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Assassination of Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto

Aired December 28, 2007 - 10:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: It is Friday, December 28th, and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
We start the 10:00 hour with new information on the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Pakistan's interior ministry says her attacker has been identified as belonging to a group with ties to al Qaeda. The FBI and other U.S. law enforcement officials have checked into reports al Qaeda was behind the attacks.

Supporters of the slain opposition leader packed the streets of her ancestral town as her very simple wooden coffin was carried to its final resting place. Bhutto's husband and three children came from Dubai for the funeral. Her burial comes a day after she was attacked at a political rally. An assassin blew himself up after shooting at Bhutto. The government says she died of a shrapnel wound, not a gunshot wound as was previously believed.

The assassination of the Muslim world's first female leader sparking widespread violence across Pakistan. At least nine people reported killed in the riots. And banks, train stations and cars were set on fire.

Pakistan's prime minister says there are no plans to postpone next month's elections.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: We want to take a moment to look now at the last moments of Benazir Bhutto's life and how they played out. CNN's Jim Clancy has spent more than 30 years covering the world. He provides some context on what Bhutto's death means. I do wonder off the top here Jim what do you make of the fact Benazir Bhutto may have been killed by shrapnel as opposed to gunshot wounds.

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well that has always been a possibility Heidi and as we look at the scenes that played out yesterday, it raises solid concerns about where it was a bullet, whether it was shrapnel. It raises solid questions about where was the security in all of this. It is an interesting development. We are waiting to see the evidence.

In some ways, it doesn't jive with what we heard from an eyewitness yesterday, and that is that he heard three shots fired first. But let's go back a little bit and let's look at security. As you would analyze any crime scene. Benazir Bhutto up here appearing, you see a lot of people around her. Possibility right here, security man. Or somebody standing behind her. Same over here. A security man.

COLLINS: I always look for an earpiece. They are talking to each other?

CLANCY: You can see they're watching the crowds. You see them look around; they are looking behind her, looking alongside her. They had great security going into this. Metal detectors, everyone that went into this park area; they were searched, checked to see if they had weapons. Where it breaks down is when she's leaving. It was a secure area but then she's leaving it to get into her secure vehicle. Let's take a look at that. Here she comes down. She almost looks relieved when we see her here.

COLLINS: Her guard totally down, it seems.

CLANCY: You see once again, she's surrounded by people. She's got people all around her that are possibly doing security, that are asking questions. This guy right here probably security. Looking after, are these her aides? She's obviously having a hard time seeing over the garland. She has two vehicles that she can get into for security purposes. Both of them armored, both of them identical. What they're discussing there we don't know. Obviously that's a top aide. You see some security.

Now she gets into the vehicle. Here you can see there is a cage that's literally right inside. There is a vehicle or protection inside the vehicle. You know, one inside the other. That's important for her security. You see, there it is. Closing all of that off. Now did she leave with this open? It doesn't appear so. They're closing it down and she's leaving. But where's the security? Look around here.

COLLINS: I don't know.

CLANCY: Maybe this guy here was security. But she's getting into the vehicle. Now anybody that's standing by -- can you see there were some supporters around here. Anybody is allowed some access. And this may be the problem as she begins to move out of this area. You can see, she's behind the fence. She's assuming that all of the people that are inside there have been cleared previously. But you don't see any heavy uniformed security. You have one guy.

COLLINS: I don't see any guns, I know that.

CLANCY: Here she is, standing up, outside of that sun roof. This is a couple of minutes later as she's standing outside there. And John Moore, a Getty photographer who was at the scene, he had moved in front of the car. He didn't take this picture or maybe he did. Yes, he did take this picture. She's looking out from the top of the car. He told us what he heard.

JOHN MOORE, GETTY IMAGES: I turned around and heard three shots go off, and saw her go down, fall down through the sun roof, down into the car.

CLANCY: All right. He heard three shots. Then he says he saw her go down into the car. And that's when he says there was an explosion that took place.

But if you go back, I think we've got another video that takes a look at her moving or if we can, let's go back to the frame from John Moore, the head-on shot of Benazir Bhutto, perhaps the last photo taken of her alive. There she is looking to the side. But there's one where she is looking straight ahead, a wider-angle shot. If you look in here, where's the security?

COLLINS: Where are the people who are saying, hey, don't go out the sun roof?

CLANCY: Well, she wanted to do that. Obviously she was feeling relieved.

