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Continuing Coverage, Benazir Bhutto's death; Tiger Attack in San Francisco Zoo; Benazir Bhutto's Final Moments, Seconds Before The Bombing; A Tragedy On The World Stage Takes Center Stage In U.S. Presidential Politics

Aired December 28, 2007 - 09:00   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, I'm Heidi Collins. Watch events come into the NEWSROOM live on this Friday morning. It is December 28th. Here is what is on the rundown. Despair and anger in Pakistan as Benazir Bhutto is laid to rest. Live reports and analysis this hour.
A fence too short? A deadly tiger attack. A startling admission from the San Francisco Zoo about a wall surrounding its tigers.

And, a fast-moving storm rolling east dumping snow in the North and rain in the water-thirsty South. All these, next in the NEWSROOM.

Grief and chaos in Pakistan at this hour, following the funeral of slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto. Supporters packed the street of her ancestral town as the former prime minister's simple wooden coffin was carried to its final resting place. Her husband and three children came from Dubai for the funeral. The assassination of the Muslim world's first female leader, sparking wide-spread violence across Pakistan. At least nine people reported killed in riots. Banks and train stations and cars set on fire. You see the video there.

Bhutto's burial comes one day after she was attacked at a political rally. An assassin blew himself up after shooting at Bhutto. She died of a shrapnel wound, according to the Pakistani Interior Ministry. The FBI now investigating claims that Al-Qaeda was responsible. Pakistan's prime minister says there are no plans to postpone next month's elections.

New revelations of how Benazir Bhutto died -- part of the turmoil surrounding her assassination. CNN's John Vause joins us now in Karachi via broadband. John, what do you make of this new development?

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, this certainly puts the whole assassination in a different context. What we do now know is that Benazir Bhutto died from shrapnel wounds from the blast caused by that suicide bomber. Originally, it was thought that she was shot at and killed. But now, we're hearing from the Pakistani government that it was shrapnel to the right-hand side of her skull which killed the former prime minister of Pakistan -- that information coming from the Pakistani Interior Ministry.

Now, all of this happened in the wake of violent night here in Karachi and across the entire country. But, right now here in Karachi, it is all relatively calm. Mostly because of a massive security crackdown which was ordered by the government. When we drove through the streets of Karachi earlier today, we saw army troops on the backs of pick-up trucks with heavy caliber machine guns. Police were manning road blocks and stopping cars and searching passers-by.

Now, one of the reasons why it could also be quiet is because the government has also ordered three days of official mourning. This comes as hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered at Benazir Bhutto's family mausoleum as she was laid to rest. This is the same place where Benazir Bhutto's father and two brothers are also buried, all of them victims of violent deaths -- Heidi?

COLLINS: You know, John, even though you may not know the answer to this, but as we get these new developments this morning about how the former prime minister may have died, how can we be certain? We know that there has not been an autopsy of any kind. Medical examiner? I know it's coming from the Pakistani Interior Ministry. Hard to know if, in fact, this is definitive information.

VAUSE: One thing about Pakistan is that it is always very difficult to know what anything really is. We have this information coming from the government. We know that two separate investigations have been launched into how Benazir Bhutto was, in fact, assassinated. But, this information certainly puts into different light about what may have happened at that rally at Rawalpindi, just outside Islamabad. Originally, it was thought that the suicide bomber got close enough to shoot at Benazir Bhutto and then exploded his suicide belt.

So, now it appears that he got close enough to kill her with that suicide belt. So that certainly casts in a different light the security arrangement that were put in place around Benazir Bhutto. As for the credibility of this information, well, we have to take it as much as we take any other information which comes from the Pakistani government and take it on face value until it's proved otherwise, Heidi.

COLLINS: Absolutely. All right, CNN's John Vause for us this morning. John, thank you.

Pakistanis in the United States have been stunned by the Bhutto assassination. CNN's Keith Oppenheim visited one of the largest Pakistani communities in the country.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In Chicago, Devon Avenue is the heart of the city's Pakistani community. More than 100,000 Pakistani-Americans live in greater Chicago and one of them is Rana Javed, a newspaper columnist who met Benazir Bhutto when she came here five years ago. Javed was stricken with grief.

RANA JAVED, PAKISTANI-AMERICAN AND NEWSPAPER COLUMNIST: Since I heard that, I turned on my TV and I was like --

OPPENHEIM: The sense on the street here, the assassination crushed a voice of reason.

