With the death toll
climbing past 500 in Egypt, President Obama is scheduled to make a statement at 10:15 eastern, speaking from Chilmark, Massachusetts. An audio-only livestream is available from the
White House.
7:30 AM PT: We're still waiting for the president to begin speaking, but if you're curious about US aid to Egypt—how much, where it goes, and who makes decisions about it—check out this helpful explanation from ProPublica.
7:35 AM PT: President Obama says he has just met with his national security team. He stresses close ties between the US and Egypt. We knew change would not come easily, but stressed principles that had to be upheld.
7:35 AM PT: Morsi's government was not inclusive, and many Egyptians were calling for a change in course. Violence is not the answer, though.
7:36 AM PT: "The United States strongly condemns the steps that have been taken ... we oppose the pursuit of martial law which denies those rights to individual citizens."
"Our traditional cooperation cannot continue as usual ... we are cancelling our biannual joint military exercise" and the administration will be considering further steps.
7:38 AM PT: The president calls for the state of emergency to be lifted and for all parties to cease violence, for the rights of women and religious minorities to be protected, and for transparency.
7:41 AM PT: As a final point, Obama observes that America cannot determine the path for Egypt; that must be done by the people of Egypt. "We want Egypt to succeed ... that's our interest. But to achieve that, the Egyptians are going to have to do the work. We recognize that change takes time and that a process like this is never guaranteed."
10:02 AM PT (Barbara Morrill): You can read President Obama's remarks in there entirety here.