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Rain Turns Roads into Rivers in Oklahoma; Is Ethnic Cleansing Behind Russian Invasion?; Tennis Legend Billie Jean King Discusses New Book and Old Boundaries

Aired August 19, 2008 - 14:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon live here at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kyra Phillips.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Days of rain have turned parts of Route 66 in Oklahoma into rivers. Firefighters have been busy all morning rescuing people stranded in their homes or cars. Even some southbound lanes of Interstate 44 heading into Texas have been closed. Reporter Amanda Garrett of CNN affiliate KOCO is on the scene for us.

Amanda, what can you tell us?

AMANDA GARRETT, KOCO REPORTER: Well, there really is some widespread flooding out here. In fact, we found out just a few minutes ago that the national weather service now wants an entire small town close to here called Banner to evacuate because of this flooding. If you look behind me, you can see why. We're actually on top of a bridge and this is creek water. But you can see how high it is, how fast it's moving, and all of this creek water is now pouring on to these roads. You can see the truck down there, the water almost up to its windows.

There are several homes out here that are now completely surrounded by water. We do have video from that. The fire department has been out here all day rescuing families by boat. We know all of the families are OK. One family I spoke with described to me and told me what it was like to watch the water come up to their home. They said when they were inside starting to leave, the water was creeping in. They said it was coming through the vents, that it was creeping up through the bathtub. In fact, they said it looked like the carpet was bubbling with water.

So a very scary situation there for those families. The fire department does tell me that this is a flood prone area. So a lot of families out here do have their own individual boats. If they haven't left yet, they can go ahead and use those boats if they feel like they need to go ahead and get out. But I know right now a lot of people just hoping that this water stays put. Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: Amanda Garrett, thanks so much.

LEMON: We've been watching these live pictures come in from Oklahoma and we've seen all the flooding there. We're hearing from emergency officials, Jacqui Jeras that people are having to be rescued from their cars and homes?

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: Take a look at this, here's why you shouldn't go kite boarding in a tropical storm. This guy is in critical condition now after getting slammed into a beach and the side of a building in Miami. The 26-year-old was strapped into a harness and unable to free himself.

PHILLIPS: In Illinois one school district must have studied up on security over the summer. Today as students arrived for their first day of class, they were greeted by some A plus technology.

The story now from Robin Smith of our affiliate KMOV.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBIN SMITH, KMOV REPORTER (on camera): The new high-tech security system begins the minute you walk up to the entry of Goshen Elementary in Edwardsville. You have to put your finger on a fingerprint scanner and they have to read your fingerprint in order for you to get in. But not everyone gets access.

(voice-over): Only the adult staff and teachers can enter the doors using this new high-tech system. It is not used for any students. But for parents or guests wanting access, there's a completely different process. Those adults are met by a school security officer. She takes their driver's license, scans it into the security system, and it either recognizes them as an adult who is allowed inside or it identifies them as someone they want to keep out.

BILL MIENER, DISTRICT TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR: Sex offenders are the primary people that we're looking for. Then if there's any custody situations that we need to be alerted to.

SMITH: Some teachers and parents tell us that they think this new high-tech system will better protect their children.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel pretty safe that my kids are coming to this school.

SMITH: Why?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because I feel they're going to be secure and safe.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But the doors are already locked, so there's -- there's no way they can get into the building without anyone knowing.

KYLEE KUBA, TEACHER: The doors will lock automatically behind you. I believe they can record and see who has come in and out of the buildings and when. I definitely think it's much better security. SMITH (on camera): Even though the doors are locked from the outside, there's no danger for students or staff in case of a fire or other emergency. Because they open quickly and easily, as you can see, for anyone wanting to get out.

In Edwardsville, Robin Smith, News 4.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right Robin, thank you very much for that.

Armed teachers. A first line of defense. That's the thinking behind a plan to allow some teachers in Texas to carry concealed weapons. Governor Rick Perry says he supports letting teachers in his school district at Herald Independence school district to bring guns to their classrooms. Supporters say it could prevent school shootings in rural areas. Any teacher who wants to pack heat has to get a license and undergo training. He or she also has to use ammo that is less likely to ricochet.

Is this security or is it overkill? Tell us what you think? E- mail us at cnnnewsroom@cnn.com.

Then, next hour the debate heats up. We'll hear from a school safety expert who thinks arming teachers is a bad idea. And from the superintendent of the Herald Independent school district where the school board has approved the gun toting policy for teachers.