UNIDENTIFIED PAKISTANI-AMERICAN MAN 1: She was the hope of the moderation voice of Pakistan.

UNIDENTIFIED PAKISTANI-AMERICAN MAN 2: She was very secular and she was very much against these extremists.

OPPENHEIM: Bhutto's return to Pakistan two months ago gave hope to those Pakistani-Americans who saw her as an answer to religious fundamentalists and military rule. Mazhar Faried who works in the World Bank in Washington, D. C. was more sad than surprised.

MAZHAR FARIED, PAKISTANI-AMERICAN WORKING AT THE WORLD BANK: She's been a target for sometime. Some people say from the regime itself and there was already a great threat from the religious fanatics in the country. And she's been very vocal for the past some time.

OPPENHEIM: Now, as Pakistani-Americans mourn Bhutto, they ask, "What next?" In Jacksonville, Florida, Ashraf Shaikh says, President Musharraf has to stop the violence.

ASHRAF SHAIKH, PAKISTANI-AMERICAN: I think we need strong leadership and law and order environment so that these things don't get out of control any more than what they already are.

OPPENHEIM: Others told us, they believe, with Bhutto's death, hopes for democracy in Pakistan have taken another blow and they wonder how their homeland will ever recover. Keith Oppenheim, CNN, Chicago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: The turmoil in Pakistan and the ripples around the world: what does the U. S. do now? Minutes ahead, a long-time diplomat will join us from Washington to talk about that.

And, what really happened in Rawalpindi? CNN's Jim Clancy with us next hour to break it all down right here in the NEWSROOM.

Meanwhile, a stunning revelation in that fatal tiger attack on Christmas Day: San Francisco Zoo officials now say the wall that surrounds the tiger exhibit was lower than national standards require. CNN's Dan Simons reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Zoo officials making a significant correction -- it turns out the wall that protects the public from the tigers is only 12-1/2 feet tall. According to the Associated Press, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums says it should be at least 16 feet tall. The lower wall might make a jump by the Siberian Tiger out of the enclosure seem more plausible but the zoo's director is still stunned that the animal apparently made that leap.

MANUEL MOLLINEDO, DIRECTOR, SAN FRANCISCO ZOO: 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's an exotic animal.

SIMONS: The father of Carlos Sousa, Jr., the 17-year-old who died, questions the zoo's safeguards.

CARLOS SOUSA, FATHER OF TIGER ATTACK VICTIM: I think, heard a lady got her arm torn off or something. I think that they even did some improvements but they didn't do enough for the public because I think the zoo should be protected on both sides: protected for the people and protected for the animals.

SIMON: Meanwhile, police and zoo personnel distanced themselves from a "San Francisco Chronicle" report that the three young men may have taunted the tiger. The newspaper reported that a victim's shoe and some blood were discovered inside the enclosure. If true, it would suggest at least one of the victims hopped a fence to get closer to the tiger and attract her attention. But San Francisco's police chief says no such evidence was found.

HEATHER FONG, SAN FRANCISCO POLICE CHIEF: We have no information, as of this time, from the investigation, that tells us that someone's leg was leaning against -- or leaning over the railing or slung over the rail at this time. SIMON: Police say they did discover a shoe print on the fence that separates patrons from the tigers. But it's not known at this point if it's from any of the victims.

FONG: We have obtained photographs of that shoe print and we also have all three pairs of shoes from the victims and our forensics analysis will allow us to determine if any of those shoes match the print that is on there.

COLLINS: CNN's Dan Simon is joining us outside of the San Francisco Zoo. Dan, what does the wall height being lower than required mean for the zoo now?

SIMON (on camera): Heidi, you have to remember that when this first started on Christmas Day, zoo officials came out and they told the press that the height of the wall was 20 feet. Then they lowered it to 18 feet. Well, yesterday, they say we were wrong in both instances -- the wall is actually only 12-1/2 feet. Experts had universally come to an agreement that if the wall were 18- or 20-feet there was really no chance that the tiger could scale that wall. Well, now, that it's 12-1/2 feet, it's much more possible that, in fact, it could climb that wall and jump out of the enclosure, Heidi.

COLLINS: Is it obvious they will have to fix this exhibit, if you will?

