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Egypt in Crisis; Violent Clashes Have Killed Dozens

Aired January 29, 2011 - 19:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. Don Lemon here at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. Thank you so much for joining us.

A popular uprising in Egypt that threatens to bring down the presidency of Hosni Mubarak now in its fifth day.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

LEMON: Dozens of people have died in violent clashes with riot police over the past week. Many others have been injured. Here you see the body of one victim carried today through the streets of Cairo.

It is impossible to know how many people were out protesting today. But tens of thousands, it's safe to say is an estimate.

One major change is the disappearance of riot police. Now, military troops and vehicles fill parts of Cairo. And for the most part, the military and civilians have avoided clashing with each other. But what we are now seeing is how protests have spread to cities around the world.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

LEMON: Impassioned Egyptian-Americans gathered in Washington today, calling for the removal of Egypt's president. They rallied first at the Egyptian embassy and then marched to the White House.

Inside the White House, President Obama huddled with his national security team to discuss the crisis. There's a lot at stake because Egypt has one of America's biggest Arab allies in the Middle East.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

LEMON: And we are getting similar protest videos and iReports from across the U.S. and around the world. This rally took place in downtown Montreal -- Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and many other places had similar demonstrations to show their support for the uprising in Egypt. We'll hear from them throughout this hour.

Social order and security have collapsed across Egypt's largest cities. As darkness falls, looting has become pervasive. And without police, many shopkeepers are arming themselves to protect their stores from looters. There have also been conflicting reports about looting of priceless artifacts from the national museum. And right now, it appears the museum is secure. We'll let you know if we get any additional information about that. A lot of people are concerned about.

We're also just now getting word from Nile TV that about 1,000 inmates have escaped from a large prison outside Cairo.

CNN's Ivan Watson has a live report from Cairo in just a moment on that. He's going to update us on that situation.

So, Michael, let me start with you.

Michael is a Christian broadcaster here. He is Michael Youssef.

And you and your family came from Egypt 1997. What do you make tonight as you see this drama unfold and you hear about the riot police and all of that?

MICHAEL YOUSSEF, CHRISTIAN BROADCASTER: I actually escaped from Egypt back in the '60s when I left. I came to the States in '77. But -- so, I know what dictatorship is lived under Nasser.

And it's really very disconcerting as I talk to several leaders in Egypt, Christian leaders and others, of the looting shops, banks. And so many young people are arming themselves because they can't have guns with sticks in order to defend their families and their possessions. It's really, very, very, very disconcerting.

I was talking to an 80-year-old person who said, I've never seen anything like it.

LEMON: So, listen, you know, you said you escaped. Is it necessarily -- and, you know, maybe people in America for the most part will read this a certain way -- that Hosni Mubarak, if he is removed from power, is there some good to what Hosni Mubarak has done for Egypt?

YOUSSEF: Well, I personally think so. And everybody has a different perspective, you know? Number one, he was a war hero. He is the one that led the Air Force at the Yom Kippur War.

And so, the younger generations coming up -- I'm 62 now. So, I lived through the days of Nasser in the '60s, and saw the improvements that Mubarak made and I travel --

LEMON: Which were?

YOUSSEF: A lot of the economy. I mean, their economic growth is about 6.5 percent annually. And private enterprise, privatizing banks and companies and allowing more and more -- of course, not enough for young people to be able to have employment. I know that I had a driver who was a lawyer and he is making more money driving a car than practicing law.

LEMON: He's making more money.

YOUSSEF: Yes.

LEMON: But comparatively, it's not a lot of money when you consider how much money most people make in Europe.

YOUSSEF: Absolutely.

LEMON: It doesn't compare to the United States or most countries at all?

YOUSSEF: Right. And inflation is humongous. It's huge. It's a problem.

LEMON: Here's what -- why would one support Hosni Mubarak, who has lots of money, lots and lots of money, if you are living and you have to wait in queue to buy basic needs and get necessities. Why would there be support for someone like that in the country?

YOUSSEF: I don't know what kind of money he has. It's my -- I'm not here to defend him. But -- and I think, the people have every right to demonstrate. It's disconcerting the fact this turning into violence.

