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Hitting the Nuclear Brakes in Iran
Aired November 15, 2004 - 13:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Taking a look at stories now in the news, Secretary of State Colin Powell is stepping down. Powell submitted his resignation Friday, and it was accepted today. It had been rumored for months that Powell was not interested in staying on for a second term.
Also resigning, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham. Abraham says he intends to stay until a replacement is found. Abraham has been energy secretary since 2001.
Another resignation coming from Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman. Veneman was the first woman to head the USDA. We'll have reaction to cabinet shakeup from Washington in about 30 minutes.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hitting the nuclear brakes in Iran. On Sunday, Iran announced it would fully suspend its uranium- enrichment program. The move follows months of heavy international pressure, and Sunday discussions with ambassadors from France, Britain and Germany.
Many Western nations, including the U.S. the have expressed concerns that Tehran was working toward nuclear weapons, despite firm denials from Iranian officials. Now inspectors for the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog group say none of Iran's declared -- underscored declared -- nuclear material has been diverted for military purposes, but questions remain about possible undeclared activities, of course, according to a spokesman for the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Now Iran says the freeze is a voluntary move to dispel concerns. So, is it too good to be true? What to make of Iran's sudden acquiescence after months of insisting its uranium-enrichment program was solely aimed at developing nuclear energy. And what does a temporary freeze mean anyway?
Jim Walsh, joining us from Harvard University, where he's executive director managing the Atom Project at the Belfour Center for Science and International Affairs. Must have a two-page business card, Jim; that's a long one.
So the question is, what do you make of all this? I noted secretary Powell in his kind of parting comments there, there will be other parting comments as time goes on, but his first chance to begin his goodbye, said it appeared to be a promising move. He didn't go much farther than that. Let's fill in a few blanks here. What is it that we don't know here, the unknown unknowns, as some people in Washington might say? JIM WALSH, WMD EXPERT: Well, I think the big question that remains, and the International Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA still has, is why have a big fuel program when you don't really have a reactor program? Now fuel, if you're make it for electricity, is supposed to go into power plants, into nuclear reactors to generate electricity. But the Iranian program has sort of put the cart before the horse. They've gone a whole hog into fuel production when they really only have a very small reactor program. So that still raises questions.
But I think, I agree with Secretary Powell, this is a positive move. It's a victory for the Europeans. They've shown that engagement can work, and the result is an agreement that's -- it's goes beyond any agreement we've had before, either with Iran or with any member of the Nonproliferation Treaty.
O'BRIEN: All right, so you kind of skew on the optimistic side on this. What do you think was motivating the Iranians now? Was it the threat of sanctions, or was it something else?
WALSH: Well, I think it's two things. One, is they did not want this to go to the Security Council, which is what the United States was pressing for, and what the Europeans were threatening. The Europeans were saying, if we don't get a deal here, we're going to side with the U.S., and we're going to have this matter referred to the Security Council.
And even though last week China said, even if it gets to the Security Council, we're not going to let sanctions happen against Iran, the Iranians didn't want that to happen. So in the near term, they head off what would have been an unpleasant process for them. And more in the intermediate term, there is the promise of trade agreements and joining the WTO and other sorts of economic goodies that Iran wants to achieve, wants to become part of the international economic system. So there are those benefits as well.
O'BRIEN: All right, let's -- marching forward here, as we look forward to big changes with the Bush administration. Of course Colin Powell, that's the easy one, but one we've kind of overlooked today, because it's kind of a lot of people departing on this Monday. Spencer Abraham, Department of Energy, which really is the point agency with when it comes to nuclear nonproliferation issues. They do the monitoring and all that kind of thing. As you look at changes there, kind of factor that in to the Iranian situation going forward here.
