they want. it s very much below what they want. the speech of president obama is like three steps behind to them. to them, it s i ll trade you. they want reform. they want to make reform. obama had to made it clear whether he s fighting with the people of egypt or the president. the protesters are saying they are two opposite things now. it s one thing to want your president to step down because his administration is stagnated. who do they want in? caller: right now, they want elections. it s not clear. there s nobody leading the protest. you don t have a clear list of demands and a clear list of things to do after the president is out. chaos is a scene we have started
egypt. today, the scene is different. nic robertson was hit by tear gas yesterday. he joins us live from alexandria. what is the scene there today? calmer? reporter: there are still protests going on, but peaceful protests. about 5,000 people. again, they are asking for president mubarak to leave. when we ask people if what he said last night was enough, they said absolutely not. the chant is we are out, we are not going back. that means they are not going back until he leaves office. people are worried about the situation. president mubarak said he would change the government. that means there could be a new government. maybe we could give that a chance. there are voices in the minority, those voices are in the minority, but they are
palestinians. egypt has been a mainstay. it s not just that. it could have potential effects on efforts to counter iran in the region. look at what s happening in lebanon now and hezbollah gaining in the country. egypt is the critical ally of the united states in the region. mubarak leaving could have potential devastating consequences for the united states. if we talk about a ripple effect, they are really worried about if you see the mubarak s go and in yemen the president for instance where al qaeda is gaining strength, it s a weak country, a very poor country and what s the concern for the united states now is that the uncertainty, who is going to come next. in egypt, for instance, we have been discussing there is not a rallying figure who people can organize around and who is going
away. egypt, one of the more stable countries in the region and important u.s. ally. lisa joins us to talk about a possible ripple effect. are we looking at others taking to the street and demanding change? certainly we are. if you look at what happened in tunisia, they think it s what is happening in egypt. you have seen protests in yemen, protests in jordan, and algeria. egypt is considered the heart of the arab world. if mubarak were to go and were to be overthrown, it s the bellwether of what s going to happen in the region. everyone in the region, especially the youth population, which is growing, chronic unemployment, social tensions,
clouds. same situation in galveston and the deep south. a mild day, too. temperature wise in atlanta with highs going to 65 degrees. enjoy it while you can. colder times are ahead. 32 in billings. 67 in las vegas. new york with 34 degrees, the expected high. that s a quick snapshot at your forecast. back to the news desk. thank you reynolds. you bet. a day of decisions. was mubarak s speech enough to keep protesters at bay? if not, what is next for egypt? we ll check in with our reporters on the ground, next. hey boss! do we have aflac? nah. we have something else. but if you re hurt and miss work