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CNN Student News
Aired February 26, 2002 - 04:30 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.
ANNOUNCER: You're watching "CNN STUDENT NEWS" seen in schools around the world because learning never stops and neither does the news.
SUSAN FREIDMAN, CO-HOST: Time for your daily dose of "CNN STUDENT NEWS". In "Today's Headlines," Afghan leader Hamid Karzai travels to Iran.
SHELLEY WALCOTT, CO-HOST: After that, we focus on a potential crisis in health care coverage.
FREIDMAN: More health news coming up, find out how who you are and where you live may affect your risk for heart problems.
WALCOTT: Then, meet some students getting active about a cause they care about.
And welcome to "CNN STUDENT NEWS". I'm Shelley Walcott.
FREIDMAN: And I'm Susan Freidman.
A bloody attack at a bus stop in East Jerusalem leaves at least 10 people wounded. Three police officers and a gunman were among the injured.
WALCOTT: A military wing of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement has claimed responsibility for the attack. Israeli police say yesterday's violence began when a Palestinian opened fire in a neighborhood in the northern part of Jerusalem's extended city limits. This area is claimed by both Israelis and Palestinians. Leaders around the world are trying to figure out how to quell the violence. One proposal by Saudi Arabia is drawing particular interest.
Our Joel Hochmuth reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOEL HOCHMUTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Israeli officials are mulling over an unprecedented proposal for peace in the Mid East reportedly put forward by Saudi Arabia. Israeli President Moshe Katzav has invited Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah to come to Jerusalem to present details of his plan in person. Katzav says he's also willing to go to Saudi Arabia to discuss the plan if invited. The plan was first reported in a column published last week in "The New York Times." According to the column, Saudi's crown prince offered a plan that would have all Arab states in the region, including Saudi Arabia, recognize Israel. Currently, only Egypt and Jordan do. In exchange, the column says, Israel would withdrawal from Palestinian territories, including the West Bank and Gaza Strip, back to the borders that existed before the Six-Day War in 1967.
ADEL AL-JUBEIR, SAUDI FOREIGN POLICY ADVISER: The Israelis have a choice and a substantial choice. They can choose to be a part of the neighborhood and live in peace with all of the countries in the region, or they can choose to be in a permanent state of war. We have -- we are now at the -- at a crossroads. We have to make decisions and we have to shift the region away from violence and tension towards peace and economic development.
HOCHMUTH: What ultimately the Israelis will do remains to be seen. President Katzav, who has made the invitation to the Saudis, really only has a ceremonial role in the government. Real power lies with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. He has yet to respond, though some close to him describe their proposal as positive. Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres is also open to the idea.
SHIMON PERES, ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER: We would welcome a dialog negotiation with the Saudis (UNINTELLIGIBLE) so we don't make any conditions. We are trying to clarify the Saudian (ph) position and their readiness via different channels, some of them clear, some of them controversial, and we shall see the results.
HOCHMUTH: The Bush administration, too, is reacting positively.
RICHARD BOUCHER, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: We think these are significant and positive steps that have been endorsed now publicly by other governments in the region, including Egypt. They do highlight the importance of not giving up the goal of a just and lasting peace and the need to do all we can to help end the Israeli- Palestinian conflict.
HOCHMUTH: Still there is nothing official, no formal proposal on the table. Even if there were, there appear to be major sticking points. In the past, Saudi Arabia has steadfastly refused to have any contact with Israel while its dispute with the Palestinians remains unresolved. And Israeli officials have said they would never agree to withdraw to pre-1967 borders. But in an environment of never-ending violence, word of any new hope for peace is intriguing.
Joel Hochmuth, "CNN STUDENT NEWS".
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALCOTT: Afghanistan's interim leader Hamid Karzai wraps up his first official trip to Iran. Karzai received a red carpet welcome during his three-day visit to the neighboring country. He's asking the U.S. and Iran to work together to help rebuild Afghanistan.
For more on that, we go to CNN Kasra Naji. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KASRA NAJI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mr. Karzai treading a careful diplomatic line in Tehran. He's desperate for neighboring Iran to help rebuild Afghanistan and create jobs. And he's playing down the U.S. allegations that Iran is trying to destabilize his government.
