PBS NewsHour; January 31, 2011 6:00pm-7:00pm PST

Captioni MacNEIL/LEHRER PRODUCTIONS

>> Brown: GOOD EVENING. I'M JEFFREY BROWN. EGYPT'S MILITARY PROMISED TODAY NOT TO FIRE ON PEACEFUL PROTESTERS, AND ORGANIZERS OF THE DEMONSTRATIONS CALLED FOR A MASSIVE TURNOUT TOMORROW.

>> Warner: AND I'M MARGARET WARNER. ON THE NEWSHOUR TONIGHT, WE GET THE LATEST ON THE UPRISING FROM INDEPENDENT TELEVISION NEWS CORRESPONDENTS ON THE SCENE IN CAIRO AND ALEXANDRIA.

>> Brown: THEN KWAME HOLMAN REPORTS ON WASHINGTON'S RESPONSE TO THE CRISIS.

>> IT IS NOT UP TO US TO DETERMINE WHEN THE GRIEVANCES OF THE EGYPTIAN PEOPLE HAVE BEEN MET BY THE EGYPTIAN GOVERNMENT.

>> Warner: WE ASSESS THE PROSPECTS FOR A PEACEFUL TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY.

>> Brown: AND RAY SUAREZ EXAMINES HOW PROTESTERS AND GOVERNMENTS HAVE USED COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY, IN EGYPT AND BEYOND.

>> Warner: PLUS, OUR ECONOMICS CORRESPONDENT GETS A FIRSTHAND LOOK AT WHETHER ELECTRIC CARS CAN GO FAR ENOUGH ON NEW AND BETTER BATTERIES.

>> Brown: AND WE TALK WITH AUTHOR AND ESSAYIST ROGER ROSENBLATT ABOUT THE ART OF WRITING. THAT'S ALL AHEAD ON TONIGHT'S NEWSHOUR. MAJOR FUNDING FOR THE PBS NEWSHOUR HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY:

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>> Brown: THE OPPOSITION IN EGYPT LAID PLANS TODAY TO BRING MORE THAN A MILLION PEOPLE INTO THE STREETS, AND THE ARMY SAID IT WILL NOT USE FORCE AGAINST THEM. OMAR SULEIMAN SAID PRESIDENT MUBARAK ASKED HIM TO OPEN A DIALOGUE WITH ALL THE POLITICAL FORCES. THAT WAS ONE OF THE PROTESTORS' DEMANDS. WE BEGIN OUR COVERAGE WITH THIS REPORT FROM JONATHAN RUGMAN OF INDEPENDENT TELEVISION NEWS IN CAIRO.

>> Reporter: CELEBRATE THE ENDING OF MONARCHY. NOW THEY ARE CONVINCED THE END OF THE MUBARAK REGIME. THE PEOPLE WANT THE PRESIDENT GONE, THEY SHOUTED, MARCHING IN THEIR TENS OF THOUSANDS. THE BIGGEST DEMONSTRATION HERE SO FAR.

>> IT FEELS LIKE A BIT OF A STALEMATE WITH THE PRESIDENT IN HIS PALACE AND THE PEOPLE DOWN AT THE SQUARE PROCEEDING TO GO HOME.

>> IT'S NOT A STALEMATE BECAUSE HE CAN'T DO ANYTHING. HE'S TRYING TO PLAY PRESIDENT BUT HE CAN'T DO THAT ANYMORE. WE'LL BE HERE UNTIL HE'S OUT.

>> Reporter: THE MOOD WAS ONE OF CARNIVAL. A GIANT FAMILY PICNIC. CHILDREN WELCOME TO WITNESS HISTORY IN THE MAKING. OUSTING THEIR PRESIDENT, EXHAUSTING WORK FOR SOME, WHO HAD BEEN CAMPING OUT THESE PAST THREE NIGHTS. BUT THIS GROUP OF ENGINEERS SEEMED UNIMPRESSED BY THE AMERICANS CALLING FOR A TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY AT LAST.

