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Egyptians Pack the Streets; Mubarak Leaves Cairo

Aired February 11, 2011 - 10:00   ET

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

ISHA SESAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome, everyone. Uprising in Egypt, it's day 18 and we could be witnessing the most decisive hours of the revolt. I'm Isha Sesay.

RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Randi Kaye. We'd like to welcome CNN viewers around the world to this special coverage of the crisis in Egypt.

Now, in Egypt right now, hundreds of thousands of people are in the streets, demanding the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak.

SESAY: It is less than a day since he shocked the world by saying he would not budge before the September elections. His defiance has enraged protesters demanding change and ignited a new fury and determination.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People are there, are willing to die, OK? Willing to die for freedom.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SESAY: And as attention builds, there's word of a key development that we want to share with you. A well-placed source is telling CNN that the president, Hosni Mubarak, has left the capital. What's not clear yet at this point is if this is a concession of substance or what we're looking at here is merely symbolic.

The question this hour is will it be enough to defuse the crisis. While hundreds of protesters are gathered near Egypt's state-run TV right now, Demonstrators say it's become a favorite tool of the regime.

CNN's Ben Wedeman is in that vicinity, close to Nile TV, and he joins us more. Ben, describe what you're seeing and hearing right now.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We just left --

SESAY: Ben, if you can hear me, just describe what's taking place where you are now.

WEDEMAN: OK. Hold on one moment, Isha, as we get the camera ready. Here I am. Well, what's taking place now is what we've seen for the last several hours, is that more and more people are coming here right next to state television, next to the Ministry of Information. Really these demonstrations are just growing and growing in intensity by the hour here Tahrir, Aruba (ph) Palace, one of the residences of President Mubarak.

We're hearing massive demonstrations in Alexandria and other parts of the country. Really a resounding rejection of what Egyptians heard from President Mubarak in which he said he would remain the president of the republic. He was handing over certain powers to his vice president. The reaction in Tahrir Square was resounding. We heard the people there, late at night, chanting (INAUDIBLE) Arabic for leave, go, and it seems that those protests simply continuing and intensifying into the day here, Friday, in Cairo.

And here, let's pan the camera around to the crowd. Well, what you see is -- well, here we see a model of the Egyptian license plate, and on the lower right-hand side saying (INAUDIBLE) leave. On the left hand, 80 million Egyptians. The message being, 80 million Egyptians want the president to leave. And where now you see people on top of an army tank. Many of these tanks in front, protecting the Ministry of Information, state TV, along with soldiers, barbed wire, and armored personnel carriers.

The mood, very jubilant. There is not one. There's no violence. There's been no violence today. No sign anywhere of the thousands of pro-Mubarak supporters we saw last week. They seem to have simply disappeared into the woodwork of Cairo. Isha?

SESAY: Ben, we've shown our viewers the scenes. We just want to give them an opportunity to actually listen in to the sounds that those crowds are making. Let's just pause for a moment so we can bring up that sound for our viewers.

WEDEMAN: OK. All right. Let's hope they start to chant. You know, sometimes they'll chant, and sometimes they'll just talk among themselves. It looks like at the moment that they're -- the chants have died down.

SESAY: Yes, indeed.

WEDEMAN: Sorry about that.

SESAY: Just as you'd have it, as we wanted to hear. Ben, I've got to ask you, though, explain to our viewers why protesters in such numbers are now moving to state TV to express their dissatisfaction with this regime, when all along it had been very much Tahrir Square that had been the focal point. Just give us some more detail here.

WEDEMAN: All right. You know, state TV, Isha, really represents sort of the heart of the regime, its propaganda, its particular spin on events, as many people have always resented state TV is always where you go if you want to get the official version of whatever is going on. Many of the commentators oftentimes slavishly praising the president in ways that don't necessarily reflect the sentiments of ordinary people. And certainly in the last 17 days since this protest movement has broken out, state TV has been critical in trying to change the tone and trying to accuse the demonstrators in Tahrir and elsewhere in Egypt of being agents of foreign powers. There's several interviews they conducted with people who claimed to be members of the protest movement, revealing that they had been paid, for instance, $50,000 to go out and demonstrate, paid by the United States, by Freedom House in the United States to essentially foment revolution in Egypt. State TV tried to suggest that this is by no means a popular movement, by no means spontaneous, that it was all part of a great big, dark, sinister plot, Isha?

