http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/02/11/egypt.us.reaction/ (Live Video)
U.S. Officials Welcome Mubarak Resignation.

Washington (CNN) -- Top American officials welcomed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's decision to step down Friday, but urged all sides in Egypt's rapidly unfolding political drama to ensure a peaceful transition to democracy.
Vice President Joe Biden said the developments in Cairo and elsewhere mark a day of "historic" and "dramatic" change. It is a "pivotal moment in history" after which the future of Egypt -- a critical U.S. ally in the Middle East -- will be determined by its people, he said.
The U.S. government will continue to insist on a "set of core principles" in the months ahead, the vice president told an audience in Kentucky. Violence and intimidation against protesters remains unacceptable, he said. The universal rights of people "must be respected" and their "aspirations met."
Finally, he said, the transition must be "irreversible" and part of a negotiated path to democracy.
"The United States has largely spoken with one voice," on the Egyptian revolution and needs to remain politically united in responding to the change, Biden concluded.
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President Barack Obama is scheduled to discuss the developments at 3 p.m. ET at the White House.
Obama was in a meeting in the Oval Office when he learned that Mubarak was stepping down, said Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for the National Security Council. Obama watched television coverage of the events in Egypt for several minutes afterward, Vietor said.
Obama did not talk to Mubarak or Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman before the announcement of Mubarak's resignation, according to White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.
Moments after the news broke, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, issued a statement urging a peaceful transition.
"I am pleased that President Mubarak has heard and heeded the voice of the Egyptian people, who have called for change," Reid said. But "it is crucial that Mubarak's departure be an orderly one and that it leads to true democracy for Egypt, including free, fair and open elections."
He added, "We caution all sides against violence during this transition."
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, released a statement calling Mubarak's resignation "an extraordinary moment for Egypt."
But "what happens next will have repercussions far beyond Egypt's borders," he said. "We know from recent experience in Gaza that this requires not just elections, but hard work to build a government that is transparent, accountable, and broadly representative."'
Florida GOP Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released a statement urging "the unequivocal rejection of any involvement by the Muslim Brotherhood and other extremists" in the transition of power.
Egyptians should reject those who "seek to exploit and hijack these events to gain power, oppress the Egyptian people, and do great harm to Egypt's relationship with the United States, Israel, and other free nations," she said.
Mubarak's decision to step down is "obviously a welcome step," a U.S. official involved in the Egypt discussions said earlier. But now comes "an unpredictable next chapter."
The official said CNN Mubarak's decision was "a sign the (Egyptian) military chose society" over the country's longtime ruler.
U.S. defense officials were not given any advance warning of Mubarak's resignation and were not sure it would happen.
As the Obama administration reacted, Washington was using a variety of intelligence assets to see what was happening in Cairo and other Egyptian cities, CNN has learned.
The U.S. military and intelligence community are using "national technical means" in the sky over Egypt to gather information about the demonstrations and the deployment of Egyptian security forces.
The phrase "national technical means" is used by the U.S. government to generally refer to the use of reconnaissance satellites to gather imagery or signals intelligence.
A senior U.S. official with direct knowledge of the operation confirmed the intelligence gathering, but declined to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the matter.
The official declined to say to what extent the Egyptian government is aware of the activity. The official would not say specifically which intelligence-gathering elements were being used, but indicated operations were being conducted in a manner that would not be visible to the Egyptian populace.
The official said the decision to use intelligence-gathering assets came in part after the initial violence erupted in the early days of the Cairo demonstrations.

Al Jazeera does air here, on Link.
http://www.linktv.org/programs/al-jazeera-english-world-news

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2011-02-11-egypt-mubarak-reaction_N.htm
What and who's next ? That's my concern

http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/social.media/02/11/egyptian.president.digital.masha...

Egyptian president steps down amidst groundbreaking digital revolution

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has stepped down, more than two weeks after the protests that began January 25 in the country -- and launched a flood of #Jan25 and #Egypt tweets as well as media coverage that broke the mold -- to remove the president from power.
From the beginning, the revolution in Egypt was propelled by the use of social media. It at least partlybegan on Facebook with the creation of Facebook groups that gained hundreds of thousands of members and promoted the early protests in Cairo.
Subsequently, the government blocked Facebook and Twitter and eventually shut down Internet access completely. And with the outside world following the unfolding revolution online, political leaders and others, including Twitter, spoke out against the violence and freedom of expression issues at risk.
But even a government shut down couldn't keep the news from flowing. Twitter and Facebook users found ways to work around the blackout. Though, eventually access was completely restored.
Crowd cheers: 'Egypt is free!' Military addresses Egyptian citizens 'A dream becomes reality' in Egypt History unfolds in Egypt
The events in Egypt served as a flash point for journalists on the ground, too. For perhaps one of the first times in history, history itself has been recorded instantaneously, as reporters took to Twitter to share 140-character updates and personal stories from the protests. The messages provided a stark reality to readers in the outside world, especially as the protests turned violent and police turned on journalists -- the very people many of us outside the country were following.
But Al Jazeera had its "CNN Moment," and although it couldn't reach viewers in the U.S. by cable television, it found a way to viewers -- on YouTube. The network live streamed Mubarak's public address -- in which many believed he would resign -- Thursday via YouTube. But Al Jazeera's comprehensive coverage put it on the radar for U.S. viewers and it created a campaign to bring its English-language network to U.S. televisions.
Images of the turmoil spread around the world via Flickr and Youtube, too. Al Jazeera made its images available by a Creative Commons license and its work reached an even broader audience around the world.
Without a doubt, social media, mobile devices and the web have brought the stories from Egypt closer to home. And conversely, the events in Egypt have shown the strength of these tools for both organizing and informing people. The Egyptian people and reporters alike found ways to share their messages even when the government tried to stop them. Using VPN, proxy sites, third party apps and other tools, they were able to continue sharing news with those of us on the outside. And at the same time, the rest of the world found ways to use tech to curate and disseminate information.