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Tropical Storm Isaac Threatens Haiti; Mysterious Disease Baffles Doctors

Aired August 23, 2012 - 15:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: It is the top of the hour. Brooke is on assignment. I'm Don Lemon.

We're keeping our eyes on Tropical Storm Isaac. It is strengthening, threatening to unleash disaster on Haiti. Our team is covering it all for you. Gary Tuchman in Port-au-Prince right now, where folks there are on high alert as a storm could hit tomorrow night.

Our Chad Myers right here in the studio ready to tell us about the potential threat to Florida.

But first to Gary Tuchman, we're going to go in Haiti.

Gary, what is the latest? How are they preparing there?

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Don, you're talking about high alert. What's interesting is, among the Haitians we have talked to, there are some who are on high alert, there are others who have absolutely no idea whatsoever that a tropical storm or hurricane is about to come to Haiti.

I'm in a neighborhood near Port-au-Prince called Ika (ph). These are people who for the last two-and-a-half years, since the devastating earthquake, for the last 955 days, have been living in ramshackle tents and they're still there right now.

We're talking to some of the people with the help of our translator. Totally, first time they have ever heard that a huge storm is coming their way. They have nowhere to go, they don't know what's going to happen next. There are churches in the area that have shelters. There's either no room in the shelters or people have no inclination to move, because this is all they have known for the last two-and-a-half years.

One lady just told me, the rain may come down hard, we have hard rain before, the sun will come out again, and we will dry off. But I will tell you this is perched on a hilltop. If a tropical storm or Hurricane Isaac comes through Port-au-Prince and hits this ramshackle tent community, these people are in a lot of trouble.

LEMON: And let's just be clear about this. Even if they get a moderate amount of rain, that's still not good considering the living conditions there. TUCHMAN: No question about it. That's something -- since January 12, 2010, when the earthquake hit Haiti, killing at least 300,000, which is literally 3 percent of the entire population of this nation, we have been saying, what will happen when a huge tropical storm or hurricane comes?

Last summer, the remnants of a tropical storm hit Haiti, and there was a lot of devastation, a lot of flooding, but they haven't been hit by a full tropical storm or hurricane since the earthquake. And it looks like the time is about to come.

LEMON: Yes. This will be a test. Gary Tuchman, thank you.

(WEATHER UPDATE)

LEMON: A lot more unfolding this hour. Watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON (voice-over): A mysterious disease baffling doctors, AIDS- like symptoms, but no HIV, and the infection targets one specific group.

Plus, the government teaming up with a university to develop a talking car. I will speak live with the guy heading up the project.

And as the convention gets closer...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One thousand dollars an hour?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I will work as long as my body can take.

LEMON: See how strip clubs are gearing up, from video walls to Sarah Palin look-alikes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Quite an interesting political story, one of the most interesting polls that I have seen recently. Mitt Romney, in case you hadn't heard, is polling at zero percent among African-American voters.

Zero? Nada? Nix? Zilch. Mitt Romney, zero percent among black voters. That's according to a poll by NBC News and "The Wall Street Journal."

But really how does one poll at zero percent?

With us now from Washington to explain that -- and I'm being completely serious about that -- CNN political editor Paul Steinhauser.

Paul, Herman Cain has endorsed Mitt Romney. Congressman Allen West of Florida is backing Mitt Romney, as is Congressman Tim Scott of South Carolina. Surely, other African-Americans plan to vote for Mitt Romney. How can a poll show Romney with zero percent support among African-American voters?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Don, this poll's been getting a lot of attention because of that big zero right in front of Mitt Romney, no doubt about it, over the last 48 hours.

But let's be honest. In most national polling the last couple months since we have been in this general election battle between Romney and President Obama, Romney's been in the single digits among African-American voters in these polls.

And this poll, this NBC/"Wall Street Journal" poll, for their breakdown of the African-American vote, they probably have a sampling error, let's say, at around money 8 percent or 9 percent either way, which means Mitt Romney could be as high as 7 percent or 8 percent or maybe even 9 percent in that poll, or I guess you could look at it the other way, maybe he's at negative 9 percent

But with that sampling error, we don't know for sure. Take a look at this. Here's another poll that's very recent. This is from Gallup, and this is their breakdown on the African-American vote. They did it over a three-week period.

