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Obama Says Businesses Have Added Over Four Million Jobs (these are new jobs in the last two years); Nearly One In Three Manufacturing Jobs Had Vanished Before The Economic Crisis; Kony Video Spreads Online; Interview with Actress and Activist Mia Farrow; Flight Attendant Alarms Passengers on Flight; Employers Add 227,000 Jobs in February, Unemployment Rate Doesn't Budge; Filmmaker Takes on Deep-Sea Challenge; Spanx Creator Discusses Here New Status

Aired March 09, 2012 - 13:00   ET

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

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES (live): Before middle class folks regain that sense of security, that had been slipping away even before the recession hit and before towns like Petersburg get fully back on their feet. But here's the good news. Over the past two years, our businesses have added nearly four million new jobs. We just found out that last month, in February, we added 233,000 private sector jobs. More companies are bringing jobs back and investing in America. And manufacturing is adding jobs for the first time since the 1990s.

We just had another good month last month in terms of adding manufacturing jobs, and this facility is part of the evidence of what's going on all across the country. This company is about to hire more than 200 new workers, 140 of them right here in Petersburg, Virginia. So, the economy is getting stronger. And when I come to places like this, and I see the work that's being done, it gives me confidence there are better days ahead. I know it because I would bet on American workers and American know-how any day of the week.

The key now, our job now, is to keep this economic engine churning. We can't go back to the same policies that got us into this mess. We can't go back to an economy that was weakened by outsourcing and bad debt and phony financial profits. We've got to have an economy that's built to last, and that starts with American manufacturing. It starts with you.

For generations of Americans, manufacturing has been the ticket into the middle class. Every day, millions clocked in at foundries and on assembly lines, making things. And the stuff we made, steel and cars and jet engines, that was the stuff that made America what it is. It was understood around the world. The work was hard but the jobs were good. They paid enough to own a home and raise kids and send them to college. Gave you enough to retire on with dignity and respect. They were jobs that told us something more important than how much we were worth, they told us what we were worth. They told us what we were building more than just products. They told us we were building communities and neighborhoods. We were building a country. It gave people pride about what America was about.

And that's why one of the first decisions I made as president was to stand by manufacturing, to stand by the American auto industry when it was on the brink of collapse. The heartbeat of American manufacturing was at stake and so were more than a million jobs. And today, the American auto industry is coming back and GM is number one in the world again and Ford is investing billions in American plants and factories. And together, over the past two and a half years, the entire auto industry has added more than 200,000 jobs. And here's the thing, they're not just building cars again, they're building better cars.

For the first time in three decades, we raised fuel standards in this country, so that by the middle of the next decade, the cars that are built in America will average nearly 55 miles to the gallon. That will save the typical family about $8,000 at the pump over time. That's a real savings. That's real money. And it shows that depending on foreign oil doesn't have to be our future. It shows that when we harness our own ingenuity, our technology, that we can control our future.

See, America thrives when we build things better than the rest of the world. I want us to make stuff here and sell it over there. I don't want stuff made over there and selling it over here. And that's exactly what you're doing here. You have the largest Rolls-Royce facility in the world, that's what you're doing by building the key components of newer, faster, more fuel efficient jet engines.

I just took a tour and learned a bit about how a jet engine comes together. Don't quiz me on it. I'm a little fuzzy on some of the details. I did press some buttons back there. But a few weeks ago, I actually got to see the finished product. I went to Boeing in Washington state, and I checked out a new Dreamliner. I even got to sit in the cockpit which was pretty sweet. I didn't press any buttons there, though, because if it started going, it would have been a problem.

So this plane, the Dreamliner is going to keep America at the cutting edge of aerospace technology. American workers are manufacturing various components for it in Ohio, and Oklahoma, and South Carolina, and Kansas, and right here in Petersburg. In fact, the demand for their planes was so high last year, that Boeing had to hire 13,000 workers all across America just to keep up. And Boeing is gaining more and more share all the time. So think about that. Rolls-Royce is choosing to invest in America. You're creating jobs here, manufacturing components for jet engines, for planes that we're going to send all around the world. That's the kind of business cycle we want to see. Not buying stuff that's made some place else and racking up debt, but by inventing things and building things and selling them, all around the world, stamped with three proud words, made in America. Made in America.