WALSH: Well, I think that's a very important question that you're raising, Miles, and virtually no one is talking about Secretary Abraham's departure. When it comes to actual dollars spent, the Department of Energy spends more money on the issue of nonproliferation than the Department of State. The Department of Energy manages the nuclear weapons program for the United States. It's the agency, really, the lead agency in charge of securing nuclear materials in the former Soviet Union. It'll be the agency that weighs in on whether the U.S. decides to build a new generation of nuclear weapons in the future. So it's a critical agency on nonproliferation. And as you well know, both Senator Kerry and George Bush in the debate said nonproliferation was their No. 1 agenda item, their No. 1 priority. So his departure is very significant.
O'BRIEN: All right, so then, the scrutiny that Iran now faces, assuming we take this at face value and they mean what they say, they say what they mean, there will be continued scrutiny of the program regardless, right?
WALSH: Absolutely. If anything, what this agreement does, is it creates momentum and the mechanisms for there to be more scrutiny of Iran's program. Why do I say that? Because now the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency, is going to go back into Iran and begin to tag this centrifuge equipment, tag some of the other nuclear materials, and they will continue their investigation. So it really -- it recreates or reconstructs the process that allows the IAEA to collect more information and to verify that Iran is not doing anything it shouldn't be doing.
O'BRIEN: All right, let's hope it is what you think it is. Jim Walsh from Harvard and all those other titles, we appreciate your time, as always -- Kyra.
WALSH: Thank you, miles.
PHILLIPS: Now to Landstuhl, Germany, where it's all hands on deck at the U.S. military hospital. Doctors and other officials at Landstuhl say that battle casualties received there have more than doubled since the Falluja mission began. With more than 400 patients arriving from both Iraq and Afghanistan, it was the busiest week that hospital has seen since April when U.S. forces last tried to take Falluja. Nearly half of those patients arriving at Landstuhl have been sent to the U.S. for further treatment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LANCE CORPORAL RYAN CHAPMAN, U.S. MARINE CORPS: As to how you survive? A little bit of luck, I guess. I -- everyone keeps telling me I'm lucky. So I just kind of go with that and think somebody is watching out for me. So it's -- I just kind of stay with that mentality.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: For many wounded soldiers, surviving the initial injury turns out to be the easy part. It's recovering that's the real challenge. Thankfully, they can count on the support of others who have been there before.
CNN's Alina Cho on some dedicated mentors who've made it down the same hard road.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the second time in his life, Sean Carroll is learning to walk. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You just walked 20 feet.
CHO: His grandmother is nearby, so is Don Sioss, Vietnam War Veteran, fellow amputee.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to take a while, but you're a Marine, you're up to it.
CHO: Sioss is part cheerleader...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's progress every little day.
CHO: ...part counselor, lending an empathetic ear, comparing notes with soldiers learning how to live again after losing a limb.
(on camera): So up and down. What's harder, up or down?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably down is a little harder.
CHO: Sioss lost his leg 33 years ago, but remembers what he was feeling like it was yesterday.
DON SIOSS, VIETNAM WAR AMPUTEE: I woke up and I didn't really know. And I was kind of afraid to open the sheet and really see what happened.
They're lying in the hospital, they're saying, can I drive a car? Will I date? Will I be attractive to women? Will women date me because they feel sorry for me?
CHO: And you tell them what?
SIOSS: You tell them, listen, everything's going to be OK.
CHO: Sioss, now a husband and father of 4, is part of a group of war veterans, amputees who travel routinely to Walter Reed Medical Center.
Sioss was inspired by the man who mentored him, Julius Wagman, World War II veteran, also an amputee.
JULIUS WAGMAN, WORLD WAR II AMPUTEE: They see a fellow like Don walking in, and having a job and driven from New York. And well, if he can do it, I can do it.
SIOSS: What happened?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: RPG. I was in my Bradley.
CHO: Lonnie Moore lost his leg on April 6 in Ramadi. He plans to stay in the Army.
LONNIE MOORE, IRAQ WAR AMPUTEE: It's really refreshing to see their outtake on life and to see that they've been successful, and no reason why we can't.
CHO: Hilbert Caesar lost his leg in Baghdad. He wants to be an X-ray technician. And like Sioss, is also from Queens.
