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Crane Collapses During Morning Rush Hour in New York; Feds Investigate Possible Crude Oil Price Manipulation; Finding Cheap Gas

Aired May 30, 2008 - 14:00   ET

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

ROB MARCIANO, CNN ANCHOR: They're a fixture of New York's building boom. But for the second time in two and a half months, a construction crane has been the cause of destruction and death.
We're live on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: The sky-high oil price? Well, it's a hardship for millions, but a windfall for some. But is it a crime? Federal investigators aim to find out.

Hello, everybody, on this Friday. I'm Betty Nguyen, here at CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.

MARCIANO: And I'm Rob Marciano.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

This is what crews are dealing with in New York City right now, the wreckage of a huge construction crane. It came down during the morning rush hour on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. At least one person is dead, two critically hurt.

CNN's Jason Carroll is following the story for us in New York.

Hello again, Jason.

JASON CARROLL, CNN ANCHOR: Hello to you, Rob.

A lot of questions being asked, given the history of what's happened here. Just two and a half months ago, we saw a deadly crane accident on the Upper East Side, and once again this morning, another one.

Take a look at where it happened. That is the crane in question. On top of that crane there used to be a cab, what they call a cab on top of it, about the size of a small fire truck. It, for some reason, fell off, and fell on to the building next to it. And as it fell to the ground, it sheared off a side of it.

According to what we've learned, the site of this construction site has had several past violations, including working without a permit, moving a hoist without a permit. Even so, a little earlier today, New York City's mayor, along with the acting building commissioner, stood side by side and said this crane was inspected and it was in compliance.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (I), NEW YORK: The first examination of the records say that this crane was inspected and was installed and stepped in compliance with regulations, with building inspectors there. So we don't know why the top just snapped off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: And Rob, just want to recap a little bit of what happened out here this morning. It was just after 8:00 a.m. I spoke to two construction workers who were here when it all happened. One was on the six account floor, one was on the 11th floor.

Both of them say everything seemed to be fine. Nothing was out of order, when all of a sudden they heard a very loud noise, looked up, and saw that cab fall off the top of that crane.

Also want you to listen to an interview that was done with a woman who was inside that building that the crane fell on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ASIA GIBSON, WITNESS, CONSTRUCTION WORKER: I heard the crane snap like a toothpick, and it started to pull away from the building. It fell back, it hit the penthouse, fell, hit it again, and then just came straight down into the street.

CARROLL: What do you think could have caused something like this to happen?

GIBSON: Like I said, we really don't know, because as far as -- we had inspectors from every local come check it out. We had building inspectors that were on site every day. They told us what they liked, what they didn't like.

We complied with them 100 percent. That's why the job was never shut down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was actually asleep and heard like a loud noise, and the building really shook a lot. And I kind of -- my roommate and I shot up out of bed. And I ran to the window and there was smoke and tons of debris falling everywhere. Then we just ran outside.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And what was -- what went through your mind when all of this happened?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I initially thought it was like a bomb or something. I mean, it was just like (INAUDIBLE). That's kind of the first thing I thought. She knew, she said, that it was a crane.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CARROLL: And now, Rob, come the questions. Just two and a half months ago, we saw another deadly crane accident. Seven people were killed in that accident, 24 people were hurt.

That investigation still pending. Now we have another investigation this morning. One person killed, two people, also construction workers, seriously injured.

Now come the questions of this crane accident. Was it human error, was it mechanical error? These are some of the things that investigators are going to be looking at as they move forward -- Rob.

MARCIANO: What a frightening, frightening experience that must have been for those people.

Jason Carroll reporting live for us from the Upper East Side.

Thank you, Jason.

NGUYEN: Well, another frightening experience we want to tell you about, a plane crash in Honduras.

The Grupo TACA airplane, one of those overshot the runway in the Honduran capital. And we are being told right now that at least one person is dead as a result of this plane crash.

The reports say Flight 390 was arriving from El Salvador. It ended up stopping on a nearby street. You see it right here. It looks even in a neighborhood.

Again, overshot the runway, landed on a street in this neighborhood. You see some people coming out of the plane there, but we are told at least one person is dead and there are some injuries. We don't know the extent of those injuries, but obviously crews are on the ground, as well as firefighters.