Think about how important this is. I mean, imagine if the plane of the future was being built someplace else. Imagine if we had given up on the auto industry. Imagine if we had settled for a lesser future. But we didn't. We're Americans. We are inventors. We are builders, we're Thomas Edison and we're the Wright Brothers and we are Steven Jobs. That's who we are. That's what we do. We invent stuff, we build it and pretty soon the entire world adapts it. That's who we are. And as long as I'm president, we're going to keep on doing it. We're going to make sure the next generation of life-changing products are invented and manufactured here in the United States of America.

So, that's why we launched an all hands on deck effort. We brought together the brightest academic minds, the boldest business leaders, the most dedicated public servants from our science and our technology agencies, all with one big goal, a renaissance in American manufacturing. We called it the advanced manufacturing partnership. The advanced manufacturing partnership. And today, we're building on it. I'm laying out my plans for a new national network of manufacturing innovation.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: All right, I want to bring in Ali Velshi who is at the CNN Grill in Austin, Texas and Mark Preston in D.C. Ali, let's first go to you. The president's remarks, he clearly is proud of the 227,000 jobs created. He wants to see more progress being made. Should he crow? Is it time to crow yet or is there a lot more that needs to be done?

ALI VELSHI, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: You live by the sort, you die by the sort, Suzanne, that's the problem. It's very dangerous for presidents unless they can point to something specific to take credit for job growth unless they want to take blame for the job loss. If you know, until now, this has been a refrain that Republicans have been using that these many jobs were lost under President Obama. If he doesn't want to take credit for that, then he's got to be careful about this. He is taking some credit, however. And here's the nuance here. He's talking about manufacturing jobs. There is no shortage of work in accounting, as we discussed, in software development, in oil work. There is a shortage of jobs in manufacturing, that's where those jobs have been lost and in construction. We may see the construction jobs start to come back. What are we doing about manufacturing? And that's a -- that's a message you're going to hear more and more between now and the campaign.

MALVEAUX: And Mark, we know that jobs, it all comes down to jobs in the campaign here. We just heard the president talking about it. Republican candidates, how are they spinning his -- the new numbers today, 227,000 created?

MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Well, you know, Newt Gingrich has come out and has put out a statement that's critical of President Obama. The other candidates we haven't heard so much from. And it's an interesting quandary therein, because it is good news that we've seen 227,000 jobs added and we're seeing an upward trend which is really good for the president as he heads into November.

But the fact of the matter is, they have to be careful, the Republicans now, not to give him too much credit. They've been very critical of how his administration has handled the economy up to this point, and they specifically point to regulations. . They say that businesses are overregulated and they are also very critical of the president's tax policy, saying that the tax policy in place is detrimental to job growth. But for the president, Suzanne, as you well know, to do well heading into November, he needs to see the trend line to continue going up and what that means is that he needs to see the unemployment rate, to keep on dropping. People really base their vote on expectations.

MALVEAUX: All right. Mark, thank you very much. Good to see you. Ali as well. Have a great weekend.

Here's a rundown of some of the stories we're covering over the next hour. First, what is the Obama administration saying about the latest jobs report? We're going to talk live with the labor secretary, Hilda Solis.

And a brutal African warlord, a role of young people, and spreading the word about his atrocities. A member of the activist group Invisible Children will join us.

And then, Coca-Cola takes the fizzle -- yes, that's right, fizzle out of reports that it is changing its formula.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: A video clip on the internet is spreading like global wildfire. In just a few days it's made a little known name famous. I want you to watch the clip and I'll tell you why.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For 26 years, Kony has been kidnapping children into his rebel group, the L.R.A.

Turning the girls into sex slaves, and the boys into child soldiers. He makes them mutilate people's faces.

Kony is still out there. He's recently changed his tactics, making it even more difficult to capture him. And international support could be removed at any time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: This is the man they are talking about in the clip, Joseph Kony. He's a notorious African warlord with a reputation of unbelievable cruelty. We're talking about murder, mutilation, child slavery and rape.

He has tried to overthrow the Ugandan government since the 1980s. He is now on the run somewhere.

