Top Story with Tom Llamas - Tuesday, June 27, 2023

Episode Date: June 28, 2023

A triple weather threat of severe storms, heat and wildfire smoke puts millions on alert. Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis host dueling campaign events in New Hampshire. A United Nations investigator releases a scathing report about “profound human rights violations” at Guantanamo Bay. Panama City Beach, Florida is named the deadliest beach in the U.S. after rip currents there killed seven people in nine days. The Honduran president takes drastic measures after one of the deadliest prison massacres in the country’s history. And The Office star Rainn Wilson speaks with Tom from the Aspen Ideas Festival about his path to spirituality.

Tonight, danger in the air, a deadly heat wave and toxic smoke taking hold. Thousands of flights canceled across the country as severe storms cut across the northeast. In the south, record-shattering temperatures, pushing power grids to their limits. And now that smoke from the Canadian wildfires choking cities across the Midwest, how soon that dangerous haze is expected to hit New York City again. Battle for New Hampshire, the Trump-Dissantus rivalry hitting the road. The former president courting voters angling for a repeat of his critical 2016 victory. But can the Florida governor close the gap and take the first in the nation primary?

Plus, the major blunder from another Republican candidate on China, you'll hear what he said. And the new NBC News polling how key issues like abortion and immigration are motivating voters. America's deadliest beach, seven people dying in the water near Panama City Beach, Florida over the last nine days, making it the most fatal stretch of coast in the nation right now. What authority says is behind the troubling uptick and what you need to know to stay safe in the water. The cost of war escalating tensions between China and Taiwan triggering fears of a global economic meltdown

are Richard Engel getting a rare look inside a semiconductor factory in Taiwan, a country that produces the vast majority of microchips used around the world. What an invasion by China could mean for that operation and the future of our digital world. High-rise inferno massive flames engulfing an apartment building in the UAE. The concerning history at that complex coming under new scrutiny. Back here at home, a troubling headline on malaria, the mosquito-borne infection spreading locally in the U.S. for the first time in 20 years,

the two states where it's already been detected. And our conversations at the Aspen Ideas Festival continue. Tonight, actor Rain Wilson, who you might recognize from the office and a professor of theology at Yale, join us to discuss. how to live your best life, what they've learned, and how to maximize your happiness. Top Story starts right now. And good evening. Top Story is once again coming to you live from the Aspen Ideas Festival and the beautiful Rocky Mountains just behind us.

So many powerful conversations as top minds gather to tackle some of the most pressing issues of our days. We will have much more on that throughout the broad. But we will begin first with the triple weather threat at this hour. Severe storms, heat, and now that wildfire smoke, creating treacherous conditions for millions. Passengers take a look, stranded at airports up and down the East Coast, as dangerous storms ground thousands of flights. You can see the line for customer service. This is at Newark Airport. It goes outside, stretching through the terminal.

The relentless heat, another pressing concern, 56 million people under alert as temperatures soared into the triple digits. Little relief in sight with this brutal heat wave expected to linger for days. And now a third threat in the Midwest making its way east. Smoke again from the Canadian wildfires shrouding the Chicago skyline. The air quality there, now some of the worst in the world will tell you when it could return to New York City and the East Coast in a moment. But we begin first with that sweltering heat down south, and NBC Sam Brock, who leads us off from New Orleans, where the heat index is approaching 120 degrees. In New Orleans French Quarter, where long lines pack this steamboat dock,

his unrelenting heat is steaming the entire city. It's really hot out here. New Orleans could set record highs in the next four days with the heat index approaching 120 degrees. I saw someone about two weeks ago had a heat stroke, a lady out here, so it's very hot. Was that scary to see firsthand? Yes, it was. The city's top priority, caring for the most vulnerable, opening at least nine cooling centers and hydration stations.

What is the precedent for this kind of a heat wave here? Well, this is unprecedented. Extreme excessive heats that we've never experienced before. The fierce triple-digit temps, even impacting our furry friends who went running for cover and rendering our news crew camera unusable, frying its circuits by mid-morning. The key thing is, is take it easy, stay hydrated and just use your good senses about it, man. But it's the smoke from the Canadian wildfires to our north that's now canvassing U.S. landmarks like the Mackinac Bridge in Michigan. And briefly giving Chicago the worst air quality in the world that smoke once again moving towards New York City.

Extreme weather also tearing through Nebraska. Look at that. In Wyoming, at least six reported twisters. Indiana also taking a direct hit. I got to watch all my porch furniture go, whew, and then all of a sudden I heard the whole house explode. Then there's the storm surging up the east coast from North Carolina to New Hampshire. But tonight, it's the deadly heat that continues to hold an iron grip across much of the south. Sam Brock joins us now live from New Orleans.

Sam, I have experienced that New Orleans heat firsthand. It is so bad. You can't escape it in some regards. What resources is the city using to help people beat that heat? Yeah, Tom, first of all, it is early evening right now. It is 96 degrees in the French quarter. I did speak with New Orleans mayor a little while ago. She said they have a special technology here that allows them to identify where in the city is the hottest.