So we'll continue to follow this story and bring you the latest just as soon as we get it.

MARCIANO: Movement today in the case of Texas versus a polygamous sect. State authorities say they've collected DNA from its leader, Warren Jeffs. They allege he had so-called spiritual marriages with four girls ages 12 to 15.

For now, Jeffs is in an Arizona jail on abuse charges unrelated to what's happening in Texas. But late yesterday, the state Supreme Court upheld an appeals court ruling. It agreed that child welfare agents overstepped their authority when they removed more than 400 children from the polygamist ranch near El Dorado.

A hearing is about to get underway to decide what happens next. We'll bring you the latest.

NGUYEN: Well, the increase in oil prices is taking money out of all of our pockets, and a lot of people have suspected something is amiss here, including the federal government. CNNMoney.com's Poppy Harlow is drilling for answers about a newly-revealed government investigation.

So what do we know about this investigation so far, Poppy?

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Yes, I'll get into that in just a second. Quickly, a check of the numbers.

Oil, crude futures trading right now around $128 a barrel. Off the record high we saw last week, but still, Betty, double what we saw just a year ago.

Now, we heard late yesterday the Commodity Futures Trading Commission has been looking into potential market manipulation in the oil markets since December. And as we've been telling you, the price of crude, that's up about 40 percent since the beginning of this year.

Now, oil is traded on the futures market. And the CFTC governs future trading in the U.S., everything from crude oil to wheat to gold. And the CFTC is looking into whether traders, banks or hedge funds bet oil prices would rise based on information they should not have access to, therefore driving up the price of oil and gas for the rest of us.

Now, the former head of trading and markets of the CFTC was a guest this morning on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," and he thinks the investigation is really shining a light on the futures market and could change some behavior.

Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL GREENBERGER, CENTER FOR HEALTH & HOMELAND SECURITY: The traders now know that someone is looking over their shoulder, and their manipulative practice, their phony sales, are being watched. Investment banks, hedge funds and wealthy investors in dark corners of these markets are taking money out of the consumer's pocket.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARLOW: As you can hear, pretty harsh words there, pretty harsh accusations.

Now, the question is, how much of that money is the result of normal market conditions? We're talking supply and demand. And how much of it is due to alleged illegal manipulation? Now, traders are allowed to speculate about futures prices, but they are not allowed to manipulate the market. So far, the commission isn't showing its cards -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Well, as you said just moments earlier, that oil is off its high, but how significant is it that the CFTC is making this probe public right now? Is that really affecting what we're seeing with the oil prices? HARLOW: Yes, that's a great question, because the only card that the commission is showing is that there's an investigation. They're not saying anything further.

And the commission, like all securities regulators, rarely discloses an inquiry as serious as this one until it gets very, very serious. So, keep in mind, the commission said just about three weeks ago to Congress that their studies so far have produced no evidence that oil speculators are significantly driving up the price of crude.

So yesterday afternoon's disclosure really, Betty, just adds a whole new layer to this story. What has changed in the last 21 days? We don't know.

But what we do know is so far, there are no specific allegations of any wrongdoing. But again, today, look at that gas gauge we have up on the screen often in our programming. Another record high for gas, $3.96. So Americans are still feeling the pinch -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Oh yes, no doubt they are. And it will be interesting to see what this investigation finds out and what it does as a result of it.

OK. Poppy Harlow joining us live.

Thank you, Poppy.

HARLOW: Sure.

MARCIANO: Drama, drama, drama for the Democrats. The party's Florida and Michigan problem is going before the DNC Rules Committee. The panel is meeting in Washington to decide what to do about seating both states' delegates at the August convention.

For Hillary Clinton, who won both primaries, but who trails in the delegate derby, it could be a make-or-break proposition. She wants all of the delegates seated. Barack Obama says he'll agree to seat some of the disputed delegates.

Then there's the issue of how many to divide any delegates who are seated. None of the delegates -- none of the candidates campaigned in Florida, and Clinton's name was the only one on the ballot in Michigan. Both states were stripped of their delegates from moving up their primaries.