And you can see Mitt Romney here at 4 percent in their poll. Well, if we had their poll, we'd show it. It would be at 4 percent with the president at about 90 percent. So it's kind of all -- there it is. See, I knew it would come. So we're kind of in the same ballpark here, Don.

And for that 4 percent, and this poll is pretty much what John McCain got back in the 2008 election against Barack Obama, according to the exit polls.

LEMON: Yes. Have faith. Of course, we will pop it up. We got your back here on this show, Paul.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: I want to take a look at the last two Republican nominees. George W. Bush, running as an incumbent back in 2004, won 11 percent of the black vote. John McCain, even though he ran against Barack Obama, got 4 percent. And as you said, that other poll that you showed is similar to that, 4 percent among African-Americans.

So why is it, though, that Mitt Romney is so singularly unpopular among this substantial voting bloc?

STEINHAUSER: I will take the contrarian view there, that he's kind of where John McCain was four years ago, which is in the low to mid-single digits.

I know this poll said zero, but he's probably in the low single digits, which is kind of where John McCain was. Let's be honest, it is very difficult for Republicans in general. You go back 30 years, no Republican's done better than 12 percent, according to exit polls.

And against a Democratic nominee, a sitting president who's African-American, it gets even tougher. And some will argue, also, that Mitt Romney's not really reaching out to African-American voters. So I think these numbers are what you would expect, Don.

LEMON: Well, that's my next question. Mitt Romney spoke at the NAACP Convention this year, remember, saying he was the man to help black people, especially when it came to unemployment and the like.

So does he have a real plan to win over that demographic? Or does it really matter to him? Is he not focused on it? Is he saying, hey, you know what, I'm not going to get that vote, I'm not even going to waste my time?

STEINHAUSER: I think his campaign would argue the other way, that they don't want to waste any vote.

But specifically when it comes to African-American voters, his approach is pretty much the same as it is to Latino voters or anybody else. He says his economic formulas of less government will help everybody. So that is kind of his argument. They haven't done much tailored specifically to African-American voters, though, as to answer your question.

LEMON: Yes, but you have to live in reality, right? So, if you know it's not going to happen, maybe you put your energies elsewhere. I'm not saying it's not, but you have to be realistic. Thank you, Paul. We appreciate it.

All right, Mitt Romney revealed his energy plan during a campaign stop a few hours ago in New Mexico, among his plans, offshore drilling.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm going to put together a five-year leasing plan to lease offshore sources, and we're going to make as part of that the Carolinas and Virginia and the Gulf. We're going to have targets. We're going to have the companies that do the drilling responsible for hitting those targets. And if not, we're going to have corrective measures, but we're finally going to also make sure that we implement state-of-the-art safety procedures for offshore drilling, and assure that as we put in place these regulations and procedures, they're designed for safety, they're not designed to stop drilling for energy resources.

Using the law to stop production of energy is not in the best interest of the United States of America and our people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Mr. Romney's plan has little in terms of renewable fuels like wind and solar, which are a major part of President Obama's energy policy. So, you know what, you should be on alert, because there's going to be some fireworks. I mean, literally, Tampa, Florida on alert four days before the big GOP Convention there. That's because of a warning from the feds that anarchist groups might have plans to disrupt the gathering. A bulletin issued by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security says infrastructure is the target, and specifically mentions a group who could be planning to blockade bridges across the Tampa area.

Stay tuned, because I want to tell you, CNN's live coverage of the Republican National Convention begins on Monday in Tampa. Our Anderson Cooper, Erin Burnett, and Candy Crowley will join Wolf Blitzer to lead the coverage each evening starting at 7:00 Eastern right here on CNN.