PHILLIPS: The road to the White House leads through the south today. First stop for Barack Obama this morning, Orlando, Florida. The Democratic candidate talked military issues at the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention. And among other things he blasted John McCain for supporting the invasion of Iraq. Now, this evening Obama holds a town hall meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Right now John McCain is in Louisiana where he's touring an oil rig near New Orleans. The Republican candidate spoke at the VFW convention yesterday. McCain touted his support for the so-called troop surge in Iraq, saying it's helped to make the situation there a lot more secure. America's veterans and the issues that matter to them ahead this hour. Barack Obama and John McCain in their own words to the veterans of foreign wars.

LEMON: This is causing some controversy. Binge drinking. Could it be discouraged by lowering the drinking age? You'll want to hear what the scores of nation's college presidents think about this.

PHILLIPS: A shocking crime caught on camera. Now you can help police find the suspect in attacks on some of society's most vulnerable citizens.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Just one of our big stories today in the CNN NEWSROOM, live pictures now of flooding in Oklahoma. This is Canadian county, FYI, El Reno, it is. It is just west of Oklahoma City, about 28 miles west. I'm being told by our meteorologist here Jacqui Jeras that the Canadian River has been overflowing its banks, also spreading into some smaller creeks as well, causing them to flood.

People are having to be rescued from their homes and from their cars on the roads here, this is just part of the flooding that has been ravaging the Midwest of late. That was live pictures, this is also new video. Just take a look at these homes here, really up to, about halfway up the walls in some places. So they're dealing with that. We're following this developing story today here in the CNN NEWSROOM and we'll break it down for you in just a little bit with our Jacqui Jeras.

PHILLIPS: It's a sobering debate. Would students be less binge drinking if the drinking age were lowered from 21 to 18? College presidents nationwide are now weighing in. Our medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here with the story.

What's going on?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: I got to tell you, this is totally counterintuitive. College presidents saying let's think about lowering the drinking age to help fight college drinking. That is what's happening. There's a group of college presidents from very prestigious places like Dartmouth and Duke and Morehouse saying 21 is not working. That's their mantra. They say it is just not working, that there is lots of binge drinking going on. They say as you can see here it's time to rethink the drinking age.

PHILLIPS: So why do they think lowering the drinking age will help?

COHEN: Their argument is that when you have the drinking age higher, it becomes sort of forbidden so students are going to binge drink more. Some people have argued, look at Europe. They don't have the college binge drinking problem that we do and their drinking age is lower. So some people point to that as an example.

PHILLIPS: I'm sure not everybody agrees with this?

COHEN: Correct. Many people don't, absolutely. Mothers Against Drunk Driving, they think this is completely unreasonable. They say that it's misguided and that the 21 drinking age has helped lower rates of drunk driving and binge drinking.

PHILLIPS: Let's think about when we were in college, on some campuses there are more party type campuses, others that are a little more conservative. How do you rank it now and can you?

COHEN: Here's some incredible numbers, these numbers are very high when you hear them. More than 1,700 deaths every year due to alcohol related injuries when college students drink. 97,000 rapes or assaults because alcohol was involved. 696,000 students are assaulted every year by a student who has been binge drinking. This is according to the Center on Alcohol and Substance Abuse at Columbia University where they keep track of college drinking. It's not just the drinkers. It's drinkers when they get into cars, it's the drinkers and sexual assaults. There are ramifications of the drinking beyond just to the drinker.

PHILLIPS: It's hard to be a parent these days.

COHEN: Absolutely.

PHILLIPS: That's for sure.

All right, Elizabeth thanks.

LEMON: Just from those numbers, something needs to be done, whatever it is.

COHEN: Right. Whatever the age is.

LEMON: Yes, terrible. All right, thanks very much for that.

It took less than an hour for flames to demolish six homes in this Reno, Nevada, yesterday. Gusty winds kept the fire going and kept more than 50 firefighters on their toes. No cause has been confirmed yet, but investigators are looking into reports that some kids were seen running from the area where the fire started. The early damage estimates, about $2 million.

Police in New York want your help in finding a mugger who preys on the elderly. The security camera from a Brooklyn elevator shows it all. Take a look at this man. He grabs 85-year-old Lillian France, he chokes her, then he steals her purse containing $900. He also takes her cane. What a jerk. Here's a different view of the suspect. Police believe he's connected to a string of attacks on elderly victims.

