pass if that diplomacy fails. according to israeli media reports. prime minister benjamin netanyahu's visit to america this week included a request for one of america's most sensitive bombing systems, bunker bombs. it sounds like the administration is inclined to say yes. at the white house today a very careful response. >> in meetings the president had there was no such agreement proposed or reached. >> note the meetings with the president. from the spokesman there. prime minister netanyahu made the request in talks with the pentagon. this would be used if israel were to launch strikes against the suspected iranian nuclear facilities. let's look at what we're talking about using recent satellite imagery. these are the reported iranian nuclear sites. let's focus on two, one at quom we talked about before. as you pull it out here's why the bunker busting bombs would be so important. look at these openings captured in the satellite images. these go down to some sort of underground facility, deep underground is where israel and others believe iran is working on these weapons program. let's look here at espanhan as well. you see a helicopter landing pad here. air defenses right here. look at this. these red dots up here, intelligence analysts say each dot is an entrance to a deep underground facility below ground. the israeli preparations for possible strikes on facilities such as this come as the united states pushes iran to return to negotiations. those negotiation, aimed at getting iran to permanently agree to end its nuclear weapons program. >> so we are hoping that the iranians will come to the table prepared to have the kind of serious and sincere discussion we have been looking for for several years. we think it is even more pressing and imperative today than it has been in the past. and we would like to see diplomatic progress, which we support. >> the secretary of state says. perspective from cnn's fareed zakaria including his take on the iran's supreme leader. >> i heard two days ago the american president said he's against at war with iran. these are good words and against indication of illusion. but u.s. president has added he wants to bring the iranian people to their knees through imposing sanctions. this part of his statement is a continuation of illusion regarding this issue any reason to believe when you listen to supreme leader that iran is willing to come to the table in a serious way and give up on this program? >> there's rhetoric on both sides. the iranians in particular tend to have wild and outlandish rhetoric which is part of a theology-based regime. i wouldn't read too much into what khamenei said. the really important question is, are they feeling the pain. and i think the very fact that khamenei, the supreme leader, made that statement and said it's good to hear that obama is talking about maybe not going to war, the fact that they've sent offers and offers to negotiate, that they send the negotiator, all these are signs that the iranians are responding to the pressure. they have always behaved like this. they're fairly calculating. and when they see the pressure and when it pinches they begin to act. >> and israel does not get a seat at that table but they obviously have perhaps the highest level of interest in any discussions should the negotiations resume again. listen here the israeli ambassador to the united states. he was on the program yesterday. israel is very skeptical about iran essentially using negotiations to buy more time. >> we know from experience that iran has used talks to delay and stall while it keeps on enriching uranium, while it keeps on developing its international ballistic miss sell program. >> do the israelis have a point? should they be concern. >> the israelis have a point. they should be concerned. it is worth pointing out, however, the iranians did also once freeze the program as a kind of good faith gesture this was during the george w. bush administration. and that administration basically rejected that -- didn't pay much attention to that and did nothing with it and proposed no real diplomatic solution. >> and how do you set that standard? as i ask let me put it in the context of the u.s. ambassador to the united nations, susan rice. she says they'd better come serious ready to deal and give up their nuclear program. the window is finite. how do we define finite? >> the question is do they have a weapons program and when does it reach a critical mass? that's when presumably the negotiations have to stomt it's very difficult to tell where we are there. my own gut is we still have a fair amount of time to test whether the iranians are serious about negotiating, but we also have to come up with solutions that make sense, you know. when you have a negotiation both sides have to meet somewhere. and right now it seems to me that listen to republican candidates, nothing short of a complete and total iranian cap it lags under foreign pressure is going to be acceptable. when has that happened? when does a nation simply throw up its hands and cry "uncle" and surrender? especially a nation like iran? 9 million people, proud history, sees itself as a pivotal player in the region. that's not going to happen. we've got to try and -- if we want a negotiated settlement we're also going to have to work toward it. >> fareed zakaria, as always thank you. >> a pleasure. let's turn now to the still very, very lively republican presidential race. right now mitt romney is about to hold a rally in mississippi. see him right there with the crowd. republicans there in the neighboring state of alabama vote in the presidential primaries next tuesday. earlier today the former massachusetts governor told a birmingham radio station he realizes alabama and the deep south, well, present a bit of a challenge. >> well, i realize that it's a bit of an away game. but i also think we're going to pick up some support in the states that remain this month. we obviously had a terrific super tuesday and got a good head start. but i'd like to get some support from folks in alabama. >> telling reporters he won't ask any of his rivals to drop out. rick santorum today asked alabama voter toss narrow the field down to himself and governor romney. >> if you go out and deliver a conservative victory for us on tuesday, this race will become a two-person race. and it becomes a two-person race for the republican nomination. the conservative will win that nomination. [ cheers and applause ] >> newt gingrich, though, says he's staying in this race because he believes it's impossible for a republican moderate to win the general election. gingrich