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Social Security Reform a Top Item on President Bush's Agenda Today; 'Daily Dose'

Aired April 26, 2005 - 11:31   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.


DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's take a look at what's happening right now in the news. Florida Governor Jeb Bush signing the controversial "Stand Your Ground" bill into law today. It allows residents to shoot and kill anyone who threatens them in public. Previously court have requires crime victims to attempt to flee before using lethal force.
A woman who claims she found a fingertip in her Wendy's chili went to court in Las Vegas in the last hour. Anna Ayala waived extradition to California. Police arrested Ayala last week, calling her claim against the fast-food chain a hoax.

The 2009 opening of the Freedom Tower will be delayed a few months. New York authorities are requiring modifications to make the building more secure. The 70-story building would be the world's tallest. It will built at the former World Trade Center sight.

And a backyard bear -- take a look at these pictures -- has been moved to a more fitting habitat today. Authorities tranquilized the cub, and very gently lowered him from the tree that he had climbed in a New Jersey neighborhood.

Keeping you informed, CNN is the most trusted name in news.

Social Security reform is a top item on President Bush's agenda today. He holds another of his roundtable event in Texas. He also today will give a lift to a Congressman under intense scrutiny.

Our Elaine Quijano is at the White House with details on both parts of the story.

Good morning.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.

That's right, President Bush heads to Galveston, Texas today to talk up his idea for changing Social Security. Now the president will be putting the spotlight on Galveston as an example of a county where public employees take part in an alternate retirement plan, not the traditional Social Security system. This of course fits in what the president's broader theme of an ownership society, and what the president of course has pushed and continues to push, but which most Americans disagree with, is the idea of carving out personal- retirement accounts from within the Social Security system.

Now the president has acknowledged that those accounts alone will not fix the long-term solvency problems. Today on Capitol Hill, meantime, at this hour, in fact, the Senate Finance Committee, is holding a hearing, taking a look at the issue of Social Security. Of course this committee is crucial to getting any overhaul legislation passed. Personal accounts have come under fierce opposition by Democrats. And today the ranking member on the panel outlined part of their objection.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MAX BAUCUS (D), MONTANA: Where does the money come from to put into these private accounts? Where does that money come from? Well, the federal government would have to borrow it, borrow more, much more, at a time when for the second fiscal year in a row the federal deficit hit an all-time record, $412 billion.

SEN. CHARLES GRASSLEY (R), FINANCE CHAIRMAN: Doing nothing is not an option, because doing nothing is a cut in benefits.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now as that hearing continues, President Bush prepares to take part in what the White House is calling a roundtable event in Galveston, Texas.

And an interesting subplot to all of this, in the audience, according to White House officials, will be embattled House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. Now of course the Texas Republican has been under fire here in Washington, in part because of accusations that lobbyists improperly paid for some overseas trips.

Now unclear if the president will make an explicit expression of support for Congressman DeLay, but he is expected to acknowledge him, as the president customarily does, when law makers attend these events. President Bush did say earlier this month that he believes Congressman DeLay is a very, very effective leader, and that he looks forward to working with him on legislation.

We should also tell you that the Congressman is expected to ride back here to Washington with President Bush onboard Air Force One -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Elaine Quijano at the White House. Elaine, thank you.

Galveston is a fitting backdrop for the president's Social Security road trip. He's hoping the county's decision to opt out of Social Security will help sell his plan for private retirement accounts.

CNN's Ed Lavandera has more now on how they did it in Galveston.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ray Holbrook is enjoying retirement chopping wood, but he wonders how long he would have had to work if he had not been a county judge in Galveston, Texas. RAY HOLBROOK, FMR. GALVESTON COUNTY JUDGE: At my age, 77, I would probably still be working. I hope I wouldn't be splitting wood, but I might be working at something else.

LAVANDERA: Holbrook gets about $1,300 a month from Social Security. For 10 years, he also was getting an extra $3,000 monthly check from the county.

HOLBROOK: People ought to save for their own retirement and not count on the next generation paying for it.

LAVANDERA: Galveston County was one of three Texas counties that bailed out of the federal Social Security plan 23 years ago and created what's known as the alternate plan for county employees. The program creates individual retirement accounts that workers and the county pay in, just like Social Security, but the money is invested in secure bonds or annuities, guaranteeing at least a 4 percent return.