It took police in Oregon just eight minutes to find and arrest a murder suspect. The crime scene investigation took hours, infuriating the victim's family. They say his body was left out doors from noon until 5:00 the next morning. Police defend their timeline. According to the chief their small town sees so few homicides the department had to call in and wait for state troopers.

PHILLIPS: It was called the battle of the sexes. The famous tennis match between the then top female player Billie Jean King and former pro Bobby Riggs. Do you remember it? King certainly does. She's written a book about the match that helped revolutionize women in sports and women's rights. She'll be live in the NEWSROOM later this hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Barack Obama is on the trail today in two southern states, Florida and North Carolina. First stop, Orlando, where the Democratic candidate spoke at the Veterans on Foreign Wars convention. Most of his focus Iraq. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The run-up to the invasion of Iraq I warned that the war would fan the flames of extremism in the Middle East, create new centers of terror and tie us down in a costly and open ended occupation. Senator McCain predicted that we'd be greeted as liberators and that the Iraqis would bear the cost of rebuilding through their bountiful oil revenues. For the good of our country, I wish he had been right and I had been wrong. But that is not what history shows. Senator McCain now argues that despite these costly strategic errors, his judgment has been vindicated due to the results of the surge.

Let me once again praise General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker. They are outstanding Americans. And have put in place a strategy for reducing the violence. In Iraq, gains have been made in lowering the levels of violence, thanks to their efforts. And more importantly the outstanding efforts of our troops, as well as the increase in capability of Iraq's security forces, the cease-fire of Shia militias and the decision taken by the Sunni tribes to take the fight to al Qaeda. These are the facts, and all Americans welcome them.

But understand what the essential argument was about. Before the surge, I argued that the long-term solution in Iraq is political. The Iraqi government must reconcile its differences and take responsibility for its future. That holds true today. We have lost over 1,000 American lives. We've spent hundreds of billions of dollars since the surge began. But Iraq's leaders still haven't made hard compromises or substantial investments in rebuilding their own country. Our military is badly overstretched. A fact that has surely been noted in capitals around the world.

While we pay a heavy price in Iraq and Americans pay record prices at the pump, Iraq's government is sitting on a $79 billion budget surplus from windfall oil profits. So let's be clear. Our troops have completed every mission they've been given. They have created the political space for reconciliation. Now it must be filled by an Iraqi government that reconciles its differences and spends its oil profits to meet the needs of its people. Iraqi in action threatens the progress we've made and creates an opening for Iran and the special groups it supports. It is time to press the Iraqis to take responsibility for their future.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: A bit later this hour, John McCain in his own words as he addresses veterans in Orlando.

LEMON: It is issue No. 1, the nation's economy. Of course, and your money. If you were planning to buy a Chevy, a Saab, a Caddie, or any other GM vehicle today, stop. Wait until tomorrow when you can get the employee discount. General Motors is bringing back its employee pricing promotion almost all of 2008's models and some of 2009's are eligible. The deal goes from tomorrow through September 2nd as GM tries to clear out some of its inventory..

A new report is out on the nation's battered housing market and it's not a pretty picture.

Stephanie Elam is at the New York Stock exchange with the very latest on those numbers, not a pretty picture, so give us the numbers Steph?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's true, Don.

It really wasn't. We take a look at new home building and it fell sharply in July. The government says housing starts plunged 11 percent last month to a 17-year low. The number was a hair better than expected, but still dismal news for the struggling sector. In case you're wondering, 17 years ago, the U.S. was mired in a recession back then. Of course, we don't know if we're officially in one or not yet. But you know obviously a lot of people thinking that -- Don.

LEMON: A lot of people say it certainly feels like one Stephanie. What about the future. Are there any signs things could turn around turn around soon?

ELAM: Many economists were hoping the housing market would actually bottom out this summer. Considering it's August, doesn't look like that's going to happen. In that report, we also saw building permits tumble 17 percent. Permits are often seen as a sign of builders' confidence in the housing market. After all, they're not going to apply for permits if they don't think they can actually sell those houses. The news suggests housing will remain a big drag for the rest of the year.

All right, speaking of a drag, the Dow back in triple digit losses. Investors are considering those housing numbers along with a report showing the annual rate of wholesale inflation hitting a 27- year high. Also, oil is jumping $1.50 and obviously we don't like it when oil goes up. That's not helping either.

