MALVEAUX: And, Chad, is there any chance that that storm could disrupt the Republican national convention in Tampa next week?

MYERS: No question -- no question about it that it certainly could. A couple of days ago, we wouldn't want to go there. We said, you know what? Seven, 10 days out, we just can't say that a hurricane isn't going to go anywhere. It wasn't even a tropical storm yet. It wasn't a tropical depression yet. But now it looks like if it stays on track in the middle of the cone, it is certainly would disrupt something Monday into Tuesday. If it turns to the right like the computers are hinting today, then it would not. It would still get rain. The arms of a hurricane are very big, I mean a thousand miles across. But it wouldn't be an eye. It wouldn't be a convention killer where they wouldn't have to cancel it at all. You don't want to put 50,000 people into a place that they are not used and then have to evacuate them for a hurricane. Certainly not.

MALVEAUX: Right. OK, we'll be keeping a close eye on that. Thank you, Chad, appreciate it.

MYERS: You're welcome.

MALVEAUX: Diana Nyad, she might have failed to swim 100 miles, but don't think for a minute that she is disappointed. Nyad gave up her latest extreme endurance swim yesterday, 60 hours in her fourth attempt to try to make it from Cuba to Florida with no help and no shark cage. But she is upbeat, she says she is living more passionately than most.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DIANA NYAD: I am out there to show my will and show that this 62-year-old body is pretty darn strong and fit. So, I have decided to live life passionately. You know, what's that Mary Oliver quote to sort of paraphrase it, so, what are you going to do with this one wild and precious life of yours? Do you really what to get to the end -- not to criticize people, but do you really want to get to the end and say, wow, if I really added it up, I spent about 45 of my 90 years lying around the couch eating Cheetos. Is that wild and precious? Does that define a wild and precious life? I'd go for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Diana Nyad says she hopes her adventures inspire folks her age and older.

President Obama speaking in Los Vegas right now. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN LIVE COVERAGE OF SPEECH - IN PROGRESS)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What happens at schools like this will shape the future of the vast majority of our kids. What happens in the classroom matters.

And that begins with the person at the front of the classroom. You know, for weeks now, teachers, like Clarissa (ph), across the country, have been working behind the scenes. They have been preparing their classrooms, they've been decorating bulletin boards, they've been digging into their own pockets all too often to pay for school supplies. I know because my sister is a teacher. And I know how much effort they put into this. They don't ask for a lot of recognition. They're certainly not going into teaching for the money. They do it because they care about children. They care about their future.

I was just meeting with another teacher -- I was just meeting with another teacher backstage who said, you know, teaching's the closest you can get to immortality. And, in fact, in a meeting that I had with teachers, I had a chance to meet with one teacher who was an adviser to Clarissa when she was a student. So he's had the opportunity to see his own student now doing what he's been doing for 18 years. You know, that's -- what -- what satisfaction that must give you.

The right teacher can change a child's life forever. And I -- look, I know this from personal experience. When I was in fifth grade, I had a teacher named Mabel Hefty (ph). That was her name. And she was a great teacher. She was full of curiosity and she was full of enthusiasm. And, most importantly, she went that extra mile. Now, fifth grade can be a tough time for a kid and, you know, I was different, had a funny name and I'd just come back from living a few years overseas with my mom.

(END LIVE COVERAGE OF SPEECH)

MALVEAUX: President Obama at a campaign rally in Las Vegas meeting with teachers earlier this morning at an event there. He's also going to travel to New York later this afternoon where Michael Jordan is going to be hosting a dinner for the president. It's called the Obama Classic. It's going to be at the Lincoln Center. And 120 folks are expected. They bought tickets at $20,000 apiece. If you'd like to follow that as well as the president's speech, you can track all of the latest political developments on cnn.com/politics and you can listen to the speech, it continuous live, cnn.com/live.

