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Verizon iPhone A Game-Changer; Mubarak Rumored To Step Down From Presidential Post Tonight

Aired February 10, 2011 - 10:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, a Texas man was the first to take the case on. He got into the game but says that his seat was not so super. In fact, he said it was pretty darn lousy.

Well, a dire warning from the very top of the Department of Homeland Security. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JANET NAPOLITANO, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: The threat continues to evolve, and in some ways, the threat today may be at its most heightened state since the attacks nearly 10 years ago.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And live pictures from the capital where the worldwide threat hearing is actually taking place. On hand, top brass from the National Intelligence Agency, CIA, FBI as well as members from the Departments of State, Defense and Homeland Security.

On today's docket, we now hear that Osama Bin Laden may no longer be considered our country's biggest security threat. From the Pentagon, Barbara Starr joins me. So who's at the top of the list now, Barbara?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Kyra, it may not be a surprise that Bin Laden has fallen off the scope a little bit in terms of being number one because there's been so much focus, of course, and on Al Qaeda in Yemen, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Anwar Al-Awlaki, of course, the cleric there who has been tied allegedly to so many recent attacks.

He is the one that really all eyes are on, this man and all eyes have really been on him for sometime now. So as this hearing unfolds at this hour, expect to hear a lot from all of these top officials about the broader threat beyond Bin Laden 10 years after 9/11.

The threat has really evolved. It's moving into a lot of different countries. It's no longer just about Bin Laden, sadly, and, of course, the other major topic on the docket will be the unrest in Egypt. James Clapper, the director of National Intelligence said to have been rebuked by the White House for not getting it fast enough, that Egypt might be on the verge of some unrest. He's likely to get a lot of questions on that, what did the intelligence community know about Egypt? When did they know it, and when did they tell the president that all of this is coming? This should be a pretty spicy hearing. Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. We'll follow it with you, Barbara. Thanks so much.

The nation's top conservative activists are in Washington as well. This is for the start of the CPAC conference. There is more interest in the annual meeting this year, not just because of the GOP's takeover of the House last fall but also because of next year's White House race.

Congresswoman Michelle Bachman of Minnesota just spoke to the group.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R), MINNESOTA: The all-important must- have for 2012 is this - making Barack Obama a one-term president!

(APPLAUSE)

BACHMANN: Right? Stand up. Stand up! Stand up!

(APPLAUSE)

BACHMANN: I think you're up for it. I am, too. This is it. This is the real world. This is when it counts!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, we're also keeping a close eye on Egypt where our crews say the protests appear newly energized today. Crowds in Cairo have ballooned since these images were shots. Thousands of workers abandoning their jobs, joining the movement, from Cairo to Alexandria, and major cities across the country, the new labor strike could prove pivotal, and could disrupt the oil production and even the free flow of trade through the all-important Suez Canal. The protests on the right are in (INAUDIBLE) right now. And that hits home for all of us when it comes to a potential surge in gas and oil prices.

CNN's business news correspondent Stephanie Elam in New York with a closer look at an extremely important route for a number of reasons. Steph.

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it really is, Kyra. And one thing, let's make it really clear about Egypt. As far as actually producing oil, they're in the top 30. They are not one of the major contributors of oil to the world. That said, most of the oil that they do produce they actually use inside their country.

So it's not really about what they produce. What it's about is this one or two really important territories that run through Egypt. And let's just show you what we're talking about. We're talking about the Suez Canal, which as you can see here on this map here that we have up, 1.8 million barrels a day flow through that canal in 2009. So that just shows you how important it is. You get from the Red Sea into the Mediterranean Sea. It's connecting that and also there's the Sue Med pipeline that runs just to the west of it. You see it there just in the yellow line.

Well, 1.1 million barrels a day flowed through that pipeline in 2009, making it a very important conduit to get oil through there from the rich oil lands of the Middle East. Now the reason why this is important because if that wasn't there, look at what you have to do. It would add 6,000 miles to go all the way around the Cape of Good Hope, the bottom of Africa, and around to Europe and, then also, of course, off to the United States over there. All of that would impact us.