NGUYEN: Well, leading our Political Ticker for you, Democrats' determination to bring the nomination fight to a close. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, well, they are teaming up. A senior Democratic aide tells CNN Pelosi is calling uncommitted superdelegates, urging them to back either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama between now and next week. Reid is also encouraging uncommitted senators to make a decision soon.

MARCIANO: Well, will President Bush's former spokesman drop another bombshell? Scott McClellan hinted in interviews yesterday that he might support Democrat Barack Obama, saying he's intrigued by Obama's message. McClellan has shocked and angered some Republicans with his scathing new book about the Bush administration.

NGUYEN: Obama says it will be over after Tuesday's final two Democratic primaries. Hillary Clinton, of course, disagrees with that.

Our latest estimate shows Obama within striking distance of the nomination, only 45 delegates short. Eighty-six delegates are at stake in Sunday's primary in Puerto Rico, and Tuesday's contests in Montana and South Dakota. Almost 200 superdelegates also remain up for grabs.

MARCIANO: Well, you see them on your TV screen at practically every campaign event -- so-called body people who are always with Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain. Who are these people?

We'll tell you who they are and why they're so important.

And a shocking discovery in South America. We'll tell you about a tribe that's never had contact with the outside world. Stunning pictures. Now there's a move underway to protect these hidden people.

And new pictures of the damage by storms in the Midwest. We'll tell you what to watch for next. Chad Myers in the severe weather center.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: Gas prices stand at more than $3.96 a gallon this Friday. And drivers, of course, are always looking to save a little money at the pump. But are those Web sites that claim to tell you where the cheapest gas is really accurate?

Allan Chernoff hit the road to investigate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SR. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Driving into Brooklyn with a tank near empty, hoping to use the Internet to save a few bucks on a fill-up.

(on camera): The zip code here is 11217. Let's punch that in and find some cheap gas.

(voice-over): Automotive.com promoted itself to CNN, so we're checking it first. But the repeated response on the Web site, data is not available. So we begin with a printout from automotive.com, just a half hour old.

(on camera): Automotive.com says the price here is $4.19 a gallon. But the actual price, it's $4.29. When was the last time you were charging $4.19 here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, it was two weeks ago.

CHERNOFF: Two weeks ago.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

CHERNOFF: Now the Web site is providing prices online. Automotive.com directs us to a Mobil station on Third Avenue. Turns out though there's no Mobil station here. It's a Citgo.

(on camera): It says you're a Mobil station.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not Mobil.

CHERNOFF: Have you ever been Mobil?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

CHERNOFF: For premium, what are you charging?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For premium, I charged $4.42.

CHERNOFF: Wow. It says $4.32.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: $4.42.

CHERNOFF: Only one of the five stations we checked on automotive.com was entirely accurate. The Web site says the prices come from credit card transactions, but concedes its data provider, which it would not name is not always timely.

JAMES BELL, AUTOMOTIVE.COM: There may be four or five to seven days before a dealer -- sorry, a gas station can upload us with the new information. It then goes into that vendor and then is supplied to automotive.com.

CHERNOFF: There are at least a half dozen Web sites claiming to find cheap gas. Map quest gas prices shows stations in New Jersey when we plug in our Brooklyn zip code. Gasbuddy.com, which relies on spotters who report prices did a better job. This price was accurate. But at this Sunoco the price quoted online was six hours old.

We came to this mobile because Gas Buddy said the price was $4.05, and by the time you got here, 4.09. What are you going do? Fill it up and keep on paying.

Allan Chernoff, CNN, Brooklyn, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Ain't that the truth? I mean, really, there's nothing else you can do.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Hello, everybody on this Friday. I'm Betty Nguyen, in for Kyra Phillips live at the CNN World Headquarters right here in Atlanta.

MARCIANO: And I'm Rob Marciano in for Don Lemon. And you are in the NEWSROOM.

It is 2:30 p.m. Eastern time. Here are three of the stories we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM.

New York City has suffered its second deadly crane collapse in less than three months. A construction crane collapsed today and smashed into a 23-story apartment building, killing one worker and leaving two others seriously injured.

And members of a polygamous sect want authorities to return their children now that the Texas Supreme Court has ruled that they were removed illegally. Despite that, authorities are continuing their investigation into alleged child abuse. They've obtained DNA samples from sect leader, Warren Jeffs.