LEMON: All right. Stand by, Michael. I want to talk to you throughout the show. And a little bit later on, I want to go now to Ivan Watson who joins us now. He is in Cairo. And he's been watching this unfold.

Ivan, what are you seeing now? And also, talk to me about the prisoners who have escaped there.

IVAN WATSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, I'm sorry. I couldn't quite hear your question there. We've had some interruptions with the audio here.

Basically, it's now after 1:00 in the morning, 2:00 in the morning here. And the center of Cairo, the Egyptian capital, is quite calm.

I don't know if you can see over my shoulder. But we've got a number of army tanks parked here along the banks of the Nile, perhaps a reassuring sign for some residents of this sprawling city who are concerned by the disappearance of the police force after the battles that raged in these streets between the very unpopular police officers and demonstrators that resulted in basically the police evaporating overnight and not really having much of a presence at all in the city.

Some fears of looting -- I've seen stores and shops in residential areas that were looted over the course of the previous night. And that is a concern, maintaining law and order. And that is one of the arguments --

LEMON: That's our Ivan Watson reporting to us live there in Cairo. And as you can see, we're having a little bit of trouble with the satellite transmission. But just a short while ago, Ivan went out and he witnessed firsthand what people are doing there and spoke to some of the protesters. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: The crowds have gathered here. They're still chanting. There's a lot of elation. But the curfew is coming fast.

So, we're trying to ask people what are they going to do when they're told to go indoors?

Madam, are you going to go inside when the curfew starts?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I will not go inside, over my dead body. They will kill me, no problem.

WATSON: You're going to stay out protesting?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All of us, we will stay here.

WATSON: It's hard to put into words the scenes of elation that we're seeing here with people hanging on the military's tanks, riding through town. One man said, as a result of today, I feel proud to be an Egyptian for the very first time, Chanting "Down with the regime."

But there has been violence amid this carnival atmosphere. We've seen a number of people wounded, being treated by doctors on the dirty floor outside a mosque.

(CHANTING)

WATSON: What happened?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Someone killed my (INAUDIBLE). Mubarak -- (INAUDIBLE) Mubarak.

WATSON: We're very excited right now and pretty upset because there's been some shooting going on. The doctor telling us five dead people have been brought into this entrance of this mosque and there's one being treated right now with a bullet wound.

This has been a day of liberation for some. But it's also been a day of violence. And the doctors here at this restoration center, they say they've been treating people coming in with wounds throughout the afternoon.

We've heard about a number of gunshots. You can see this young man being treated right here with some kind of wounds to his chest and arms.

(CHANTING)

WATSON: The name of this square where this sea of chanting humanity has come to is called Tahrir Square. That means liberation. And the people here are celebrating a kind of freedom that many of them say they've never felt before.

(CHANTING)

(END VIDEOTAPE) LEMON: So, Ivan, you have been there watching this. As the days go on, have you -- are more people coming out or does it appear to be dwindling?

WATSON: Well, no, certainly there were far more people in the streets today. But we've already moved into Sunday here. But on Saturday, there were far more people than on Friday, in part because they didn't face opposition.

The police that had been attacking demonstrators prior to Saturday had left the scene and vacated the streets to the protesters, who are allowed to conduct themselves and chant and run around and have this festive atmosphere that was unfortunately tainted by some of these very bloody clashes that were going on just a few blocks away from where that carnival-like atmosphere was taking place.

LEMON: Ivan Watson reporting to us from Cairo -- Ivan, thank you very much.

I'm joined here in Atlanta by Michael Youssef. He has family there. You escaped from Egypt in 1977, you said that?

YOUSSEF: '69.

LEMON: '69.

YOUSSEF: Yes.

LEMON: Oh, my gosh. Listen, can you talk to me real quickly about this prison where supposedly about 1,000 prisoners have escaped?

YOUSSEF: I just saw that on BBC that they announced that 1,000 prisoners escaped from what is known as Abuzaba (ph) Prison which is a very notorious prison. And they think those are the people who are out there looting and they actually bombed a bank and got into the safe.