And right now that's just about everywhere and surge that area with resources and buses to be able to help those folks get to a safer location. Shelters as well have been expanded, Tom, but the city has not opened any new ones yet, but they will, because they are deeply concerned right now about unhoused persons in the city. And Sam, while we have you there, you know, there is so much going on with the weather throughout the country. We have these issues now with the air quality in Chicago. headed east. I do want to ask you, what's the latest with airline travel because we saw those long lines at the top of the broadcast? Yeah, it's not great. I don't think it's going to surprise anybody who's been traveling in the last couple of weeks, but 5,900 delays today, Tom, almost

6,000 on top of 1700 cancellations. And the big concern, of course, the July 4th holiday is right around the corner, and these delays and cancellations certainly accumulate. Sam Brock leading us off from New Orleans. Sam grab a hurricane there on Bourbon Street and cool off for us. Those travel issues Sam talked about may continue with more severe weather in the forecast. I want to get right over to Bill Karen's bill. I'm going to let you take it away because there's so much going on with the weather tonight. Yeah, you said hurricane too. In my head turn, I'm like, no, we don't need that. It's about the only thing we don't have to deal with right now. So here's what we're looking at. We have thunderstorms that are

rolling to the East Coast. These are not severe. They're not going to cause any damage. But what they are doing is causing more delays at the airports for the third day in a row. And they're just compiling on top of each other. We've had ground stops at Dulles and all the way up through Philadelphia. Even the Newark's had a ground stop at times today as the storms are going to roll through New York in the next hour or two. Again, nothing too severe, not damaging, but just delaying. All the strong storms are going to be in the middle of the country. And watch out our friends here in southern Kansas. Some very strong storms are possible as we go through the overnight hours, enough that could do some serious damage with the winds. They're just now forming right

there in the Oklahoma Panhandle. Four thunderstorm watches through this evening. One of those is for some damaging winds in areas of Mississippi and Louisiana. And how about the heat? It's 109 in the shade in San Angelo. Once again, breaking a record high in Del Rio. It's like the eighth day in a row, I believe. I'm losing track. It's ridiculous. Laredo, 109, Dallas up to 101, and the heat is going

to spread this week. St. Louis ends the week in 100s. Dallas, the hottest day for you is tomorrow. Memphis, 102 on Friday. So yes, it's not just Texas anymore. And how about the unhealthy air? This purple, it shows you very unhealthy air from Illinois through Michigan. And during

the day tomorrow, the smoke is on the once again, Tom. We are going to be watching the smoke diving down into areas of Kentucky through the Ohio Valley and even into the Mid-Atlantic. As I said, until those fires go out, maybe this winter, we're occasionally going to deal with this. Yeah, Bill, that's the thing many people forget. These fires are supposed to burn for six months. Before you go, though, I do want to ask you, what is this going to look like for the July 4th weekend for so many on the East Coast who will be outside, hoping to use their pool, hoping to barbecue, hoping to have a good time and enjoy the summer. All things point to the smoke dissipating and going away as the weather

pattern changes. That's great for air quality, everyone being outside. It's going to be hot. It's the 4th of July. But even our friends in Texas, Tom, we're going to see them cooling off a little bit, back to normal at least. All right, we could use some good weather news. Bill Karens for us tonight, Bill, we appreciate that. Next tonight, the leaked audio recording of former President Trump discussing a classified Pentagon document during a meeting calling it, quote, highly confidential. And The former President Trump is on the defense today. NBC's Garrett Hake has the latest. A defiant Donald Trump tonight on the campaign trail.

Every time the radical left Democrats, Marxist, communists and fascists, indict me, I consider it a badge, a great, great beautiful badge of honor and courage. Mr. Trump blasting the special counsel, DOJ, and FBI for what he labeled an illegally leaked and spun audio recording, calling it election interference. In the recording obtained by NBC News, the former president is heard discussing with aides and writers working on former chief of staff Mark Meadow's memoir, what appears to be a classified document from General Mark Millie about plans for an attack on Iran. They presented me this, this is off the record, but they presented me this. This was him. This was the defense department and him. In the July 2021 recording, Mr. Trump acknowledging the sensitive nature of the document. It is, like, highly confident and feel secret. This is secret information. And that he had not declassified it.

See, as president, I could have declassified it. No, I can't, you know, but this is classic. Now we have a problem. Isn't that interesting? The special counsel who has charged the Republican frontrunner with 37 federal criminal counts related to his handling of classified documents had already released a partial transcript of the meeting. Last week, Mr. Trump denying there was a classified document at all. There was no document. That was a massive amount of papers and everything else talking about Iran and other things.

There was nothing to declassify. These were newspaper stories, magazine stories, and articles. Mr. Trump, who has pleaded not guilty, was asked about the recording today. What did I say wrong in those recordings? I didn't even see the recording. All I know is I did nothing wrong. A subplot to all this today was House Speaker Kevin McCarthy saying in an interview this morning that he wasn't sure if Donald Trump was the strongest candidate. candidate to run against Joe Biden in the general election. Then by the end of the day, walking that back with an interview in a right-wing website and with a fundraising text to his text message list, all of it showing the hold that Donald Trump continues to have on the Republican Party and even other Republican leaders in the face of all these legal challenges. Tom?

