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Foreign Ministers' Emergency Meeting on Middle East Crisis; Jordan Working to Defuse Tensions; Minnesota Governor Tim Walz Makes Debut as VP Pick; Ukraine Launches "Massive Attack" in Kursk Region; Boeing Workers Felt Pressured to Work Too Quickly. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired August 07, 2024 - 10:00   ET

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

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ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN London, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Welcome to our second hour of CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Becky Anderson in London this hour.

A highstakes meeting in Saudi Arabia to push for a ceasefire in Gaza and turn down the temperature in the wider region. I'll speak to the Jordanian

foreign minister, who was in that meeting.

Plus --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KAMALA HARRIS (D), VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND 2024 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Welcome the next Vice President of the United

States, Tim Walz.

ANDERSON (voice-over): He is Kamala Harris' new running mate. New details on 11th hour -- an 11th hour decision that put him on the ticket.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON (voice-over): And Ukraine appears on the offensive inside Russian territory for the first time. A look at how this changes the war with our

chief international security editor.

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ANDERSON: When and how will Iran strike back for Israel's assassination of Hezbollah's top military chief?

That question hanging over the Middle East this hour. U.S. sources say Iran and its affiliates are preparing to respond possibly in the coming days.

Right now, diplomats from Islamic nations are meeting in an emergency session in Saudi Arabia at Iran's request. They are expected to urge

restraint from Tehran and condemned Israel over its suspected killing of Hamas political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, in Iran recently.

Yahya Sinwar, an alleged architect of the October the 7th attacks, has been tapped to replace Haniyeh.

Among those working at that meeting in Jeddah, Jordan's foreign minister. Ayman Safadi has been conducting a flurry of talks to defuse tensions. He

stopped in Iran on Sunday, the first such visit by a top Jordanian official in 20 years.

Ayman Safadi stepping away from that meeting in Jeddah to talk to us. This is his first interview since he was in Tehran.

And you have been with the acting foreign minister of Iran today. So I want to get your sense of Iran's thinking at this point, as the region awaits

for what is threatened retaliation by Iran on Israel.

What do you understand to be Tehran's position at this point?

And what are they trying to achieve with this meeting, Foreign Minister?

AYMAN SAFADI, JORDANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: Good evening, Becky.

We are in a very, very dangerous situation in the region following the assassination of the head of the political bureau of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh.

Tensions have risen obviously.

What we in Jordan are saying is that we, the region, cannot afford further conflict, further war, further destruction. And we must stop this

escalation.

And the first step toward stopping the escalation is ending its root cause, which is the continued Israeli aggression on Gaza. We have -- everybody has

to realize that this situation is extremely dangerous. The threat of the region being dragged into a regional war is real. We do want this

escalation to stop.

We've been working very hard to achieve that and we are 100 percent convinced that the, only, the first step toward that deescalation is

stopping the aggression on Gaza. And Iran, obviously, we -- I had discussions with the Iranian foreign minister, the Iranian president in

Bahrain (ph) a few days ago.

I went there at the invitation of the foreign minister to try and see what we can do to bring the temperature down. They believe that they've been

done a great wrong and they believe they have the right to respond.

So what we're trying to do is, again, to create the conditions in which everybody will see value in deescalating. And that would be ending the

aggression, getting a permanent ceasefire and then urging everybody to act responsibly --

(CROSSTALK)

ANDERSON: OK.

SAFADI: -- to prevent the whole region from falling into the abyss --

[10:05:00]

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ANDERSON: While the U.S. secretary of state has said that these ceasefire talks are in their final stages, sources that I talk to around this region

suggest that we are not close at this point.

So given that and given that the appeal to Iran has been from both you and others, that a ceasefire is what we should be pushing for here and

retaliation by default not, what is it that Tehran hopes to achieve today in Jeddah?

Is just a holding pattern at this point?

We're not going to get a ceasefire today or tomorrow. I think you and I would agree on that.

So is this just a holding pattern at this point by Tehran?

Can we, do you believe, expect to see that threatened retaliation in the days to come?

SAFADI: Well, as I said, Becky, the danger is real. I think our meeting today will not be able to bring about a ceasefire. I think Iran and

Palestine called for this emergency meeting to try and rally Arab Muslim position behind condemning the assassination of Haniyeh.

And to urge for more effective work by the international community to end the aggression on Gaza.