HOLBROOK: It's like taking my money to the local bank down here. I know I have that account in that bank and I can draw on it each month as I need it. And I know where it is. I know how much is there.

LAVANDERA: Rick Gornto runs the retirement program for Galveston County. He says the investment plan has averaged a return of more than 6 percent since it was started in 1981, far better, he says, than the 1 to 2 percent return from Social Security. He says the country should take notice.

RICK GORNTO, FIRST FINANCIAL BENEFITS: We didn't know how it would work. I mean, we knew in our heads, but we had never lived it. And now we have lived it, and we've seen it work. We have seen real people receive real money and real returns.

LAVANDERA: The county plan also pays four times a worker's salary as a death benefit. Social Security pays $225. The county's private retirement accounts can also be passed on to your children. Social Security payments cannot.

(on camera): The U.S. General Accounting Office analyzed Galveston's retirement plan 6 years ago. That report says that the alternate plan worked well in just a few cases, but that generally, workers would receive more money if they were in the federal Social Security program.

ROBERT HUTCHINS, GALVESTON COUNTY RESIDENT: I think it's terrible.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Retirement planner Robert Hutchins is one of the few voices of dissent to the alternate plan in Galveston. He says the program isn't as profitable for low-income workers, as it is for judges, like Holbrook, and hurts employees who leave the county before reaching retirement age.

HUTCHINS: If the national plan were similar, if they used the Galveston alternate plan as their model, it is going to be a tragedy. LAVANDERA: Galveston officials question the numbers used in the government's report, but they acknowledge the alternate plan needs some tweaking. Workers can take money out of their personal accounts at any time, which they see as a dangerous option, if it leaves people with less money to retire with.

Ray Holbrook doesn't question the plan's success. He just looks at the checks he has received since retiring to remind himself why private investments have paid off.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Dallas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Now we're pulling out something from the "thing you didn't expect" file this morning, a buffalo on a tennis court in suburban Maryland.

Yes, here you go. We'll let you fill in the jokes. Ten of these buffalo escaped this morning from an address that's kind of out in the country a little bit. Police in Baltimore had to work two hours to corral the buffalo. They finally got them out there about 9:00 a.m. this morning. This is a tennis court at an apartment complex.

By the way, county police needed 13 police cars, a helicopter a tactical unit, a helicopter and help from the state highway administration.

Oh, one's coming back. Oh, and you know, Those suckers can be mean. Do you know where buffaloes go? Wherever they want. And look, there is a little baby buffalo.

But as understand, even though the buffalo are being a little difficult there, they have been rounded up, and they're on their way back to wherever they came from. Different type of tennis game.

Different type of game ahead. Talking Lance Armstrong. He's the champion now, but that's not what it was like for Lance Armstrong when he was growing up. Why don't we talk with his mom a little bit later in the show about raising a son as a single mother.

And the carpal tunnel syndrome of the day, the blackberry thumb. Do you have it? Why the much-used gadget is causing so much pain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Medical news now. It is not just young male athletes apparently who are turning to steroids. Experts say a number of girls are abusing them as well. According to government and university studies, about 5 percent of high school girls and 7 percent of those middle school admit taking steroids. They say they're using them for weight control and toned muscles, rather than athletic performance.

A government advisory panel is proposing ethical guidelines for human embryonic stem cell research. They were released this hour. Among the guidelines, donors must give consent before an embryo could be used to make stem cells. Donors should be told the embryos will be destroyed in the process. And stem cell repositories should use a secure coding system to protect the identity of the donors. The advisory panel is calling on the scientific community across the board to adopt the ethical standards.

Handheld gadgets like the blackberry are getting a thumbs up from millions of consumers. But overusing the devices may be detrimental to that all-important digit.

Senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has details in our "Daily Dose" of health news.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You've seen them, busy professionals walking through airports and office hallways, seemingly mesmerized by their handheld devices. Fifty-four-year-old Bette Keltner's handheld of choice was the blackberry, until she developed what she calls a blackberry thumb.

BETTE KELTNER, BLACKBERRY TENDINITIS SUFFERER: Blackberry thumb seems to be one of those things that is not officially a diagnosis, but is a reality. But what a limit in life it is if you can't use your thumbs.

