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Iran Plays Cat and Mouse with Nuclear Inspectors; Senate Discusses Military Action in Syria; Bipartisan JOBS Act Passes House; Two Kids Found Living in School Bus; Dozens Evacuated After Train Derailment; Schools Being Rebuilt After Tornadoes; Women's Future After Arab Spring; Joe the Plumber Bristles Over Question; Cameron Preps Epic Dive

Aired March 08, 2012 - 12:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Live from CNN headquarters in Atlanta, it's noon here, 9:00 a.m. on the West Coast. I'm Suzanne Malveaux. Want to get you up to speed for this Thursday, March 8.

Iran is appearing to be playing a dangerous nuclear cat and mouse game with the international inspectors as well as the world. Two western diplomats are telling CNN they are concerned about what's going on in the Parchin military base.

The diplomats say they've seen satellite images that show Iran trying to clean up before the site, before letting those inspectors in. The nuclear watchdog agency is worried that Iran may be working on triggers for nuclear weapons.

The head of the U.N. emergency relief mission finally got to see for herself the shattered neighborhoods inside the Syrian city of Homs. That's where at least 47 people were killed just today in fighting between the government troops and protesters. Now one argument on Capitol Hill today, should the United States get involved in Syria militarily and when?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I understand the strain on American military. I understand the sacrifices made by American families. But I also understand the proudest part of Americans' history is when we have tried to help other people achieve the same goals that we so passionately articulated when we declared our independence.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: And I think you have to lay some ground work here. I mean, the United States can't just jump up one morning and say, OK, let's go drop some bombs on Syrian tanks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Not a good sign. The number of people filing for unemployment benefits for the first time actually went up last week. 362,000 people filed those claims. It is 8,000 more than the prior week. Economists actually thought that that number would be lower. Democrats and Republicans getting together? All right, when the is the last time you heard that? Not recently. Well, the House now is expected to overwhelmingly pass a bill to help small companies grow and go public. It's called the JOBS Act. It stands for Jumpstart Our Business Startups. That was kind of clever -- removes obstacles that get in the way of small businesses trying to get investors.

The Senate is expected to take up a similar bill. That's going to happen next week, and it actually has the president's support.

Oklahoma City -- tanks of crude oil now furiously burning. The fire chief believes that lightning struck the oil storage tanks. Now they're trying to pour on some foam. They're hoping to get the wind and help that the smoke drifting above these houses miles away. So far the homes have not been evacuated.

All right, you might not feel this right now, but we're getting clobbered right now by a major storm spit out by the sun. It happened just a couple of hours ago. So what's going to happen? Your GPS might go haywire. Your flight could be delayed. You might see the lights flicker. Stay with CNN, because there's some good stuff, there's some bad stuff that happens in a solar storm. I'm going to have all that for you.

And there's an Oscar winner that's inside that high-tech submarine. I want you to check out these pictures. This is director James Cameron. He's closer now to attempting a daring dive, the deepest part of planet Earth. It's part research, part adventure. He's doing it, and also designed the sub. He has -- he's at the controls, and he is ready to go.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES CAMERON, FILM DIRECTOR: I want to get down there and look around and image and use these 3-D cameras and bring it all back so people can see what's there, you know. I mean, it's the last unexplored frontier on the planet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And he invited us, CNN, into his research ship way out in the western Pacific. We have a full report coming up.

And what is Iran now trying to hide? Two Western diplomats say that Iran is apparently trying to clean up one of the nuclear sites before letting the inspectors in. So the latest developments, they are unfolding as all these world leaders are getting together. What have they done? They have agreed now to restart talks with Iran about its nuclear program.

Matthew Chance has been to Iran at least half a dozen times. He's joining us from Vienna, Austria. That is where the International Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA, they've been meeting.

Matthew, tell us first of all about these reports now, about the Parchin military base, that site where they believe there's some movement happening there at that site in Iran that might be trying to trick the inspectors who are going to be coming there shortly.

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN REPORTER: Yes, that's the interpretation that's been put on the satellite images that are apparently being viewed by the IAEA of the Parchin site. It's certainly the spin that's been put on it by various Western diplomats that we've spoken to about what they're seeing.

But they've spoken about earth moving equipment, you know, big, heavy vehicles at the site being observed, carrying out some activities. They're interpreting it as the site being cleaned up, potentially ahead of any visit by IAEA.