Yeah, it was a major walkback. All right, Garrett Hake for us. Garrett, we appreciate it. As we mentioned, President Trump hitting the campaign trail today in New Hampshire, the home of the first of the nation, Republican primary. His chief rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, also visiting the Granite State as he trails the former president by nearly 30 points in the polls there. Von Hilliard spoke to New Hampshire voters today about where their loyalties lie. God bless New Hampshire and God bless America. Thank you. Tonight, the battle for New Hampshire intensifying in the Republican primary, GOP frontrunners, Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis hosting dueling events.

just 40 miles apart. He's holding an event right now to compete with us. There's only one problem. Nobody showed up. DeSantis at a town hall asking voters to move on from the drama surrounding Trump's 2020 defeat. If this election is about Biden's failures and our vision for the future, we are going to win. If it's about relitigating things that happen two, three years ago, we're going to lose.

New Hampshire's first in the nation primary, a critical time. for both candidates. We want to thank the people of New Hampshire. In 2016, New Hampshire gave Donald Trump his first primary victory, helping lift him over a crowded GOP field and march to the Republican nomination. Seven years later, Trump's support in the Granite State still rock solid. A New Hampshire poll out today shows Trump leading to Santis in the state by 28 points. Somebody said, how come you only attack him?

I said, because he's in second place. Well, why don't you attack others? they're not in second place. But soon, I don't think he'll be in second place, so I'll be attacking somebody else. No, Donald Trump. New Hampshire Republican voters we spoke to excited about the possibility of a second Trump term in the White House. But I love what he did.

Why not Ron DeSantis? He became governor of Florida. He needs to finish that job, and I believe he still has time. You know, Trump needs to finish. He needs to finish this. And tonight, a candidate new to the campaign with an embarrassing air. Republican Miami mayor, Francis Suarez, in a radio interview with Hugh Hewitt, fumbling, a foreign policy question about the Muslim minority group being persecuted in China, the Uyghurs. Will you be talking about the Uighurs in your campaign?

The what? The Uyghurs. What's a Uyghur? Okay, we'll come back to that. You won't be obvious. You got to get smart on that. Swarres releasing a statement to try and clean things up, saying, of course, I am well aware of the suffering of the Uyghurs in China. They are being enslaved because of their faith.

I didn't recognize the pronunciation. My friend Hugh Hewitt used, that's on me. And we're just about six months away now from the New Hampshire primary. It's go time here this summer for these candidates. After leaving that luncheon, Donald Trump went down to the road to formally open up his New Hampshire campaign headquarters. He was greeted there by supporters. But it wasn't just Trump and DeSantis who were here in New Hampshire today.

Vivek Rameswami, as well as Nikki Haley. both holding events here in the state as well. Tom? All right, Vaughn Hilliard from the campaign trail for us. Vaughn, thank you. And as a Republican primary race heats up, new NBC news polling on the Democrats is out, and the polling revealing serious concerns about President Biden's age, but against Republicans, he is staying competitive.

I want to bring in Zach Pecanas, president of Pecanus Strategies and former senior advisor to Hillary Clinton. Zach, thanks so much for joining Top Story tonight. I want to ask you first about the big headline out of our poll, right? And it comes to Joe Biden. Look at this. 68% of people polled said they are concerned that he does not have the necessary mental and physical health to be president. And to compare that to 2020, that number was 51% of voters that said it was a concern. So we've seen similar numbers in other polls. How big of a concern is this for Team Biden right now? And we are seeing an incumbent president who's really not out on the campaign trail a lot. Does that matter? Look, at the end of the day, polls at this point are going to mean what they're going to mean. But what you're missing from that, what you say is the big headline. The actual big headline is that Joe Biden beats Donald Trump by four points. That's the big headline. And the campaign is going to, you know, make sure that voters understand the choice

that they have. Yes, we have Joe Biden, who's 80 years old, but he's someone who gets up in the morning and eats his weaties, and he's out there riding bikes and doing push-ups and creating 13 million jobs before most Americans are up in the morning. And they're going to compare that to Donald Trump, another almost 80-year-old, who was not exactly in the best picture of health and was under criminal indictment and is bragging about, you know, appointing Supreme Court justices that overturned Roe v. Wade. And so the choice that voters have, it's about the whole package here. And what this poll shows is that Joe Biden beats Donald Trump. Zach, with the concerns about his age, though, and clearly you can see the numbers there,

do you think the Biden campaign, the reelection campaign, is going to keep him off? the campaign trail. I mean, he announced a long time ago. I'm not sure we've seen even a single campaign event just quite yet. Is that what we should expect from this going into 2024? I mean, so he is the president of the United States. He's not just a candidate. And he is out there every single day. In fact, they just announced a three-week effort talking about investing in America, how the Biden administration has invested in America to create 13 million jobs, 800,000 manufacturing jobs, 10.5 million new businesses created. And that's Joe Biden going out there talking to Americans about his accomplishments alongside his cabinets and other administration

officials. So I think that this team is going to use every tool that they have in their toolbox to show voters the clear choice that they have. One, the enormous record of accomplishment from the Biden administration to compare that to Donald Trump, who, again, is under criminal indictment and who's bragging about overturning Rovue Wade. Zach, this was the headline you were talking about. I want to put the poll numbers up for our viewers here in a head-to-head matchup between Biden and the frontrunner for the Republicans right now, former President Trump, Biden leads by four points.