SESAY: Ben, one last question for you before let you go. Have you got any indication yet that the crowds down there outside of state TV have heard the news that President Mubarak has gone to Sharm El Sheikh?

WEDEMAN: News spread very quickly that President Mubarak has gone to Sharm El Sheikh. And news has also spread that Egyptian television says there will be shortly an announcement, an important announcement, from the presidency of the republic.

Now, that's already raised intense speculation that maybe the announcement everybody is waiting is about to come. But, of course, hopes were severely dashed last night. What's interesting in that statement is that -- or rather, the bulletin from Egyptian TV, is it says not that the statement is coming from the president, but, rather, the presidency, so a lot of people are already reading a lot into it, which would be premature, I'd say, to speculate about at this point. But news spreads very quickly these days in Egypt. What with cell phones, text messages and whatnot. Isha.

SESAY: All right. CNN senior international correspondent, Ben Wedeman, we're going to check in again with you shortly. Thanks, Ben.

KAYE: And as Ben mentioned, we are waiting for that statement from the office of the presidency, as he -- as e said there. Which is certainly interesting. We're not sure what that statement will say. Certainly a lot of the protesters and those of us watching this learned a lesson yesterday from President Hosni Mubarak not to expect anything. So, we will see what that statement brings.

We want to show you some of the key locations meanwhile in today's protests. Anti-government demonstrators are packing into Tahrir Square. It has been at the epicenter of the protest movement since January 25th. Now, a short distance away, hundreds of protesters have gathered around the headquarters of Egyptian state TV. We've seen those protesters there, video of them. We showed you that scene just a few moments ago. So they see the station as an instrument of government propaganda, and some have talked about taking over that building actually.

Now, another crowd has camped in front of the Parliament Building. On Wednesday their sit-in at the gate forced government officials to relocate. Several thousand protesters now have also gathered at the presidential palace today. We've been hearing from Ivan Watson about that, but the army has the palace surrounded. There are also many barricades along the way, including military tanks and barbed wire. Reports on the ground say the only road open leads directly to the airport.

SESAY: Well, we have our correspondents across the scene there in Egypt, and several key points in Cairo. Ivan Watson is close to the presidential palace in Cairo. He joins us on the phone. Ivan, are the crowds still growing where you are?

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on the phone): That's right, Isha, they are growing, and the growing crowd of thousands here just erupted into applause when the tanks that are behind a wall of wire concertina wire right in front of the presidential palace all turned the barrels of their vehicles, their guns, away from the crowd, turned them sideways. They had been pointing down the street in the direction of all of the thousands of people here, and when they rotated turrets away from the crowd, a cheer went up from everybody here.

And then one of the soldiers in one of the tanks climbed up and hung an Egyptian flag from the antenna on his turret. Once again a roar of cheers from the crowd that has gathered here, right next to the walls, the ornate, stone, carved white walls of the presidential palace, a symbol of power of Hosni Mubarak. Isha?

KAYE: Ivan, it's Randi Kaye. Do you get a sense that the protesters believe that Hosni Mubarak is there or in that area, or do you believe that they -- they have learned the news that he is now in Sharm el Sheikh?

WATSON: Some of the protesters here have said they believe he's left. The reason, they say, is they've talked with the soldiers behind the concertina wire here protecting the palace and one of the commanders told them that he has left Cairo.

KAYE: And do they see that as a victory?

WATSON: Absolutely, absolutely. You had a woman just chanting, "this is a victory. We want Hosni Mubarak to go," and part of the anger that I'm hearing here is due to the fact that they will not excuse him, they will not pardon him, for what they say is responsibility for the lives that have been lost over the last two and a half weeks, more than 300 people killed, according to a statistic by human rights watch.

And this is fascinating to watch here. This is clearly another front now in the rapidly growing revolution certainly here in the Egyptian capital, as thousands of people now ascend on the upscale neighborhood of Heliopolis and gather outside the gates and the walls of the presidential palace. People saying they're going to spend the night here. They're waving flags, cheering, and that they've been joined now by thousands of people who have walked the six miles up from Tahrir Square to reinforce this growing symbol of defiance here outside the gates of Hosni Mubarak's palace.

KAYE: All right. Our Ivan Watson for us near the palace. In the meantime, we will continue to wait for that statement. It will be interesting to see just how those protesters, Isha, react. When we get that statement. Because right now they do have a sense of victory, sort of what we saw yesterday.

SESAY: Indeed.

KAYE: But who knows how they'll react depending on what that statement is?

