for a long time. thank you both. >> that's all in for this evening, the rachel maddow show starts right now. good evening, rachel. >> good evening, chris. msnbc's steve kornacki has been reporting this week on how the christie administration has been falling behind about not following the state's laws about hurricane sandy relief funds. especially when it comes to transparency. steve's reporting on that issue this week led to this rather blistering editorial today from new jersey's largest paper, governor chris christie reminded hurricane sandy victims again this week, that with nearly $40 billion in damage from the storm, there have been more needs than resources to go around.

this has led to some frustration, he acknowledged. the governor said, we don't live in a fair world. the star ledger goes on to say, this is drew, and up that sad fact of life is also observable in christie's personal steering of $6 million in federal sandy relief to belleville. in a fair world that money would have gone to actual victims of hurricane sandy, there's no question that the administration can't meet every sandy need because it doesn't have enough federal aid to do so. season the that all the more reason not to use what emergency we do have as a political slush fund. instead of simply telling sandy hurricane victims that the world is not fair why won't the governor help ensure that it is.

the handling of what is supposed to be your single accomplishment as governor, that is not a good thing. the sandy funding issue appears to be the focus of the federal prosecutor's investigation in new jersey. the spreading criticism now of the transparency issue, the transparency with which sandy relief funds are being allocated is part of that scrutiny. in part because of new jersey's repatious history, that issue of transparency of letting the public know how government money is being spent, that's a really potent issue, because corruption and no show jobs and patronage hiring, those kind of things have been such an issue in the state of new jersey. and one happy by product of that

corruption in new jersey, if you want to know who's been appointed to work at say a sprawling curby million dollar agency like the port authority, right now can you look it up and get the information directly without having to request it from anyone. every year since 2008 they have posted their employee payroll information, so just pick the year you want, download the whole payroll and there it is, job by job, name by name, salary by salary, you can sort by the person, by their department you can sort by what they get paid. this is the employee bay role document of 2013. it shows bill baroni, phillip quan, chris christie's unsuccessful nominee for supreme court in new jersey. who he then installed at the port authority as the first

deputy counsel once he didn't get the court job. and then there's david wildstein getting paid an annual salary of $150,000 plus change. that's him on the payroll in 20 2013. this is the same payroll document from the year before that, making the same, $150,000. the director of interstate capital projects, also in 2011, same deal. david wildstein, $150,000. same deal back in 2010, there he is. here's the thing, though. if you go back one year further than that, you go back to 2009, david wildstein is not there, he's not listed. that's because david wildstein couldn't get that job at the port authority until chris christie was sworn in as governor in 2010. david wildstein not on the payroll in 2009.

here's the interesting part, before he joined the payroll at the port authority in 2010, not only was he not there, his job was not there either. there was no job called director of interstate capital projects, if that job had existed before he was there, where that red arrow is is where that job title would have been listed in the payroll records. if that job existed in 2009 it would be there, but it did not exist before him. and that's because in order to hire david wild teeth at the port authority, they had to invent that job for him. they created this job. they assigned the job a $150,000 salary, and they put david wildstein in it. this is a job that was custom built for him. david wildstein has no job

description. had no job description on file. in his campaign to transform itself into a model of government transparency, the port authority turned over a stack of resumes and job descriptions for employees during governor chris christie's two years in office. for most of the 50 names on that list, the agency provided both a resume and the positions corresponding job requirements. but not in david wildstein's case, david wildstein's case, no job description, no paper nots.s a spokesman for governor christie defended hiring david wildstein as well as his lack of an official job description, he's in that job because he's well suited to the task of playing a role in reforming the

port authority in accordance with the governor's goals. so whatever that job was, whatever he was doing there for four years in accordance with the governor's goals, david wildstein is gone from that agency now. he resigned in december, and he's now pleading the fifth to avoid testifying about his role in shutting down access lanes to the busiest bridge in the world as part of some yet unexplained scheme to inflict punishment on the town of ft. lee new jersey. and now today, exactly 60 days after he became the first chris christie ally or staffer to resign in this bridge scandal, today we learn that the port authority is eliminating the job that they created for him. they are eliminating the job that he once held. quotes from ledger today, there's never been a job like it, it came with no job