SIMON: We're going to have to do something. The zoo official, the director, came out yesterday. He said they're really going to do three things to improve that tiger exhibit. Number one, they're going to look at the possibility of raising the wall but they are also going to put an electrical fence on the perimeter of the wall and they are also going to install surveillance cameras, Heidi. We're not quite sure when the zoo will reopen. Perhaps, it will reopen this weekend and as for when the tiger exhibit is going to reopen it's a question mark.

COLLINS: Yes. Wow. Pretty amazing development in this story.

Thanks so much, CNN's Dan Simon in San Francisco.

A woman and her boyfriend are expected to face formal charges today in the killings of six of her family members. According to court documents, the pair confessed to gunning down the woman's parents, her brother and sister-in-law and their two young children. The suspects, Michelle Anderson and Joseph McEnroe, are being held without bail. Police say they methodically shot her relatives on Christmas eve. The bodies were found at her parents' home in Carnation, Washington, that's near Seattle. Prosecutors plan to hold a news conference today to discuss the case.

Reynolds Wolf joining us now this morning in the weather center of snow.

Is that what we should call it?

REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, pretty much. Yes, we've got snow...

COLLINS: It's all over the place!

WOLF: Yes. We got at all here for you. We got snow, we have rain, we have a chance of severe weather and chance of more snowfall. It's a big mix today starting with what happened just yesterday in Colorado from Flagler to Buckley Air Force Base; from Fort Collins and Greeley and Littleton, they range from four inches of snow up to nine inches in Flagler. And now, much of the focus of that wintry weather is moving through parts of the Midwest toward the Great Lakes. We could see anywhere from two to four inches snowfall.

We have got snow advisory from St. Joe and Kansas City upward to Davenport, even into the Chicago area, we could see three to six inches of snowfall. But then, when you get into Michigan, we're talking about an entirely different scenario: some heavy snow possible and four to eight inches of snow. That's pretty much the kind of like the range we can anticipate, although spots of Chicago, mainly the north and western suburbs, don't be surprised if, by tomorrow morning, you head out and you have eight inches of snow. There will be those exceptions.

Farther to the South it's a different situation. There's a chance of severe thunderstorms, maybe even isolated tornadoes and damaging winds as we make our way through the mid-day and afternoon hours. We already have some scattered showers and some storms popping up in Nashville and a towercam in Nashville -- just to give you an idea of what people of the Music City are dealing with this morning.

This is Nashville and, yes, it is pouring! This is a great shot we have compliments of WZ-TV. Can't see much but doesn't it tell a story? All the raindrops on the lens cap? We are going to go back to the weather computer, we are going to leave parts of Nashville, as well as Gallatin, where we see those scattered showers, and pull father south into parts of Atlanta, desperate for rainfall but here this morning a buck 25 -- one more -- a quarter inch of rainfall so far in Atlanta. And not done yet -- we are going to see another installment of rainfall as we get into the afternoon hours.

The image we have for you from WSB shows a shot of the interstate. You can see we've got quite a few back-ups. Wow, look at the top view -- you can see the train roaring by. It is going to be a very wet time for you but it will begin to dry out in the mid-day hours and by the time for the evening commute on your way home to start your weekend, looks like we may be dealing with more showers so it might be an interesting time for you.

We're also seeing issues in terms of air travel. Take a look at this as we wrap up. In Chicago, we've got some ground delays -- no surprise -- 2 hours and 10 minutes. We're also seeing increased delays in Newark and in Atlanta -- departure delays -- about 45 minutes or so at this point. OK, that's the latest we've got for you and we'll check in back with you all morning, Heidi. Let's get back to the news.

COLLINS: All right, I know you have an awful lot going on. Thank you, Reynolds.

WOLF: You bet.

COLLINS: A reminder, too, if news is happening where you are, send us your video or photos. You can go to cnn.com and click on I- report or type ireport@cnn.com right into your cell phone. But, remember, if you're talking about pictures of weather, please stay safe while you do that.

Benazir Bhutto -- her death leaves a mighty void for Washington. A long-time diplomat looks ahead. What does the United States do now?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Welcome back, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

The Bhutto assassination: raising concerns in the United States about fighting the war on terror.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE ANNOUNCER (voice over): Covering the angles. Uncovering the details. See for yourself in the CNN NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: Pakistan: some consider it the most dangerous place in the world. Armed with nuclear weapons, struggling with militant extremists, and highly valued by the U. S. government. So, what now? Karl Inderfurth is a former assistant secretary of state. He is now with George Washington University. He joins us this morning to talk a little bit more about this. Thanks for being here, Karl. I'm sure you saw the headline in "The Washington Post" this morning that says U. S. brokered Bhutto's return. Was this a mistake for the U.S. to,"broker" her return?