At this point, Kyra, I can tell you that gas prices haven't really been affected. Yes they are high, we're about a dollar away from our all-time high but it's not because of what is going on in Egypt right now. So the thing to keep our eyes on is whether or not there is any disruption. What we're getting right now from the Pentagon saying, as far as they're concerned, what they're hearing is everything is flowing through the Suez Canal and also through the Sumed pipeline, and as long as those things are flowing, there shouldn't be ant concern.

What we're seeing of people who are striking, people who are protesting, that has nothing to do with the actual business going on from the pipeline and canal. That's what we're hearing. Obviously, we will be keeping our eyes on it because if it were to shut down, then that could impact the prices that we pay here in the United States. Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Got it. Steph, thanks so much.

Parts of the southeast coated in snow this morning for the second time in two weeks. You can see in these pictures, big trucks were no match for the foot conditions at interstate 40, near Memphis yesterday. Jackknifed in the snow and landed in ditches. And also the snow falling nearly yesterday in Russellville, Arkansas, shutting down businesses and making driving treacherous there.

Winter storm warnings and advisories were in effect across 10 states. Louisiana probably all the way to Virginia. Meanwhile residents right here in metro Atlanta woke up to a little wet snow this morning. These are live pictures of our skyline. Crews were out overnight to try to keep those roads clear after that ice storm that literally shut us down. I can't believe it was a month ago now. It feels like yesterday.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, it feels like yesterday. Certainly does.

PHILLIPS: We don't have the resources to deal with the ice and snow like other states.

MARCIANO: No. But you know, you're not alone in that. There has been a lot of states and cities that had to deal with wintery weather this year who are not well equipped. You know, it doesn't really matter what kind of equipment you have. Of course, the better insulated, the more insulated, the better. When you're talking about record low temperatures like this, this is just startling stuff.

Minus 27 in Bartlesville, Oklahoma this morning. Ponca City and these areas, by the way, also saw two feet of snow. So that's just helping refrigerate the ground a little bit but Arkansas, Kansas, and Missouri also seeing some nasty cold temperatures, and that doesn't include the wind chill. Here are some of the wind chill numbers. Dallas, it feels like it's 12 degrees out right now. But the places that didn't get the snow, this go round at least - minus 14 in the wind chill in Chicago and minus 13 in Milwaukee.

As far as where are the storm right now and where it's going, quickly moving off shore. We are looking at snow actually parts of (INAUDIBLE) and into Virginia Beach. That's beginning to taper off but maybe a little bit of a dusting on the sands there. But this thing is moving out to sea fairly rapidly. A little left over shower across parts of Florida. Daytime high today, again you got to be on the chilly side. You might get above freezing in Dallas. 16 degrees in Chicago. It will be 31 degrees in Kansas City. So that is still well, well below average, below normal again tomorrow.

The northeast will stay that way, I think, through the weekend. But this cold and this high will hang around for a couple of days, but these suns this time of year are getting to be a little bit stronger, so we will see temperatures warm up fairly well, I think, as we get towards the weekend. For places like Dallas that saw the snow and the ice, and a place like Atlanta, just saw some snow today.

PHILLIPS: Right.

MARCIANO: So a warmer weekend on tap for us. Everybody except for the northeast. They'll get their (INAUDIBLE) next week.

PHILLIPS: Which is about right at this time of the year.

MARCIANO: Like it should be. Exactly. Not this craziness that we've been enduring.

PHILLIPS: OK. You watch yourself on your Blackberry and your iPhone.

(CROSSTALK)

MARCIANO: It's time to go back to the land line and just forget about it.

PHILLIPS: Wouldn't that be nice to go back to the good old days. It was so much easier without the internet. In so many labels.

MARCIANO: Rotary dial. If someone's there, you couldn't even leave a message.

PHILLIPS: Exactly. Well, a New York congressman, now a former New York congressman, yes, he sent a picture of himself shirtless to a woman on Craigslist, and, yes, he's married, and kind of hairy. You'll see that in a moment.

But is this the new version of the male mid life crisis? We're talking about it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: OK, fellas, remember Bishop Eddie Long, leader of a mega church right here in Atlanta, in his late 50s? His foray into bathroom photography came to light last year after four young men accused him of sexual coercion. Well, he's not shirtless but it kind of looks like the shirt is painted on.