LEMON: And, again, they think those are the people -- I have been getting e-mails as well saying the protesters are really not the people who are looting.

YOUSSEF: Right.

LEMON: Those are other people and we should make that distinction. You'll be joining us throughout the hour here. Thank you so much.

We're going to talk about this. Coming up, our Nic Robertson shows what it's like on the streets of Alexandria in the midst of a curfew. And later, there were a lot of angry protest here in the U.S. today and we'll take you there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This time, I think two men died in this square, with all those people need just freedom.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: The ancient port city of Alexandria has seen its own share of demonstrations and deadly clashes.

And CNN's senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, has been in the thick of it all there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's now half an hour since security began. This is one of the army trucks here ostensibly enforcing the curfew. Everyone is out on the street. And on the side of the truck -- hi guys -- from the side of the truck, Mubarak go instead. This is the slogan on here, "Mubarak, get out of the country." And this is painted on the truck of the army here.

You were telling me you're a former general? You were a general, ex- general?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ex-general, yes.

ROBERTSON: So, you think that the army is out here to protect the president, not the people?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Yes, to protect him.

ROBERTSON: Thank you very much indeed. It's very nice talking to you. You have a handshake like a general, very strong. Thank you.

(CHANTING)

ROBERTSON: Well, that's just another opinion that we're hearing on the streets here. People have been very friendly with the army so far. But clearly, there's a train of thought here that feels that the army is still at the moment really protecting the president and his interests rather than theirs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Egyptian people are not to be sold for the spoiled businessmen from the president and to his staff and to his friends. They are all spoiled people. They stole our land. They stole our jobs. They stole our future.

ROBERTSON: Thank you very much, sir.

Everyone here wants to speak to us. Everyone has an opinion. And as you can see, some people would like to push to get their voices out and to get themselves on camera.

But despite that, it is quite relaxed and it is quite friendly. But this is probably a good time to move on.

It's almost getting to be night facility here in Alexandria now. The people, very clear in what they're saying. They want President Mubarak to go. They said, if he has any honor and dignity, then leave.

And they also say, if you want to leave, go to Saudi Arabia. It's waiting for you.

This is the message the people are saying.

I'm making a report right now. Yes. We're making a video report right now. What do you want to say?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to say that (INAUDIBLE) we said, I will stay. (INAUDIBLE) I will stay.

ROBERTSON: So, you think he's going to stay?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's challenging us and we're challenging him. He cannot have a curfew. We are staying here.

ROBERTSON: You're hearing it --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's not the president anymore.

ROBERTSON: Thank you.

So, you're hearing it from the streets right here. He's challenged the people by saying he'll stay --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He's staying.

ROBERTSON: This man is telling me --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He wants to calm us down.

ROBERTSON: He wants to calm you down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: By saying that he will stay. That's not calming us down.

ROBERTSON: That's not calming you down.

And that's what we're seeing here. People angry and they're saying right now that he must go.

(CHANTING)

ROBERTSON: The trend continues to be the same. We want him out. We want him gone. Mubarak has to go. That's the message that comes out.

The electronic part of the revolution here goes on. Everyone here almost is carrying their cell phone filming what's going on, propagating their message around the country. The voices here in Alexandria are just getting louder and louder.

There are people here now, like this gentleman, who are helping control the crowds. But the message now is getting louder and perhaps a little more controlled.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Alexandria.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: That was CNN's Nic Robertson.

Protesters in the U.S. express outrage over the situation in Egypt, including right here in Atlanta at a rally that I covered. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's happening to our president? He said, "I will change everything." We don't want him. He's the one -- he should go out. We don't want him here because he's not responsible about all this here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: A show of solidarity with the Egyptian protesters in cities around the country.

In New York, hundreds gathered outside the United Nations to show their support. They shouted slogans and waved signs, but the rally was a peaceful one.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

LEMON: And in Washington, a similar scene outside the Egyptian embassy there. Afterward, the group marched to the White House where President Obama held a meeting with his national security team today.

