Zimmerman, Hernandez, Zimmerman. America rejoice! We've found our latest news narcotic. CNN, Fox News, or MSNBC, whatever our preference, "gavel-to-gavel" coverage stands ready.

In some sense at least, this obsession is understandable. After all, George Zimmerman's trial speaks to concerns of evident public interest: racism, self-defense, and so on. In the same way, the murder charges against former New England Patriot Aaron Hernandez offer the prospect of that third favorite of American stories — the fall from grace (redemption being the second favorite and heroism the first).

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Nevertheless, Zimmerman's ubiquity illustrates a worsening symptom of American social dysfunction: our national addiction to rapid-fire culture news above and beyond all else.

We're closing our eyes.

SEE ALSO: 10 things you need to know today: July 11, 2013

As David Freddoso noted, last week's wall-to-wall Zimmerman reporting meant that "an American interested in what was happening in the world would have needed a premium TV package with foreign news networks." Case in point? Last week's Egyptian crisis was relegated to obscurity.

Of course, it's far too easy just to blame cable news. These outlets depend upon viewers for their revenue — the viewer gets what the editor believes he/she wants. Chuck Todd isn't to blame for what we watch; we, the American people, are responsible.

SEE ALSO: What 3 years of ObamaCare incompetence tells us about the White House

And whether it's the undiscovered stories of today or the unknown stories of tomorrow, we're missing a great deal.

Take space exploration.

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In late June, scientists reported that Voyager 1, a probe launched 35 years ago, had discovered a transition zone at the edge of the solar system. On July 4, we learned that a team of astronomers had detected massive radio echoes originating from outside our galaxy. Then, on Tuesday, a Navy SEAL joined an Italian colleague in a critical repair job outside a space station, live on camera, 259 miles above the Earth. Simultaneous with the space walk, NASA mission planners were announcing their recommendation that the 2020 Mars rover search for life on the red planet.

You'd think that these hugely consequential stories would generate widespread reporting. Alas not. America today is obsessed with the immediacy of now. We demand simple news of easy accessibility and instant relevance. Stories like those from the space program — stories that require some thought — have lost their appeal. Through us, our news cycle has become an American Charybdis, furiously gulping up short-term stories and then puking them out in disinterest.

SEE ALSO: What happens if George Zimmerman walks free?

It doesn't have to be this way.

America is nothing without the pursuit of knowledge; this is the engine that drives us forward. Without it, we'd become a land of drones: indifferent, intellectually lethargic and culturally impotent. A people destined to the ignominy of mourning our better past.

SEE ALSO: What America thinks of Edward Snowden

We need to start dreaming again — not of Kardashians, but of possibilities. We must renew that finest tenet of the American spirit: the will, as President Kennedy put it, to be "bold."

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Climate change and extreme weather already are causing disruptions in the U.S. energy supply that are likely to worsen as more intense storms, higher temperatures and more frequent droughts occur, the government says in a new report.

The report, released Thursday by the Energy Department, says blackouts and other problems caused by Superstorm Sandy and other extreme weather events are likely to be repeated across the country as an aging energy infrastructure struggles to adapt to rising seas, higher storm surges and increased flooding. A range of energy sources are at risk, from coal-fired power plants to oil wells, hydroelectric dams and nuclear power plants.

Climate-related disasters have already costs tens of billions of dollars, and the report says costs could grow exponentially unless a more comprehensive and accelerated response is adopted.

On the Gulf Coast, for instance, the report cites a study by an energy company and wetland foundation projecting that by 2030, nearly $1 trillion in energy assets in the region will be at risk from rising sea levels and more intense hurricanes. Based on an analysis of hazards, assets and vulnerabilities, the Gulf Coast energy sector faces an average annual loss from climate change and extreme weather of $8 billion in 2030, the report said.

The report urges private companies, governments and research institutions to take action to further understand the risks of climate change and reduce them. The report does not offer immediate recommendations, but says power plants and oil companies should use less water and recycle what they use.

Electricity providers should harden transmission grids and build emergency backup systems, the report says, and operators of hydroelectric dams should improve turbine efficiency. The report also recommends that governments and utilities work together to reduce demand for electricity.

"Water is obviously the big question," said Jonathan Pershing, deputy assistant secretary of energy for climate change policy and technology, who oversaw the report. "In drought you don't have enough water. As seas rise, you have too much."

While the risks from drought, floods and hurricanes are clear, water plays an important role in less obvious ways as well, Pershing said. Both coal-fired and nuclear power plants, for instance, need large volumes of water for cooling. As temperatures rise, that becomes more difficult.

The report cites several examples from 2012, the hottest year in the United States since record-keeping began in 1895:

— In August, a nuclear power station in Connecticut shut down one reactor because the temperature of the intake cooling water, withdrawn from Long Island Sound, was too high. The two-week shutdown resulted in the loss of 255,000 megawatt-hours of power, worth several million dollars, the report said.

—In the Midwest, drought and low river water depths disrupted the transportation of commodities, such as petroleum and coal, delivered by barges along the Mississippi River.

—In California, reduced snowpack in the Sierra Nevada mountains limited hydroelectric power generation capacity by about 8 percent.

"Costs are already happening and it's getting worse," Pershing said. "We are seeing damages across all parts of the energy sector."

Rising heat in the West will drive a steep increase in demand for air conditioning, which has already forced blackouts and brownouts in some places, the report said. The Energy Department's Argonne National Laboratory found that air conditioning demand in the West will require 34 gigawatts of new electricity generating capacity by 2050, equivalent to the construction of 100 power plants.

The report sends a "significant message about the risks and vulnerabilities" facing the U.S. energy sector, Pershing said. It should provide a blueprint for states and municipalities to consider, along with utilities and other energy providers and even consumers, who can do their part by reducing energy use or seeking alternative forms of energy, he said.

