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Protesters Form Human Chain in Egypt; Hackers Hit Nasdaq Network; Living, Sleeping and Fighting in Tahrir Square; President Obama Speaks to U.S. Chamber of Commerce Today

Aired February 07, 2011 - 11:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Usually polite and courteous, yes. OK, Kyra. Thanks.

Well, live from Studio 7, I'm Suzanne Malveaux.

Let's get you up to speed for this Monday, February 7th.

The massive anti-government protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square seemed to dwindle today. The Egyptian capital moving toward some semblance of normalcy.

Traffic is back on the streets, the banks are reopening, and Egypt's finance minister says the nation's stock exchange will reopen on Sunday. He also announced plans to resume sales of government bonds. And investors' response may indicate the level of confidence, if any, in the government.

Well, the Obama administration seems to have up on any notion that President Mubarak will leave office before new elections. The U.S. is now supporting democracy talks between Vice President Omar Suleiman and opposition groups. Now, one of those taking part on Sunday, the banned Muslim Brotherhood.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think that the Muslim Brotherhood is one faction in Egypt. They don't have majority support in Egypt, but they are well organized, and there are strains of their ideology that are anti-U.S.

What I want is a representative government in Egypt. And I have confidence that if Egypt moves in an orderly transition process, that we'll have a government in Egypt that we can work with together as a partner.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Iran says the trial of three young Americans will resume soon. Iran arrested Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal 19 months ago while they were hiking near the Iran/Iraq border. They are charged with spying. The regime freed a third hiker, Sarah Shourd, for medical reasons. She is on trial, too, even though she returned to the United States. Well, Julian Assange, the man behind WikiLeaks, is fighting extradition in a London courtroom right now. Sweden wants to question Assange about rape allegations. His lawyer says it's a ploy to turn him over to the United States. The Justice Department is considering charges after WikiLeaks published secret government documents.

North and South Korean officials will meet in the Demilitarized Zone just in a few hours. It is their first face-to-face talks since the North shelled a South Korean island last fall. Now, today's meeting is designed to set up a military conference with the higher-ups.

And CNN affiliate WJW in Cleveland says two young men charged in a shooting near Youngstown State University will be in court today. Police say the suspects opened fire at an off-campus party after an argument. One person was killed, 11 wounded.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM TATE, VICTIM'S FRIEND: All he wanted to do was finish school and just live like any other student. You know, be successful, come back to the community, help whoever he could help. And for him not to be here now, and for me to be talking to you about this, it shouldn't be happening.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: In Houston, the NAACP calls a community meeting tonight after police beat a 15-year-old boy and kicked him in the groin. The incident cost seven officers their jobs. The beating happened almost a year ago, but police only released the videotape last week.

Now you are up to speed in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And here is your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. Later this hour, President Obama reaches out to the nation's business leaders with a speech at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Now, they are some of the most influential players in Washington, and they're going to be there.

Our Carol Costello, she is here with more.

And Carol, this is a group that raised a lot of money for the Republicans, helped them win the House majority here. And he's sitting down, he's speaking before them. Obviously, he's trying to mend fences here.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, he is. It's not just any speech.

The president is about to speak before the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a powerful pro-business lobby. It's sort of a kiss and makeup kind of thing.

At the height of the recession, President Obama called CEO types "fat cats" and accused the chamber of funneling money from overseas to support Republican candidates. Today, to the chagrin of union types, President Obama seems to be embracing big business.

The president's new chief of staff is former JPMorgan Chase guy William Daley. The chairman of the president's Council on Jobs is former GE executive Jeff Immelt.

Still, word is Mr. Obama will tell the U.S. Chamber it's their members' responsibility to hire workers and pay decent wages, although that's not exactly happening yet. The unemployment rate, as you know, remains at 9 percent. The median income for U.S. households barely changed between 2008 and 2009. It went from 50,000 and change down to 49,000 and change.