like it. he didn't have to submit a resume, nobody seemed to have the vaguest idea what he was doing, he was paid $150,000. the job of director of interstate capital projects, a special niche created for david wildstein has been abolished the port authority confirms. a spokesman for the port authority would not say why they have eliminated the directorship. this means that david wildstein will forever be known as the first and last appointee to that made up job. why was that job created in the first place? he was installed in that job at that agency by the christie administration for something. what was he put there for? no one seemed to know what business he was supposed to be doing. e-mails and other revelations seemed to indicate his job title may have been a cover for serving the political interest of christie. one formal official told the

star ledger, i heard he and bill barone say they had only one constituent, chris christie. whatever the reason that taxpayers paid david wildstein a half million dollars over four years that he was there. we now know that what he did at that job, no job description, nobody could tell what he was doing, the one thing we know he did was shut down access lanes on what appear to be orders from a staffer in order to create some traffic problems in ft. lee. now he's gone and the job is being eliminated in his wake. apparently they didn't need that job as long as he was going to do it. the port authority is not explaining why that job was created for him. in a related matter, governor christie himself in a little noticed comment appears to have unveiled an explanation this week about his own role in this scandal. the governor continues to say he had no advanced knowledge of what was going to happen on that

bridge, he also says that despite these allegations from david wild stein to the contrary, he had no knowledge of what was going on on that bridge while it was underway, while it was happening. the governor says he only found out what was going on with the shutdown in those lanes after it was over. this week, this week we believe for the first time governor christie has announced a new explain for how he responded to this event. he says now that as soon as he heard about the lane closures on the bridge after it was over, he read about it in the wall street journal, in an article published october 1st. as soon as he read that article on october 1st, the governor says he dispatched his two most senior staffers to go to the port authority and figure out what was going on. governor christie has not previously said he did this, but now he says that's what happened and that's what he did. this is new, watch.

>> i do just have one question about the bridge. >> yes. >> why when it was closed down, and traffic was backed up in new jersey, our state, why didn't you call at is that time to find out what the issue was? >> first of all, carol ann, i didn't know about traffic, as i told you. and as soon as i was aware of the fact that there was a problem, which is when pat boyd's e-mail came out, i had my staff say -- go find out what's going on at the port authority, why are they fighting with each other over this, what happened? i did call carol ann and i asked my staff to find out what was going on. to answer carol ann's question directly, as soon as i knew there was some issue here, i asked my staff to get to the port authority and find out what was going on. when did i first know about the lane closures? the fact is, the first time this really came into my consciousness as an issue was

when pat boyd, the executive director of the port authority's e-mail was leaked to the media and reported on. and that was the first time that i got a sense that there might be some issue here. >> and who brought that to your attention? >> it was news accounts. >> you read them personally or did somebody bring it to your attention? >> no, i read it, i read it in the wall street journal. >> and it was that day then that i read that that pat was saying, this wasn't -- i didn't know about this, this wasn't cleared through me, whatever else he said in that e-mail. that's when i asked my chief of staff and chief counsel, would you look into this and see what's going on here? >> we are currently going through all known previous statements from governor christie on this matter to see if he ever before mentioned that in october he sent his chief of staff and his chief counsel to go to the port authority to investigate the lane closures on the george washington bridge.

so far we have found no previous instance in which governor christie ever mentioned this before he said so this week. i mean, the governor was pressed on this issue on december 2nd, that's when he lashed out and said, yeah, it was me moving the traffic cones, he was asked about it repeatedly on december 13th, on when he first found out about this, and how he reacted. he never mentioned that as soon as he found out about the lane closures he dispatched his general counsel and chief of staff to go to the port authority and investigate. at least as far as we can find, but now looking back on it now he says that's what he did. it's odd, right? a whole new story. later on in the process, his apology to our press conference on january 9th, the governor said he assigned the same two top staffers to talk to his own staff in the governor's office, to ask if his own staff had knowledge of what happened on the bridge. the top two staffers told him no, they checked with everybody

else in the office, nobody knew anything. we now know that that story was not true. several of the staff knew about this thing at the time the closures were underway, and one of his top staffers appears to have ordered it to happen, the governor's chief counsel and his chief of staff, he says they went and interviewed everybody. when they did those interviews, they did that vision in the governor's own office, they were not able toer er iferet out th people were lying. they reported back, the governor says they reported back to him all was well, nobody knew nothing. the governor this week says for the first time that those same two men, his chief of staff and chief counsel also were sent by him to the port authority right after the shutdown came to light and there too, they were hoodwi hoodwinked. they were sent by governor christie to the port authority to investigate what happened on the bridge, they came back with some untrue smoke screen cover