But against Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, he was tied. It's not terrible news for Democrats, but do you think Democrats and the president want to run against Trump in 2024? I just think it's so nice of NBC to include Ron DeSantis in this poll. in a head-to-head matchup with Joe Biden as if he's a real candidate at this point. The only real candidate on the Republican side. There hasn't been a simple vote cast yet. How can you not call him a real candidate?

Because Donald Trump is under criminal indictment not once but twice, and they cannot lay a glove on him with Republican primary voters. And so, again, I just think it's very sweet that everybody is treating Ronda Sanchez and Chris Christie and all these guys like their actual deals in this race. But the truth is, Republican voters overwhelmingly want Donald Trump to be their nominee, which is good news for Donald Trump, but bad news for the Republican Party overall. Because, you know, who doesn't like Donald Trump, according to this poll? Independent voters who overwhelmingly go for Joe Biden over Donald Trump.

It is a disaster for Republicans that they are circling the wagons around him. Briefly, before we go, I do want to get to one of the topics here. Democrats are going to like the numbers they saw on abortion, right? Where the country is right now, according to our poll, Republicans are not close to that right now. When you see numbers like this where they're less likely to vote for a candidate who is in favor of abortion bans after the first six weeks of pregnancy, how much do you think Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, the president and vice president, are going to be talking about abortion rights on the campaign trail? I think that the choice on abortion is one of the top issues in this election. I think every Democratic candidate is going to be talking about it, and they should.

It is overwhelming that voters reject candidates who want to criminalize abortion, even in the case of rape and incest, send doctors and women to prison, which is what candidates like Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis, their policies would lead to. Zach McCannis for us tonight here on Top Story, Zach, we always appreciate your analysis. Next tonight, a critical report about Guantanamo Bay from the first U.N. independent investigator to visit the controversial facility. The investigator saying every detainee she met with lives with the unrelenting trauma that follows withstanding profound human rights abuse. Our Ellison Barber with this latest report. Cruel, inhuman, and degrading. That's how a scathing 23-page report from an independent investigator describes conditions at the United States notorious Guantanamo Bay detention center. The suffering of those detained is profound.

and it's ongoing. The report's author, Finua Nealene, is the first UN independent investigator to visit the detention center since it was created 21 years ago. Part of her mission, assessing the rights of detainees past and present at Guantanamo Bay. I received all requested access to former and current detention facilities. She reports that conditions have improved substantially since the first detainees were transferred, but she is still expressing serious concerns about what she saw during her visit. The Guantanamo Bay detention infrastructure entails near constant surveillance, forced cell extractions, undue use of restrains, and other arbitrary and human rights

non-compliant implementation. Guantanamo Bay opened in the wake of the September 11th attacks off the shore of the United States to house detainees of the George W. Bush administration's war on terror. We're getting vital information necessary to do our jobs, protect the American people. But many detainees never faced criminal charges. Its existence has faced backlash for years. From protest in the streets. We are not afraid. To the Senate. Guantanamo Bay is an international embarrassment to our nation, to our ideals. Then Vice President Biden supporting his boss Barack Obama in his goal of closing the camp. Do you think that you'll

succeed in getting Guantanamo Bay closed? That is my hope and expectation. Now years later, President Biden still trying to make good on that expectation. In the last 21 years, nearly 800 men have been detained there. Now, down to 30. And according to the U.N. report 19 have never been charged with the crime. Guantanamo Bay is and always has been a human rights disaster. Wells Dixon has represented Guantanamo detainees since 2005, including Majit Khan, who pled guilty in a military tribunal to terrorism. related charges and spent more than 16 years at the facility before being released earlier this year. Majidus described his time in Guantanamo as death by a thousand cuts, arbitrary rules,

inconsistent rules, punishment for no apparent reason, deprivation of rights, lack of medical care. The United States saying in a submission to the UN that it disagrees in significant respects with many factual and legal assertions in the report, but that it will review the recommendations and take appropriate action. A spokesperson for the State Department admitted that torture occurred at Guantanamo, but insist highly skilled and trained physicians are now providing care for the detainees. The special rapporteur said that we have not provided adequate rehabilitation to torture victims at Guantanamo. I would say we are sensitive to the unique medical, including physical and psychological needs of the individuals who remain in detention

at that facility. As for Dixon, he says Guantanamo Bay never should have opened. My hope is that the Biden administration studies very carefully the findings and conclusions of this report and takes them to heart. And if the administration does that, then I am confident that it will be able to close Guantanamo. And with that, Ellison Barbara joins us. now live from our top story studios in New York. So, Alison, the big question is the recommendation from the U.N. report was to close Guantanamo Bay. And as you mentioned in your report, right,

the Biden administration has said they would do that. Joe Biden campaigned on that. So why hasn't it happened? We asked the White House that exact question today. So far, they've deferred us to the State Department for additional questions about this specific report. But look, here's what we know. President Biden, as you said, he has said he wants to close Guantanamo. But right now, there is not a concrete plan to do that. One current and one former administration official previously told NBC news there have been discussions about a possible executive order to further reduce the number of detainees and close the facility by the end of Biden's term. But Congress passed a law in 2015 banning the transfer of Guantanamo detainees to the United States. So they say another country has to

agree to accept these people and that has been a challenge here. But look, lawyers like the one we spoke to. They say Guantanamo could be closed today, and countries like Belize and Saudi Arabia have shown they are willing to accept these detainees. Tom? All right, Alison, Barbara, with that comprehensive report tonight. Alison, thank you. Still ahead. The deadliest beach in America, seven people killed over the last nine days at one Florida beach. What authorities believe is behind that grim stat. And the new malaria warning tonight, the disease transmitted within the U.S. for the first time in 20 years will tell you the two states, where that is happening. Stay with us. This is a special edition of Top Story, live from Aspen.