Iran is denying the U.S. charges, saying it fully supports Karzai's government. He says he hopes Iran will join the U.S. in reconstruction of Afghanistan, just like it joined the fight in toppling the Taliban, a reference to Iran's support for the Northern Alliance. Every step of the way he's been urging Iranians to help rebuild his country. Here, addressing Iranian parliament and here, addressing Iranian businessmen, urging them to help with among other things building roads. Iranian businessmen have been licking their lips at the opening of a big new market in neighboring Afghanistan, but politics may get in their way.
ASGHAR KASHAN, BUSINESSMAN: We understand that the United States has a different position than the rest of the world towards Iran. But we believe that this problem can be resolved and can be overpassed by advantages that Iran has for a system in Afghanistan.
NAJI: President Khatami told his guests, Iran is not interfering in Afghanistan and added that as far as Iran was concerned, its struggling relations with the U.S. will not have an impact on its relations with Afghanistan, but that may be optimistic.
NAJI (on-camera): There are fears here that so long as American allegations continue and suspicions remain about Iran's intentions and activities in Afghanistan, Iran's role in the reconstruction of the country may remain limited.
Kasra Naji, CNN, Tehran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FREIDMAN: Within the next two weeks, families of the September 11 victims will find out how much compensation the government will give them in exchange for their waving their right to sue. But also next month many of these families will face a new financial crisis, they'll lose their health care coverage.
Hillary Lane reports on one woman for whom the timing couldn't be worse.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HILLARY LANE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The clock is ticking and Cheri Sparacio is counting. Already the mother of 2-year- old twins, she's due to give birth in less than a month, about a week before her health care coverage expires. Looking forward, the monthly costs she'll face are staggering.
CHERI SPARACIO, EXPECTANT MOTHER: I have to pay full coverage for three kids. It's $150 a child. I mean it would be affordable if I had one child, but I've got three, so $450, and I'm still not covered.
LANE: Families of civil servants who died on September 11th will receive health benefits for life. Among private sector companies, insurance brokerage Aon will cover for life as well. Cantor Fitzgerald is paying health benefits for 10 years. Marsh & McLennan for three.
But Cheri's husband worked for Euro Brokers, which at the end of March will stop covering the families of its 60 workers killed on September 11th. She'll have options, but they're expensive.
SPARACIO: Nothing's going to run me, I think, under $700 a month.
LANE: Fiduciary Trust is expected to stop paying health benefits for deceased workers in April. Dependents of as many as 1,400 people are or will soon be in the same predicament. They can choose to pay for their own coverage through government mandated COBRA, or in some cases, stay with the company plan, but pay the full premium themselves.
(on camera): It's a major expense, especially for families who have lost their main source of income, and most don't qualify for government subsidized programs which are available only to lower income families.
(voice-over): Which is where the many charities are stepping in. The Red Cross and Salvation Army will make funds available through September, the first anniversary of the attack. But donations have slowed dramatically.
AL PECK, SALVATION ARMY: Now we're coming to a point where people have needs, gaps in services, and now we don't have the money to hold back for that because it was dispensed early on in the crisis in a very rapid fashion.
LANE: The unprecedented amount of money raised is running out, leaving the families who've depended on that aid to watch the calendar and plan for the changes. Hillary Lane for CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FREIDMAN: The party is over in Salt Lake. The Olympic flame was extinguished Sunday night and another Olympics was written into the pages of history. But what's to become of the ski jump, bobsled track and various other tracks and arenas built for the games?
Rusty Dornin takes a look at the future plans for these state-of- the-art winter venues.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The torch is out; the celebration history. But there's some party favors left over for Salt Lake to enjoy. A new stadium, an ice rink, and more freeways to make rush hour a little easier, to name a few. Expensive taxpayer gifts, some critics say, won't do a lot for folks who live here.
CHRISTOPHER SMART, EDITOR, "CITY WEEKLY": Freeway system, we need it. Light rail line, we need it. Do we need 120-meter ski jump? Don't think so.
DORNIN: But city fathers have big plans for those big-ticket items.