Again, I think we need to do something really transformative here. I think, regardless of where Iran is, where Israel is at this point, if we are to

force Israel to accept a ceasefire in the aggression in Gaza, ensure that we get that permanent ceasefire, then we would have created enough reason

for everybody to say enough is enough.

Now we have an opportunity at real deescalation. And we should the move toward that. So the talks on the ceasefire are obviously complicated,

particularly after the assassination of the chief negotiator on -- from the Hamas side, which is, we believe, is a violation of international law and a

reckless move that we condemned as a crime.

But beyond that, where do we stand now?

We have two paths: a path that will drag the region further into the abyss of war or a path that would say enough is enough and save the region from

the devastation of an all-out war.

And we believe that, if we throw into the discourse a real promise of a ceasefire then we believe everybody will have a strong argument to say,

let's not escalate any further.

Everybody must exercise their self restraint and use the opportunity of a ceasefire to go further toward calming the temperature in the region at all

(ph).

ANDERSON: Ismail Haniyeh described by the Qataris as the lead negotiator, of course, for Hamas in those indirect talks. His assassination is, as you

suggest, complicating any mediation efforts.

Surely, you accept that the appointment of Yahya Sinwar, seen as Israel, seen by Israel as the architect of the October 7 deadly attacks, his

appointment as the political leader for Hamas at this point must further complicate the potential for any success in these ceasefire talks, doesn't

it?

SAFADI: We are already in a very complex situation. The war on Gaza has been ongoing for 10 months. The devastation it has produced is beyond

description. And we all rally behind efforts to bring about that exchange deal to reach that permanent ceasefire that we want.

But look, we've been to the door and back so many times in regards to the discussion. So I will not really say that we are near or not near until we

see that deal happening.

But I think the bottom line is that, if there is a will to achieve that ceasefire, we believe that it can be achieved. The challenge that we have

is that, every time we get near, we -- Israel does something that complicates the situation further, including, as you pointed to, the

assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in the middle of negotiations.

Which the U.S. Qatar and Egypt are saying, we are achieving some progress. So you come and assassinate the chief negotiator, undermine the whole

process and continue with the war in Gaza.

Our message to the whole world, Becky, is that enough is enough. Enough killing and destruction has taken place.

The only path forward is really to bring about an immediate ceasefire that will help deescalate the regional situation, will save the region from the

abyss of further conflict and will protect the region from the agenda of Netanyahu continues to provoke, continues to escalate.

[10:10:09]

And every time there's a glimpse of hope, he does something that pushes, pushes us back to the to the edge of the abyss.

So the question is, do we allow Netanyahu and his radical government to impose their agenda on the region and endure therefore to a future of more

conflict?

Or do we do what we all believe is right and bring about that permanent and immediate ceasefire and then work with everybody to make sure that we are

on a path that will ensure that everything that has happened since October 7 does not happen again?

Nothing on the table as of yet is going beyond tactical. We believe that we should start with ending the aggression and start talking strategically

about how do we launch a plan to implement a solution that will guarantee we will not relive these horrors again.

And that only solution is ending the occupation and the two-state solution. We cannot be kept (ph) by what Netanyahu is willing to accept or willing to

allow. Unfortunately, this has been the reality that is within which all proposals have been present thus far.

ANDERSON: Foreign minister, Jordan is experiencing protests on the streets once again, in support of the Palestinians. In April, when there was the

retaliation by Iran on Israel, well-telegraphed, well-flagged for the Israeli strikes on Iranian assets in Syria.

Strikes, weapons were intercepted in Jordanian airspace.

Given the discontent on the streets of Jordan, given the support for Palestinians, given the most recent support for Palestinians and the

outright condemnation of the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, what is Jordan's position?

Can you be very clear about what Jordan's position would be if a confrontation between Iran and Israel were to happen again?

What is your message about the use of Jordanian airspace?

SAFADI: First of all, Becky, yes, Jordanians are angry.

All of us are angry, outraged, indeed, at the continuation of the massacring of the Palestinian people in Gaza, at the measures that are

killing the prospects for achieving peace on the West Bank.

And that is a sentiment that is in Jordan and the Arab Muslim world and I believe is spreading across the world at large.

As for your question on the possibility of confrontation, our message has been clear to the Iranians, to the Israelis, that we will not be a

battleground for anybody. We will not allow anybody, to the extent that we can, to violate our airspace.

