wolf? >> a quick question about jeb bush. as soon as i heard the endorsement, major endorsement for mitt romney. my mind immediately raced to the possibility of a mitt romney/jeb bush ticket in the fall in the general election if romney does, in fact, get the nomination. what are they saying about that? >> reporter: they're not saying much about that kind of speculation this afternoon, wolf. mitt romney released a statement welcoming the news that jeb bush is endorsing their campaign, but it would be a potent ticket for the republican nomination and for the fall general election campaign. jeb bush coming from florida, that is a key swing state that president obama will likely have to hang on to in order to get reelected in the fall, but the question is going to be raised with putting the name bush on a republican ticket work out that well for the gop this time around and perhaps there might be some in the republican party to say better to wait for 2016. >> we'll see what happens. thanks ver

wolf? >> this is going to cause a huge, huge rupture in u.s./afghan relations. more sara on this story and i'll speak exclusively with the okay mader of u.s. and nato forces in afghanistan, the head of the international security assistance force, general john allen. he's in washington at the pentagon. >>> we're moving on to other important news we're following. we're only a day away from crucial primaries in the deep south. rick santorum is hoping he can force gingrich out of the race. even time, mitt romney is doing all he can to court the southern vote. here's jim acosta joins us from jackson, mississippi, with the latest. jim? >> reporter: wolf, mitt romney might be a yankee but he's pulling out all the stops to lock down the southern vote before the primarieses in mississippi and alabama. >> this is like a sardine can. >> reporter: after days of tells voters in mississippi and alabama about his love of cheesy grits, mitt romney picked up an endorsement that might as well be the good hou

wolf?> reporter: they have not. obviously his attorney knows his name. he would not release the name. he says that is because of the concern for the safety of his family. the family we do know has been transferred actually on base for their protection, and there was an fbi report or at least a warning earlier today perhaps there could be some retaliation, or at least warnings law enforcement to be on the lookout for retaliation, so this attorney, mr. brown, is definitely concerned about that. the only thing we have in terms of biographical information about the soldier at this time is he did not grow up in this area. he is from the midwest, but his attorney would not say what specific state, wolf. >> casey wian on the scene for us, appreciate it very much. we'll stay in close touch with you. >>> the airport violence, the violence that the defense secretary encountered may have underscored just how bitter the mood is among afghans right now. that was clearly spelled out in talks in kabul, th

wolf?body else, we're watching it very close which. we have to. >>> the controversy that comes ten years after the gruesome murder of daniel pearl. we have details of the latest, brian? >> wolf, the mormon church has apologized recently for doing this kind of thing and mormon officials say they're getting to the bottom of it but daniel pearl's family after going through such intense pain after his death is angry that he's now part of the controversy. reading a statement confirms thats he was jewish. a decade later, murdered reporter daniel pearl, is caught up in the religious and brushfire. it's been discovered that pearl was baptized in june of last year. >> i'm shocked by the fact that, anybody would do something like this, really. >> reporter: i spoke with pearl's widow, maryann, via skype, from her home in spain. >> if you had honest intention the least you would do is contact can family and explain what is going on and why you would want to do that and seek their approval. i think that

we'll see, wolf.to you. >> critical for newt gingrich if he doesn't win his home state, he probably will drop out. i want to show you the numbers right now. 41% of the vote is in. 41% of the washington state caucuses. 37% for mitt romney, 24% for ron paul and 24% for rick santorum. they're virtually tied. senator santorum is speaking out in bowling green, ohio, right now. i want to listen in briefly. >> if you're going to understand the constitution. and that is, where our rights come from. when in that declaration our founders did something unique in the history of man, they all came from countries where whites were held by the king or the queen or the emperor or the dictator. the military ruler. and then they decided who got what. spread the wealth around or impose certain responsibility and gave others certain rights. but in our country, we were going to try something revolutionary. we were going to declare the truth. we were going to declare the truth. as we clearly saw it. you see, the greatness