MAYOR ROCKY ANDERSON, SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH: We will be in this area the premier training and competition site for winter sports for, I think, generations to come.
DORNIN: Utah also sees potential dollar signs from folks who might want to experience for themselves that place they saw on TV.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But I think the resorts will -- you know, they -- a lot of people have seen Park City now and they'll want to go back. But I'm not sure about downtown Salt Lake.
DORNIN: Downtown Salt Lake became party central during the Olympics. A lifestyle some here could grow to like.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I like excitement. I like the energy that it's brought. And I hope it changes and we continue to have a lot more excitement and fun.
DORNIN: But fun, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) alcohol, had partygoers throwing bottles at police Saturday night. Still a Mormon-dominated city and state, alcohol use is frowned upon.
ANDERSON: Rocky Anderson, how are you?
DORNIN: But Salt Lake City Mayor, Rocky Anderson, has high hopes events downtown will continue, alcohol included.
ANDERSON: We're going to provide that kind of downtown experience on Friday and Saturday nights and continuous going. And I think there is a real hunger for that.
DORNIN: No one here expects Utah's liquor laws or conservative attitudes to change overnight. But when the world came to town, one group of Utahans were here in mass.
SMART: The most impressionable group here are the young people. They're the ones who have been crowding the Medals Plaza. They're the ones that this is going to have a big impact on them. And, you know, perhaps they're going to -- they're going to come out of this a little bit more cosmopolitan than their parents or Utah's leaders.
DORNIN (on camera): Barring scandals before and during the games, protests and one riotous party, the Olympics were a success. A success likely to give a big boost to this city's self esteem.
Rusty Dornin, CNN, Salt Lake City, Utah. (END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Exploring our world, here now is "CNN STUDENT NEWS" "Perspectives."
WALCOTT: In "Perspectives" today, the latest in our series of profiles for Black History Month. Today, a closer look at John H. Johnson. He's the man behind the world's largest black owned publishing company, the company that produces "Ebony" and "Jet" magazines. Johnson's company has also expanded into radio, television, insurance and even cosmetics. In honor of his achievements, Johnson was recently presented with a Trumpet Award. The Trumpet Awards are traditionally given to African-Americans who have excelled in their chosen fields.
Here's a profile of John H. Johnson.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was the early 1940s, black men and women were struggling all over this nation for their dignity.
JOHN H. JOHNSON, TRUMPET AWARD HONOREE: I was trying to think to myself, what do black people want most at this time? They wanted people to respect them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Johnson knew what it felt like to be disrespected. He grew up poor in the segregated South. When his mother began saving so that he could attend a better school, neighbors spoke against it.
JOHNSON: I just don't know how I could have ever gotten out of Arkansas City with another mother, because all the people in the neighborhood said that boy will never amount to anything.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Johnson's mother knew her son's potential. She moved them to Chicago where he could attend Du Sable High School. It didn't take long for people to realize that Johnson had something special. One of those people was Harry Pace, president of Supreme Life Insurance. Pace offered Johnson an assignment that would direct his life's path.
HARRY PACE, PRESIDENT, SUPREME LIFE INSURANCE: One of the things he was asked to do was to read the newspapers and magazines and pick out all the major items on black people.
JOHNSON: And so I would give him a briefing once a week on what I had read, and I was also saying these things to people, I read so and so or so. They said how can I get it? Well I knew about "Reader's Digest" so I thought why not a "Negro Digest."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Johnson saw a void and wanted to fill it. He needed $500 to get started, but banks would not loan money to blacks. He eventually found a small loan company, but he needed some collateral. JOHNSON: So I said, well my mother has some furniture. He said well bring me proof that you own it -- that she owns it and that she's going to turn it over to you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Gertrude Johnson helped her son secure the loan and 24-year-old Johnson risked everything to uplift and inform his race. The "Negro Digest" was soon a hit. But in order to survive, he needed to reach a national audience.
JOHNSON: So I thought of an idea, why not run an article on "If I were a Negro." Then I thought and I need some important person, white person, who write.
PACE: And so the idea came to him. He said Eleanor Roosevelt was the great symbol of hope for so many downtrodden Americans in their time.