So why is the hunt for this guy capturing the world's attention now? Well, you just saw the clip. It's part of an online doc that has been viewed by more than 70 million people worldwide. International pressure to find Joseph Kony is suddenly massive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JASON RUSSEL, FILMMAKER, "KONY 2012": Let's be honest, if this happened in any other country, it would make world news. It's taken 26 years and 9 years of our work to say, this is important, these children's lives matter. And we need to get that. We need to understand that and we are. We're waking up to that. It's changing the world.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Supporters of the effort to find, capture or kill Kony say one group is mainly responsible for this unprecedented awareness. Those who use social media, we're talking about Twitter, Facebook, YouTube -- and that means young people. It's gotten the attention of some A- listers as well.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANGELINA JOLIE, ACTRESS, U.N. GOODWILL AMBASSADOR: I don't think I know anybody that doesn't hate Joseph Kony and anybody who works in the international field has been aware. He's an extraordinarily horrible human being who -- his time has come. And it's lovely to see that even young people are raising up as well.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: One of those young people that Angelina Jolie is talking about is Julia Kessler. You first found out about the group, "Invisible Children." Thank you very much for joining us here.

JULIA KESSLER, INVISIBLE CHILDREN SUPPORTER: Thanks for having me.

MALVEAUX: You were just 14 years old when you found out about that group.

KESSLER: I was in ninth grade. It was -- I saw the video at my high school, Riverwood International Charter School. It's just in the Sandy Springs area. And people came and showed the first documentary, the "Rough Cut," which was "Invisible Children's" first movie about Kony and about the crisis. And I just haven't turned back since. And social media and everything has just spread this like wildfire.

MALVEAUX: And yell us about your group. Because you actually have a group in your school and you've been paying attention to this for years now.

KESSLER: Yes.

MALVEAUX: Where so many other people really didn't have any idea about it.

KESSLER: They only saw it on Monday.

MALVEAUX: Yes.

KESSLER: But yes, so we've done a lot of stuff, actually at our school with -- for the organization. We actually just finished a book drive that we raised 90 boxes of books. And with the organization Better World Books, we'll sell those and the money will go to "Invisible Children" and all of their different scholarship programs. And we've also done things like have rallies and just fund-raising, like bake sales and we sold roses for Valentine's day which was just fun.

And it's just about getting people involved.

MALVEAUX: And there's a photo we want to show our viewers as well. You're holding up a sign. What is this about here? You're thanking the president.

KESSLER: Oh, that sign is when Obama decided to send the troops in, the advisers into Uganda to help the military there, "Invisible Children" asked all the members, all of their followers, to make a sign that says thank you president Obama for supporting "Invisible Children" and we support you.

And there's thousands of pictures like that all over Facebook and Twitter. It was one of their --

MALVEAUX: Why are you and so many young people driving this movement to hunt down this guy?

KESSLER: I, for me, when I first saw the movie coming from south Africa, I just resonated with the faces and the people and just this injustice towards human kind.

And I thought a lot about the holocaust and being Jewish and somebody like this going and brutally murdering and killing people. People are ignoring it. And if people denied it, to me it's like denying the holocaust. It resonated with me on a personal level.

And so, after I saw that -- and I think a lot of people feel through the videos that they've seen, and "Invisible Children" makes it very personal, and it's hard not to feel sensitive towards it.

MALVEAUX: And it -- really quickly here, there has been some criticism about the money, that you have to contribute a certain amount of money, raise money. Some people are getting their money back because they're finding out, well, just 30 percent of it is going to help those on the ground. Does that concern you at all? Does it bother you at all?

KESSLER: They've released an official statement that's online, and 80 percent of their funds last year went towards costs towards their different programs. And They have tons of different programs.

And 16 percent was only administrative costs. But all of that can be found on their Web site and through the official --

MALVEAUX: You're not worried about that?

KESSLER: No, because I think one thing they want to do -- I mean I'm not an official spokesperson or anything.

MALVEAUX: Sure, sure.

KESSLER: But what I've seen over the internet and with my experience is they really try and keep their goals focused. And their goal is to get Kony out of power and remove him as this horrible guerrilla leader in central Africa. So I think staying focused on what the true cause is and what their true goals are is important an not get caught up in the politics of the money and stuff.

MALVEAUX: All right. Julia, thank you for being here.

KESSLER: Thank you for having me.

MALVEAUX: Obviously, you and so many other people are making a huge difference. Really appreciate it.