Inspectors -- it's interesting, because this is a place where the IAEA suspects that research was carried out on nuclear explosive devices by the Iranians. The Iranians, of course, categorically deny that, saying that all this talk about Iran potentially developing a nuclear bomb is utterly false. Take a listen to the what the Ali Asghar Soltanieh, the IAEA ambassador from Iran, had to say about this earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ALI ASGHAR SOLTANIEH, IRAN'S AMBASSADOR TO THE IAEA: Iran is not pursuing a nuclear weapon. The truth is that whatever they have said so far during the last 10 years, that for the next couple of months, Iran is testing a nuclear weapon, that it was not correct.

The truth it that (inaudible) have not had effect -- any effect whatsoever on nuclear activities, including enrichment. In fact, (inaudible) are targeting human beings and public rather than targeting (inaudible) machines.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHANCE: Hopefully, Suzanne, with the resumption of these negotiations, we've got no way to know when, but hopefully the new negotiations will help to bring clarity on the issue.

MALVEAUX: Matthew, just listening to the ambassador there, it's very clear that these are polarizing positions. See, I mean, this is exactly the opposite of what Western diplomats are saying. He's saying there's not this nuclear program here. This is for energy. It's not for building a weapon. How do these two sides actually come together? There seems to be no gray area here.

CHANCE: Yes. It's a problem. You know, the IAEA, Western governments, the Security Council has been grappling with, for the past nine years or so, since Iran's nuclear program first emerged. There is a report which is current, that's been compiled by the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, the IAEA.

It lists all the questions that need to be answered by Iran to guarantee that its nuclear program is for purely peaceful purposes.

Other things have to be done as well, like IAEA wants to interview various scientists in the Iranian program that they may believe would have -- they believe may have knowledge of what activities the Iranians have carried out.

None of that really has been forthcoming. And it sort of fueled these suspicions held by the West, other countries as well, that Iran isn't telling the whole story. And in fact, that's the official position at the IAEA that Iran does have a case to answer, and it's not telling the agency everything it needs to.

MALVEAUX: All right, Matthew, thank you very much.

An intelligence analyst actually gives us some insight into what Iran may be up to in its nuclear program. We're going to hear from her at the top of the hour.

Today is International Women's Day. We want to hear from you. Is it really time to celebrate? Are things really all that better for women now? Here's the picture. Right. Check it out. Women do two- thirds of the world's work, produce half of its food. But when it comes to payday, they get just 10 percent of the world's income and own just 1 percent of the land.

So how far have we really come? Talk back. What is the single most important thing that has to change for women? Send us your thoughts to Facebook.com/SuzanneCNN or on Twitter @SuzanneMalveaux. We're going to air them at the end of the hour.

Here's a rundown of the stories we're covering first. Wells Fargo is expanding checking fees. The goal, eliminate free checking all together. We're going to add that up. And check this out. If you can believe it, a 30-story hotel built in just two weeks. We got the pictures.

Then Joe the Plumber running for Congress. This is a guy who threw a tough question at candidate Obama. Well, now he's getting a taste of his own medicine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOE THE PLUMBER: In my dictionary, in everyone's dictionary from the 1970s, the word queer did mean strange and unusual. There was no slur to it. Do you challenge that?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: All right. If you have a checking account with Wells Fargo, get ready to pay a little bit more. The bank gradually is eliminating free checking. Wells Fargo started charging $7 a month for checking out West. Now it's packing on the same fee in six more states. Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange with some of the details of this. Alison, I don't think people are going to like this.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN REPORTER: Yes, you know what, it's really become just a normal thing these days. You know, if you want a checking account, you're going to have to pay. And if you want it with Wells Fargo, guess what, you have to pay $7 a month.

But you can really avoid this fee by doing a couple of things. At least at Wells Fargo, keep a $1,500 minimum balance in the account or you can use direct deposit. But, you know, this has really been the direction Wells Fargo has been going in for a while.

Back in 2010, the bank got rid of free checking for new customers. Last year it applied the fee to existing customers, as you said, in a few western states. That was a test. Now that the test is over, they said, well, let's go ahead and add it to six more states.

Now, as of right now there's no word on whether or not more states will be added down the road. But, you know what, Wells Fargo isn't the only bank. You know, free checking has really become a thing of the past. Look at proof of that, that 55 percent of checking accounts have fees now. Compare that to 24 percent in 2009, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And, Alison, which states are we talking about? Those six states?

