Midday open thread

• Get 'em while they're hot ... uh ... cold:

  In the 19th century, there were 150 glaciers in Glacier National Park, and now there are just 25. By 2020, even those will be gone, says Daniel Fagre, coordinator of climate change and glacial geology studies in the park.

  In order to see some of the last glaciers left in the lower 48 before they're gone forever, Stephen P. Nash of the New York Times took to the trails of Glacier National Park, where he had hilarious encounters with the locals, like this one:

  I responded [to a group of hikers coming up the trail] in superlatives, and asked whether folks here talk much about what?s happening with the glaciers.

  There was a pause and the temperature seemed to decline a degree or two. ?God will take care of everything we need,? one said.

• An exciting progressive win:

  Health insurance plans must cover birth control as preventive care for women, with no copays, the Obama administration said Monday in a decision with far-reaching implications for health care as well as social mores.

  Oh, wait:

  The Obama administration is debating the inclusion of a conscience clause that would allow some insurers not to cover contraception on religious grounds, POLITICO has learned.

  Rumor has it that a bipartisan compromise will be reached whereby insurance companies are prohibited from covering birth control and we can declare victory. Stay tuned.

• Teabaggers love Rick Perry:

  Last week we learned from Pew Research that Republican voters who are paying attention seem to favor undeclared candidate Rick Perry over fragile frontrunner Mitt Romney. Today, via Rasmussen polling, we're continuing to see the Texas governor breathing down the neck of the more-jobs-or-bust candidate. According to the polling outfit's nationally representative survey of likely primary voters, 22 percent favor Romney and 18 percent favor Perry. But as The Hill's GOP 12 points out, Perry is in command of the important Tea Party bloc: "He's at 28% with [Michele] Bachmann trailing at 22% and Romney at 16%."

• Al Jazeera cracks the U.S. market ... barely. But really, who needs another media outlet? It's already so fair and balanced:

  But six months after widespread protests erupted in the Middle East, the Qatar-based Al Jazeera has not gained distribution on any major cable or satellite systems in the United States. The channel?s supporters say they feel it has been blacklisted; the distributors say they have to contend with limited channel space.

  Undeterred, Al Jazeera English executives say they are making headway. On Monday, the channel will be carried in New York City for the first time, though only by subletting space from a channel owner. The channel has a foothold in Washington through a similar arrangement.

• The final compromise deal will probably be called the "Drill, Baby, Drill To Save America From Jihadists Act."

  On Friday, President Barack Obama spoke to a gathering of stakeholders to announce his plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase fuel efficiency standards and reduce dependence on foreign oil.

• The only question is, how many of his character witnesses will arrive at the courthouse in shackles:

  Convicted former Gov. Rod Blagojevich will face sentencing at a hearing beginning Oct. 6, a federal judge in Chicago said Monday.

  The sentencing hearing could last two days, U.S. District Judge James Zagel said in setting the sentencing date, depending on the number of witnesses Blagojevich?s lawyers call to testify to his character and his accomplishments as governor. [...]

  Blagojevich could face a sentence of up to 300 years behind bars for crimes including his effort to sell or trade an appointment to the U.S. Senate to fill the seat vacated by President Barack Obama.

  But legal observers says it?s likely Blagojevich will be sentenced to somewhere between the six-a-half-year prison term given to his predecessor, former Gov. George Ryan, and 15 years.

• Inspector Javert is on the job:

  The FBI says it has a "credible" lead in the D.B. Cooper case involving the 1971 hijacking of a passenger jet over Washington state and the suspect's legendary parachute escape.

  The fate and identity of the hijacker dubbed "D.B. Cooper" has remained a mystery in the 40 years since a man jumped from a Northwest Orient Airlines 727 flight with $200,000 in ransom. [...]

  Federal investigators have checked more than 1,000 leads since the suspect bailed out on Nov. 24, 1971, over the Pacific Northwest. The man who jumped gave his name as Dan Cooper and claimed shortly after takeoff in Portland, Ore., that he had a bomb, leading the flight crew to land the plane in Seattle, where passengers were exchanged for parachutes and ransom money.

  The flight then took off for Mexico with the suspect and flight crew on board before the man parachuted from the plane.

• An in-depth look at the mission to get Osama bin Laden.

Source: http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/2y2fih0B6wA/-Midday-open-thread

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