And in Atlanta, demonstrators held a rally right in the front of CNN's headquarters. We went out there and found that much of the anger -- much of their anger over the situation in Egypt is actually directed at the U.S. government.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(CHANTING)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've got to help out the people. They need justice.

MUSTAFA MAZHER, PROTESTER: If there's no sort of democracy that we're promoting here, that's in the Middle East and it's not represented over there, we're not doing our job here. We're supporting a government over there that's been in power for 30 years.

SEAN PHILLIPS, PROTESTER: I don't think that the Egyptian people will be free until they take down Mubarak.

LEMON: (INAUDIBLE) said "U.S. 'aid' equals tear gas." What does that mean? AHMED NAZEEM, PROTESTER: Yes. This is the military, they are giving to Egypt. They are supporting that corrupted regime by giving them money and these weapons to be used against the Egyptian people. And we want the U.S. to stop supporting these dictatorships and give the opportunity to the Egyptians to elect the leaders.

LEMON: This sign says Americans should be aware of that?

SAMI ALMALFOUH, PROTESTER: Of course. Yes. They should know that their money is not being used building democracy. It's been used to oppress the people. It's quite the opposite of what's the purpose of the U.S. funds. It goes for a different message, sends a different message.

The U.S. aid for the military today to Egypt is $1.3 billion. The economy is $250 million only. So, if you compare that to that, that's the point -- that's the point of this sign, is that we want aid, of course, to build infrastructure and build -- kind of let the people, you know, live a normal life and have a real democracy.

SAMEH ABDELAZIZ, PROTEST ORGANIZER: We're not here to try to talk to Mubarak's government. We gave up on this a long time ago. We're here to talk to our government, the American government, to ask them to stay true to our American principles of democracy and freedom by standing beside the Egyptian people that are dying in the little towns and villages over there.

SHERYFALI MOUSA, PROTESTER: President Mubarak has been there for 30 years. We want him out.

(CHANTING)

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Just one of the many protests here in the U.S. and around the world.

Coming up next here on CNN: CNN's Fred Pleitgen shows us what it was like on the streets in downtown Cairo with no security.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: Looters are taking advantage of the chaos in the streets of Cairo. Security forces seem to have disappeared, leaving people to fend for themselves.

Our Frederik Pleitgen met up with some who are spending the night guarding their own property because no one else will -- Fred.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: While there's a lot of security presence and army in the downtown area of Cairo, if you get out of the downtown area, large parts of the city are basically without any security forces. So, we've seen a lot of people here who are banding together to try and protect their property, protect their homes, protect their families.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's no army. No one to prevent this.

PLEITGEN: What happened to the police?

UNIDENTIIED MALE: They disappeared.

PLEITGEN: How long are you going to stay out here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As long as the army comes -- as long as we can.

PLIETGEN: And you guys -- are you guys -- are you guys sort of all friends? Are you one family? How does this work --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have my cousins that live with me. I have my neighbors. We have our friends, neighbors down there. We're all like one community to prevent the whole street -- the whole area.

PLEITGEN: To prevent people from coming in here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Exactly.

PLEITGEN: And you're getting no help at this point, from the police actually?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, not all. Nothing.

PLEITGEN: The people tell us that guys like this, guys on the motorcycles, those are usually the ones who are doing the looting. Now, we've seen some who have passed by here carrying real samurai swords on their motorcycles. Now, every time those motorcycles pass, obviously, the guys here from the community watch.

They come out and they threaten them and tell them, don't stop here. It clearly is a very, very difficult situation with a lot of uncertainty for the people in the Egyptian capital.

Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Cairo.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Many pictures of really what some say is chaos; others say it's organized protest.

Let's bring in Dr. Michael Youssef. You're sitting here. You're watching our coverage all evening. As you look at these reports, does this indicate anything to you about whether this is going to ramp up or slow down? Too soon to tell?

YOUSSEF: It is too soon to tell, really very hard. This is new. This is absolutely new to the Egyptian experience. Old and young alike that I talk to, they just really don't know.

There is a hope, of course, with the appointment of a vice president that maybe -- and I have a feeling that Mubarak really did not want to run. LEMON: But the keyword there is appointment.