KOSIK: Funny you should ask. Wells Fargo not saying which states exactly. CNNMoney spoke to Wells Fargo, which won't give any details. But notices have gone out.

And CNNMoney has heard from customers who live in New York and Georgia, and they say they've been notified that this fee is going to be tacked on. If you're affected by the $7 fee, you should be notified. And of course, if you're not sure, just go to the local Wells Fargo branch to find out. Give them a call, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right. I don't suppose people are going to be very happy about this.

Alison, you and I travel all the time. Right? We stay -- and I'm sure you've got like points at various places. Would you able to stay --

KOSIK: Racking them up.

MALVEAUX: -- at a hotel -- it's 30 stories, right? And it was just built in two weeks? Would you?

KOSIK: Two weeks?

MALVEAUX: Two weeks.

KOSIK: Was it built with Silly Putty or with cement?

MALVEAUX: The pictures you're looking at here, Alison -- so there, you know, it's a time lapse thing here, but this is in Changsha, China and it shows how it was being assembled. People were really amazed by this, right, because it was two weeks.

This video right now it has like more than 5 million views on YouTube. And but people -- it's got people asking, you know, whether or not this thing is even safe, right? Two weeks to build this 30- story building.

KOSIK: It kind of makes you wonder, do you want to be the guinea pig staying in there? I don't know.

(CROSSTALK)

KOSIK: (Inaudible) from here.

MALVEAUX: The company says it's safe. They're like, OK, this is -- this is the real deal here. It's real materials. I'd imagine, though, Alison, you'll probably, you know, you go to bed and there's like wet paint or something. And you wake up and you find (inaudible) --

KOSIK: Or you see the ceiling on top of you. Yes, that's good stuff, fun stuff.

MALVEAUX: I don't know. I think I would wait a while and let somebody else try that out first. But it's pretty amazing (inaudible) do that.

KOSIK: I'm with you.

MALVEAUX: All right, Alison, we'll see you in a little bit.

What is Iran up to now? Diplomats report suspicious activities that look like a possible cover-up at a Iranian nuclear site. My next guest says it's not the first time that Iran has done something like this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Iran is not telling us everything. That's the assessment from the director of the international nuclear watchdog group. A particular concern is a military site where it's suspected that Iran may be working on a nuclear trigger. The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee was asked about these satellite images that apparently show Iran trying to clean up this site.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MIKE ROGERS: I do believe with a high degree of confidence that there were activities there that were related to their nuclear weapons program. What they were is still up for some debate. But clearly that's one site that they were engaged in some activity.

There are several different avenues that they're pursuing at the same time, enrichment being one, missile testing being another, and then weaponization. So how do you get the thing to actually function, the nuclear bomb to function? We think that that some of those activities may have been at this particular facility, enrichment at another.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: So that's what folks are debating. Iran apparently playing hide and seek with nuclear sites. At the same time the Iranians are saying they are ready to talk again. I want to get perspective on what it means. We're bringing in Reva Bhalla. She's director of analysis for the global intelligence firm STRATFOR.

Reva, thank you so much joining us here. First of all, you have world leaders who are reaffirming their support. They say we support a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue. That's the statement they released today. Very significant symbolically, but does this statement have any teeth when it comes to changing Iran's behavior?

I don't think -- I don't think Reva can hear us. All right. We're going to bring her back and -- Reva, can you hear us?

Reva, can you -- can you hear us?

REVA BHALLA, INTELLIGENCE ANALYST, STRATFOR: Yes.

MALVEAUX: OK, good. Glad to have you with us. I want to talk about, first of all, the fact that you have world leaders, you've got these leaders that have an agreement today, a statement that calls for a diplomatic solution, talking to Iran about getting rid of its nuclear ambitions. Do you think this is a document, symbolically important, but does it have any teeth? Can it actually change Iran's behavior?

BHALLA: Well, certainly there's a lot of concern over Iran's efforts to weaponize a potential nuclear device. And the satellite imagery that you mentioned before was showing a lot of vehicles moving around dirt, which you would assume would mean that is Iran trying to remove soil that's been contaminated by nuclear waste.

