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Daybreak: U.S. Joins Egyptians in the Streets

Plus Israel watches Sinai, turmoil in Jordan, and more in the news

by
Marc Tracy
February 01, 2011
Tahrir Square, in Cairo, this morning.(Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images))
Tahrir Square, in Cairo, this morning.(Khaled Desouki/AFP/Getty Images))

• As tens of thousands crowd Cairo’s streets, in probably the largest protest yet, the United States has decided to carefully but rapidly move for an “orderly transition” from President Mubarak’s rule, sending a former ambassador close to Mubarak to Cairo. [WP]

• Meanwhile, the administration scrambles to answer the question of the moment: What, exactly, does opposition leader Mohammed ElBaradei represent? [NYT]

• Israel is concerning itself with making sure its Egyptian border is sealed and preparing for a potential wave of Sinai Bedouin asylum-seekers. [Haaretz]

• But of course: Oil prices have been rising over the past week. [NYT]

• Meanwhile, King Abdullah II, of Jordan, fired his cabinet in response to protests and ordered a former army general to come in and form a new one. [AP]

• The U.N.’s nuclear watchdog warned Syria that it would be toughening its stance. [WSJ]

Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.