And the Democratic National Committee is meeting in Washington to decide what to do about Florida and Michigan delegates. Hillary Clinton supporters want the delegates seated at the August national convention, even though the primaries were held in defiance of party rules.

NGUYEN: Barack Obama says he is deeply disappointed by a sermon at his Chicago church last Sunday that mocked Hillary Clinton. It was delivered by a Catholic priest, Father Michael Pfleger who picked on Clinton for getting teary eyed before the New Hampshire primary back in January. Obama was not at that service but clips are making the rounds on YouTube.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REV. MICHAEL PFLEGER, ST. SABIN A CATHOLIC CHURCH: She just always thought, this is mine. I'm Bill's wife; I'm white, and this is mine. I've just got to get up and step into the plate. And then out of nowhere came, hey, I'm Barack Obama. And she said, oh, damn. Where did you come from? I'm white; I'm entitled. There's a black man stealing my show.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Pfleger is a friend of Obama's inflammatory former pastor Jeremiah Wright. Now he's apologized for his comments. The Clinton campaign calls the sermon divisive and hateful and says there is no place in the pulpit or politics.

MARCIANO: When you see the presidential candidates, you always see them nearby. They are called body people. They're indispensable to John McCain, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. But who are they? And what exactly do they do?

CNN's Josh Levs found out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As the candidates scurry all over the country, talking, shaking hands and posing for pictures, who makes sure all the right people get talked to; the most important hand get shaken; the best photos snapped?

That often falls to the top personal aide, known as the body person.

HUMA ABEDIN, HILLARY CLINTON'S BODY WOMAN: Right here. OK.

LEVS: For Clinton, it's Huma Abedin, the traveling chief of staff. Her work catching every detail for Clinton over the years has helped turn her into what the "New York Observer" called a, "mythical figure" in New York and Washington politics.

ABEDIN: Shake hands with this (INAUDIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hillary Clinton.

LEVS: Amid campaign chaos, it's up to her to make sure everything runs smoothly.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Mr. Reggie Love. Give it up for Reggie Love.

LEVS: At a rally in Charlotte, Barack Obama recently thanked his body man, a 26-year-old former Duke basketball player, who's duties include playing with the senator, and other tasks.

OBAMA: Come on up here because I want to get rid of my jacket.

Reggie, Reggie.

LEVS: "The New York Times" reports that Love carries a Tide pen to wipe spills off the senator's tie, saying he, "has turned himself into a dispensary of sharpies, stationery, protein bars, throat lozenges, water, tea, Advil, Tylenol, Purell and emergency Nicorette."

John McCain's campaign has sometimes had to double up on how many tasks one person takes on. "The New Yorker" reported in February, "... in a campaign that has been forced to do more with less, his press secretary, Brooke Buchanan, also served as his body woman, taking care of everything from spraying down stray strands of hair to making sure that he's well caffeinated."

As the campaign wears on, having a body person let's a candidate know someone's got his or her back, often literally.

Josh Levs, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Well, a suicide bomber in Iraq. The story isn't new or surprising, but the bomber is symbolic of the new face of terrorism.

MARCIANO: And in China's disaster zone, nobody's rebuilding yet. Why? Danger on an epic scale still looms. Details are ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) NGUYEN: Breaking news just into CNN. We are learning that the New York City medical examiner has confirmed that there is a second death in that crane collapse today. This coming to us from the "Associated Press." Here's some video of that crane collapse. It, in fact, was a construction crane that went down today in upper Manhattan during morning rush hour.

It came down on a building. It also came down on the sidewalks. And there was some concern, as we were speaking to our reporter, Jason Carroll on the ground, that there may be some people possibly still trapped in the rubble, although for the most part, officials and emergency crews believe they had gotten everybody out.

But the latest news is that a second person has died in this crane collapse, and there are some injuries as well. Now, it's not understood if the second person is among the two people who were critically injured or if it's another person that they have found dead in this crane collapse. Of course, we're going to continue to follow this story and bring you the latest as we get more information on it.