SESAY: We're going to take a closer look at what is happening in another key location at the heart of those protests, Tahrir Square. We're going to take you there when we come back, stay with us.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All we want to hear is just he leave. All we want is just he go in peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: It's amazing to have a front row seat to history as it unfolds there in Egypt. We want to bring you up to date on the very latest from Egypt. We're waiting on the statement from the office of the presidency, not necessarily directly from the president, Hosni Mubarak, but from the office of the presidency. We've been waiting now for some time, but we do expect it shortly, and we'll bring it to you as soon as we can.

SESAY: Absolutely.

Another key point to bring out to you is that it has been confirmed to CNN that the president, Hosni Mubarak, is no longer in Cairo. It is our understanding that he is now in Sharm el Sheikh. The key question we have to ask ourselves is what does that mean, what does that mean, in terms of the balance of power, in terms of decision making. We know he has ceded some power to his vice president, Omar Suleiman, but now he is no longer in Cairo.

How is that going down with the protesters? What do they make of the fact that we are now waiting for a statement from the office of the presidency. Let's go to the epicenter of the protests, our Frederik Pleitgen is near Cairo's Tahrir Square, and he joins us now. Fred, I imagine it's a feeling of anticipation as we await the statement from the office of the presidency.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it is certainly a scene of anticipation. If we look over at Tahrir Square right now, of course, it's still absolutely packed there. Anticipation, yes, but I wouldn't say that the mood is as cheerful as it was yesterday when, of course, so many people were thinking that Hosni Mubarak would announce his resignation. Also this sort of back- and-forth chatter that we're seeing on Facebook and Twitter among the protesters, much less today than it was yesterday, where many people were already declaring victory before having heard that speech.

And then, of course, were so devastatingly disappointed, and that, of course, is something that still scars a lot of these protesters, if you will. A lot of them saying that at this point they're not going to take it at face value. They are, of course, still anticipating that statement, waiting to see what will happen there. The square absolutely packed with people who yesterday, of course, were absolutely disappointed, in the speech that many told me when I was down there, they felt, was absolutely patronizing.

Many told me they believe that Hosni Mubarak lives in a world of his own, they said, that he did not know what the people, especially down there in Tahrir Square, were thinking. And, one of the interesting things, of course, that we've been talking about so much, Isha, is the fact that, nonetheless, even with that anger, things have remained absolutely peaceful there.

We can see tanks down there in the streets and we see soldiers on those tanks, but the mood between the protesters and the soldiers is still one that is very, very relaxed. You can see people on Tahrir Square, which I thought was amazing yesterday, who were picking up trash, who were helping people. It's really a very cheerful mood there and not a mood of violence at all, Isha?

SESAY: Fred, have you been able to get a sense of what's taking place beyond the square? We know obviously that there are protests in other parts of Cairo, but I'm wondering whether daily life has more or less ground to a halt if you're basically not a protester.

PLEITGEN: Well, you know, life has in many respects come to -- come to a halt for a lot of people in the greater Cairo area and, of course, in other cities in Egypt as well. Schools aren't open. A lot of stores still aren't open. I mean, there is the sense that a lot of people here in Cairo are trying to get their lives back together and trying to get back up to speed.

You'll see, you know, some stores reopen. Others will remain closed. You'll see businesses sort of try to get on their feet and try and function again. I spoke to one entrepreneur who builds houses and housing developments, and he said for a long time he wasn't even able to get building materials and his workers weren't able to come to work. Some of that has eased a little. The traffic has sort of sprung back up. It is, of course, very bad here in Cairo. But certainly this right now is a nation that's on hold, and it's having a big economic impact.

And behind the numbers, of course, are people who are suffering economically and whose situation has gotten much worse. They are trying to pick up the pieces again, but with all of this going on and with the nation in limbo the way it is, that's a very difficult thing to do, Isha.

SESAY: Yes, indeed. Fred Pleitgen there, overlooking Tahrir Square. I think you summed it up. This a nation in limbo, those protesters still filling up Tahrir Square. Fred, we're going to come back to you. But we'll actually bring you the voice and the opinions of a protester when we come back. We're going to gain some insight in to what they see in the days ahead. Stay with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Welcome back. We are continuing to monitor the protests taking place on the streets of Cairo and throughout Egypt. Right there, you are looking at the protests from outside Egyptian state television. That is really considered a mouthpiece for the government, and that is likely why thousands of protesters have gathered there. It seems as though it's peaceful, but certainly passionate.