That's something that we saw occur about five years ago when nuclear inspectors were inspecting for any signs of that. And so you can see the concern is all about weaponization and whether Iran is developing those triggers to initiate a nuclear chain reaction. The IAEA is issuing statements, but really, they're just statements.

That's a sideshow to a more important dialogue that we see taking place in the back channels between the United States and Iran. And the Supreme Leader of Iran made an interesting statement towards that effect today.

MALVEAUX: And Reva, tell us about the statement. What did the Supreme Leader say? It was very interesting at the president's press conference on Tuesday where he said, you know, there's some rumblings that Iran is serious about negotiating and serious about talking to the United States. What do you know?

BHALLA: Right. If you look at just what's happened in this past week, we've seen a ton of rhetoric, war rhetoric on Iran, where we had the APACs on the NDC, Netanyahu in D.C. The narrative that you saw was that Israel is ready to strike, whether or not the U.S. is.

But in reality we see things are a bit different, where the United States does not have any incentive to strike and destabilize a very fragile global economy, and the Iranians know that they have to do little to just spike the oil prices up every time they mention the word Hormuz.

And so the Obama administration has actually been putting out diplomatic feelers to Iran since the beginning of the year. We've seen these reciprocal gestures being made on both sides.

Today the Supreme Leader expressed his pleasure in Obama's statements over the week, in which he stressed the diplomatic over the military option. So we're going to have to see where those talks go. Those are occurring in the back channels. So, unfortunately, they're difficult to track in the open source.

MALVEAUX: And Reva, you bring up a good point, because you say there's all of this talk, war talk, the drumbeat of war here . Why do you suppose that's happening with Israel? Do you think this is political bluster? Do you think this is for domestic consumption, that folks are trying to appear strong for reelection -- their reelection prospects?

BHALLA: Certainly, I mean, there are a lot of political angles to this. You can see how the Republican candidates can play this to their advantage and trying to make the Obama administration appear weak when it comes to its relationship with Israel and countering Iran.

You can see how the Israelis are trying to play this up for their domestic constituency. But they also know that they can't afford isolation from the United States, and that they're not able to perform a military strike on Iran and deal with the consequences of that strike alone.

And so we have to put that into political context, especially when you have APAC conferences going on, Netanyahu in town. The war rhetoric was inevitable.

And Reva, is anybody clear about what's taking place on the ground in Iran? What that facility was about? Whether or not they're really close to a new weapon?

BHALLA: Well, I think the concern here is that this specific military research facility, the Parchin complex, that has been known to be a military complex. And so if there's suspicion that nuclear activity is taking place there, then they're worried about weaponization for a potential nuclear device taking place, or at least attempts to do that.

And so that's why there's so much focus right now on this particular site. But remember, you know, the Iranians, they learned well from the lessons of Iraq and the strike against the Osirak reactor by Israel. And so these are very dug-in sites.

And intelligence is the conundrum here, because how do you know -- even if you're planning -- contingency planning against Iran for a military strike, how do you know you're going to get all those sites? How dug in are they? And are -- is anybody, particularly the United States, prepared to deal with the consequences of conflict in the Strait of Hormuz through which you have got 35 percent of seaborne crude passing through every day?

MALVEAUX: All right. Reva Bhalla, thank you so much for your perspective. Really appreciate it. Good to have you on our show. We'd like to have you back. Thank you.

International Women's Day. This time last year women in Cairo, Egypt, were being spat on, yelled at, for marching to mark that day. Well, have things improved? We're going to go there to find out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Here's a rundown on stories we're working on ahead. Today marks International Women's Day. But a year after the Arab Spring, just how much progress have women made? Egyptian journalist Mona Eltahawy, she is going to join us to talk about it.

And then two children called this Texas school bus home. That's right. We're going to tell you what happened when police found them living inside.

And later Joe the Plumber making a bid for Congress. Well, this guy, right, he makes a name for himself asking candidate Obama some tough questions. Hear what happens to him when he had to answer some pretty tough questions himself.

But first, take some circus performers, musicians, add a couple of physicists, computer programmers, whoa. I don't know. What do you get? A group of art enthusiasts called Syyn Labs, and they're on CNN's "NEXT LIST."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Syyn Labs is an art cooperative.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're a group of people from various disciplines who come together to create really fun and interesting, innovative art.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is the unofficial motto here? Well, there's a couple. No surprise. Geeks with Girlfriends. We've also been called a drinking club with an art problem.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, the past company called us the League of Extraordinary Nerds.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some people express themselves through science. Some people express themselves through art. Syyn Labs is a meeting place where it all comes together.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Checking stories our affiliates are covering cross country. Police in Montgomery County, Texas, found two children living in this old school bus in what they call deplorable conditions. They say the bus smelled. The children were left to fend for themselves for much of the day.