JOHNSON: So she dictated a letter and it started out by saying if I were a Negro, I would have great bitterness. That was picked up by northern papers. Then she said I would have great patience. That was picked up by all the southern papers. They were known for patience.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That was a critical turning point for Johnson. His digest circulation increased to over 100,000. Three years later, he decided to add photographs, and in November of 1945, the first publication of "Ebony" magazine hit the newsstands.
Johnson Publications was up and running in colorful, glossy pages. The lives of blacks were reflected for the first time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I think if we didn't have "Ebony" to show us what those role models have been since 1945 that would be a very, very big void for the African-American community.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Johnson's contribution to this nation earned him the confidence of President's Kennedy and Johnson. He served as special U.S. ambassador to the independent ceremonies of the Ivory Coast and Kenya. Johnson's publications were inspiring blacks around the world.
In November 1951, Johnson put out the weekly "Jet" magazine. It soon earned the title "The Negro Bible."
PACE: It was in the early '50s. He'd already created the foundations of "Ebony" and he decided to reach out and create a communication center here the likes of which have never been known in black America.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Today, Johnson Publishing Company's operations include Ebony South Africa, Ebony Fashion Fair, Fashion Fair Cosmetics, "Jet" magazine, Johnson Publishing's book division and television production.
JOHNSON: It takes faith in what you're doing, a belief in what you're doing. It takes hard work and refusing, refusing to fail. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Johnson used the faith and support of his mother and wife, Eunice, to build an American institution. His contribution has made an incredible impact on racial relationships in America and created a profound shift in the perception of African- Americans worldwide.
JOHNSON: I guess I would like to be remembered as someone who changed the way black and white America looked at each other.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALCOTT: And head to our Web site, CNNstudentnews.com, for more on Johnson and more on Black History Month.
We looked at health coverage earlier in our show, now we look at health care. At a noted cardiology convention, researchers made a startling announcement, five medical groups agreed there is racial and gender inequality within the U.S. health system.
CNN Medical Correspondent Rhonda Rowland reports on the study suggesting less talk and more action.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RHONDA ROWLAND, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After years of studies that show women in minorities do not get equal medical care, one panel at the American College of Cardiology in Orlando said it's time to move beyond proof and onto solutions.
DR. GEORGE MENSAH, CDC: The studies that are really needed are why do the differences persist.
ROWLAND: Dr. George Mensah of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was one of the leaders of the joint committee, which includes major medical groups, both government and private. Its report focused on the gap in heart disease care, issuing a report with 18 recommendations. IT said two are the most crucial.
First, close the insurance gap.
MENSAH: Every American deserves to have the right to basic health insurance. That is, we find, is a major factor that impacts the access to care, and it disproportionately impacts women and ethnic minorities.
ROWLAND: The second, treat the same illness the same way regardless of race, ethnicity or gender.
MENSAH: Our approach is to treatment must be based on the best clinical science. That's it.
ROWLAND: Dr. Mensah says doctors don't intend to discriminate. He suspects part of the answer may lie in cross-cultural communication. A patient from one ethnic group may describe his or her symptoms differently than a patient from another group.
The International Medical Center in Atlanta specializes in cross- cultural medicine.
DR. PONG MINH HUYNH, INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CENTER: We cannot treat a person without really knowing what's going on.
ROWLAND: Here, patients often wait for a doctor they feel they'll connect with.
HUYNH: I ask the patient to wait and the patient understands that. They feel much better if they have a good communication.
ROWLAND: Just one solution, among many, say experts, who add that it's the responsibility of health professionals -- doctors, nurses, everyone who deals with patients -- to pay close attention to how and why they pursue cardiac care for their patients.
Rhonda Rowland, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANNOUNCER: Where you live can affect your health. Research shows living in a disadvantaged neighborhood can increase your chances of developing heart disease by 40 to 70 percent compared to those living in more advantaged neighborhoods. Previous research suggests some key factors: availability of resources to promote a healthy lifestyle, access to affordable healthy foods, public spaces where people can walk and community-based social support. And some cardiologists think fear and stress may be factors too.