Look in this photo. Where do you see security? Maybe this guy there. And there's absolutely no uniformed security. Look around. How many people are just obviously standing around? They have full access to her. They're within six feet, many of them.

According to the Pakistani authorities this morning, three shots were fired, up to five shots. They say none of them hit her. They say that she was killed just moments later when an explosion ripped through that vehicle. It really raises the question, how did somebody get that close? It's going to be a question that is answered no matter what the government comes up with.

COLLINS: Absolutely. Does it surprise you at all Jim that a vehicle like that with that interior shelf armor would even have a sunroof?

CLANCY: In some ways, yes, because it would be a security risk. What really surprises me is, as you noted, they let her stand up in it. You know? I think it was her own personal decision. She was used to taking risks. I think she felt the risk was at that rally. That's where they put all their security, not in leaving that rally, and that's what happened, that's where things went awry.

COLLINS: Nonetheless, we'll continue to have these questions and try our best to answer them but it will probably take many days, possibly weeks to know what really happened and how close that individual got.

CLANCY: Tough questions. She asked for more security. The government didn't give it to her. That's going to be what dogs President Musharraf.

COLLINS: CNN's Jim Clancy, thanks, Jim. Don?

LEMON: Our next guest is a freelance journalist and native Pakistani. She's been talking to people in these days leading up to Pakistan's election. Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is in Karachi joining us now via broadband. I want to get a sense of, since the former prime minister has been laid to rest, what's your sense of what's going on in the country now?

SHARMEEN OBAID-CHINOY, JOURNALIST: I think firstly there is going to be the question of the upcoming elections, whether the political parties are going to take part in it or not, which is a major question that's looming on everybody's minds.

Also, what is the role of Benazir Bhutto's husband going to be? Is he going to take the helm of affairs as the Pakistan people's party? These are political questions on people's minds. And also whether thousands of people are going to come out on the streets to mourn her death now that she's been laid to rest.

LEMON: So Sharmeen, I have to ask you, you did a documentary "Lifting the Veil," about women in Afghanistan but can very much apply to women in the Middle East and also in Pakistan. Do you think that any of this was brought on because the former prime minister was a woman, the first woman prime minister anywhere?

OBAID-CHINOY: I think Benazir Bhutto was a huge threat to Islamic fundamentals in Pakistan. She represented the west. She ultimately had negotiations with America and America had given her a stamp of approval which I think was a death wish for her. Because that immediately brought her in the limelight and made people, especially the extremists, it gave them a cause to go after her. And it was very easy for them to claim that she was America's agent in Pakistan and what she represented was something very west. And of course, being a woman, on top of everything, was a major downfall for her.

LEMON: Being the first woman prime minister in the Middle East, and having extremists in the Muslim world, and then having these extremists around her all the time, or extremists in that part of the world, did she know, or do women there know these people? Are they seen every day? Are they around them every day? Do they have some sense who these people are living in their own communities?

OBAID-CHINOY: No, not at all. They're very hidden. In fact you can walk down the streets wearing western clothes in Pakistan. Shopping malls, men and women mingle freely. There are no restrictions per se on women here. So the fundamentalists haven't come out yet you know with sticks or telling women what to do or what to wear, especially in the larger cities. In the tribal areas, however, things are very different.

LEMON: What do you think this will mean for ...

OBAID-CHINOY: So here in Karachi, no.

LEMON: What do you think this means now for women in the Muslim world having her assassinated and being the status that she was? Obviously she held great sway there. What do you think this will mean for women? Is it a setback or something where people will realize this didn't have to happen and maybe women should move on? Maybe a hard question to answer.

OBAID-CHINOY: Well, firstly, it is good for any woman who wants to enter politics. I mean this clearly shows that a woman's life is going to be in danger if she's in a prominent position, whether she's in politics or whether she reaches the helm of affairs. So any young woman in Pakistan who is interested in joining politics, I don't think she is going to be deterred at all by what happened. By and large I think women are feeling very threatened in Pakistan. If a two-time prime minister can be assassinated for what she stands, then what about ordinary Pakistani women who try and brave the society, restrictions, placed on them? What will happen to them?

LEMON: Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, thank you very much for joining us. Apologize for that delay because of the broadband. Thank you.

COLLINS: A stunning revelation in that fatal tiger attack on Christmas day. The head of the San Francisco Zoo now says the wall that surrounds the tiger exhibit is 12 1/2 feet high. That's four feet lower than national standards for zoos. And almost six feet lower than the zoo first reported.