MARCIANO: Cluster bombs, dumb bombs and carpet bombs. However you refer to them, reps for more than 110 nations today adopted a treaty banning the use of them often unreliable and inaccurate weapons in military conflict. Cluster bombs are those wide-area canister munitions contained in a single projectile or missile.

Noticeably missing from the conference were the biggest producers and historically the biggest users of cluster bombs, the United States, Russia, India and Pakistan. Those who are against this type of bomb say they result in too many civilian casualties long after the end of armed conflicts.

NGUYEN: It's a new terror tactic that is in Iraq. Suicide bombers who don't fit the typical profile -- women lured into desperate acts by conniving recruiters, and they are appearing and dying, also killing, more now than ever before.

CNN's Arwa Damon is in Baghdad.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): March 17 -- a busy street in the Iraqi city of Karbala. Security video captures a woman dressed in flowing black robes. A bomb she is carrying explodes, killing more than 50 people. A few weeks earlier, a woman tries to drive into the compound of a prominent tribal leader in Ramadi.

SHEIKH IFAN AL-ASAWI, TRIBAL LEADER: From the towers, they try to stop the woman, because the woman tried to drive the vehicle inside my base. After that, one of my people in the towers, he shoot the vehicle to stop, but the woman blew herself.

DAMON: This was all that remained of her vehicle. Three security guards were also killed. A short time later, Shari-Fan (ph), says he questioned the suicide bombers mother. CNN obtained his video of the interrogation. The woman speaks almost without emotion about her daughter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): She refused to marry her cousin. After an engagement that lasted four years, she wanted to die in the name of God. At the end of her life, she got very religious. More than average.

DAMON: Her son was a suicide bomber in 2004, and she suggests her daughter may have had the same motives.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): So she told me she is sick of this life. She told me that this life was worthless. She spoke about the Americans. I asked her, where will you get Americans? She said she would go after the Americans.

REAR ADMIRAL PATRICK DRISCOLL, U.S. MILITARY SPOKESMAN: They're looking for vulnerable people.

DAMON: And the Americans are disturbed by the rising number of female suicide bombers.

DRISCOLL: In 2007, we saw eight female suicide bombers. In 2008, we've seen 18.

DAMON: And they seem to have various motives. Some have links to al-Qaeda and want revenge.

MAJ. GEN. MARK HERTLING, U.S. ARMY: But we do see certain members of cells attempting to persuade women specifically. In many cases, wives of those who have been killed as terrorists, to conduct suicide operations.

DAMON: U.S. intelligence suggests al-Qaeda is seeking out women whose families are also struggling financially, making cash promises, but not paying out. Often the targets are young widows or women who are deeply religious and swayed by the promise of heavenly rewards.

That's also the view of one Sunni leader.

SHEIKH ADEL FAHDAWI, SUNNI LEADER OF LOCAL COUNCIL (through translator): If a woman's psychological state is bad, then they try to lure her here with illusions that she'll be going to heaven. And that she can leave all these problems that she's in.

DAMON: Sometimes the U.S. military says female bombers have women as handlers. They captured one.

CAPT. MICHAEL STARZ, U.S. ARMY: She was the person on the ground responsible for coordinating the final day or two of the attack. So she was the one that brought her down from the initial meeting in Baghdad. Brought her in, took her to the cousin's house, then eventually took her to the own house.

DAMON: Fahdawi claims the insurgent's tactics are ruthless.

FAHDAWI (through translator): They can kidnap the woman or make her take some pills. They can use psychological pressure or whatever is out there so they can recruit her again.

DAMON: In February, al-Qaeda even used two mentally handicapped women as suicide bombers. They had explosives strapped to them, which were then detonated remotely. Nearly 100 people were killed in two separate attacks.

Female suicide bombers have also targeted police stations. A reluctance to search women and their long flowing robes makes them ideal bomb carriers.

(on camera): The U.S. military says they have six females in custody who are would-be bombers, and one of them an official told me, is just 14 years old. And they are concerned that again, such a backdrop of suffering and violence that even more women will be offering themselves as suicide bombers.

Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARCIANO: Two and a half weeks since life shook apart for millions of people in China, a safe place to sleep, well it's still hard to come by. And it's not more quakes they're worried about. It's this.

