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Escalating in egypt. mike, what -- the crisis is escalating in egypt. mike what can we expect? >> reporter: we just her the call to prayer. it is a tense day as you know the anti-government demonstrators have called for this day of departure. they are going to get to the street in large numbers. many have spent another sleepless night in tahrir square trying to hold that ground. with the goal of bringing the -- of breaking the will of hosni mubarak to stay. all of the 10s aggravated by the fact this has been -- all of the tensions aggravated by the fact this has been going on for 10 days. one ...

And it seems to be also attempts perhaps to sort of get the media off the streets. get the media out of the high floors of hotel rooms overlooking the square. get cameras out of those rooms. we've had restrictions put on cameras on the upper floors in our hotel and in another hotel nearby. both of which overlook this square. which has become the heart of the act here. >> greta: charles, thank you. >> reporter: my pleasure, thank you. >> greta: mike tobin joins us live from egypt. how is it different in alexandria from cairo? >> reporter: certainly much more calm here. we've heard some gunfire....

Responsibility you can stand taller. president bush used to say everybody is dealt a hand and you have to play them, no matter what they are. this white house has a political upheaval in the middle east in which there are pretty much as you have seen on your program, there's no good answers. and they are not going to come quickly. and they are not going to come as quickly as the people on the ground are demanding and the media cycle needs to keep up with. one of the things they have to do is tune out the noise and focus as much as they can and to rely on their cabinet. has a cabinet for a reas...

A high price for that. and it seems to be also attempts perhaps to sort of get the media off the streets. get the media out of the high floors of hotel rooms overlooking the square. get cameras out of those rooms. we've had restrictions put on cameras on the upper floors in our hotel and in another hotel nearby. both of which overlook this square. which has become the heart of the act here. >> greta: charles, thank you. >> reporter: my pleasure, thank you. >> greta: mike tobin joins us live from egypt. how is it different in alexandria from cairo? >> reporter: certainly much more calm here. we...

Instances of corruption. but there was a relatively open political system. more open than this egypt. nonetheless, i think that the risks of president salem falling are very reel in terps of an al-qaeda presence in yemen that we have not been able to deal with effectively. when there were two yemens during the coal war, north yemen was a to have -- during the cold war, north yemen was a soviet ally. the risks of this regime collapses and radicals taking control is very significant. >> greta: you said free and competitive election in 2006 -- >> no, no, i didn't say, the state department. >> gre...