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Bin Laden Raid Book Writer Talking; Isaac Continues Agonizing Path; Ryan Speech Excites GOP Crowd; Mitt Romney Takes Center Stage Tonight; Ryan Speech Excites GOP Crowd; Rice Speech Wows Crowd; Flooding Devastates Gulf Coast; Plaquemines Nursing Home Rescue; GOP Men Are Ruining the Party; New Crisis in Louisiana Caused by Isaac; The Romney/Ryan Health Care Plan. New Push for Gun Control

Aired August 30, 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: People with access to the book say his account of what happened at the Bin Laden compound is not the same story as the Pentagon's official version. That version, the Navy SEAL team swooped into Pakistan, killed Bin Laden in May of last year.

I'm Suzanne Malveaux. This hour in the CNN NEWSROOM, a dam in Mississippi is in danger of failing because of Tropical Storm Isaac. Folks now are evacuating, hundreds more are forced from their homes in Louisiana today. Paul Ryan, he is moving the crowd at the Republican national convention, but Democrats say a lot his best lines last night not even true. Let me get right to it.

Authorities are warning people living near New Orleans to get out. While many were prepared for the landfall of hurricane Isaac, they have been caught by surprise by the massive amounts of rain, the floodwaters, of course. And the aftermath search and rescue operations are still underway making sure that nobody is left behind. I want to bring in Martin Savidge in New Orleans. Tell us what you are seeing.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Suzanne, I mean, what you're talking about here as far as the problems, the interesting thing is they are located all outside of New Orleans. Of course, seven years ago during Katrina, the exact opposite circumstance. So, it shows you or it is a testimony to the fact that all of the money that was put into protecting the flood system and improving it has worked on this particular storm.

The other areas, though, that are impacted, of course, are the dam which you spoke about on the Mississippi, Louisiana border, the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, and also to the northwest, and that's where activity was seen yesterday and last night with the Coast Guard in LaPlace. That's a community that had water just as everyone else has been seeing outside of New Orleans. And the water came up fast and people were trapped inside of their homes, so the Coast Guard launched the helicopters in there and they actually had to rescue people -- people and their animals, people often won't leave without them. So, in this case, both were raised up in the helicopter. Here is how people reacted to being rescued.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he had harder time, because he had the bigger dog which I'm sure she --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It gives you more of appreciation for what these guys do, I can tell you that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They are god.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Top notch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: God in a helicopter.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: And speaking of the helicopters, there's one flying right over our head right there, that is the U.S. Coast Guard heading out across Lake Pontchartrain. And again, the water in the lake is extremely high and then it's being driven by a wind that's pushing pretty strongly from the south, and it's just being pushed up against the north shore of Slidell, it's one of those communities being impacted and evacuations are being ordered for the people in the low lying areas -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And Martin -- and we're that buzz in the background, we know that you're standing in front of those pumps -- the massive pumps there. There were lessons that were learned from Hurricane Katrina. Are there any lessons -- concrete lessons from Isaac?

SAVIDGE: Well, I think there are. I mean, you know, you can see the pumps on here, and they're -- they've only got a couple of them on now. During the storm, they had all 42 of them cranking, and they felt that they did the job they were supposed to do. You know, Mayor Mitch Landrieu was talking about last night about the fact that this was just a category one storm, and yet it had such a tremendous impact. So, I think in the future, they are going to rethink. There was no mandatory evacuation for the city of New Orleans. They didn't think they needed it. But now, they're going to have to back and look at this storm and say, well, wait a minute. You know, it's only a category one, maybe we should've told people to move because of all the problems that have come afterwards -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right, lessons learned. Thank you, Martin, I appreciate it.

We are hearing from more folks who were rescued after the storm hit. Floodwaters swallowed their homes. One elderly man says he's not going back.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't think it would happen again. I had two trucks, two -- (INAUDIBLE) motor home underneath there never used (INAUDIBLE.)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did you guys leave here for Katrina?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, we left for Katrina.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But that's it. I have had enough. I ain't coming back no more.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It just came at once, just all at once. I woke up, it was fine, the next minute, it was just, like, all over the place. Everything underwater, everything.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It came up slow then it started rising really, really high and it came by surprise (INAUDIBLE.)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Authorities say that more than 3,000 people now have been rescued.