GUPTA (on camera): According to the manufacturer, more than three million people will be using one of these by year's end. And I'll tell you this, people here at CNN are so addicted to them, they jokingly refer to them as "crackberries." As more people use them for work, for e-mail, for text messaging, Internet, even video games, greater attention is being focused on possible injuries due to an overworked thumb.

DR. KEITH RASKIN, HAND SURGEON, NYU MEDICAL CENTER: Just as the keyboard and the personal computer led to a lot of concern over repetitive stress of typing, this is the next wave of concern with the use of the thumb on a hand-held device.

GUPTA: In fact, the condition is tendinitis, or inflammation of the tendons. Dr. Keith Raskin, a hand surgeon at NYU Medical Center says that young people are protected, because they have more fluid in their joints, whereas those with a history of arthritis or tendinitis in their body, as well as the elderly, are more prone to the ache in the thumbs. The thumb, with one fewer joint than the rest of the fingers, s is more sensitive to stress than the other three-jointed fingers.

HASKIN: I usually find that if the patient was to just reduce the workload or reduce the repetitive nature of this condition, their symptoms will resolve.

GUPTA: As for Bette, four weeks of occupational therapy, pain killers, acupuncture, acupressure and magnets gave her a little bit of relief, but it was only quitting cold turkey that took the pain away. While Bette has had to shut her blackberry off, as for me, and millions of other users, we are showing no signs of problems, and happily clicking away.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Oh, excuse me.

The maker of the blackberry said in the statement any product can be overused and that people should listen to their bodies and adjust their life as necessary. Yes, right.

Randi Kaye is here.

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: I'll be with you in a second.

KAGAN: See, this is why she's faking. She's used her's so much it has completely crashed.

KAYE: It's completely gone.

KAGAN: We have to get you a new one.

KAYE: It's completely dead, completely gone.

KAGAN: You've got to upgrade your model, too, by the way.

KAYE: Yes, I hear...

(CROSSTALK)

KAYE: You've got a connection here. You've been here longer.

KAGAN: Yes, I've been here a long time.

KAYE: A lot longer.

KAGAN: Hey, you've here long enough to fill in for Wolf Blitzer today. What do you have coming up at noon?

KAYE: We have a very business hour. Today on "NEWS FROM CNN," on a day when Syrian troops finally leave Lebanon, we'll get reaction from the area and find out what lies ahead for both nations now that they are independent of each other.

We'll also take a closer look at the skyrocketing numbers in the refinery business. It's not just gas prices that are rising for one oil giant. It's also their profits. Chris Huntington has that report coming up for us.

Watch for those stories and more at the top of the hour on "NEWS FROM CNN."

Daryn, back to you.

KAGAN: This new model, it will help your typing problems, because it's harder to type on. (CROSSTALK)

KAYE: You can have that one. It doesn't work.

KAGAN: OK, thank you. Good friend. Thanks, Randi.

We will see you in just a few minutes. Well, you already know the cycling legend Lance Armstrong. but do you know the woman behind the man? We're not talking about Sheryl Crowe. That's another story. Lance's mom is here to talk about her life, raising her son and her work as an inspirational speaker. That's just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Lance Armstrong's story is familiar: six Tour de France victories, a valiant battle against cancer. His mother's story is also an inspiration. Linda Armstrong Kelly discusses her troubled early life and raising a son as a teenaged mother. Her memoir is out this month. It's called "No Mountain High Enough: Raising Lance, Raising Me."

Linda Armstrong Kelly joins me from Dallas this morning. Good morning. Good to see you again.

LINDA ARMSTRONG KELLY, LANCE ARMSTRONG'S MOTHER: Good morning. Great to see you.

KAGAN: Got to ask about the latest news regarding your son, as he's announced his retirement after this Tour de France. Do you feel like it's time?

KELLY: Certainly, I think the time has come. I mean, he made it a priority -- he did make it to say a priority that he wanted to be with his children and that makes me so proud.

KAGAN: As a mom.

KELLY: Yes.

KAGAN: As a mom, do you worry or think more about his success in like the next race or about his health, given all the battles that he has been through?

KELLY: Hands down, his health. I mean, what he wants to do with his career is certainly important, and that he would want to do, but his health, all the time.