KESSLER: Thanks for having me.

MALVEAUX: 70 million and counting. That's what we're talking about, following the manhunt for this notorious killer and warlord Joseph Kony.

Celebrities are weighing in as well. Up next, actress and activist Mia Farrow will join us next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: We're talking today about the hunt for a cruel African warlord. We're not alone in the span of just the last couple of days we're talking about 48 hours, more than 70 million people have watched an online documentary that sheds light on the atrocities allegedly committed by Joseph Kony.

We're talking about rapes, murders, child abuse, enslavement. On the phone with me now is UNICEF goodwill ambassador Mia Farrow. Thank you for joining us.

You have been in this fight for years against the acts of Joseph Kony, bringing it to the world's attention. Earlier today you tweeted, said 'I want Kony captured or killed. I've met many of his victims. But we need the facts.' And you go on to say 'This is informative.' Tell us if you believe that this documentary does in fact have an accurate portrayal of what has taken place there.

MIA FARROW, ACTRESS/ACTIVIST: Well, I think we need to focus on, as Julie said, I mean there are a couple points I would like to make.

MALVEAUX: Sure.

FARROW: -- Really commend the group for bringing an unprecedented focus to this horrific situation, the L.R.A. and Joseph Kony.

You're correct, I mean, I visited south Sudan in an area where Joseph Kony was raiding while I was there. I met children, one little boy who had killed -- been forced to kill his father with a log. Another child who was absolutely silent. Who had been, you know, come back from captivity rescued. And the nun who was taking care of them.

Another child by the way was absolutely free and saying he had killed 85 people. But the nun who was taking care of him said, do you think these children will ever be the same? She said I'm appealing to you, put an end to this L.R.A. group which destroys mind, heart, body, everything.

I spoke to young mothers who said we don't know if, in the morning, we will wake up. And another group of people said it was common practice in that area of south Sudan, L.R.A. would raid, they would take small babies and to terrorize the rest of the community would pound -- they described a mortar and pestle, smashing of the baby in a kind of bowl with a mortar.

Now, these atrocities are known by some that I've spoken to, actual victims, is, of course, unforgettable. And I just recently returned from Democratic Republic of Congo where the most recent attacks are occurring, including one as recently as February 22nd.

So there in Congo, you know, while it's true that Kony, an original agenda was to take over the Ugandan government and he had a religious agenda, based on the ten commandments. Now it appears survivalists and killing. To replenish his army he takes the children, as you pointed out, as soldiers, as sex slaves.

With I don't know how many hundreds of thousands of people displaced but in just it Congo alone since 2008 there's something like 290,000 people displaced.

MALVEAUX: Do you think the --

FARROW: The only difference I would say now since they've done this remarkable thing, I think we say what do we do about it?

MALVEAUX: Right. What do you think we should do about it?

FARROW: The group there is saying, our advisers are there now, 100 of them, but the armyies, they're not really, the local armies, the regional armies are not yielding, stepping forward in the way they need to do.

So pressure on the president of Congo, the president of Central African Republic where this group moves back and forth between south Sudan, Congo and Central African Republic.

MALVEAUX: Mia, you also tweeted today --

FARROW: And put up communication places in these remote villages so people can sound the alarm.

(CROSSTALK)

MALVEAUX: Mia, if I can interrupt for a moment, please. We had actually read an earlier tweet as well. Because we're talking about this particular group and how they've captured the attention of the world, "Invisible Children". This is the group that produced the video and the way it spends its money.

You wrote that Kony film is informative but just 31 percent of the money the organization makes goes to charity work. The rest goes to promotion and travel.

Do you think they should change the way they are actually doing business in helping those on the ground?

FARROW: Well, the way I see it now, is they've done a phenomenal thing. I'm moving on to say to young people now, support the Red Cross. UNICEF works with groups on the ground that are like, some Italian groups (INAUDIBLE), Mercy Corps, these groups are dealing with the victims of the L.R.A. in ways that I don't think "Invisible Children" is able to. So I would now shift -- now that we have the focus, keep the pressure on our government to keep those advisory troops there.

MALVEAUX: All right.

FARROW: -- UNICEF and those partners I mentioned, Red Cross and so on, who are doing the day-to-day work on the ground.

MALVEAUX: We have to leave it there.