Mitt Romney taking center stage tonight. He accepts his party's presidential nomination, delivers the biggest speech of his political career. Well, last night, it was Paul Ryan who got the crowd revved up with his acceptance speech, and his attacks on the president and the Democrats.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. PAUL RYAN (R), VICE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: These past four years, we have suffered no shortage of words in the White House. What is missing is leadership in the White House.

They have run out of ideas. Their moment came and went. Fear and division is all they've got left. With all their attack ads, the president is just throwing away money. And he's pretty experienced at that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Ryan also making a play for younger voters who supported the president back in 2008. He pretty much asked them, how's it working for you?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RYAN: College graduates should not have to live out their 20s in their childhood bedrooms staring up at fading Obama posters, wondering when they can move out and get going with life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Former secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, also firing up the crowd talking about America's role in the world.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZARICE, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: One of two things will happen if we don't lead, either no one will lead, and there will be chaos or someone will fill the vacuum who does not share our values. My fellow Americans, we do not have a choice. We cannot be reluctant to lead and you cannot lead from behind.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Tonight, chance for Mitt Romney to convince voters that he should lead the country for the next four years. So, Brooke Baldwin, she's looking at how convention speeches can make or break a candidate's chances.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's a microphone moment unlike any other in politics, the presidential convention speech.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, 2008 GOP PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: To the old big spending, do nothing, me-first, country second crowd, change is coming.

BALDWIN: A moment that could either catapult former governor Mitt Romney to next president Mitt Romney or not.

COSTAS PANAGOPOULOS, PROFESSOR, FORDHAM UNIVERSITY: There's always the possibility that something very dramatic and very exciting might happen at a convention, and that could hit the reset button on the conversation that's been happening over the past few months.

BALDWIN: As far back as Barry Goldwater, party nominees have gotten a post-convention popularity bump. Sixty-six percent of voters told CNN pollsters that the candidates' convention speech matters.

RONALD REAGAN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Family, work, neighborhood, peace and freedom.

BALDWIN: But according to Pew Research Center, three of the last 12 wannabe presidents have improved their image after those conventions. Obama and both Bushes --

GEORGE H. W. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Read my lips, no new taxes.

GEORGE W. BUSH., FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I'm running with a compassionate conservative philosophy.

BALDWIN: That same Pew study shows Romney's challenge, his unfavorability rating is 52 to 37 percent.

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I should also tell my story. I'm also unemployed.

I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there.

BALDWIN: He steps up to the Tampa podium knowing words count. ROMNEY: I like to be able to fire people and provide services to me.

BALDWIN: His latest choice of words could determine whether voters get to hire or fire him.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Here's what we're working on for this hour.

(voice-over): Paul Ryan's speech both angered and scared Democrats last night. See how the vice presidential candidate's comments reached out to voters the Republican party has traditionally had a hard time capturing.

Isaac's damage is far from over. Now, Mississippi is fighting a dam break. We're there live.

And Louisiana's Gulf Coast has a big problem with erosion. I'll talk to a musician and environmentalist who says the building on the bayou has got to stop.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Republicans looking for some political red meat, they got it last night. Paul Ryan serving it up, his speech at the Republican convention last night took direct aim at the president. He accused him of failing the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RYAN: If you're feeling left out or passed by, you have not failed. Your leaders have failed you. None of us -- none of us should have to settle for the best this administration offers, a dull, adventureless journey from one entitlement to the next. A government- planned life. A country where everything is free but us. Listen to the way we're already spoken to.

It's the exact opposite of everything I learned growing up in Wisconsin or at college in Ohio. You know, when I was waiting tables, washing dishes or mowing lawns for money, I never thought of myself as stuck in some station in life. I was on my own path, my own journey, an American journey where I could think for myself, decide for myself, define happiness for myself. That's what we do in this country. That's the American dream.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: I want to bring in our Chief Political Correspondent Candy Crowley. She is also anchor of "STATE OF THE UNION." Candy, great to see you. I saw you last night, you were there, and one is that your immediate reaction they asked, how was this received? You said, he really did blow the roof off this place. Why do you think people responded the way they did last night?