KARL INDERFURTH, FORMER ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE: Perhaps, a mistake to do it too publicly. The U. S. needs to stay behind the scenes in trying to influence events in Pakistan. Many people in Pakistan have a very unfavorable view of the United States so it's not helpful for the U. S. to be publicly out in front.

What the U. S. should be doing, though, is to support the forces of moderation in that country which are clearly under siege and Benazir Bhutto was a champion of those forces of moderation and, of course, now she is no longer with us.

COLLINS: How do you do one without the other, if you are the United States?

INDERFURTH: Well, what you do is you make it very clear in all of your public statements that the U. S. supports what Pakistani leaders and political leaders, where they take the country at this stage. This is a crisis for Pakistan. It has suffered a grievous blow with the loss of one of its most important leaders. And, of course, we'll see over the next few days the funeral that will take place.

We need to be very clear that we are behind the democratic forces in Pakistan, but it's their country and it's their decisions and we need to support those. It may require some delay in the elections but it's their call, not ours. We have to respect the Pakistani process right now.

COLLINS: So, what is the first thing that you do, though, if you are George Bush, the president of this country? Or, maybe, even Condoleeza Rice?

INDERFURTH: Well, do you what they did, which was to express our deepest condolences for the loss of the Bhutto family and the people of Pakistan. And, then, you have the American embassy in Islamabad listening to what is being said by the political leadership, trying to stay in contact with all of the political leadership, not only with President Musharraf and the government, but also the leaders of the two main political parties, as well as the Islamist parties.

We need to reach out to all Pakistanis at this stage and we also need to be very careful about what we do with respect to strengthening the -- our efforts on the war on terrorism. The last meeting that Benazir Bhutto had was with the President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai. What they talked about was the resurgence of Al-Qaeda and Taliban in Pakistan and her determination to deal with that as she returned to office. That is something that the U. S. government has to pay a great deal of attention to.

COLLINS: No question about that. What about this opinion that is out there? I'm not sure how prevalent it is but there is opinion that is out there. I'm not sure how prevalent it is, but there is certainly talk that Musharraf is now finished because the U. S. policy that has been put into place or, at least, portions of it is just in disarray. Do you agree?

INDERFURTH: Well, keep in mind that Musharraf, himself, suffered a major blow with the death of Benazir Bhutto because she was an ally of his in the war on extremism in Pakistan. They were allies in this. So Musharraf has taken a major blow here, too. They had a rocky relationship, but basically they were both part of the forces of moderation in Pakistan. COLLINS: Yes. Right. I don't think most people see it that way.

INDERFURTH: Most people don't, but the fact is she was willing -- I actually saw her before, in Washington, before she returned to Pakistan in October. She was willing to work with Musharraf because she realized he had an important role. The army is an important player. And, she wanted to be that bridge back to a civilian democratic government and she was willing to work with Musharraf.

So, I think, we ought to look at Musharraf as a continued presence there and hopefully he will reach out to other democratic leaders in Pakistan and they can form some form of coalition of moderation because that is the only way to deal with the extremists that are gaining strength in Pakistan today.

COLLINS: Let's talk, for just a moment, about the elections, the upcoming elections on January 8th. Listen, if you would with me, to Tom Casey -- he's a State Department spokesman, had to say about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOM CASEY, DEPUTY SPOKESMAN, STATE DEPARTMENT: I don't think it would do any justice to her memory to have an election postponed or canceled simply as a result of this tragic incident. Again, I think that -- the only people that win through such a course of action are the people who perpetrated this attack.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: But who is going to run in this election? What do you do about this election and, maybe more importantly, what does the U. S. do about the Pakistani elections?

INDERFURTH: The Pakistani's Peoples' Party which she led is now leaderless. They will have to find -- and what's more important of the opposition parties -- they will have to find a leader.

COLLINS: They don't have much time.

INDERFURTH : They don't have much time. The other leader of the major party there is Nawaz Sharif, the former prime minister. He has said that he's going to would boycott the election. I think the most important thing for the memory and legacy of Benazir Bhutto is for -- and she wrote about this several times in op-eds, including in "The New York Times", before she went back to Pakistan -- for the forces of moderation to join together. And, if those forces of moderation say we need time between now and when the elections were scheduled on January 8th, we need more time now to organize ourselves to get a new leader for her party, to make sure these elections are free and fair. If the Pakistanis themselves reach that conclusion, the U. S. should support that. Again, it's their country and, quite frankly, we have done a bit too much interfering in those Pakistani affairs in the past and it's not well received.