KAGAN: And it's easy to kind of forget everything that he's been through, just because he looks so great and has done so well.

KELLY: That's true, and it seems like, and I get to share these stories in my book, it seems I have run interference for him for so long. And as a mom, that's what we do.

KAGAN: Yes, well, he's not the only one that has beat the odds. You have beat the odds, as well. You don't really necessarily want to script a success story -- as a teenage mother, raised in poverty, how did you go from that to success? What would you say is your secret?

KELLY: Really, I believe the secret was that determination, perseverance and never, ever, ever giving up. I have always had an extremely positive attitude.

KAGAN: Even when you were like this 16-year-old kid with this baby? You probably knew nothing, you didn't know what to do with, and didn't have a lot of resources.

KELLY: I had no resources, actually. But you know what? I was so overwhelmed with the love for this baby, I just -- I wanted him to have what I couldn't have.

KAGAN: And what would be the bottom line of that? I mean, more than just material things?

KELLY: Oh, without a doubt. I mean, without a doubt. Truly, being a mother and being a parent is such great training ground for a corporate -- for my corporate career. I mean, teamwork, communication, hands down.

KAGAN: Got to have that.

KELLY: Yes.

KAGAN: For people, young women who find themselves in that situation today, how different do you think it is?

KELLY: I think there's a lot of resources out there today, certainly, and what I did and believed in was something that was important to me, and I say, you know, talk to people. Get -- go to those resources and have those discussions.

KAGAN: Mother's Day coming up in a week or so. Any big plans?

KELLY: Book signings, wonderful plans with Lance and the family. So I certainly am looking forward to that.

KAGAN: And as good as being a mom has been, being a grandma? How does it compare?

KELLY: Oh, it's so wonderful. The grandkids are fantastic. Luke is five now, the twins are three and they're just truly a blessing.

KAGAN: Well, you enjoy. And good luck with the book.

KELLY: Thank you.

KAGAN: Thanks for stopping by this morning.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: That's going to do it for me. I'm Daryn Kagan. I'll see you right back here tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, Randi Kaye will be in for Wolf at the top of the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired April 26, 2005 - 11:31   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's take a look at what's happening right now in the news. Florida Governor Jeb Bush signing the controversial "Stand Your Ground" bill into law today. It allows residents to shoot and kill anyone who threatens them in public. Previously court have requires crime victims to attempt to flee before using lethal force.
A woman who claims she found a fingertip in her Wendy's chili went to court in Las Vegas in the last hour. Anna Ayala waived extradition to California. Police arrested Ayala last week, calling her claim against the fast-food chain a hoax.

The 2009 opening of the Freedom Tower will be delayed a few months. New York authorities are requiring modifications to make the building more secure. The 70-story building would be the world's tallest. It will built at the former World Trade Center sight.

And a backyard bear -- take a look at these pictures -- has been moved to a more fitting habitat today. Authorities tranquilized the cub, and very gently lowered him from the tree that he had climbed in a New Jersey neighborhood.

Keeping you informed, CNN is the most trusted name in news.

Social Security reform is a top item on President Bush's agenda today. He holds another of his roundtable event in Texas. He also today will give a lift to a Congressman under intense scrutiny.

Our Elaine Quijano is at the White House with details on both parts of the story.

Good morning.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.

That's right, President Bush heads to Galveston, Texas today to talk up his idea for changing Social Security. Now the president will be putting the spotlight on Galveston as an example of a county where public employees take part in an alternate retirement plan, not the traditional Social Security system. This of course fits in what the president's broader theme of an ownership society, and what the president of course has pushed and continues to push, but which most Americans disagree with, is the idea of carving out personal- retirement accounts from within the Social Security system.

Now the president has acknowledged that those accounts alone will not fix the long-term solvency problems. Today on Capitol Hill, meantime, at this hour, in fact, the Senate Finance Committee, is holding a hearing, taking a look at the issue of Social Security. Of course this committee is crucial to getting any overhaul legislation passed. Personal accounts have come under fierce opposition by Democrats. And today the ranking member on the panel outlined part of their objection.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. MAX BAUCUS (D), MONTANA: Where does the money come from to put into these private accounts? Where does that money come from? Well, the federal government would have to borrow it, borrow more, much more, at a time when for the second fiscal year in a row the federal deficit hit an all-time record, $412 billion.