story that isn't what actually happened, they came back and told him it wasn't a traffic study. it was a traffic study. kind of lame, right? the governor's chief counsel and chief of staff, best case scenario, they were duped twice. by the port authority in october and then again by the governor's senior staff in his own office in december. these guys were just rubes right? they bought it happily and brought it back to the governor. they couldn't tell what actually happened. they couldn't figure it out. that's the best case scenario. worst case scenario, they weren't duped, they knew the truth and helped cover it up, or even worse than that, they were in on the scheme from the beginning. those are basically the options, in terms of the governor's top two staffers who he says he dispatched to investigate his own office and the port authority, not good options, right?

who are those guys? those top two guys? one of them is his current nominee to be the state attorney general the other is nominated to be in charge of new jersey schools. why is there now, this week, a whole new explanation from governor christie for how he responded to the bridge shutdown? and if these top two staffers of his were at best twice duped about what really happened in that shutdown, why has the governor entrusted them with such critical and important new jobs. hold that thought. ense you've o, your stomach. try pepto to-go. it's pepto-bismol that fits in your pocket. relief can be yours, but your peanuts... are mine.

[ squirrel ] it's pepto to-go. plays a key role throughout our lives. one a day men's 50+ is a complete multivitamin designed for men's health concerns as we age. with 7 antioxidants to support cell health. one a day men's 50+.

lovely read susan. may i read something? yes, please. of course. a rich, never bitter taste cup after cup. 340 grams. [ sighs ] [ male announcer ] always rich, never bitter. gevalia. never bitter. olet's say you pay your tguy around 2 percent to manage your money. that's not much, you think except it's 2 percent every year. does that make a difference? search "cost of financial advisors" ouch! over time it really adds up. then go to e*trade and find out how much our advice costs. spoiler alert. it's low. really? yes, really. e*trade offers investment advice and guidance from dedicated professional financial consultants. it's guidance on your terms not ours

that's how our system works. e*trade. less for us, more for you. i can't believe your mom has a mom cave! today i have new campbell's chunky spicy chicken quesadilla soup. she gives me chunky before every game. i'm very souperstitious. haha, that's a good one! haha! [ male announcer ] campbell's chunky soup. it fills you up right. now, when did i first know about the lane closures? you know, the fact is that the first time this really came into my consciousness as an issue was when pat boyd's e-mail was linked to the media and reported on. and that was the first time that i got a sense that there might be some issue here, that's when i asked my chief of staff and chief counsel, i said, would you look into this and see what's going on here? >> joining us now is john

ritemeyer. governor christie said as soon as he learned of the shutdown of the lanes on the bridge, from an article he said he read in the wall street journal, he dispatched his chief of staff and his chief counsel to go to the port authority to find out what happened. is this an explanation of the governor's own reaction to what happened on that bridge that you have heard before he articulated this week? >> i can't say specifically i remember him saying it in that language, and there's been a lot of different versions or languages involved. he wanted to get to the bottom of it, whether he said before, he actually dispatched his two top lieutenants to go to the port authority.

i don't remember that. i've been at all the press conferences, including the two hour ones. there's some memory going on there, but i don't recall that specifically. >> do you feel like from the way the governor has talks about his own reaction to this story. do you feel like you have a handle, a clear handle, that he's given indication of a clear time line of events? >> i think if you get out the scorecard, can you go through going back to this december 13th press conference, he was asked did you know about the lane closures? he said he didn't. he pointed to the likely indicator that this has occurred. you go a little later, he learned from september from press accounts, we fast forward.