Our first responsibility is toward our people, protecting the sovereignty and this -- of our country and the safety of our people. So our position is

that nobody should use our airspace.

Nobody should subject our people to the threat of any projectile falling over any of our territory and harming our people. And that is something, a

position that we've communicated to both the Iranians and the Israelis in very unequivocal terms.

We will not be a battleground in a confrontation that will do nothing but cause further destruction and further harm. It will not, in the occupation,

and it will not, in the confrontation between Iran and Israel.

So it's just another round of tit-for-tat confrontations, that we will not be caught in the middle of and we will not allow our security and the

safety of our people to be jeopardized by.

ANDERSON: How concerned are you at present?

Because Jordan is in a in a very tough position domestically, keeping in mind many in the population would view Iranian retaliation as avenging the

assassination of the Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.

Things could get very ugly, could they not?

SAFADI: I mean they could get ugly for the whole region. I mean, more war, more confrontation will threaten the stability of the region as far as

Jordan are concerned. As I said, I mean, the official position and the people's position are the same.

We want this aggression to end. We want its root cause, which is the occupation, to end and we will protect our country and the safety of our

people.

[10:15:03]

So the threat is really original to the whole region. Again, we cannot be caught in the middle of all of that. And I think the path to saving the

whole region from the threat of further war is very clear, as I said.

End the war in Gaza, force Israel to respect international law, stop this radical government continuing to escalate, whether in the occupied

Palestinian territory and beyond, including Lebanon.

And then we'll have a path out of this quagmire. But I said, as far as Jordan is concerned, we have the same position between the government and

the people on what needs to be done.

And we will continue to coordinate with all our friends and partners in the region and beyond to make sure that we have progress toward the ultimate

objective of ending this war and the threat it poses to the whole region.

ANDERSON: Let me just put this to you briefly. I mean, your message is that a ceasefire is the answer to the quagmire, as you describe it, that

the region is in at present and is the only option in deescalation.

The U.S. President ramping up pressure for a ceasefire.

He met with the emir of Qatar yesterday, so he spoke with the emir of Qatar yesterday, posting this image, saying, "We agree it's time to bring the

process to closure as soon as possible."

Do you get any sense from the Israelis that they are more serious about securing a ceasefire at this point?

And I have to ask you again, given the appointment of Yahya Sinwar as the political leader of Hamas, you need two parties in order to broker a deal.

Is Hamas under the leadership -- and one assumes key negotiating position for Sinwar -- are they an honest broker at this point?

Are they a party that the Israelis will be willing to talk to, if only indirectly, as we know has been going on?

Is that realistic?

SAFADI: I mean, first of all, yes; we do believe that the first step toward deescalation is getting a permanent ceasefire and ending the

aggression on Gaza.

That will just open the many, many opportunities to make sure that we go further toward deescalation on all other fronts (ph).

Secondly, again, we do support the ongoing negotiations -- or which have stopped now after the assassination of Haniyeh. But we did support and we

do support negotiations to come to an exchange deal.

I think here, the issue is it's not just about persons (ph), about what are the components of that -- of that ceasefire.

Based on what we understood from our partners who've been engaged in the negotiations that they were close. However, Netanyahu kept changing the

terms of the agreement that was being almost concluded.

Now I think it's not question of individuals or who represents Hamas or not. It's about the elements of the cease-fire. And I think that is where

we need to be focused.

Are we able to put on the table a proposal that will meet the conditions necessary for a ceasefire to be implemented or not?

So that is the question and we believe that if we're able to put those components at the table and everybody to commit to that, that we will be

able to get to that ceasefire, which is a must.

End the suffering the Palestinian people, to end the destruction of Gaza and to end the threat of regional escalation that would be devastating in

every way. So yes, we do believe that the first step is deescalation and we want the whole world to come very, very forcefully now, 10 months into this

brutal aggression to say enough is enough.

And the party that is responsible for the continuation of the war and the party that is blocking the path to ending the aggression and then get the

region on a path to peace must be held accountable and must face consequences.

ANDERSON: That is the view of the Jordanian foreign minister.

Very much appreciate your time. I know that you've taken yourself out of this meeting to join us here today, your first interview, of course, since

your trip to Tehran. Foreign Minister, thank you very much indeed for joining us.