YOUSSEF: Yes.

LEMON: It's not an election of anyone.

YOUSSEF: Sure.

LEMON: It is an appointment by someone who would be seem the masses want out.

YOUSSEF: Sure. Well, that's how it worked. Nasser appointed Sadat as vice president. He succeeded him. Sadat appointed Mubarak as vice president. He succeeded him. That's just how it sort works over there. He has to appoint a vice president so that he can be a transition -- a peaceful transition of power, because if he's going to say, we're going to have an election for a vice president in midst of this chaos, it's really is unlikely.

LEMON: So would it be - they're saying step down, we want you out. Not a good move, you believe? Why not?

YOUSEF: Not now. There has to be a timetable. There has to be an opportunity for a transition of power. To leave just now, there is no floor under the system that can catch it. There will be just street mob rule. In fact, I've written about this on my Michael Yousef.com blog. Because it's very important for people to understand - it's not like here where -

LEMON: There isn't street mob rule happening right now, though?

YOUSEF: It is. It's going to be far worse if he just leaves the country like the Tunisian president did. But if he brings in people that he begin to trust and hand over the power, maybe in the next several months he'll be able to just retire and enjoy the rest of his life.

LEMON: All right. Keep listening. We have more coverage. Because our coverage of the uprising in Egypt is going to continue here on CNN. We'll have a live report on the latest from Cairo. And we'll talk with a few Egyptian Americans here in Atlanta. I had the pleasure of meeting them just last night.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): The legend of Franco Harris is growing here in Pittsburgh, not just because he won four Super Bowls for the Steelers but for the work that he's now doing with an education foundation called the Pittsburgh Promise.

FRANCO HARRIS, THE PITTSBURGH PROMISE: This is the chance for so many kids who have an opportunity like myself even though I didn't plan to go to college, it was a great experience there, I was able to pursue my passion and profession in football and then afterward I was able to use my education to go into business.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If this thing weighs 100 lbs, how much does (INAUDIBLE)

PERRY: (INAUDIBLE) a student who keeps a 1.5 GPA, attends school 90 percent of the time, you're going to pay at least $5,000 a year for that?

HARRIS: We will give up to $5,000 a year.

PERRY: Per year?

HARRIS: Per year.

PERRY: Any school -

HARRIS: Any school in the state of Pennsylvania.

PERRY (voice-over): Saleem Ghubril has served as executive director of the Promise since it started in 2007.

(on camera): How many kids so far in just three years?

SALEEM GHUBRIL, EXEC. DIR., THE PITTSBURGH PROMISE: In three years, we have sent 2,500 kids to college.

PERRY: Where is this money coming from?

GHUBRIL: In order for us to honor that promise, it's going to require raising $250 million. Our largest employer in Pittsburgh is UPMC, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. When we approached them with this idea, they jumped on it right away.

PERRY (voice-over): Vanessa Thompson is now a junior at Chatham University in Pittsburgh.

(on camera): What (INAUDIBLE) to you now?

VANESSA THOMPSON, SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT: It means that I can get places that I never thought that I could before so I can dream bigger.

PERRY (voice-over): Steve Perry, Pittsburgh.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have a problem in Egypt. No work here, no eat, no independence. All people are very tired for that. We need a change.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I didn't want Mubarak because Mubarak - he's a snake. We need peace. I wanted to send the message to America. Please don't help Mubarak. Please. Because Mubarak, he will go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We hate Mubarak. We hate his current system. (INAUDIBLE) Why is this fire still going right now? Why? Because we don't like him. All Egyptians, we don't like it this way. We hate him, OK? And anyhow he will quit. He should quit. (END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: A popular uprising in Egypt that threatens to bring down the presidency of Hosni Mubarak is now in its fifth day.

Dozens of people have died in violent clashes with riot police over the past week. Many others have been hurt. Here you see the body of one victim carried today through the streets of Cairo.

One major change is the disappearance of riot police. Now military troops and vehicles fill parts of Cairo for the most part, the military and civilians have avoided clashing with each other.