And who could forget Brett Farvre in his early 40s, accused of sending inappropriate texts to a couple of massage therapists? Well, we want to talk to talk about it with Christine Eads and Molly Dedham about all these. They're the hosts of "Broadminded" on Sirius XM. And we are trying to get Molly linked up. You know, this is technology for you. It seems like Christine, we can get the picture sent. We can get the flirty e-mails, but for some reason Skype doesn't always work beautifully, does it?

CHRISTINE EADS, HOST "BROADMINDED": Yes, Christopher lee had no problem getting pictures sent but we apparently have a little technical issue over here.

PHILLIPS: We'll keep working on that. But I know, you guys have such a sassy radio show. I have had the honor of taking part with the broads a couple of times. I know you are talking about this. You know, let's just get down to it. I mean, when it comes to men and how they are using these devices, I mean, you know, the stupidity is still there but the delivery process is changing, isn't it? Technology is helping these guys make themselves even more out there, I guess, we should say.

EADS: Yes, and what's amazing, Kyra, is they don't learn from the previous guys. They are not learning from the Brett Favre, the Tiger Woods, anybody. They're redoing the exact same thing. But did you notice in this particular picture, which I agree is way too much hair that he still has his work pants on, like his slacks and the belt. This could be taken at the capitol. Slipped into the bathroom.

PHILLIPS: OK. Now, that's kind of scary.

Molly, what are your (INAUDIBLE)

Did you notice that?

PHILLIPS: Yes, actually, I didn't notice that. That was pretty good.

We don't have Molly yet - I though we have her on the phone yet. All right. We will keep trying to get Molly up. But what are your female listeners saying? How are they weighing in on this?

EADS: Well, a lot of their - they weigh in on it, a lot of their husbands have done this, their husbands and boyfriends. We get calls all the time. But it's not that - it's not anymore that they're not getting what they needed at home. There's a serious adventure, and there's the risk to doing this and getting caught. Like he didn't even change his name because it's an ego thing. They don't change their name. They want their real name out there and a picture of himself. They don't even get a gmail account.

PHILLIPS: You know, what do you think they're thinking. I mean, we're talking about congressman, a pastor, athletes. I mean, do they think they're just never going to get popped?

EADS: That's what I wonder. They have to know they're going to get caught or is it so exciting that the risk is worth it? I think that's what it is. Like the adrenaline is so worth doing this that they'll take all the risks. The family. I mean, Brett Favre sending - I mean, he was trying to use (INAUDIBLE) photos of his face, the watch, the shoes. I mean, it's ridiculous. Who sends photos like that?

PHILLIPS: Now, do you think that men think this is attractive to us, that this is what is going to turn us on?

EADS: Yes, they do, and I really think that they do, and it doesn't. Trust me. But like this girl Michele, I mean, she even asks him like, "are you married?" He says no, I'm divorced. And he lies about his age, I mean, and "I'm single." This is what is scary is these creeps, and you shouldn't go to Craigslist, first of all, to find a date. But this is exactly what is out there. The options are none.

PHILLIPS: The lesson is out there. Men, you better pay attention. Because once it's out. It's out. Picture, e-mail, you name it. And of course, Christine and Molly will be talking about it on the broads, "Broadminded" there on XM Radio. Good to see you, Christine. Thanks so much for Skyping.

EADS: So good to see you Kyra.

PHILLIPS: OK. thanks. Next time we will get Molly in there and it will even be more crazy.

EADS: Absolutely. Congratulations, by the way.

PHILLIPS: Thank you so much.

EADS: All right. Maybe it's time to really look into what they are putting in kids' lunches at school. Because zombie kids have taken over one classroom in one midwest city. That story is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Go cross country, shall we? Here are some stories from around the U.S.. First stop, St. Paul, Minnesota. Well, nearly 200 middle school girls from Laurel Jeffrey Academy put on zombie-like makeup and costumes to re-enact Michael Jackson's "Thriller." They performed it at a college to wrap up their quarter long drama and physical ed class.