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: I think a couple of things. First of all, the conservatives -- and let's face it, these are all activists, so the majority of the folks inside that arena are conservatives, so they love Paul Ryan pick to begin with. This is the first time most of them have been able to see him since that selection. So, they are crazy about the selection. Number two, it was just a well-written, well-delivered speech. You know, we have -- we have done a lot of fact checking about it, but just in terms of the art form, Paul Ryan was just sort of spot-on. I mean, he had that kind of thing that you just put out there, that kind of harsh criticism of President Obama's agenda.

But at the same time, he talked about bold ideas and the Republicans can get it done. He talked about, you know, his taste in music and had some levity. So, it just was a speech that the audience really went with it and that kind of crescendoed. So, they just loved it. And they were waiting for it. You know, I mean, Ann Romney was great and warm -- she's got a warm embrace. Chris Christie was fine. But this was the real deal. This is part of the ticket right here. So, they have been waiting for him, and they did not at all seem disappointed.

MALVEAUX: It felt just from watching it -- not being there on the convention floor, but from watching it that there was so much energy and so much passion. And one thing I think that we saw last night -- we didn't see was emotion, that he actually became emotional here. I know the DNC is taking at issue a number of things that they say were misstatements. CNN is also taking a look at a number of those statements as well. But how are they countering the kind of emotion, that that really brought to that crowd and perhaps could be a motivator to get people to the polls.

CROWLEY: Well, and that exactly is the point, first of all, of a vice president is to kind of help get folks to the poll. It's why Paul Ryan was picked. It's why those folks are so crazy about him is that, that has always been the part of the Mitt Romney picture that was missing is that real enthusiasm from the conservative base. They get that now with Paul Ryan on the ticket.

How the Democrats counter this, quite frankly, is next week they get their turn, you know. And there's a lot to be said for the optics of this. And your insight. There are the true believers inside the arena, as they will be for the Democrats next week. And they don't have to wait that long.

MALVEAUX: Right.

CROWLEY: It opens up Tuesday. So the emotional part of it, I mean certainly there was a connection there. I mean this is a man talking about his mother. His mother being his hero. She's crying. He's wiping away a tear. Really hard to counteract that kind of emotional reach to the audience. But they're going to get their chance and I can guarantee you there will be emotional highlights at the Democratic Convention as well.

MALVEAUX: Absolutely. That's the way we play this, everybody gets their chance at this -- their turn. I want to -- I've got to play Condoleezza Rice for you here, Candy, because she really brought some energy and some enthusiasm to the crowd. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have the integrity and the experience and the vision to lead us. They know who we are. They know who we want to be. They know who we are in the world and what we offer. That is why -- that is why this is a moment and an election of consequence, because it just has to be that the freest and most compassionate country on the face of the earth will continue to be the most powerful and the beacon for prosperity and liberty across the world. God bless you and God bless this extraordinary country, this exceptional country, the United States of America.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Candy, I don't know about you, but this was not the Condoleezza Rice that I've been used to when I was covering her. She used to appear kind of anxious in the briefing room. She's a professor, so she's been very kind of cautious. She really brought this performance to that convention hall. Do you think perhaps that the Romney campaign is taking a second look at whether or not she should be a part of the campaign in the next couple of months or even a cabinet position?

CROWLEY: Well, the fact of the matter is, I'm sure she will be a part of the campaign where they ask her to be. She's -- she has been out and has raised some money for some Republican candidates already.

I, like you, I mean, I knew she was capable of this because I've seen her talking as she's written a book and a couple of books actually, so I've seen her out there talking and she is -- she is powerful, she is knowledgeable and just, to state the obvious, she is female, she is African-American. I mean this -- and she just -- there were folks in the crowd that said, oh, I'm worried Paul Ryan can't live up to this.