Remember the popular '80s TV show "Knight Rider," featured KITT, that talking car? Well, chatty cruisers could soon be on highways alerting drivers of traffic jams and accidents. Stick around for a test drive.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Are you ready for a car that talks to you? How about a chat -- a car that chats with other cars too? I'm not crazy. It sounds crazy, but the reality of it is here right now. And I'm not talking about a gadget that will yell out your appointments, like Apple's Siri, or remember in the '80s, the car that said, key is in the ignition, lights are on? Not even that. It's even better. This one helps in crashes.

And so it kind of reminds us of "Knight Rider" from the '80s. Remember this?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: He has a few screws lose. The car doesn't have my programming to protect human life.

DAVID HASSELHOFF, ACTOR: That's what I'm counting on, buddy.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS: What?

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Michael, I cannot allow you to threaten your life. I am assuming control.

HASSELHOFF: No you're not, KITT!

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: Turn away. Turn away.

No. No.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: It's actually pretty close to it. You know, that was cool, so get ready. The government and the University of Michigan testing so-called talking cars right now. They believe car-to-car communication will lower the severity of crashes on the road.

Joining me now, Peter Sweatman, the director of the research institute at the University of Michigan.

Thank you, sir. We had a little fun with that. But seriously, though, how promising is this technology?

PETER SWEATMAN, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: This technology is incredibly promising. We have been working on it and the U.S. government's been working on it for many years now, maybe 10 years.

And we're now at the point of doing a model deployment. That's how close we are. The model deployment needs, to be big enough, extensive enough, and long enough so that we can actually get good data to tell us how effective this is going to be in saving lives.

LEMON: And I called you Sweatman. I'm sorry for that.

So, listen, if this car is supposed to keep more accidents from happening, and I get into one, how will it play out legally?

SWEATMAN: Well, that's a very good question.

You won't get into one with this system. So this system is designed to prevent crashes and, you know, we already have systems deployed in vehicles which are intended to help drivers avoid crashes. But at the end of the day, the driver is still responsible with his system.

So we're helping the driver and we're giving the driver the best possible information they could have at just the right time. That is, when there genuinely and truly is a risk of a crash, we give unambiguous and very prompt information to the driver.

LEMON: My question is, how different is this the? Because there's technology, similar technology already out there. How different is this from my car of when I back up, I get too close to something, it starts to beep, or, you know, the new, I think it's a Cadillac or something, if a car's approaching and you're backing one, the seat rumbles. What's -- is that similar technology?

SWEATMAN: Well, it is.

It's all part of, I guess, an overall move towards more automation and more information in vehicles. We're very excited about that. We call it intelligent transportation systems, or ITS. So it's all part of that. And those systems are great, but the exciting thing about this is it's highly affordable and it's designed to go systemwide without excessive costs.

So the -- by using this very robust wireless communication between vehicles, we don't need to have expensive sensors in every vehicle. So you can imagine that the overall cost is much, much lower for this very robust kind of broad-based system. LEMON: And it's got -- in order to have it at maximum capacity, every -- or to work properly, every car, almost every car has to be wired on the road?

SWEATMAN: Well, the more vehicles we have out there, obviously, the better this is going to work. Some of these vehicles will be out there, what we call original equipment-fitted. So that is, the original manufacturer is fitting these systems.

And a number of the vehicles we're testing here in Ann Arbor, starting this week, are that type of system. But we're also testing an after-market system, so that you can fit that to any existing vehicle. So -- and, also, we have, I would call it a cloud of vehicles here in Ann Arbor, which are broadcasting in one direction only. They're broadcasting what we call a basic safety message, so that they're actually helping everybody else out on the road.

LEMON: All right. Thank you, Peter Sweatman. It's coming soon to a car near you. We appreciate it. Thank you.

There's a warning from a Texas judge to the rest of the U.S.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If President Obama would be reelected, there would be a civil war.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Worst-case scenario, U.N. comes in and does all their stuff.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That Texas judge predicting an ominous outcome if President Obama is reelected. You have got to hear the rest of this guy's comments.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: We're going to take you out to Texas now for a humdinger of a story.

