Evening Buzz: Crisis in Egypt
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/images/01/28/t1larg.egypt.02.afp.gi.jpg caption="Many Egyptians defied a government curfew Friday night and faced stinging police tear gas as they marched for change." width=300 height=169]
Maureen Miller
AC360° Writer
Tonight on 360°, we'll have the latest developments in the crisis in Egypt. At lot is at stake. Egypt shares a border with Israel, it's America's ally and it's the capital of the Arab world. There are a lot of questions unanswered at this hour. Will demonstrators take to the streets again on Saturday? Will the country's government resign?
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, 82, addressed his nation on television just hours ago and made it clear he has no intention of stepping down - yet his resignation is what most protesters are demanding. Instead, he's calling on the rest of his government to step down.
"I am absolutely on the side of the freedom of each citizen. At the same time, I am on the side of the security of Egypt and I would not let anything dangerous happen to threaten the peace and the law and the future of the country," Mubarak said.
President Obama called Mubarak shortly after his speech to the people of Egypt.
"When President Mubarak addressed the Egyptian people tonight he pledged a better democracy and greater economic opportunity. I just spoke to him after his speech and I told him he has a responsibility to give meaning to those words, to take concrete steps and actions that deliver on that promise," Pres. Obama said at the White House this evening.
The outrage in Egypt has been building for days. Demonstrators first took to the streets on Tuesday. Then today thousands took part in the unrest. Riot and plainclothes police were joined by the Egyptian soldiers, marking the first time the army was deployed to battle unrest since 1985.
The crowds chanted "Down, Down, Mubarak" in the capital, Cairo. Water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets were used to try to stop the protests. Protesters also filled the streets of smaller cities. Our reporters and camera crews on the scene captured amazing video of the uprising. We'll share it with you tonight, along with several reports.
We'll also look at what this all means for U.S.-Egyptian relations. Keep in mind, the U.S. gives about $1.3 billion in military aid to Egypt, second only to Israel. Egypt has also received about $30 billion in economic aid from Washington since 1975. Those figures are from the U.S. State Department.
Join us for our special coverage from Egypt starting at 10 p.m. ET on CNN. See you then.
|
|
Filed under: Maureen Miller • The Buzz |
About this Show:
Anderson Cooper goes beyond the headlines to tell stories from many points of view, so you can make up your own mind about the news. Tune in weeknights at 8 and 10 ET on CNN.
Questions or comments? Send an email
Want to know more? Go behind the scenes with AC361°
Subscribe to the podcast
On Twitter
Search the AC360 blog
I am Proud to be an American /Egyptian .. I often felt embarrased to tell people where am from .. afraid to be judged as an ignorante illiterate middle eastern .. for the first time in my life i am proud to see the people in egypt uprising and demostrating against a corrupt government.
The United states need to take another look on thier forign aid to the middle east n other countries as well .. We have to moderate the use of that aid towards the need of the people and thier poor economy ... after all we are one earth one globe and severe fall of a major part of the world will affect the stability of all the other nations arround it and beyond as well ...US aid should not be given to a corrupt regiem specialy a ruler like Mubarak and peopele arround him .. US aids should not be tampered with. American voters should have a right on how these aids are being spent. its our tax money that is helping terorisms and dectatorship arround the world please Stop Aiding corrupt governments....