COLLINS: Probably, we will continue to talk a whole lot more about this. I'm certain of that. We appreciate your time.

INDERFURTH: Sure.

COLLINS: Karl Inderfurth is the former assistant secretary of state, specifically for South Asian affairs. Thanks again.

INDERFURTH: Thank you.

COLLINS: Stocks slide on news of violence in Pakistan. Why events overseas can hit you in the wallet? After this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: World stock market slide this morning. A reaction to the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and the fall-out in Pakistan. The events overseas affecting your wallet. Jill Bennett from "Businessweek-TV" is "Minding Your Business" for us this morning.

Hi there, Jill.

JILL BENNETT, BUSINESSWEEK-TV: Hi, Heidi. Good morning, everyone. This is exactly right. We are seeing this unrest today and, certainly, investors in Asia had their first chance to react to the news about the assassination in Pakistan. So, we did see a real rough and tumble start of the trading day there. And, by close, we had the Nikkei and the Hang Seng post off by one-and-a-half percent.

When we are looking towards Europe, we are not seeing that exaggerated type of sellout but a little bit more a mixed picture. But, if you take a look at Wall Street from yesterday, on news of everything going on in Pakistan, we did have a lower close. The Dow lower by 192 points; Nasdaq off 47; and S&P-500 lower to 1,476. Now, we do have indications futures looking like we're going to see a pick- up today. We'll see how that holds out.

There are some reports out there saying that, basically, banks may be selling off some assets to help ease this credit crunch so that is seeming to pop stocks a little bit, although we do get a report later this morning on new home sales not expected to be too good so we might see a pull-back in the market in that. Also, in relation to oil prices, because we've seen a big run-up in that because of the unrest in Pakistan, it just, basically, raises a lot of tensions about the geo-political risks out there.

A lot of concerns about what this could mean in terms of maybe it will disrupt oil supplies from that region -- not necessarily from Pakistan -- but from the region. We have oil at settling at $96.62 yesterday -- seems to be trending higher, about $97 a barrel -- one dollar now from its all-time high. It's up about 60 percent this year so far and, certainly, that has a big impact on people who are driving up to the gas pumps and filling those cars up and also when it comes time to pay for those home-heating oil costs.

COLLINS: Yes, Jill, we'll talk about that for a little bit, if you would. What does it really mean in gas prices? Because that is always what everybody wants to know.

BENNETT: Oh, it is! Right now we have gas trading at -- standing at about $3 per gallon, but you can expect it to go up in the next couple of weeks. Usually, when you see oil go up $1 a barrel -- just $1 a barrel -- and stay there, that usually translates to a 2 to 3 cent jump in the next ten days or so. You are going to be paying more.

COLLINS: Yes. All right. Hey, Jill, it was nice having you. Thanks so much.

BENNETT: Same to you. Happy Friday.

COLLINS: All right, you, too.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE ANNOUNCER (voice-over): Live in the CNN NEWSROOM -- Heidi Collins.

COLLINS: Good morning once again, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. Benazir Bhutto's assassination: will it help Al-Qaeda and Muslim extremists keep the Pakistani military at bay? Here now is CNN's Barbara Starr.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Pakistani forces are now on red alert as anti-government demonstrations spread. For the U. S., it's a high-wire act with this critical ally and nuclear power. The U. S. has been funneling President Pervez Musharraf and his army billions of dollars in aid for years to fight extremists. But the assassination is the clearest indication the strategy isn't working. Former CIA acting director and CNN analyst, John McLaughlin, says stability in Pakistan is in jeopardy.

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN, FORMER CIA ACTING DIRECTOR: I think the bottom line is Al-Qaeda probably has a little more running room here because the country will be in such chaos in coming weeks that the capacity of authorities to focus on Al-Qaeda will be diminished.

STARR: The fundamental Pentagon concern? Musharraf will be so consumed by the struggle to stay in power. His army and security services will not pay enough attention to al Qaeda, which already has found a growing sanctuary in Pakistani cities. An eerie prediction by Defense Secretary Robert Gates just last week.

ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: Al Qaeda, right now, seems to have turned its face toward Pakistan.