Take a look at the numbers, the Dow Jones Industrial off 139 points, 11,339. NASDAQ off 30 points to 2,386. Coming up, a new survey may reveal why American car companies are so desperate to dump their inventories. We'll have some details on customer satisfaction in the next hour.

Until then, Don, back to you.

LEMON: All right. I can't get no satisfaction, right?

ELAM: You said it, hey.

LEMON: All right, Stephanie. Thank you. Look forward to that.

ELAM: Thanks.

PHILLIPS: Russia's invasion of Georgia. Is ethnic cleansing involved? We'll have a live report from Moscow.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. We want to get you now to our John Zarrella who has been following Tropical Storm Fay up and down the Florida coast. He's in Fort Pierce. He actually drove up from Key West. He's just joining us now. He's made it there. John, we saw you a little bit earlier and your drive along the interstate there, very few cars on the road. What are you finding now that you're there at Fort Pierce?

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, we are finding a lot of flooding. This is route 70, which is a major road that leads east and west pretty much across Florida. This is the Fort Pierce area. You can see on our camera held by producer Rick Phillips, all of those cars there are heading eastbound. They are pretty much bogged down in the water making their way very slowly.

You see another one there turning around because the water is so deep down in that direction they just can't get through. So they're trying to make their way through. That water is going to be literally up to their headlights as they're coming. You can see that as they're making their way through there. It's very, very deep down there. There are a couple cars that are stranded that stalled there. All along this route 70 east of interstate 95, we've found this kind of flooding that we had to make our way very slowly through.

But obviously, as you can see, we can't get any further than this, without risking getting bogged down ourselves. But even down a lot of the side streets we noticed water lapping up to the fronts of houses, almost going into the homes. There are businesses here that the water is lapping right up along the side of -- on Route 70. A few people standing outside looking out their front doors, trying to assess the situation, hoping that we don't get a lot more rain here.

And I'm not tremendously familiar with whether this area is prone to flooding or not. Certainly this is uncommon, unusual, far more water than I'm sure they have seen even in other major rain events. But with the storm making its way across from Lake Okeechobee towards us, I suspect that we will see a lot more rain. (INAUDIBLE) some squall lines as we moved across and through the Fort Pierce area -- Don.

LEMON: All right, John Zarrella. And you can tell John is joining us via broadband. And because they've been having such horrific weather there, you can understand the connections are probably not the best.

And you can see some of the media there. In John's shot behind him preparing to do live shots and taking video as well. But, John Zarrella joining us from Florida in Fort Pierce, made his way from Key West where he was over the weekend and yesterday and he's getting some new pictures for us. We'll get him back just as soon as he gets some more information.

PHILLIPS: 2:31 Eastern time and right now. Here's some of the other stories we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.

School officials in Edwardsville, Illinois, taking extraordinary steps to keep those who don't belong out of there. Faculty and staff get into four elementary schools with a fingerprint scan now. Visitors must hand over their driver's licenses which are scanned and compared to a digital database. And evacuations under way in parts of Oklahoma, due to flooding triggered by heavy rain. High water has blogged several roads around the state now.

And NATO meeting in an emergency session warning Russia to live up to the cease-fire signed with the Republic of Georgia. If it doesn't, NATO says that Moscow can forget about normal relations with that alliance.

LEMON: It is the scourge of modern war. Ethnic cleansing. Some say it's happening now in the conflict between Russia and the Republic of Georgia.

And CNN's Jill Dougherty has been checking out the allegations and she joins us now from Moscow.

The latest wire that we saw come across, Jill, is that the White House said that it will look into the charges of ethnic cleansing in what they call this ugly conflict.

JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, you know, you have to look actually at both sides. Because certainly the Georgian had made the case that that is a problem, that the Russians have carried out ethnic cleansing in Georgia.

But, the Russians are saying that the Georgians have carried out ethnic cleansing or actually genocide is exactly what they're calling it, against that small ethnic minority that lives in the break-away region that we've been talking about -- South Ossetia. And they say that the Georgians used artillery, aviation and guns to try to wipe out those people.

And the difficulty, Don here, is that nobody knows precisely how many people have been killed. And there haven't been international monitors who've been able to go in there or humanitarian organizations, in a really organized fashion to study exactly how many there are.

The Russians, for example, said 2,000 people were killed in the capital of South Ossetia. But, nobody really knows whether that is the case.