Protests are spreading to cities around the world. Impassioned Egyptian Americans gathered in Washington today calling for the removal of Egypt's president. They rallied first at the Egyptian embassy and then marched to the White House. And inside the White House, President Obama huddled with his national security team to discuss the crisis.

Joining me now is Michael Yousef, he's here this hour. And he's a Christian broadcaster who moved here from Egypt more than 30 years ago. And we got Ivan Watson standing by live for us in Cairo.

First to you, Mr. Yousef, why not a full democracy there?

YOUSEF: Well, you have to understand, in my blog, michaelyousef.com, I explained how the concept of democracy is really a western concept. We believe that the power rises from the people. And we the people empower government to rule. That's why -

LEMON: Has that worked?

YOUSEF: Well, at least it's working here. In fact, Washington and -

LEMON: Yes, but has that worked there? It's not working there. So why not a full democracy because there are people who say Hosni Mubarak is not that bad, he's not that bad for the country. Who would believe that when people are in - there are so many people in poverty there?

YOUSEF: Sure, but there are many people who have moved from poverty into a middle class, too. I'm not defending him, believe me. I know some of the things that needed to be done that were not done. And I think a change is in the air, with him or without him. But at least he permitted the political parties to operate freely, have their own newspapers. (INAUDIBLE) Sadat allowed that to happen.

LEMON: Well, comparatively. If you compare them to those two people. Let's go now live to Cairo and go to CNN's Ivan Watson. Ivan, you have been watching all of this unfold. What are you seeing now?

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now, the streets are pretty calm and it's after 2:00 in the morning. There are a number of Egyptian army tanks that have been conducting patrols and parking in major intersections, kind of trying to maintain law and order.

You know, Don, as we talked about this, there's one theme that's come out over the course of the day repeatedly as I meet demonstrators or just passers-by. When they often - Egyptians ask where I'm from, I say, I'm an American citizen. One of the first things they say is, "you are welcome, you are welcome." It's a sincere response that you get from Egyptians.

But then you'll often hear a second message. One taxi driver told me, tell America to stop supporting this expletive government, meaning the presidency of Hosni Mubarak, of course. And I've seen signs around saying, you know, effectively, "Obama, stop supporting this government" and with the argument that an estimated $2 billion a year of U.S. aid comes to the Egyptian government.

More than $1 billion of that money, according to a WikiLeaks report, going in direct military aid to the Egyptian military and help prop up a regime that's been in place for some 30 years that is now feeling a real challenge, one of the most severe challenges it has faced in 30 years as a result of these demonstrators who clearly want the strongest ally to the Mubarak government to take a step back right now and listen to the voice of the Egyptian people.

LEMON: Ivan, stand by. We're not done with you yet. As you listen to that, Mr. Yousef, that's a very good point. As I was out there today, people said, the cans of the tear gas, it says, right there Made in the USA. Some of the ammunition from the weapons, whatever, the U.S. is supporting a government basically that is not for the people.

YOUSEF: Well, now they're saying it's not for the people. Where have they been for 30 years? Where have they been for 50 years? I mean, at least they are able to go down in the street and say things. Papers have been able to attack Mubarak for the past 10, 15 years.

LEMON: So the papers but Mubarak and the government did not want these people out there. That's why the military was sent out. He didn't want the people out protesting. He shut off the internet. He shut off the lines of communication. It's not a free democracy where these people are allowed. He doesn't want this at all.

YOUSEF: Sure. Of course, he is protecting his turf. I'm not, again, defending him. I'm just saying that he has done so much in terms of allowing these voices to speak. When I was a young man living there under Nasser, you could never dream of getting down in the street and attacking the government.

LEMON: Your point is things are getting better.

YOUSEF: Yes. And Ivan Watson, in Cairo, things are getting better, according to him, but things aren't according to where these people, these protesters you have been seeing - it's not to where they would like it to be?

WATSON: Right. And I think what you could do is point to the most recent round of elections in Egypt, at the end of November and early December, parliamentary elections which were denounced not only by international observers but even by the U.S. State Department saying that there were real problems with those elections, allegations of fraud, that the Egyptian government wasn't allowing independent international observers to watch that - those elections.

