Egyptian People Demand Change (Live Blog)

The Head of the Egyptian Parliament (speaker of the house)  is about to come on Egyptian State Television to make what  he characterizes as an “important” announcement.  I’m following the live feed on Al Jazeera English. Share what you can find because they haven’t killed the internet here and the talking heads on US media are the same worn out partisan spokesmodels for memes!

Al Arabiya is reporting that the Egyptian Army is protecting the National Museum.

Army units secured the Egyptian Museum in central Cairo against possible looting on Friday night, protecting a building with spectacular Pharaonic treasures such as the death mask of the boy king Tutankhamun, state TV said.

The news follows a day of violent anti-government protests in Cairo and other cities. Some of the most violent scenes in four days of protests have been in squares and streets close to the museum building.

While army soldiers shook hands with protesters on one street in downtown Cairo on Friday, elsewhere security forces lashed out at the crowd with tears in their eyes.

The army is protecting critical buildings but not really taking ‘sides’. Nor are they being ‘challenged’ per reporters at Al Jazeera. They are also reporting that many of Egypt’s wealthy have left the nation.  The US response has been characterized as “ambivalent”.

Al Jazeera’s Nick Spicer, reporting from Washington, said that the White House has advised “not to let things get out of control because a lot is at stake for the United States”.

“I certainly think the Americans are putting a lot of pressure on the Egyptian president to show that he’s listening to the people in the street,” he said.

The Obama administration has stopped far short of endorsing the protests calling for Mubarak’s ouster, an outcome that would shake an already unstable region.

Speaking as street demonstrations rocked Egypt’s capital despite a curfew, Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, urged calm on both sides.

She said the government must investigate and prosecute any allegations of brutality by security forces.

She also called on Egypt to restore access to the internet and social media sites that have been blocked.

Will the Parliament or the cabinet be dissolved?

Meanwhile, our press is interviewing such famous Egyptian and middle east experts like Liz Cheney and Mike Huckabee!  Go corporate press!!

Why does the White House and Senator Lieberman want an internet “kill switch”.  How about this CNN report?

It’s midnight in Egypt and the curfew is being ignored.  The building of the governing party in Cairo and the government in Alexandra are still smoldering.  Hospitals are now overwhelmed with injured as riot police used tear gas and clubs on protesters. There are also reports of rubber coated bullets killing people; 170 people hurt, 20 critically per AJ. The Army is out in the streets protecting key federal buildings.

Speculation is that Mubarak will be removed from power.