>> I DON'T BELIEVE IN AMERICA. THEY PLAY WITH THE WINNER, NOT WITH THE PEOPLE OR WITH THE POWER. THE WINNERS, THE USA WILL BE WITH THE WINNERS.

>> Reporter: A MILITARY HELICOPTER MADE REPEATED PASSES OVERHEAD. LEAVE, LEAVE, THE CROWD SHOUTED. A SOLDIER AT ONE POINT FIRED SHOTS IN THE AIR TO KEEP THE MASSES BACK. BUT NOTHING WILL KEEP THEM BACK NOW. IT'S A CONSCRIPTION ARMY CAUGHT BETWEEN THE PRESIDENT AND THE PEOPLE. SO FAR UNABLE TO TAKE SIDES. A WEEK AGO SOMETHING LIKE THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN UNTHINKABLE BUT THESE EGYPTIANS HAVE LOST THEIR FEAR. IT SEEMS THAT NOTHING WILL SILENCE THEM NOW UNTIL THEIR PRESIDENT LEAVES THE SCENE.

>> I HAVE NEVER EXERCISED MY RIGHTS. IT'S A SHAME. I'M 36 YEARS OLD. I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO EXERCISE THE RIGHT OF EVERYBODY IN THE WESTERN WORLD TAKES FOR GRANTED. THIS IS NOT RIGHT.

>> Reporter: IF YOU HAD THAT HERE, WOULD YOU END UP WITH A ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALIST STATE?

>> NO, NO, NO, NO.

>> EVEN IF THIS HAPPENS THIS IS THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE AND I HAVE TO RESPECT RESPECT DEMOCRACY.

>> Reporter: THIS RELIGIOUS LEADER PRAYS TODAY FOR LIBERATION IN WHAT FEELS LIKE ONE VAST OPEN AIR DEBATING CHAMBER FOR THE NATION'S FUTURE. THEY WANT THEIR PRESIDENT GONE, BUT WHAT CAN THEY AGREE ON BEYOND THAT? THESE DOCTORS SEEING DEMOCRACY HAND IN HAND WITH SHARIA LAW.

>> IT IS OUR RELIGION. OUR RELIGION DOESN'T JUST DEAL WITH RELIGION BETWEEN PEOPLE. IT ALSO DEALS WITH EVERYTHING IN LIFE.

>> Reporter: YET PUT THAT TO THIS SINGER AND INTELLECTUAL AND HE IS HORRIFIED.

>> SHARIA, THIS IS BETWEEN A MAN AND HIS GOD. THIS IS SOMETHING BETWEEN EVERYBODY AND HIS GOD.

>> Reporter: NOT THE GOVERNMENT.

>> NOT THE GOVERNMENT.

>> Reporter: SO THE SECULAR AND THE DEVOUT ARE ALREADYOUT JOUSTING FORY GYP'S FUTURE EVEN BEFORE PRESIDENT MUBARAK'S POLITICAL OBITUARY IS WRITTEN.

>> Warner: WHILE EGYPTIANS TRIED TO GET TO CAIRO'S CENTER, FOREIGNERS CROWDED THE CITY'S INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TRYING TO GET OUT. SEVERAL GOVERNMENTS LINED UP CHARTERED PLANES TO EVACUATE THEIR CITIZENS FROM EGYPT. MORE THAN 1,200 AMERICANS WERE FLOWN OUT, WITH ANOTHER 1,400 EXPECTED TO LEAVE IN COMING DAYS. THE POLITICAL UNREST ALSO SPREAD WELL BEYOND CAIRO, TO THE COUNTRY'S OTHER CITIES. LINDSEY HILSUM, OF INDEPENDENT TELEVISION NEWS, HAS THIS REPORT FROM ALEXANDRIA.