San Francisco, a rare site here. A pod of killer whales swimming in waters near the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a nice surprise though for a group of tourists that were on a whale-watching excursion. As many as 14 Orca whales came within 30 feet of their boat.

And then in Bowling Green, Ohio, Amy Seifert has been wearing this simple gray dress every day since November 15th. What's her goal? Well, to help raise money for victims of sex trafficking.

When it comes to medical treatment, so often, life, death and everything in between is decided by how early a patient gets treated. Now a cutting-edge surgery that can help sick kids walk, and it's performed before a child is even born. The doctor, his patients, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, every mother wants a healthy baby, and you know as a woman when you get pregnant, there could be birth defects that are pretty darn devastating, Down's syndrome, cerebral palsy and spina bifida. That's just to name a few. And that's what makes this next story so remarkable.

You are about to hear from a mother who thought there was nothing she could do about her baby daughter in the womb until her doctor told her about a revolutionary fetal surgery, and it was that surgery that changed Giovanna's life and her beautiful daughter Mia Lisa (ph) who is now 11 years old. We are going to hear the story now because they join as live along with Dr. Scott Adzick. Giovanna and her daughter right next to him, all live in Philadelphia this morning.

Dr. Scott Adzick,, I want to start with you. Tell us about this fetal surgery that was in clinical trials and why Giovanna was so perfect for this trial.

DR. SCOTT ADZICK, SURGEON, THE CHILDREN'S HOSP. OF PHILADELPHIA: Well, actually, she had her operation before the trial began, but I guess that was 11 years ago, right? Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mm-hmm.

ADZICK: So the trial began about seven years ago and there was a comparison of repairing of the spina bifida birth defect either before birth or after birth, two groups of moms, two groups of kids, and the findings showed beyond a doubt that fetal repair, fixing the birth defect before birth had better outcomes in terms of leg function and in terms of the problem associated with spina bifida, which is hydrocephalus.

PHILLIPS: And that's just amazing. Because these are the things - I'm pregnant with twins right now, and spina bifida is one of the things that the doctor had talked to me about among a number of other things. How risky was it for Giovanna to do this, to actually have fetal surgery?

ADZICK: The risks are really twofold, one is that there's a risk of premature birth due to pre-term labor, and this clinical trial showed that, on average, babies who had the operation done before birth were born about three weeks premature. But some are born extremely prematurely. The other risks is that the cut or the womb that's made in the uterus to do the repair to get to the baby is high in the uterus and that can break down or tear during subsequent pregnancies, so mothers who have fetal surgeon done of this type must have a cesarean section for the fetal surgery, pregnancy, hopefully weeks and weeks after the operation is done and for all future pregnancies ideally before the onset of labor.

PHILLIPS: So, Giovanna, why did you take the risk?

GIOVANNA CAPUANO, MOTHER, FETAL SURGERY PATIENT: Because we had hope. We had hope that Mia Lisa could live a more normal developing life and to be like everyone else.

PHILLIPS: Well, it's pretty amazing when you look at all of these pictures of her dancing. Mia Lisa, I mean, this surgery did do amazing things for you. Tell us what you get to do now physically because your surgery was so successful and your mom took the risk.

MIA LISA CAPUANO, DAUGHTER, FETAL SURGERY PATIENT: I get to dance and do things that other kids do, too.

ADZICK: Tell her about the rock-climbing wall.

PHILLIPS: Oh, my gosh, tell them about that.

ADZICK: Tell her about it. You got to tell them about the rock- climbing wall. Are you kidding?

MIA LISA CAPUANO: In gym, we have a rock wall, and I can do that.

PHILLIPS: Wow. So, when you look at your mom, and you look at Dr. Adzick and you think about what they did for you, what do you tell them? Is there a message you have to mom and to the doctor?

MIA LISA CAPUANO: Um, um -

PHILLIPS: Pretty thankful, huh?

ADZICK: Yes. We think you're the greatest.

GIOVANNA CAPUANO: Yes, we do.

PHILLIPS: Giovanna, what's the message here? I mean, what have you told doctors? What have you told Dr. Adzick? I mean, this must be so amazing for you, a decade later and look at your daughter and think, "oh, my gosh. I'm just so glad I did what I did"?

