NPR 2010-01-17

From NPR News, in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh.

Frustration 1 is mounting in the Haitian capital where millions of earthquake survivors 2 are spending a fourth day without fresh food, water or medicine. Many are also working alongside international rescuers to find the countless 3 number of missing people since the quake struck Tuesday. The death toll 4 is expected to reach the tens of thousands. NPR's Jackie Northam is in Port-au-Prince where she says rescuers are having a very difficult time reaching survivors still trapped in the rubble 5 of collapsed 6 buildings.

"To get here, you have to travel through these roads hole, just crowds  of people and we saw some looting going on and local militias 7 have set up. So between those two things and the rubble from all the buildings have collapsed in this area, it was a really slow process. But we're here now. And they are just about to start searching this hotel that has collapsed. They're just about to send the first dog in. " NPR's Jackie Northam reporting.

At the US's main relief coordination 8 site in Homestead, Florida, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is urging private citizens not to charter flights to Haiti so the government aid can get through. "Yesterday, there were 48 lifts into Haiti, 17 of those came from here. We're hoping that that number increases very shortly to 60. We don't know the number of those that would be from the United States or from here. So that precious airspace is like gold right now. "

A US naval 9 vessel 10 has left from Baltimore for Haiti to offer medical support to survivors. The USS Comfort, is a 900-foot ship that is a fully 11 functioning and self-contained hospital. Sabri Ben Achour of member station WAMU is aboard that ship.

"It has laboratories, radiology facilities, several types of surgical 12 facilities. And it has enough beds to hold up to 1, 000 patients and see several hundred everyday rotating through. It's not expected to arrive before Thursday and by then medical officials acknowledge that people who were the most seriously injured and have not been treated, probably will have died. But they still feel there is a lot of surgical need there. Beyond that, they're going to be providing primary care and infrastructure 13 support and even water support for at least six months according to the navy surgeon general. " That's WAMU Sabri Ben Achour reporting from that ship.

Secretary of State Hilary Clinton is due to arrive shortly in the Haitian capital. She is scheduled to meet with Haitian President Rene Preval.

A boat smuggling 14 nearly two dozen illegal immigrants into the US has capsized in the waters off California. Authorities say one person was killed, several others were wounded, two of them critically. They believe eight people are still missing. The San Diego Newspaper reports more than 100 emergency crews were involved in the rescue operation.

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The nation's top railroad official says it is still could be several weeks before the Obama administration is ready to award funding for high-speed rail projects across the country. President Obama announced last April that he was setting aside 8 billion dollars in stimulus 15 funds for high-speed rail. NPR's David Schaper has this from Chicago.

When Mr. Obama announced his vision for high-speed rail, he said the 8 billion dollars would begin to go out to ready projects before the end of last summer. But that time line was significantly delayed when the Federal Railroad Administration was flooded with applications from more than 30 states, seeking more than 50 billion dollars. FRA administrator 16 Joseph Szabo denies his staff was overwhelmed, but says it has been challenging, evaluating the merits of the proposed high-speed rail projects. He says the 8 billion will be awarded to the most worthy 17 corridor sometime this winter, but he refuses to be any more specific.

"Well, winter started three weeks ago, and there is nine more weeks to go. So obviously that window would be December 21 to March 21. "

Szabo made the comments after a speech at a high-speed rail conference in Chicago. David Schaper, NPR News, Chicago.

Yesterday, at least three more banks were shut down as a result of the US financial crisis. Federal regulators closed sites in Utah, Illinois and Minnesota, bringing the total number of closures to four so far this year.

The US has released the names of 645 prisoners held at Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan, some of whom have been there for years. The Defense 18 Department decided 19 to disclose the detainees identities yesterday, more than three months after the American Civil Liberties Union filed suit.

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.