Mia Farrow, thank you so much for your time and, obviously, years of dedication and work to this cause. Thank you once again.

I want to go to a developing story here. Athena Jones covering a situation that took place on an American Airlines flight. A flight attendant got on the intercom and actually alarmed quite a number of passengers with an announcement she made.

Athena, what can you tell us?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Suzanne. This morning, here was an American Airline -- flight 2232 was taxiing for a takeoff from Dallas to Chicago when a female flight attendant came over the intercom and said the plane would likely crash if it took off, made some references to the September 11th terrorist attacks, and then complained about union issues. We understand that passengers on the plane along with crew members were able to restrain this female flight attendant. And they went back to the gate. That woman was taken to the hospital for evaluation. So was another flight attendant who may have been injured while trying to restrain the first flight attendant. That entire cabin crew was replaced and about an hour and 15 minutes later that flight did take off from Dallas on its way to Chicago.

Now, we understand from American Airlines they are still investigating the details and the circumstances of the incident. But they've said that they apologize for the inconvenience. They commend their crew for their assistance in quickly getting the aircraft back to the gate. And they stress that the customers, the passengers on the plane at that moment in time were not in any danger.

But, of course, if you were a passenger on that plane you wouldn't have known what was going on. We're looking into what went on and that sort of thing.

MALVEAUX: Athena, I would imagine that would be upsetting as a passenger. Do now know how the passengers reacted when all of that unfolded on the plane?

JONES: We haven't been able to talk to the passengers yet. A couple of people that appeared to be on the plane tweeted about the incident. A couple of tweets were sent out describing it pretty much as it happened, saying that this flight attendant had come over intercom and begun to say these alarming things. We expect to hear more, of course, from passengers when we have a chance to speak with them -- Suzanne?

MALVEAUX: Athena, thank you. Appreciate it.

Jobs numbers out for February. Republicans say they're good enough. We talk with the labor secretary to get her take on the numbers and the economy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Latest jobs report out today shows another solid month of hiring by employers. They added 227,000 jobs in February. The unemployment rate, however, did not budge. It's still at 8.3 percent.

Jobs, the economy, big issues in the presidential race. So what is the Obama administration saying about the latest jobs report?

We want to bring in our labor secretary, Hilda Solis. She's joining us.

Madam Secretary, good to see you.

What is the bottom line when we look at the jobs report today?

HILDA SOLIS, U.S. LABOR SECRETARY: I think we're on a good path to recovery. Obviously, the number overall, 8.3 percent, remained the same. It also tells us there are people who are looking, and they're back in the job market looking, and they're incentivized, and there's more consumer confidence. Four areas that did continue to grow was health care, education, business and professions and also in the leisure and hospitality. We also saw manufacturing starting to pick up more. Those are good, strong sectors. Those are good middle-class jobs. We hope to see more.

The president talked today about making more investments and in- sourcing of jobs by providing incentives for manufacturers to start to build out and really be able to get the innovation and the high technology going so we could produce products and sell them all over the world.

MALVEAUX: Respond to some of the critics. The chairman of the Republican National Committee issued a statement essentially bashing the report, saying "today's job report is another reminder that far too many Americans are out of work. The situation is clearly not improving. Millions of families continue to feel the pain of a sluggish Obama economy and the rising cost of gas, groceries and health care."

SOLIS: Suzanne, you have to remember, when the president took office, we lost about eight million jobs. Already, we put back 3.9 million private-sector jobs. And the kind of trajectory we're on is very positive. I think the Congress has to work with us. We need bipartisan support to pass the Transportation Infrastructure Bill so we could put construction workers back to work. We also need to make sure we continue our efforts to give tax breaks to working class families, just like we did a month ago, and also providing the payroll tax reduction but also the U.I. extension. Every dollar of U.I. money that goes back into the community helps to generate another $2 that's being spent with businesses and local communities.

MALVEAUX: And address this concern here, because we see these numbers month-to-month rise, the unemployment rate among blacks and Hispanics. Rising to 14.1 percent for blacks in February, 10.7 percent for Hispanics. What can be done to change that trend?

SOLIS: Well, you saw a little peek because more people are looking for jobs. It isn't necessarily overall negative because we have dropped down quite considerably in those two categories for African-American and Latinos. As I mentioned earlier, the sectors that are growing, that's where we have a tendency to have more African-American and Latinos.