An elected county judge in Lubbock warning of a civil war in the U.S. if Barack Obama is reelected. Yes, Judge Tom Head is asking for a tax increase to cover the cost of arming his local police when the war against Obama in the United States begins.

Like I said, a humdinger of a story. You have got to hear this guy. And as you listen, I want you to remember, this is a guy who oversees emergency planning for Lubbock.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM HEAD, TEXAS COUNTY JUDGE: He is going to try to hand over the sovereignty of the United States to the U.N.

OK. What's going to happen when that happens? I'm thinking worst-case scenario.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right. Right. I understand.

HEAD: Civil unrest, civil disobedience, civil war, maybe. And we're not talking just a few riots here and demonstrations. We're talking -- we're talking Lexington, Concord, take up arms and get rid of the guy, OK? Now, what's going to happen if we do that, if the public decides to do that? He's going to send in U.N. troops.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: U.N. troops?

(CROSSTALK)

HEAD: With the little blue beanies.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right. Yes.

HEAD: OK. I don't want them in Lubbock County. So I'm going to stand in front of their armored personnel carriers and say, you're not coming in here.

And the sheriff, I have already asked him, and I said, are you going to back me? He said, yes, I'm going to back you. Well, I don't want a bunch of rookies back there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sure.

HEAD: I want trained, equipped, seasoned veteran officers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Today, Head is saying he was quoted out of context, except he wasn't quoted. That was him talking there on the tape.

And as crazy as it sounds, he's getting a lot of support in Texas. But there are some embarrassed people in Lubbock. Here's one of them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROB HOBSON, ATTORNEY: What makes it so sad is, it's our elected county judge who's in charge of a multimillion-dollar budget. That's scary. It's like the light is on, but no one is home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: Oh, you said it, buddy. That guy right there, Hobson, he hung a United Nations flag outside his law office and wrote a message on the door and it reads, "Welcome U.N. overlords."

As for Judge Head, the county commissioner says it's time for him to go fishing, probably permanently. Nasty campaign rhetoric has struck a nerve. Megachurch Pastor Rick Warren has canceled a planned civil forum with President Obama and Mitt Romney, citing nasty campaign rhetoric. Warren says he's never seen more irresponsible personal attacks and mean-spirited slander.

CNN.com's religion editor is Dan Gilgoff. And there he is in Washington.

Hello, Dan.

DAN GILGOFF, CNN.COM RELIGION EDITOR: Don, good to see you.

LEMON: Good to see you.

What is the deal here? Warren held the same forum for Obama and McCain back in 2008. The rhetoric was pretty nasty then. Is this really his reason, or is there something else going on here?

Well, Don, it's really hard to tell, because Rick Warren wouldn't agree to an interview request today to explain his decision, and the campaigns, they don't want to talk about it. This is such a delicate matter.

But what Warren told "The Orange County Register" was that there's been so much uncivility and lack of civility in this campaign, that it would be silly to pretend to sit down for a couple of hours and for both presidential candidates to be civil temporarily.

But, you know, it's important to remember that going back to 2008, Rick Warren was somebody who, you know, supported the Prop 8 campaign for gay marriage there and at the same time was very wary about coming across as being political.

And here's a situation where he's canceling this civil forum, and he's been very critical toward President Obama on the issue of religious liberty. He says that the Obama administration has been threatening religious liberty.

And, so, we have all these situations with Rick Warren where he's, on the one hand, trying to stay above the political fray and, on the other hand, he has this habit of sort of making these political pronouncements.

LEMON: So, he's trying to have it both ways here. That's what it seems like, just from your statement there.

But here's my question. You know, we have learned something new here and I want to move past Warren because, as you said, it seems to be double-speak. He's political, yet he's not political.

We've learned that Cardinal Timothy Dolan, America's highest profile Catholic official, will deliver the closing prayer at next week's Republican convention. Is this a big play to help shore up Paul Ryan's Catholic base? GILGOFF: Yes, it is a play for the Catholic vote. You know, the Catholic vote in this country is the sort of preeminent swing vote. It's decided our president in every election, but maybe once since the early 1970s.