And in the second round of those parliamentary elections, Don, the two main opposition parties boycotted the vote because they saw that that election was rigged, was basically a farce. The main ruling party got, by some estimate, more than 90 percent of the seats in the current parliament. That was seen as a big step back for Egypt as far as electoral democracy goes. And one of the recurring themes I've heard from people in the streets is here, "we want to be able to choose our own leader. After 30 years, we deserve that right," Don?

LEMON: Ivan Watson in Cairo. Ivan, thank you very much. Egyptian Americans share their thoughts and concerns about the uprising in Egypt, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know anything about the safety, I don't know what is happening down there. I don't know -- are they even alive or not? I don't know what is happening.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: This is a moment of upheaval for the people of Egypt but it's also a time of hope and anxiety for Egyptian Americans who have to watch all of this unfold from thousands of miles away. We met Mustafa (INAUDIBLE) and some others while they were having a dinner at Sultan's restaurant in Atlanta. And here's what we talked about just last night.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My concern is the safety of the people there. The people - the young people especially.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They won't stop. I don't think the bloodshed will be there.

LEMON (on camera): When you finally get through on a land line and you talk to your relatives, what's their state of mind like? What do they say about all this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People are excited. You know, they feel that they are -

LEMON: Excited, not scared?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No - and scared.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Not scared.

LEMON: She says scared. Why do you say that?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because they don't know what's going to happen.

LEMON: As you watch Mubarak's speech, what did you think?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let the people rule. Let the people choose who they want.

LEMON: And you said it was almost as if it's a joke for you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is a joke. It is a joke because he does not understand, I mean, he obviously either doesn't understand Arabic or he hasn't been watching TV because people are going out and saying "no" to Mubarak.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And my assessment, he would be leaving the country very soon.

LEMON: You think it's over?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

LEMON: What does this mean to me? Why am I interested in what's happening in Tunisia, in Cairo? What does it matter to me?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have to care because very similar reason. This region has control of oil and that's a big factor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you had 300 million-plus Arabs who are satisfied and living a decent life, then things like fundamentalism, people like Bin Laden espouse, will not take hold.

LEMON: Are you hopeful, Hannah?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I hope everything will go well.

LEMON: Yes. Are you hopeful?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I am very hopeful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm very hopeful. Extremely hopeful. Not only for Egypt but for the entire region.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: We'll talk more when we come right back.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want Mubarak to get out. Get out Mubarak. Get out of Egypt. We don't need you. We don't want you here in Egypt. Get out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No Mubarak. No Mubarak. (END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: As we continue our coverage here the response, the revolt in Egypt has been overwhelming on cnn.com. Numerous I-reports have come in showing images of our viewers that have taken, what they're experiencing there, that they have taken and show us what they're experiencing from Egypt to Europe and elsewhere around the world, including here in the United States.

Egyptian American Nancy Mousa is an i-reporter with several dozen relatives in Egypt. She lives in Atlanta and visited Egypt just last October. So why did you upload your video on I-report?

NANCY MOUSA, EGYPTIAN AMERICAN JOURNALIST: You know, I felt, Don, that it was very important that everyone knew what was truly happening there. I know that Hosni Mubarak has limited the media, information that was being leaked to the United States and I needed to make sure I was able to let everyone in the United States know what my family members were telling me.

LEMON: OK. We're going to take a look at some of the most compelling images that have come in here. So here's one I-report from Switzerland of people condemning Hosni Mubarak at a rally. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: So, Nancy, what are they saying and when you were in Egypt, did you see any signs of what they are talking about? What are they saying?

MOUSA: In that i-report, they were talking about in Egypt here, we do not want the president here anymore. We want to get rid of you. We don't want you.

LEMON: We don't want you.

MOUSA: When I was in Egypt last October it was around election time and, you know, I saw all kinds of corruption within the government. I had a distant relative who was running to be a member of parliament there, and he was actually taken off of the ballot. Somebody bribed somebody in the government and he was taken off the ballot.