SIOSS: I was with the 101st airborne in Vietnam.
HILBERT CAESAR, IRAQ WAR AMPUTEE: Thank you for your service.
SIOSS: No, thank you. You guys are doing a good job over there.
CAESAR: They're just giving us inspiration. I mean this is great that you guys are taking time off to come visit us and show us that there's more out there, than just sitting around here. There's a lot we can do.
SIOSS: We're just looking to give them some counsel. Some advice.
CHO: At the hospital, at the driving range, even over a meal.
CAESAR: I don't know what to tell my wife. How to talk to her. Or how do I -- how do I hug my kids, man. I don't know what to do.
CHO: Sioss says time is the greatest healer.
(on camera): Is it possible that you get as much out of this as they do?
SIOSS: I probably get more out of it than they do. I really think that.
CHO (voice-over): Sean Carroll, the 19-year-old soldier who was just learning to walk again, disputes that.
CARROLL: Things can always get worse. And I've learned that. But, you know, just talking to him, you know, things do get better.
CHO: With the help of those who understand.
SIOSS: Good to see you, Sean.
CHO: Alina Cho, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: How well does your car protect you in a rear-end crash? Dozens of vehicles put to the test. We'll share the results with you next.
Also to come, how the Bush administration wants Americans to take ownership of their own health care.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This holiday season "Money" magazine suggested a few items for the athlete. If you're new to yoga, "Money" magazine suggests getting started the right way, the Go Fit Yoga Kit has all the essentials. It comes with a nonslip yoga mat, a durable foam block and carrying bag. It is also equipped with a strap for when you need a little help with those difficult poses.
If you're having a hard time maintaining your weight training program because of travel, there may be a solution. The portable Aquabell dumbbells provide up to 16 pounds of weight per dumbbell. "Money" magazine says it's easier to put together -- just fill the weights with water, attach it to the 13-inch bar, and you're ready to sweat.
And for joggers, there's the Polar M-61 heart-rate monitor. Not only can it track your heart rate, but you can measure your fitness level and determine calories burned. The monitor also has normal features of an everyday wristwatch.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Surprising findings out on car safety, specifically how well your car seat may protect you from whiplash. CNN's Julie Vallese takes a look at best and worst performers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There is no dented bumper, no smashed front end, but the newest test from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does simulate a crash, a rear impact crash, and measures how well a vehicle's head restraint and seat protect the driver.
ADRIAN LUND, INSUR. INST. FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY: Only eight of the 73 head restraint combinations that we looked at did a good job. And we had 30 of the tested seats that we rated as doing a poor job.
VALLESE: The eight models earning a good rating, the highest mark, went to the Saab 9-2X and 9-3, three Volvo models, the Jaguar S- Type, the Subaru Impreza and certain Volkswagen Beetles.
LUND: Some manufacturers have paid attention to this problem. Volvo and Saab, it's not by chance that they're the stars of this release. They account for five of the good rated head restraints.
VALLESE: You can even see the difference between a good performer and a marginal one. The institute says a good restraint will catch a head early so it will push your head along with your body. The marginal performer allows for some motion and forces on the neck.
LUND: Getting a rating of poor in this test doesn't mean that if you're in a rear impact you're necessarily going to have a neck injury. But if you have a seat that's rated poor, your chances of being injured are much greater.
VALLESE: Drivers, Lund says, need to stop thinking of them as head rests and start adjusting head restraints to fit behind the head, not below it. (on camera): Insurers pay out more than $7 billion each year for minor neck sprain injuries and insurance premiums are higher because of it. So making a minor adjustment in your driving may make getting in a crash and paying for insurance a little less of a pain in the neck.
Julie Vallese, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, changing the way you pay for health care. Find out how the Bush administration wants to use savings accounts and tax-free incentives to get Americans covered.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Now to your money and your health. Many people are evaluating their health insurance options for the upcoming year. Friday is the deadline here. One option is the relatively new health savings account. It works similar to a 401(k), which lets you hoard money before taxes for the future.