And Timothy Dolan, in this country, is the closest thing that we have to an American pope. And here he is, he's going to be giving the final prayer, really the final word in the Republican convention next week.

And, so, it tells American Catholics, in a very clear and unequivocal way, that, hey, the Mitt Romney campaign and Paul Ryan, his Catholic running mate, really care what Catholics think.

And it's another indication of just how key the Catholic vote is going to be this year.

LEMON: All right. Dan Gilgoff, appreciate it.

Tracking Tropical Storm Isaac, it's barreling towards Haiti and then right to the U.S., possibly impacting next week's Republican convention. Chad Myers with the latest, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: T.S. Isaac, Tropical Storm Isaac, barreling across the Caribbean right now. It is stirring up major concern from Haiti all the way to Florida, where the Republican National Convention set to begin on Monday.

But just a short time ago, Florida Governor Rick Scott assured folks in his state they are prepared for Isaac.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOVERNOR RICK SCOTT (R), FLORIDA: Florida has a lot of experience dealing with hurricanes. We're going to be prepared for Isaac in the event it does impact our state and in the event it does become a hurricane.

Isaac's a unique storm in this regard. It has the potential to threaten a major convention, designated a "special national security event."

That's why I have convened local, state, federal, and convention officials for a twice-daily briefing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Straight away now to meteorologist Chad Myers. He is tracking this storm for us. What do you know?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I know that it hasn't organized much today, yet. That's something good. We don't want it to get organized because then it gets stronger. There it is, right there, but it's filling up the Caribbean. From -- literally from the Dominican Republic all the way down to Venezuela, there are clouds. There are going to be more clouds, too.

Here's the forecast guidance. Talk about the models, every once in a while. They have shifted to the left, which means most of them are even missing Florida out here in the Gulf of Mexico, maybe clipping the Keys, we'll see.

But nothing to the east, not much too far to the west, but that tells me at 5:00, the Weather Service may, in fact, throw this thing a little bit farther away from Tampa into the Gulf of Mexico.

Great news for Florida, the peninsula. Bad news maybe for the Florida Panhandle. This could be a much bigger storm if it stays offshore in that very warm water off the Gulf.

LEMON: Can you imagine, if we have a convention and a hurricane, the news and weather people's heads would pop off.

MYERS: They'd all be fighting for airtime. No. No, me. No, me.

LEMON: I want to see Wolf, Gloria, and Candy in red jackets, blowing around.

MYERS: There, you go.

LEMON: Nobody gets hurt, though, in that scenario.

All right, let's talk the economy. Thank you, Chad.

America's middle class, shrinking, we've all heard the warning and now we've got the numbers to back it up.

Alison Kosik at the New York Stock Exchange. So, Alison, tell me about the study.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: OK, so, first of all, 51 percent of Americans, Don, they consider themselves part of the middle class today. That's down from 54 percent ten years ago, so you see how it's kind of getting smaller and smaller.

And, if you are in the middle class, chances are you feel worse off now than you did 10 years ago, because of the recession. And now there's that hard new evidence of how tough it is for these families right now.

Pew Research Center found that the median income fell by 5 percent from the years from 2000 to 2010. That's as household wealth, also known as net worth, fell by more than 45 percent.

In the meantime, median wealth for the upper-income group, that stayed about the same and guess what? A big chunk of middle class people, Don, they were surveyed, and they said, you know what? It's more difficult these days just to maintain their standard of living compared to 10 years ago.

You know, it's just hard to keep up. Don?

LEMON: Absolutely. And I spoke with Rick Newman, of "U.S. News & World Report," Alison, just last hour, and he suggested that the shrinking middle class is a structural problem that may be bigger than either political party or either presidential candidate.

Do you think that's the case?

KOSIK: I agree with him because, you know what, a lot of the jobs out there right now, they're low-paying. That doesn't help the middle class stay where they are.

Plus, you look at the nation's tax policies. They've increased that wealth gap, so people have had a harder time building up wealth.

And you know what? The housing bubble, when it burst, that really hurt the middle class the most.