We're just getting started. We're back now with a summer warning. Panama City Beach, Florida was just named the deadliest beach in the U.S. after dangerous rip currents killed seven people in just nine days. Guad vanegas with the potentially life-saving advice for beachgoers ahead of the holiday weekend. Tonight, the famous. picturesque shores of Panama City Beach, Florida, now the deadliest beach in the nation after three more tourists died over the weekend, raising the death toll to seven so far this year. With the influx of people and having a roving patrol, these things can't happen. A popular destination for tourists from all over the world. These beaches also have prevalent dangerous rip currents that can quickly turn summertime fun into tragedy. It's unfortunate, and our lifeguards are doing everything they can. They are very. diligent we work very hard rip currents are strong and narrow streams of water that can suck

swimmers out to sea making it extremely difficult and exhausting to swim directly back to land according to the national weather service so far this year there's already been 55 deaths in the surf zones off u.s shores due to rip currents authorities reminding beach goers of the dangers in the water especially as the weather heats up and less experienced swimmers jump in you know we estimate Rip currents lead to about 100 drownings per year in the U.S. So by far and away, the number one safety risk at the beach. And he says the prevalence of San Barsop, Florida's Gulf Coast can lead to strong and treacherous currents. So what are you supposed to do if you get caught in a rib current?

What you don't want to do is swim straight back to shore against the current because you're just going to tire yourself out. So you want to swim out of the current along the beach until you kind of feel that you're out of the current. Another safety tip, be sure to swim near a lifeguard. Panama City telling NBC News six of the seven deaths so far this year happened when double red flags were flying, meaning no swimming was allowed. When we know it's not safe, we're going to be there to tell you it's not safe. A promise alongside a warning for those heading to the beach this summer. Guadvanegas, NBC News.

All right, coming up, the cost of war, our Richard Engel, getting a rare look inside a semi-com. conductor factory in Taiwan, a country that produces a majority of microchips used around the world. So what could Taiwan's rising tensions with China mean for the global economy? You may be surprised. Stay with us. We're back now with Top Stories News Feed, and an arrest has been made in the triple homicide at a Massachusetts home we first told you about last night. Forty-one-year-old Christopher Ferguson is behind being held. without bail for the murders of three people inside a home in Newton. Officials say they found his footprint, his footprints, I should say, at the scene and video

of him walking in the area. So far, it appears the attack was random. And the CDC issuing a rare malaria warning for the U.S. Health officials say five cases of the mosquito spread disease have been reported in the last two months. It's the first time in 20 years infections have spread locally. According to the CDC, four cases have been detected in Florida and one in Texas so far. the agency is recommending people take steps at home to prevent mosquito bites.

Okay, we want to turn overseas now and head to Taiwan. We have a special look inside one of the factories that power so much technology around us, from our iPhones to medical implants to AI. Companies in Taiwan are producing most of the advanced semiconductors in the world, but industry leaders are warning of a global economic impact unless tensions with China are reined in. NBC's Richard Engel reports. Vibrant, democratic, rich, and pro-American. Taiwan is the Silicon Valley of Asia.

The island has a near monopoly on semiconductors, the chips that drive our digital lives. Taiwan produces over 60% of all semiconductors and a shocking 93% of the most advanced chips needed for AI. NBC News was given rare access. to a Taiwanese semiconductor factory. Min Wu is the founder and CEO of McCronix. How many of these tiny little chips do we depend on? Well, to get through the day. If you open it up, it's so many.

The United States is racing to build semiconductor factories, but these tiny digital brains are incredibly difficult to produce. Each one is made of ultra-thin layers of sand. silicon, and contain up to a billion transistors. The U.S. is on this initiative to diversify, produce more chips like this in the United States. How long do you think it would take them to catch up? I would say 10 years.

But will political tensions here boil over before then? China insists Taiwan belongs to Beijing. In early June, a Chinese warship cut off a U.S. Navy destroyer, and Chinese fighters have repeatedly flown over the island. What would be the economic impact for the world if the semiconductor industry goes offline because of military tensions or a conflict? My opinion is he will be set back at least 20 years.

Although Washington has no formal obligation to defend Taiwan, President Biden said he would. Would U.S. forces defend the island? Yes, if in fact there was an unprecedented attack. Robert Sao, a semiconductor billionaire, has spent $100 million to train the Taiwanese people in civil defense. Protecting Taiwan is protecting the U.S. interests. What about all the semiconductor factors here? The Chinese start to invade, and you don't want the Chinese to take them over?