They're just 5 and 11 years old. Their great aunt had been carrying for them after their parents went to jail on wire fraud charges. There are no signs of child abuse, but the kids are now in foster care. The DA's office has not decided on whether or not to file charges.

Check out this train derailment in South Carolina. Wow, forcing dozens of families to evacuate their homes yesterday. One of the train's cars was leaking a hazardous chemical. It's now contained. No one was injured, fortunately. It's not clear what caused the train to actually go off the tracks.

People in Henryville, Indiana, are working fast to rebuild their schools after last week's deadly tornadoes. Dozens of engineers say that despite the damage. They can restore this elementary and the high schools by the start of the school year this fall.

It's International Women's Day. We want to hear from you. What is the single most important thing that has to change for women?

Christine says it would be really great if women didn't have to feel obligated to be the mom, the breadwinner, the maid and the cook all rolled into one. There's no such thing as having it all. More on your responses up ahead.

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: Time now for the "Help Desk" where we get answers to your financial questions. Joining me this hour, John Ulzheimer, the president of Consumer Education with smartcredit.com. Lynnette Khalfani Cox is a personal finance author and founder of the financial advice blog askthemoneycoach.com.

Guys, thanks for coming in. John, your question comes for Jim in Pennsylvania. Jim has a 30-year fixed mortgage. He got it in 2009. He has an interest rate of 5.25 percent, but he wants to know even at that rate if he should refinance.

JOHN ULZHEIMER, PRESIDENT OF CONSUMER EDUCATION, SMARTCREDIT.COM: We talk about 5.25 not being the most optimal rate out there available. It's about 150 base points higher than the best rate right now.

Absolutely, look, there's a cost involved in refinancing. If you plan on staying in a house more than five years it's generally going to work out in your favor especially if he has good credit. He can probably get a rate close to 3.75 right now.

HARLOW: Wow. All right, and Lynnette, your question comes from Chris in California. Chris wrote in: I want to open a 529 for my kids, a college savings plan. What happens to the account if my children attend an out of state school? Does it matter?

LYNNETTE KHALFANI COX, FOUNDER, ASKTHEMONEYCOACH.COM: Here's the great thing about 529 plans. No, it doesn't matter at all. These plans are terrific. I have them for my three kids.

Because they're portable and they're transferable in many ways so let's assume whatever state you live in you can buy in California, Michigan, Texas, you know, Utah, it really doesn't matter.

Because if your kid goes to a school in, say, Arizona or Michigan, the 529 funds can transfer and go along with them. If your oldest kid, Johnny, decides I don't want to go to college after all.

I want to go travel and find myself. You can transfer the 529 plans down to his sister. So it's a really flexible way to save for college and a great resource.

HARLOW: All right, guys, thanks so much. Folks, if you have a question you want answered, just send us an e-mail any time to cnnhelpdesk@cnn.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Sounding off on the "Talk Back" question. Today is International Women's Day. So we're asking you what is the single most important thing that has to change for women?

Maria says, "I think it would be to pay women what they're worth. I've always thought it unfair to pay women less than the male counterparts for doing the same job and sometimes doing it better."

Michelle says the way men view us as second class citizens and/or property. Will says more women in government. I can't wait for the day to rule the world. What's the single most important thing that has to change in the Rush Limbaugh mentality? Wow.

Keep the conversation going online. Going to have more responses in the next hour. So they call the guy, "Joe the Plumber," right? He's the guy who had some pretty tough questions for then candidate Obama.

Now Samuel Wurzelbacher is running for Congress and he's getting a taste of his own medicine. We're going to tell you what happened.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: They have been sparking revolutions throughout the Middle East as protesters took to the streets, and a key factor in those protests is women. Many of them risking their personal safety to make their voices heard.

But graphic images like this one last year in Cairo show the brutality that women faced as they tried to improve their lives and future generation.