Well, CNN's Nic Robertson, also in Jeddah for what is this extraordinary OIC meeting. He joins us now, live.

I mean, what did you make of what you heard from the Jordanian foreign minister there?

[10:20:00]

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, Becky; I think -- I thought you nailed it. The real question there is you're talking about a

ceasefire as a way to deescalate and take the heat out of Iran if there's a ceasefire over Gaza or a path to a ceasefire.

Therefore, Iran won't need -- won't feel the need to strike back at Israel, which potentially could be the trigger for this wider escalation that

everyone's worried about.

And of course, the person not in the room here -- and you wouldn't expect him to be -- is Benjamin Netanyahu. There's no Israeli delegation here. Of

course, they're not members of the OIC.

But really the pressure's on them. And I think what you've been hearing from sources.

And what I've been hearing from sources in the run-up to this meeting with, were here today, is that there were some sense of optimism that Benjamin

Netanyahu who might be -- might be -- a little more willing to engage in these hostage and ceasefire negotiation talks.

There was Ayman Safadi just said there, is a consummate diplomat that he said it, look, the talks are just -- they're not happening at the moment.

But if that assessment from sources in this region is correct, then there's a potential here.

But I have to say as we stand here, I don't see it. And one of the reasons I don't see it is because the Saudi foreign minister is not in the room.

The Jordanian foreign minister is in the room. He is sitting next to the Palestinian representative, who is sitting next to the Saudi deputy foreign

minister, across the room from the Iranian foreign minister.

These are diplomatic nuances and perhaps it works better for Saudi Arabia to do that intensive diplomacy in back-channels behind the scenes. So this

really does seem to rest on the question right now.

And of course, you'd expect the OIC to conclude in this way, to want to put pressure on Israel, on prime minister Netanyahu to have a ceasefire. That's

sort of always been their position. Right now they are doubling down and that's the path, they say, to get Iran off the boil, if you will, in terms

of retaliation.

ANDERSON: Nic, it's good to have you.

And the meeting continues there in Jeddah. Nic behind the scenes, speaking to his sources and reporting what he gets.

Thank you very much indeed.

Well, still to come on CNN, Kamala Harris' whirlwind presidential campaign kicks into high gear today with a newly announced running mate, Tim Walz. A

live report on that just ahead.

And Russia claiming a massive cross-border attack by Ukraine. What Russia's defense ministry is saying about it and what this could mean for the

ongoing war.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TIM WALZ (D-MN), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you, Madam Vice President, for the trust you put in me but, maybe more so, thank you for

bringing back the joy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[10:25:00]

ANDERSON: Mmm. Well, that is Tim Walz, making his debut on Tuesday as Kamala Harris' new-minted running mate with just 90 days to go until the

U.S. election. Walz has quickly gone from relative unknown to a leading figure of the Democratic Party in its campaign to beat Donald Trump in the

race to the White House.

Harris and Walz have a lot of work ahead of them to appeal to potential voters. That work continues today, when the newly energized Democratic team

campaigns in the key battleground state of Wisconsin and Michigan. Want to bring in CNN senior reporter, Edward-Isaac Dovere. He joins us from

Washington.

It's two questions, really. I mean, we're still asking ourselves how this relative political newcomer became Harris' VP pick. But given the speed of

everything that's been happening in this -- in this -- on this Democratic ticket, perhaps we've almost moved beyond that, too.

Ultimately given what we've heard from him -- he spoke in Philadelphia last night; we got him on the campaign trail now and going forward.

What evidence at this point that he is that winning ticket -- on the ticket as it were?

EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, we don't know what he is going to actually do to this campaign.

He is not a newcomer exactly, right?

He's not been on the national radar. He was in the House for 10 years. He's been governor of Minnesota for six years. He has won in Republican -- in a

Republican leaning district for the House. And won reelection in a state that has sometimes gone Republican.

So it's a question of how much he can deliver for Harris here and whether it's going to be more of a question of what she was looking for as a

potential governing partner.

If she wins, then some (INAUDIBLE) strength. But I will tell you that, on the campaign, a number of aides have been joking about how he is now going

to help the win, what they call the Blue Walz, as a pun on the blue wall states in the Midwest.

ANDERSON: That's fascinating.