What are you going to do? You're going to blow them up? Sadly, it may be one option. A potential digital meltdown that no one wants. Richard Engel, NBC News. We thank Richard for that report a stark warning from industry insiders with a looming conflict between China and Taiwan threatening to disrupt the global economy. So how can a crisis be avoided? I want to bring in CNBC anchor and a friend of Top Story, and my good friend, Andrew Ross Sorkin, who's here with me at the Aspen Ideas Festival. Andrew, thanks so much for being here.

It's sort of a dark topic, right? And you heard Richard there and that report, the idea of blowing up these semiconductor factories. I mean, is that a reality? I mean, that would be catastrophic. You can think about the pandemic as almost a mini-dress rehearsal of what would happen. If you remember, you couldn't buy an automobile. The supply chain. The supply chain.

You couldn't buy an automobile. You couldn't buy a refrigerator. I mean, all of these things have chips in them. And then if you were to think about the even bigger ramifications, every U.S. company would have to get out of China. So then think about what happened with Russia and Ukraine, for example. Think about Nike and Starbucks and Disney and Apple and all of these big companies who would, by default, have to leave. It would be cataclysmic for the global economy. Because everything is tied to Taiwan right now.

Completely. So I guess the next question is, I know they're making inroads in Japan, but why in the United States, where we build everything, right? Where we think we're the capital economy of the world, if you will. And we are. Why are we so behind when it comes to these chips? Well, this goes to the issue of the Chips Act. and trying to incentivize folks to actually build chips here. The United States effectively stopped being in the chip-making business more than two decades ago

because it was so much cheaper, frankly, to do it in places like Taiwan. And so the real reason is you need to actually incentivize them to do it. The problem is you can't just spin up a chip factory, you know, in a couple of months or even a couple of years. So there was a big moment that I know you guys covered a lot at CNBC. Maybe people in the mainstream press didn't pick up on it as much. It was Warren Buffett, of course, and it was a moment on your network, your colleague Becky Quick interviewing him, and it made headlines a few months ago. I want to play that now for our viewers to take a listen to this.

I do think that there is a danger there to some. I don't have any idea. There's actually a danger of seismic action, I mean, and where they're located. But that's a low probability, and they're smart people. was about, but would I rather have it that was a U.S. domicile company than be a subject of who knows what depending on conditions outside their control? I'd rather, you know, I've re-evaluated that part of it. So that's Warren Buffett, right? And he's usually very plain-spoken, right? That's why people love listening to him. He pulled out nearly, I think it's more than $4 billion.

an investment in Taiwan in a chip factory. And so Warren Buffett, CNBC Wall Street, all you guys like to sort of predict the future, at least try to. Right, yes. How do we read this? I wouldn't read it as real risk mitigation. I think it's very hard to invest.

But even Warren Buffett, who's cautious, says there's a danger. Oh, I think that everybody thinks there's a danger, but he owns a million stocks in the United States. He owns a lot. All of those companies would be impacted just the same way. I think what he was doing has very much to do specifically with the semiconductor industry. But having said that, it's something that is not really, unfortunately, talked about or really in the market, if you will.

I guess my bigger question was, are these the tea leaves? Are these the tea leaves America needs to be reading that the situation between China and Taiwan is much more serious than maybe people believe right now? 100%. And if you look at a company like Apple, which has a lot of business in China. Which relies all in Taiwan, too. But they are also now trying to put more and more of their supply chain in places like India and other countries. Everybody's trying in their own way to try to find new channels, new ways to have a new supply chain. So there's some resilience. And that's what that's in large part a function of this.

The supply chain piece, though, around semiconductors is the most complicated. Yeah, and it could take 10 years as we heard there. Andrew Ross Sorghan. Thanks so much for doing us. Great talking here. Great conversation. Coming up, the high rise inferno, the massive fire erupting in a high rise over. Overseas, residents evacuated, debris raining down.

The questions about why this building had its second major fire in less than a decade. That's next. All right, we are back now with the Americas, focusing on stories from the U.S. and Latin America. And tonight, a military crackdown on gang violence in Honduras. Last week, we told you about one of the deadliest prison massacres in the country's history where authorities say members of a gang went on a rampage, killing at least 46 women. President Jimenez Castro now taking drastic measures. NBC's Valerie Castro as the latest.

Tonight, military might taking over prisons in Honduras in a strategy called Operation Faith and Hope after a riot ended in a deadly massacre. Videos posted to social media by the Honduran armed forces show soldiers and military vehicles arriving in force while unsettling images show prisoners sitting on the ground lined up one after the other and barely clothed. Prison cells tossed and turned upside down in the search for drugs and weapons.

Authorities saying the order emitting by the senior president, we've initiated the process of transition of the centers penales of the police national to the police military. Authority saying the inspections turning up everything from grenades and ammunition to machetes, cell phones, and charging cables. The mandate coming in the wake of a violent and deadly riot at a women's detention center just outside the nation's capital, at the hands of the Barrio 18 gang, leaving 46 dead.