MANUEL MOLLINEDO, SAN FRANCISCO ZOO DIRECTOR: I think the tiger, she grabbed on to something. It could have been a ledge. She had to have jumped. How she was able to jump that high is amazing to me. But it is an exotic animal.

COLLINS: The 300-pound Siberian tiger attacked three young men, one of them died. The zoo remains closed today.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: Turmoil in Pakistan and U.S. presidential politics; the Bhutto assassination puts the war on terror back in the spotlight.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Welcome back. I'm Don Lemon. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM. She took risk for a reason.

BENAZIR BHUTTO, FORMER PAKISTANI PRIME MINISTER: I'm taking the risk and facing the dangers in my country because I believe that all people in Pakistan are dear to me as my own children.

LEMON: What next for a country in turmoil?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: The assassination of Benazir Bhutto is seen by many as a blow to the democratic process in Pakistan. Here's CNN's State Department correspondent Zain Verjee.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: She was an open target. This time the assassins hit their mark. Pakistan is in shock and mourning. Riots breaking out in cities across the country. Just weeks ago in Pakistan, I asked Benazir Bhutto if she knows the dangers, why take the risk.

BHUTTO: I'm taking the risk and facing the dangers in my country because I believe that all in Pakistan are dear to me as my own children. VERJEE: Her death leaves the leadership vacuum in Pakistan and throws elections next month into question. Analysts say they would be meaningless without her. The State Department says Pakistan needs to stay on track.

TOM CASEY, STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: It would be a victory for no one but the extremists responsible for this attack to have some kind of postponement or delay directly related to the democratic process.

VERJEE: Her death is a major blow for Pakistanis and the U.S. who saw her as a champion for democracy in Pakistan.

What's next? What are your plans now?

BHUTTO: I believe that democracy is the only way that can save Pakistan, and I believe that it is the free expression of the will of the people mobilizing the strength of the people that can save our country.

Secretary Of State Condoleezza Rice said that the U.S. wants leaders in Pakistan to maintain calm and to work together to build a more moderate, peaceful and democratic future. There are concerns, too, president Musharraf could declare another state of emergency if the violence were to get out of hand. Zain Verjee, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Pakistan and U.S. presidential politics. The Iowa caucus is less than a week ago. The Benazir Bhutto assassination puts a spotlight on terror and national security. Dana Bash has the republican reaction from the campaign trail.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In Iowa, John McCain opened a town hall paying his condolences and playing up his experience.

JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I knew Benazir Bhutto. I know Musharraf very well. If I were president of the United States I would be on the phone right now and I would be meeting with the National Security Council.

BASH: In Florida, Rudy Giuliani talked terrorism.

RUDY GIULIANI (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Each one of these events that happens reminds me that we have to do everything we can to prevent these terrorist attacks. And we have to do everything we can to win this war that Islamic terrorists are perpetrating against us.

BASH: In New Hampshire, Mitt Romney called for propping up moderate Islamic leaders.

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We must come together in an effort, in great haste and with great earnestness to help overcome the threat of the spread of radical violent jihad. BASH: Fred Thompson also talked tough on terror.

FRED THOMPSON (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And it is a global conflict. Al Qaeda wants to bring western civilization to its knees.

BASH: Mike Huckabee declared it too early to discuss the impact of Benazir Bhutto's assassination and offer prayers.

MIKE HUCKABEE (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: First of all, let me express on behalf of I think every American our sincere concerns and apologies for the horrible incident that's happened in Pakistan.

BASH: GOP reaction varied, but the reality is, two candidates, John McCain and Rudy Giuliani, scored best on national security got in an instant tussle on an issue that had receded. McCain even admitted to CNN it could help him.

MCCAIN: I'm the one with the experience, the knowledge and the judgment, so perhaps it may serve to enhance those credentials.

BASH: Giuliani immediately connected the attack in Pakistan to his biggest strength, 9/11.

GIULIANI: America feels a strong sense of, I think, connection to something like this because of what happened to us.

BASH: But McCain bluntly challenged Giuliani's foreign policy experience.

MCCAIN: Well, I think he did a great job in 9/11 in handling the post-crisis situation. I don't know how that credential -- how that provides one of the credentials to address national security issues.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Senator Hillary Clinton will respond today in "THE SITUATION ROOM" at 4:00 and 6:00 eastern only here on CNN.