Listen, we know that the Trump campaign is all about nailing their message, that Joe Biden has been weak on the economy, weak on the border; abortion,

of course, is a big issue for this election going forward.

The Republicans are already out of the gate and calling this guy, you know, a radical liberal, everything they believe will resonate with Republican

and independent voters.

So on the issues that the Democrats know they've got to persuade voters on, how does Walz help at this point?

I'm talking policy here.

DOVERE: Yes, and you heard Walz do the first flush of this last night in his speech. He talked about how it was important to protect abortion rights

and how he had conceived his daughter or his wife conceived the daughter through IVF.

And also talking about gun rights but gun safety, that he is a very good marksman and hunter, try to reach out to those voters that Democrats feel

like Trump has been peeling away from them.

But you see that this is continuing to be a struggle. You can take a listen to how Donald Trump, just this morning, was trying to go after Tim Walz

here.

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DONALD TRUMP, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: since probably about the same as Bernie Sanders. There's never been a ticket like this. This is a ticket

that would want this country to go communist immediately, if not sooner.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DOVERE: And look, that's, as you say, he's not that well-known nationally. That means that he can be defined in a number of different ways here. And

Donald Trump trying to do that.

His voting record and his record as governor are going to be a big part of this conversation, obviously. In Congress, he was pretty much a centrist.

As governor, he has largely been a centrist for his first term.

But in his second term, especially because Democrats won majorities in the legislature in the state level in Minnesota in 2022, they passed a lot of

big Democratic priorities. Some people there were calling it the Minnesota miracle at the time, Democrats, that is.

But everything from protecting abortion rights to making school lunches free for kids, to all sorts of things that are in that sort of social

welfare program agenda that Democrats really key to, for a lot of Democrats that looks like good news.

And something that maybe is in part a guide to what they'd want to continue doing if Harris and Walz are elected. But to Republicans, they would push

back and they say that this is out of step with where the country is.

[10:30:02]

And even where they feel like Minnesota is.

ANDERSON: Good to have you. Thank you.

Half past 3 in London, just before half past 10 stateside. We're going to take a very short break. Back after this.

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ANDERSON: Welcome back. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD with me, Becky Anderson, just after half past 3 here in London. More breaking news for

you.

We told you about last hour and more on it now, Russia's defense ministry claiming that Ukraine launched a massive attack in the Kursk region of

Russia. That's an area largely unaffected by the 2.5-year war.

The defense ministry says that several hundred Ukrainian troops attacked by land and air with tanks and armored vehicles, hitting Russian positions.

Ukrainian officials so far not commenting on the Russian claim. Nick Paton Walsh joining me here in the studio with more.

I mean, what more do we have at this point?

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

I mean, look, there seems to be in a substantial incursion by the Ukrainians, who said nothing about this at all but, frankly, who else could

it be?

It's unclear what Ukrainian units might be behind this. Russian bloggers suggesting this may actually be more official parts of the Ukrainian

military. But all that aside, it is called Vladimir Putin to have to make a pretty unusual statement, which is talk about a major Ukrainian provocation

and how they, he says, are firing on civilians indiscriminately.

Bear in mind Russia appears to be doing that on a daily basis inside of Ukraine. His chief of staff, Valery Gerasimov, has said that the Ukrainian

advance has been halted. But there are videos showing it significantly far inside Russian borders.

Five kilometers at least, possibly more, suggestions that could be even deeper, past a key town called Sudzha. Now that is important because it is

a gas hub, some analysts say, for the supply of Russian gas through Ukraine on to Europe.

Still happening even though this war is now in its third year. And there are some suggestions that this advance may be angled toward that or it may

simply be about trying to throw Russia into disarray.

That's clearly happening. They were not expecting that in the slightest. There are suggestions from local officials that, indeed, we're now seeing

Ukrainian forces inside the town of Sudzha itself.

[10:35:02]

Possibly even having gone through it, continuing onwards north. Now this comes at an exceptionally complex time for Kyiv. They are under great

pressure on the Donetsk front lines and their town called Pokrovsk, a military hub for them.

They're losing there steadily but slowly and there are other suggestions, too, that along that front line, they're running out of manpower. So

already today we're seeing Ukrainian observers going, well, what are you doing deep inside Russia, if we're losing on other parts of the front line,

instead?

All that aside, this is a rare moment of what you might call good news for Ukraine, where they're projecting strength, catching Moscow off guard and

presumably now forcing Russia to rush reinforcements around and change its calculus on the front lines.