LEMON: You know, you have been saying that there are no monitors that are being allowed in. And at the beginning when I introduced you, I said it is a scourge of modern war.

We may not find out if any of these allegations are true or just how true they are. I'm sure in some instances they're partially true. But until after this conflict is over, or at least until it has wound down some.

DOUGHERTY: Yes. And, you know, the other thing is, this is an area that has had a lot of violence. And ethnic violence between the South Ossetians -- actually Ossetians you could call them -- and the Georgians. It goes back way before this crisis. LEMON: Sarkozy is -- the French president is saying there are going to be huge ramifications for this. Of course, the president is saying Russia is dabbling in some iffy territory here.

What has been the international response and what are you hearing, if anything, from the Kremlin?

DOUGHERTY: Well, you know, I think overall the issue is, the west is making it clear -- at least most of the west -- is making it clear that they are very, very critical of what the Russians have done. And that Russia's going to pay a price.

But the question is, how do you define what kind of price they're going to pay? And when you get into areas like NATO, where you know, the Russians are working with NATO, there's a danger that these western institutions could shoot themselves in the foot by angering Russia, saying get out, we don't want to deal with you anymore. And the Russians don't work with them on issues that are very important like arms control and nonproliferation of weapons, things that are really very important.

So, it's a fine balance between teaching the Russians a lesson and hurting yourself.

LEMON: CNN's Jill Dougherty has been covering this region for years and she gives us a very bottom line today.

Jill, we appreciate your reporting. Thanks.

PHILLIPS: The complex and well coordinated attack. That's how NATO and Afghan officials describe a Taliban ambush that killed 10 French paratroopers today. It's the deadliest attack on international forces in more than three years. NATO says about 100 insurgents took part. An Afghan source says that 27 people were killed.

Now, NATO mincing no words in an emergency meeting today, warning Russia to honor terms of the cease-fire that it signed with the Republican of Georgia. If it doesn't, it says that Moscow can forget about normal business with the western alliance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAAP DE HOOP SCHEFFER, NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL: We're not abandoning the NATO Russia consult. But as long as Russian forces are basically occupying a large part of Georgia, I cannot see a NATO/Russia council convene at whatever level. But, I should add that we certainly do not have the intention to close all doors in our communication with Russia. But I say again, the future will depend on concrete actions from the Russian side.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Now, in response, Russia's foreign minister dismissed the warning as biased and accused NATO of supporting an aggressive regime in Georgia. Well, it's day one without Pervez Musharraf in power. And Pakistan's ruling coalition is struggling to decide who should replace the former president. Musharraf resigned yesterday rather than face likely impeachment. Musharraf is expected to leave the country, but, the new government says there's no immunity deal at this point. The U.S. weighed in today, saying its once close ally in President Bush's war on terror has the right to live wherever he wants.

LEMON: Well, plug in, juice up and roll out. Lots of people think electric cars could be the answer to our "Energy Fix." We'll see if Poppy Harlow's charged up about that idea.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, visitors call it one of the natural wonders of the world. Kenya's Masai Mara. But the large wildlife reserve is facing new threats.

David McKenzie explains in today's "Plant in Peril" segment.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Massive wildebeest herds on the move. They're unrelenting annual trek across the African Savannah in search of grazing lands. Not even the mighty Mara River and its dangers will stop them.

(on camera): Every year over 1 million wildebeests migrate across this river. It's really one of the natural wonders of the world. Tourists have been flocking here for years. But, this year because of the political instability in Kenya, only 20 percent of the usual visitors have come here. And it could really hurt conservation efforts.

(voice-over): Each tourist pays for those efforts with a portion of their entrance fees to the Masai Mara, used for managing the reserve. But that money has slowed to a trickle.

Joseph Kimunjino has worked here for 20 years. And he's never seen it this bad.

JOSEPH KIMUNJINO, HEAD OF TOURISM, MARA TRIANGLE: If we cannot continue run our operations as normal, then we fear that poachers may (INAUDIBLE) the park, kill the animals. And at the end of the day, we do not have animals.

MCKENZIE: Their killing methods are brutal and indiscriminate. Wire snares set to capture wildebeests for bush meat, but they gauge anything in their path, even the mighty felt by the deadly steel traps.

BRIAN HEATH, CEO, MARA CONSERVANCY: When the animals come into Kenya, there's this big influx of poachers, as this sudden surge of poaching. Unless we can control it, we're in danger of the number of animals being poached. Not being able to sustain that population.