COLLINS: Just another day at the office? Not for these employees. Look at this, feelings of fury, of a powerful explosion. Amazing video you won't want to miss.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Want to take a moment to check the big board now. We are to the positive 25 points, much better than the close, 13,385. Dow Jones industrial average is down 192 points. Difficult to know but certainly a lot of talk about whether these numbers are in reaction to the assassination of the former prime minister of Pakistan. We'll talk with Susan Lisovicz later today. Tax filings, you know the date is just around the corner, people. We'll talk about that and also oil prices in just a moment here.

LEMON: A normal day at work? Not exactly. Take a look at this. Whoa, goodness. Surveillance cameras capture these terrifying scenes as an explosion rips through a nearby chemical plant in Jacksonville, Florida this week. The woman in the office calls this experience an absolute nightmare. Can you imagine? Four people were killed in the blast so powerful, could be felt miles away. 14 others were injured. Several investigations are under way to determine the cause of that explosion.

COLLINS: A California woman under quarantine now with a dangerous drug resistant strain of tuberculosis. Officials say the 30-year-old woman became sick overseas and then flew back to the U.S. earlier this month. She's now in isolation at a northern California hospital. Health officials are warning passengers who sat near the woman on the plane to be tested for TB.

DR. DAVID LEWIS, STANFORD IMMUNOLOGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASE: Even being in the same row or the row above or below is probably the highest risk.

COLLINS: Several people who may have come in contact with the woman in the emergency room are also now being tested.

LEMON: Take a look at this. A screwdriver goes right through her eye, then lodges into her brain. A toddler's bizarre drama has some people believing in miracles.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Hello, everyone, I'm Don Lemon. Tony has the day off.

COLLINS: Good morning, everybody, I'm Heidi Collins. I quickly want to get over to the weather center now because Reynolds Wolf is standing by with some new information just now in. And, Reynolds, I understand there's a tornado warning in Alabama?

(WEATHER REPORT)

LEMON: Benazir Bhutto, a symbol of democracy in Pakistan. Her assassination -- a reminder of the volatility that haunts a critical U.S. ally. Senior International Correspondent Nic Robertson has spent considerable time in Pakistan and today he is in Switzerland. Nic?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, the situation in Pakistan now one of a lot of pressure on Benazir Bhutto's party to decide on a new political leader for the party. Officials I talked to today said that they can do it, it will be a tough challenge because Benazir Bhutto was so charismatic and was such a good leader.

Her party built on a political dynasty of one family. None of her children old enough to fill the role of leader at this particular time. And important for the party to decide on that new leader quickly to show unity, to bring continuity and to decide if they'll take part in the elections that are coming up in January.

The other political leader in the party saying if elections do go ahead in January -- on the 8th of January, then there is a very real possibility that the country will be dragged into more turmoil and more chaos. Don? LEMON: Explain to us, Nic, I know it's been a very critical ally for the U.S., especially when it comes to the war on terror. How is this going to unfold, or at least help or hinder the efforts there for stability, and for being an ally for the war on terror?

ROBERTSON: The assassination of Benazir Bhutto absolutely undermines stability in Pakistan. It points to how precarious that country is, how dangerous it is when one of the main political leaders of the country can be killed on the streets, a second effort at political assassination. Radical Islamist groups have been blamed.

Pakistan's government says one of the groups they believe is responsible, these groups are operating freely in the border areas of Pakistan close to Afghanistan. The fear is that with further instability in the country, these groups could grow stronger, because the army will focused on sorting out civil unrest in other parts of the country.

It is her -- Benazir Bhutto's assassination will undermine the United States' effort, or has undermined the United States' efforts to spread democracy in Pakistan because the United States was supporting Benazir Bhutto and encouraged her to go back to Pakistan, had encouraged her to find compromise and seek alliance with Pakistan's president, President Musharraf.

So her death leaves a very serious vacuum that undermines stability in the country, and plays to the strengths of the radical Islamists who have been growing stronger and more dangerous this past year. Don?

LEMON: Senior International Correspondent, Nic Robertson. Nic, thank you.

COLLINS: The assassination of Benazir Bhutto's is now putting Pakistan's security in doubt and U.S. policy there in question. Live to CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr now. What's the U.S. military concerned about specifically and focusing on right now?

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, as my colleague Nic Robertson just said, it is stability that has the U.S. and the Pentagon the most concerned in Pakistan right now. And certainly although we've seen very few statements from the Bush administration other than of course the president yesterday, there is plenty of action behind the scenes as the U.S. tries to regroup and figure out how to move ahead in Pakistan.