ANDERSON: You suggested that we are now three years into this war. And there are reports that significant elements of Ukrainian society are now

wondering whether the government shouldn't be, the president shouldn't be sitting down and finding an end to this conflict.

Is that -- are we anywhere close?

WALSH: Yes. I think significant elements, I think probably there are more people thinking that that might be a good way forward than there were

before. That's still the minority, I think. There is still intense animosity obviously amongst Ukrainian society that's seen its military age

males decimated by this war.

And significant damage to vast parts of their country. But there is, I think, possibly a growing feeling that the way forward for Ukraine is less

rosy than it has been. They're having manpower issues; their weaponry supply is better than it has been. They just got F-16s from NATO allies in

the air now, too.

So they potentially have a cleaner road ahead in terms of their weaponry supply. But they're running out of people. Russia doesn't seem to be having

that problem at all. But the front lines aren't really changing massively.

We're seeing slow shifts in ways which matter hugely to front line tacticians but nothing the NATO allies would call strategic. So I think

there was a point here where maybe people are beginning to wonder what is the long-term picture going to look like here.

But things like this show Ukraine still wants to take the fight. And you may see more of this, too, as the idea of a Trump administration nears, as

the possibility that peace talks, talked of by us, something we haven't really thought about, really, for three years.

That we see both sides trying to move quickly and establish superiority for those negotiations.

But that's a far stretch at the moment here. I think, in short, we're seeing Russia confidently moving forward, trying to improve its strategic

positions in the Donetsk region and then this possibly flash in the pan we're seeing deep inside Russia.

Pretty significant embarrassment. And I should point out, Ukraine has said nothing about this. We don't know who it is but it's pretty clear what's

going on there, Becky.

ANDERSON: Nick Paton Walsh on the story for you.

Nick, always a pleasure. Thank you.

Still ahead, Boeing workers say they felt pressure to do their jobs too fast to avoid mistakes. Federal investigators questioning Boeing execs for

second day over a terrifying mid-air door plug blowout. You will remember that. And more on what is going on there on the Hill after this.

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ANDERSON: Well, a terrifying midair incident is under scrutiny in Washington, D.C. Boeing's top quality control executives facing a second

day in front of what is the National Transportation Safety Board about that door plug blowout in January.

It happened midflight on an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9. CNN aviation correspondent Pete Muntean joining us now with more.

And Pete, Boeing workers say they felt pressure to do their jobs too fast to avoid mistakes. Just explain how significant their testimony is.

What we should expect to happen next here?

What are the consequences of what we are seeing on the Hill at this point?

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, but testimony, Becky, from Boeing workers really came out in this big tranche of documents, dumped by the

NTSB. Interview after interview, thousands of pages that included these interviews with Boeing workers.

And they really shed some light on new problems at Boeing, that Boeing workers felt that they were rushed to the point that they would make

mistakes, that there was no paperwork created for the work done on the door plug while this Boeing 737 MAX was still at the Boeing factory in Renton,

Washington.

Also one big mystery came to light here. Both Boeing and the NTSB still do not know who or what was the cause of the door plug being put back into

place on this Boeing 737 MAX 9, still in the factory, without the four critical bolts that would have kept it from blowing off of this plane back

on January 5.

Boeing laid out a really interesting new timeline here, that the door plug was opened for work near the place of the door plug while the airplane was

still in the factory back on September 8, 2023. Then the door plug was closed one day later.

And under questioning from the NTSB head of Boeing commercial airplanes quality control Elizabeth Lund, says that Boeing has a pretty good idea for

why the door plug was put back into place without the bolts. But they're still not totally sure who did that.

And this is what NTSB chair Jennifer Homendy had to say about that.

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JENNIFER HOMENDY, CHAIR, U.S. NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD: The name of individuals, where an individual is not important to the NTSB, how

this happened, how this occurred, because it could have been anybody. Right?

How did that happen?

We have not been able to accurately nail down because you saw, at the beginning, where we had a graphic which showed at some -- at this point, we

knew it was open. At this point we knew it was closed.

What happened on the in-between?

We don't know. And neither do they. That's a problem.

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ANDERSON: Our Pete Muntean on the story, Pete, it's good to have you.

That's it for CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay with CNN.

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