MCKENZIE: They're determined to carry on with their work despite the odds.

KIMUNJINO: They don't give us anti-poaching patrols. Poachers will take over and obviously, the Mara will be destroyed.

MCKENZIE: Without a sustained revenue, their tireless efforts could come to not. And the miracle of the Mara migration could be lost.

David McKenzie, CNN, Masai Mara.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Jacqui Jeras, what are you finding out about a tornadoes hitting the ground there in Florida?

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Well, we have a warning in effect, but, we are just getting word now of a different tornado that touched down and caused damage in Barefoot Bay. This is in Brevard County, it's just south of Melbourne are. Here it is, right in here, in that area right there where the touchdown happened. We have reports of three people being injured, carports and porches and some homes being damaged by that tornado. So, that information just coming in.

Now, just south of there in Indian River County, a tornado warning remains in effect until quarter of the hour. These lines, these storms are coming in off the ocean. And that tornado threat is real out there. When you get a warning, you need to be seeking shelter and getting inside -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. We'll keep checking in with you.

Thanks, Jacqui.

LEMON: I have a question for you. Environmentally friendly and cheap to run. So why don't we have an electric car yet? I hope she can can answer that.

CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow has our Energy Fix from New York.

Poppy, why no electric car yet?

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: No pressure, right Don?

LEMON: Yes. No pressure.

HARLOW: No pressure. It's a very good question. I mean, just imagine having a car and no more trips to the gas station. Filling up could literally be as easy as plugging your car into a wall socket. It would also be cheaper. About the equivalent of a dollar a gallon. And get this -- electric cars would of course reduce, possibly even eliminate emissions. It is becoming a reality.

Nissan unveiling its first electric vehicle. Take a look here. In the United States, it's set to hit the market in 2010. Early reports say it has good acceleration. That, Don, has been a big problem with these electric cars. And Don, of course, it is silent -- Don.

LEMON: All right. You know, too good to be true. And these cars certainly seem that way.

HARLOW: A little bit too good to be true.

There are some big down sides. The battery life is limited so that means you can't take those long road trips. The bigger problem, maybe our existing electric grid. What happens if a bunch of these cars are on the road, on that grid. Even advocates of this technology say your electric bill would certainly go up with the cost of electricity rising, just like what we saw with corn and ethanol.

And if there are enough of these vehicles out there, we'll have to update our whole electric grid. Don't forget, Don, a lot of energy comes from coal. That means there's environmental concerns. Advocates though do believe these issues can be solved if the big auto makers will work better with the electric industry.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: General Motors is talking with utilities across the country. Ford is going the same. The other auto makers I'm sure are going to follow suit. We need to make sure to get the ground rules of this right so that it works out and doesn't end up on the rocks as the one between oil companies and the auto makers did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: That's key. But, electric cars are one option. Last week we showed you hydrogen cars. A few weeks ago, we showed you natural gas cars. Check out those pieces on our site.

But Don, maybe I'm solving the problem. We do have an electric car on the market in about a year and a half, from Nissan.

LEMON: I had an electric car when I was a kid, but, I don't think that will work on the highway.

HARLOW: Those little ones, right?

LEMON: Those little, tiny ones that I would run over everybody's feet with.

All right. Thank you, Poppy.

HARLOW: You're welcome.

PHILLIPS: New video into us here in the NEWSROOM. John McCain pushing for more offshore oil drilling as a way to ease the energy crisis as the backdrop today. It's an oily rig near New Orleans. Now, yesterday the Republican presidential candidate talked military issues in Florida.

Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: With less than three months to go before the election, a lot of people are just still trying to square Senator Obama's varying positions on the surge in Iraq.

First he opposed the surge and confidently predicted that it would fail. Then he tried to prevent funding for the troops who carried out the surge. Not content to merely predict failure in Iraq, my opponent tried to legislate failure. This was back when supporting America's efforts in Iraq entailed serious political risk.

It was a clarifying moment. It was a moment when political self- interest and the national interest parted ways. For my part, with so much in the balance, my friends, it was an easy call. As I said at the time, I would rather lose an election than lose a war.