Now it was Paul Ryan's night and he did, but that was a great speech and they loved her there. But the problem, I think, for Mitt Romney is, you know, in selecting her, remember, we talked about, oh, would she be a vice presidential pick?

MALVEAUX: Sure. Right.

CROWLEY: Number one, she's sort of, you know, has always said that, you know, Suzanne, I'm not -- politics is not in my blood. I'm not a political person.

MALVEAUX: Right.

CROWLEY: I now don't believe her anymore after seeing that speech. I actually -- I think, maybe, maybe she doth protest too much. But also remember, she is pro choice. MALVEAUX: Right.

CROWLEY: And that just was a non-starter for Mitt Romney this year.

MALVEAUX: Right.

CROWLEY: Perhaps there will come a time in the Republican Party, but it sure wasn't this year.

MALVEAUX: You know, it's fascinating, Candy, because when you think about it, it was Condoleezza Rice, it was Paul Ryan and now you've got Mitt Romney. They have raised the bar. So it's going to be very interesting to see how he does tonight.

Candy, good to see you, as always.

CNN's prime time convention coverage continues tonight at 7:00 p.m. with my colleague Wolf Blitzer. And I'm going to be reporting live from the Democratic National Convention all next week in Charlotte, North Carolina.

And dam in Mississippi on the verge of failing. Now a mandatory evacuation has been issued for people that are living next to a river there. We're going to be live in Mississippi.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Tropical Storm Isaac slowly working its way inland now, but it is still having a major impact in Mississippi. I want you to take a look at this. This is water. It's essentially everywhere. People stranded in their homes. The Mississippi governor said that there were about 70 rescues overnight along the Gulf Coast. I want to bring in David Mattingly out of Gulfport, Mississippi.

David, first of all, explain to us, because it sounds rather alarming and we want to make sure we get this right, that a dam is expected to fail in southern Mississippi. Do we know if that's accurate?

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is a dam on the Tangipahoa River. It creates a 700 acre lake inside the state of Mississippi at a state park. That dam has been damaged by all the water that's fallen from this tropical storm hurricane. So they are working right now with the sandbagging operation to shore that dam up.

At the same time, they have some other operations going to possibly relieve some of the pressure behind it. But this dam in Mississippi, should it fail, would affect people downstream. Most of them living in Louisiana, down river, down the Tangipahoa River. So the -- so the parish president in Louisiana has issued a mandatory evacuation order for people living a mile on either side of that river as a precaution. The governor's office is backing him up on that, telling people they should pay attention to this because they don't know what's going to happen with the dam. In fact, we heard from the Louisiana governor about this just a short time ago. Listen. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. BOBBY JINDAL (R), LOUISIANA: We are proceeding with plans to purposely breach that levee today between 2:00 and 3:00 p.m. The idea is to allow that water to flow out of that area. And now that the winds have shifted, they're also planning to have pumps on site to help de-water that area as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTINGLY: That operation planning to relieve some of the pressure that is on that dam right now so that the repair operations can continue, and hopefully that dam will not fail, but people in two states right now are very worried about it, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And, David, we already are learning about a fatality. Can you tell us -- can you give us any details about that in Mississippi?

MATTINGLY: This is a very sad, sad situation. This was a tow truck operator. He was out there late at night. He was actually clearing debris off of a roadway when a tree fell on him and killed him. It's just an example of how dangerous these storms are and all the different ways they can cause harm. But this man was out there trying to do something good by clearing off a road and then he was hit and killed by this tree.

MALVEAUX: Oh, it's just so tragic. People really have to be careful to be safe in that area. Thank you so much, David. Appreciate it.

Thousands of people, they've been rescued in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, including 1,200 residents of the River Bend Nursing Home. Retired Army Lieutenant General Russel Honore, who, of course, led the relief effort after Hurricane Katrina, he said that the government should require nursing homes to evacuate long before the hurricanes hit. Well, he's with us now from Baton Rouge.

And, general, explain to us -- I understand at least nine nursing homes in southern Louisiana, they actually did evacuate early this week before the storm actually arrived. It -- how does that happen where some places get folks out and others don't? And who makes that call?