I will say one exception, though. In the public sector, we did lose a lot of African-Americans in those jobs because teachers were highly represented in that job loss. There tend to be a lot of African-Americans in that sector. Once the economy starts to come back and we see states gaining that revenue, I believe that those states will do the right thing and will bring back the teachers and public servants. It's going to take time.

We're not out of the woods by any means, Suzanne. We still have 12.8 million people out of work. But that's why we have to continue down this path that the president has carved out for us. And Republicans, to be honest, aren't providing incentives to change anything that would take us out of what they had put forward back eight years ago. Remember, Bush only created about, on an average, 11,000 jobs per month when he was in office.

MALVEAUX: We know it's going to be a political issue. Obviously, in the campaign, it already is. You know the bottom line here, honestly, how much can the White House do when it comes to creating jobs, and how much of it is really the global economy that's moving this?

SOLIS: You're absolutely right, Suzanne. A lot of it has to do with other factors and the private sector. The private sector, individuals have to feel incentivized and confident that they can spend money and there's a demand for their product. We're doing that in so many different ways.

But we have to work together and have good leadership in the Congress and the Senate to help move us along. Right now, as you know, we're at gridlock. I wish it wasn't that way. But we have to put pressure on them and ask for the public to make sure they let our voices be heard to our elected officials.

MALVEAUX: Secretary Solis, very good to have you here. Thank you very much. Appreciate it.

SOLIS: Thank you, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: An Oscar-winning filmmaker takes on a deep-sea challenge. We'll go inside a tiny one-man sub that will take James Cameron seven miles beneath the sea.

Plus, an Atlanta woman who was simply irritated by her underwear. That's right. Had a great idea. She's now a billionaire. We'll tell you how she did it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: James Cameron and his new mission now, to do more than just make Oscar-winning movies. He has his eye on a much more historic achievement. He's risking his life for it. James Cameron, he's preparing for the world's deepest ocean drive. He's riding in this one-man vehicle.

Jason Carroll takes a look inside.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In this story, James Cameron isn't the only character taking the voyage to the Marianas Trench's deepest point, Challenger Deep.

JAMES CAMERON, FILMMAKER: You want to see how we're going to do it?

CARROLL (on camera): Yes.

(voice-over): This, in Cameron's eyes is the other, his submersible Deep-Sea Challenger. It took a team of scientists and the National Geographic Society more than seven years to make this sub able to withstand pressures at the trench's depth, 16,000 pounds per square inch.

(on camera): So it does say vertical?

CAMERON: It's like a sea horse.

CARROLL: Rides like a sea horse.

CAMERON: Yes, you know how it just stays upright in the water. Have a little fin on the back.

CARROLL: I want to tell you more about Deep-Sea Challenger as it's docked and resting and being worked on here. It weighs 12 tons. Even though it's on its side, it's 24 feet high. It's powered by these specially created lithium batteries. And its body is maybe of a synthetic foam that was developed by Cameron and his team of scientists. The color, Cameron calls it Kawasaki green.

CAMERON: I'm pretty used to clamoring around this thing.

CARROLL (voice-over): It's a one-seater, designed to have Cameron encased in a protective pod.

(on camera): How tall are you?

CAMERON: 6'2".

CARROLL: And it would have been easier if it had been built for me.

(LAUGHTER)

It is a tight fit.

CAMERON: I'm pretty much like this for about 10 hours.

CARROLL: You're not worried about cramps or anything?

CAMERON: Not yet.

(LAUGHTER)

CARROLL (voice-over): Cameron expects time will pass as he captures 3D images and hopefully sea life from the trench's floor as he has already done on previous test dives.

CAMERON: I can actually slurp up little critters or I can suck on to an animal and pick him up and drop him into a bio-box.

CARROLL: If something goes wrong, there is a fail-safe system, a series of weights released with the flip of a switch. It brings little comfort to Cameron's mother who worries.

CAMERON: I love my family, my kids. There's nothing I love more. But I also have to do this. I also have to go look. It's like Jimmy Stewart says in "How the West Was Won," "Sometimes you have to see the critter."

CARROLL: Challenger's frontier awaits.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: I love that, Jason. Go see the critter. Wow.

CARROLL: Go see the critters.