>> Reporter: WE SET OFF TWO HOURS AFTER CURFEW. A FEW CARS SIT ON THE STREETS BEING STOPPED AT CHECK POINTS, MANNED BY WHAT THEY'RE CALLING THE POPULAR FRONT, VIGILANTE GROUPS. AT FIRST WE WERE UNSURE IF THEY WOULD LET US THROUGH. BU THEY GAVE US A PASSWORD. THEN WE WERE FREE TO DRIVE WHEREVER WE WANTED. SO WE HEADED FOR MARKET SQUARE WHERE I HAD HEARD PEOPLE WERE HAVING A SIT-DOWN PROTEST. WE ARRIVED AS DUSK FELL. WE WERE IMMEDIATELY MOBBED. WE MET A MAN WHO SAID HIS SON HAD BEEN SHOT WHILE PEACEFULLY PROTESTING ON FRIDAY. HE SAID HE EVEN KNEW THE NAME OF THE POLICEMAN WHO DID IT.

>> HE SHOT MY SON THROUGH THE HEAD AND THE BULLET CAME OUT THE OTHER SIDE. HE AND HIS FELLOW OFFICERS ARE PART OF THE REGIME. THEY ARE THUGS. THE TERRORISM WE SEE NOW, THE THUGS WE CATCH IN THEIR CARS ARE POLICE OFFICERS AND SERGEANTS, NOT JUST ORDINARY CRIMINALS.

>> Reporter: WE NEVER MADE IT INTO THE SQUARE. BECAUSE THE PEOPLE PUSHED AND SHOUTED AND WOULDN'T LET US THROUGH UNTIL WE HAD HEARD THEIR MESSAGE. MUBARAK MUST GO. EARLIER IN THE DAY A TV CREW HAD BEEN CHASED BY AN UNFRIENDLY CROWD, BUT THESE PEOPLE JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE UNDERSTOOD THEIR DETERMINATION AND ANGER AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT. "WE DON'T WANT HIM," SHE SHOUTED. " MUBARAK MUST LEAVE ALONG WITH HIS GANG. WE DON'T WANT ANY OF THEM." THIS CROWD IS VERY PASSIONATE. PEOPLE ARE HOLDING UP BANNERS SAYING MUBARAK IS A PIG. THEY'RE USING INCREDIBLY RUDE LANGUAGE ABOUT THE PRESIDENT. THEY SAY THEY JUST WANT HIM TO GO. WHAT HE'S DONE BY APPOINTING A VICE PRESIDENT IS JUST NOT ENOUGH. THE PEOPLE HERE, THEY'RE JUST CRUSHING AGAINST US. IT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO FILM. SUCH WAS THE JOSTLING AND ENTHUSIASM WE COULDN'T REACH THOSE WHO SAY THEY'LL SIT IN THE SQUARE UNTIL PRESIDENT MUBARAK WEIGH... RESIGNS. WHY ARE THE PEOPLE SO ANGRY?

>> THE PEOPLE ARE SO ANGRY BECAUSE THEY NEED FREEDOM. THEY ARE LOOKING FOR FREEDOM. WE HAVE NO FREEDOM.

>> Reporter: WE DROVE BACK THROUGH THE ALMOST EMPTY DOWN. THE MEN ON ROADBLOCK LOOMING IN THE DARK AND WAVING US THROUGH. FROM OUR VANTAGE POINT WE SAW TWO YOUNG MEN BEING ARRESTED AND TAKEN... AWAY BY SOLDIERS. WE DON'T KNOW WHY. IN A CITY WHERE PROTESTORS AND VIGILANTES RULE THE STREET.

>> Warner: THE CHAOS IN CAIRO POSED A DELICATE DIPLOMATIC CHALLENGE FOR THE U.S., APPEALING FOR DEMOCRACY WITHOUT ALIENATING AN ALLY. NEWSHOUR CORRESPONDENT KWAME HOLMAN REPORTS.