it was press accounts, may have been october, may have been september, may have been the wall street journal, may have been his column, it's definitely after. then we get to friday, and we get this -- the bomb slel letter that says evidence exists from the letters from david wildstein's attorney, that christie knew during the lane closures, here there seems a contradiction. fast forward to monday, and christie was able to explain why it's both. and that is, he said that traffic reports, that's fairly regular, he must have heard about traffic in front of the george washington bridge that week, because that's something that happens in new jersey all the time. you. >> hear about traffic, sure. the new element was that it was not meaningful or memorable for him until october when he learned about this for the first time, the leaked e-mail, this

potential political retribution plot came up for the first time, and that's when -- we saw the reference from the governor, it started to become meaningful for him. that's how he -- his comments on this statement have sort of evolved, but that's how he says it can be both. >> right, and then his own actions in response to it, he was previously very emphatic about talking about how he had his chief counsel and chief of staff to interview his own staff to make sure he didn't know anything about it, now it seems, and we may find in the record he's made reference to this in some other place, it seems he's also saying back in october he dispatched those same two staffers to go to the port authority and investigate? >> remember, also in early december when he was pressed on this, he made a joke, he said, i was out there personally -- >> moving the cones. >> and then as the follow-up to that, he said he had directed

charlie and kevin to do this internal, you have an hour to tell me what you know, i'm going to go out in a press conference, have you to come clean and no one did, and these are two high level staffers, one who's about to become our attorney general. >> it is a -- the story is a remarkable story in its own terms trying to understand what the governor says he did in regard to the scandal is becoming harder to track than anything else. john reitmeyer, thank you for helping us figure this out, it's important to have you here. >> you're welcome. >> more ahead, stay with us. orbiting the moon in 1971. [ male announcer ] once it's earned, usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection. and because usaa's commitment to serve current and former military members and their families is without equal. begin your legacy. get an auto insurance quote.

usaa. we know what it means to serve. i have a big meeting when we land, but i am so stuffed up, i can't rest. [ male announcer ] nyquil cold and flu liquid gels don't unstuff your nose. they don't? alka seltzer plus night fights your worst cold symptoms, plus has a decongestant. [ inhales deeply ] oh. what a relief it is. [ inhales deeply ] are we still on for tomorrow? tomorrow. tomorrow is full of promise. we can come back tomorrrow. and we promise to keep it that way. csx. how tomorrow moves. what a day. can't wait til tomorrow.

peoi go to angie's listt for all kinds of reasons. to gauge whether or not the projects will be done in a timely fashion and within budget. angie's list members can tell you which provider is the best in town. you'll find reviews on everything from home repair to healthcare. now that we're expecting, i like the fact i can go onto angie's list and look for pediatricians. the service providers that i've found on angie's list actually have blown me away. find out why more than two million members count on angie's list. angie's list -- reviews you can trust.

tomorrow will be one month since complaints first started coming in of a strange lick rash odor in charleston west virginia. the sweet syrupy smell was the scent of a virtually unregulated chemical, leaking from a virtually unregulated above

ground storage tank. the chemical was leaking into the water that provides drinking water to one in six west virginiaens. it is used in the processing of co coal. when it leaked into the river, it rendered the water not drinkable. until the water company and the state started lifting the do not use order in phases. and if that is where you left the story, you figured, water's back on, that must be the end of it, what you missed in the story, was the situation going from really bad to even worse to oh, my god how is this happening? two days after telling people that their water was okay to drink if their pipes were flushed, that directive changed. pregnant women in west virginia were cautioned not to drink the water after all, even after the all clear order had been given, even traces of the chemical could be dangerous for them. okay, pregnant ladies, undrink

the water you drank over the last two days. after all of the water had been properly flushed, they then discovered that one county's water had not been. they reissued a new water ban in that county. following that reversal, the governor of west virginia declared, it's your call whether you want to drink the water, it's your own personal decision as to whether or not you think the water is safe to drink. you make the call. and then weeks into the disaster, the company responsible for the leak informed state officials it was not just one chemical that leaked into the river, it was two. this has been worse than an accident in west virginia, this has been a disaster. and now today, new reporting that this continues to be a disaster of the on going variety, today a month after the spill, we learned that two schools in charleston, west virginia are reporting the return of the syrupy smell in their water, it was first detected last night, they started flushing the water

overnight. when students arrived for school today, charleston kids started getting sick, started reporting symptoms associated with the chemical. one student and one teacher were hospitalized. classes were cancelled today an the schools will be closed tomorrow as well. some local doctors in the charleston area are add advising that children under three years old should not drink the water at all. other physicians are advising specific patients to avoid the water completely, in a senate hearing yesterday, west virginia's secretary of state explained the kind of practical effect this is having on west virginia families. still. >> i have families telling me they are melting snow just to be able to give their children baths. >> to try to get a handle on this on going terrible situation in west virginia. a bunch of agencies returned to charleston today to meet with