Now one year later after Arab Spring, many people are asking a key question, are the women in that region any better off? Well, joining me to talk about is somebody who has been on the frontlines of those protests as well as seen the violence firsthand, Egyptian journalist, Mona Eltahawy, in Cairo today.

She is there for a march that is marking International Women's Day. Mona, it's good to see you. First of all, people should be reminded. You were a part of the protests. You received beatings.

You were sexually assaulted. You know what's going on, on the ground there. Do we have reason to celebrate today? How are things for women where you are? I'm not hearing, Mona.

MONA ELTAHAWY, EGYPTIAN JOURNALIST: -- and the biggest point we wanted to make is that women have been integral to this revolution from the very beginning, and without women's rights and without women's participation, this revolution will not work.

Another important point that we wanted to make this sticker I'm wearing right here, which is the demand that at least 50 percent of Egypt's constitutional committee be comprised of women. So those were very, very loud messages that we were chanting as we were walking to parliament house today.

MALVEAUX: Mona, what is the tone like? What is the mood like there? Because previously when you were marching on the streets, there was a lot of fear and there was a lot of violence.

ELTAHAWY: Well, you know, today last year when women tried to hold a similar protest in support of women's rights, they were beaten. They were sexually assaulted and they were chased down the street. And the violence (INAUDIBLE) just got worse and worse since then because tomorrow, March 9, is the first anniversary of the date when the Egyptian army broke up Tahrir Square and arrested activists, tortured and beat most of them, but more shamefully, subjected at least 17 of the female activists to so-called virginity tests, which are basically sexual assaults. And the violence continued, because we saw many women who were beaten. As you mentioned, I was beaten. My arms were broken. I was sexually assaulted. And then this all climaxed in an iconic image now of that woman being dragged through Tahrir Square, stripped down to her underwear, with soldiers jumping on her chest. After that march, thousands of Egyptian women marched through Tahrir and said, Egyptian women are the red line. And that caused the (INAUDIBLE) Egyptian supreme military counsel, which runs this country, the military junta, that was the one and only time they apologized. Now, during the march today, I spent most of the time walking to parliament with a woman called Samir Ibrahim who was suing the military junta for those so-called virginity tests.

MALVEAUX: And where is that now, Mona? I mean you've gotten an apology here. Is -- where is that particular case? I mean, are they still carrying out these so-called virginity tests?

ELTAHAWY: Right. Well, I mean, that apology was very rare and an apology is definitely not enough because what's happening now in Samir's case achieved two things. One, it ended once and for all these so-called virginity tests in military jails, because they used to be apparently standard procedure. But, two, what is [INAUDIBLE] Egypt now, and I've seen the way people react to this young woman. She's only 26 years old. She is a 26-year-old Egyptian woman who is standing up to 19 generals in our military junta and saying, I demand justice. Her case, unfortunately, because it's so sensitive, keeps being delayed. They were supposed to have a verdict yesterday, but the verdict was postponed until March 11.

But as we were marching to parliament, I can tell you, that young woman is a very determined young woman and she knows exactly why she and other women were subjected to these sexual assaults. As she said, the Egyptian military and Egyptian security think that they will silence us and shame us into going back home and we will not be silenced and we will not be shamed.

MALVEAUX: All right, Mona Eltahawy. Thank you very much, Mona. Obviously there is some progress that is made as brave women come forward. There's still a lot of progress to go. Thank you very much, Mona.

You may remember him: Joe the Plumber. He's the Ohio man who became famous back in 2008. He asked President Obama, who was then a candidate, about the small business tax plan. Well, Joe the Plumber's real name is Samuel Wurzelbacher. It's a little hard to say. He is running for Congress. Earlier today he talked to my colleague Zoraida Sambolin and she asked him about a comment he made about homosexuality a few years back.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ZORAIDA SAMBOLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In an interview in 2009, in "Christianity Today," you made comments about gay people. We're going to put them up here for everybody to see. "Queer means strange and unusual. It's not like a slur, like you would call a white person a honky or something like that." You also said, "I've had some friends that are actually homosexual. And I mean, they know where I stand and they know that I wouldn't have them anywhere near my children. But at the same time, they're people, and they're going to do their thing." Have you changed your positions on this at all?

SAMUEL WURZELBACHER: So, this is TMZ, this isn't CNN, is what you're saying? Now, listen --

SAMBOLIN: Of course it's CNN. These are things that you said that I would like to know if you still stand by them or if you have changed your positions on them.