STARR: Within hours of the assassination, Bush administration officials spoke to their counterparts in Pakistan urging them, once again, to have the Pakistani army step up its counterinsurgency efforts against al Qaeda. Beyond al Qaeda itself, U.S. officials say, former operatives in Pakistan's Intelligence Services, loyal to al Qaeda, could be responsible for the attack. If stability isn't quickly restored, analysts warn the breakdown of Pakistan could mean grave new risks.

STEPHEN COHEN, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: At that point, we begin to wonder who has got the nuclear weapons. Who controls them and where they are? We could be worried about that sooner if is there a break in the security barrier around those nuclear weapons and one or two of them get picked off by radicals in some sort or another.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STARR: Congress had already put restrictions on aid to Pakistan wanting to see more Democratic reforms before sending more money. But U.S. officials tell CNN, they now see a much more immediate problem, restoring basic law and order. Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Eyewitness to assassination. Hear from the photo journalist who captured the last known images of Benazir Bhutto.

There you have it, the opening bell. Just a few moments ago. New York Stock Exchange. We have been talking about this a bit already this morning and reactions to the assassination of the former Pakistani prime minister. What those markets did, here and overseas as well.

We know the Dow Jones Industrial averages lost about 192 points yesterday. You see now, things are to the positive. Up about 75 points, resting at 13,442. What does it mean for oil prices as well in all of this? We're going to be talking business, a little bit later on, so stick around, right here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Benazir Bhutto, a symbol of democracy in Pakistan. Her assassination, a reminder of the volatility that haunts a critical U.S. ally. CNN international correspondent, Nic Robertson, has spent considerable time in Pakistan. Today, he is joining us from Switzerland. Nic, there's so many questions to go over with you. But let's begin by talking a bit about the future of Pakistan. We have this election looming just weeks away. We have no one that has been chosen, obviously, as of yet, to take the place of Benazir Bhutto and the people's party.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, officials of the Pakistan Peoples Party that I've talked to today say, that they can find a leader, that they will find one soon, that they have a strong support base through the population. And it's essential for them, they say, to find a leader to move forward. They haven't decided whether or not, to stand in the elections, that are scheduled and the government has reaffirmed that the schedule, the 8th of January.

The other former prime minister who has returned from exile, Nawaz Sharif has says, his party will not stand in those elections. Is oppose to elections on the 8th of January and says, if a country does follow through with those elections, then that is a path to destruction and ruin for the country.

But there is a potential here for Benazir Bhutto's Party to perhaps reap some political capital from her assassination. There has been an outpouring of support and sympathy for her and her party and if they can rally and find a strong leader, a charismatic leader quickly, able to fill her shoes, perhaps they can do well in the elections. But it's absolutely not clear, can they find that person or will they choose to stand in the elections -- Heidi?

COLLINS: How likely do you think that is? I mean, it just seems like such a daunting task at this time.

ROBERTSON: It's a huge daunting task. And the officials I spoke to, earlier this morning, before Benazir Bhutto's funeral, told me their priority was to bury, Benazir, and then address that issue. So, I think they are still in a state of confusion. They will have to bring people together. And it is a challenge. This is a political party that's been built on the dynasty of her family.

Benazir Bhutto's father led the party before her. He was hanged by military rulers, 28 years ago. Now, she has been killed with no apparent heir within the family. And this is, as I say, a political dynasty. Now, it's own to other members of the party. We don't know if there will be infighting. The party itself says, no, they can manage this huge task.

COLLINS: You know, I'm just getting some information in here, Nic. And I wonder, I hope I'm not putting you on the spot. But I wonder, if you might be able to shed some light on it. We have learned here at CNN, according to the Pakistani Interior Ministry, that the suicide bomber who apparently killed Benazir Bhutto has now been identified, as belonging to a militant group with ties to al Qaeda.

I'm just wondering, if you may know, anything about this Sunni Muslim group that we're talking about here and forgive my pronunciation, if it is inaccurate, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. This was a group that was banned by Pakistani President Musharraf back in 2001 and is listed as a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department.

ROBERTSON: And before 2001, this group operated by another name where its training camps were covertly supported by the Pakistani government for this particular group. If were talking about the same group here. Have yet to read through that information in detail. But if that is this group, this was the group that the Pakistani government supported to perform essentially terrorist acts, but they call them Kashmiri freedom fighters, to fight in the Indian held part of Kashmir. This is a group that has subsequently been declared a terrorist organization by President Musharraf and has subsequently gone on to form links or at that time, as well back in 2001. Back in the year 2000 and 1999 had links with al Qaeda and with the Taliban. All these type of groups in Pakistan are interchangeable players. At one time, supported some of them, by the Pakistani government. That is where the claims lie, that former Pakistani military officers are involved in training in some of these training camps. That's where those claims come from.