wolf? >> joe, the polls show that santorum has a significant lead going into tomorrow's primary in louisiana where you are. what's the latest? >> reporter: well, that's very true, wolf. it's pretty clear that mitt romney is just about through campaigning here in louisiana. he's going out to california for the weekend. rick santorum is pushing a double digit lead according to the arg poll. so that's good news for rick santorum here. by the way, though, recent national poll shows romney with a big lead, wolf. >> nationally, yes, it does, indeed. thanks very much, joe, for that. >> let's bring in our chief political analyst gloria borger. santorum's comments about maybe obama would be better than romney even though he's backpedalling today. >> furiously. >> how much will it hurt him? >> i think it will hurt him a bunch because mitt romney's campaign intends never to let people forget about it. what they helpfully put out and joe was referring to this was a whole bunch of press releases today.

wolf?> so i assume, jessica, you're getting ready to get all glamorous for the state dinner at the white house, the black-tie dinner that the president and first lady are hosting? >> my invitation hasn't shown up, wolf, but i'm going to place a call about that. >> shock, shock. >> but there is a big state dinner that we will all be watching closely. >> i'm sure it would be lovely. thanks, jessica. >>> in today's welcome ceremony there was a 19-gun salute and probably equal number of jokes. they are quickly becoming friends. the president began noting that the prime minister was impressed by that trip that jessica mentioned to the ncaa tournament in dayton. listen to this. >> the storied relationship between the united states and the united kingdom is steeped in tradition, and last night as president i shared with the prime minister a uniquely american tradition of bracketology. march madness, he's learned to appreciate one of our great national pastimes, his team has told me he has decided

i'm wolf blirts. i'm wolf blirts. you're in "the situation room." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >> this is cnn breaking news. >>> lettay get right to breaking news from mexico. a powerful earthquake from acapulco to mexico city. let's go to our meteorologist chad myers. what are you seeing? what's going on? >> it has been reduced to a 7.4 earthquake, wolf, but that is still a very major shake. about 200 miles to mexico city, but there are cities or towns at least, much closer to the epicenter. let me take you to a few because there are 4,000 to up to 17,000 people in some of these cities and we know that they were right on top of the epicenter. there you see the towns with the roof, the tile roofs here. a beautiful part of mexico here. other towns not that far right over the other side of the hill. this is only about eight miles from the epicenter at a 7.4 shake and now about 12 miles deep. those towns were hit very hard, and a little bit farther up. there we come right here flying into this city. it has 17,00

wolf?> encouraging news, at least on the jobs front. we'll see what happens. thanks very much, mary. we're standing by for that news conference by the parents of the slain florida teenager trayvon martin. sanford police chief has just stepped aside. you saw it live on cnn. we're following the breaking news. stay with us. all right, let's decide what to do about medicare and social security... security. that's what matters to me... me? i've been paying in all these years... years washington's been talking at us, but they never really listen... listen...it's not just some line item on a budget; it's what i'll have to live on... i live on branson street, and i have something to say... [ male announcer ] aarp is bringing the conversation on medicare and social security out from behind closed doors in washington. because you've earned a say. chocolate lemonade ? susie's lemonade... the movie. or... we make it pink ! with these 4g lte tablets, you can do business at lightning-fast speeds. we'll t

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." the politics of unemployment swirling today as president obama and the republicans try to spin the latest jobless numbers to their political advantage. while the president is highlighting new signs of economic strength, the republicans are spotlighting the unemployment level that remains unchanged despite solid job growth. cnn white house correspondent dan lothian has more in prince georges county in virginia. dan? >> reporter: wolf, the president came here today because he says rolls royce jet engines are helping to boost the economy. 140 new jobs expected here, another hundred at a plant in indiana. but it was also a chance for him to cheer the latest job numbers which he says proves the u.s. economy is on the right track. even though not everyone agrees. the u.s. employment picture is far from sunny. but the better than expected february job numbers seems to have pushed a few more dark clouds out of the way. president obama expressed optimism. >> the

wolf? >> kate bolduan, thanks very much on the steps of the supreme court. while the justices focus in on the individual mandate, about what about the other part of the health care law? here are key features already in effect. it is illegal for insurers to deny coverage to children with preexisting conditions. adults would have to wait until 2014 for similar protection. children may now stay on their parents' policies until age 26. and no more lifetime limits on benefits if you have a devastating condition, you will remain covered no matter how much it costs the insurance company. now to a veteran supreme court watcher our own senior legal analyst jeffrey toobin. you tweeted and said it our air, this is a train wreck for the obama administration what you heard and saw during those two hours today. >> this is why i love the news business because, you know, if you go and watch things that make as i big difference. it's awfully different from making a prediction. most of the so-called experts