state officials, after their meeting, the governor and various agency heads had a press conference where they claim everything is under control, we did everything, the water is safe to drink will the message ran headlong into some very dogs local reporters. watch this. >> unless i heard wrong, i'm not convinced the water is 100% safe is it currently 100% safe? and are you drinking the water? >> i would like to speak for myself. we are using the water. >> this morning, after a hearing, the doctor said if you smell water coming out of your shower that might smell funny, it might be a good idea to run it a little longer before you get in. that's something we had never heard before, at the same meeting, the health official said, i'm not sure the water is safe. >> is it supposed to smell like

black licorice. >> clearly people would like to have their homes tested, they're worried about the pipes. if the state has to leave, can you tell the agencies to go out and make sure this happens, they test the homes to people can get their faith back? >> i'm not sure that i could tell you we're going to go out and test 100,000 homes. >> not 100,000. >> i don't have a problem with testing the samples. >> we're not going to test all of those homes. >> this is a month after the leak. weeks after residents were first told that the water was good to go. charleston west virginia kids were sent home again tomorrow, no school, there is no water, it's not safe. it's amazing. this thing is a long way from

over, we'll continue to bring you more on this story as it surely continues to develop. there's a saying around here, you stand behind what you say. around here you don't make excuses.

you make commitments. and when you can't live up to them, you own up, and make it right. some people think the kind of accountability that thrives on so many streets in this country has gone missing in the places where it's needed most. but i know you'll still find it when you know where to look. she'd just grab the bounty select-a-size. one select-a-size sheet of bounty is 50% more absorbent than a full size sheet of the leading ordinary brand. use less, with bounty select-a-size. than a full size sheet of the leading ordinary brand. [ mthat if you wear a partial,w you're almost twice as likely to lose your supporting teeth? try poligrip for partials. poligrip helps minimize stress which may damage supporting teeth by stabilizing your partial. care for your partial. help protect your natural teeth.

add vanishing deductible from nationwide insurance and get $100 off your deductible for every year of safe driving. which means you could save... a lot of benjamins. we put members first, because we don't have shareholders. join the nation. ♪ nationwide is on your side on expedia you can book any flight, car and hotel together to save even more. plus, get an extra $100 when you build your custom trip. expedia, find yours. in an effort to combat the

recent wintery weather across this country. one indiana man has come up with a brilliant solution. stopthesnow.org. sign a petition to stop the snow. hoosiers are fed up. over 1700 people have already signed up to stop the snow. it's all very funny, of course, to sign a petition to stop weather. unless the snow was sent by the federal government to mess with your head, in which case, you're going to need to do a lot more than sign a petition. [ male announcer ] staples has everything you need to launch your big idea. adding thousands of products online every day. from hard hats and goggles. to tools and cleaning products... to state of the art computers, to coffee to keep you fueled.

from the sign over the door to the boxes to get it out the door. yes, staples has everything you need to launch your big idea. except your big idea. so when you get an idea, we're ready with everything else. staples. make more happen. i took medicine but i still have symptoms. [ sneeze ] [ male announcer ] truth is not all flu products treat all your symptoms. what? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus severe cold and flu speeds relief to these eight symptoms. [ breath of relief ] thanks. [ male announcer ] you're welcome. ready? go. [ male announcer ] the rhythm of life. [ whistle blowing ] where do you hear that beat? campbell's healthy request soup lets you hear it in your heart. [ basketball bouncing ] heart healthy. [ m'm... ] great taste. [ tapping ] sounds good. campbell's healthy request. m'm! m'm! good.® but he's got such sensitive skin that you worry about what you use in the laundry. my tide, downy, and bounce all come in free & gentle. so we get a cleaner, softer blankie. uh oh.