WURZELBACHER: No, I want everybody to have a job. Americans, as far as that goes. Republicans, Democrats, union, non-union --

SAMBOLIN: But what about these comments that you made? What about these comments that you made? Do you stand by these comments?

WURZELBACHER: Listen, in my dictionary, and everyone's dictionary from the 1970s, the word queer did mean strange and unusual. There was no slur to it. Do you challenge that?

SAMBOLIN: No, I'm just -- I'm questioning whether or not you still stand by these positions on homosexuality.

WURZELBACHER: No, I'm asking -- well, I'm trying to get where you're coming -- I'm trying to get where you're coming from.

SAMBOLIN: And the fact that you said -- I'm trying --

WURZELBACHER: What context are you using this in?

SAMBOLIN: The context that I'm using is that I want to understand your position.

WURZELBACHER: Come on, you're trying to do a gotcha moment. It's quite obvious.

SAMBOLIN: No, no, it's not a gotcha moment. These are things that you said. And I think people who are voting for you should have an opportunity to understand whether or not you have changed your positions on these two issues here.

WURZELBACHER: Well, I'll tell you what, I have spoke with Jimmy LaSalvia over at GOProud. (INAUDIBLE) an agreement that I'm going to work towards all Americans -- homosexual, straight, they want jobs. That's what it comes down to. I'm allowed to have my opinions as an American, but it seems the left becomes very intolerant when you have an opinion other than what they state.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: I want to bring in Dana Bash.

So, Dana, you and I are very familiar with Joe the Plumber. I was there when he made that -- took that question to President Obama. And you covered John McCain when he really became this larger than life figure that McCain used. I want our viewers, first of all, to just go back and take a listen. This is what made him famous in the first place.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WURZELBACHER: My name is Joe Wurzelbacher.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Good to see you, Joe.

WURZELBACHER: I'm getting ready to buy a company.

OBAMA: Yes.

WURZELBACHER: That makes 200, about 250, 270, 80 thousand dollars a year.

OBAMA: All right.

WURZELBACHER: Your new tax plan is going to tax me more, isn't it?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: All right, Dana, so it's kind of ironic at this point where he's now facing some tough questions of his own and he's having a difficult time of it. Paint a picture for us, if you will, of this race that he is engaged in now and how he's doing.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is ironic. Suzanne, I just have to say, I remember like it was yesterday, the day I got a call from a senior McCain adviser saying, did you hear about this guy who came up to President Obama and it was -- excuse me, then Senator Obama. And it was, I think, less than 24 hours that he was on the campaign trail with John McCain.

He's an interesting character, to say the least, because after the campaign he told a group of -- a group that he was speaking to, maybe he was even giving a paid speech, that John McCain and Sarah Palin ruined his life because they used him. And now he is running for Congress and won his primary, and now he's got this important race in the very important state of Ohio. So he's definitely a fascinating figure to say the least.

This is going to be an interesting race because he's running interest Marcy Kaptur. This is -- she's the longest serving woman in the House of Representatives. She has won and defeated 12 Republican challengers and now Joe the Plumber is -- or Samuel Wurzelbacher, I should say, is going to be the one to try to actually to beat her.

MALVEAUX: It seems like it's a pretty tough race. Does he stand a chance? Does anybody really give him the odds favored, or how are they gaming this thing out?

BASH: You know, I actually spoke with Marcy Kaptur yesterday. And the reason I spoke with her is because she herself just won a very big, very intense and bitter race against Dennis Kucinich because of redistricting. The two Democrats were pitted against each other. She won. And I did ask her about her next race that she's going to have to have against Sam Wurzelbacher. Here's what she said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Do you consider it a real race?

REP. MARCY KAPTUR (D), OHIO: I am aware that there are forces around him that can direct money into advertising in our marketplace to try to probably embarrass the president and make life difficult for us. And we're going to stand up and fight for the people, like we always do.

BASH: You're taking it seriously?

KAPTUR: Every race we take seriously.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: Now, he has some pretty big money behind him. There was actually a super PAC, a Houston-based super PAC, that's trying to defeat incumbents that went into this race. And Marcy Kaptur told me she's worried that they're going to come in with big money to help Joe the Plumber against her. The other thing that is going to be fascinating to watch in this race, Suzanne, is the fact that Marcy Kaptur is a very high ranking Democrat on the Appropriations Committee. She has been arguing that because she can bring home the bacon, that she should stay in Washington. That flies in the face of the Tea Party credo. So if she can win, that will -- she can make that argument against someone like that, it will be different from what we've seen in terms of the trends lately.