(APPLAUSE)

Thanks to the courage and sacrifice of our soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen. And to the brave Iraqi fighters, the surge has succeeded. And yet --

(APPLAUSE)

MCCAIN: And yet, Senator Obama still can't quite bring himself to admit his own failure in judgment. Nor, has he been willing to heed the guidance of General Petraeus, one of the great leaders in military history. Or to listen to our troops on the ground when they say, as they have said to me on my trips to Iraq, let us win. Just let us win.

(APPLAUSE)

Instead, Senator Obama commits the greatest error of insisting that even in hindsight he would oppose the surge. Even in retrospect he would choose the path of retreat and failure for America over the path of success and victory.

In short, both candidates in this election pledge to end this war and bring our troops home. The great difference is that I intend to win it first.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, McCain also promised that if he's elected, he'll appoint a Secretary of Veterans Affairs who'll be a forceful advocate for veterans' rights.

LEMON: Well, it was called the battle of the sexes. Remember that? And she won. Remembering the famous match between tennis icon Billie Jean King and former pro Bobby Riggs. It was big news back then. What King did for women's sports and women's rights. She'll join us live to talk about her new book. And we're going to show you -- show her, I should say, some love.

Take a big wave, Ms. King.

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PHILLIPS: Well she changed how the world looked at women with a tennis racket and tenacity. Thirty-five years ago this week, Billie Jean King was getting ready for the match of a lifetime.

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PHILLIPS (voice-over): September 20th, 1973 -- 30,000 spectators filled a Houston Astrodome to see the battle of the sexes. More than 50 million people worldwide watched the contenders, 55-year-old Bobby Riggs, one of the top 10 men ever in professional tennis. On the other side of the court, 29-year-old Billie Jean King, a multi- Wimbledon champion and top ranked player.

BOBBY RIGGS, PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYER: This isn't just a tennis match, this is a battle of the sexes.

PHILLIPS: It was a contest that would soon connect women's rights to women's sport. Riggs played the male chauvinist, hamming it up for the cameras, while King focused on her game. Then, came the night of the contest. King became a queen, entering the stadium on a Cleopatra thrown. Riggs rolled in on a rickshaw pulled by women called his "Bosom Buddies."

But the real drama happened on this court. King ran the older Riggs ragged. She won in straight sets. Riggs was humbled. Jumping over the net, King says he looked her in the eye and admitted -- quote -- "I underestimated you." And it was that year the U.S. Tennis Association started paying men and women equal prize money for the U.S. Open.

BILLIE JEAN KING, FMR. PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYER: For the first time I think women were taken seriously as athletes in a long time. And I think people started thinking, you know what? The women deserve as much opportunity as the men. And, yes, women can chew gum and walk at the same time.

PHILLIPS: Billie Jean King became a pioneer of the game and women's rights. In 1971 she became the first female athlete to earn more than 100 grand in a single season. And she was the first woman to coach a co-ed team in professional sports, the Philadelphia Freedom.

ELTON JOHN, SINGER (singing): I used to be a Rolling Stone.

PHILLIPS: And, yes, her buddy, Elton John, wrote this song just for her.

JOHN (singing): (INAUDIBLE) PHILLIPS: Billie Jean King also became the first woman commissioner in sports history for world team tennis in 1984. And when Anika Sorenstam became the first woman in more than 50 years to play on the men's tour, who did she call for advice? Billie Jean King.

And when Hillary Clinton decide to run for president, who was by her side? Billie Jean King. From tomboy to trailblazer, if there is one thing that Billie Jean King has taught us, it's that pressure is a privilege.

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PHILLIPS: And we're going to talk to her live right after this break.

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PHILLIPS: Now we're honored to have that woman who won the 39 Grand Slam titles, tennis legend, Billie Jean King. She is talking about her new book with us, "Pressure is a Privilege: Lessons I Have Learned from Life and the Battle of the Sexes."

Billie Jean King, great to see you.

KING: Great to see you, Kyra. Thank you for having me.

PHILLIPS: It's great looking back at those pictures and looking at -- yes, what does that do for you?

KING: I haven't even seen some of them. I was so excited.

PHILLIPS: It brings everything back, doesn't it?

KING: It does. It's like your whole life starts to flash in front of you. Coming out on that Cleopatra litter (ph) and seeing Bobby Riggs with his "Bosom Buddies" and whatever was going on. And of course, the court was so expansive compared to what we're used to in tennis. The Astrodome was huge. It was for football and baseball, not for tennis.