[ female announcer ] tide, downy, and bounce free & gentle. uh oh. a 401(k) is the most sound way to go. let's talk asset allocation. sure. you seem knowledgeable, professional. would you trust me as your financial advisor? i would. i would indeed. well, let's be clear here. i'm actually a dj. [ dance music plays ] [laughs] no way!

i have no financial experience at all. that really is you? if they're not a cfp pro, you just don't know. find a certified financial planner professional who's thoroughly vetted at letsmakeaplan.org. cfp -- work with the highest standard. for ovnights can feel califolong and lonely.dren, i miss my sister. i miss my old school. i miss my room. i don't want special treatment. i just wanna feel normal. to help, sleep train is collecting pajamas for foster children, big and small. bring your gift to any sleep train, and help make a foster child's night a little cozier. not everyone can be a foster parent, but anyone can help a foster child.

the next thing is hard to see. you can still tell, it's sir veil answer video here from california, just south of san jose. the bright flashes that you see in the video, those are gunfire in the middle of the night. and what the shooters are aiming at is a substation, part of the electrical grid that powers silicon valley, they're shooting on purpose at that power station. this is from 1:00 in the morning on april 16th last year. this is the first report from the santa clara county sheriff's office. type of crime, vandalism, the sheriff and the police department received multiple phone calls of gunshots in the

area. the suspects have fled, no suspect information available at this time. this incident, this alleged vandalism is at the metcalf substation. hugely important to the silicon valley, all the tech companies there, and also just to the people who live there. the idea that somebody would pull up to the substation in the middle of the night and start blasting away is weird, it's kind of hard to believe, it's also scary, because it turns out that whoever did this appears to have had a plan beyond just putting a few bullets into a power plant. >> millions of people in santa clara county are being asked to conserve electricity. that's because someone sabotaged underground cables and fired at a pg&e substation. joe, this just sounds crazy? >> this is very unusual, and very serious.

the sheriff says saboteurs struck above and below ground. early this morning they lifted up heavy manhole covers and lifted up the at&t fiberoptic cables. someone fired a highpowered rifle into pg&e's substation. >> we believe that the perpetrator or perpetrators were familiar with systems. they knew where to go for the fiberoptics, where to cut, they were able to take out some very very critical parts of the pg&e substation. >> is this sabotage? >> it's too early to tell. we believe it was an intentional act. >> someone got underground and they cut the cables that hook up 911 service, some cell phone service and internet access. a few minutes later they started

shooting up the power plant. that caused transformers to crash. and then whoever did those things disappeared into the night. it took 27 days to get the repairs done, to get that substation back on line. the story remained a mystery, basically a complete mystery for months. it happened in april, it should be noted it happened one day after the boston marathon bombing. it happened in april there were no suspects. at & t put up a quarter million dollar reward to find the people responsible, nothing lapped. they had these few grainy images of bullets hitting the fence and nothing more. that mystery remains a mystery, faded from the headlines, but behind the scenes if you knew where to look, you could find plenty of anxiety over this kind of thing, the commissioner at the time was this man, and even before whoever it was shot up that california power plant, he

had been warning that a coordinated attack could cause a nationwide blackout, the year before the attack he had warned, there are ways that a very few number of actors with very rudimentary equipment could take down portions of our grid. he was trying to say, wake up and fix this without giving people instructions for how to do this kind of thing. he delivered that kind of vague warning in 2012 which came before the california shooting. then last year in december, henry waxman mentioned that san jose attack. he did not want to reveal particular details about that particular case, but he urged the committee to schedule a closed door briefing with the fbi on issues like this, that was early december. we asked him today whether the house energy committee has yet to schedule that fbi briefing. his office told the committee

agreed to hold the briefing with the fbi, no, it has not yet been put on the calendar. just after christmas, though. someone described as a senior intelligence official provided some new details on that attack to foreign policy magazine, in that same report, a former official with the power company in san jose said these were not amateurs taking pot shots, my personal view is that this was a dress rehearsal for future attacks. in those three acts, in the former power official's statement that this was a dress rehearsal, and the commissioner sort of quasi prophetic call, in those accounts you can hear people who are in a position to know trying to sound an alarm here. and i think can you also hear the seeds of real frustration that more has not been done about this real threat to our national infrastructure, today, john well hoff has helped the wall street journal piece together a very detailed time line of the attack in california and the paper public oirked it

in this morning's paper. we know that the attack began with the cutting of those fiberoptic cables for 911 and internet service, that was shortly before 1:00 a.m., then they started shooting, started shooting sniper style at the substation. they shot for 19 minutes, leaving behind dozens of casings that are ejected by an ak 47. the shooters seemed to have been aiming at the station's cooling unit, into a frightening extent their strategy worked. rebecca smith said they surgically knocked out 17 giant transformers that funnel par to silicon valley. and then they got away, the suspects are gone. but the threat remains very present. the former commissioner tells rebecca smith today that he is still haunted by what happened that night in california. he's now made a hobby of trekking on power substations and seeing whether anyone stops him to ask why he's there. what keeps me awake at night is

