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Flooding Threatens Nuclear Plants; Baseball Stars Making a Difference; Obama "Evolving"; WNBA's Historic New Direction; From "Artest" to "World Peace"; Sterilized Against their Will

Aired June 26, 2011 - 22:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Good evening, everyone. I'm Don Lemon. We begin tonight with a developing story.

Two nuclear power plants along the Missouri River in danger of severe damage in the direct path of a historic flood, and we know quite well from Japan what massive flooding can do to a nuclear power plant.

I want you to look tonight at the Fort Calhoun nuclear power plant north of Omaha, Nebraska. You can see the Missouri River lapping at its doorstep. It was shut down early today after a barrier protecting the Fort Calhoun plant from the flooding collapsed.

Sounds familiar?

The other plant in danger is just a short way from Fort Calhoun. We're talking about the Cooper Nuclear Power Station. And that's where we find tonight's CNN's Patrick Oppmann.

Patrick, a very serious situation.

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is. And really a remarkable situation, Don. Let me explain to you, Don.

We are outside of this Cooper Nuclear Power Plant and the Missouri River is 10 feet above what it usually would be. It is very concerning for the officials here. Another 3 feet, and they are actually required to shut down the plant. They don't think that's going to happen, Don.

They've got a lot of fail-safe mechanisms in place here. Obviously, the flooding is very different than a tsunami like they experienced in Japan. It's giving them a lot of time to prepare. We were all throughout this plant today and we've seen a lot of those preparations.

These fail-safes include generators. They include any kind of berms and structures they put up to keep the water out. The Missouri River is literally lapping at the levee that's just outside this plant.

About 100 miles to the north of us, a very different situation, Don, as the Fort Calhoun plant that you mentioned, they are on generator power today. They had to go off of the grid because of that flooding.

And today, a large aqua moat, this is sort of an inflatable barrier they set up around the plant that was ruptured by a worker. And this is a 3/4 mile long structure that goes around the plant. So that was ruptured. Officials say -- still say there is no cause for concern. They have a lot of the backups, a lot of contingencies, that there is no cause for concern here.

But obviously, some deterioration in the safety around that particular plant. A lot of people hoping that this flooding will go down, Don. It is just a question of when there is more to come.

LEMON: Patrick Oppmann on our lead story and this is developing. Two nuclear power plants along the Missouri River in danger of being damaged.

Thank you very much, Patrick.

All weekend, we have been telling you about the devastation in Minot, North Dakota. This is probably as bad as it will get there hopefully. Thousands of homes are already lost which is a huge blow to the town. We're going to take you there for a closer look a little bit later on this hour. But Minot is just the beginning of what is going to be a catastrophic summer for countless communities along these rivers.

Over the coming weeks, flooding along the Missouri River is going to be unlike any in recent history. Alexandra Steele right now in the CNN severe weather center.

Unprecedented in recent memory. Walk us through it.

ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. It is a dichotomy weather watch we have seen around the country. The northern tier inundated by rain last spring, this spring, and then winter snow and the snow melt really erupting and exacerbating the flooding concerns. And then the southern tier of the country, incredibly parched. Places like Texas in that 100-degree territories and then the devastating drought.

So that dichotomy continues, and the pattern looks as though that would continue.

Let's go back to the Fort Calhoun plant. Just want to talk about that a little bit. This is the swollen Missouri River. Of course, we're talking about so many rivers, also the river in Minot, which we'll get to in a second.

So now that's the Missouri River inundating areas just north of Omaha, where the Fort Calhoun plant is, Now what happened was the grounds of this nuclear power plant being inundated by water and the water-filled berm that was punctured. And that was the problem and the water continues to come.

To give you a little perspective of how high that Missouri River is there. The river there right now is 1,006.3 feet. That plant can withstand that river getting to about 1,014 feet. So about another 8 feet, that's all the wiggle room that there is. So certainly a concern because more rain is coming. Let's go back to Minot. We've been talking so much about Minot and what we've been seeing. It is expected now -- you know, it has crested. It did earlier this morning and as quickly as it got there, it will be exponentially slow to recede. It is expected to fall about 2 feet by Wednesday, that is it. Even by next Sunday, a week from now, still a foot above record stage. And that record, centuries-old record, that's in 1818. But still needs to drop another 10 feet to exit the flood stage portion. So even down through July 4th, we will be dealing with above-flood stage in this area. So it's just a very slow process to recede.