But Wall Street pay actually went up 5.7 percent. 2010 revenue, if you look at the 25 largest financial firms, $417 billion. That would a record.

Look at the bigger picture. According to the Commerce Department, corporations have nearly $1.6 trillion in profits, and they're sitting on it.

And the middle class? Hmm.

"Talk Back" today: Will the president's move to embrace business leaders help ordinary Americans?

Let us know what you think. Facebook.com/CarolCNN. Your answers coming up within the hour -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Can hardly wait. Thank you, Carol.

COSTELLO: Sure.

MALVEAUX: Well, a look at what's ahead "On the Rundown."

Protesters forming a human chain in Egypt, refusing to budge until President Mubarak steps down.

Also --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do me a favor. Would you empty that till for me, please, put it right here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you mean?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Put your tills right here, because I'm robbing you, sir.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Wasn't it Al Capone who said you can get more with a kind word and a gun than just a kind word? Well, this robber, he was taking notes.

Plus, warning signs to look out for when you get that sneaking suspicion you're about to get fired.

And Darth Vader unmasked. Oh, he's such a cutie. You saw him at the Super Bowl commercial. Now you can hear his story.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

MALVEAUX: Well, hackers break into the computer network of a company that runs Nasdaq. We're going to look at the possible motives behind the breach.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Protesters form a human chain at the heart of Egypt's Tahrir Square. It is day 14 of this crisis, and the newly-appointed cabinet meets for the first time.

My colleague Frederik Pleitgen, he joins us from Cairo to give us the very latest here.

Frederik, tell us what is happening in Tahrir Square now. Is it a different kind of mood, a different kind of setting? What is taking place there?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it certainly is a lot more peaceful than it was this time last week, or even a couple of days ago, Suzanne. I mean, what's going on there right now is that it's quite festive.

However, the other thing that's going on is that, apparently, the military that has sort of cordoned off the area around Tahrir Square is trying to make that area smaller and smaller. So they are sort of closing their tanks in on the protesters.

And you mentioned that human chain. That, of course, was one of the things that the protesters put up to try and prevent the tanks from doing that, from closing in on them. In fact, there are some protesters who are actually just sitting under the tracks of the tanks to prevent them from moving anywhere.

So right now there still is that mood of defiance. I would say the morale out there is still very, very high, as the protesters say they're not going to go away until Hosni Mubarak goes away. Of course, so far, we have not seen any indication, Suzanne, from the Egyptian government that that's going to be the case -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And Fred, we know that obviously, this is a place where tourism is critical. People come there to see the pyramids, many of the antiquities.

Do you have any sense -- it could be early -- about how is the crisis impacting tourism now? Are you seeing folks about, or have they all left? Are they afraid?

PLEITGEN: Well, I mean, I was at the pyramids today, actually, and I spoke to a lot of the tour guides there and a lot of the people who do these sort of camel tours around the pyramids, and they say they're suffering. I mean, the guys I spoke to said they haven't seen a tourist since this uprising began.

And you'll recall on the day that we had these massive riots down here in Tahrir Square, there was a charge of horses and camels which was actually the tour guides that came from the pyramids here. And they said they were just so angry and frustrated, that they decided to ride their camels into the protests.

Now, many of them are obviously sorry about it today, but they're seriously saying that they're having a lot of trouble feeding their families, feeding their horses and camels as well. And the Egyptian government estimates that about one million people have left this country, and it's cost the country about $1 billion already.

And, of course, there is long-term damage as well -- investments in hotels and other things, tourism in the future. Are tourists still going to come here as long as you see tanks in central Cairo?

Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Frederik, thank you so much. We appreciate your insights there on the ground in Cairo there, Tahrir Square.

Want to go to CNNMoney.com's lead story about state budgets. Obviously, they've been in big trouble, but they have actually been doing relatively much better than what was anticipated before.

Also, a quick check on the markets. The Dow Jones up 83 points. Very optimistic when you take a look at those numbers.