FREIDMAN: You know it's one thing to sit in a classroom and learn about the world through a textbook, it's quite another to get out in the world and experience life firsthand. That's what a group of college students from Atlanta, Georgia recently got the chance to do. They headed to the other side of the globe to attend a conference on racism.
Our CNN Student Bureau has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALLISON WALKER, CNN STUDENT BUREAU (voice-over): These anti- racism activists are protesting against alleged global intolerances. The American students who participated in the U.N. conference against racism came back demonstrating what they've learned.
CHARLOTTE WHEELER, STUDENT: I thought if I went to a conference I can feel I was in which people are trying to combat all types of racism.
KRISTIN PARKER, STUDENT: Going to a conference like that helps us learn the whole story and it changed my views on international affairs and political issues as well as foreign policies.
WALKER: Russell Virgilio is one of the budding new activists who says going to South Africa was a better education than any textbook could have offered.
RUSSELL VIRGILIO, STUDENT: And I wanted to talk to the people involved. I wanted to see it through my eyes.
WALKER: Mary Robinson, the U.N. High Commission for Human Rights, was with one of the official agencies represented at the Racism Summit. She says young people played a major role, and she's looking forward to seeing what they do next.
MARY ROBINSON, U.N. HIGH COMMISSION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS: Young people made a huge impact here in Durban and are going to create an international youth network on the issue.
WALKER: This college senior spoke up within the NGO forum sexual orientation caucus. She was able to get clauses put into both the NGO declaration and the NGO program of action.
CHRISTINA WHITENTON, STUDENT: I really expected to just be an observer and to just -- I thought that I was going to learn about how it worked. I didn't really think that there would be any opportunity for me to participate in anything other than say a protest maybe.
WALKER: Being so far away from home, the students felt like foreigners for the first time.
PARKER: Everyone knew I was American as soon as I said something. And I was like, wow, all of a sudden I'm not in my country and it's different. And it was interesting to meet the different people and get their perspectives on my country, some were good, some were bad.
WALKER: In South Africa, the students saw grass root organizations put forth platforms to combat racism. Back at home, they are doing the same on campus at this reception in the Student Center geared toward ramping up student awareness about racism in America and abroad.
VIRGILIO: You can use the Internet to read newspapers from around the world. Whichever method you choose, always remember, the more you know, the more questions you will have.
WALKER: The students recall moments when they experienced the realities of struggling communities.
VIRGILIO: Why all these people were going through all these troubles, just the humanity aspect and people that are uniting to deal with them, they've got strength and they found a way to smile in the midst of everything that was going bad that they were talking about (ph).
WALKER: America is now faced with a plight of its own. The war on terrorism has made racial profiling a hot topic.
PARKER: The thing is if we allow racial profiling to affect the way we look at different people, we'll never be rid of this plague we call racism.
WHEELER: There are plenty of wonderful people here in this country from -- that are of Arabic descent or from the Middle East and who would never resort to violence.
WALKER (on camera): Racial injustice based on race and other forms of intolerances continue to devastate our societies. The challenge now is whether the organizations and activists involved will follow up with actions and not just words.
Allison Walker, CNN Student Bureau, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ONSCREEN: "Where in the World?"
Known as Persia until 1935.
Lowest point is the Caspian Sea.
99 percent of the population is Muslim?
Can you name this country?
Iran.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WALCOTT: That brings us to the end of this edition of "CNN STUDENT NEWS". But before we leave you today, a little something for you animal lovers.
FREIDMAN: There's a new program at a Montreal animal hospital designed to take the weight off your plump pet. It's called "Wolf Watchers." In business for only five months, but Fido and friends are reportedly already seeing encouraging results.
WALCOTT: And here's another pooch getting her 15 minutes of canine fame. Brandy the Boxer has tongues wagging all over the city of Detroit. That's because her tongue is, get this, 17 inches long.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN: I think it's the longest tongue in the world. I'm trying to find out through, you know, "Guinness" or whatever, if it is.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALCOTT: Let's have a super sized water bowl for that one.
FREIDMAN: Indeed. That's it for today. I'm Susan Freidman.
WALCOTT: I'm Shelley Walcott. We'll see you tomorrow. Bye-bye.
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