LEMON: Alexandra, thank you very much. We appreciate that.

Another developing story in to CNN. We are talking about children now trapped in the wreckage of a school bus. Dozens of rescuers scrambling to help. This was the scene just hours ago in Pennsylvania, and this video is just in to CNN. At least 25 people were hurt when the bus from the Cumberland Valley Christian School crashed on Interstate 81 in the Harrisburg area. A highway patrol officer told our affiliate WHP that a driver in a Cadillac tried to pass the bus, causing it to roll over. None of those hurt is critical, but the officer said when rescuers arrived, they had to cut open the bus to reach several children. We will update you on that one as well.

An intense manhunt for an accused murder comes to an end in Oklahoma as the suspect is captured by police. And wait until you hear how one sheriff passed right by him without even realizing. That's next.

And imagine the state forcing you to be sterilized, robbing you of the ability to have children. It happened to thousands of people like Elaine Riddick.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They cut me open like I was a hog.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: I spoke to her moments ago and you will hear what else she had to say.

And many of you are looking for information on the social media. You can reach out to us on Twitter, on Facebook, cnn.com/don and on Foursquare. Make sure to check out "Transparent," my new book, available anywhere books are sold.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They just come in with shotguns looking for somebody. I guess the guy escaped from the county.

Twenty guys come in, and about five of them went through there with shotguns and had the rifles and vests. Kind of nervous. The woman had her kids, and she was freaking out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Tense moments during a manhunt for an escaped murder suspect. But tonight, the fugitive is back in custody in McClain County, Oklahoma. Investigators say Shaun Bosse overpowered two jailers and then fled in a dispatcher's car. He was on the loose for hours before police caught up with him a short time ago reportedly near his grandmother's house. Bosse is accused of killing a woman and her two children and burning a mobile home with the victims inside in the summer of 2010.

A member of the McClain County Sheriff's Department had a forehead- slapping moment very soon after Bosse escaped. The undersheriff says he passed Bosse on the road, but he didn't know it, because the alert had not reached him yet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BILL SHOBE, UNDERSHERIFF, MCCLAIN COUNTY, OKLAHOMA: I'd seen the car that fit the description of one of my jailers who just purchased it, and I know the papers (INAUDIBLE) on it. And I'm on my way to church. I passed the car. I see a male driving. I don't pay attention to him.

LEMON: And you heard about it very shortly after you saw the car, within a couple of minutes?

SHOBE: Yes. Shortly after a few minutes, I was notified that we had an escapee.

LEMON: Were you checking yourself?

SHOBE: Really. It makes me very upset. I should have known, you know. I should have looked at the driver, which I didn't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: He said they are making changes to the notification system now.

Now this --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CROWD CHANTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: What does New York's same-sex marriage law mean for the rest of the nation? And could there be political battles ahead? I will talk with CNN contributor Errol Louis next.

But first, Major League Baseball players and high school students joining forces to help communities in need. CNN education contributor Steve Perry went to Camden, New Jersey to find out what is going on. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It is Saturday morning in Camden, New Jersey, and these teams gather at a drug addiction facility. But it's not what it sounds like. They are here to help. Here to make this a better place.

(on camera): What makes you want to give back? A lot of young kids do not think about giving back right now.

JUSTIN JOHNSON, HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR: Well, I would rather not be in their shoes. I rather do something productive.

PERRY: This is a rough neighborhood for sure. Why here?

ERICA BENEDETTI, HIGH SCHOOL JUNIOR: It's not about where. It's about who needs the help and when they need it.

PERRY (voice over): Justin Johnson and Erica Benedetti are here as part of the Action Team. It's a program that was created eight years ago by the Major League Baseball Players Trust and Volunteers of America.

Major Leaguers and high schools come together so that they can encourage young people to make a difference in their communities across the country.

(on camera): Do you feel like what you are doing here is going to make an impact?

BEN FRANCISCO, PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES: Yes. Everything you do has an impact whether it helps one person or it helps 1,000.

JIMMY ROLLINS, PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES: It is not always, you know, giving money, but sometimes it is giving time.

PERRY: What do you want the kids to get out today here?

