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Friday, January 15

Sing

5:26 PM ET
Dr Sanjay Gupta (in Port au Prince) now reporting to CNN that where he is, in a makeshift medical clinic, US medical personnel treating Haitians are now being told by U.N. peacekeepers to immediately stop treating patients, pack up their medical supplies, and get to a secure location because of concerns about violence, rioting, not far from the site. He reports sounds of gunfire in distance. Sanjay said it's unknown where and when the personnel would be able to set up another clinic.

5:15 PM
State Department announcement:

Two Memorandums of Understanding have been signed between the governments of Haiti and United States:

1. The United States has been given indefinite control of Haiti's international airport, making it official that the United States is in charge of all inbound and outbound flights and aid offloading. That heads off many potential problems about lines of authority.

2. American medical personnel now have permission to operate on Haitian citizens and otherwise render medical assistance without having to wait for licenses from Haiti's government and other bureaucratic red tape.

4:40 PM
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced she's traveling to Haiti tomorrow with Rajeev Shah (OFDA - USAID) to meet with Haitian president and other Haitian leaders.
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Hundreds of Haitians, mostly women and children (roughly half of Haiti's population are children), are walking through Port au Prince, clapping and singing. Surely these are the same women whose songs have pierced the pitch-black night since the earthquake first struck.

Look, Death, you cannot destroy our spirit. We pesky, stubborn humans.

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