Well, hackers made their way into the computer network that runs the Nasdaq stock market. Our Alison Kosik, she is live.

Alison, is it Kosik? Tell me.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: It's Kosik, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Kosik, OK. Don't want to get it wrong here.

KOSIK: That's OK.

MALVEAUX: Tell us about what's going on in the stock market.

KOSIK: Well, the Nasdaq is confirming that hackers did get into their computer systems not once, but multiple times, over the past year.

Now, the area that they got into is an area that cooperate executives and board members go to, to share confidential information. Not the trading information that a regular consumer may be involved in.

But the speculation is that the hackers could have been looking for inside information, but the Nasdaq is saying that no customer information was compromised in this hacking incident. But the motive and the hackers are unknown right now, which is why the big guns have been brought in, including the FBI, the SEC, the Secret Service, and the Justice Department, are all investigating.

MALVEAUX: So, Alison, how concerned are they about all this?

KOSIK: You know, there is quite a bit of concern. But, you know, financial networks are really a big target for hackers, and that's why there are a lot of security measures put into place.

It's really not unusual for hackers to try to get into financial Web sites, and what usually happens is they're slowed down. But what happened in this case is kind of unusual because the hackers were able to get into the internal system with the Nasdaq, and the Nasdaq, as you know, it's one of the most important stock exchanges -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And Alison, the markets seem to have a pretty good rally going on today. Can you give us a sense of what is behind this?

KOSIK: Oh, we are having a great rally. Take a look.

The Dow right now, up 84 points. The Nasdaq, higher by 23. You can say it's good old-fashioned deal-making, mergers and acquisitions. AOL is buying "The Huffington Post." There are two oil drillers that are merging. And a $7 billion deal in the manufacturing sector.

We're also in the midst of a pretty strong earnings season. That's all giving the markets a boost today -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right. Alison, thanks for the very latest. Appreciate it.

Well, now it is your turn to -- that's right -- "Choose the News." We're going to tell you about three stories, and you vote via text for the one that you want to see on the air the next hour of NEWSROOM. Now, here are the choices. OK?

You've got hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of drugs that are smuggled into the United States every year on commercial flights. We are taking a look at how homeland security plans to stop it.

Or, next story, what it's like for same-sex couples raising kids in the Bible Belt.

Or, finally, grandparents are spending billions of dollars every year on their grandkids -- not a surprise -- and marketers are starting to take notice.

So here's what we want you to do. Vote by texting your choice, 22360. Vote 1 for drug smugglers; 2 for same-sex parents in the South; or, 3, for grandparents spending big money. Now, the winning story is going to air in the next hour.

We head back to Egypt's Tahrir Square for a close look at one of the revolutionaries and a view from ordinary Egyptians.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: On our rundown, "adorable" -- OK -- is not the word usually to describe a football game. But we want you to take a look at this. We're going to tell you who won the MVP, "Most Valuable Puppy."

Also, the genteel robber? Yes, that's right. This guy is going to rob you with kindness. We'll explain that story.

And is everyone avoiding you at the office? The writing could be on the wall. We have got tips to warn if you a pink slip has your name on it.

Right now, our focus, however, day 14 of the crisis in Egypt.

State TV just released video of President Mubarak and some of his senior officials. This is the first meeting of the newly-appointed cabinet.

We are seeing some signs of normalcy as well. Shops, banks, they're reopening. And Egypt's finance minister says that the stock market is going to open on Sunday.

But protesters are holding their ground. They have formed a human chain at Cairo's Tahrir Square, and give no signs of budging until Hosni Mubarak steps down.

Our Ivan Watson introduces us to one of the young revolutionaries who has been living, sleeping and fighting in that square.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Morning for the men of the barricades in Tahrir Square. Cold, battle-scarred and filthy, they fought and bled to protect this symbol of Egyptian defiance.

(on camera): It was raining. It was cold here last night.