(LAUGHTER)

MALVEAUX: That submarine seems pretty small. How did you do -- did you fit?

CARROLL: Look, there is so much expensive, innovative technological equipment in there, I was afraid if I put my foot in the wrong spot, I might break something. If you break something in the sub, because so much of it had to be invented, there might not be a manual to fix it. So I stayed out.

(LAUGHTER) MALVEAUX: It was -- it would probably be pretty expensive, too, to replace something.

CARROLL: Yes.

MALVEAUX: Do we know when the dive is actually going to happen?

CARROLL: Good question. Speaking to Cameron's people, there isn't a specific official date yet. But I can tell you one thing, what I'm hearing, it will be anywhere between now and March 26th. So very soon.

MALVEAUX: Yes, we'll keep our eye on it.

Jason, thanks. Really cool stuff there. Have a good weekend.

CARROLL: You beat.

MALVEAUX: NCAA March Madness almost here. Selection Sunday just two days away. You can test your bracket skills against mine. That's right, in the official NCAA March Madness bracket challenge game, yes, I'm going to do a little trash talking here. Go to CNN.com/brackets. Join the CNN group if you want to see if you can pick the NCAA bracket better than me. We'll see.

And it began with just $5,000, a bit of determination, a whole lot of leg work, turned out to be a billion-dollar idea. Transforming what women wear underneath. We're going to talk with the inventor of Spanx.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Coke says it's not changing the world-famous formula despite reports a key ingredient could get the soft drink maker a warning label in California. It's all because of a chemical, 4 MEI. It's a key part of a cameral coloring used by sodas, made by Coke and its rival, Pepsi. California added 4 MEI to its list of carcinogens and a state law requires drinks with a certain level of carcinogens to carry a cancer warning. In a statement, Coke acknowledged asking the manufacturers to lower the amount of 4 MEI used, but Coke says it will, quote, "have no effect on the formula or the taste."

The FDA is warning folks to stop using certain skin creams after these products were found to be made with mercury. These creams are made overseas. They sold in the United States as skin lighteners and anti-aging creams. They've been found in Latino, black, Asian and Middle Eastern neighborhoods as well as online. Seven states have reported elevated mercury in skin care products. They are Texas, California, Virginia, Maryland, Minnesota, Illinois and New York.

We love this story. If you're a woman, you're probably very familiar with Spanx. But as we found out in a morning meeting, not all men are. You might call them a woman's best friend when if comes to shapewear. The inventor is now on the "Forbes" list of billionaires. That's right, with a "B."

Sara Blakely joins us from New York.

Wow, Sara. We have to ask this question. We were all abuzz in our meeting about it. What inspired you first to create this, and how did it inspire this to come about.

(LAUGHTER)

SARA BLAKELY, PRESIDENT & FOUNDER, SPANX: What inspired me is my own butt. I have to say it.

(LAUGHTER)

I didn't like the way it looked in white pants.

(LAUGHTER)

Like so many women out there, you get home with these great clothes, and go what am I really supposed to wear underneath it.

(CROSSTALK)

MALVEAUX: Tell us a little bit about what you did.

BLAKELY: So I just cut the feet out of control-top pantyhose. I was a fax machine sales rep by day at that time and had never taken a business class or worked in retail or fashion. When I cut the feet out of control-top pantyhose and threw them under my white pants, I realized the hosiery material was second to skin so it wasn't bulky under my pants and it had a lot of toning and firming properties. And all the shapewear out there was so thick. It felt almost like wearing workout clothes underneath your beautiful clothes. It was the first time anyone put the concept of hosiery material to make shapewear.

MALVEAUX: You threw out the thongs, huh, did you?

(LAUGHTER)

BLAKELY: I always said the thong came out and put the underwear exactly where we had been trying to get it out of, so.

(LAUGHTER)

MALVEAUX: Wow, that's true.

Is there Spanx for men? A lot people don't know men are in the market, too. Is that right?

BLAKELY: There is Spanx for men. The reason we went into it is because the men's undershirt is the same as it has been for 100 years. Nobody has paid any attention to it. It's boxy, bulky, it doesn't look great under suits. We said, how can we make it better. We sort of tapered it in at the waist and gave a little of lycra yarn in it so it hugs in at the tummy area and gives men low back support and it's a much cleaner look for them under their suits.