concentrating exclusively on mississippi and alabama this we're this week. he attacks president obama who gingrich says wants higher gas prices. >> so the president's political consultants have said to him, this gingrich attack on the price of gasoline is dangerous. we've got to do something about it. and it's been fascinating. as you can tell when you watch, half of him wants to do the politically smart thing, which is to be for us paying less. the other half of him can't give up his left wing radical ideas. >> energy also the focus of a big debate back here -- would transport oil from canada down to the u.s. gulf coast. it needed 60 votes in the senate this afternoon but came up short, getting only 56. the house speaker john boehner says he cannot understand why the president is taking a go slow approach. >> personally lobbying against the keystone pipeline means the president of the united states is lobbying for sending north american energy to china and lobbying against american jobs. >> congressional course didn't dana bash joins us live from capitol hill. dana, let's start here. why was the vote so close? >> reporter: because of what you just heard. the republicans had done a pretty good job of framing this as a jobs issue and it made it very difficult for some democrats to vote no. for example i talked to senator bob case yf of pennsylvania. he was one of those democrats who defied the president. he said look at a time of high gas prices, a time of joblessness, it was impossible for him to vote against something that could provide help in both areas. other democrats voted with republicans because the pipeline could come through their state. again jobs. and also because they're from oil-producing states. so this is a regional issue and an economic issue. >> so take us inside the president's lobbying. how hard was he lobbying? how important was this to him? >> reporter: very important to him. because this would have been a huge embarrassment if it would have passed. it wasn't so great that 11 democrats defied him in the first place. but he called several democratic senators trying to make sure thought didn't go over the top. and politics of this are really interesting, john. because i'm told that senate democratic leaders, they basically said look to you the white house, this is your decision to take a stand on this political issue. as i just said does not necessarily cut for the democrats across the board. so they said to the president, he needs to do the lobbying. he needs to make the calls which is what he did. you just heard the speaker. he really jumped on that saying are you kidding? the president is lobbying against jobs? but we should also note that the white house insists they're not against this pipeline all together but they say that the final plans are not done and they're not going to approve a pipeline until they see exactly where it's going through the country. >> president wins on this vote today but this debate will continue throughout the campaign. dana bash live on capitol hill. dana, thank you. democrats and republicans believe it or not in the house actually agreed on something today. a jobs bill makes it easier for small companies to grow. it passed by an overwhelming bipartisan majority. haven't heard that word very often, have you? bipartisan. the senate's working on a similar bill and president obama indicates he's for the idea. stay with us. in a moment we'll speak to one of the jobs bill's biggest supporters. the republican and house majority leader eric cantor. oun] this is lawn ranger -- eden prairie, minnesota. in here, the landscaping business grows with snow. to keep big winter jobs on track, at&t provided a mobile solution that lets everyone from field workers to accounting, initiate, bill, and track work in real time. you can't live under a dome in minnesota, that's why there's guys like me. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪ helping you do what you do... even better. imagine if you could always see life [music] in the best light. every time of day. outdoors, or in. transitions® lenses automatically filter just the right amount of light. so you see everything the way it is meant to be seen. maybe even a little better. experience life well lit, ask for transitions adaptive lenses. have 46 grams of whole grains... mmmm. ...and a touch of sweetness. you'll be delighted to discover how good they taste. get your free sample of quaker oatmeal squares on facebook. get your free sample of quaker oatmeal squares whwheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! whwheeee! ! whwheeee!! whwheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! ahah h heaeadsds u up. whwheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! evevererytythihingng y youou l , nonow w momobibilele.. dodownwnloloadad t thehe n nep totodaday.y. on the house floor a bill aimed at attracting new employers passed with bipartisan support. republicans leaders in particular weren't shy about patting themselves on the back. >> this is just another step in the right direction. >> today was a very bipartisan day. >> we really can work together. >> joining me now the author of the jumpstart our businesses start-ups bill the house majority leader eric cantor. i'm cracking a joke about it making fun of it but it's been a long time since we've seen a 390-23 vote. big bipartisan vote in favor of this legislation. can we have more? >> we certainly hope so. i mean, this bill i think reflects congress actually beginning to come together, both sides trying to set aside differences and rally around what we know needs to happen. and that is to get entrepreneurs, small business men and women back into the game of job creation. and what the jobs act does very simply is it reduces the red tape that has been in the way for small business people, allows for the introduction of more startups. that's the problem, john. we've seen over the last three years the number of start up businesses in america decline. we know that most jobs in america come from small businesses. this is a way to jumpstart that again to see more jobs created and get this economy growing again. >> now, the president has said he would sign this bill. the white house also says they would like some bigger what they think are more bold jobs proposals passed. i want you to listen here to the house democratic leader nancy pelosi. sure she says this is good but -- >> it's because it's so meager. trumpet tata tata! here comes the little king [ laughter ] >> this is -- yes, it is bipartisan. we pledge to the flag. that's a big thing. >> she doesn't seem to think too much of