LEMON: I want to talk now, sitting next to you is Moustafa Mokhemar, one of the people I spoke to last night at the restaurant. We had a very interesting conversation. As you watch all of this 24 hours later from our talk, what do you think?

MOUSTAFA MOKHEMAR, EGYPTIAN AMERICAN: I think Mubarak should leave and Mubarak has no place now. Whatever he did won't solve the problem because, again, we have military -

LEMON: Moustafa, you disagree with what the doctor said earlier, what Dr. Yousef - I couldn't agree more with him, why?

MOKHEMAR: Because he said he gives the media freedom. That's limited freedom. Yes, he gives them freedom to talk but he makes them angry so they can't talk.

LEMON: And you agree, you are sitting here going, why?

MOUSA: He doesn't give them freedom at all. I think that's ridiculous as a very perception. That's very false. The people in Egypt - I'm very proud of them that they are rebelling right now because he limits what people can say.

LEMON: Yes, all right. Well, thanks to both of you. We really appreciate it. We're going to talk a little bit more here. We're going to move on and talk about how the U.S. is reacting to the development in Egypt and what's the next move.

Let's bring in our CNN State Department producer, Elise Labott. Elise, welcome. So what is going on? What's next for the United States?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT PRODUCER: Well, Don, the president has been meeting with his national security team and members of the cabinet have been meeting today really trying to decipher what to do next. As you remember President Obama gave President Mubarak a pretty tough message yesterday. Just reshuffling the cabinet is not enough. We really want to see meaningful change.

And now talking to officials in the administration they want to see that change. They're not going to cut Mubarak loose, so to speak, and call for him to leave. They're going to give him some time to institute some of those changes. They want to see a national dialogue with the opposition. They want to see steps at job creation and I think they're going to give them some time before they step up their rhetoric and talk about other leverage they can use such as U.S. aid.

But they are watching this very seriously. They don't know who would come in his stead. If he were to leave, there's really no rallying figure at the opposition they can deal with. And so they're really concerned for what is coming next. So I think they're hedging their bets a little bit. What happens if he stays?

LEMON: Elise, stand by. I'm getting some strong reaction from the folks here. You say what to that?

MOKHEMAR: I think there is no way for Mubarak to clean his mess now after 30 years. Why he change? He is 82 years old. What change will he make now after 30 years?

LEMON: Then what would you like to see? She is specifically talking about the Obama administration, our government, watching this very closely. What should they do?

MOKHEMAR: I understand what Obama, President Obama, trying to do because there is nobody can come in to take over. But that's another problem because Mubarak in the era of Mubarak he didn't bring any people to learn about the politics.

LEMON: So I say why shouldn't he resign and Mr. Yousef said it would be complete chaos if he resigned. Do you agree with that?

MOKHEMAR: What would be more chaos than that?

LEMON: You said to me that you believe in six months that there would be an election and that he would step down. He hasn't gone anywhere.

MOKHEMAR: No. He will step out this week. I believe that. I believe strongly of that.

LEMON: Elise Labott, back to you again. The Obama administration is watching this. What is the next move for the Obama administration?

LABOTT: Well, I think they're going to give some time for this to play out, to see what President Mubarak does. If he doesn't take some steps, I think they're going to talk about possible withdrawal, or holding, suspending U.S. aid.

But Don, to answer your guests, I think that they're really trying to walk a very fine line right now. Because clearly they see that change is coming in Egypt and they really want to be on the right side of history, be on the right side of the aspirations of the Egyptian people but at the same time they don't know how this is going to play out. It's very possible in their eyes that President Mubarak does stay in power and so, as I said, they're hedging their bets. They really don't want to alienate him and close the channel to future reform if they close the channel and he is still in power.

LEMON: All right. Elise, that's going to be the last word. We have to run. We're out of time here. Thanks to my guests here, Nancy and Moustafa and Elise Labott in Washington as well.

I'm Don Lemon at CNN World headquarters in Atlanta. Our coverage of the "Crisis in Egypt" continues with Wolf Blitzer after the break.

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