RYAN HOWARD, PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES: You know what? I think that they have already gotten the message just because they are here. You don't have to be a Major League Baseball player or an athlete or anything to be a good role model in your community.

GREG BOURIS, MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYERS ASSN: We take the players off of the pedestal. We lift the high school students and put them on a pedestal and give them the resources to go out in their own communities, inspire their peers to go out and pick causes that are important in their own environments, their own communities, their own schools and make a difference, and then they realize that they do have that power.

PERRY (voice over): Today, there are 163 high schools that have Action Teams in 33 states.

BENEDETTI: Seeing people happy and helping them out is the best feeling. PERRY: Steve Perry, Camden, New Jersey.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That is why I ordered federal agencies to extend the same benefits to gay couples that go to straight couples wherever possible. That is why we are going to keep fighting until the law no longer -- I heard you guys. You know, believe it or not, I anticipated that somebody might ask this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: You know, those hecklers want President Obama to support same- sex marriage, but officially he is still opposed. He says, however, that his views are, quote, "evolving."

So what is New York's new law mean for the rest of the nation and next year's election?

Let's talk about it now with CNN contributor Errol Louis, political anchor for New York 1 as well.

Errol, OK, what was the force behind this change that pushed us over the top? There is an interesting dynamic going on here.

ERROL LOUIS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Well, the vote in New York was really a very old political story. The side that wanted same-sex marriage was organized. They had a lot of money. They had some solidarity. They had a smart strategy.

And the other side didn't have any of those things. They were kind of dithering. They were a little bit scared, frankly, by the amount of passion and energy and organization they were confronting, and in the end, they didn't have what it took to fight it off.

LEMON: OK. And Republicans actually helped. There were some Republicans helping to raise money in support of this bill?

LOUIS: Absolutely. There are groups like GOProud that have been doing a national effort. They've got a ton of money. They've got some big names, Ken Mehlman and some others who are serious organization Republicans, who have been making ads, making threats, going into states and telling people, "Look, you get with the program or you are going to have a primary next time around." It really had an effect.

LEMON: All right. Very interesting. And we heard President Obama coming out of the break there. He won't say whether he supports same- sex marriage, but he likes to say that he is evolving.

Is it -- I don't know, is he trying to have it both ways? That's the question. LOUIS: Well, yes, to a certain extent. You can see from his points of view that it kind of makes sense for him to try and have it both ways. I mean, he's the one who rid of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." He's the one who says that the federal government will no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act. He's the one who has pushed for a hate- crimes legislation. He's done quite a lot. So he deserves some credit.

On the other hand, he doesn't want to take this last step for same-sex marriage. He's trying to make the case that he should not be penalized at the polls or by donors who want him to go further in the direction that he is already taking a few steps in.

LEMON: Hey, a very quick answer here before we move on to other topics. As I was watching this happen and watching some of the 1969 footage of "Stonewall," it sort of harkened back to the civil rights movement and the footage that we saw in Selma and other cities, and some people equate gay rights with civil rights. Is that a valid comparison, at least with the civil rights movement, I should say?

LOUIS: Well, you know, there are a lot of differences, but, look, there are many, many big, important social movements, including the environmental movement that took major steps forward, the anti-war movement, right around that same time. And you know what else happened in 1969? The Cuyahoga River in Ohio caught on fire and that gave a lot of pressure to what became what we know as the modern environmental rights movement and the founding of Earth Day a year later.

I mean, there are lots of people who have lots to be proud of in this country. There are lots of different movements. They have some similarities, but I think in the end, they all -- each tub stands on its own bottom.

LEMON: All right. And let's talk about the debt ceiling now, toxic cuts spending and raise the debt ceiling. It really hit a dead end last week, and President Obama plans to meet with senators from both parties tomorrow. Who is going to blink here? Will it reach a deal before August 2nd?

LOUIS: Well, I tell you, whoever is going to blink, it probably won't be before the July 4th break. And I think they are going to -- they're going to run this plug out. As far as I can tell, the play of politics seems to be that nobody wants responsibility for what could be a catastrophic outcome. Everybody wants to act as if they are being reasonable.

But there are a lot of people who really want to make sure that we don't go back to this point over and over again. So, they are going to play their hand very, very tough. They're going to, I think, go as close to early August as they can. No reason to believe it is going to be resolved any time soon.