>> Reporter: AS THE POLITICAL CRISIS DEEPENED IN EGYPT, U.S. LEADERS IN WASHINGTON TRIED TO MAINTAIN A BALANCED RESPONSE. WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY ROBERT GIBBS.

>> IT IS NOT UP TO US TO DETERMINE WHEN THE GRIEVANCES OF THE EGYPTIAN PEOPLE HAVE BEEN MET BY THE EGYPTIAN GOVERNMENT.

>> Reporter: ON ONE HAND EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT MUBARAK HAS BEEN A VITAL U.S. PARTNER, BUT U.S. POLICY ALSO REQUIRES SUPPORT FOR THE RIGHTS OF THE PROTESTORS.

>> WE HAVE SAID ALL ALONG THAT THERE ARE, AS I MENTIONED, LEGITIMATE CONCERNS AND GRIEVANCES HAD BY THE EGYPTIAN PEOPLE FOR A LONG TIME. WE'RE NOT PICKING BETWEEN THOSE ON THE STREET AND THOSE IN THE GOVERNMENT.

>> Reporter: IN APPEARANCES ON ALL FIVE POLITICAL TALK SHOWS YESTERDAY, SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY CLINTON PUT IT EVEN MORE DIRECTLY.

>> IT NEEDS TO BE AN ORDERLY, PEACEFUL TRANSITION TO REAL DEMOCRACY NOT FOE DEMOCRACY... FAUX DEMOCRACY LIKE THE ELECTIONS WE SAW IN IRAN TWO YEARS AGO WHERE YOU HAVE ONE ELECTION 30 YEARS AGO AND THEN THE PEOPLE JUST KEEP STAYING IN POWER AND BECOME LESS AND LESS RESPONSIVE TO THEIR PEOPLE.

>> Reporter: BUT CLINTON TOO STOPPED SHORT OF CALLING ON MUBARAK HIMSELF TO GO.

>> I'M NOT GOING TO SPECULATE, BOB. WHAT WE ARE FOCUSED ON NOW IS A TRANSITION THAT WILL MEET THE NEEDS OF THE EGYPTIAN AND THAT WILL TRULY ESTABLISH DEMOCRACY.

>> Reporter: THREE KEY EUROPEAN LEADERS ALSO WEIGHED IN ON SUNDAY. IN A JOINT STATEMENT, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER DAVID CAMERON, FRENCH PRESIDENT SARKOZY AND GERMAN CHANCE CHANCE LETTER MERCKEL CITED MUBARAK'S ROLE AS A MODERATING FORCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST. THEY SAID WE NOW URGE HIM TO SHOW THE SAME MODERATION IN ADDRESSING THE SAME SITUATION IN EGYPT. WE URGE HIM TO EMBARK ON A TRANSFORMATION WHICH SHOULD BE REFLECTED IN A BROAD-BASED GOVERNMENT AND IN FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS. BACK AT THE WHITE HOUSE TODAY, SPOKESMAN GIBBS SAID MUBARAK'S ANNOUNCEMENT OF A NEW CABINET IS NOT ENOUGH. BUT U.S. OFFICIALS SAID THERE WERE NO PLANS TO CUT NEARLY $1.5 BILLION IN AID TO EGYPT.

>> Brown: THERE'S MUCH MORE ON EGYPT COMING UP, INCLUDING THE PUSH FOR AN ORDERLY TRANSITION; THE TECHNOLOGY OF PROTEST AND REPRESSSION; PLUS, BATTERY POWER FOR ELECTRIC CARS, AND A MASTER CLASS IN WRITING. BUT FIRST, THE OTHER NEWS OF THE DAY. HERE'S HARI SREENIVASAN.