a physical attack that could take down the grid, this is a huge problem, he says. joining us now is rebecca smith, an energy reporter for the wall street journal, thank you for being with us. congratulations on this scary story. >> thank you so much. >> has anything like this happened before in this country. either an attack of this type that has had this type of effect. >> i haven't spoken with anyone who recalls any incident, anything like this, the comprehensiveness of the attack was unusual, the fact that they got away was unusual. the fact that months later we don't know their identities, it's extraordinarily unusual. >> who is responsible for ensuring the security and the resilience of the grid as critical american infrastructure? >> one of the problems, rachel is, there is no single federal agency with clear jurisdiction, and this is why mr. well hoff was going around capitol hill last year trying to get traction on this issue, trying to get the department of homeland security, department of defense,

department of energy, anybody to intervene and try to get some action. he was unsuccessful. and his agency did not have the power to order the kinds of improvements that very likely are needed. >> the improvements would be done by the industry, presumably because they felt it was in their own interest to do so, or because they were required to do so as a regulatory matter, if there isn't an agency that would be in charge of actually making these improvements, is there an agency or could there be some sort of instruction from the federal government that the industry has to meet certain standards that are tougher than what they have to meet now? >> one of the proposals is that there might be action by congress to let's say anoint perks that the agency, mr. well hoff worked for, to anoint it as an agency capable of putting in place temporary rules, they would set out at some point in the future, during that period permanent rules would be worked on, and this obviously requires collaboration with industry. because you want to wind up with something that is effective.

>> i was struck by that giant reward that was announced by at&t in this case, obviously at&t was not the only agency or company that was affected by th. but when they got their cables cut, they seemed quite upset about it. $250,000 reward hasn't been enough to shake out suspects but it shows they took this very serio seriously. i wonder if this reflects that industry has freaked out about this, even if they don't want to talk about it too much in order to avoid inspiring copycats. >> at&t has had cables cut before. they really don't like it. but you didn't hear a peep out of the utility whose substation was attacked. and that's because they and others are very afraid of copycat attacks. and they're, of course, always afraid that if they discuss an incident, it will telegraph to malefactors way they can attack the grid. >> i don't mean to put you in a spot, but was that a concern for

you and the journal in publishing the details about how this attack happened. did you worry that you might inspiring people to try this around the country? >> there's always a worry. we don't want to provide information to someone who hadn't thought about it an means to launch an attack. but on the other hand, this attack did happen and it needs to serve as a wake-up call. >> a fascinating story. i'm from the bay area. i read local reports about this happening. but i had not all pieced it together the way you did for this rashable piece in the journal. congratulations on this story. >> thank you. >> did somebody tell you that it snowed outside this week? did you believe them? don't tell me you fell for that. hey mom. yeah? we've got allstate, right? uh-huh.

yes! well, i found this new thing called... [ dennis' voice ] allstate quickfoto claim. [ normal voice ] it's an app. you understand that? just take photos of the damage with your phone and upload them to allstate. really? so you get [dennis' voice] a quicker estimate, quicker payment, [normal voice] quicker back to normal. i just did it. but maybe you can find an app that will help you explain this to your...father. [ vehicle approaches ] [ dennis ] introducing quickfoto claim. just another way allstate is changing car insurance for good. just another way it's been that way since the day you met. but your erectile dysfunction - it could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis.

side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than 4 hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or if you have any allergic reactions such as rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a 30-tablet free trial. lovely read susan. may i read something? yes, please. of course. a rich, never bitter taste cup after cup. 340 grams. [ sighs ] [ male announcer ] always rich, never bitter. gevalia. they don't know it yet, but they're gonna fall in love, get married, have a couple of kids, [ children laughing ] move to the country, and live a long, happy life together where they almost never fight about money. [ dog barks ] because right after they get married, they'll find some financial folks

who will talk to them about preparing early for retirement and be able to focus on other things, like each other, which isn't rocket science. it's just common sense. from td ameritrade. i have a big meeting when we land, but i am so stuffed up, i can't rest. [ male announcer ] nyquil cold and flu liquid gels don't unstuff your nose. they don't? alka seltzer plus night fights your worst cold symptoms, plus has a decongestant. [ inhales deeply ] oh. what a relief it is.