So, the information that we have so far does, as we heard from President Musharraf yesterday, pin it down more specifically to a radical Islamist group. But these groups, all of them in Pakistan, are interchangeable players and have ties across that spectrum of radical Islamic groups, Taliban, al Qaeda, call it what you will, they train in the same camps and they have essentially the same mission statement.

COLLINS: Right. All right, well, Nic, if you'll stick around, we would love to talk to you again in the next hour. Appreciate that reporting. Live, Nic Robertson, from Switzerland today.

We want to talk about the weather now, because we have some extreme conditions, if you will. Reynolds Wolf is standing by now, to talk a little bit more about the snow in the heart of the country. Yes?

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: The assassination of Benazir Bhutto. How a tragedy on the world stage takes center stage in U.S. presidential politics.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: The assassination of Benazir Bhutto and the race for the White House. A tragedy in Pakistan, taking center stage now, on the U.S. presidential campaign trail. CNN's senior political correspondent Candy Crowley reports.

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CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's the thing about the campaign trail. The world has a way of finding it. The Bhutto assassination instantly changed the conversation. Offering a kind of test run for the people who would be commander in chief.

SEN. JOSEPH BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Ladies and gentlemen, the stakes are incredibly high. They are incredibly high. If Pakistan falls in a complete turmoil, martial law is declared again, you end up with a state that is being run by a dictator. Ladies and gentlemen, that does not bode well for Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, India.

CROWLEY: In the campaign that has been drifting toward economic issues, Bhutto's death and turmoil inside a nuclear armed country could refocus voters on foreign policy. If so, the advantage shifts to candidates selling their experience. If voters see a high stakes drama in Pakistan, they may gravitate away from candidates like Mike Huckabee who did not seem to know that President Musharraf lifted the state of emergency two weeks ago.

MIKE HUCKABEE, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What impact does it have on whether or not, there is going to be martial law continued in Pakistan?

CROWLEY: And Pakistan could give new life to someone like John McCain.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My theme has been, throughout this campaign that I'm the one with the experience, the knowledge, and the judgment. So, perhaps it may serve to enhance those credentials.

CROWLEY: Certainly, across the spectrum, foreign policy credentials were the topic of the day. Former U.N. Ambassador Bill Richardson called on Musharraf to resign. Others just called him.

JOHN EDWARDS, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I actually spoke to President Musharraf just a few minutes ago, as I was about to come in here, and he was in Islamabad. And I urged him to continue this Democratization process.

CROWLEY: Locked inside a tough three-way battle for Iowa, Hillary Clinton has spent a year calling herself, the most experienced, most qualified candidate. Today, she stressed ties with Bhutto and the tragedy of the death, but inside the campaign, they believed the more voters see the stakes as high, the better she does.

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This is one of the most important elections of our lifetime and it certainly raises the stakes high for what we have to expect from our next president.

CROWLEY: Camp Obama which has spent a year pushing back on criticism that he lacks experience, insists they welcome a renewed discussion on foreign policy. Because when the talk turns to a troubled world, the Obama campaign turns to Clinton's yes vote, on the Iraq war.

DAVID AXELROD, OBAMA CHIEF STRATEGIST: She was a strong supporter of the war in Iraq, which we would submit is one of the reasons why we were diverted from Afghanistan, Pakistan, al Qaeda, who may have been players in this event today. So, that's a judgment, she'll have to defend.

CROWLEY: The Clinton campaign said the suggestion that her vote caused unrest in Pakistan is baseless. Adding, that this is the time to focus on the people of Pakistan, not politics.

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COLLINS: Candy Crowley reporting for us.

Now, we want to tell you about this story. Got milk and Listeria? A new England dairy farm linked to a deadly bacterial infection.

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COLLINS: Taking no chances. People in Massachusetts are being warned to throw out milk from a dairy link to do a deadly outbreak of Listeria. Here is Michelle Relerford from our affiliate WHDH.

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MICHELLE RELERFORD, AFFILIATE WHDH: The dairy store will remain dark at Whittier Farms. Shut down after products from this company are found contaminated with Listeria bacteria causing four customers to get sick, two of them died.