>> Sreenivasan: A FEDERAL JUDGE IN FLORIDA HAS DECLARED THE NATIONAL HEALTH CARE REFORM LAW UNCONSTITUTIONAL. THE DECISION TODAY CAME IN A LAWSUIT BY 26 STATES. THEY CHALLENGED THE MANDATE THAT MOST AMERICANS MUST BUY HEALTH INSURANCE BY 2014, OR PAY A PENALTY. SO FAR, TWO FEDERAL COURTS HAVE RULED AGAINST THE MANDATE. TWO OTHERS HAVE UPHELD IT. THE ISSUE IS EXPECTED TO WIND UP BEFORE THE U.S. SUPREME COURT. SALT WAS THE FOCUS OF NEW FEDERAL DIETARY GUIDELINES TODAY. THEY CALLED FOR ROUGHLY HALF THE U.S. POPULATION TO CUT DAILY SODIUM INTAKE TO NO MORE THAN HALF A TEASPOON. FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE STUDY FOCUSED ON GROUPS MOST AT RISK FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE DUE TO SODIUM INTAKE. THEY INCLUDE AFRICAN-AMERICANS, PREGNANT WOMEN, AND PEOPLE WITH HYPERTENSION, DIABETES, AND OTHER CHRONIC ILLNESSES. WALL STREET RALLIED AS ENERGY COMPANIES LED THE WAY. EXXON MOBIL REPORTED ITS STRONGEST PROFITS SINCE 2008. THE DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE GAINED 68 POINTS TO CLOSE AT 11,891. THE NASDAQ ROSE 13 POINTS TO CLOSE AT 2700. AND WORRIES ABOUT EGYPT SENT OIL PRICES SHARPLY HIGHER AGAIN, TO WELL OVER $92 A BARREL. THEY'RE UP 8% SINCE FRIDAY. A ROADSIDE BOMBING KILLED A NATO SOLDIER IN AFGHANISTAN TODAY. THERE WAS NO IMMEDIATE WORD ON THE TROOPER'S NATIONALITY, BUT MORE THAN 20 AMERICANS HAVE DIED IN AFGHANISTAN SO FAR THIS MONTH. IN ALL, 31 NATO TROOPS HAVE BEEN KILLED SINCE THE NEW YEAR BEGAN. IN PAKISTAN, A U.S. OFFICIAL ATTACHED TO THE AMERICAN EMBASSY REMAINED IN CUSTODY IN THE SHOOTING DEATHS OF TWO PAKISTANIS IN LAHORE. 15,000 PEOPLE PROTESTED THERE ON SUNDAY, WAVING FLAGS AND CHANTING DEMANDS THAT THE MAN REMAIN IN CUSTODY. THE U.S. EMBASSY SAID HE ACTED IN SELF-DEFENSE, AND HAS DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY. THE PAKISTANI GOVERNMENT WAS UNSWAYED, AND SAID IT WOULD LEAVE THE FINAL DECISION TO ITS COURTS. THE U.S. AMBASSADOR TO CHINA WILL STEP DOWN. HE IS EXPECTED TO EXPLORE A POSSIBLE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL BID. WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS CON KPIRMED THAT HUNTSMAN WILL LEAVE HIS POSTING IN THE NEXT MONTH. HE WAS APPOINTED AMBASSADOR BY PRESIDENT OBAMA IN 2009. THOSE ARE SOME OF THE DAY'S MAJOR STORIES. NOW BACK TO MARGARET.

>> Warner: WE TURN TO HOW THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION'S CALL FOR AN ORDERLY TRANSITION WILL PLAY OUT IN THE STREETS AND HALLS OF GOVERNMENT IN EGYPT. TO EXAMINE THAT, WE GO TO DANIEL KURTZER, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO EGYPT FROM 1997 TO 2001. HE'S NOW A PROFESSOR AT PRINCETON UNIVERSITY. MARINA OTTAWAY, DIRECTOR OF THE MIDDLE EAST PROGRAM AT THE CARNEGIE ENDOWMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL PEACE. AND IAN LESSER, A FORMER STATE DEPARTMENT STAFFER, NOW A SENIOR FELLOW AT THE GERMAN MARSHALL FUND. WELCOME TO ALL OF YOU. MARINA OTTAWAY I'LL BEGIN WITH YOU. TWO BIG DEVELOPMENTS. THE ARMY SAID THEY WOULD NOT FIRE ON PEACEFUL PROTESTORS. LATE IN THE DAY THE NEW VICE PRESIDENT SAID PRESIDENT MUBARAK WANTED TO HAVE A DIALOGUE, WANTED HIM TO HAVE A DIALOGUE WITH THESE PROTESTORS. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS GOING ON HERE?