SEN. CHARLES GRASSLEY (R), FINANCE CHAIRMAN: Doing nothing is not an option, because doing nothing is a cut in benefits.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now as that hearing continues, President Bush prepares to take part in what the White House is calling a roundtable event in Galveston, Texas.

And an interesting subplot to all of this, in the audience, according to White House officials, will be embattled House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. Now of course the Texas Republican has been under fire here in Washington, in part because of accusations that lobbyists improperly paid for some overseas trips.

Now unclear if the president will make an explicit expression of support for Congressman DeLay, but he is expected to acknowledge him, as the president customarily does, when law makers attend these events. President Bush did say earlier this month that he believes Congressman DeLay is a very, very effective leader, and that he looks forward to working with him on legislation.

We should also tell you that the Congressman is expected to ride back here to Washington with President Bush onboard Air Force One -- Daryn.

KAGAN: Elaine Quijano at the White House. Elaine, thank you.

Galveston is a fitting backdrop for the president's Social Security road trip. He's hoping the county's decision to opt out of Social Security will help sell his plan for private retirement accounts.

CNN's Ed Lavandera has more now on how they did it in Galveston.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ray Holbrook is enjoying retirement chopping wood, but he wonders how long he would have had to work if he had not been a county judge in Galveston, Texas. RAY HOLBROOK, FMR. GALVESTON COUNTY JUDGE: At my age, 77, I would probably still be working. I hope I wouldn't be splitting wood, but I might be working at something else.

LAVANDERA: Holbrook gets about $1,300 a month from Social Security. For 10 years, he also was getting an extra $3,000 monthly check from the county.

HOLBROOK: People ought to save for their own retirement and not count on the next generation paying for it.

LAVANDERA: Galveston County was one of three Texas counties that bailed out of the federal Social Security plan 23 years ago and created what's known as the alternate plan for county employees. The program creates individual retirement accounts that workers and the county pay in, just like Social Security, but the money is invested in secure bonds or annuities, guaranteeing at least a 4 percent return.

HOLBROOK: It's like taking my money to the local bank down here. I know I have that account in that bank and I can draw on it each month as I need it. And I know where it is. I know how much is there.

LAVANDERA: Rick Gornto runs the retirement program for Galveston County. He says the investment plan has averaged a return of more than 6 percent since it was started in 1981, far better, he says, than the 1 to 2 percent return from Social Security. He says the country should take notice.

RICK GORNTO, FIRST FINANCIAL BENEFITS: We didn't know how it would work. I mean, we knew in our heads, but we had never lived it. And now we have lived it, and we've seen it work. We have seen real people receive real money and real returns.

LAVANDERA: The county plan also pays four times a worker's salary as a death benefit. Social Security pays $225. The county's private retirement accounts can also be passed on to your children. Social Security payments cannot.

(on camera): The U.S. General Accounting Office analyzed Galveston's retirement plan 6 years ago. That report says that the alternate plan worked well in just a few cases, but that generally, workers would receive more money if they were in the federal Social Security program.

ROBERT HUTCHINS, GALVESTON COUNTY RESIDENT: I think it's terrible.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Retirement planner Robert Hutchins is one of the few voices of dissent to the alternate plan in Galveston. He says the program isn't as profitable for low-income workers, as it is for judges, like Holbrook, and hurts employees who leave the county before reaching retirement age.

HUTCHINS: If the national plan were similar, if they used the Galveston alternate plan as their model, it is going to be a tragedy. LAVANDERA: Galveston officials question the numbers used in the government's report, but they acknowledge the alternate plan needs some tweaking. Workers can take money out of their personal accounts at any time, which they see as a dangerous option, if it leaves people with less money to retire with.

Ray Holbrook doesn't question the plan's success. He just looks at the checks he has received since retiring to remind himself why private investments have paid off.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Dallas.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Now we're pulling out something from the "thing you didn't expect" file this morning, a buffalo on a tennis court in suburban Maryland.

Yes, here you go. We'll let you fill in the jokes. Ten of these buffalo escaped this morning from an address that's kind of out in the country a little bit. Police in Baltimore had to work two hours to corral the buffalo. They finally got them out there about 9:00 a.m. this morning. This is a tennis court at an apartment complex.