this. >> well, you know what, nancy pelosi may make fun and say it's meager but it's not going to be meager and insignificant to the small businesses that will actually start up because of this. and all the new jobs that are created because of this. and i'd like to ask her what she would say to the individuals who actually are going to get a job because of this. it's not too meager to them. so again, the kind of constructive attitude that we can take it, let's begin to take steps together to actually solve problems. and that's what today was all about, focusing on trying to do things for small business people, getting businesses started up again. and frankly now i think the onus goes over to the senate. and we hope that leader reid will take this bill right up and do as the president has asked us and get the bill to the president's desk as quickly as possible so we can be there to help small business start-ups. >> especially in this campaign, republicans are fond of breaking out charts or breaking out past votes to the president and saying you said if we passed the stimulus bill unemployment wouldn't go above 8.1%. this is your legislation. let's assume the president signs it. leader cantor if i call you back in six months how many jobs will be created because of this legislation? >> i am not prepared to even give you a number. what i can tell you is the bipartisan vote surrounding this bill reflects the common sense notion that if you make it easier, if you get rid of the red tape standing in the way of small buzz job creation, if you allow for small businesses to access capital, you're going to see more small businesses start up. and there's some outside studies out there indicating x number of jobs that will be created because of this. but i can assure you, this is a positive step forward to creating an environment to see more entrepreneurial activity and job growth come about. >> let me close with a couple questions on other topics. you recently endorsed mitt romney, the form massachusetts governor and former house speaker who used to work in the chamber where you are now a leader, this is his reaction to that. >> i think he goes around the country and he's legitimately collected most of the insiders. i like eric cantor, but he is sort of quintessentially part of that same group. >> are you quintessentially a washington insider? >> i don't consider myself as such, no. and the reason why i endorse mitt romney is because he is the only individual in the race to put forward a bold pro-growth plan to create jobs. as we've just been talking, john, the congress has decided it can rally around the one important message, and the one important policy point that needs to happen, and that is we need to create an environment for the private sector job creators to kick into action. mitt romney understands it. he's the only man who's actually created jobs. he's the only candidate in the race, including the president, who has a track record of actually solving problems. >> would you be comfortable with speaker gingrich as the nominee? >> i'm going to be comfortable with mitt romney as the nominee. i think he is going to be our nominee. i think just as newt gingrich would say he would support the republican nominee, i would support the republican nominee. >> house majority leader eric cantor. appreciate your time tonight. >> thank you, john. next, some of afghanistan's air force pilots may be flying some extra fargo on the side. illegal drugs. also you ladies especially may be familiar with the products that made a u.s. woman the world's youngest billionaire. . welcome back. here's kate bolduan with the latest news you need to know right now. >> reporter: hello, everyone. lots of news to get to today. vindication today for former mississippi governor halee barber. the mississippi supreme court upheld his pardons of about 200 people last january including some convicted murderers. the state's attorney general argued barber didn't follow proper procedures in a statement obtained by cnn former governor halee barber says "this was not only about the power of the pardon or even the power of the office but about the ability of a governor to grant mercy." today's ruling says the pardons "may not be set aside or voided." in other news a very scary afternoon in pennsylvania today as an armed gunman left two people dead and injured at least seven at the university of pittsburgh medical center's western psychiatric institute. authorities have not released the identity of the gunman or the motive, but on its twitter account the medical center says the suspect is among the dead. and during a video conference today afghan president hamid karzai told president obama the security situation has calmed down after the days of rioting that followed nato troops mistakenly burning qurans. meanwhile the u.s. is now investigating reports that some members of afghanistan's air force used their planes to transport drugs. i'm sure much more on that to come. president obama's spokesman says there is nothing wrong with using hollywood talent, including the voice of actor tom hanks in a new documentary. >> do we look at the day's headlines or do we remember what we as a country have been through? and we want to squeeze in one more story from the new forbes magazine's list of the world's billionaires. the youngest self-made woman on the list is 41-year-old sarah blakely, the founder of spanx which to put it delicately if you don't know makes slimming undergarments. she is worth $1 billion. on be hatch of many women in america we thank her. >> i'm going to be very, very, very careful here and say congratulations. a billion is a good thing. and if you have a billion this might make this a little bit easier. gas is up 60 cents a gal so far this year. our chief business correspondent ali velshi went on the road and what he found is a real eye opener. [ male announcer ] this is lawn ranger -- eden prairie, minnesota. in here, the landscaping business grows with snow. to keep big winter jobs on track, at&t provided a mobile solution that lets everyone from field workers to accounting, initiate, bill, and track work in real time. you can't live under a dome in minnesota, that's why there's guys like me. [ male announcer ] it's a network of possibilities -- helping you do what you do... even better. ♪ will be giving away passafree copies helping you do what you do... even better. of the alcoholism & addiction cure. to get yours, go to ssagesmalibubook.com. in this half hour reports of mass executions in syria as the united states and other countries around the world can't figure out whether they can