One of the key players in Pakistan they have already identified as someone they want to do business with is the new head of the Pakistani army, the chief of staff of the Pakistani army is a man named General Ashfaq Kayani. He was supported by General Musharraf, but the U.S. has already -- here's a picture of him, even before the assassination reached out to him.

They think they can do business with him because in Pakistan it is the army that remains the central structure for control of the country. He has been very open, we are told, to the notion of stepping up counterinsurgency efforts against al Qaeda. But whether it all works in the end, whether they can bring stability back to the country that's the major U.S. concern, Heidi.

COLLINS: It is very interesting, you mentioned him yesterday when we were talking about all of this in our coverage of the assassination. I do wonder how the U.S. military thinks they can work with him, even though he was appointed by Musharraf. Who ultimately pulls the strings and makes the decision with regard to the Pakistani military?

STARR: You know, who makes the decisions in Pakistan on the whole clearly at the moment is a very problematic question. The U.S. is walking a very delicate dance right now. General Musharraf is the head of the country. Benazir Bhutto's supporters clearly exerting their influence in power.

But in Pakistan, from the U.S. point of view, security is maintained by the Pakistani army. They are the central structure for control in the country. They of course control the nuclear weapons, a major concern. So it starts with the army, and that is in -- a line of communication the U.S. wants to keep up.

But, while this current period is going on, I think it is very clear, the U.S. will maintain a low profile. They don't want to be seen as pulling the strings. They don't want to be seen as interfering. But they do want to have these lines of communication to all three of those elements, Benazir Bhutto, Musharraf, and the Pakistani army, and try and influence them behind the scenes as best they can.

COLLINS: Very quickly, Barbara I'd be remiss if I didn't ask about the military aid from the United States being funneled into Pakistan. Will that in your opinion keep flowing after all of this?

STARR: You know, that's one of the key questions. Of course, the U.S. really funnels billions of dollars of aid to the Musharraf government and to the Pakistani military for its fight against al Qaeda. Congress had already put limits on that wanting to see more progress in Democratic reforms inside Pakistan.

The U.S. military is talking to the Pakistanis about getting that program back on track and doing even more to train and equip Pakistani forces. But the U.S. also is making it very clear, it wants to see Democratic reforms progress in that country. It is up to the Pakistanis, they say, to decide how to make that happen. Heidi?

COLLINS: Wants to see results, that's for sure. All right, CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr. Barbara, thanks.

LEMON: This just in to the CNN NEWSROOM. Just after that attack yesterday, Benazir Bhutto was rushed to Rawalpindi General Hospital and a doctor who treated her bedside just before she died held a press conference a short while ago. Let's take a listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DOCTOR WHO TREATED BHUTTO: She was brought to the hospital about 5:35 p.m. And when she was brought to the emergency room, doctors who saw her noticed that she was not breathing, she did not have a pulse, and her pupils they were dilated and they were not responding to light. These are the signs of series (ph) that a person has had a cardio pulmonary arrest and is not responding.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: That was the doctor who treated Benazir Bhutto yesterday after she was rushed to the hospital after that attack with those injuries. According to the interior ministry there, they say that she died from shrapnel. That's according to the ministry. There still has to be more investigating done on this before we find out. But that interview just in to the CNN NEWSROOM from the doctor who treated her just before she died.

COLLINS: A mother rushes to her young daughter's side fearing the worst.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My first instinct was that she was going. As soon as they took that screwdriver out that she was going to be gone.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Wow. Yes, you heard her. A screwdriver, and it was stuck in her head. Amazing recovery coming up in the newsroom.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: And let's get you right back to the weather center. We have tornado warnings in two states, Reynolds Wolf.

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's right, starting off in Alabama, we've got tornado warnings right now in Etowah, Blount and Marshall Counties, all along this line is storms. Not exactly the prime (ph), but right between Coleman and Gatson (ph), here's 65, here is parts of I-59 so you can get your bearings.

Let's zoom in on a couple locations where you have those warnings that are popping up. You've got Albertville, not far from the shopping mall in Guntersville near White Drive, near both lakes. You're going to be dealing with deteriorating conditions, a lot of rain coming through, a lot of wind too, and the possibility of some small hail.

The tornado, there's no visual confirmation on the tornado at this time, however, it has been doppler indicated. We've got some of these rotating storms.