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >> it's looking more and more as if the supreme court will cut the heart out of health care reform law. that's the part which would require americans to buy insurance if that mandate is found unconstitutional and we won't know it until june. it's an open question whether the rest of the law could survive. the court wrapped up three days of historic arguments today. cnn's congressional correspondent kate bolduan and our legal analyst jeffrey toobin, they were both inside during the oral arguments. let's start with kate. what's your take, kate? how did it go today? >> wolf, after three days of oral arguments and four issues being debated and more than six hours of debate, this historic case is a bit exhausting and i'm sure even for the justices and for the attorneys arguing before them. this all wraps up with still the same question at the center of this case. is the individual mandate constitutional and with that ver

i'm wolf blitzer. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> we've got breaking news coming into the situation room right now. president obama has just stepped up his re-election campaign. we have the information that is just coming in, stepped up pressure on iran. huge new pressure. the white house has decided to go ahead with what will be the toughest sanctions yet against the iranian regime. bottom line, get this, any country getting oil from iran won't be doing business with the united states any longer. let's go straight to our chief white house correspondent, jessica yellin. tell our viewers what the president decided to do just now. >> well, if the news is that 12 countries that get oil from iran will have to make a decision by june 28th. either stop taking that oil or stop doing business with the u.s. now this should take a lot of oil off of the world market because iran is the third largest oil exporter in the world, but in a letter released today the president d

wolf? >> jim acosta, thank you. what have we learned from the super tuesday results? let's discuss with gloria borger. he won the most states, got the most delegates, but still has certain problems with certain segments of the republican base. >> when you talk to folks on the romney campaign last night, they were feeling great about their win in ohio, even though at the jeffs bi1%, but the win also continued to raise a lot of nagging questions about mitt romney's appeal. let's take -- take a look at the income, 50,000 to 100,000, blue collar republican voters. look at the margin, 11 points between rick santorum and mitt romney. that's a problem for mitt romney. also, let's take a look at very conservative voters in the state of ohio. here you have an even larger 18-point margin. is the problem with mitt romney is that the republican party has changed. it's not even the party he ran on in 2008. it's a more pop you list party, a more insurgent population. and the establishment republican cand

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >>> it's the final sprint to super tuesday, and the republican presidential candidates are crisscrossing the country. they are all hunting for votes. our national political correspondent jim acosta is following mitt romney. jim, what are you hearing from the romney campaign? what's their realistic objective come tuesday? >> reporter: well, their realistic objective come tuesday is to win as many delegates as possible. and that is what this campaign is about right now. and it's about delegates, delegates, delegates. we're standing outside of a romney event in bellevue, washington, just outside of seattle where the romney campaign put out these flyers instructing caucusgoers in the state on how to participate in their caucuses on saturday and basically because it's all about winning as many delegates as possible. the romney campaign advisers were telling reporters over the last several days that they're not only focusing on individual states, they're look

wolf? >> thank you, ashleigh. the deep south votes on the republican presidential candidates. one of them joins us live. mitt romney, what is at stake for him tonight? plus the civilian massacre, blunt language from president obama, while new information about the soldier suspect is revealed. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >> the republican race for the white house is all tied up in mississippi and alabama, most primary polls close in four hours. those contests could go anywhere. . what's happens in lafayette, jim? >> the primaries are, all three candidates have a serious shot at taking the checkered flack, all at least at risk for a maybe blowout. with the deep vow. >> reporter: confident that primaries in mississippi and alabama could put him in the gop's driver's seat -- >> under the obama economy, it's been harder these are crushing a lot of people. >> romney has good wins to, and victories by newt ging rich could be just as damaging. >> reporter: he's making the case

