Update 3:21 p.m.:
President Obama made remarks today about the events in Egypt:
Obama said in Egypt "the wheel of history has changed at a blinding pace," and that the United States will continue to be a "friend and partner of Egypt" and "asks for a peaceful transition to democracy."
Obama said the people in Egypt are saying, "for the first time in my life, I really count," and that the "people of Egypt call for a government that is responsive to their boundless aspirations."
Obama said the events in Egypt were peaceful and powerful - "this is the power of human dignity and it can never be denied."
Obama likened the events in Egypt to people in Germany taking down the Berlin Wall, Gandhi's movement in India, and Martin Luther King's movement here at home. He said it was "non-violence - moral force - that bent the arc of history toward justice once more."
"There's something in the soul that cries out for freedom," Obama said.
Update 3:00 p.m.:
President Obama's press conference:
[Live stream has ended]
Update 2:39 p.m.:
Michigan Radio's Jennifer Guerra spoke with Mohamed El-Sayed today. El-Sayed is an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan. He was born and raised in Egypt and gave this heartfelt reaction to the events unfolding today in Egypt:
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/michigan/local-michigan-951778.mp3
MOHAMED EL-SAYED: Well I want to tell you that this was the moment of my whole life. People might not believe it, but it is the truth. You just live your life and there is a moment that you would like to have lived.
GUERRA: What do you mean by that?
MOHAMED EL-SAYED: What I mean by that is in your whole life, there is a moment that you wish to see happen and when it happens, you thank God that you're alive to see it because in a way you start thinking that it might not happen at all. And then you lose hope. And then suddenly you get hope again and then it happens and then you feel: I am really glad that I'm witnessing this moment, not just because it's a historical moment and you're part of the people, it's just because you have lived your life wishing that the people of Egypt would see what the people in the U.S. take for granted: their freedom, their ability to talk and govern themselves.
Update 1:15pm:
President Obama was scheduled to speak at 1:30 p.m. today. He's now schedued to speak at 3 p.m.:
Update 12:58 p.m.:
The military now heads up Egypt. The BBC reports:
The head of the new high military council, Field Marshal Tantawi, has greeted crowds outside the presidential palace, according to AFP.
Asked about the military - including Defence Minister Mohammed Hussein Tantawi - now being in charge, Mohamed ElBaradei tells the BBC: "I think it is not going to just be Tantawi, but the whole military leadership. I also understand that they are going to reach out to all sections of Egyptian society. I hope it will want to share power with civilians through the transitional period. I hope we will have a presidential council, a government of national unity and have enough time - perhaps a year - to prepare for genuine and free elections."
You can watch Al Jazeera's live coverage of events here.
Update 11:56 a.m.:
President Obama is expected to make a statement at 1:30 p.m. today.
The Associated Press reports:
President Barack Obama learned of President Hosni Mubarak's decision to resign during a White House meeting. And then, like people all over the world, Obama watched television coverage of history unfolding. The White House said Obama watched news coverage of the hoopla in Cairo for several minutes on a television set just outside the Oval Office. The stunning announcement came one day after Mubarak surprised the people of his country and the White House by refusing to resign.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Egyptian diplomat Mohamed ElBaradei had a conversation just moments ago with NPR's Robert Siegel. From NPR's The Two Way:
Hearing the news that Mubarak was stepping down, "reminded me of the moment I received the Nobel Peace Prize." But today, was "more emotional. ... We are emancipating 85 million people who have been repressed for decades."
Update 11:26 a.m.:
The BBC has live video of Tahrir Square in Egypt.
The BBC's Jon Leyne in Cairo says: "The announcement took everyone by surprise and caused immediate and riotous celebration in Tahrir Square."
"Around Cairo, drivers are honking their horns in celebration and guns are being fired into the air. The huge crowds are rejoicing. However, the army takeover looks very much like a coup. The constitution has been breached. Officially, the speaker of parliament should be taking over. Instead it is the army leadership. Egypt moves into a very uncertain future."
Update 11:19 a.m.:
From the Two Way - The BBC's transcription of the vice president's statement:
"In the name of God the merciful, the compassionate, citizens, during these very difficult circumstances Egypt is going through, President Hosni Mubarak has decided to step down from the office of president of the republic and has charged the high council of the armed forces to administer the affairs of the country. May God help everybody."
11:09 a.m.
We're getting reports that Mubarak has stepped down. NPR's Two Way is live blogging the event:
Al-Jazeera reports:
"He's gone. He's resigned. 30 years of Mubarak rule is over. Omar Suleiman says: 'President Hosni Mubarak has waived the office of president.' "
The New York Times reports:
President Hosni Mubarak left the Egyptian capital for his resort home in Sharm el-Sheik on Friday and was expected to make a statement, state television said, amid indications that a transfer of power was under way.
The Egyptian military issued a communiqué pledging to carry out a variety of constitutional reforms in a statement notable for its commanding tone. The military’s statement alluded to the delegation of power to Vice President Omar Suleiman and it suggested that the military would supervise implementation of the reforms.