LEMON: Where has the president been up until now? Do Republicans in Congress have an interest in getting this done early as well? LOUIS: I'm not so sure that they do, to tell you the truth. I mean, depending on the outcome, if they want to sort of slink away from it, if they want to quietly acknowledge that, yes, we have to keep the government running and we are going to have to raise the debt ceiling, they might do it on a Friday night or some holiday weekend, you know. And that is where you might see it, where the glare of the spotlight and the media attention won't necessarily be there, except for you and I, of course, on a Sunday night.

But for the most part, it is more likely, I think, that they're going to just get much, much closer, try and get everything they can. They have to be able to go back and say, "Look, we tried as hard as we could, we got as much as we could, but in the end, we had to throw our cards in." That time is not yet.

LEMON: OK. I want your opinion, Errol, on the GOP poll now. I want you to check out the new Iowa poll that just came out with Romney on top. Romney is on top, I should say. Michele Bachmann is a close second. It's really a statistical dead heat. And Herman Cain is third. What do these numbers tell you, if anything?

LOUIS: Well, what they tell me is that Iowa is the same state I visited four years ago. It is a very evangelical state. I mean, I remember listening to talk radio and people talking about praying before they resolved their caucus picks. You know, it is really a serious stuff. And Michele Bachmann, who was born in Iowa and is in fact an evangelical, she's going to do well there. And I think the poll suggests that she is sort of a favorite daughter and their kind of candidate.

LEMON: All right, Errol Louis. I like your library. It looks nice behind you. Thank you very much, sir.

LOUIS: Thanks. OK.

LEMON: A woman gets arrested for recording a police incident that took place in front of her home. Was she interfering with police business or did police go too far? You will hear her answer next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. New video just in to CNN. You see the suspect there. His name is Shaun Bosse. From Oklahoma. Being brought back into custody after he escaped earlier today. He was gone for hours. He is accused of murdering three people in the summer of last year, a mother and her two children, and then setting a mobile home on fire with all of them inside. They all died. He is back in custody. He was captured Sunday near his grandmother's house in Blanchard, Oklahoma. That's according to a deputy there in McLain County.

This was our breaking news earlier today. There was a huge manhunt for this man. Twenty-seven-year-old Shaun Bosse back in custody after being on the loose for hours and stealing a car of someone who worked for the sheriff's department. That is how he made his getaway. Now he is in custody tonight.

A woman recording video of what looked like a police arrest in Rochester, New York eventually gets arrested herself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EMILY GOOD, NEW YORK RESIDENT: What in the world! I'm sorry. I was standing in my front yard. I was concerned about what was going on in my neighborhood and you are arresting me! What the hell is going on right now!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Emily Good was in her yard, filming a police traffic stop when an officer took her in for obstruction of governmental administration. She has to appear in court on Monday. And in an exclusive interview, Good, with her attorney, explained why she was taping police in the first place.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GOOD: I was concerned about racial profiling. I had just read an article that week in the local paper about racial profiling and how difficult it is to prove, and when I saw the lights come in through my window, I peeked outside and saw three white officers engaging with a black man. And so I decided to film it.

I'm allowed to stand in my yard. I'm going to stay...

UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: I am going to ask you one more time, we don't feel safe with you standing right behind us. I am going to ask you to go into the house.

GOOD: It is my right to be in my yard and I am sorry that you don't feel safe. All I have is a camera. I am clearly wearing nothing. I have no weapons.

UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: It does not matter. You're not -- listen to our orders right now. We don't feel safe with you standing behind us. You're not moving even a foot further back, you're going to be -- you're going to be...

GOOD: You want me to move a foot further back?

UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: You're going be under arrest. We already warned you.

GOOD: I will move a foot further back. I don't want to go inside my house. I feel like I need the fresh air right now.

UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: Well, I am going to arrest someone for not following police orders.

GOOD: I'm asking you what the order...

UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: Simple.

GOOD: I do not understand the order.

UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: I asked you not to stand behind us, OK?

GOOD: You didn't ask me to not stand behind you.

UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER: I am not going to explain myself here. What you're going to do is you're going to go to jail. I am trying to give you a warning OK? And, you know what? You are going to jail. This is not right.

LEMON: I want to get this straight. Did you have something in your free hand for that police may have been worried that you were carrying a weapon?