But CNN's Kathleen Hays says the so-called HSA's may not be for everyone.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATHLEEN HAYS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): President Bush wants you to take ownership of your health care, with health savings accounts or HSAS. These are tax-free accounts workers can use to pay for health insurance and out-of-pocket medical bills. They replace traditional employer-paid health care plans. Money not used in one year rolls over to the next, so that cost-consensus consumers can build a health care nest egg.
TDEVON HERRICK, NATL. CTR. FOR POLICY ANALYSIS: The whole idea is, going from a rent your health carrier to year to own your health care, just like IRAs, just like owning your own home, the balance of American people would be better off if they, in fact, had those funds and controlled it and they'd be wiser consumers to boot.
HAYS: Advocates say HSAS give consumers incentives to shop around, find the best price on routine office visits or forego an expensive new drug when an old reliable generic might be just as good. Shopping for health care bargains may not appeal to those who would still prefer the security of employer-provided health care.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My husband was ill, we had small copays, his entire treatment was taken care of. It was one aspect of the illness that we never really had to deal with, was the money aspect.
HAYS: Critics say HSAS favor healthy people over the elderly and the sick, some of the biggest health care spenders. They also fear that HSAS will encourage people to avoid going to the doctor in order to build up the money in their accounts, and that could backfire. RON POLLACK, FAMILIES USA: People are going to try to save money on primary care, and they may not get the care that they should be receiving up front, when an illness begins or the onset of pain occurs, but it might mean that, because they deferred primary care at some later time, a health problem or disease has spread, and so it may result in substantially increased costs for specialty kind of care.
HAYS: Regardless of which side you're on, experts say most people aren't ready to manage their health care, let alone their own private health savings accounts.
HAYS (on camera): According to a recent study, only 10 percent of consumers are putting aside money for medical bills, this, despite the fact most Americans expect their out-of-pocket health care costs to keep rising in the future.
Kathleen Hays, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
PHILLIPS: Coming up in the second hour of LIVE FROM, how Tom Hanks may be helping in Hollywood's quest to bring "The Da Vinci Code" to the big screen. LIVE FROM's hour of power begins right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired November 15, 2004 - 13:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Taking a look at stories now in the news, Secretary of State Colin Powell is stepping down. Powell submitted his resignation Friday, and it was accepted today. It had been rumored for months that Powell was not interested in staying on for a second term.
Also resigning, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham. Abraham says he intends to stay until a replacement is found. Abraham has been energy secretary since 2001.
Another resignation coming from Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman. Veneman was the first woman to head the USDA. We'll have reaction to cabinet shakeup from Washington in about 30 minutes.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hitting the nuclear brakes in Iran. On Sunday, Iran announced it would fully suspend its uranium- enrichment program. The move follows months of heavy international pressure, and Sunday discussions with ambassadors from France, Britain and Germany.
Many Western nations, including the U.S. the have expressed concerns that Tehran was working toward nuclear weapons, despite firm denials from Iranian officials. Now inspectors for the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog group say none of Iran's declared -- underscored declared -- nuclear material has been diverted for military purposes, but questions remain about possible undeclared activities, of course, according to a spokesman for the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Now Iran says the freeze is a voluntary move to dispel concerns. So, is it too good to be true? What to make of Iran's sudden acquiescence after months of insisting its uranium-enrichment program was solely aimed at developing nuclear energy. And what does a temporary freeze mean anyway?
Jim Walsh, joining us from Harvard University, where he's executive director managing the Atom Project at the Belfour Center for Science and International Affairs. Must have a two-page business card, Jim; that's a long one.
So the question is, what do you make of all this? I noted secretary Powell in his kind of parting comments there, there will be other parting comments as time goes on, but his first chance to begin his goodbye, said it appeared to be a promising move. He didn't go much farther than that. Let's fill in a few blanks here. What is it that we don't know here, the unknown unknowns, as some people in Washington might say? JIM WALSH, WMD EXPERT: Well, I think the big question that remains, and the International Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA still has, is why have a big fuel program when you don't really have a reactor program? Now fuel, if you're make it for electricity, is supposed to go into power plants, into nuclear reactors to generate electricity. But the Iranian program has sort of put the cart before the horse. They've gone a whole hog into fuel production when they really only have a very small reactor program. So that still raises questions.