SESAY: No doubt about it. It is passionate as it is in Tahrir Square as well, where the crowds have been in their thousands for days now. And that is still the scene that we see on this Friday. Some of our correspondents saying that this is the largest crowd that they have seen since these protests actually started back on January 25th. They are there. They are united in their call for President Hosni Mubarak to step down.

The word coming into CNN now, is that the president is no longer in Cairo, that he is, in fact, in Sharm El Sheikh, and some other news that we're getting about his statement, Randi.

KAYE: Right. We're not sure exactly what this statement will be or when it will come to us. We are waiting for it. Of course, we'll bring it to you as soon as we get it, but we're told it will come from the office of the presidency, not exactly from the president.

But from the president's office, so we're very interested in what that statement will say. A lot of the protesters have been waiting to hear from the office of the presidency since Mubarak refused to step down yesterday, and with him now out of Cairo and in Sharm El Sheikh, we will wait and see and bring that to you as soon as we do get that statement.

Meanwhile, over the past 18 days, protesters have faced police batons, tear gas, even rubber bullets, and we wanted to ask why do they return, why do they keep coming back day after day. Our next guest has taken part in the protests every single day for the past two weeks.

Ishmael Negm joins us now by phone. Ishmael, I have to ask you, we did get word a short time ago that President Mubarak is now in Sharm El Sheikh, out of Cairo. Is that far enough away for you?

ISHMAEL NEGM, CANADIAN-EGYPTIAN IN CAIRO: No. I mean, it doesn't matter where he is. Actually most of the people in Tahrir would prefer he stay in Egypt. They are afraid of him running away with the people's money and they would rather have him here to be tried than have him to escape to Saudi Arabia or another country that would safeguard.

KAYE: And we said that you've been there every day as part of these protests, probably today being the largest protest that we've seen. Where are you today? And why do you keep coming back?

NEGM: Well, for myself actually, it's to se a change, and that we really believe that there could be a change. And people are just not giving up. Everyone's peacefully demonstrating their, you know, democratic opinion, and there's absolutely no reason to hide at all. We've gotten the worst of it. We've been shot at. We've been given expired tear gas, brought back home because of escaped prisoners. What else are they going to do?

KAYE: Mubarak still appears to -- he's certainly not stepping down, certainly not soon enough for the protesters. How long will you stay? How long will you continue to protest for? And do you really believe that you will see change?

NEGM: Again, the people in Tahrir do believe that change will come. And, you know, it's a matter of perseverance -- this is, again, to demonstrate the democratic process in practice. You know, there's -- the entire -- the majority of the opinion is demonstrated. And it's just a question of holding on peacefully, and despite what we heard yesterday and the disappointment we've been given, it will not become violent, and, you know, this is going to be the first peaceful revolution in the history of the world, people will stay until the end.

KAYE: And for those of you watching this all unfold on television, if you can, take us down into that square. Tell us what it's like to be part of this crowd, tens of thousands of people now living in tents and sleeping on the street, what is that like? What does that feel like? Is it empowering? Is it frustrating? Give us a sense of what it feels like to actually be in that square.

NEGM: It's very draining emotionally, I'll tell you. It's a roller coaster. Expectations, disappointments, optimism. It's -- you know, the Egyptian people are known for being lighthearted and humorous and throughout the Middle East, and you can see it. You know, even in these times, you know, people are going around, you know, have you heard the latest joke, and, you know, dancing and singing. And then, you know, being serious at the same time, talking politics.

You know, it's -- it's an amazing mood, and it's really there's a feeling of brotherhood there, and, you know, everyone's helping everyone cleaning the streets, everyone's feeding each other, they're giving each other, you know, water and shelter if the rain comes. And it's a feeling of camaraderie and, you know, joy and sadness and, you know, the emotions run high.

KAYE: Ishmael Negm, appreciate that. It sounds like you've become part of a very large family that you never expected you would meet. But we wish you luck in your endeavors. Thank you.

NEGM: Thank you. Bye-bye.

KAYE: Isha?

SESAY: Well, Randi, the protesters in Cairo aren't alone in their anger with Mubarak. In Egypt's second largest city, Alexandria, a massive demonstration has started. That city, of course, has already seen huge protests over the past three weeks. One in the strategically important city of Suez, thousands have reportedly surrounded government compounds. Clearly, Randi, these protests far and beyond Cairo, which is important to stress to our viewers.