GOOD: No, I was carrying nothing. I was in bare feet and pajamas.

LEMON: So, Stephanie, what do you make of this? As an attorney, were the police -- was it OK for the police to do this? Do they have a legal right to do this in someone's front yard?

STEPHANIE STARE, GOOD'S ATTORNEY: Our position is that Miss Good was well within her right to be on her front lawn filming a traffic stop of a public servant. What the officer may or may not have felt, I can't speak to. But she was well within her right, and was not given a lawful order at any time.

LEMON: When an officer asks you to do something, do you feel that you should do it and then ask questions later?

STARE: If it is a lawful order, someone should obey, and if it is not and if you are well within your rights, you are fine to assert your rights.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right. The Monroe County D.A. will not comment, but Rochester's mayor said, quote, "Police Chief Sheppard has initiated an investigation. To the extent that some form of discipline is appropriate, he will see that it occurs. I also need to be sure that we are fair to the officers involved. I am not going to prematurely reach a conclusion."

All right. Let's catch you up to date on the headlines now. Escaped murder suspect Shaun Bosse, as we just showed you, is back in custody in McClain County, Oklahoma, after he was on the loose for hours. Authorities say Bosse overpowered two jailers and then fled in a dispatcher's car. Bosse is accused of killing a woman and her two children and burning a mobile home with the victims inside in 2010.

A school bus accident in Pennsylvania has injured at least 25 people, some of them children. It happened near Harrisburg. Highway patrolmen told our affiliate WHP that a driver in another car tried to pass the bus, causing the crash. Hospital officials say none of the victims are critical. The bus belongs to the Cumberland Valley Christian School in Chambersburg.

Across the United States Sunday, gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people and their supporters turned out in large numbers for annual Gay Pride Parade. The event is always a colorful affair, but this year's parade in New York had a little extra flair. Late Friday, the state of New York legalized same-sex marriage. The new law takes effect in late July.

This weekend marks exactly two years since Michael Jackson died, but he still inspires devotion from his fans and here's proof. Someone bought the red jacket he wore in the famous "Thriller" video for $1,800,000 in an auction. There are actually two of these jackets used in the video, the other is on loan from the Jackson estate to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Now, the big stories in the week ahead from politics to entertainment. Our correspondents tell you what you need to know. We begin tonight at the White House.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm Brianna Keilar, and it is a busy week ahead for the president. On Monday, he steps into the ongoing talks with Congress about raising the debt ceiling. Tuesday, he is back to his jobs message with a visit to a manufacturing plant in Iowa. And on Wednesday, the president and the first lady host a reception to observe LGBT Pride Month and also a farewell dinner at the White House for outgoing Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: I'm Paul Steinhauser at the CNN political desk. Michele Bachmann makes it official tomorrow. The congresswoman from Minnesota formally announces her candidacy for president in neighboring Iowa where she was born. Iowa, of course, is the city that kicks off the presidential caucus in the primary calendar. The next day, a very positive movie about Sarah Palin, who is considering a White House, premieres in Iowa. The film highlights Palin's years as Alaska governor and her entry to the national political spotlight as John McCain's running mate in 2008.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: I'm Poppy Harlow in New York, where Wall Street will be watching very closely as a rocky second quarter comes to an end on Thursday. Over the last three months, the stock market has declined, the housing market has continued to struggle and job growth has slowed. And jobs will be the first order of business at President Clinton's Global Initiative meeting this week in Chicago. Also ahead, we will get the latest report on home prices, a reading on consumer confidence as well as a look at auto sales and construction spending. Those are all pretty good indicators of the health of the U.S. economy. We will track it all for you and see how the stock market does all week on CNNMoney.

A.J. HAMMER, CO-HOST, HLN'S "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": I'm "Showbiz Tonight's" A.J. Hammer. Here's what we are watching this week. A special edition of "Showbiz Tonight," do not miss it, "Real Star Stories - Child Star, Lost Star." This is a revealing look at whether being a child star leads to trouble down the road. Also, big showbiz newsmakers interviewers lined up with Brad Garrett and Nick Cannon. "Showbiz Tonight" is TV's most provocative entertainment news show. We are seen exclusively week nights at 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific on HLN.

LEMON: All right. Thanks, guys.