GIOVANNA CAPUANO: I couldn't ever thank him enough and everyone at Children's Hospital has been so wonderful to all of us. Mia Lisa wouldn't be shoe she is today without the team.

ADZICK: Give me a pound. Come on.

PHILLIPS: I love it. They all do a fist bump. Perfect. Oh, Giovanna, Mia Lisa and also Dr. Adzick, thank you all so much for joining us. It is pretty awesome to see the clinical trials have gone away, and now you are able to have this surgery, and Mia Lisa is such a beautiful example of why the success is so incredibly important. And what a blessing. Thanks to all three of you.

ADZICK: Thank you.

GIOVANNA CAPUANO: Thank you.

MIA LISA CAPUANO: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: More from the CNN NEWSROOM straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Half past the hour. Let's look at our hot stories right now. Allentown, Pennsylvania. Crews still searching for five missing people after an apparent natural gas explosion. One person confirmed dead, several homes leveled. About 500 people were evacuated.

Congressman Christopher Lee. You can see what happened here. Bottom line, he lost his job because of this. New York Republican resigned after the snapshot and some tawdry details hit the Internet. The married father of one allegedly tried to meet a woman through Craigslist.

And you knew this was coming. A lawsuit over the Super Bowl ticket fiasco. Fans couldn't get into the game because of safety issues. So, a Texas man is the first to take the case to court. He got into the game but said his seat was not so super. In fact, it was pretty lousy.

All right. Stock market opening bell rang just about an hour ago. Dow Industrials down about 34 points.

All right, the wait is over. After years of rumor and speculation, Verizon's iPhone is on sale for the general public today. Stephanie Elam looking at the sales and impact on AT&T, which had an exclusive hold on the iPhone, right?

ELAM: Up until now they did, Kyra. And this is a game-changer, a lot of people are saying, because AT&T was the only place you could go to get the iPhone. Now, today, Verizon stories across the country opening up at 7:00 a.m. so that people could get in there. The big question is are we going to see the massive lines that we saw when the iPhone first hit the market? Well, there are people out there. But it doesn't look like they're lining up like crazy like they did before. A lot of people already have the iPhone, obviously.

But this is going to change things. A lot of people have been waiting for Verizon to get the iPhone, asking Apple, Steve Jobs, please, please, can get it on Verizon? Please, please, please? Because -- simply because AT&T has been taxed with their data services, and because of that, a lot of people say, you know what? My phone calls get dropped, I can't get things as fast as I would like to get them. In fact, "Consumer Reports" even called AT&T the worst network in America right now. So, some folks looking to jump ship. But that said, most people are expecting to stay right there where they are at AT&T because they already are in two-year contracts and they don't want to pay the fees. To this end, Verizon is offering unlimited iPhone data plans to current AT&T iPhone users to see if they can lure some people away. We will keep our eyes on this one. But this has been coming from years and years, the big rumor. They're going to get the iPhone. We have heard about it for so long, right, Kyra?

PHILLIPS: We watched technology get faster and faster. The smartphone already a dinosaur before you even take it out of the box, right?

ELAM: That's so true. It's like, yes, I got a new phone, too bad it's old. But that's kind of what's happening because the turnaround pace has been speeding up. In fact, the average time a phone spends on a shelf is about six to nine months. Prior to 2007, the shelf life there of the smartphone wars was actually three years. The innovation has increased, so life circles are shorter.

Before the iPhone came to the market, the Motorola Razr, it was the number one phone for five years. Can you even imagine that now? That just would not happen nowadays. What happened was, phone makers used to design all components, everything in their phones, and that took a long time to get it to market.

Well, now, Google put out the Android system. Companies can customize it, the operating system is free. They just put it on their phones and then that gives the more time to design, do what they want it to do, and there are also now chips that can go in your phone that work with Android. And so, because of that, things move faster.

But I say all this, Kyra, to also point out that there is actually a limit on how short these cycles can get because consumers can only consume oh but so fast. So, they won't continue on. If you want to read more about it, you can find it on CNNmoney.com. It's interesting to see how quickly phones are changing.