The report is the first of many to be produced across a range of economic sectors as the Obama administration responds to climate change and makes recommendations, Pershing said.

President Barack Obama announced a wide-ranging plan last month to combat global warming. The plan for the first time would put limits on carbon pollution from new and existing power plants as well as boost renewable energy production on federal lands, increase efficiency standards and prepare communities to deal with higher temperatures.

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FILE - In this Friday Nov. 13, 2009 file photo, Syrian President Bashar Assad waves a goodbye as he leaves the Elysee Palace following his meeting with his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy, in Paris. Arab identity is back on the right track after the fall from power of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, which had used religion for its own political gain, Assad said in remarks published Thursday. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere, File)

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) -- Syria's main opposition coalition Thursday condemned a rebel blockade of government-held districts in the contested northern city of Aleppo, issuing a rare statement of criticism against fighters who reportedly caused severe food shortages at the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Residents of the Bustan al-Qasr neighborhood staged protests against the blockade by Islamic militant rebels, according to activists and a video posted to YouTube on Tuesday.

The demonstration was one of three reported in Aleppo province in recent days against alleged abuses by al-Qaida-affiliated fighters, suggesting growing discontent in rebel areas toward the hard-line factions that are among the most organized of the rebel groups fighting President Bashar Assad.

"The people want to break the siege!" the residents shouted angrily during a demonstration at a checkpoint. The video appeared genuine and corresponded to other Associated Press reporting on Aleppo.

The checkpoint known as Garage al-Hajz is the only link between rebel-held eastern districts of Aleppo and western districts controlled by the government. It was reportedly seized and closed several days ago by non-Syrian fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, a merger of al-Qaida's branches in Iraq and Syria.

Rami Abdul-Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the fighters banned the transport of goods through the crossing to besieged regime-held neighborhoods of Aleppo, leading to shortages of food including baby milk and bread.

He said that the checkpoint was reopened Thursday based on an order from the Sharia Council of Aleppo, the Islamic court governing rebel-held parts of the city.

The main Western-backed opposition group issued a statement criticizing the siege and urging all rebel units "to help lift the siege imposed by groups not committed to protecting civilians, guaranteeing freedom of movement and facilitating the movement of staple foods to all areas."

Protecting civilians in liberated areas as well as those under Assad's control and providing them with basic needs and ensuring their safety "are top priorities of the revolution," said the statement by the Syrian National Coalition. The group has previously criticized acts by various factions in the splintered rebel movement, but not frequently.

Residents of rebel-held towns stage occasional protests against alleged abuses by fighters, often those affiliated with al-Qaida.

Such demonstrations may be becoming more frequent. On Wednesday, residents of two towns in Aleppo province, Minbaj and Kondi Mazen, protested separate incidents in which fighters reportedly arrested local youths for alleged petty offenses, according to the Observatory and an activist in Aleppo who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The Syrian civil war has killed more than 93,000 people, according to the United Nations, and displaced millions more. Aleppo, once Syria's commercial center, has been a main center of fighting since July last year.

Also on Thursday, the Syrian government started buying up local currency and raising penalties for black-market deals to try to stop the fall of the pound, which has tumbled to record lows against the U.S. dollar, the state-run news agency SANA said.

Syria's move Wednesday came as the currency hit a record low, reaching 310 pounds to the dollar compared with 47 pounds to the dollar when the country's crisis began 28 months ago.

The record drop of the pound happened on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when observant Muslims fast from dawn to dusk. Many Syrians are struggling with soaring prices because of the weakening currency.

SANA said the government approved a bill Wednesday that criminalizes business deals in currencies other than the pound, with penalties ranging from three to 10 years in prison.

The bill also seeks to prevent manipulation of prices in the market and "curb exploitation of citizens' needs," SANA said.

The currency began a sharp descent last month after the U.S. decision to arm Syrian rebels.

Syria is believed to have relied heavily on Iran to support its economy. Private media in the region have reported that Iran has supplied Assad's regime with billions of dollars since the crisis began in March 2011, and Syria's SANA recently acknowledged $1 billion in aid.

In an interview with a state-run newspaper Thursday, Assad said "Arab identity" was back on the right track after the fall from power of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, which he contends had used religion for its own political gain.

Assad's comments to the Al-Baath newspaper, the mouthpiece of his ruling Baath party, came a week after Egypt's military ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi as millions took to the streets to urge his removal. Morsi was Egypt's first freely elected president.

Assad calls the revolt against him an international conspiracy carried out by Islamist groups such as the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood — a branch of the Egyptian group with the same name to which Morsi belongs.

"The Muslim Brotherhood and those who are like them take advantage of religion and use it as a mask," Assad said. "They consider that when you don't stand with them politically, then you are not standing with God."

Assad's comments mark the second time in a week that he has gloated publically about Morsi's fall. In an interview with another state-run daily last Thursday, he praised the massive protests by Egyptians against their Islamist leader and said Morsi's overthrow meant the end of "political Islam."

Assad's father, the late President Hafez Assad, cracked down on a Muslim Brotherhood-led rebellion in the northern city of Hama in 1982. The Syrian forces, led by the then-president's brother and special forces from their minority Alawite sect, razed much of the city in a three-week air and ground attack, killing between 10,000 and 20,000 people.

"Arab identity is back in the right track," Assad said in the interview with Al-Baath. "It is returning after the fall of the Muslim Brotherhood and after these political trends that use religions for their narrow interests have been revealed."

Earlier this week, Egypt restricted the ability of Syrians to enter the country, with officials citing reports that a large number of Syrians were backing the Muslim Brotherhood in the bloody standoff with the military over Morsi's ouster.

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Karam reported from Beirut.