Enormous and growing lakes, caused by rivers backed up by landslides caused by the earthquake. The government has ordered about 200,000 people out of a region that they think the quake lakes might overflow. Worst case scenario is an emergency evacuation of more than 1 million people. Crews are trying to prevent that by relieving the pressure on the dams. The official count the quake has killed almost 69,000 people.

NGUYEN: Well, many of the people evacuating China's danger zone already have fled their homes. And now they are seeking shelter, yet again.

CNN's Kyung Lah, is in a Chinese city quickly becoming a ghost town.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Get out and get out now. These residents are being told to pack their bags, take whatever belongings they have left after the earthquake and get out.

This is low-lying ground. These residents have been told to clear out of here because the authorities are very concerned that a wall that is going to quake lake after the earthquake will rupture, and this entire area will be flooded. If you look at some of these tents, they are completely empty. Just a short time ago, they were actually filled with people.

At this point, we believe that this is only one of the areas that is being evacuated and these people are being told to go. And that tomorrow there will be an additional drill that will teach authorities how to clear out potentially a million people out of this entire city, should the entire quake lake rupture.

At this point, though, just a portion of this city is being told to clear out. There are some of these residents have to move not just once, not just twice, but three times. They're certainly hoping that will be good news, not just from mother nature, but also that they will be able to start to rebuild their lives.

Kyung Lah, CNN, Miangyang City.

(END VIDEOATPE)

MARCIANO: Take a look at this. See these people? If they look surprised, there's pretty good reason. It's possible they've never seen anyone outside their tribe. Ever.

We're going to tell you about a fascinating discovery in Brazil. Coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MARCIANO: Welcome back.

A well-known Boston seafood business went up in flames this morning. Fire destroyed James Hook & Company. It's a landmark in the heart of Boston's water front. The family owned business has been in operation since 1925, selling lobsters to restaurants and the general public. The family hopes to rebuild. No word on the cause of the fire, and there were no reports of injuries. But the blaze did snarl rush hour traffic.

NGUYEN: Well, the north pole of Mars is a different kind of winter wonderland.

The Phoenix Mars Lander, sending this 360 degree panorama view back of the red planet.

Look at that.

MARCIANO: Nice.

NGUYEN: Look at that. Here it's more like a black and white planet. These are the plains of the Martian polar north. Not a nice place to visit, per se, and you wouldn't want to live there, but it is fascinating, nonetheless. Scientists will test the spacecraft's robotic arms for the next few days. Eventually they will use it to scoop up ice and dirt as they look for any sign of life.

MARCIANO: No little green men running around.

NGUYEN: So far, we haven't found them just yet.

MARCIANO: Well, the government of Brazil has kept a secret for a long time. But it let it out this week.

It's a tribe deep in the Amazon that's never been exposed to the world beyond the rain forest. Brazil says the world needs to know and to stay away.

CNN's Phil Black, reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's not a very friendly welcome. But then no one likes aircraft buzzing over their home. The Brazilian government agency says these images are of a tribe that has had no contact with the outside world.

Survival International, a group that fights for the rights of indigenous people around the world, believes the pictures are genuine and were snapped over an isolated part of Brazil's Amazonian rain forest.

FIONA WATSON, SURVIVAL INTERNATIONAL: This is extremely remote. I mean, there are no roads in this area. The only access is by river.

BLACK: Brazilian officials say they've been discretely monitoring this site for decades. On the day these images were taken, spotters in the plane first saw a large crowd, including women and children. When they returned several hours later, the crowd was gone, but for these people, who began firing arrows at the aircraft.

ALLEN ABRAMSON, ANTHROPOLOGIST: My first impression was one of amazement.

BLACK: Anthropologist says he's been unsure about the existence of so-called uncontacted tribes. He says these images are limited but compelling and probably show the homes of at least 50 people.

ABRAMSON: All we can see here is about ten characters, probably male. Almost certainly male, dressed for war. Now it could well be that these are the warriors and the other people may not have fled into the bush, they may simply be in the houses. They're certainly out of site.

BLACK: Survival International says this tribe and others in the region are under increasing pressure from illegal logging, especially across the border, in neighboring Peru. The group says these people and others like them should be left alone. Because history has shown first contact with the outside world rarely ends well.