PHILLIPS: Oh, yes. Thanks, Steph.

Well, good news on the jobs front. New jobless claims fell to their lowest level in more than two-and-a-half years last week. And that should ease some of pain from a weak monthly jobs record. The Labor Department says some 383,000 new claims last week were filed last week. That's down 36,000 from the week before. This was the lowest level since July 2008, so the jobs market is picking up steam.

And that brings us to today's "30-Second Pitch." Gary Collins has been looking for work for 18 months now. He's joining us live from Salt Lake City. So, Gary, I've been reading about -- your friends say you have the perfect voice and personality for TV. You want to be broadcasting sports. Maybe we needed you during the Super Bowl!

GARY COLLINS, JOB SEEKER: I really do! There was a statement that was said like my friends would say, man, there's an echo in this room. Gary, man, because I would say things, and then the announcers would say the same things shortly just afterwards. Yes, absolutely.

PHILLIPS: So, for example, what do you mean? What do you mean?

COLLINS: Okay, like, for example, in the fourth quarter, the Steelers were driving, and I made a comment, "Hey, Paul, if they kick a field goal here, it would still only be a one-possession game." And immediately afterwards, about 30 seconds later, that's what Phil - that's what Joe Buck said from Fox. He said that exact comment.

Pretty awesome.

PHILLIPS: All right, Gary, hold on for a second here because I have someone talking to me. Stay with me just a minute.

Can you tell me what you want to do with Egypt?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(CROWDS CHANTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: What are they reacting to? Can we confirm the information that we got about him stepping down?

All right, bottom line, folks, bottom line, here we go. There are reports out that Hosni Mubarak may step down tonight. That's the word that we're getting. So, we are looking at live pictures now of the crowds there in Tahrir Square reacting to that news. It's been out there for a little bit. We've been trying to confirm it. Apparently we have. We have got crews there on the ground.

This first came from "The New York Times," and the word started spreading that president Hosni Mubarak could step down as soon as tonight, and apparently, delegate his powers to the new vice president.

And this has been talked about obviously within the past couple of weeks. He has been steadfast in saying that he wasn't going to step down before his term was up. He did say, OK, I'm not going to run again for president. But I am going to stay in power until that point. I'm going to start making changes.

Now we're getting word that Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak could step down as soon as tonight. That statement apparently coming from the military panel that this may take place. So, we're working this story for you, trying to get our reporters up with as much information as possible. And as you saw, we had live pictures - OK, good. We did get Fred Pleitgen on the line.

Fred, you have been there, watching these protests for the past couple of days. They've been very peaceful. How are they reacting to this news now?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, so far, I haven't seen much of the reaction on Tahrir Square. It's gotten a little louder since we have seen news or the news has sort of been circulating out there that Hosni Mubarak could, in fact, make a major speech that could announce his upcoming resignation at least sometime tonight. So, certainly, it seems as though, the mood is I wouldn't say tense but sort of looking forward to when they will hear something more specific about all of that.

Also, if you look at sort of the Twitter and Facebook chat from the protesters down there in Tahrir Square, one of them, of course, being Wael Ghonim. He's already announcing on his Twitter page, saying, "Mission accomplished. Thanks for everyone's support." So, people do believe that this could be a major, major turning point in all of these protests.

One of the things that we have to come back to, Kyra, is we have to recall the interview that Hossam (INAUDIBLE) just gave to CNN a couple of minutes ago. I think one of the key sentences there was, "We have to commend the protesters. They've won." This could be a major development that could happen here very soon. He wasn't specific as to when this would take place. But there certainly is an air of change here right now here in Cairo that you can feel, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And the talk is that he would delegate powers to the new vice president. What can we say about that?

PLEITGEN: Well, it's -- it was sort of difficult to read. He was speaking in sort of flowery language when he was on that interview. The gist that we got out of that was that he would possibly announce tonight that he would delegate powers to the vice president once constitutional amendments are on the way. Of course, Egypt is in the process of amending its constitution, giving more social rights to people, among other things. Also limiting the terms of the presidency. And so, therefore, apparently they want to bring those constitutional amendments on their way before Hosni Mubarak stands down.