i'm wolf blitzer at the cnn election center. you're in "the situation room." >>> it's called super tuesday for a reason. even in this year's slimmed down version 1/3 gop contests in ten states today. more than all the primaries and -- three of then last week, certainly romney could leave some of the -- but the most important prize today is ohio. our latest cnn poll shows romney is neck and neck with rick santorum who needs a big day of his own. let's go straight to jim acosta. he's on the scene for us in ohio. what's the latest there, jim? >> reporter: wolf, ohio mike the marquee state in the super tuesday states up for grabs, but you wouldn't know it. none of the candidates were out in the state looking for votes, but rick santorum will be in steubenville, ohio later tonight with the hope that mitt romney's past will finally catch up with him. >> i'm sorry my super tuesday travel schedule prevents me from being with you in person. >> and the -- mitt romney appeared via satellite before a conference staysed bied pro-israeli lobb

wolf? >> brianna this say major effort to target the base, the people that supported the president in the past to get them energized. >> reporter: exactly right and campaign officials say that this is a movie, the 17-minute movie is something that will be played for instance at house parties and at events across the country, once it is released next thursday. i'm pretty sure you'll be able to see it online as well but obviously the idea is to increase the excitement as the white house deals with some pretty tough headlines, high gas prices, concerns over iran, trying to refocus some of that energy on some of the iconic and historic moments of the obama presidency, the killing of osama bin laden, and some of the tough decisions that president obama has had to make, wolf. >> brianna, thank you. >>> the republican battle for the south, primaries this coming tuesday in alabama and mississippi. mitt romney says it's an away game for him. also, her case is drawing national attention, a decision a

wolf?thanks, chal. we'll be in close touch with you tomorrow. >>> herman cain is out with a shocking new video. and the battle over ensuring contracepti contraception. did the obama administration directly attack the first amendment. mitt romney says yes. a keep member of obama add -- that's coming up. [ dennis ] switch to allstate. their claim service is so good, now it's guaranteed. [ foreman ] so i can trust 'em. unlike randy. dollar for dollar, nobody protects you like allstate. wait. ♪ it's morning in the himalayas... [ male announcer ] it's sweet. it's nutty. it's absolutely delicious. kellogg's crunchy nut. it's morning somewhere. [ male announcer ] for our families... our neighbors... and our communities... america's beverage companies have created a wide range of new choices. developing smaller portion sizes and more low- & no-calorie beverages... adding clear calorie labels so you know exactly what you're choosing... and in schools, replacing full-calorie soft drinks with lower-ca

wolf suspected wolf attacks. a local forestry department said spring is the breeding season for wolves and they may be coming down from the hills to hunt for food. >>> back in this country wolfs are also making headlines. the gray wolf made a dramatic come back. >> reporter: offer the endangered species list for over a year, gray wolves in the northern rockies have gone to hunted. now there is a new battle over who pays. republican governor bruce otter is asking the federal government to keep pumping money into the state to compensate ranchers for cattle killed by wolves. >> it's had a large economic impact on us and those folks, that want them here ought to be the ones that are paying for them. we don't want them here. >> reporter: conservations alarmed bit wolf hunting are fuming. >> that is what the livestock industry and republicans in western states do, they go back to washington and ask for money and say leave us alone, just giver us the money and leave us alone. >> wyoming just passed a bill that would all

>> yes, wolf.are getting closer to the first poll closings tonight in vermont and virginia and georgia. heading into the contest tonight, cnn estimates that mitt romney has twice as many delegates rick santorum, with 207. rick santorum with 86. and ron paul has 46 and newt gingrich has 39. now, there are 419 delegates at stake, and you need 1, 144 to win. and using the state-of-the-art technology we want to put tom foreman, and we are looking at erin burnett and seeing what the influence of money is in the battleground states. >> yes, it is better than average, and the national unemployment rate is 8.5%, and eight of the states have bert than average unemployment which is the crucial state of ohio which 7.9%, and that is impressive. and north dakota, 3.3, and i will talk about that later, but it is a fascinating story and when you look at the worst states with higher than average unemployment it is georgia where we will be getting results in a few moments, so better than average, and we will see if