LT. GEN. RUSSEL HONORE, U.S. ARMY (RET.): Yes, it's up to the nursing home officials based on the warning when you have a voluntary evacuation from areas. That needs to be refined again. We learn something new after each one of these storms, because if people in the nursing home don't have a choice. They do what the nursing home operators, based on their decision. And that was an ugly story after Katrina, as you remember, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: I do remember. A lot of people, including my relatives, looking for folks in nursing homes. Sometimes it's actually more stressful when you have people evacuated rather than just staying put. How do you balance that, the needs of people who are in these facilities and it is so hard to get them out and the need to be cautious to look ahead?

HONORE: Absolutely. That's why they get paid the big bucks. And they get paid a lot of money to attend to those relatives that are in those homes. I do think we've got to go back to look at state regulations. I don't think there should be anything such as a voluntary evacuation of a nursing home. When you go voluntary evacuation for people, a shelter in place, the nursing home needs to be emptied and move people to safer, more secure places. It's just a travesty each time we do this into a flooding type disaster.

MALVEAUX: General, when you see what has happened from Hurricane Isaac, now a tropical storm, you see that the folks in New Orleans widely spared because of that huge wall that was built around the city, but places outside, like Plaquemines Parish, where folk had to again be rescued from their rooftops. What kinds of lessons have we learned this go around from Hurricane Isaac?

HONORE: That I think we've got to go back. We learned some time ago, and it hadn't stuck in every corner or government office yet, that the category of the storm has little to do with the actual impact it could have in a specific area. And I think we want to relook category storm. I think we have to look at category storm surge and potential of rain. Any time you saw it measuring rain in one to two foot, that's a disaster. Somebody's going to have a bad day.

Right now over 50 percent of the state of Louisiana is without power. And almost over half of our population live in the parishes affected by this storm when it arrived the first day, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: So, that's a very good point. Obviously looking at how you categorize the storms. And finally, what, in the hours, the days ahead, is the most important thing when you look at people who are suffering and who have challenges? What is the biggest challenge right now?

HONORE: As we get into this second quarter going from search and rescue to accountability for people, you know, they did some nighttime search and rescue. Each one of those homes have to be -- you go in and what we do a knock and listen. Then all of those homes that are locked have to be entered by a search and rescue team to make sure no one's in there. So accountability is the big thing now. Do we know where everybody is and do we have accountability of it. A big issue in search and rescue.

Then we always lose people, unfortunately, as a result of that many homes being without power from generator accidents and from people touching live wires. So we -- this storm narrative is not over with and it's going to travel from Alexandria, where it is now, throughout the state. There is more damage to be done.

MALVEAUX: General Russel Honore, thank you so much. We appreciate your time, as always.

The Republican National Convention seeking to unite. A conservative columnist, however, saying that there is something wrong with the men in her party. But first, laptop computer of the future, it's actually here. Greener, cheaper. Hopefully soon in the hands of school kids who couldn't afford it before. The guy who invented it, he's on "The Next List."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When we started designing the $100 laptop, we were just looking at how do you protect the keyboard and the screen, how do children sort of carry it around. We set aside between 10 and 30 percent of our work hours towards those kind of projects.

I can't tell you that, that's just what made business sense every month, but I can tell you that's what made human sense every month.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Republicans getting ready for the big night. Mitt Romney formally accepts the party's presidential nomination, but our guest says that there is something wrong with the Republican Party and she is blaming it on the men.

Conservative syndicated columnist, Kathleen Parker, wrote a column for the "Daily Beast," called "What the Blank is Wrong with Republican Men"?

She is joining us from Tampa.

Kathleen, good to see you, first of all.

You talk about --

KATHLEEN PARKER, CONSERVATIVE SYNDICATED COLUMNIST: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: -- men in particular. We'll go through the list. One of them, Congressman Todd Akin, as we know, recently talking about legitimate rape. Rush Limbaugh's attack on Sandra Fluke over the contraceptive coverage. And you say that folks, these men in particular, are ruining the party. How so?