But I think, I agree with Secretary Powell, this is a positive move. It's a victory for the Europeans. They've shown that engagement can work, and the result is an agreement that's -- it's goes beyond any agreement we've had before, either with Iran or with any member of the Nonproliferation Treaty.
O'BRIEN: All right, so you kind of skew on the optimistic side on this. What do you think was motivating the Iranians now? Was it the threat of sanctions, or was it something else?
WALSH: Well, I think it's two things. One, is they did not want this to go to the Security Council, which is what the United States was pressing for, and what the Europeans were threatening. The Europeans were saying, if we don't get a deal here, we're going to side with the U.S., and we're going to have this matter referred to the Security Council.
And even though last week China said, even if it gets to the Security Council, we're not going to let sanctions happen against Iran, the Iranians didn't want that to happen. So in the near term, they head off what would have been an unpleasant process for them. And more in the intermediate term, there is the promise of trade agreements and joining the WTO and other sorts of economic goodies that Iran wants to achieve, wants to become part of the international economic system. So there are those benefits as well.
O'BRIEN: All right, let's -- marching forward here, as we look forward to big changes with the Bush administration. Of course Colin Powell, that's the easy one, but one we've kind of overlooked today, because it's kind of a lot of people departing on this Monday. Spencer Abraham, Department of Energy, which really is the point agency with when it comes to nuclear nonproliferation issues. They do the monitoring and all that kind of thing. As you look at changes there, kind of factor that in to the Iranian situation going forward here.
WALSH: Well, I think that's a very important question that you're raising, Miles, and virtually no one is talking about Secretary Abraham's departure. When it comes to actual dollars spent, the Department of Energy spends more money on the issue of nonproliferation than the Department of State. The Department of Energy manages the nuclear weapons program for the United States. It's the agency, really, the lead agency in charge of securing nuclear materials in the former Soviet Union. It'll be the agency that weighs in on whether the U.S. decides to build a new generation of nuclear weapons in the future. So it's a critical agency on nonproliferation. And as you well know, both Senator Kerry and George Bush in the debate said nonproliferation was their No. 1 agenda item, their No. 1 priority. So his departure is very significant.
O'BRIEN: All right, so then, the scrutiny that Iran now faces, assuming we take this at face value and they mean what they say, they say what they mean, there will be continued scrutiny of the program regardless, right?
WALSH: Absolutely. If anything, what this agreement does, is it creates momentum and the mechanisms for there to be more scrutiny of Iran's program. Why do I say that? Because now the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency, is going to go back into Iran and begin to tag this centrifuge equipment, tag some of the other nuclear materials, and they will continue their investigation. So it really -- it recreates or reconstructs the process that allows the IAEA to collect more information and to verify that Iran is not doing anything it shouldn't be doing.
O'BRIEN: All right, let's hope it is what you think it is. Jim Walsh from Harvard and all those other titles, we appreciate your time, as always -- Kyra.
WALSH: Thank you, miles.
PHILLIPS: Now to Landstuhl, Germany, where it's all hands on deck at the U.S. military hospital. Doctors and other officials at Landstuhl say that battle casualties received there have more than doubled since the Falluja mission began. With more than 400 patients arriving from both Iraq and Afghanistan, it was the busiest week that hospital has seen since April when U.S. forces last tried to take Falluja. Nearly half of those patients arriving at Landstuhl have been sent to the U.S. for further treatment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LANCE CORPORAL RYAN CHAPMAN, U.S. MARINE CORPS: As to how you survive? A little bit of luck, I guess. I -- everyone keeps telling me I'm lucky. So I just kind of go with that and think somebody is watching out for me. So it's -- I just kind of stay with that mentality.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: For many wounded soldiers, surviving the initial injury turns out to be the easy part. It's recovering that's the real challenge. Thankfully, they can count on the support of others who have been there before.