KAYE: Sure. And you know, we've been talking so much about the Constitution in Egypt. Certainly with Omar Suleiman now the vice president, as the de facto president, a lot of people certainly having a lot of questions about what power Hosni Mubarak still has, what he can actually do in terms of the Constitution. A leading opposition figure says that the government actually needs to abolish the Constitution.

SESAY: Yes, that's right. Mohamed Elbaradei has said it has become, "an instrument of repression." We're going to take a closer look at Egypt's constitution when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

SESAY: Welcome back, everyone. We want to show you some live pictures coming to us out of Cairo, Egypt, where the protests continue. Thousands packed in Cairo's Tahrir Square which has, of course, has been the focal point for these long-running protests now. The crowds in Cairo at several locations now reacting to the news that their president has left the capital. That has now been confirmed to CNN. Hosni Mubarak and his family have gone to the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh where we know he has a home. Now we are waiting on a, quote, "important statement from the president's office," Randi.

KAYE: And the opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, has also released a statement today, calling last night's speeches about the president and his second-in-command "completely unacceptable." That is a direct quote. That was the reaction from protesters in Tahrir Square as well.

SESAY: Well, if Mubarak's speech was meant to mollify the crowd, well, it didn't work. And that would be an understatement. In fact, at this hour, a protest in Egypt's second-largest city, Alexandria, is actually growing larger.

KAYE: Egypt's top military leaders are also appealing to the protesters, promising that the state of emergency will end when the current crisis passes. The military also today vowing that elections planned for September will be free and will be fair. But the bottom line right now is that the protesters' number one demand for Hosni Mubarak to leave the country and to step down has not been met.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All we wanted to hear is just he leave. All we want is just he go in peace.

(END VIDEO CLIP) SESAY: Well, since President Mubarak decided not to resign and instead transfer power to vice president Omar Suleiman. There's been a lot of talk about how this delegation of power will actually work.

Here's what's in the Egyptian constitution. Let's show you that. It specifically prohibits the president from delegating key powers to the VP, which means the vice president can't dismiss or dissolve parliament, dismiss the government, nor can he ask for any amendments to the constitution. The president, however, can still ask for amendments to the constitution.

This is where it all gets a bit confusing, so to help us out, let's bring in Nathan Brown, professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University. Thank you so much for joining us on this day. We've just told our viewers, the president has ceded some of his powers. We're being told that Omar Suleiman is now the de facto president. But if you would, break down the balance of power as it stands right now there in Egypt.

NATHAN BROWN, PROFESSOR, POLITICAL SCIENCE/INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS AT GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: Well, in terms of the regime itself, what it seems that Mubarak can do one of two things. It's not quite clear what he did. He can either suspend himself completely as president and hand over power on an interim basis to his vice president, Omar Suleiman. Or he can delegate Omar Suleiman to have very specific responsibilities. It seems he did the second. Because if he did the first, they can't amend the constitution. So it seems he did the second, and he gave him very, very far-reaching powers, left Cairo, and basically seems to be communicating that Omar Suleiman is now completely deputized to handle all matters of state's. So, day-to-day handling of the Egyptian regime seems to be now in Omar Suleiman's hands.

SESAY: But critically, people say that Hosni Mubarak still retains essential elements of power, which is of great concern to others, like being able to dissolve parliament.

BROWN: Well, nobody on the opposition wants this parliament to meet again, and they don't believe in the constitutional revision process that Hosni Mubarak has promised them. So in a sense, Mubarak versus Suleiman, that's not the issue anymore. It is an issue on a political and a symbolic level, because that's what united the demonstators.

But Mubarak and Suleiman are both from the same regime. And the issue that is really on the table is will they negotiate regime change? Will Omar Suleiman or Hosni Mubarak or whoever is sitting in that chair actually sit down and negotiate in good faith to share power and transfer to a new political system? Snd that don't seem to be happening.

SESAY: Indeed. Because I want to get your thoughts on the constitutional changes that are being discussed right now, the various articles. Is the focus on the right things here to date?

BROWN: Well, if they'd started two or three weeks ago, I would say the focus was entirely on the right things. What the protesters want is a political system where they have free and open elections, where they can choose their president freely among viable candidates. The constitution is very, very carefully written right now to be a very circular document, to let the existing holders of power simply perpetuate themselves.

So, the focus was on a few articles of the constitution, saying those have got to change. And those are the ones that Hosni Mubarak offered up in his speech last night. And he's already got a committee that's working on drafting changes.