Phil Black, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: That is just fascinating.

And not that that particular tribe cares, but gas prices -- they are going up. Our oil speculators, are they do blame?

Well the latest on the government investigation, that is next.

MARCIANO: And decision day for the Dems. A party committee gets to set -- they're going to decide whether and how to seat delegates from Florida and Michigan.

NGUYEN: And he told all and now they are taking him on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This doesn't sound like Scott, frankly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It doesn't even sound like the Scott, that I know.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's just inconsistent with the individual that we knew as Scott McClellan, the press secretary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: We're going to take a closer look at the fast and furious reaction to Scott McClellan's new book.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: All right. We do have some breaking news to bring you. We have learned that a second person has indeed died as a result of a crane crash.

You're looking at that crash in New York today. It was a male construction worker who went into cardiac arrest, as CNN has learned, and was treated on the scene, but then transferred to Metropolitan Hospital, where he later died.

Just an unfortunate situation there in New York. This construction crane collapsed in upper Manhattan during rush hour. Several people were injured, and now we have learned that two people have indeed been killed because of it.

We'll continue to follow this story.

MARCIANO: The airline industry could be shooting itself in the foot with a bullet worth billions. A new travel industry survey suggests about half of American air travelers would get on a plane more often if air travel wasn't such a pain in the -- well, you know.

Nearly 30 percent of the people in that survey said they skipped at least one air trip within the last year because of the hassles. And those 41 million skipped trips cost the airlines, hotels and restaurants more than $18 billion in lost revenue.

NGUYEN: Well, it is the buzz of the internet and talk of the town. And some of what they're saying, well, it's not very nice.

CNN's Jeanne Moos, takes a closer look at the reaction to Scott McClellan's searing White House tell-all.

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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Here was Scott McClellan, back when he left his job back at the White House. SCOTT MCCLELLAN, FMR. WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECY.: I have given it my all, sir. And I've given you my all.

MOOS: Maybe not all. He still had 341 pages left to give. And now critics are giving it to him.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is Judas on steroids.

MOOS: From Judas to Dr. Evil, McClellan, despite his nice-guy reputation is being labeled a weasel turned whistle blower. A stuttering endomorph. Endomorph being someone with a round, soft body. It's enough to make you wish...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Scotty, beam me up.

MOOS: ... you could be beamed off the blogosphere inhabited by headlines ranging from Ream Him Up, Scotty, to Scotty Come Lately..

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ...I can say to Scott, job well done.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Heck of a job, Scotty.

MOOS (on camera): The bombshells in the book, left supporters of the president saying in unison, Scott who?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This doesn't sound like Scott, frankly.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It does not even sound like the Scott, that I know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is not the Scott we knew.

FRANCES TOWNSEND, FMR. W.H. HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISER: It's just inconsistent with the individual that we knew as Scott McClellan, the press secretary.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is not the Scott we knew.

MOOS (voice-over): But even if former counselor to the presidential, Dan Bartlett, doesn't recognize Scott.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is he still your friend?

DAN BARTLETT, FMR. COUNSELOR TO THE PRESIDENT: He is.

SCOTT MCCLELLAN, FMR. WHITE HOUSE PRESS. SECY.: I was glad to hear that Dan said he considers me a friend. I still consider Dan a friend. Yesterday I think he was saying that Scott lost all his friends at the White House. But...

MOOS: They all claim he's lost them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I find a lot of this to be puzzling.

TOWNSEND: This is mystifying to me. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am stumped.

MOOS: Imagine with all this focus on Scott McClellan, if folks thought you looked like him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Scott McClellan, he's not a bad looking guy. He's got you know, a little bit of a girth.

MOOS: Meet my producer, Richard Davis, who says he has no plans to write a tell-all book.

As for the real Scott McClellan, he's got to put up with stuff like this.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you want to know why I'm telling everyone now that the invasion of Iraq was a huge mistake. Well, the answer is very simple, Matt. Back then, I was selling a war. Now I'm selling a book.

MOOS: Must make him long for the press corps.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you'll let me finish.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No you're not finishing, you're not saying anything.

MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

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