CNN's Alina Cho on some dedicated mentors who've made it down the same hard road.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For the second time in his life, Sean Carroll is learning to walk. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You just walked 20 feet.
CHO: His grandmother is nearby, so is Don Sioss, Vietnam War Veteran, fellow amputee.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to take a while, but you're a Marine, you're up to it.
CHO: Sioss is part cheerleader...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's progress every little day.
CHO: ...part counselor, lending an empathetic ear, comparing notes with soldiers learning how to live again after losing a limb.
(on camera): So up and down. What's harder, up or down?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably down is a little harder.
CHO: Sioss lost his leg 33 years ago, but remembers what he was feeling like it was yesterday.
DON SIOSS, VIETNAM WAR AMPUTEE: I woke up and I didn't really know. And I was kind of afraid to open the sheet and really see what happened.
They're lying in the hospital, they're saying, can I drive a car? Will I date? Will I be attractive to women? Will women date me because they feel sorry for me?
CHO: And you tell them what?
SIOSS: You tell them, listen, everything's going to be OK.
CHO: Sioss, now a husband and father of 4, is part of a group of war veterans, amputees who travel routinely to Walter Reed Medical Center.
Sioss was inspired by the man who mentored him, Julius Wagman, World War II veteran, also an amputee.
JULIUS WAGMAN, WORLD WAR II AMPUTEE: They see a fellow like Don walking in, and having a job and driven from New York. And well, if he can do it, I can do it.
SIOSS: What happened?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: RPG. I was in my Bradley.
CHO: Lonnie Moore lost his leg on April 6 in Ramadi. He plans to stay in the Army.
LONNIE MOORE, IRAQ WAR AMPUTEE: It's really refreshing to see their outtake on life and to see that they've been successful, and no reason why we can't.
CHO: Hilbert Caesar lost his leg in Baghdad. He wants to be an X-ray technician. And like Sioss, is also from Queens.
SIOSS: I was with the 101st airborne in Vietnam.
HILBERT CAESAR, IRAQ WAR AMPUTEE: Thank you for your service.
SIOSS: No, thank you. You guys are doing a good job over there.
CAESAR: They're just giving us inspiration. I mean this is great that you guys are taking time off to come visit us and show us that there's more out there, than just sitting around here. There's a lot we can do.
SIOSS: We're just looking to give them some counsel. Some advice.
CHO: At the hospital, at the driving range, even over a meal.
CAESAR: I don't know what to tell my wife. How to talk to her. Or how do I -- how do I hug my kids, man. I don't know what to do.
CHO: Sioss says time is the greatest healer.
(on camera): Is it possible that you get as much out of this as they do?
SIOSS: I probably get more out of it than they do. I really think that.
CHO (voice-over): Sean Carroll, the 19-year-old soldier who was just learning to walk again, disputes that.
CARROLL: Things can always get worse. And I've learned that. But, you know, just talking to him, you know, things do get better.
CHO: With the help of those who understand.
SIOSS: Good to see you, Sean.
CHO: Alina Cho, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN: How well does your car protect you in a rear-end crash? Dozens of vehicles put to the test. We'll share the results with you next.
Also to come, how the Bush administration wants Americans to take ownership of their own health care.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This holiday season "Money" magazine suggested a few items for the athlete. If you're new to yoga, "Money" magazine suggests getting started the right way, the Go Fit Yoga Kit has all the essentials. It comes with a nonslip yoga mat, a durable foam block and carrying bag. It is also equipped with a strap for when you need a little help with those difficult poses.
If you're having a hard time maintaining your weight training program because of travel, there may be a solution. The portable Aquabell dumbbells provide up to 16 pounds of weight per dumbbell. "Money" magazine says it's easier to put together -- just fill the weights with water, attach it to the 13-inch bar, and you're ready to sweat.