However, tonight he could announce he will stand down once those are on their way. But what we have heard that yesterday, Mubarak held a meeting where he issued a decree ordering the creation of a committee to start implementing those changes, those constitutional changes, and one of the constitutional changes would then be that the power is transferred to the vice president from the president when he is no longer in office.

So, it could very well be that the power will be transferred to Omar Suleiman. At least, that is what we are -

PHILLIPS: And Fred, we are talking about -

PLEITGEN: -- as far as we're reading from (INAUDIBLE).

PHILLIPS: And we are talking about Omar Suleiman, Mubarak's intelligence chief, and there has been some controversy about this because this is somebody obviously very close to the president who is under extreme fire by protesters.

So, what is your sense, if, indeed this does happen, if he does step down, and Suleiman steps in to run this country, do you think these protests will continue? Do you think that things will start to disperse there in Liberation Square? What's your sense?

PLEITGEN: Well, you know, that's a very, very good question. That's very difficult to answer at this point. But from the sense that I get from talking to people down in Tahrir Square, I think there are some who believe that might be an alternative, at least in the interim period. There are, however, others who are more hardcore in their protests who would not think that would be enough for them and who would want not just Hosni Mubarak to step down but for this entire government apparatus to disappear.

Now, they have yet to offer any sort of alternative to that, the protesters haev. That seems to be the key issue. However, it could very well be that it would greatly, obviously, diminish the protesters you see coming out and chanting against this government apparatus.

And, also one of the things that the government here in Egypt has been saying is that they fear if Mubarak steps down, that there would be widespread chaos here in this country. And this would certainly be a way to tell people, we're averting the chaos, but at the same time we're giving into the demands of the protesters and trying to make this transition as orderly as possible with Suleiman at the head of this state. Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Fred. Stay with me.

Who is she with, Carrie?

All right, Fred, stay with me, please. Sarah Sudani at "The Daily News Egypt" on the line with me now. Sarah, I don't know if you could hear what Fred said, but what I would like to ask you, in case you know, these phone calls that came in today, these number of meetings that took place with Hosni Mubarak, do you have a sense or do you know who exactly has convinced him to finally make this move, if, indeed, he does? Or has it been a group of people? Do you know if the U.S. has had an influence here? Were they a part of the phone calls?

SARAH EL SIRGANY, DEPUTY EDITOR, "DAILY NEWS EGYPT" (via phone): There's little fact right now about what's happening. All we have is our speculation.

My own analysis is that the army had a major -- was a major factor in convincing Mubarak because what has been happening over the past two days is not just protests but labor strikes as well as you said in key industries. I don't think the army can handle all of it, of securing the country, securing the cities, the major protests, and at the same time, keeping everything functional. They might have asked him to step down, but so far, everything is not clear.

PHILLIPS: Okay, and Sarah, I asked Fred this. What is (COUGHS) - excuse me. What is your sense, since you have been covering this story, and you're there. You have been working for "Daily News Egypt," of how protesters are reacting to the news right now? I mean, we can get a sense that things are still pretty peaceful, but you can hear them chanting.

If Omar Suleiman does take over as early as tonight, what do you think we could see happen here in Tahrir Square?

EL SIRGANY: Definitely, Mubarak's departure will get a lot of people to leave. That's the general consensus here now. but Omar Suleiman has made a lot of statements over the past few days that didn't bode well with the protesters or a lot of activists or observers here in Egypt. So, he is generally not liked as the figure that would take the position.

Whether this would lead more protesters to stay on the streets, demanding the whole regime change or not is still unclear yet. We're still worried about what would happen tomorrow if Mubarak steps down tonight because tomorrow protesters were planning an escalation of protests, major marches throughout all of the cities. And that they would get more numbers than they ever got before.

Whether these protesters will go on with their marches, to commemorate the people that were killed in protest is not clear. And would the army tolerate that if Omar Suleiman takes over? And if there is, as rumored now that there will be martial law imposed in the country, in case Mubarak leaves, it is still too early to judge. There's a lot of speculation and less facts.

PHILLIPS: Got it. All right, Sarah El Sirgany with "Daily News Egypt," stay on the line with us.