Just a couple of hours ago, the CDC announced the death toll from West Nile Virus is now at 40. Hundreds more have also gotten ill. We're going to get the latest on the spread of this virus.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: The number of West Nile Virus cases around the country is now on the rise. Elizabeth Cohen joins us to talk a little bit about this.

First of all, tell us why this is happening and what do we know about the numbers?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, we expected the numbers to be bigger, Suzanne, but we didn't expect them necessarily to be this much bigger. This is a big spike. CDC just releasing numbers this afternoon. So let's take a look.

When the CDC came out last week, they said there had been 26 West Nile deaths in this country. Now it's up to 41. In other words, 41 this season, this year. When you look at the number of people who are ill from West Nile, from 693 to 1,118.

And you ask the why question. They're not entirely sure why, but they think it has something to do with the mild winter and then the very hot summer that we've had.

MALVEAUX: Should people be concerned about this when they look at those numbers and they realize -- I mean that's a -- that looks like a significant jump.

COHEN: It is a significant jump and I think people should be concerned and should take precautions, which we can talk about in a minute. But I'm going to give you reasons not to freak out because I think sometimes people do freak out.

First of all, in these areas where there is West Nile, maybe about 1 percent of the mosquitoes have West Nile. So that's important. Not every mosquito you meet is going to have West Nile. And then -- oh, and here, by the way, if you look at the yellow states there, that is where 75 percent of the West Nile cases are. Those are the hot spots. And so those people need to be more concerned than other people.

But to get back to the numbers. So a mosquito with West Nile stings you. Here's what's going to happen. Eighty percent of time, you're not going to feel a thing. You're not -- except for, I guess, an itch of the mosquito bite. But you're not going to get sick. You're not going to get West Nile. You won't even know you were stung by a West -- or bitten by a West Nile mosquito. Twenty percent of the people will have mild symptoms, like fever and nausea. And not even necessarily need medical care. One out of 150 are going to have the severe symptoms that have doctors so worried. Things like paralysis, coma or even death.

MALVEAUX: So if you're somebody who loves to be outside, like I do, 1 percent, right, of the mosquitoes might carry this. What do you do --

COHEN: Right. See, if you count them -- no I'm kidding.

MALVEAUX: What do you do to protect yourself? What -- I mean, what can you do?

COHEN: Right. There are very easy things you can do. So we don't need to feel hopeless and helpless. So it's the four D's. So the first D is, look for a repellant with Deet and use it. The second one is to dress in long sleeves and long pants. Also be especially careful at dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes like to come out. And drain standing water. You know things like bird fountains or children's little swimming pools, those kinds of things.

MALVEAUX: OK. I'll do some of them. The Deet, yes, but, I -- you know, the dressing in the long --

COHEN: I know it's tough.

MALVEAUX: It -- when you're sunbathing, it kind of ruins that.

COHEN: Right, right, right. Well, yes. Well, sunbathing, you and I should talk. That's a whole other question. I don't know why -- I'm hoping you're wearing sunscreen in addition to the Deet, but we'll talk later.

MALVEAUX: All right, thank you very much, Elizabeth. Appreciate it.

COHEN: OK.

MALVEAUX: The L.A. Police Department is investigating after officers beat up a young man who was skateboarding. All of this is on tape.

Don't forget, you can watch CNN live on your computer while you're at work. Head to cnn.com/tv.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: A California skateboarder is claiming police brutality. He says that officers grabbed him when he tried to enter his house. The Los Angeles Police Department is now investigating. Here's Casey Wian.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As Ronald Weekley, Jr., approached reporters to describe being arrested and beaten by Los Angeles police officers Saturday evening, allegedly after a skateboarding traffic infraction, he struggled to fight back tears.

RONALD WEEKLEY JR., SKATEBOARDER: He hit me twice right away, and I started screaming and yelling because I thought I was going the die. I needed someone to see what was going on.

WIAN: Someone did. This cell phone video shows four officers on top of Weekley and one appears to punch him in the face. Weekley's attorney says he was hit four times and sustained a broken cheekbone, nose and a concussion.