And for joggers, there's the Polar M-61 heart-rate monitor. Not only can it track your heart rate, but you can measure your fitness level and determine calories burned. The monitor also has normal features of an everyday wristwatch.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Surprising findings out on car safety, specifically how well your car seat may protect you from whiplash. CNN's Julie Vallese takes a look at best and worst performers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JULIE VALLESE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There is no dented bumper, no smashed front end, but the newest test from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does simulate a crash, a rear impact crash, and measures how well a vehicle's head restraint and seat protect the driver.
ADRIAN LUND, INSUR. INST. FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY: Only eight of the 73 head restraint combinations that we looked at did a good job. And we had 30 of the tested seats that we rated as doing a poor job.
VALLESE: The eight models earning a good rating, the highest mark, went to the Saab 9-2X and 9-3, three Volvo models, the Jaguar S- Type, the Subaru Impreza and certain Volkswagen Beetles.
LUND: Some manufacturers have paid attention to this problem. Volvo and Saab, it's not by chance that they're the stars of this release. They account for five of the good rated head restraints.
VALLESE: You can even see the difference between a good performer and a marginal one. The institute says a good restraint will catch a head early so it will push your head along with your body. The marginal performer allows for some motion and forces on the neck.
LUND: Getting a rating of poor in this test doesn't mean that if you're in a rear impact you're necessarily going to have a neck injury. But if you have a seat that's rated poor, your chances of being injured are much greater.
VALLESE: Drivers, Lund says, need to stop thinking of them as head rests and start adjusting head restraints to fit behind the head, not below it. (on camera): Insurers pay out more than $7 billion each year for minor neck sprain injuries and insurance premiums are higher because of it. So making a minor adjustment in your driving may make getting in a crash and paying for insurance a little less of a pain in the neck.
Julie Vallese, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, changing the way you pay for health care. Find out how the Bush administration wants to use savings accounts and tax-free incentives to get Americans covered.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Now to your money and your health. Many people are evaluating their health insurance options for the upcoming year. Friday is the deadline here. One option is the relatively new health savings account. It works similar to a 401(k), which lets you hoard money before taxes for the future.
But CNN's Kathleen Hays says the so-called HSA's may not be for everyone.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATHLEEN HAYS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): President Bush wants you to take ownership of your health care, with health savings accounts or HSAS. These are tax-free accounts workers can use to pay for health insurance and out-of-pocket medical bills. They replace traditional employer-paid health care plans. Money not used in one year rolls over to the next, so that cost-consensus consumers can build a health care nest egg.
TDEVON HERRICK, NATL. CTR. FOR POLICY ANALYSIS: The whole idea is, going from a rent your health carrier to year to own your health care, just like IRAs, just like owning your own home, the balance of American people would be better off if they, in fact, had those funds and controlled it and they'd be wiser consumers to boot.
HAYS: Advocates say HSAS give consumers incentives to shop around, find the best price on routine office visits or forego an expensive new drug when an old reliable generic might be just as good. Shopping for health care bargains may not appeal to those who would still prefer the security of employer-provided health care.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My husband was ill, we had small copays, his entire treatment was taken care of. It was one aspect of the illness that we never really had to deal with, was the money aspect.
HAYS: Critics say HSAS favor healthy people over the elderly and the sick, some of the biggest health care spenders. They also fear that HSAS will encourage people to avoid going to the doctor in order to build up the money in their accounts, and that could backfire. RON POLLACK, FAMILIES USA: People are going to try to save money on primary care, and they may not get the care that they should be receiving up front, when an illness begins or the onset of pain occurs, but it might mean that, because they deferred primary care at some later time, a health problem or disease has spread, and so it may result in substantially increased costs for specialty kind of care.
HAYS: Regardless of which side you're on, experts say most people aren't ready to manage their health care, let alone their own private health savings accounts.
HAYS (on camera): According to a recent study, only 10 percent of consumers are putting aside money for medical bills, this, despite the fact most Americans expect their out-of-pocket health care costs to keep rising in the future.
Kathleen Hays, CNN, New York.
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