There's a couple problems. First, nobody trusts that committee and that process. It would still have to go through the old structures, like the parliament that nobody believes in. But, second, their demands are growing much, much greater. They're saying we don't just want to change this article or that article. This whole system is rotten. We want a new constitution from scratch, and that demand has been gaining ground among the opposition.

SESAY: Professor Brown, one last question before I let you go. What about this idea put forward by the likes of Mohamed ElBaradei, just scrap the constitution?

BROWN: That's what an awful lot of people in the opposition are saying. The problem is if you do that, then what follows? And what people seem to be calling for is some kind of power-sharing arrangement where you have people from the military who can kind of guarantee security and continuity, and independent thinkers and people from the opposition who are jointly responsible for a slow and orderly process in which they hold new elections, draft a new constitution, and so on.

But there's no rules governing that kind of procedure, and right now, the regime seems to be saying we want to play by the old rules. And it's not surprising because they're the ones who wrote those rules.

SESAY: Indeed. Professor Nathan Brown, professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University, we appreciate the analysis and insight. Thanks for your time.

BROWN: Thank you.

KAYE: Meanwhile, the U.S. spy chief has egg on his face this morning after appearing to predict the downfall of President Mubarak. More on how Washington was quite surprised by last night's speech. Disbelief is actually the word being used by some in the Obama administration. That's straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAYE: Live pictures of protesters -- welcome back. We want to show you now these pictures from outside Egyptian state television, where the protest has been under way now for some time.

It's so interesting. What we're just getting this is that a dialogue has actually developed between those who work at Egyptian state TV, the anchors there, and the protesters outside.

Just to give you a little bit of background on why this crowd has gathered there. State TV has been criticized, really, for showing only the pro-Mubarak rallies and the protests early on, in the days of this uprising. And that seems to have changed. They've backed off that a little bit.

But this is why the crowd has gathered. Apparently, they sent a telephone out to some of the protesters, Isha, and they are actually hearing, they're actually having a dialogue with them on the air, saying we are one, we are part of you. We're also media.

SESAY: Yes, indeed. This is remarkable, bearing in mind the position taken by state-run TV up until now with the information now coming in to us, where, as you say, Randi, they had been putting out very much the line of the government. And now they have them on their air, these protesters.

And actually, you have anchors saying we fell into a trap of the first few days of this crisis, and it has to do with the misinformation we got. We also know that Nile TV anchor, you hear them a few days ago, actually quit their jobs, really shedding light on what was going on behind the scenes there at state-run TV, how they were being guided in terms of the information that they put out in their coverage of this crisis. And now today, another shift.

KAYE: It's fascinating to see this dialogue that has developed. We have another anchor who actually said to them, we want to reach a common ground for dialogue, we want the best for this country. We admit mistakes. That is a very big statement coming from state TV.

SESAY: Yes, absolutely. And it's really just another sign of the mounting pressure on the government from different angles, from different areas.

You have the people outside protesting. Now, you have those that control the message, so to speak. Also now siding, it would appear, at least some of those anchors, with the protesters that are calling for change. This is very important. It's a very important point that we want to bring to our viewers. And the crowd there still out there, still outside state TV, and still want their voices heard.

KAYE: And it looks as though they are actually getting their voices heard, probably for the very first time, on state TV.

We will continue to stay with these pictures outside state TV. We're also following the protests in Tahrir Square, and we'll continue to bring those to you.

As you might recall, Mubarak's decision seemed to catch Washington by surprise. Kate Bolduan joins us now from the White House with more on U.S. President Barack Obama's reactions.

Kate, I know you were traveling with the president, and you saw the reaction to Mubarak's statement last night. KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Randi. I mean, I think it's clear that this White House, this president, is not happy with the message, the words that they heard, from President Mubarak. You saw a decidedly different -- a decidedly strong shift in tone from the president's brief remarks to a group -- to an audience in Marquette, Michigan, when he said -- he even used the words that this -- we're witnessing history unfold before us. Kind of giving a hopeful kind of sense that change was imminent.

Then by the time they got back here to the White House, decidedly different tone. The president moving from that cautious, very calculated, measured tone that they've used all along this unrest, coming out stronger and more forcefully than they really have before. The president basically saying in a lengthy statement, what you're giving the Egyptian people and what you're giving to the international community isn't enough.