BENJAMIN CRUMP, ATTORNEY: That's the question. Why did they confront and assault this college student? Was it because he was skating on the wrong side of the road or was it because he was the wrong color?

WIAN (on camera): What prompted police to stop Weekley on his skateboard on this busy residential street in the first place is very much in dispute. The Los Angeles Police Department says he was skating in traffic. Weekley's father says the arresting officer told him that he was skateboarding on the wrong side of the street. Weekley says officers simply grabbed him as he was trying to enter his residence.

WIAN (voice-over): The LAPD says Weekley is being charged with resisting a police officer with force, which allegedly happened before the camera was rolling. The LAPD is investigating.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My plea to the community is, let's let the investigations proceed. They will be independent. They will be reviewed at the highest levels of the LAPD. But more importantly, they will be reviewed by the independent inspector general, as well as the independent police commission.

WIAN: Representatives of the LAPD's Civilian Oversight Authority monitored Tuesday's news conference, but declined to comment. Weekley's attorney plans a lawsuit and is demanding the officer who threw this punch be held accountable.

Casey Wian, CNN, Venice, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Check this out. A man rummaging through a dusty attic in Tennessee uncovers a piece of history. He finds a taped interview of Martin Luther King's recorded three years before King's "I Have a Dream" speech.

Stephan Toole's (ph) father had planned to write a book about the civil rights movement. Well, he interviewed King in 1960, and he had asked him about the significance of the demonstrations. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, doctor, what effect are the sit-ins having on the southern Negro and the struggle for equality? REV. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: I think a tremendous effect. I am convinced that when the history books are written in the future years, historians will have to record this movement as one of the greatest epics of our heritage. I think the movement represents struggle on the highest level of dignity and discipline.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: When it comes to getting a job, members of Generation Y are not getting to use their college degrees very much. We will explain why that is the case.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Americans buying more homes. Home sales across the country rose in July, 2.3 percent from the month before. Realtors say that the boost is due to low prices and really low mortgage rates. While those prices are still low, they were up almost 10 percent in July.

So many college grads are ending up taking jobs that don't require a college degree. There is a new survey out by the Compensation Firm that found that educated Gen-Y workers are more likely to hold lower-level jobs compared to the baby boomers and Gen- Xers. That gets confusing after a while. Many of those jobs are in retail, one of the lowest-paying professions. But on a positive note, when Gen-Yers do find a job in their field, it's often in the lucrative technology industry.

Now to the world back room poker games. In New York, they may soon be played in the front room. "The New York Times" reports that a federal judge has thrown out the conviction of a man who ran a back- room poker business on Staten Island. The papers says the judge ruled it now takes skill to know when to hold them and when to fold him. And because of that, he says the defendant should not have been prosecuted for running an illegal gambling business.

And the Romney campaign rolling out another commercial accusing President Obama of stripping the work requirement out of the welfare. Republicans are expected to attack the president on that point at their convention as well. But is it true?

Our fact checker, Tom Foreman, has been sifting through the evidence.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BILL CLINTON, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Join me as I sign the welfare reform bill.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Welfare reform was a big bipartisan success story in the mid 1990s. Signed by Bill Clinton, it fulfilled promises by the Democratic president and the Republican Congress to push welfare recipients to work in exchange for the benefits, to end welfare as we know it. So that the idea of another Democratic president, Barack Obama, taking the work requirement off of the table is political dynamite, right?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AD ANNOUNCER: On July 12th, President Obama quietly ended the work requirement gutting the welfare reform. One of the most respected newspapers in America called it nuts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOREMAN: The problem is that President Obama calls this claim nuts.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Every single person here who has looked at it says it is patently false.

FOREMAN (on camera): So where did this come from, the notion of a giant change in welfare rules? Oddly enough, it did not originate here in Washington, but rather out in the country.

(voice-over): Several states, including some with Republican governors, asked the federal government for more flexibility in how they hand out welfare dollars. Specifically, they want to spend less time on the federal paperwork and more time experimenting with what they hope will be better ways of getting people connected to jobs. So the administration has granted waivers from some of the existing rules.