>> FIRST OF ALL, I THINK THE MILITARY PROBABLY FEELS THAT IT CANNOT SHOOT THE PROTESTORS. IT'S A CONFLICT. MANY OF THOSE YOUNG MEN IN THE ARMY NOW IN A FEW MONTHS WILL BE OUT IN THE STREETS FACING THE SAME PROBLEM THE PEOPLE WHO ARE DEMONSTRATING NOW. SO I THINK IT WOULD BE A VERY RISKY DECISION FOR THE MILITARY TO DECIDE TO SHOOT ON THE PROTESTORS. SO IF THEY WANT TO BRING SOME CONTROL TO THE COUNTRY WITHOUT SHOOTING, WITHOUT DOING A TEEN MEN SQUARE THEY HAVE TO START A DIALOGUE AND NEGOTIATE ING WITH THE PROTESTORS. THE QUESTION IS WHETHER THEY WILL ACCEPT SULEIMAN AS THE....

>> Warner: YOU MEAN THE PROTESTORS?

>> YES.

>> Warner: HOW DO YOU INTERPRET THESE TWO EVENTS?

>> I AGREE. I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE MILITARY TO COME OUT OR TRY TO COME OUT OF THIS CRISIS WITH ITS POWER AND PREY TEEJ AND LEE LEGITIMACY IN TACT. I THINK THEY'RE TRYING TO CALCULATE VERY CAREFULLY WHAT THEY CAN DO AT THIS POINT. TO ME IT DOES REALLY LOOK AS IF THE MILITARY GENERAL STAFF HAS TAKEN A DELIBERATE DECISION NOT TO GO THE ROUTE OF USING OVERWHELMING FORCE TO PUT THIS DOWN. I THINK THEY SEE THE RISKS OF THAT. I THINK THEY'RE VERY MUCH LOOKING AHEAD TO HOW THIS CRISIS IS GOING TO PLAY ITSELF OUT.

>> Warner: AMBASSADOR KURTZER, HOW DO YOU SEE TODAY'S DEVELOPMENTS? DO YOU THINK THE MILITARY IS DRIVING THIS? DO YOU THINK MUBARAK IS STILL IN CHARGE?

>> MUBARAK IS STILL CLEARLY IN CHARGE. HE'S STILL IN CHARGE OF THE MILITARY. THE MILITARY ULTIMATELY WILL BE THE ARBITER OF WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS SOCIETY, AND IT'S GOING TO BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO OVERSTEP THE BOUNDS OF WHAT'S ACCEPTABLE. SO THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDS THIS IS AS WELL. WE'VE SEEN IN THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS WHEN THE DEMONSTRATORS HAVE TRIED TO REACH OUT TO THE TROOPS THAT HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED ON THE STREETS. SO FAR IT APPEARS THAT THE MILITARY REMAINS LOYAL TO MUBARAK, BUT WITHIN CERTAIN BOUNDS. I THINK TODAY'S EVENTS SUGGEST THAT THE BOUNDS ARE, THAT THEY WILL SIMPLY NOT ENGAGE IN A MAJOR CONFRONTATION WITH THE PUBLIC. WHILE THAT'S HAPPENING, WE'RE ALSO SEEING, AS YOU NOTED, THE VICE PRESIDENT OMAR SULEIMAN'S CALL FOR A DIALOGUE. IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS YOU'RE LIKELY TO SEE ADDITIONAL ANNOUNCEMENTS OF SOME POTENTIAL REFORMS, PERHAPS SOME ECONOMIC REFORMS. IN OTHER WORDS, A KIND OF CARROT-AND-STICK APPROACH IN WHICH MUBARAK TRIES TO HOLD ON TO POWER, THE MILITARY BECOMES THE MEDIATOR OR ARBITRATOR, AND TRIES TO DETERMINE WHETHER THAT WILL PACIFY AND SATISFY THE DEMONSTRATORS.

