With hundreds of thousands of Egyptians in the streets for a seventh straight day of massive protests, demanding the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, the White House is working behind the scenes for what they hope is an "orderly transition" of power:
In private, officials across the administration continued calling contacts in the Egyptian government, military and opposition to urge movement toward a transitional process leading to free elections. The State Department sent retired diplomat Frank Wisner, a former ambassador to Egypt, to Cairo on Monday to deliver the message personally. [...]
"It's not so much about sending a message to Mubarak - they don't think he will listen anyway," the expert said. "The message," he said, is one of urgency to "those who would push [Mubarak] out. If you want to see a new Egypt, and want your place in it, here's your chance."
... while publicly announcing that they have spoken to opposition leader Mohammed ElBaradei.
Reuters:
Al Arabiya reports there will be a speech from Egyptian President Mubarak on Tuesday and that the vice president has started meetings with party representatives.
As Reuters also notes:
As Egyptians poured onto the streets on Tuesday to demand he go, President Hosni Mubarak had already given more ground in a week than ever before in his 30 years in power. His abdication seems to have already begun.
Note that Al Jazeera has not reported that Mubarak is scheduled to speak, so it's unclear where Al Arabiya is getting its information.
Update: For ongoing coverage of the uprising in Egypt, see the Daily Kos Mothership diary.