ABDUL HAMID DAOUD, PROTESTER: Yes, yes, yes. And all the people, they stand tired, and we will continue forever until that system is removed.

WATSON (voice-over): Abdul Hamid Daoud suffered head wounds during last Wednesday's furious battle between opposition demonstrators and President Hosni Mubarak's supporters.

(on camera): How did you feel fighting other Egyptians?

DAOUD: Fighting other Egyptians?

WATSON: Yes.

DAOUD: They are not Egyptians. They are criminals.

WATSON (voice-over): Daoud says he's fighting for his country's freedom.

DAOUD: We want to make democracy systems with organizations, not (INAUDIBLE) country, not a fascistic system. We want to make it a democracy. WATSON: Daoud and thousands of his colleagues established improvised lines of security --

DAOUD: Anybody have to go inside, they have to make a check.

WATSON: -- and an alarm system of clangs and whistles that sounds at the first hint of a threat. The result, an enclave in the heart of the Egyptian capital that's largely out of state control.

Here, Egyptians can sing, dance, give political speeches, and even make street art.

DAOUD: And this is art, our art.

WATSON: Anti-Mubarak messages made from the stones protesters once hurled at the president's men.

DAOUD: My friend is sleeping, Abdul.

WATSON: Daoud is a father of two, an engineer who works for an American IT company, and a devout Muslim who admires the Muslim Brotherhood party.

DAOUD: The Muslim Brothers is one of the parts of -- and we also have Christians.

WATSON: On Sunday, Egyptian Christians stood shoulder to shoulder with Muslims, holding a cross and the Koran, demanding Mubarak's resignation.

(on camera): What do you call this? Do you have a name for this?

DAOUD: Yes.

WATSON: What?

DAOUD: Revolution.

WATSON: It's a revolution?

DAOUD: Yes.

WATSON (voice-over): But a day earlier, these Egyptian revolutionaries shifted their tactics to face a new, far more dangerous threat.

WATSON (on camera): You have people sitting outside your barricades.

DAOUD: Yes.

WATSON: Why?

DAOUD: To face the tanks.

WATSON: And why do you have to face the tanks?

DAOUD: To stop them.

WATSON (voice-over): The men of the barricades fear Egyptian soldiers may use force to kill their revolution. To prevent that, they say they're ready to pay the ultimate price.

Ivan Watson, CNN, Cairo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: Well, that's a view from one of the protesters. We now want to give you a feel for how ordinary Egyptians are seeing this crisis.

Journalist Issandr El Amrani from the Arabist blog is joins us by phone. He is near Tahrir Square.

Thank you so much for joining us. Obviously, you have seen the developments unfold in the last week or so. And I understand life in Cairo is beginning to get back to normal, that even the garbage collector came by for the first time in weeks.

What did he say to you?

ISSANDR EL AMRANI, ARABIST.NET: That's right. The public opinion is divided in Egypt right now. You have an amazing scene where I am in Tahrir, where there's a great continuality and people really feel they're coming together as one people due to ask for the departure of President Mubarak.

But outside of this place, there's a different feeling. There's a feeling of anxiety, of how long this will week. My garbage (INAUDIBLE) after five days of not picking up the garbage was complaining about these people and saying, how long is this going to last? The price of (INAUDIBLE) has increased. There's food shortages. People are eager to return to normality.

There's also been, unfortunately, a lot of incitement by state televisions, saying to people around Tahrir as traitors, as foreign agents. And that's had an effect too. But right now you have the tension between the side that wants to go through and make sure that President Mubarak leaves immediately, and another that says, OK, we've already gotten some concessions, let's get back to normal life.

MALVEAUX: We want to thank you very much. Obviously divisions on the ground there. Thank you so much for giving us your insights on that.