Let me read just a part of what President Obama released in a paper statement last night. President Obama says, "We urge the Egyptian government to move swiftly to explain the changes that have been made and to spell out in clear and unambiguous language the step- by-step process that will lead to democracy and the representative government that the Egyptian people seek."

You can see that the message that President Mubarak gave, not well received here at the White House. Clearly, the ambiguity, the vague nature of what was said, not what this White House needed. They need clarity to know what is actually happening, what the plans are in Egypt going.

The big question on this end is what's next. What can this White House do? We have a briefing, the daily briefing, with press secretary Robert Gibbs, coming up in a couple hours. This is actually his final briefing before he leaves the White House. And it will be very interesting, we'll be watching very closely to see how Robert Gibbs himself, who is very good at carrying the White House's message, how his tone, if it does, changes. Will they continue along the path that they have for quite some time, urging for an orderly transition or will they come out even more strongly and what will they say then? We'll find out. Randi?

KAYE: All right, Kate Bolduan for us outside the White House with the very latest there. Thank you, Kate.

SESAY: Well, no country is as worried from the fallout from the transition as Israel. Jerusalem bureau chief Kevin Flower joins me now from there with more.

Kevin, fast-moving day. Getting the word now that President Hosni Mubarak is no longer in Cairo but is in the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh. What are you hearing from where you are?

KEVIN FLOWER, CNN JERUSALEM BUREAU CHIEF: Well, Isha, events are moving so quickly on the ground that Israeli officials have basically said we can't comment. We can't keep up with the events, they're moving so quickly. There's really no upside at this point for Israeli officials to be commenting on every single development.

We did hear yesterday from the Israeli defense minister who is traveling to the United States. He was at the United Nations. He was asked about Mubarak's speech, Hosni Mubarak's speech Thursday night. He said it was up to the Egyptian people and to do it according to their own constitution, which is really a bit of a punt.

So, what you have is an Israeli government like the rest of the world basically watching the events unfold live on television. They're really powerless to do anything. And obviously there are some major concerns, but the biggest concern that has been expressed by the Israeli prime minister here is the maintenance of the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt. That's the 30-year-long treaty. It's the cornerstone of Israel's security here. And it's maintaining that treaty and also concerns and worries about what the future government in Egypt may look like that are being shared by a lot of Israeli average citizens.

We spoke to some to some earlier today, and this is what they told us.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's not in touch with what's going on. And I think he should go home, but they need to have democratic elections. In September, like he said. Otherwise it will be chaos.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you remember what happened, you know, in Gaza just a few years ago when there were -- as far as I know, there were democratic elections, they led to, you know, the Hamas leading the Gaza. And the problem with that is then they decide to make an Islamic rule and pretty much forget about democracy.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And so it will be very interesting to see what kind of power steps in after him and how they will relate to this whole situation of peace with Israel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLOWER: So, while there is certainly some sympathy for the protesters in Egypt from Israelis, there's a greater amount of concern about what takes shape, what does democracy mean in Egypt, and a lot of concerns about what that means for Israelis going forward, the relationship in the region.

Israel feels increasingly isolated. This recent situation with Egypt just contributing even more to that, Isha.

SESAY: Yes, indeed. A sense that Israel is stepping into the unknown in their relationship with Egypt as we go forward. Jerusalem bureau chief Kevin Flower, we appreciate it. Thank you.

KAYE: We want to remind you, we're still waiting for the statement from the office of the presidency. We are waiting to see what the statement says. We can also tell you that President Hosni Mubarak is now in the coastal resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, just on the edge of the Red Sea, the tip there of the peninsula.

Keeping an eye on all of that, as well as the protests, now day 18. And when the protests began, one of the regime's first steps was to stifle chatter on the Web, you may recall. But the voices of revolution are back online and loud and clear in their demands. That's straight ahead, right here on CNN.

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KAYE: Welcome back. Glad you're with us as we continue to follow all of the events out of Egypt and bring them to you. One thing we hope to bring to you very shortly here is a statement from the office of the presidency. We are waiting for that. We're not sure what it will say, given that we now know that President Hosni Mubarak has moved from Cairo to the coastal resort town near the Red Sea of Sharm el-Sheikh.

SESAY: Indeed he has. We look to see what the reaction will be among those that are still out on the streets protesting. President Mubarak is no longer there in Cairo. We wait for the statement, but the crowd still there in Tahrir Square. Still united in their demand to see President Mubarak hand over power completely, step down and go away. The largest crowds, our correspondents are telling us, since these protests began.