OBAMA: Giving them, those states, some flexibility in how they manage the welfare rolls as long as it produced 20 percent increases in the number of people who are getting work.

FOREMAN: That might, in a small way, change precisely how work is calculated. But the essential goal of pushing welfare recipients to work remains in place. That is pretty much it. This is clearly not an effort by the president to kill off the welfare work requirements. That is why even some Republicans have backed away.

Governor Romney's claim doesn't work. And we rate it false.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: I want to go live to Mark Preston who is in Tampa, Florida, where the National Republican Convention will start next week. They are making preparations for what could be, could be a hurricane that is headed their way.

And, Mark, tell us what -- tell us what they are doing.

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, Suzanne, we got a statement from the governor of Florida now discussing the fact that they are monitoring this storm to see if, in fact, it will march up through the gulf and come the Tampa, let alone if it hits Florida.

Florida Governor Rick Scott will soon put out a statement. CNN has just received the statement first. Talks about how his emergency team is working with local officials to make sure they monitor the storm, and that in the case they have to evacuate, they will, of course, evacuate.

Let's look at the full screen. This is part of the statement: "As Florida's governor, I am urging everyone from across the state to monitor the storm, and use the next several days to prepare for a potential storm. As we know, that storms this far from land are unpredictable and everyone should be vigilant and prepared."

I should tell you, Suzanne, I spoke to the convention spokesman, Kyle Downy, and he told me, they, too, are monitoring the situation, and they have a contingency plan in place and they working with the federal, state and local officials to monitor the situation. They won't go into details about the contingency plans are, but the Republican official saying that they have them.

The convention starts on Monday evening here in Tampa. This could obviously impact what happens here in Tampa, whether or not the storm comes here or it hits somewhere else on land -- Suzanne?

MALVEAUX: And, Mark, being one of the first on the ground there, have you seen anybody preparing for this yet or is it just too soon?

PRESTON: I think it is just too soon. We spoke to the mayor of Tampa earlier this morning, and he told us that the bottom line is that when you live on the gulf coast, you know how to prepare for this. If they had to evacuate, it could be anywhere from one to three days, depending upon the storm track. But remember, we are in a part of the country where these people, these folks live with this kind of threat every year in and year out, especially during this time of late August -- Suzanne?

MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Mark. Be safe.

CNN's live coverage of the Republican National Convention from Tampa, Florida, it's beginning Monday evening at 7:00 p.m. My colleagues, Anderson Cooper, Erin Burnett, Candy Crowley joining Wolf Blitzer to lead the coverage, alongside chief national correspondent, John King, at his Magic Wall. And beginning on Monday, September 3rd, I will be anchoring live from the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.

An animal rights group went undercover at this slaughterhouse and videotaped how the cattle were treated. Well, the video was so bad that the government has now shut this place down. We will show you what happened.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: A new undercover video shows alleged animal cruelty at a slaughterhouse in California. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investigating the Central Valley Meat Company.

I want to bring in Eatocracy editor, Kat Kinsman, to discuss this inhumane treatment of cows. Kate, I think we should warn the views that what this video is about is quite grisly and disturbing, so we want to put it out there first and foremost.

But tell us what we have learned and what they are alleging?

KAT KINSMAN, CNN EATOCRACY EDITOR: Well, it is some extremely disturbing video, again. I'll caution anybody who is squeamish.

An undercover group called Compassion Over Killing went into the slaughterhouse over a period of several weeks and undercover filmed basically a gross perversion of the processes that are usually used to process meat.

We have footage here.

The first one shows that these cattle who were, you know, in -- oh, this -this cattle who they are usually being led -- sorry. This cattle-- This is a retired dairy cow, and it is having a very difficult time standing up so they are using the prods and pokes to get it to stand up. And usually the cattle will be led to slaughter and they will go peacefully, but in this case, they will be using hot water and hooks to get them to stand. And that is also a way they get what they call downer cattle to stand up so they can technically be introduced into the food system.