I want to dip real quickly, if we could, live pictures we're looking at. President Obama there in Washington. He's addressing the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

As you know, they've had a testy relationship in the past, and the president, the administration, trying to essentially develop a better relationship with the business community, finding some common ground here. This is an organization that poured millions of dollars into helping the Republicans gain control over the House of Representatives. Let's take a quick listen. Let's dip in.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

OBAMA: On other issues, we've had some pretty strong disagreements.

But I'm here today because I am convinced, as Tom mentioned in his introduction, that we can and we must work together. Whatever differences we may have, I know that all of us share a deep, abiding belief in this country, a belief in our people, a belief in the principles that have made America's economy the envy of the world.

America's success didn't happen overnight and it didn't happen by accident. It happened because of the freedom that has allowed good ideas to flourish, that has allowed capitalism to thrive. It happened because of the conviction that in this country, hard work should be rewarded and that opportunity should be there for anyone who's willing to reach for it.

And because it happened at every juncture in history, not just once, not just twice, but over and over again, we came together to remake ourselves. We came together as one nation and did what was necessary to win the future.

That is why I'm so confident that we will win the future again. That's the challenge that we face today.

We still have, by far, the world's largest and most vibrant economy. We have the most productive workers, the finest universities and the freest markets. The men and women in this room are living testimony that American industry is still the source of the most dynamic companies and the most ingenious entrepreneurs.

But we also know that with the march of technology over the last few decades, the competition for jobs and businesses has grown fierce.

The globalization of our economy means that businesses can now open up a shop, employ workers and produce their goods wherever an Internet connection exists. Tasks that were once done by a thousand workers can now be done by a hundred or, in some cases, even 10.

And the truth is, as countries like China and India and Brazil grow and develop larger middle classes, it's profitable for global companies to aggressively pursue these markets and, at times, to set up facilities in these countries.

These forces are as unstoppable as they are powerful. But, combined with a brutal and devastating recession, these forces have also shaken the faith of the American people in the institutions of business and government.

OBAMA: They see a widening chasm of wealth and opportunity in this country, and they wonder if the American dream is slipping away. They wonder if the middle class, rather than expanding as it has through our lifetimes, is in the midst of inexorable contraction. And we can't ignore these concerns. We have to renew people's faith in the promise of this country: that this is a place where you can make it if you try. And we have to do this together, business and government, workers and CEOs, Democrats and Republicans.

And we know what it will take for America to win the future. We need to out-innovate, we need to out-educate, we need to out-build our competitors. We need an economy that's based not on what we consume and borrow from other nations, but what we make and what we sell around the world. We need to make America the best place on Earth to do business. And this is a job for all of us.

As a government, we will help lay the foundation for you to grow and innovate and succeed. We will upgrade our transportation and communication networks so you can move goods and information more quickly and more cheaply. We'll invest in education so that you can hire the most skilled, talented workers in the world. And we'll work to knock down barriers that make it harder for you to compete, from the tax code to the regulatory system.

But I want to be clear, even as we make America the best place on Earth to do business, businesses also have a responsibility to America.

I understand the challenges you face. I understand you are under incredible pressure to cut costs and keep your margins up. I understand the significance of your obligations to your shareholders and the pressures that are created by quarterly reports. I get it.

But as we work with you to make America a better place to do business, I'm hoping that all of you are thinking what you can do for America. Ask yourselves what you can do to hire more American workers, what you can do to support the American economy and invest in this nation.

OBAMA: That's what I want to talk about today: the responsibilities we all have, the mutual responsibilities we have to secure the future that we all share.

As a country, we have a responsibility to encourage American innovation. I talked about this quite a bit at my State of the Union. Companies like yours have always driven the discovery of new products and new ideas. You do it better than anybody.

But what you also know is that it's not always profitable to -- in the short-term, at least -- for you to invest in basic research. It's very expensive, and the payoffs are not always clear and they're not always localized. And that's why government has traditionally helped invest in this kind of science, planting the seeds that ultimately grew into technologies from the computer chips to the Internet.