When you look at this study, Don, it shows that people blame the system and guess who they blame, first and foremost? They blame Congress the most for the shrinking middle class. It doesn't matter if you're a Democrat or a Republican, they blame Congress for their loss of net worth, for screwing with their money.

Coming in a close second, financial institutions, then large corporations.

What's interesting here is that Congress, and when you think about it, Don, Congress and the banks, hey, they used to work for the middle class, but that's really changed over the last ten years. And that's kind of adding to the shrinking middle class.

Don?

LEMON: Alison Kosik, appreciate it. Thank you very much.

You know, the raid that killed Osama bin Laden was a top-secret U.S. mission, right? Now a member of that Navy SEAL team that killed bin Laden writes a revealing book, detailing the mission.

Should military personnel be allowed to do that? We're "On the Case," next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: An autopsy performed on Rodney King shows drugs played a role in his accidental drowning. Police say alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, and PCP were found in his blood and they were contributing factors.

King died of an accidental drowning back in June. His 1991 beating by L.A. police, it was caught on camera. Of course, we've all seen it.

When four officers were acquitted of the beating, L.A. broke out into huge rights.

One of the Navy SEALs who took part in the raid that killed Osama bin Laden writes about the operation in a book due out next month.

The publisher of "No Easy Day" says the author was one of the first men through the door on the third floor of bin Laden's hideout.

Joey Jackson is "On the Case" for us. So, Joey, we haven't even seen -- I haven't seen the book yet, so we don't know how detailed this author gets, but could he be putting himself at some legal risk here by potentially giving away security secrets?

JOEY JACKSON, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: In a major way, Don, and here's why. There's a couple of federal statutes that address this.

Now, before getting into the central statutes, it's really surprising because, generally speaking, the Navy SEALs and different military personnel have a culture. That culture is, what happens on the mission stays on the mission.

So, obviously, his former and, you know, Navy SEAL buddies are not really thrilled about him, right now. Neither is the Pentagon.

But you have federal statutes. One is the Espionage Act that addresses confidential information, information that pertains to national security and what it says is that you can't reveal or release it.

The other act talks about an Intelligence Act, Intelligence Officers Act, and that says, if they're covert officers and you disclose that to the public and, to be fair, in the book, apparently, he's used pseudonym for them.

But if you can establish that there's other concerning such that those officers are outted, believe it or not, Don, it could lead to criminal prosecution, so you've got to be careful.

LEMON: All right, Joey, but listen. He is -- the author is not on active duty anymore, so can a former SEAL get away with divulging details that occurred?

JACKSON: Believe it or not, Don, it's a lifelong fraternity, right, or sorority, as it were and what that means is, if you were a member, even though you're a former member, it doesn't absolve you from sin.

There's information that you have access to that the general public does not. You have to be very careful with that information.

Now, we haven't read the book. We don't know specifically what the contents are. We know it will be released on 9/11, but it had better have been vetted properly by the attorneys.

We know the Department of Defense hasn't vetted it or any of the government officials and there's also a protocol, Don, that it runs afoul of because it should have been vetted in accordance with those standards.

It wasn't, so we'll see. If there's information in there, could be problems.

LEMON: OK, so, I was on vacation out of the country, trying to not listen to any news or anything. I go to the barbershop ...

JACKSON: Good for you.

LEMON: I go to the barbershop yesterday, Joey, to get my hair cut. Everybody's talking about this next case.

Every politician wishes he or she could win office as easily as Victor Hill. Hill just won the Democratic primary to regain the job he lost four years ago as sheriff of Clayton County, Georgia.

Since no Republican is running, Hill is a shoo-in, but he still has a bunch of hoops to jump through before he can put on the sheriff's hat.

Hill is under indictment for 37 felony charges, all stemming from his first term as sheriff. Hill says the charges are politically motivated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICTOR HILL (D), CLAYTON COUNTY SHERIFF'S CANDIDATE: The charges that were put against me was done by my political opponent, in that it was a plan that he had to see if he could stop me from running.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right, so, help me out with this, Joey. Outline the charges and tell us, can Victor Hill clear his name before January?

