. >> and tony real quick, tell me a little bit about nerk and ferc. nerc, the north american -- privately owned, they are a profit making enterprise. the federal elect trick commission, overseas this process. if there's a good guy-bad guy story here, the ferc is trying to do the right thing and prod nerc to improve the grid. we need to find out what's best for the consumer. we need to make sure that this new grid is able to sustain itself through any sort of disaster. this is why i'm -- frankly every american should demand that the congress and the f ererc do the right thing so that their power will not be interrupted under any circumstance. >> next, it's hot outside and it will get hot in here. the return of anthony weiner and olympic sexcapades when we return here on msnbc. [ kimi ] atti and i had always called oregon home. until i got a job in the big apple. adjusting to city life was hard for me. and becoming a fulltime indoor cat wasn't easy for atti. but we had each other and he had purina cat chow indoor. he absolutely loved it. and i knew he w

right now, the big issue for the ferc, as they call it, is how to build a grid that would accept renewable energy. the trouble with renewable energy is you don't get to choose where you're going to build. you have to go where the sun is, the wind is, or the geothermal is. that is in obscure rural places that don't have very good connections. if we're going to shift over to renewables, it implies we're going to have a much bigger grid and there's arguments over who's going to pay for that. there's an argument over who wins and who loses. some incumbent companies on the grid, if we have new renewables will get to generate less. so you get all kinds of arguments about why to build or why not to build. it's a lot like a highway that might, say, bypass the downtown of a small town. some people want it, some people don't want it. some people would likeless traffic in their neighborhood. some people think it brings in commerce. there are a lot of factors, deciding. >> jean in ohio tweets in, nationalize the power grid, put it under ground. >> those are actually two different issues. there's a tre

it requires ferc and the regulatory agency to have studies for the potential of hydropower productionand increase grid reliability. this legislation will promote growth in our hydropower industry and it will create new jobs. since my colleague, mrs. mcmorris rodgers, and i began crafting this, it had bipartisan support every step of the way. this is a testament both to the substance of the bill and to everybody who contributed to the process. members, staff and stakeholders negotiated constructively and openly to produce this legislation. it's important for us to realize that even in these politically charged times such collaboration is possible and necessary for us to fulfill our commitments to the american public. i want to thank my colleague across the aisle for her hard work on this bill, and i also want to acknowledge ranking member waxman and chairman upton on the energy and commerce committee for their support throughout the process. h.r. 5892 will expand our potential and -- to advance clean energy production and create jobs. i urge all members to vote for this bill and, mr. c

right now, the big issue for ferc is how to build a bridge for renewable energy.he problem with the renewal energy is that you do not choose where to build. you have to go to where the wind is. if we switch over to renewables, it implies we after of a much bigger grid and their arguments about who will pay for that. some companies on the grid will generate less. it is a lot like a highway that might bypass downtown or a small town. some people wanted, some people don't want it. some people think it brings in commerce. there's a lot of factors deciding what to build and not to build. guest: those are actually two different issues. there is a trend recently in the grid to switch from alternating current to direct current, which is better for long-distance transmission. some of the stuff goes underground, but it is expensive and generally not necessary. he may be referring adds much to the high voltage grid -- not so much to the high-voltage grid but to the low voltage lines. host: "the baltimore sun" -- "in a crisis, they get grumbles and questions about why power l

in the capital but also at strategic border posts here on the turkish border with syria there was a fercee taking place earlier today just about a mile from where i'm standing at the syrian border crossing. the syrian rebels appeared to have captured it for a short time flushing out syrian army forces from there. they say they kind of looted some of the customs offices and security offices before being eventually forced to flee. further east from here also syrian rebel moves towards the iraqi border crossing. iraqi security officers telling cnn that the rebels captured that border crossing as well as several other smaller security posts as well. rebel commanders telling us they're trying to push the offensive to lower morale in the syrian government army forces and also to sell confusion within the syrian government ranks at a time where they're on the defensive both in the syrian capital and now at these strategic border points as well. wolf. >> ivan watson reporting for us. thank you, ivan. >>> a hard-hitting web video by mitt romney's campaign portraying president obama as insulting of

and appropriate sector-specific federal agencies such as ferc, if we're talking about how to -- how best to protect our electric grid. the council would work in partnership with the private sector, would conduct risk assessments to identify our nation's most critical cyber infrastructure. now, madam president, what do we mean about that? we hear that term. what exactly is critical cyber infrastructure? it is that which, if damaged, could result in mass casualties casualties, mass evacuations, catastrophic economic damage to our country, or severe harm to our national security. madam president, don't we want to safeguard critical national assets that if damaged would cause numerous deaths, people to flee their homes, their communities, a disaster for our economy, or severe blow to our national security? i can't believe there's even any discussion about the need for us to have robust systems to protect us against mass casualties, a devastating blow to our economy, and catastrophic consequences. that's a high bar in our bill for defining what is critical cyber infrastructure. it isn't every