It was an amazing evening and how much fun it was. But the meaning of it was so deep for me and so important at the time and still is really looking back. And in the "Pressure of Privilege," I do talk about the match, and I talk about my parents and some of the values. But, Bobby, one of the -- one of the chapters, "Never Underestimate Your Opponent," and that is, as you said, the first thing he said to me as he jumped over the net and we put our arms around each other. He said, "I really underestimated you."

And of course, my dad, my whole life, my brother was a Major League Baseball player, Randy Moffitt, so he played for the San Francisco Giants as a relief pitcher. He and I had these dreams, my brother and I, and my dad always told us never, never, ever underestimate your opponent, no matter what area of life. Always respect your opponent, always act as if they're going to have their best day and you're still going to find a way to beat them. So --

PHILLIPS: And you know, it's interesting that your dad was an athlete. He totally pushed you to be the best that you could be. But yet your mom, she thought that you should play tennis and not any other type of sport. I remember, because you were playing football, I think, with your brother. And she said, no, no, no, you need to play a more feminine sport.

And you thought it was a sissy sport, right?

KING: Well, she just said you have to be lady-like. And I said what does that mean?

I just loved team sports. I loved basketball first. I loved all these team sports, that's why I do world team tennis today. I love team tennis because it's co-ed. I love men and women together.

Anyway, I was really old here. I was like 39 or 40 there.

PHILLIPS: Oh, yes, you were so old.

KING: No, no -- I was really over the hill by then. But I sure -- it was fun.

PHILLIPS: But Billie Jean, we're not only talking about women here, but I know when you started playing tennis, that you thought this is sort of an elitist sport. There's no diversity in this sport and the only way that I'm going to make a difference is if I'm No. 1, and then I can change things and people will listen to me.

KING: Yes, I knew that unless you're No. 1 -- also I already knew by the time I was 12 when I had this epiphany I wanted to help boys and girls have equal right and opportunities, or men and women, whatever our age is, that was really -- I dedicated my life to that by the time I was 12-years-old, one year into the sport of tennis. And a lot of it came from tennis, like, as you said, being around an elitist sport, all white, white clothes, white balls, white people. And I thought, this isn't right. I like inclusion, I think diversity equals strength.

That's been really my whole life. I really care about it. It's funny how women -- or people will put women as we only helped half of the population. Like people will come up and say you helped women's rights or women's tennis, or whatever. But they never would say that to a man. They'd say thanks for what you did for tennis.

So I think it's very interesting how, like, I wanted the men and women to be together when we started professional tennis. And the men didn't want it. And that's the only reason we had women's professional tennis is that guys basically kicked us out because as amateurs, we played together.

PHILLIPS: But here's what's interesting, too. And I just want to fast forward for a second, is here we are in this political season. Hillary Clinton was running for president. And I remember the quote that was made when you beat Bobby Riggs, everybody was saying secretaries across the country were saying get your own coffee to their male bosses. Now, that same, and I don't know if you know this or not, but I even used it with Gloria Steinem when I interviewed her when she was talking about Hillary Clinton. That same quote was being used, that analogy was being used, when Hillary Clinton made it to this same level.

What you did years ago is being parlayed into what Hillary Clinton is doing now. Is that what you had hoped to see years ago when you beat that man on the tennis court?

KING: Yes. But the one thing that's important is you have to win. And I know Hillary knows that, and I know that's probably a great disappointment to her. But I think we have to win, like when Danica Patrick -- at one time I saw her at the 500 qualifying last year, and we were talking. And she -- at that time had only come in fourth, and I said, you have to win. People only listen really when you win. We cannot come in fourth, we can't come in second, we actually have to win.

Like, if I'd lost to Bobby Riggs, my life would have been very different. I think you have to win. And I think that's the next thing we have to see.

But men got to vote before women, men of all colors. And people asked me two years ago, and I said, if history repeats itself, Obama will beat out Hillary just because of history, because women had to wait so long to be able to vote, any color of woman. So it's very interesting how that has repeated itself.

PHILLIPS: Well, it's incredible what you started with a racket for $8.29 that you slept with. And here you are all these years later.

The book is "Pressure is a Privilege: Lessons I Have Learned from Life and the Battle of the Sexes."

KING: I love it.

PHILLIPS: Billie Jean King, it is always great to see you. You're an amazing woman.

KING: Thanks a lot, Kyra. Thanks everyone at CNN.

PHILLIPS: You bet. We all support you.

KING: Thanks.