So we have other things. Some of the cattle were not properly bolted the first time. The bolt is used to stun the cow before it is slaughtered. And it is being done multiple times in this case prolonging the suffering of the cows. And when that didn't work, sometimes the workers at the plant would stand on the nostrils of the cows in order to suffocate them. And again, when -- these are standard procedures when they are done correctly, but this is done very incorrectly.

MALVEAUX: And tell us, Kat, what are the procedures that are supposed to be carried out here when you are talking about slaughtering these animals?

KINSMAN: So industry standard is that there is a six-volt gun that is brought to the head. It basically stops the brain function so there shouldn't be any pain. There is some debate about if it instantly kills the animal or not, but that should happen first before the animal is bled out. In the case of this factory, they were having to do it multiple times and the cattle were still alive when they were bled out and dragged on hooks across the factory floor.

Again, it is a gross perversion of what the practices should be.

MALVEAUX: Kat, what is the fallout from this? Is there something being done and follow-up here?

KINSMAN: Well, the USDA has stepped in and temporarily closed the plant while they are inspecting. The worry was that perhaps some tainted meat from these potentially downed cows were introduced into the food system. There doesn't seem to be evidence of this. But In and Out Burger, who had previously gotten their meat from this facility before has immediately severed ties with them. In and Out is really known for its good practices, so they stepped right up and stopped that.

MALVEAUX: Kat Kinsman, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

KINSMAN: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: CNN did reach out to Central Valley Meat for a statement about the video that you saw and they have yet to comment. But the president of the company released this statement before he saw footage. He says that, "Our company seeks to not just meet federal humane handling regulations, but to exceed them." And he adds that federal inspectors continuously inspect the plant and are able to take action if they see a problem. And he said that is why these allegations are both disturbing and surprising. Now Central Valley did not respond for requests for comment Tuesday after CNN sent the company a link to this video.

I want to turn the corner now to the campaign. Mitt Romney now rallying the supporters in Iowa now. This is Bettendorf at LaClaire (ph) Manufacturing.

Let's listen in.

MITT ROMNEY, (R), FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: -- which we were founded and balance this budget, live within our means --

(APPLAUSE)

ROMNEY: -- and creates the right future for our children.

(APPLAUSE)

ROMNEY: I have to tell you, one of the great experiences of a campaign is the chance to meet Americans from all over the country, and as you do, you come away with a greater confidence in our future and a greater conviction of the power of individuals to effect in a positive way the lives of others. I, throughout my life, have seen teachers who have affected my life, and given me skills and perspectives that made me a more effective and more rounded person and more happy person.

I watch my sister. My sister is one of my heroes. Her name is Lynn. She has eight children. Wonderful kids. The last child, her eighth, is a Down's syndrome boy. And she, by virtue of the energy and the passion and positive outlook, has helped raise wonderful children. The seven first children are all married with kids of their own. And, Jeffrey, her eighth, Down's syndrome child, he lives at home with Lynn. He is now 43. Lynn's husband passed away a few years ago. She, at 75, takes care of Jeffrey and makes sure he gets to the work and has a full and engaging life.

The impact of one person, a mom, a dad, and many other people we respect and admire -- (APPLAUSE)

I've had the chance throughout the campaign to meet moms and dads and teachers and others with that kind of effect on the lives of others and the family. And I respect them and admire them. I have seen people who have done things that are world famous. Individuals, one person, that has done things that have changed the lives of not just families, but many families.

I was in Poland a few weeks ago and I got the chance to meet Lech Walesa, a world hero. He, in Poland, stood up to the Soviet Union and said no. And by virtue of one man saying no, others joined him. And together, they were able to change the course of history.

MALVEAUX: You are listening to Mitt Romney on the campaign trail out of the battleground state of Iowa.

If you want to continue to listen in, go the CNN.com/live on your computer. And we will continue the coverage.