And that's why we're making investments today in the next generation of big ideas: in biotechnology, in information technology, and in clean energy technology.

We're reforming our patent system so innovations can move more quickly to market. Steve Case is heading up a new partnership called Startup America to help entrepreneurs turn new ideas into new businesses and new jobs.

And I've also proposed a bigger, permanent tax credit for all the research and development your companies do in this country. I believe that is a priority.

We also have a responsibility as a nation to provide our people with -- and our businesses -- with the fastest, most reliable way to move goods and information.

The cost to business from outdated and inadequate infrastructure is enormous. And that's what we have right now: outdated, inadequate infrastructure. And any of you that have been traveling to other countries, you know, it, you see it, and it affects your bottom lines.

That's why I want to put more people to work rebuilding crumbling roads, rebuilding our bridges. It's why I've proposed connecting 80 percent of the country with high -- to high-speed rail, and making it possible for companies to put high-speed Internet coverage in the reach of virtually all Americans.

You understand the importance of this.

The fact is, the Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO don't agree on a whole lot. Tom Donohue and Richard Trumka are not Facebook friends.

(LAUGHTER)

Well, maybe -- I don't think you are, anyway.

(LAUGHTER)

I didn't check on this, but...

(LAUGHTER)

But they agree on the need to build a 21st-century infrastructure.

And I want to thank the chamber for pushing Congress to make more infrastructure investments, and to do so in the most cost-effective way possible: with tax dollars that leverage private capital, and with projects that are determined not by politics, but by what's best for our economy.

Third responsibility that we have as a nation is to invest in the skills and education of our young people.

If we expect companies to do business and hire in America, America needs a pool of trained, talented workers that can out-compete anybody in the world.

OBAMA: And that's why we're reforming K-through-12 education. That's why we're training a hundred thousand new math and science teachers. That's why we're making college more affordable and revitalizing our community college system. You know, recently, I visited G.E, in Schenectady, which has partnered with a local community college. And while students train for jobs available at the nearby G.E. plant, they earn a paycheck and they've got their tuition covered.

And, as a result, young people can find work, G.E. can fill high- skilled positions, and the entire region has become more attractive to businesses. It's win-win for everybody. And it's something we're trying to duplicate across the country.

Now, to make room for these investments in education, in innovation, in infrastructure, government also has a responsibility to cut spending that we just can't afford.

That's why I've promised to veto any bill that's larded up with earmarks. That's why I've proposed that we freeze annual domestic spending for the next five years.

Understand what this means: This would reduce the deficit by more than $400 billion over the next decade and bring this spending -- domestic discretionary spending -- down to the lowest share of our economy since Eisenhower was president. That's a long time ago.

Now, it's not going to be enough. We're going to have do more. Because the driving force on our deficits are entitlement spending, and that's going to require both parties to work together. Because those are some tough problems that we're going to have to solve.

And I am eager to work with both parties and with the chamber to take additional steps across the budget to put our nation on a sounder fiscal footing.

By stopping spending on things we don't need, we can make investments in the things that we do need, the same way families do.

If they've got a fiscal problem, they've got to tighten their belt, they don't stop paying for Johnny to go to college; they cut out things they don't need, but they still make investments in the things that are going to make sure we win the future. And that's what we have to do as a country: make some smart choices -- tough choices, but smart ones.

Now, in addition to making government more affordable, we're also making it more effective and more consumer friendly. We're trying to run the government a little bit more like you run your businesses: with better technology and faster services.

OBAMA: So in the coming months, my administration will develop a proposal to merge, consolidate and reorganize the federal government in a way that best serves the goal of a more competitive America.

And we want to start with the 12 different agencies that deal with America's exports. If we hope to help our businesses sell more goods around the world, we should ensure we'll all pulling in the same direction. And, frankly, with 12 different agencies in charge, nobody's in charge. So we're going to fix that as an example of how we can make a government that's more responsive to the American people and to American businesses.