If you happen to be in, let's say Arab, let's go back to -- or Arab, rather, to Guntersville, or even into Albertville, you need to take shelter immediately. What you want to do is get in the lowest floor of your house, away from windows. Certainly the best thing to do is get into a basement. That's your best plan of action.

Along the other parts of I-59, into Gatson, Rainbow City, just some rain for you, but still, just be on the lookout. Skies are going to get darker, these storms are going to be coming up through heavy rain, possibly there's damaging winds. And at the same time, you've got that potential for those tornadoes.

We're also seeing some action beginning to develop in parts of southern Louisiana. We're going to zoom in right near New Iberia, just to the south of Lafayette and near the I-10 corridor. We are seeing some scatters showers, some storms. Right now, this warning that we have for this area is for -- let's see, Iberia Parish. That will be in effect until 10:00 a.m. local time. Expect to be near Avery Island within minutes.

This system, just like the one back in Alabama, moving to the north-northeast, doing so at about 35 to 40 miles per hour. For those of you who happen to be in this area, New Iberia County, again -- or rather New Iberia Parish, this is Louisiana now, you want to take shelter as soon as possible. Lowest floor, best situation for you.

And this is going to be something we could see across much of the southeast for a good part of the day. We've got all of the elements there. A lot of moisture from the Gulf, we've got the front coming through and a little bit of sheer loft. We could see more tornadoes pop up throughout much of the afternoon. And let's not rule out those flash flooding and those damaging winds.

That's the latest we've got for you, it is proving to be a very busy morning.

COLLINS: Yes.

WOLF: And may prove to be even busier yet into the afternoon hours.

COLLINS: Yes.

LEMON: Reynolds is going to be a busy man today, I have a feeling.

COLLINS: Yes, yes, we got to watch that.

LEMON: All right, thank you, sir.

COLLINS: Thanks, Reynolds.

Stocks opened the session broadly higher, but then came a report on new home sales. Susan Lisovicz is at the New York Stock Exchange now with reaction to that.

Good morning to you, Susan.

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

LEMON: Arson is suspected in a fire that damaged a childhood home of President Bush. Restored house sits behind the Presidential Museum in Odessa, Texas. The Bush family lived there briefly in the late 1940s.

COLLINS: Some call it luck, others call it a miracle. A toddler is OK today after a screwdriver went right through her eye and lodged into her brain. More from -- excuse me, Jeffrey DeMars of Minnesota affiliate KARE.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEFFREY DEMARS, KARE REPORTER (voice-over): Life itself is called a miracle. And with every kiss caught from two-year-old Teagan Gislason, life's miracle seems even more true now.

KATIE GISLASON, TEAGAN'S MOTHER: I saw the screwdriver. It was still tightly wrapped, so it wasn't as scary until we got down to Rochester after they did the CT and then they unwrapped her head. And when I walked in and actually saw the entrance, it just was so overwhelming.

DEMARS: This is the X-ray: a screwdriver pierced right above her daughter's eye and into the frontal lobe of her brain. It happened at church a little over a week ago. Mom was at work while dad was with the kids. Two-year-old Teagan somehow found a screwdriver when heads were turned.

GISLASON: He was beside himself. He still gets so overwhelmed by the whole story and you know, he's my hero because he left it in. And he let the doctors take it out.

DEMARS: As a parent, he wanted to help her, save her, but he did nothing. Instead, the screwdriver stayed lodged in Teagan's head for nearly two hours. It took another two for doctors to remove it.

GISLASON: My first instinct was that she was going, that as soon as they took that screwdriver out, that she was going to be gone. And they just needed to get there before that happened.

DEMARS: Her worst fears were far from realized. A week after doctors removed the screwdriver, any visible mark that it even happened is a small one which will likely heal. Doctors say internal damage could arise down the road, but if mom's intuition means anything ...

GISLASON: She seems to be behaving normally, like a normal two- year-old, telling me no when she wants to and fighting with her sisters and playing hard and running and having a good time.

DEMARS: It's likely plenty of good times lie ahead.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Tagean (ph) spent a week at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester and returned home Christmas Eve. The family calls her their Christmas miracle.

LEMON: Glad that she's OK.