And now for tomorrow's commute tonight, Alexandra Steele. Good or bad news?

STEELE: We've got some bad news, all right. We've got two tough days, Monday, Tuesday, the potential for severe weather around the country.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: You, too, as well. Thank you, Alexandra.

You know, the world lost Michael Jackson exactly two years ago this weekend, and on the anniversary of his death, I had a chance to speak with his father, Joe Jackson, and we got into some pretty tough topics. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: So Mr. Jackson, I want you to take a look at you and I on the red carpet two years ago and then we'll talk about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: The last couple days, I know it's been really tough for you guys.

JOE JACKSON, MICHAEL JACKSON'S FATHER: And? Yes, it has. It has been really tough. Remember, we just lost the biggest star in the world. But I want to make this statement. This is a real good statement here.

Marshal and I have -- we own a record company called -- tell him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ranch Records.

LEMON: Right.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK? Distributed by Blu-Ray technology. And that's its next step.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: What do you think when you see that, Mr. Jackson?

JACKSON: I don't think nothing about it because Blu-Ray -- I mean, that company don't exist now. It went out as soon as it happened. It went out of business. So it's no big deal to me.

LEMON: But this was only three days after Michael's death. That's what I'm asking. What do you think of... JACKSON: I don't care if it's a minute after Michael's death! And listen, I am -- the Blu-Ray did not even exist as a record company with the same guy that I was talking with, you know? That don't even happen. What I'm here now is promoting Happy Land (ph) and promoting the things that I'm doing now.

LEMON: Now what about the children? How are they?

JACKSON: The children are fine. They are fine. They're going to acting school. And Prince is taking up -- I think he's taking up martial arts and all that stuff. And Blanket, he's just happy. He's a happy little kid. He's sturdy. He wants to be a producer or something, but you know, they're fine.

LEMON: People have talked about the -- your alleged treatment of Michael Jackson. Some of the family members, even him, said that you were abusive, in a sense, that you pushed them too far. These are...

JACKSON: Don, Don, Don, Don, Don! I know what you're trying to do! I ain't going there. But everybody back in those days abused -- they didn't abuse the kids, they whipped the kid when they did wrong. And now you can't do that these days because if you whip a kid now, they call 911 on you. But if you don't train them to be right towards people and how to conduct themselves when they were young, if you don't do that, you can have some kids in prison.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Joe Jackson, everyone.

A bold move for the WNBA. We will tell you what the women's pro basketball league has done that makes it unique among pro sports leagues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: The WNBA began its season in June under the new direction of Laurel Richie, the first African-American woman, the first African- American really to run a professional sports league. Richie is a veteran marketing executive for the Girl Scouts and a former advertising executive. I talked with her this week and asked about her historical achievement.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: You were the first African-American, period, to run a professional sports league. You got -- I should say big shoes to fill, but there are no shoes to fill.

LAUREL RICHIE, WNBA PRESIDENT: No shoes. This is the first.

LEMON: How do you feel?

RICHIE: I feel great. I feel like my whole career has been leading to this moment. So I feel ready to take it on. And the great thing is that I have had so much support from the African-American community, and women just sort of saying, "You go, girl, take it on". So I feel like I'm doing it with a lot of other people.

LEMON: And your credentials are too many to list, and all the honors that you have gotten, but I think it is important to say that you have no experience when it comes to professional sports. Are you concerned about that at all?

RICHIE: Not at all. You know, I think that I'm bringing a fan's perspective. So while I have not worked in the business...

LEMON: Yes.

RICHIE: ... And I haven't run a league, I've been a basketball fan for years.

LEMON: Do you think it gives you -- I don't know, a leg up on the competition, so to speak, that you are a fan and that you see things differently and that you're not the average person running a team?

RICHIE: Well, the level of play right now in the WNBA is at an all- time high. So I don't think the opportunities for growth for us are in improving the play because it is fantastic.

LEMON: Right.

RICHIE: And the fan experience is great. So the real opportunity for the league is getting more people to attend games.

LEMON: Pull people in.

RICHIE: To pull in more sponsors as well, and that's the background that I've got. And I do hope that as a fan of basketball and a fan of sports, I can make sure that as we attract people that when they do come to a game, they have a really great, great experience as a fan.

LEMON: Why should people be as interested or more in the WNBA than they are in the NBA?