The bloody massacre playing out as guards were overtaken by inmates, victims hacked with machetes, locked in jail cells and set on fire. Right now, the government is feeling overwhelmed, and the reaction is very strong because they need to put on the ground like a statement that we are in control here. The brutality prompting President Shomada Castro to call for, quote, drastic measures implementing military control over 21 prisons for at least a year while training 2,000 new guards. All these are using techniques and tactics military, all this is a manner suppressive,

with immediateness, and, over the no-tolerance tactics similar to neighboring El Salvador under the direction of President Naïi Bukele, one of Latin America's most popular leaders. But the crackdown raising concerns over possible human rights. violations. Most people think, okay, they are criminals, okay, but they are people. So they are still part of a state that need to guarantee rights for everyone. The move by President Castro could be interpreted as one of desperation to bring about both peace and political approval. Using something that she knows that is working in El Salvador can be a very political calculated measures. Valerie Castro joins us now from our top story studios at 30 Rock.

Valerie, as you point out in your report, you know, we've covered on this broadcast many times the mass incarceration problems El Salvador has faced. And this is not the first time Honduras is dealing with this as well. Tom, some critics are calling for the president to also address the crumbling infrastructure and chronically overcrowded prison conditions. A UN report says prisons in the country are more than 32% over capacity. The prison complex where that deadly riot took place, it houses more than 4,000. people, but Tom, it is only meant for 2,500. All right, Valerie Castro for us tonight from New York. Valerie, we appreciate that.

Time now for Top Story's Global Watch and the search for survivors after deadly landslides in southwestern China. Heavy rain triggering multiple landslides in the Seshwan province. At least four people dead, rescuers now searching for several missing people. So far, more than 900 people have been evacuated with more extreme weather in the forecast. And a massive fire tore through a residential building near Dubai. New video showing flames engulfing a high-rise building, debris falling to the ground below as residents were evacuated. Luckily, no reports of any serious injuries.

And no word yet on the cause. According to local reports, it's the second major fire at that complex since 2016. And the Hajj pilgrimage begins in Saudi Arabia without COVID-19 restrictions. More than two million Muslims are expected in the Holy City of Mecca. The religious gathering will return to full capacity for the first time since the pandemic began. Water stations have been set up in the area with temperatures nearing 120 degrees. The pilgrimage is one of the five pillars of Islam. When we come back, what makes life good?

The conversation here at the Aspen Ideas Festival that asks some key questions about how we can live a life worth living. And two of the panelists join me next, including one familiar face for any fans of the hit show, The Office. Stay with us. Back now from Aspen among the mountains and serenity here in Kondon. Colorado, another day of powerful discussions at the Aspen Ideas Festival. And we should mention NBC Universal News Group is the media partner of the Ideas Festival. Among the conversations today are president of editorial Rebecca Blumentstein sat down with entrepreneurs disrupting key industries that many Americans rely on but don't have equal

access to. The dialogue focusing on how new technology can help closing the racial wealth gap and reducing drug prices in health care. And the pinnacle event here in Aspen, a star-studying conversation on the future of democracy, moderated by our own Lester Holt in conversation with former representative Liz Cheney. But there was one panel today that really caught our eyes, simply called What Makes Life Good? Here's a short clip from that panel. Number one, I answer, I answer to God.

And I will happily say that. And I think anyone who has a big problem with that, I would just say, I would say with all due respect, like, it's, again, it's how do we define God? Because if God is the mystery and beauty and miracle of nature and the divine creative cosmic impulse of just being alive, so be it. That panelist, a face you might recognize from one of the most iconic shows on television. Well, maybe not if you're watching The Office on a long flight as this viral video from earlier this year shows. Joining me now is the masked man in that viral video, Rayne Wilson, known for his role as D. from the office, but also the author of a new book on his own journey, finding spirituality and his belief in a higher power.

It's called Soul Boom, Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution. And we also have Miroslav Volf, the founding director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture and a Professor of Theology. Thank you both for being here. And the topic was so heavy. It was a beautiful conversation. Right, I want to start with you. People are going to hear that clip, and they're going to, they might say, wow, that's pretty

deep. And I always think it's courageous when people talk about. their faith, whatever their faith may be, or their lack of it. Why do you want people to know where you are in your life? Well, that's an excellent question. And it's the first question I pose in my book, which is, why the hell is the guy who played Dwight talking about spirituality? Because it seems like a very strange disconnect, right? But I do it for a number of reasons. One is it's really important to me. It's part of who I am. It's part of my authentic voice. Spirituality has helped me on my mental health journey,

but I also feel like culturally, we're not engaging in deep enough, relevant enough conversations about how we can use spiritual tools to transform ourselves and make our lives better, but also help transform society. Talk to me about Skyfather, Sky Daddy. Sky Daddy.

And it's just sort of vision, or maybe wrong vision, of what people have of God. Well, so in Soul Boom, I have a chapter on God called The Notorious Genius. which was actually the name of a TV show. I pitched all around Hollywood. I wanted to do a documentary about kind of redefining God and reimagining God in the modern world.