Which brings me to the final responsibility of government: breaking down some of the barriers that stand in the way of your success.

As far as exports are concerned, that means seeking new opportunities and opening new markets for your goods. And I will tell you, I will go anywhere, anytime to be a booster for American businesses, American workers and American products.

We recently signed --

(APPLAUSE)

-- and I don't charge a commission.

(LAUGHTER)

We recently signed export deals with India and China that will support more than 250,000 jobs here in the United States. We finalized the trade agreement with South Korea that will support at least 70,000 American jobs. And by the way, it's a deal that has unprecedented support from business and labor, Democrats and Republicans. And that's the kind of deal that I will be looking for as we pursue trade agreements with Panama and Colombia; as we work to bring Russia into the international trading system.

Those are going to be our top priorities because we believe Americans have the best products and the best businesses, and if we're out there selling and we're out there hustling, there's no reason why we can't do a lot better than we're doing right now when it comes to our exports.

Now, another barrier government can remove -- and I hear a lot about this from many of you -- is a burdensome corporate tax code with one of the highest rates in the world. You know how it goes: Because of various loopholes and carve-outs that have been built up over the years, some industries pay an average rate that is four or five times higher than others. Companies are taxed heavily for making investments with equity, yet the tax code actually pays companies to invest using leverage.

As a result, you've got too many companies ending up making decisions based on what their tax director says instead of what their engineer designs or what their factories produce. And that puts our entire economy at a disadvantage.

We need something smarter, something simpler, something fairer. And that's why I want to lower the corporate rate and eliminate these loopholes to pay for it, so that it doesn't add a dime to our deficit. And I'm asking for your help in this fight.

OBAMA: I think it can be done. Which brings me to the last barriers we're trying to remove, and those are outdated and unnecessary regulations. I've ordered a government- wide review, and if there are rules on the books that are needlessly stifling job creation and economic growth, we will fix them.

Already, we're dramatically cutting down on the paperwork that saddles businesses with huge administrative costs, we're improving the way FDA evaluates things like medical devices to get innovative and life- saving treatments to market faster, and the EPA, based on the need for further scientific analysis, delayed the greenhouse gas permitting rules for biomass.

I've also ordered agencies to find ways to make regulations more flexible for small businesses. And we've turned a tangle of fuel economy regulations and pending lawsuits into a single standard that will reduce our dependence on foreign oil, save consumers money at the pump, and give car companies the certainty that they need; all negotiated by the various stakeholders without the need for congressional legislation.

But ultimately, winning the future is not just about what the government can do for you to succeed. It's also about what you can do to help America succeed.

(END COVERAGE)

MALVEAUX: President Obama there before the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, essentially very plainly saying, I get it, going before a group that's usually quite unfriendly.

Got a rare applause there promoting a free trade policy, as well as tackling the federal deficit, and, of course, making some serious and difficult cuts dealing with the federal budget.

We'll have much more on this story after the quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: You're looking at live pictures there. President Obama addressing the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

I want to bring in our Carol Costello for Talk Back, because, Carol, this is a really interesting thing when you look at the president addressing this business group. They didn't always see eye to eye. This is not a friendly audience that he's delivering this speech to.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, no, no. It's been kind of a bitter relationship over the past four years. The president is very much trying to kiss and make up with business leaders because he wants them to loosen the reins on their profits and spend money and create jobs in the United States.

The president as you said, Suzanne just spoke to the U.S. Chamber, essentially America's most influential businesspeople. He said I understand the significance of your obligations to your shareholders, I get it. But as we work with you to make America better place to do business, ask yourselves what you can do for America. Ask yourselves what you can do to hire American workers to support the American economy and to invest in this nation.

So our Talk Back today, will the president's move to embrace business leaders help ordinary Americans?

This from Kevin. He says, "It all depends on how the president wants to work with big business. If they agree to create new jobs here in America this year, then they can get their tax cuts next year."