JACKSON: Well, you would hope so, but, listen, here's what happens. This is now a dispute between the public will and the court's will.

When you're facing 37 charges in an indictment, stemming from racketeering to taking by corruption to filing false statements, they go on and on and on.

However, you can run and, in his case, of course, he won. The problem is, is that in accordance with public officer laws, not only here -- there in Georgia, but other places throughout the country, you cannot serve.

And as a result of that, even though he would have no option and, therefore, prevail, he could be prevented from actually serving.

What will end up happening is, if he gets acquitted, it's all good, no worries, he serves, the people get what they elected, which is their sheriff.

In the event that that doesn't happen, the governor may have to step in and the governor could appoint an interim sheriff, pending the resolution of the charges or, if he actually gets convicted, to actually serve out the sentence. It's tough stuff.

LEMON: I'm confused. There's a new sheriff in town and there could be a new, new sheriff in town. Yeah, thank you, Joey. Thank you. Appreciate it.

JACKSON: Thank you, Don.

LEMON: You know, each day, it seems the numbers get worse. More than 150 people reported killed inside Syria today, alone, as violence rages.

We're just getting in video for you of burning tanks and shelling inside one neighborhood.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Now to the crisis in Syria. Today, at least 155 people have been killed in the country that's endured civil unrest for the last year and a half. And now, all the rebels say they have taken control of key points along the border with Iraq.

CNN's Jim Clancy has the latest for us. Jim?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JIM CLANCY, ANCHOR, CNN INTERNATIONAL: It was one of the bloodiest days in what has been a week that has been marked by triple- digit death tolls death tolls each and every day. The regime of President Bashar al-Assad was clearly on the attack.

In the embattled city of Aleppo, the regime's fighter jets pounded the city, dropping bombs on the Free Syrian Army, as well as civilian positions.

In Daraa, tanks were seen moving in on the outskirts of that city, expected to go on the attack, as well, as civilians scurried for shelter.

Amnesty International issued a report charging the regime with targeting its own civilians in an act that could be construed to be a war crime.

DONATELLA ROVERA, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SENIOR CRISIS RESPONSE ADVISER: In the ten days that I spent in Aleppo, I looked at case after case of families, people who were killed in their homes, out when they were buying food, especially when they were queuing up to buy bread, and people were even killed in the very places where they had gone for safety.

People who'd fled their homes and were staying with friends and family or were staying in schools, those places, too, came under attack.

CLANCY: Amnesty International also pointed a finger at the Free Syrian Army, saying their fighters were guilty of war crimes for executing prisoners seized during combat.

In the very corner of the country along the border with Iraq, the Free Syrian Army claimed that it had pushed back regime forces and taken control of important checkpoints right at the Iraqi border.

They said they were going to try new tactics, different from what was used in Aleppo, so their forces could not be so easily targeted by the regime and its superiority in terms of air power.

Meantime in Turkey, U.S. officials joined talks that are expected to focus on the threat posed by the suspected chemical arsenal being held by Syria.

They were also expected to focus on the worst-case scenario, a scenario that many Syrians could contend they're living every day.

Jim Clancy, CNN, Beirut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right, Jim, thank you very much.

Denied again, the man who murdered John Lennon loses his seventh bid for parole. Mark David Chapman is serving 20 years to life for shooting the former Beatle outside Lennon's apartment building back in 1980.

Chapman lives in a cell alone for his own protection. He is 57 years old now.

John Lennon was 40 when he was gunned down outside the Dakota apartment building across the street from Central Park.

Red, white, blue and stilettos, businesses across Tampa get ready for next week's RNC convention, including some strip clubs. Yes, we're going to take you inside one of them.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Just a few minutes away from the top of the hour and, of course, the excitement is brewing with the convention. Wolf Blitzer, what do you have for us in "The Situation Room?"

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, "THE SITUATION ROOM": Right at the top of the hour, we're going to speak to the governor of Florida, Rick Scott, and get the they latest. How is Florida preparing for Isaac, a tropical storm right now expected to turn into a hurricane? We'll get the latest from Rick Scott.