And it got passed on everywhere, of course. In fact, Netflix told me it was too controversial. So there you have it. There's that. There's that. So in that chapter, I am trying to get people away from thinking about God as Sky Daddy because that's so seeped into our cultural consciousness

this of this patriarchal, judgmental, bearded man with a, you know, with shooting miracles down from a cloud and just really detaching ourselves from that kind of concept of what the divine can be. Professor, you wrote a book, also great reviews called Life Worth Living. It's based on a seminar you've taught at Yale. Kids pay a lot of money to go to Yale. People are paying a lot of money to come here to the Aspen Ideas Festival. So you're going to give us the answer in our viewers for free. What makes life good? I think like what makes life good is a kind of deep sense of purpose and a deep sense of attunement with what the reality is around us. And I very much agree. I myself, I'm Christian, I believe in God, not notorious GOD, not in the sky daddy. And for

most of the tradition, this wasn't an image actually of God. It is this. is, I mean, one of the church fathers called it God is love, and therefore, the one who loves love loves God. And for me, that has become a key to understanding who we are and what are we supposed to do with our lives. You posed a good question, and it's an exercise people should take if they want to try this out, and just, who are you responsible to? So my question to you is I have friends, I have family that don't believe in God, right? Maybe they're atheists, maybe they're agnostic. But can you still live a good life in your opinion and not believe in a God?

Yes, I think you can. I think I would argue that you live it in the power of God, even though you don't believe in God. And people find various places which kind of call them to the life of meaning. I mean, I myself do. It's not simply that I think about God. I think about ordinary people in my life. For instance, I have five-year-old daughter. I'm responsible for her, but I'm answerable to her as well. I want her to grow and to know that somebody who has taken care of her was the person with integrity that led her on the right kind of a path. I want her to be proud of me as a father. And in that sense, I am responsible to her as well as for her. The same can be said of our traditions to which we belong, of our network of friends to which we belong.

So people can be good people, and we have plenty examples of it, who do not believe, but who nonetheless kind of benefit from the actuality of God in the world and in their lives. Is at the core of your argument is just not to be selfish? Is that part of it? I think core of the argument, you can put it this way, to get out of yourself and into something that is larger than yourself. A core of the argument is there are certain kinds of connections, connections that are based on

my appreciation of the character of your existence and honorating no matter who you are. I may not agree with what you do, I may not agree with what you say, but I need to honor and respect you as a person and see in you, in a sense I would put it in my terms, seeing you an image of the divine and therefore worthy of respect. And that, to me, shifts the character of the question from, what do I want, or what do I really want, even, to what is truly worth wanting? And that's the question that I think we need to ask ourselves. I need to ask, what is worth wanting? Rain, is life good for you? And if it is, talk to me about why you're sharing your journey with spirituality and how it helped you with your mental health issues. Life is great for me now, but I've had a lot of struggles in a lot of different phases in my life.

And back in the 90s, when I was really struggling with anxiety and depression, I... This was before your fame? Oh, yeah, well, well before. This is when I couldn't even get an audition for Law and Order. And everyone gets an audition. And everyone gets an audition for Law and Order. I was a struggling theater actor in New York, and it was a great life. I was a professional actor, but I was...

miserable. I was unhappy and tormented. So I went on kind of a spiritual journey where I explored these ideas that Miroslav is so beautifully articulating about finding kind of meaning and vision and purpose. And it's helped me tremendously. Was it an easy fix? Did it happen instantaneously? Not at all. It's been a long multi-decade journey, but I find it incredibly fulfilling. Were you skeptical at all or worried that talking about your faith, talking about your spirituality was going to affect your professional career? Absolutely. Yeah. Actors don't talk about God. They don't talk about soul or religion or spirituality or they often get really ostracized. And I'm in a very privileged position because I've had an amazing run and with an office. And I still

get to do really cool roles and I'm excited to continue in my career. But I'm in a this isn't a conversation I necessarily would have had at age 33 and just kind of starting my career. But I also feel like, and this is bottom line, like, this stuff is important. It's not just like a hobby. It's not like a side conversation. Like spiritual tools we need. We're in the midst of the biggest mental health crisis in human history that's killing young people. We're at the verge of a crisis of a political crisis.

It's tearing our country apart. And there are spiritual solutions. There are spiritual tools that we can learn from all of the great faith traditions of the world. We need them. It's vital. It's important. Professor, before we go, and I want to wrap it up here because I think it's important to say this, you say one of the keys to living a good life is forgiveness.

Can you explain? Yes, you know, we go through life. I don't know, maybe you or some of the audience are not, but most of us do. Often we do things of which we are actually ashamed, deeply ashamed. And we sometimes want, as in some of the discussions with kids, take this word back, and you can't take it back. Time does not go backwards, and you are stuck with that deed. How does one free oneself from that burden of shame and of guilt that sits on one?

And I think to be free, actually, one needs to have this sense that I am, not identical and I'm not defined by that deed. I can be freed for it. And that's what forgiveness does. I don't count the deed that you did against me against you. We can build a bridge between you and me and we can return back. And to me almost, it's like a little new birth that happens when forgiveness is given when that guilt and shame that has been glued to us gets unglued and then I am suddenly a different person. Can I take the Yale online course? Is that available?

Can I take the, is that, is there a free online? The entire course is available. I know, it's right here. The book gives you the entire course, right? Essentially, it saves you like $85,000. Probably even more. He's not going to say that. Professor Volfe, Rayne Wilson, thank you guys so much.

Thanks for opening up and talking with us and sharing with our viewers. We really do appreciate it. And we thank you for watching Top Story tonight. I'm Tom Yamas and Aspen. Stay right there. More news on the way.