PARKER: Well, you know, with the problem is that this emphasis on social issues and on women, in particular, is distracting. First of all, it takes away from the message that the Republican Party wants to convey to the American people, which is about the economy. That is certainly what Mitt Romney wants to talk about. So, it is a distraction.

But it also -- you know, cumulatively, these things create the impression and reinforce the narrative that the Obama administration has advanced that there is a war or women. I don't believe for a minute that most Republican men subscribe to the ideas that have been advanced by Todd Akin. In fact, they have worked very hard to distance themselves. But nonetheless, the perception is that this is a party unfriendly to women. And by the way, women within the Republican Party, and within the Congress and the Senate, feel this as well. So I'm not just, and this is not punditry.

MALVEAUX: And, Kathleen, why do you suppose they have so much impact or influence?

PARKER: These particular individuals?

MALVEAUX: Sure.

PARKER: Well, of course, it is because -- the reason they have a platform at all is because social conservatives have been necessary, considered necessary to the Republican Party's sustenance, and they needed the voters. They have invited them to the table. And for a long time, they were peripheral characters. and now they have a seat at the big table, and they are sort of locked in. This is a marriage now between the social conservatives and the GOP, and especially the particularly the side that is more interested in the fiscal issue. And they are kind of stuck with each other.

You notice that the speakers at the convention have veered away from social issues. I think that Rick Santorum is the only one who brought the issues up. Otherwise, they are sticking to values, the word values, which conveys certain meaning to Republicans. But it kind of stays away from the more prickly issues that divided so many people.

MALVEAUX: I want our viewers to take a quick look at something that you wrote. You say, "The GOP, through the platform, its purity tests and pledges and its emphasis on social issues that divide rather than unite, have shot itself in the foot, eaten said foot, and still managed to stampede to the edge of the precipice, and its extinction in its DNA."

So you talk about the marriage of the social and fiscal conservatives, and clearly a divide here, and battle over the emphasis. How do they come out on top without one squelching the other?

PARKER: I'd say I overwrote that --

(LAUGHTER)

-- for starters.

MALVEAUX: You wrote it.

(LAUGHTER)

PARKER: they won't talk about it. Yes, I know. Well, writing is one thing and speaking on camera is another.

(LAUGHTER)

They won't emphasize these things. I don't think that you will hear anything about the social issues once Mitt Romney -- should Mitt Romney win the presidency. And the people I have spoken to on his campaign very close to him, I have said, look, Romney has had to say thing things to engage the social conservatives within the party, is that really where his heart is. And the answer has been politic, but I think it is clear. The answer has been, look, we are 100 percent about the economy, end of story.

So, whether this is a continuing debate within the party remains to be seen, but a Romney presidency is not going to be about the social issues.

MALVEAUX: Do you think -- one thing that is a challenge to the party is a challenge to the women in the party, themselves? Is it a matter of them becoming stronger and more vocal? Because last night, people were excited about Condoleezza Rice. But she looks out there, and there are very few African-American women that she sees in the audience that does not reflect her at all. Is there a problem there?

PARKER: Well, of course, Condi Rice is fabulous and a tremendously effective speaker. And she is so forthright. and Republicans wanted her frankly to be the vice presidential candidate. She simply is not interested.

The women within the party are rising up. Now, obviously, there is a contingent completely on board with the pro-life positions. But there are a lot of women who are not, pro-choice. Younger women who feel that this is no longer going to be a part to platform. and those women are organizing themselves. We are unfortunately losing Senator Snowe, but you have people like Mary Bono Mack in the House who are organizing to talk back to the men. They feel they are not heard in sufficient numbers. So they are coalescing. And you will hear more from them. And so I think hopefully, some of that. And they can have some diluting effect.

MALVEAUX: Let us now how all of that gets sorted out during the convention and, of course, in the months ahead.

PARKER: OK. Good to talk to you.

MALVEAUX: Kathleen, always good to see you. As always, thank you.