At the top of the 5:00 Eastern hour, the new director of the National Hurricane Center, Richard Knapp, will be joining us live to give us the latest forecast. At 5:00, they release the latest tracking of Isaac. We'll get the very latest on that. We'll be all over that story.

We're also doing a lot of political news, obviously, getting ready for the convention in Tampa. I'm heading down there this weekend, as you know, Don.

We'll see what happens as far as bad weather is concerned. Let's hope it stays good, the weather, because there's a lot of politics that we're going to be covering as we get ready for the formal nomination, Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan, to head the Republican ticket.

LEMON: You're probably already bringing your boots, but you better bring your rain jacket.

All right, Wolf. We'll be watching it at the top of the hour.

BLITZER: Thank you.

LEMON: And, as you mentioned -- Wolf just mentioned, Tropical Storm Isaac, you know it's going to head that way, possibly.

Well, it's not the only thing that could make it rain during the Republican national convention in Tampa.

You like that, huh? The city strip clubs are gearing up for an influx of conventioneers and their dollar bills.

Here's CNN's John Zarrella.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The waitresses are in red, white and blue. So is the vodka bottle here at "The Dollhouse" in Tampa.

They've spruced up, put in a 225-inch video wall. They're bringing in a Sarah Palin look-alike, too. No kidding.

What'd you put into it?

WARREN COLAZZO, TAMPA NIGHTCLUB OWNER: You know, the bottom line will be close to a million-five, inside, outside.

ZARRELLA: Yep, Tampa strip clubs are dressing up before undressing.

There's an excitement in the air like going to the polls on election day, but going to the polls has a different meaning here.

COLAZZO: You know, I've been in this business 30 years and I'm telling you I get goose bumps. I've got them right now just thinking about this.

To answer your question, I've never been so excited in all my life.

ZARRELLA: Warren Colazzo even had these t-shirts made up that read "The Dollhouse, RNC Headquarters," certainly a must-have for any conventioneer.

So why all the anticipation? Well, an adult industry trade association says the Republicans spend the money.

An informal survey by the Association of Club Executives found during their conventions in Minnesota and New York, Republicans spent $150 per person at adult clubs, the Democrats only $50 per person in Boston and Denver.

The RNC told us it's focused on having a great convention and nominating Mitt Romney.

Club dancers are counting on the supposed, big-dollar Republicans to make it rain dollars. "Go-Go" -- she's the one in the middle -- thinks this will be bigger than the Super Bowl she's worked.

"GO-GO," NIGHTCLUB PERFORMER: $1,000 an hour, that would be like -- I'm really optimistic.

ZARRELLA: A thousand an hour?

"GO-GO": Yeah, that would be ...

ZARRELLA: For, like, how many hours?

"GO-GO": I'll work as long as my body can take it.

ZARRELLA: For the most part the very tolerates the clubs, but won't let them cross the line.

Police have already raided a few and charged 16 women with prostitution. The mayor says the clubs are the least of his worries.

MAYOR BOB BUCKHORN, TAMPA, FLORIDA: Are we going to be running around strip clubs checking I.D.s? Probably not.

DON KLEINHANS, TAMPA NIGHTCLUB OWNER: We added this VIP section up here.

ZARRELLA: Don Kleinhans owns the "2001 Odyssey Club." You can't miss it. The VIP room is shaped like a flying saucer. The way up is known as the "Stairway to Heaven."

Kleinhans said there's so much money to be made dancers are calling from everywhere to work the convention.

KLEINHANS: Just this morning we had five different calls of girls from Las Vegas, New Orleans, Chicago and New York.

ZARRELLA: Word has spread when the elephant is in the room, the money is good.

John Zarrella, CNN, Tampa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Oh, boy. Everybody is worried about what I'm going to say after that. In order to keep my job, I will say nothing.

As a matter of fact, I will go to "The Situation Room" with Wolf Blitzer a little bit early to keep myself out of trouble.

Wolf, take it away.