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MALVEAUX: South Africa's president has ordered an inquiry into last week's police shootings of 34 miners. It happened in Rustenburg, northwest of the capitol. President Jacob Zuma met with striking miners today but stopped short of visiting the site of the killings. The president's office says memorial services are being planned for Thursday.

And Foxconn has improved conditions for workers at its factory in China. That's according to the latest report by the U.S.-based Fair Labor Association. It finds the company is enforcing worker breaks, redesigning equipment to prevent injuries. Last March, the FLA found multiple labor violations following a series of worker suicides and an explosion at one of Foxconn's plants.

The late night war is heating up. Comedian Jimmy Kimmel is changing the game.

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MALVEAUX: Take a look at what's blowing up on the charts in Turkey.

(SINGING)

MALVEAUX: Goodlooking, too. That was Tarkan singing his number one hit, "Our Love is Gone." With numerous number-one hits and more than 20 years of performing, Tarkan's affect on Turkey is being compared to Elvis's affect on America in the '50s and '60s. He must be pretty popular.

Late-night talk show wars heating up again.

Kareen Wynter, she's got the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(APPLAUSE)

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fans of Jimmy Kimmel will be watching him at a different time next year. ABC announced plans to move the start of his show up a half hour to 11:35 eastern, effective in January, pitting him against Jay Leno and David Letterman.

JIMMY KIMMEL, HOST, JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE: Good luck with that.

WYNTER: It's the biggest shake up since Conan O'Bryan got booted from the "Tonight Show" and moved his act to TBS.

MAGGIE FURLONG, HUFFPOSTTV: I feel like ABC kind of giving Kimmel a better time slot, a more prominent time slot on TV, I feel like they're saying we think this is the future of late night.

WYNTER: Maggie Furlong of HuffPostTV points out that, at age 44, Kimmel is considerably younger than Leno and Letterman, who are in their 60s, and he's got ratings momentum. In announcing the decision, ABC says Kimmel is the only late-night show on broadcast TV to grow its audience in the past year.

FURLONG: He's that guy. He's a bit younger. He's a bit fresher. He's a little bit raunchier.

WYNTER: Furlong says Kimmel has distinguished himself by taking comedy risks including taped bits with A-list stars.

(SHOUTING)

FURLONG: He's not scared to do the bits that the older guys kind of shy away from because their audience is a little more varied.

WYNTER: But for ABC, one show's gain is another show's loss. "Nightline" won't air now until 12:35 a.m. eastern. Some TV critics see that as a death knell for a program that launched over 30 years ago. But ABC sees greater profit potential with Kimmel airing before "Nightline." And Furlong agrees.

FURLONG: Bumping a show that might be working in order to give people their late-night fix is a smart idea on ABC's part.

WYNTER: Kimmel will compete against a weakened "Tonight Show," which has seen its rating soften, although it remains the late-night leader.

JAY LENO, HOST, THE TONIGHT SHOW: We've consistently been number one in the industry.

WYNTER: Comcast, NBC's new parent company, just or ordered the "Tonight Show" to cut costs and lay off staff, something Leno referred ruefully in Monday night's monologue.

LENO: Welcome to the "Tonight Show," or as Comcast calls us, the expendables. That's right.

WYNTER: Kimmel tells the "Hollywood Reporter," moving to the 11:35 time slot is, quote, "a bit scary." But he doesn't plan big changes in the show which, like Leno and Letterman, kicks off with a traditional monologue.

KIMMEL: If you type Paul Ryan into Google, the fourth thing that comes up is Paul Ryan shirtless. Apparently, Americans want a president they can have a beer with, and a vice president they can have a threesome with and --

(LAUGHTER)

WYNTER: As for that three-way race between Kimmel, Leno and Letterman, some pick the new guy to come out on top.

FURLONG: I feel like Kimmel will make them raise their game a bit. Keep your eye on him.

Kareen Wynter, CNN, Hollywood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Brooke Baldwin in New York.

Hey, Brooke.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, Suzanne. Thank you very much.