By the way, county police needed 13 police cars, a helicopter a tactical unit, a helicopter and help from the state highway administration.

Oh, one's coming back. Oh, and you know, Those suckers can be mean. Do you know where buffaloes go? Wherever they want. And look, there is a little baby buffalo.

But as understand, even though the buffalo are being a little difficult there, they have been rounded up, and they're on their way back to wherever they came from. Different type of tennis game.

Different type of game ahead. Talking Lance Armstrong. He's the champion now, but that's not what it was like for Lance Armstrong when he was growing up. Why don't we talk with his mom a little bit later in the show about raising a son as a single mother.

And the carpal tunnel syndrome of the day, the blackberry thumb. Do you have it? Why the much-used gadget is causing so much pain.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Medical news now. It is not just young male athletes apparently who are turning to steroids. Experts say a number of girls are abusing them as well. According to government and university studies, about 5 percent of high school girls and 7 percent of those middle school admit taking steroids. They say they're using them for weight control and toned muscles, rather than athletic performance.

A government advisory panel is proposing ethical guidelines for human embryonic stem cell research. They were released this hour. Among the guidelines, donors must give consent before an embryo could be used to make stem cells. Donors should be told the embryos will be destroyed in the process. And stem cell repositories should use a secure coding system to protect the identity of the donors. The advisory panel is calling on the scientific community across the board to adopt the ethical standards.

Handheld gadgets like the blackberry are getting a thumbs up from millions of consumers. But overusing the devices may be detrimental to that all-important digit.

Senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has details in our "Daily Dose" of health news.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You've seen them, busy professionals walking through airports and office hallways, seemingly mesmerized by their handheld devices. Fifty-four-year-old Bette Keltner's handheld of choice was the blackberry, until she developed what she calls a blackberry thumb.

BETTE KELTNER, BLACKBERRY TENDINITIS SUFFERER: Blackberry thumb seems to be one of those things that is not officially a diagnosis, but is a reality. But what a limit in life it is if you can't use your thumbs.

GUPTA (on camera): According to the manufacturer, more than three million people will be using one of these by year's end. And I'll tell you this, people here at CNN are so addicted to them, they jokingly refer to them as "crackberries." As more people use them for work, for e-mail, for text messaging, Internet, even video games, greater attention is being focused on possible injuries due to an overworked thumb.

DR. KEITH RASKIN, HAND SURGEON, NYU MEDICAL CENTER: Just as the keyboard and the personal computer led to a lot of concern over repetitive stress of typing, this is the next wave of concern with the use of the thumb on a hand-held device.

GUPTA: In fact, the condition is tendinitis, or inflammation of the tendons. Dr. Keith Raskin, a hand surgeon at NYU Medical Center says that young people are protected, because they have more fluid in their joints, whereas those with a history of arthritis or tendinitis in their body, as well as the elderly, are more prone to the ache in the thumbs. The thumb, with one fewer joint than the rest of the fingers, s is more sensitive to stress than the other three-jointed fingers.

HASKIN: I usually find that if the patient was to just reduce the workload or reduce the repetitive nature of this condition, their symptoms will resolve.

GUPTA: As for Bette, four weeks of occupational therapy, pain killers, acupuncture, acupressure and magnets gave her a little bit of relief, but it was only quitting cold turkey that took the pain away. While Bette has had to shut her blackberry off, as for me, and millions of other users, we are showing no signs of problems, and happily clicking away.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: Oh, excuse me.

The maker of the blackberry said in the statement any product can be overused and that people should listen to their bodies and adjust their life as necessary. Yes, right.

Randi Kaye is here.

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: I'll be with you in a second.

KAGAN: See, this is why she's faking. She's used her's so much it has completely crashed.

KAYE: It's completely gone.

KAGAN: We have to get you a new one.

KAYE: It's completely dead, completely gone.

KAGAN: You've got to upgrade your model, too, by the way.

KAYE: Yes, I hear...

(CROSSTALK)

KAYE: You've got a connection here. You've been here longer.

KAGAN: Yes, I've been here a long time.

KAYE: A lot longer.