Has the U.S. been asking too much from Pakistani President Musharraf?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We wanted him to round up al Qaeda, we wanted him to deal with Taliban, now we want him to expand democracy in Pakistan. No Pakistani leader could have delivered all of those items.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: High expectations in U.S., Pakistani relations.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: CNN has been monitoring, internationally, all of the television stations and outlets there in Pakistan. Right now, the Pakistani interior minister spokesperson -- ministry spokesperson -- holding a press conference, obviously answering questions and doing the breakdown as to what happened yesterday, what led up to it and what is going to happen next.

They're holding that press conference right now. If any news come out of this, we will bring it to you here in the NEWSROOM. Otherwise, check out cnn.com. You can catch that entire press conference right now. Again, cnn.com.

In the meantime, Pakistan is a key player in the Bush administration's War on Terror. But have Washington's expectations been too high? Here's CNN terrorism analyst, Peter Bergen. We'll have that for you in just a little bit. We want to get back to that news conference that's happening now. The Pakistani interior ministry spokesperson holding the press conference. Lets listen in.

BRIG. GEN. JAVED IQBAL CHEEMA, PAKISTAN INTERIOR MINISTRY SPOKESMAN: ...this cowardly act. And I would -- the conversation is in Pashto because that's the language they speak. And my Pashto friends who know Pashto, would be able to understand what is the conversation that's going on. But however, I have a copy of the transcript which it translated into Urdu. And I will, immediately after this, I will distribute it to the media.

We have irreputable evidence that al Qaeda, its networks and cohorts are trying to destabilize Pakistan, which is in the forefront in the war against terrorism. Gentlemen, it is very important that people of Pakistan understand that the country is facing the gravest challenge from these terrorists and extremist elements. They are systematically targeting our state institutions in order to destabilize the country. There have been two assassination attempts on the president, besides seven other assassination attempts that were foiled and aborted.

The former prime minister, Shaukat Aziz was targeted, the former interior minister, Aftab Khan Sherpao was twice targeted by the suicide bombers, the army's installations and commanders were attacked. There were suicide attacks close to the general (ph) headquarters and next to the residents of the chief of (ph) staff committee. Suicide bombers also attacked two buses of the Intraservice Intelligence. They also attacked a bus carrying children of the Air Force people at Karma. Now the same brand of terrorists have struck at the political leadership of the political life of this country.

Motta (ph) Bhutto was attacked in Karachi on her homecoming by the same brand of al Qaeda and the Taliban terrorists led by (INAUDIBLE), who is behind most of the recent terrorist attacks that have taken place in Pakistan. Gentlemen, these are trying circumstances for Pakistan, and with the help and support of the people of this country, our security forces will definitely hunt down the perpetrators of these heinous and cowardly acts and, of course, their accomplices and they will definitely be brought to justice sooner than later.

At the same time, we appeal for national unity and a national effort to eliminate propenance of death and destruction, who are aiming to undermine the security of Pakistan. That's all, gentlemen, that I have to say. I would issue three things to you. I would issue a photograph of the vehicle of Bhutto (ph), which... --

LEMON: OK, spokesperson for the interior ministry holding a press conference there. Here's what's important about this -- there is a video described as Bhutto's last moments that is going to be released there. We will bring that to you as soon as we get that video. And also, he is saying terrorists, including al Qaeda -- he made very strong references to al Qaeda -- said that there have been many efforts to destabilize the country and other officials have been targeted. He referred to those officials specifically.

But that video which is about to come out of there, and I believe they are showing it, part of it, now, of al Qaeda -- or at least of Benazir Bhutto's last moments. Pardon me, this is just coming in. We want to show it to you. It is very hard to look at but let's take a look at that video now, Heidi.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She opened her sunroof and she's waving at her crowd.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)

LEMON: All right, that's a video, according to the interior ministry spokesperson there, supposedly of Benazir Bhutto's last moments. You can see it is very tough to see because the video obviously was coming from broadband and from the internet. I'm just being told by producers that according to the interior ministry spokesperson, that she died from hitting her head on the vehicle, not from a gunshot, not from shrapnel as earlier reports had said. So, Heidi, this is very interesting. This is the first time we're seeing this video.

Of course we saw John Moore's pictures yesterday, the Getty photographer's pictures yesterday, of the last moments. But this is much more concise, even though it is a little bit tough to see. So obviously, we'll be following that all day today here and analyzing that video as well, and analyzing the information coming out of the interior ministry, especially when it comes to al Qaeda claiming responsibility.

You're with CNN. You're informed. I'm Don Lemon, in today for Tony Harris.

COLLINS: Hi everybody, I'm Heidi Collins.

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