RICHIE: You know, one of the things that is amazing about the women's game is that basketball, the way that basketball, I think, is supposed to be played, it's team. It is the individuals coming together. While they may not dunk every other time down the court, they play great basketball. It is aggressive. It's competitive and it's a heck of a lot of fun when you are in the arena.

LEMON: This is your 15th season, all right, what is going to be different? More exciting? What is happening?

RICHIE: Well, the first thing that's really exciting is our first game 15 years ago, the score was 57-67, this game celebrating our 15th year, the score of both teams, in the 90s.

LEMON: Oh, really?

RICHIE: So that just tells you that the level of play...

LEMON: And competition. RICHIE: ...and competition is fierce. And so, who knows what the score will be when we're looking at game 30. You know, it will probably be over 100 and up to 120, but I think that's where we're headed. It's fabulous basketball.

LEMON: Next level.

RICHIE: Next level.

LEMON: A new level.

RICHIE: A new level.

LEMON: Yes, yes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Laurel Richie, thank you very much.

OK. So if you were legally going to change your name, would you change it to Metta? What about World Peace? There he is. Ron Artest. I'm going to ask him why he wants to do that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: It was one of the worst brawls in NBA history and right in the middle of it, Ron Artest, playing for the Indiana Pacers at the time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And over to the scorer's table and trying to get down to the bench. Artest is in the stands. Oh, this is awful. Fans are getting involved and. Steven Jackson is in the stands.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Well, the 2004 fight cost Artest the longest suspension in the NBA -- 86 games and almost 5 million in salary. Now the former NBA bad boy is trying to change his image and has petitioned to change his name. I asked him why he chose "Metta World Peace" for a name.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RON ARTEST, LOS ANGELES LAKERS: I chose the name because we had a couple of names a couple of years ago and I was going to change my name three years ago, but I didn't want to do it, you know, just to be entertaining. I wanted to inspire, too. So it took us three years to come up with something good. This year, we had the name, me and my team, and then we was -- it took us three to four months to really say, "OK, you know, we're going to have a heart and we are going to do it."

LEMON: You lost a lot of money and you got a lot of controversy and people have said a lot of things about you. Are you at peace with that now, Metta? ARTEST: I mean, you know, I kind of forgot about that because, you know, I donated my ring to charity, my championship ring when I won championship. I donated away for mental health awareness. So I've been really focused on that. And I'm doing also a reality show to help rehabilitated convicts and parolees and staff also so when they get out of prison, you know, the rate of return is about 90 percent or something like that, and prisons are overcrowded and things like that.

So, I have not really been focused on that brawl, you know. And I know a lot of people have not really been focused on it. It was unfortunate they had to bring that back up. But it was a part of my life, and I'm not one to shy away from things that I have been through, but I'm always looking ahead. I always like to move forward, you know, and stay in staying positive, moving forward.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Ron Artest, one of a kind.

You know, police don't like citizens getting directly involved if they see criminal activity, because it can be dangerous, of course. But, you know, Monique Lawless was so angry when she saw three young men allegedly shoplift three cases of beer from a Houston Wal-Mart, where she was shopping. She leaped right into action.

Here she comes in the picture soon. There. She jumps right on the hood. The car sped away. And she slid off. And then a face plant to the ground. Right there. Well, you know, they didn't get far before police caught up with them. And I asked them -- asked her, at least, what she was thinking.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MONIQUE LAWLESS, TRIED TO STOP ALLEGED THIEVES: I was just reacting really. I was mad. I saw these kids walk in there and walking out with beer. You know, I asked or told the cashier, you know, do something, do something. And, you know, people were standing around. We were all waiting in line to check out, so they heard me telling her and saw me pointing at them and no one was doing anything. So when it became obvious that Wal-Mart couldn't do anything, I just told her, you know, watch my purse and my basket and I took off after them.

LEMON: And you weren't afraid that they could have -- you know, you could have got hurt by the car. They could have beat you or they could have a weapon of some type. You didn't think about that?

LAWLESS: No. When I first saw them, they looked fairly young. I knew they couldn't -- you know, I was thinking 19, 18 years old, my kids' age, you know. And when confronted by an adult, my kids are going to stop, and yes, sir, no, ma'am, yes, ma'am. Where these kids didn't have any fear whatsoever or any kind of respect for authority for adults or anybody. They didn't care.