JIM URSO, WHITTIER FARM CUSTOMER: We've gotten a number of different products from them over there. Milk and other dairy products, but it never had any problems. It's a little bit scary to think about.

RELERFORD: A Listeria bacteria causes listeriosis. The four cases linked to Whittier Farms were found within the last six months. One pregnant woman became ill. The two victims were elderly men when Worcester County.

DR. ALFRED DEMARIA, DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH: This is the kind of infection that causes significant disease in people with underlying diseases. Cancer, chemotherapy, steroids, pregnancy. We wanted people not to consume these products.

RELERFORD: Whittier Farms products are also found under the brand name Whittier, Schultz, Balance Rock, Spring Brook and Maple. Most of their customers live near Worcester and Shrewsbury. Those customers hoping this new information has not come too late.

MARTHA GANNON, WHITTIER FARMS CUSTOMER: Kind of went, whoa, dumped everything out. I have to see what happens.

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COLLINS: Whittier farms will remain closed until the source of the contamination is identified.

And what really happened in Rawalpindi? CNN's Jim Clancy with us, next hour to break it all down, right here in the NEWSROOM.

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COLLINS: He spent four decades in Corporate America. Now, he is flying high at new heights. Lending a hand to those in need. Ali Velshi has the story in this morning's "Life After Work."

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It all depends on the temperature.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's a cold day in December and Vincent De La Torre (ph) is headed to Cape Cod Hospital for his daily cancer treatment. But thanks to Pilot Peter Ryan and a group called Angel Flight, Vincent doesn't have to drive through snowy roads or suffer long ferry rides to get there.

PETER RYAN, VOLUNTEER PILOT, ANGEL FLIGHT: Angel Flight is an association of volunteer pilots who use their own planes, who fly people in need for medical attention and do that all free of charge.

VELSHI: For Ryan, it's more than just a charitable act. It's part of a lifelong dream. As a child, Ryan, spent hours watching planes come and go from Long Island, but his career path led him into the television business, where he worked as a sales executive for nearly 40 years. When he retired in 1998, Ryan decided to dedicate his time and effort to helping others, while pursuing his passion for flying.

RYAN: I knew I wanted to do something that would be of service, some way to give back.

VELSHI: He has now flown more than 120 Angel Flight missions for both patients and their families, and says it's the most rewarding work he's ever done.

RYAN: The patients are so inspiring. These are people who, under the most dire medical circumstances, are willing to get in small airplanes, travel distances and I just say, it's the most satisfying flying you'll ever do.

VELSHI: Ali Velshi, CNN, New York.

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COLLINS: Benazir Bhutto's final moments, seconds before the bombing. Photojournalist, John Moore, took the last known pictures of Bhutto. Here is Moore, the account, in his own words.

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JOHN MOORE, PHOTO JOURNALIST: The vehicle was moving very slowly, because the crowd was all around and there was pushing through. She clearly wanted to get close to her people. I was very surprised that she was coming out of the sunroof of this car, considering what happened in Karachi a while back. And I had been photographing her pushing through the crowd, and the vehicle sort of surged forward and I got out of the way and moved a little bit ahead of it.

And suddenly, well, I turned around and heard three shots go off and saw her go down, fall down through the sunroof, down into the car, and just at that moment, I raised my camera and started photographing with the high-speed motor drive and that's how I was able to capture some of the explosion, when it went off and the aftermath.

As you can see, the photos are a little bit blurry because I was being shoved around. The crowd was pushing. They were very emotional. And it was a bit chaotic, even before the blast went off. Of course, people were scattered all about. People were in different states of medical crisis. Some could still walk. Others were maimed and just crying out for help. It was just a horrible scene. The carnage was everywhere.

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COLLINS: Good morning, everybody, I'm Heidi Collins.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello to you, I'm Don Lemon, in today for Tony Harris.

Stay informed all day in the CNN NEWSROOM. Here's what's on the rundown.

New details this morning on the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. Thousands of mourners gather for her funeral, as the Pakistani government reveals exactly how she died. Our Jim Clancy will have the latest for you.

COLLINS: A tiger has attack. They couldn't hold the tiger. San Francisco Zoo admitting the walls, separating the tigers from the humans, not tall enough.

LEMONS: And small child with a very big headache. A screwdriver stuck in her eye socket. It is Friday, December 28th, and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

And we start at 10:00 hour with new information coming in on the assassination of Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

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