wolf? >> we'll watch and see what's happening, of course we'll have extensive coverage tomorrow night, jim, thank you. >>> after a steady drum beat about the overriding importance of the delegate count, mitt romney is sounding a rathwratra different tone. >> it's all about delegates, and if we get more delegates, we'll pick up some delegates and that's what it's all about. i know a lot of people will talk about delegates and strategies and math, and that's all good to the insiders, but i think the people want to see someone who has the leadership skill and presence to defeat the president and conservativism that will get america back on track again. >> sounds like a pivot. >> a big pivot. his advisors told him you have to stop talking about math, you have to take a turn and start talking about the economy and about how you're the man to fix the economy, which is exactly what we heard him doing. he's also going to be a little nuanced on the economy. and jim accosta's peace showed another piv

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >>> mitt romney is wrapping up a rather tough week of being hammered and belittled by his republican opponents but he's trying to keep his sights on president obama and an issue that's problematic for both of them -- health care. the republican is taking some of his toughest shots yet at the controversial reform law the president signed into law two years ago exactly this week. let's bring in our senior correspondent joe johns working this story for us. it's going to be a huge issue not only in the days to come but in the weeks and months to come i have no doubt. >> wolf, that's true. and he may be the front-runner but mitt romney has had a very tough week, as you said. if you look at the polls just starting with the polls, it's pretty clear he's been running in double digits behind rick santorum in the state of louisiana in the run-up to the primary. then there is that other problem, health care. a pretty big problem in fact because not on is this the

i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room." >>> it's looking more and more as if the united states supreme court will cut the heart out of the health care reform law, that's the part which would require americans to buy insurance. if that mandate is found unconstitutional, it's an open question whether the rest of the law could survive. the court held three days of historic arguments this week. kate baldwin and jeff riff toobin were both inside for every minute of those oral arguments. let's start with kate. first of all, what was your take? >> you know it's impossible to predict. but after three days, as you mentioned, and more than six hours of oral arguments on the fate of the sweeping health care law the justices are looking at four issues but the entire law hinges on one key issue, the manned day. high drama outside the supreme court. >> here's what we say to obamacare. >> but the real action was inside the courtroom as the justices examined the key question in the historic health care case,

they are being cautious here as well, wolf.ant to underscore what candy was saying, because the santorum campaign is not predicting one way or another, but they are lowering expectations saying if they come in second with the popular vote, that is saying a victory for them, because they have been outspent 12 to 1. they also feel they are walking away with less delegates than they could have considering the paperwork snafu. and here in stubenville, ohio, this is where we are inside of a district where they won't be able to win delegates, because of the paperwork snafu, and they are conceding the point that yes, they have had some organizational problems in the state, but they say they are the campaign that is built to take on mitt romney going down the road to heading towards the convention, and they were saying tonight, and sounding defiant, wolf, that mitt romney cannot get 1,144 to clinch the nomination and he can say all he wants that he can't clinch it, but he can't either, and they are prepared to take the fight to the con

he's a full-grown wolf. he was severely malnourished. that's why he seems so small.people in italy saw this wolf and called the police, who ended up calling the center for conservation and research of exotic and wild fauna. he was, as you can tell, completely limp. in this moment they realize that he was suffering of cardiopulmonary arrest. so they immediately went into cpr mode. >> oh, my goodness. >> oh, no. ♪ >> even though he was conscious and he was coming back to, he wasn't moving his hind legs. >> imagine he's got to have hypothermia, too. >> he suffered hypothermia. they finally stabilized him and took him to a nearby home to warm him up enough to be able to take him to the center which is an hour away from where they found him. >> how awesome is it that all of this trouble they went to save a wild animal to save this wolf. x-rays show he had an injured vertebrae, but they also saw 35 4 millimeter pellets inside his body. >> they were finally able to feed him and after a lot of 24-around-the-clock care, little novare is doing great. >> he made it. >> look at

i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room."one. i'm john king. tonight the