KAGAN: Hey, you've here long enough to fill in for Wolf Blitzer today. What do you have coming up at noon?

KAYE: We have a very business hour. Today on "NEWS FROM CNN," on a day when Syrian troops finally leave Lebanon, we'll get reaction from the area and find out what lies ahead for both nations now that they are independent of each other.

We'll also take a closer look at the skyrocketing numbers in the refinery business. It's not just gas prices that are rising for one oil giant. It's also their profits. Chris Huntington has that report coming up for us.

Watch for those stories and more at the top of the hour on "NEWS FROM CNN."

Daryn, back to you.

KAGAN: This new model, it will help your typing problems, because it's harder to type on. (CROSSTALK)

KAYE: You can have that one. It doesn't work.

KAGAN: OK, thank you. Good friend. Thanks, Randi.

We will see you in just a few minutes. Well, you already know the cycling legend Lance Armstrong. but do you know the woman behind the man? We're not talking about Sheryl Crowe. That's another story. Lance's mom is here to talk about her life, raising her son and her work as an inspirational speaker. That's just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Lance Armstrong's story is familiar: six Tour de France victories, a valiant battle against cancer. His mother's story is also an inspiration. Linda Armstrong Kelly discusses her troubled early life and raising a son as a teenaged mother. Her memoir is out this month. It's called "No Mountain High Enough: Raising Lance, Raising Me."

Linda Armstrong Kelly joins me from Dallas this morning. Good morning. Good to see you again.

LINDA ARMSTRONG KELLY, LANCE ARMSTRONG'S MOTHER: Good morning. Great to see you.

KAGAN: Got to ask about the latest news regarding your son, as he's announced his retirement after this Tour de France. Do you feel like it's time?

KELLY: Certainly, I think the time has come. I mean, he made it a priority -- he did make it to say a priority that he wanted to be with his children and that makes me so proud.

KAGAN: As a mom.

KELLY: Yes.

KAGAN: As a mom, do you worry or think more about his success in like the next race or about his health, given all the battles that he has been through?

KELLY: Hands down, his health. I mean, what he wants to do with his career is certainly important, and that he would want to do, but his health, all the time.

KAGAN: And it's easy to kind of forget everything that he's been through, just because he looks so great and has done so well.

KELLY: That's true, and it seems like, and I get to share these stories in my book, it seems I have run interference for him for so long. And as a mom, that's what we do.

KAGAN: Yes, well, he's not the only one that has beat the odds. You have beat the odds, as well. You don't really necessarily want to script a success story -- as a teenage mother, raised in poverty, how did you go from that to success? What would you say is your secret?

KELLY: Really, I believe the secret was that determination, perseverance and never, ever, ever giving up. I have always had an extremely positive attitude.

KAGAN: Even when you were like this 16-year-old kid with this baby? You probably knew nothing, you didn't know what to do with, and didn't have a lot of resources.

KELLY: I had no resources, actually. But you know what? I was so overwhelmed with the love for this baby, I just -- I wanted him to have what I couldn't have.

KAGAN: And what would be the bottom line of that? I mean, more than just material things?

KELLY: Oh, without a doubt. I mean, without a doubt. Truly, being a mother and being a parent is such great training ground for a corporate -- for my corporate career. I mean, teamwork, communication, hands down.

KAGAN: Got to have that.

KELLY: Yes.

KAGAN: For people, young women who find themselves in that situation today, how different do you think it is?

KELLY: I think there's a lot of resources out there today, certainly, and what I did and believed in was something that was important to me, and I say, you know, talk to people. Get -- go to those resources and have those discussions.

KAGAN: Mother's Day coming up in a week or so. Any big plans?

KELLY: Book signings, wonderful plans with Lance and the family. So I certainly am looking forward to that.

KAGAN: And as good as being a mom has been, being a grandma? How does it compare?

KELLY: Oh, it's so wonderful. The grandkids are fantastic. Luke is five now, the twins are three and they're just truly a blessing.

KAGAN: Well, you enjoy. And good luck with the book.

KELLY: Thank you.

KAGAN: Thanks for stopping by this morning.

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KAGAN: That's going to do it for me. I'm Daryn Kagan. I'll see you right back here tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, Randi Kaye will be in for Wolf at the top of the hour.

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