Of course, as we all know those tax cuts are in place for the next two years guaranteed.

This from Anthony. "Your question is a loaded question. President Obama is motivated to help ordinary people. The business leaders are not."

And this from Trace. "Obama can smooth talk the Chamber all he wants but if he doesn't lower taxes on U.S. businesses, thousands more U.S. jobs will be lost to China and dozens of other countries, too."

Let us know what you think. Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll be back with more at about five minutes past the hour.

MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Carol.

Well, can you read the signs that you might be getting the ax? Business correspondent Stephanie Elam, she clues you in.

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MALVEAUX: OK. So no one wants to hear the words, you're fired. OK, that's my best Donald Trump. That's the best I can do. But how can you tell if a pink slip is in your future?

Our Stephanie Elam is here with a look at some of the signs that you might be losing your job.

Stephanie, nobody wants to hear this.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Nobody wants to hear that. Although I did enjoy your impression there of the Donald. That was pretty good.

But, you're right. No one wants to hear about the pink slip that you're fired at all. And while unemployment did drop to percent last month, 6.2 million people have been unemployed for longer than six months. And that's according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. So it's coming from the government.

So, let's talk about some clues that your future at the company may be uncertain. First off, pay attention if you're getting what career builder calls the "Siberia treatment," stuff like, you're left out of the loop, co-workers avoiding you, maybe you're not invited to all the meetings. These might be signs that you just might be getting the ax, Suzanne. That's maybe part of the issue there. MALVEAUX: And what about if you hear something where it says, well, we're trying to revamp, we're trying to change things.

Should you take a clue from that kind of language?

ELAM: You know, these aren't sure signs that you're going to get fired, but Career Builder says if your company is about to merge, if they're in the midst of reorganizing and have new hires that they're bringing in to shake things up, be prepared.

Other signs. If you notice your projects are stalled or see that even an intern has more responsibilities than you, that might be an indicator.

And if you're a manager and some of your team members are getting pulled off for other assignments or you're asked for frequent written updates on your assignments, then get your guard up.

Same goes if your boss seems to only be communicating to you about meetings, projects, or criticizing in you in writing, then you might need to re-evaluate your career, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: OK, thank you, Stephanie. Appreciate the tips.

Well, Darth Vader unmasked. This is the pint sized star of the Volkswagen commercial. He was a huge hit during the Super Bowl and is quite the force online, as well.

Our Jacqui Jeras, what can you tell us about this little guy?

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: He's adorable.

MALVEAUX: Isn't he?

JERAS: He is so cute.

MALVEAUX: I think he stole the show yesterday.

JERAS: Absolutely. There's always a huge buzz. Cue the music, right? the Star Wars music. Lots of buzz always about the commercials. And sometimes it's bigger than the game, itself, right? Fourteen million hits this thing has now on YouTube. It's all over the internet. We know more about the boy who conjured up the force there. Making the Volkswagen start. I love this.

As a parent --

MALVEAUX: It was my favorite, too.

JERAS: I'm telling you, I would totally do that for my kid. Well, the boy, his name is Max Page. He's six-years-old. He was born with a congenital heart defect. He spoke to reporters about all of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MAX PAGE, SIX YEAR OLD HEART PATIENT: When you're going through something hard, you just have to struggle through it. There's nothing you can do. You can't just want to die just because you have to go through something hard. You have to do it. It's the only way you can get healthy, it's the only way you can survive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JERAS: Just adorable. And such a great outlook on life for a six- year-old, right? It's hard to believe but he, I think, actually might be cuter in person, Suzanne, than he was in the costume.

MALVEAUX: We love him. He stole the Super Bowl. He stole the show. He's got a great story. He's just an adorable kid. So we wish all the best.

JERAS: Absolutely, we do. And doctors say his outlook is good. So, great.

MALVEAUX: All right. Thank you, Jacqui.

JERAS: Sure.