MALVEAUX: We will have to let some of the guys on our team know about this. You're the youngest person to get on this "Forbes" billionaire list. You're only 41 years old and you started 12 years ago. What advice would you give young entrepreneurs looking at your example?

BLAKELY: The advice is trust your gut. You have to differentiate yourself. Everyday I wake up and ask myself and the team, why are we different, and does the customer understand why we're different, and how do we differentiate ourself to the customer? It's important for people to be able explain it in 30 seconds or less. It's important to know you can be your own focus group. You don't have to go out and seek a ton of different people's opinions. I didn't tell anybody my idea for validation in the beginning. I kept it a secret from friends and family. That is a really important part of my journey for Spanx.

MALVEAUX: We all wish we had that idea.

(LAUGHTER)

We'd be rolling in the dough.

You're a hometown girl from Atlanta. How did you celebrate becoming a billionaire?

(LAUGHTER)

BLAKELY: I took my family out for dinner and my little brother ordered the lobster and he ordered caviar and he didn't even like caviar. So that's how I celebrated.

MALVEAUX: Where did you go? I heard it wasn't an expensive place.

BLAKELY: I'm in Manhattan now and I went to the Ocean Grill.

MALVEAUX: The Ocean Grill. OK.

BLAKELY: Yes.

MALVEAUX: You guys aren't big spenders?

BLAKELY: No. You know, it's a moment in time to get this recognition. It's an unbelievable honor. But I think I've just been absorbing the information myself. When I see myself on the cover, it looks like something I went into a mall photo booth and said, I want me on that cover. It doesn't feel real.

(LAUGHTER)

MALVEAUX: It is real.

Congratulations again. Yes, we will see how many people show up at our team meeting next week.

(LAUGHTER)

BLAKELY: I wish I was a fly on the wall.

MALVEAUX: Men included. Yes. We'll report back to you and let you know if any of the guys buy a pair.

BLAKELY: Exactly. The Spanx tends to make the men blush. But once they try it, they're hooked.

(LAUGHTER)

MALVEAUX: Thanks. Have a good weekend. Good to see you.

BLAKELY: OK, you, too. Thanks.

MALVEAUX: A sheriff's deputy is attacked. Three homeless men come to the rescue and surveillance cameras are rolling.

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MALVEAUX: We have new information from an iReport. A video of this airline incident going from Dallas to Chicago, American Airlines, where one of the flight attendants got on the intercom, told passengers the plane was likely to crash and alluded to September 11 attacks and complained about union issues. The passengers aboard the plane, flight 2332, they restrained this woman, got the passengers to safety. This was from somebody actually on that flight. Let's listen in. Let's watch this together.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're also probably not going anywhere. (INAUDIBLE)

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MALVEAUX: All right. You're looking there. People look concerned. Looks like there's some commotion up at the front of the plane. You can't hear very much. But they did land safely. There was quite a bit of confusion and some chaos on that plane when she made that announcement.

On to another story. Never thought we would see the day where lawmakers would actually use lyrics from rapper Jay-Z to make their point on a House floor. Two state representatives from Florida, they did. They were making their points about a controversial bill and end up fighting over lyrics by Jay-Z. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STATE REP. ALAN B. WILLIAMS, (D), FLORIDA: I think Jay-Z said it best. I will quote for you. "I know my rights so you're going to need a warrant for that." They even went further to say, "Aren't you sharp as a tack. You're a lawyer or something"?

STATE REP. DEAN CANNON, (D-FL), HOUSE SPEAKER: I respectfully disagree with the correction, Representative Williams. In that song, it was the officer who said, "Aren't you sharp as a tack or something. You should try for lawyer or something." So I got you on that.

(LAUGHTER)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(LAUGHTER)

MALVEAUX: All right. Apparently, State House Representative Alan Williams is the one that got it right.

Here's the rap, "Well, my glove compartment is locked, so is the trunk in the back. So I know my rights. So you going to need a warrant for that."

I'm not a rapper really, but I try.

I'm going to pass it over to CNN NEWSROOM with Brooke Baldwin.

Maybe you can fix that rap a little, you know.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: Oh, yes, you did much better than I would, Suzanne Malveaux.

(LAUGHTER)

BALDWIN: Thank you. Have a great weekend.