KAYE: And we'll continue to watch those crowds and also gain insight from many of the experts that we've been able to talk with about this story.

Parag Khanna is a senior research fellow with the New America Foundation. And in his latest book, he wrote about world revolts just like the one we are all witnessing together now in Egypt. He joins us live from New York.

So, tell us, as you watch the images coming out of Cairo, none of this should surprise you, since you have predicted revolts just like this one.

PARAG KHANNA, SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW, NEW AMERICA FOUNDATION: It was actually in my first book that I wrote about people power in Egypt, really frothing from Generation Y, and I said this country is ripe for revolution. And any place where you see such tremendous economic disparity and political alienation, you are certain to see events like this happen. It just takes a trigger.

Now, we can't be blamed for not knowing exactly when it was going to happen, but we certainly should have seen it coming and should be reacting appropriately.

One thing I would want to point out, this is not really just a middle-class revolution. This is not about Egyptians getting wealthy with economic growth and then demanding political rights. The people that are out there on the streets that we're watching, they are there at great personal cost. They're very poor and they're losing out on the economic destruction that this country is now facing. They are putting it all on the line because they are not part of the economic growth that has taken place. So, when you see the gap between haves and have-nots grow so tremendously, this is the only result that can happen.

KAYE: So, as you predicted, this revolt, can you also predict the outcome for us? We're all wondering what exactly this will bring and what it will mean. Will we see democracy in Egypt?

KHANNA: Well, Mubarak has made what he thinks are substantial concessions. He said he will not run for president in September, that his son will not run, that he's transferred powers to the vice president. Now he's taken a physical leave of absence and gone to Sharm el-Sheikh. He thinks of these incremental concessions as being sufficient, but they are clearly not.

Now, we are right to be focusing on who are the power brokers going to be in the next regime. Is it going to be Omar Suleiman? Is ElBaradei going to have a role? Or other people? But what the people really want, and what the country really needs, is a change of system. That means probably a move to a parliamentary-style democracy in which political parties have real power.

That conversation hasn't yet taken place. There's no indication that the army and that Mubarak and Suleiman have any interest in making that kind of a wholesale change of what kind of government the country has.

Until they do that, let's remember, Egypt will still be a place where the constitution is just a chess piece where the key power brokers are really just manipulating a few articles here and there so they can retain power. This is what happens in Ukraine, this is what happens in Pakistan, this is what happens in all sorts of countries that perpetually remain politically unstable because they don't genuinely move towards parliamentary democracy.

KAYE: All right. Parag Khanna, thank you for your insights. From the New America Foundation. Pleasure to talk with you.

KHANNA: Thank you.

SESAY: Well, as we've seen from the very beginning, social media has played a crucial role in both influencing the protests and reporting on them. Let's dig deeper into this role. Errol Barnett joins us now from the newsroom. Errol, what are you seeing?

ERROL BARNETT: Keep in mind that it's a tech expert, a Google executive, that's become a figurehead of all of this. Wael Ghonim, who was detained for 12 days. Well, he's tweeting and sending out messages and he's, in fact, saying he doesn't want international help. Here you see the message, "Dear Western governments, you've been silent for three decades supporting the regime that was oppressing us. Please don't get involved now."

And there's proof that he has a lot of online support. Here is his Facebook page made in honor of Khalid Saeed. Let's keep in mind, that was an individual who was tortured. One of the outrage, more than 700,000 people have supported this page. And what people are doing in Egypt right now is they're using their mobile devices to show us what they're doing on the ground.

I can show you the twitter page of Wael Abbas. He's a blogger. He's recording clips throughout Cairo and uploading them to this Web site we can show you. The most recent clip, we can show you at the top of this page. Oh, this is live, actually, in Tahrir Square shows many of the supporters now taking part in Friday prayers.

So, we're watching all of the Twitter pages, all of the live video streams coming to us, because this is a revolution sparked and being encouraged online, Isha.

SESAY: Errol, we appreciate it. That's some important insight there, thank you.

BARNETT: Sure.

SESAY: We're also awaiting the statement from the office of the presidency.

KAYE: Yes, and we will continue to do so, and we'll bring it to you when we get it.

SESAY: I'm Isha Sesay.

KAYE: I'm Randi Kaye. We'll continue CNN's special coverage of the crisis in Egypt.

SESAY: Suzanne Malveaux and Jim Clancy will be up next. This is CNN. Stay with us.

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