MALVEAUX: All right. Well, Dana, we're going to be watching that race closely. I admire the fact that you can even pronounce Joe's name. That is a tough one to say, but --

BASH: I worked hard at it.

MALVEAUX: You did. You must have practiced. That is a tough one to say. Thanks, Dana. Good to see you.

For the latest political news, you know where to go: cnnpolitics.com.

So, if you're claustrophobic, this is going to give you the willies. Legendary film director James Cameron is squeezing into a tiny one man submarine. He wants to take it seven miles under the sea. We are about to take you aboard Cameron's high-tech, super cool ocean lab. That's up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: James Cameron is not happy just being an Oscar-winning movie director. No. He now has his eyes on a much more historic achievement, and he's actually risking his life to do this. James Cameron is preparing for the world's deepest ocean dive. Jason Carroll went all the way to Western Pacific to take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): James Cameron is on a mission. And what you're seeing is another step, or better to say dive, towards reaching it.

JAMES CAMERON, DIRECTOR/EXPLORER: It goes by fast.

CARROLL (on camera): It does?

CAMERON: No, it does. I mean, it's so exciting because every second you're seeing something cool. I'm telling you, I'm wiped out after the dive because your brain is going 1,000 miles an hour.

CARROLL (voice-over): Though Cameron may be best known for directing two of the highest grossing films of all time, "Avatar" and "Titanic," he is also known in the scientific community as an accomplished deep sea explorer. And after working for several years, Cameron and his team of scientists have created a technologically advanced sub to take him to the deepest known point on the planet. In a joint project with the National Geographic Society, Cameron sets his site on Challenger Deep. It's carved in the Mariana Trench some 36,000 feet below the surface, nearly seven miles down.

CAMERON: I want to get down there and look around and use these 3-D cameras and bring it all back so that people can see what's there. You know, it's the last unexplored frontier on the planet.

CARROLL: Cameron has taken his sub, aptly named Deepsea Challenger, on a series of test dives. Already they've collected strange looking organisms at depths so extreme it would crush a man. It's a treasure-trove for scientists. And on this day, our cameras are invited for a key test dive.

CAMERON: We're going to 26,000 feet -- we meaning me and the sub -- tomorrow afternoon.

CARROLL (on camera): Good, I'm --

CAMERON: No, you're not coming. It's a one-seater.

CARROLL (voice-over): But the test at 26,000 feet, cut a little short.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Deepsea Challenger is requesting permission to ascend, over.

CARROLL: Deepsea Challenger made it to a little more than 23,800 feet, then had to come back.

CAMERON: The good news is, it's now officially the deepest diving submersible in the world. The bad news is, never saw the bottom. Got about five major system failures that prevented me from going on.

CARROLL: But Cameron and his team did go onto to reach a point beyond 26,000 feet. Their next step, Challenger Deep.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: All right, Jason Carroll, back from the depths of the ocean, joining us from New York.

CARROLL: Yes.

MALVEAUX: Hi, Jason. So tell us about this . I mean there's a big prize at stake. And, obviously, it's pretty dangerous. What did you learn?

CARROLL: Well, look, there's a lot of risk that's involved in something like this. Cameron is not doing this for any prize money. He's not doing this for glory. He's doing this really because he has a love of exploration, something that he's had ever since he was a little boy growing up in Canada. And he has a great deal of respect for the science and what this could do for the scientific community. That's why he's doing this. That's why you're seeing the test dive that you see there. And that's why he's going to attempt it before the month is out.

MALVEAUX: And what did you notice? What did you see?

CARROLL: Well, what I noticed, first and foremost, not just the -- this technologically advanced sub that you saw there, but the passion, not only behind Cameron, but, Suzanne, literally every single person that I met that was a part of this team, this expedition team, the submarine engineers, the microbiologists, everyone was so passionate about what the potential is here for discovering new forms of life at these depths, what it could mean for the science community, and what it could mean beyond.

MALVEAUX: All right. It seems pretty cool. Looks pretty cool. We're looking forward to seeing when he actually goes down.

All right, Jason, thanks.