kids are setting off fireworks in the medinah. incoming.uhammad's birthday, and people who have not known freedom for nearly 50 years are ready to celebrate. martyrs square is filled with families, kids, teenage skater boys and hotshots on motorcycles. it's wild. and almost giddily happy. young men in the camouflage pants of the militias, most of whom were civilians until last year, do their best to sporadically keep order or just join in the fun. every kid above the age of 5 seems to have been issued a lighter and a fistful of fireworks. ambulances idle on the margins of the square to treat fireworks-related injuries, of which there will be many. >> no, no, no! >> that was good. this is tripoli after 42 years of nightmare. how to build a whole society overnight and make it work in one of the most contentious and difficult areas of the world is what people are trying to figure out. [ chanting ] >> so, before the war, did you think it would ever be possible? >> no, no. >> did you dream some day this will change? >> no. in gadhafi's time, you

going into every country right now we match with the president of the dominican republic president medinah he was very impressive and we talked about the future of the dominican republic and the future relationships with them. a big subject of conversation there was the treatment of haitian refugees in the dominican republic. congresswoman velÁzquez will talk about that among other things. we went to haiti and they had a tragedy this week when we met with president martelli as well as their prime minister and members of his cabinet. we visited two initiatives one inspired by paul farmer that addresses the needs of orphans orphaned children in haiti and another that was about a sustainable role of development and of course in all three countries are ranking member once chernow ranking member on the agricultural committee colin peterson took the lead in those discussions. we ended our visit to haiti at the cathedral of the assumption, our lady the assumption. as a cathedral that five years ago in january was the earthquake was completely devastated. it looked bombed out more than an earthqua