As Isaac erodes more of Louisiana's coastline, a musician and an environmentalist say that folks have to stop building on the bayou.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: A potential new crisis from Isaac. There is a dam at a 700-acre lake in Mississippi that is about to fail. Now, authorities in Mississippi and Louisiana have ordered evacuations along that river. The dam has not breached, but it is badly damaged. If it breaks, it could put 50,000 to 60,000 people in danger. People are also ordered out of harm's way west of New Orleans in St. John Parish. Authorities say that up to 3,000 people have been evacuated or rescued. National Guard troops are going house to house there as well as in Plaquemines Parish to make sure that nobody has been left behind. Isaac already proven deadly. Authorities in Mississippi say a tow truck driver was killed by a fallen tree.

The wetlands along the Louisiana coast help to slow the hurricanes before they reach the population, but the wetlands are disappearing in an alarming rate of an acre an hour. And, in fact, Louisiana has lost more wetlands in the past 80 years than the entire land area of Delaware. Let's look at how much land has vanished there.

I want to bring in blues guitarist and singer, Tad Benoit. He is working to save this ecosystem, and he is joining us by phone from his home in Louisiana.

Tab, thank you, first of all, for bringing this to our attention. I know it's something you're passionate about.

Tell us, first of all, why it is these wetlands are being overtaken by water from the gulf?

TAB BENOIT, BLUES GUITARIST & SINGER (voice-over): Well, the wetlands were built by the Mississippi River, and the entire delta system. It is built by the river, itself. And the river has been diverted away from the system. So you don't have river water flowing through the bayous and in these areas where, you know, the wetlands exist. And that it needs that freshwater and sediment to continue to build. And if you take that water and that sediment away from the Mississippi, the gulf reclaims this land that the river built, and that is what you have happening right now.

MALVEAUX: And so, Tab, if this continues, and the wetlands disappear, what is the big picture-effect of Louisiana and the rest of the country?

BENOIT: Well, we're going to have to move, and move people and move infrastructure and move the port system and all of the things that, you know, that everybody has been relying on for so long. I think people forget how heavily they rely on the port of New Orleans and, you know, all of the systems that we have here in place that provide energy and power and commerce for the country. So it is very important that we look at it and take a good hard look at it and make a decision, are we going the fix this or move it? I don't think that we've ever moved this much stuff in one swoop, you know.

MALVEAUX: Yes. And, Tab, we have been looking at pictures of -- sure, and our audience has been looking at pictures there of how much coastal erosion has happened. You are a big proponent of trying to save the wetlands. What can actually be done?

BENOIT: The first thing we have to do is to get the freshwater back in here from the river. We need this water to maintain the system, because it relies on the vegetation and everything that lives and grows here that holds the soil together. We have no rocks. We don't have a hard coastline. We have a marshy coastline. And just Katrina, for instance -- when a storm comes through like that, Katrina took 217 square miles of land with that one storm, which is the size of the entire New Orleans area, in one swoop like that, just sucks it out and drags it out to sea, and that land is gone. If you didn't have rebuilding, that is not coming back. That is our real protections from storms and storm surge like this. Every three miles of wetlands knocks a storm surge down by one foot.

MALVEAUX: I know it is an expensive thing to try to deal with and obviously a lot of people are working hard on it. Tab, also, in addition to a musician and activist, you are a pilot, and had the chance to fly over the gulf. Have you actually seen the land disappearing over time?

BENOIT: That is what got me started on this, flying the pipelines and flying the gulf coast on the daily and weekly basis. I would see the islands disappearing and the land retreating. And that is what got me involved. And I had to find out why is this happening? Is it a Mother Nature thing or manmade thing? And I found out that it could be reversed and that it was a manmade thing. it got me, you know, in the game to, you know, jump in there and try to use the knowledge that I have and try to get some things going, you know.

MALVEAUX: Well, Tab, we are glad you are in the game and have skin in the game. We really appreciate your coming on. Please keep us posted on what is taking place out of your hometown.

The price of gas shot up overnight, more than two cents a gallon. And we will tell you why that trend might be about to change.

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MALVEAUX: If you have bought gas lately, it is shocking. The national average is $3.83, which is up two cents in the past 24 hours. Midwest and southern states saw the biggest increases of the gas that comes from the gulf, where production was cut because of Hurricane Isaac. But gas prices are expected to ease early next week as the refineries and pipelines in the gulf, when they come back online.