>> it is february in the northern hemisphere, which means it is winter and it means there's snow and ice. i'm very sorry. this cell phone snapshot is what it looks like at the dog run where my dog gets his yayas out. that's hoboken over there, my dog's view through the snow today at his happy fun time place. but wintertime snow and ice on the eastern seaboard is just the weather. it's not really news. where the weather this winter really has become legitimate news is in the south. the snow and ice storms that absolutely pl lly fu ll lly flu created traffic jams. people hiking to the nearest place, even if it just meant sleep on the store of the nearest grocery store. kids kept overnight at schools

because neither the school buses nor parents cowl get to them to get them home. truly amazing scenes. too amazing. because this is the way our country is now. one of the reactions to the snow falling in the south this past week has been that it can't really have been snow. it must be a government conspiracy to make you think it's snow. quote, there's no doubt in many minds there's some sort of geo engineering going on across the nation. what we do not know is the specifics behind it and what the purpose is. we do know that the strongest military weapon a military could possess is one that can manipulate the weather at will. see, it's not snow, it's a military attack on the south that looks like snow. chemical attack of some kind. or maybe zillions of tiny nanobots but right now they're crawl into your back teeth to bug you later. the website noticed people in the south worrying over this mysterious unknowable white substance falling from the sky. or apparently falling from the

sky. really newsies best contribution to studying this is the videos they compiled of people home brewing their own experiments to prove that what fell in the south this past week isn't really snow. >> the last few days have seen scores of videos like this from skeptics who claim the snowflakes aren't the real deal. >> i have a sample of quote, unquote, snow. leaving the snow unmelted. >> the conspiracy reasoning goes like this -- the snow is unusual in georgia and other southeastern areas, and doesn't melt when burned. therefore, it must be fake snow, distributed by government as a diversion from big government tyranny. >> being distracted on all fronts. you're preoccupied and they're up there signing bill, the government, to pretty much take away more of your rights and freedoms. >> makes sense, right? the government planted fake chemical snow all over the south to distract the sheeple from the

fact that they're passing bills and everything. god bless america. you want to know why the snow behaves like that when you try to burn it on youtube in georgia? we sent our own in-house fake doctor to study the behavior of some legitimate new york city snow today. the rachel maddow show institute of science chem lab also doubles as our office kitchen. forgive the atmospherics here. watch what happens. >> you're seeing the snow kind of melt away from the flame, but the water is being reabsorbed into the snowball so it's not dripping off. it's turning into a slush ball. >> even in new york city, where the snow is definitely real snow and not a conspiracy, unless it's been a conspiracy every year since winter started, you still can't easily melt the snow here with a flame. if you don't believe us, behold philip plate from slate.com's bad astronomy blog. >> you can see the water line.

there it is. and as more of the snow melts from the bottom up, the water gets sucked into the snow itself. see, it's turning into a slush ball. and that's what's happening in those videos. that's where the water is going. it's going into the snowball itself. not dripping away as you might expect. >> slush ball. that's why there's no dripping and no puddle when you try to burn a snowball. yes, but the burn marks! what about the burn marks! conspiracy! the burn marks on the snow are from your lighter. you're burning up butane in the lighter and it's making soot consisting largely of car produced by the incomplete burning of the hydrocarbon in your lighter fluid. the soot is sticking to the snow. that's the burn mark. either that or what looks like winter is actually a weapon. because kenya? new black panthers?

you know how many times the irs commissioner went to the white house? do you? no, seriously, do you? happy february, america. there are a few weeks yet left of winter. please stay calm. that does it for us. we'll see you tomorrow. now it's time for "the last word with lawrence o'donnell." have a great night. "american idol" contestants have become stars and now, it was bound to happen, one of them wants to become a political star and a congressman. clay aiken will join me to tell us why he's decided to run. but first, chris christie wanted david wildstein to work at the port authority so badly that he had to invent a job at the port authority for david wildstein that did not previously exist. david wildstein, of course, has resigned in a cloud of scandal and took the fifth amendment when asked about that scandal. and today, the port authority