LEMON: Yes. We were just showing the video of them actually getting caught. Listen, did they drag you for a little bit -- it looks like in that video you got dragged just for a minute or a second there? LAWLESS: Yes. When I opened the driver's side car door, and he took off then and I had a hold of the door and it pulled me forward and I lunged forward and I did a face plant into the asphalt.

LEMON: And that's where the black eyes came from?

LAWLESS: Yes.

LEMON: OK.

LAWLESS: That's where the black eyes, the bruised nose, everything, yes.

LEMON: You've got some breaking news for me that you haven't told anyone else. That is?

LAWLESS: I received a Facebook message from family members of the Sylvester boys, and, you know, they apologized to me from the family. They said, you know, we're really, really sorry that you had to go through this event but we're thankful for what you did. We're thankful for your actions, and that they deserve whatever punishment they get. They deserve to be in jail right now and perhaps to pay for what they did. They were wrong. And I told the family member, you know, thank you, thank you, thank you, because I felt bad. You know, I feel for the family. Everybody's affected by this.

Your community is affected, their family, right down the line. And I want to say thank you to that family for reaching out to me and letting me know that they felt like I did the right thing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Another story now involving a brave woman, one who was subjected to forced sterilization by the state of North Carolina along with thousands of others. You will hear her story for yourself next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Forced sterilization. It sounds barbaric, of another culture or another era, but people were robbed of their ability to bear children in 33 states starting in the 1930s. This week, the state of North Carolina held a panel to figure out how to make amends. It is Eugenics Board, labeled the victims as feebleminded and usually they were mentally disabled, poor and most often people of color.

North Carolina deemed Elaine Riddick feebleminded. She had been raped at 13, and then sterilized against her will at 14. And she spoke to me of how she overcame her tragedy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELAINE RIDDICK, VICTIM OF FORCED STERILIZATION: I was totally humiliated, degraded and it was a big insult. You know, I became a hermit. I didn't want to deal with people. I didn't want to live in society. I just couldn't believe that my government would do something like this to me. LEMON: They gave you a hysterectomy when you were just a child, and how could -- I mean, how could people who take care of you, how could they sign off on this?

RIDDICK: Let's back up.

LEMON: OK. Go ahead.

RIDDICK: They didn't give me a hysterectomy.

LEMON: OK.

RIDDICK: What they did was when I was 13, I was raped, molested. I had my son at the age of 14. And when I went into the hospital to have my son, the state of North Carolina decided that they were going to give me a cesarean birth where when I had my son they went inside of me and after they took my son from me, they went inside of me and sterilized me at the same time.

Later on, because my body was traumatized, so severely, I ended up having to have a total hysterectomy. But, prior to that, before I had the hysterectomy, most of my life was -- I had to live in a whole lot of pain, hemorrhaging. When I got my monthly cycle, you know, I had to -- it felt like someone had taken a knife and was gutting me. That is how severe the pain was.

LEMON: You mentioned your son. How old is your son now?

RIDDICK: My son is 43.

LEMON: 43. He is the product of what?

RIDDICK: Of rape. And I love my son. And I'm so proud of him. And he -- you know, someone asked me a question the other day.

LEMON: Tony.

RIDDICK: Tony. Somebody asked me a question the other day -- how do we get along? Do I have certain feelings towards him as far as, you know, reminding me that he was a product of rape?

No. That is my son, and I love him very much. And he is a special gift from God, and that is how I look at it.

LEMON: What do you want from the state of North Carolina?

RIDDICK: North Carolina should -- you can't put a price on a child's future. You can't put a price on what they think that you are worth. You can't just say what a child is worth today.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: And the headlines tonight --

The flood in Missouri River is encroaching on two nuclear power plants in Nebraska. Early Sunday, a barrier collapsed that had helped keep the floodwaters at bay. The Fort Calhoun plant has been shut down since April and emergency generators are being used to keep the nuclear fuel cool.

The Casey Anthony murder trial resumes Monday morning. The number one question is why Saturday's session was abruptly canceled. A week of dramatic testimony for the defense, a sudden recess over a, quote, legal issue sent the speculation machine into overdrive.

I'm Don Lemon at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. Thank you for joining us. I'll see you back here next weekend. Have yourself a great week.