In housing, the foreclosure crisis is easing, but banks could be doing more. That is the conclusion of a new government report. Now, five of the nation's largest banks have provided almost 140,000 struggling homeowners with a total of $10.6 billion in mortgage debt relief. It's all a part of an agreement between the states as well as the federal government.

I want to take a look at how Wall Street is doing this hour. Take a look at the big board. The Dow Jones down close to 100 points, 98.04.

How's the middle class going to do if Mitt Romney gets rid of the president's health care plan? We're going to take a look at the Republican plan for coverage.

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MALVEAUX: West Nile virus on the rise in the United States. More people are dying from this, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of case across the United States is up 1,590. 66 people have died. 48 states and the District of Columbia are reporting cases now. Hardest-hit states -- Texas, South Dakota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Michigan.

Now, Mitt Romney says he's going to repeal President Obama's health care reform law if he is elected. Well, all this week we've been looking into what Romney would put in place of Obama-care. The big concern, middle class Americans who are already having a pretty tough time affording health care insurance, right?

Elizabeth Cohen, she's joining us now to talk a little bit about the subsidies for folks when it comes to health care.

And Romney says that he would get rid of some of these subsidies. How is this going to work?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: He would get rid of them entirely, actually, because he wants to get rid of all of Obama-care, and they're all in Obama-care. These are subsidies for people who don't get insurance from their employer and have to buy it on their. And they're pretty generous subsidies, about $8,000 for a family of four that's making $50,000. That's quite a bit of money.

Romney says, I want to get rid of them. And he has another approach. And I'm just going to read the words from his spokeswoman. "Mitt Romney will institute reforms that control the cost of health care, so that all Americans will be able to afford the coverage they need."

That's his approach. And of course, that begs the question, what are those reforms? You know, what are they going to be?

So let's hear Mitt Romney in his own words.

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MITT ROMNEY, (R), FORMER MASSACHUSETTS GOVERNOR & PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I want these individuals and businesses to be able to buy insurance across state lines to get the best deal they can get anywhere in the country.

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ROMNEY: And I want to be able to join associations of like types of organizations so they can get bargaining power, purchasing power, and get insurance at a reasonable rate.

I would like to make health savings account, which really empower the consumer, far more efficient and effective, by such things as permitting health saving account funds to be used to pay the insurance premiums, which isn't allowed today.

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COHEN: So if Romney did all of these things, made these reforms, would it make it so that middle class Americans would have an easier time affording health insurance? That remains to be seen.

MALVEAUX: And one of the things that he did as former governor of Massachusetts is he did provide subsidies for middle class folks. So how does he explain that?

COHEN: Yes, very similar. You could -- if you earned up to about $70,000, you could get subsidies. So when people have asked him, well, gee, that's what you did in Massachusetts, he said, look, Massachusetts is its own state. And that's what we decided was right for Massachusetts. It's not necessarily right for everyone. If other states want to copy Massachusetts, that's fine.

But it's interesting. He's obviously not philosophically opposed to subsidies. He just doesn't want to impose them on every state of the union.

MALVEAUX: All right. Elizabeth, thank you.

We're going to be paying close attention to all of his reforms and what he's got on his agenda tonight when he makes his big speech.

COHEN: That's right.

MALVEAUX: We'll see if he's got specifics.

Thanks, Elizabeth.

The attorney general of the United States hears from people who want tighter gun control, and they have personal reasons.

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MALVEAUX: There's a new push for gun control. It comes from 12 folks who were injured in the shooting that killed six and gravely wounded former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. They met in Washington with Attorney General Eric Holder, and they want his support for tougher rules on the sale of weapons at gun shows. The group is also working with New York mayor, Michael Bloomberg, other mayors fighting gun violence in their cities.

So the question, is your food safe? Well, two health and environmental groups say no. They are suing the U.S. government. These groups, they say that the feds have failed to enforce a new food safety law that could help prevent thousands of deaths each year from food-born illnesses. The nation's first food safety overhaul in seven decades was signed into law on January of last year. CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Brooke Baldwin.