>> Warner: MARINA OTTAWAY, STILL A VERY INTERESTING POLITICAL SIGNAL FOR THE MILITARY TO COME OUT AND SAY PUBLICLY WE'RE NOT GOING TO FIRE ON PEACEFUL PROTESTORS. WHY WOULD THEY SAY THAT PUBLICLY?

>> BECAUSE, I THINK, THEY'RE TRYING TO CALM THE SITUATION DOWN. I THINK IT WOULD BE... THE CLOUDS ARE HUGE AND EVEN BIGGER CLOUDS ARE EXPECTED TOMORROW. I THINK IT WOULD BE A BLOOD BATH IF THEY DECIDE TO USE FORCE. SO I THINK THAT THEY WERE TRYING TO SEND A SIGNAL TO TRY ALSO TO KEEP THE SITUATION CALM, AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, TO TRY AND ASSURE A PEACEFUL PROTEST.

>> Warner: IAN LESSER, DO YOU THINK WHAT BOTH SECRETARY CLINTON AND WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN GIBBS TODAY WERE CALLING FOR AN ORDERLY TRANSITION. DO YOU THINK THAT IS STILL POSSIBLE? THAT IS POSSIBLE HERE?

>> WELL, I THINK IT IS POSSIBLE. I THINK YOU CAN SEE THE STEPS THE MILITARY HAS TAKEN AND OTHER THINGS ARE BEING DONE, THIS CALL FOR DIALOGUE AND SO ON, TO TRY TO MOVE THIS ALONG IN A WAY WITHOUT COMING TO MASSIVE BLOODSHED. BUT THE RISKS ARE CLEARLY STILL THERE. NOT LEAST BECAUSE THERE ARE POWERFUL FORCES IN THE OPPOSITION IN EGYPT WHO DON'T REALLY SEE EYE TO EYE. DIFFERENT ELEMENTS, YOUNG, MIDDLE CLASS ELEMENTS, ELEMENTS OF THE OLD GUARD, OF THE ELITE WHO ARE JEALOUS OF THEIR PREROGATIVES, ECONOMIC AND OTHERWISE. AT A CERTAIN POINT ALL THE COMPETING INTERESTS IN THE FUTURE OF EGYPT WILL HAVE TO BE RECONCILED.

>> Warner: I WANT TO GET BACK TO RAM BASS DORE KURTZER, BUT FIRST MARINA OTTAWAY, WHO WILL RULE THE COUNTRY DURING WHATEVER TRANSITION UNFOLDS?

>> THERE HAS TO BE SOME SORT OF A GOVERNMENT OF NATIONAL UNITY. SOME SORT OF TRANSITION OF GOVERNMENT. I THINK IT'S CONCEIVEABLE TO HAVE THE MUBARAK REGIME ESSENTIALLY LEAVING THE COUNTRY TO CREDIBLE ELECTIONS. THERE HAVE TO BE TOO MANY CHANGES TAKING PLACE INCLUDING THE WRITING OF A CONSTITUTION. THERE IS NO WAY IN WHICH THERE WILL BE A COMPETITIVE ELECTION IN SEPTEMBER WHEN THE ELECTIONS ARE SCHEDULED ON THE BASIS OF THE PRESENT CONSTITUTION. BECAUSE ALMOST NOBODY CAN... ALMOST NOBODY CAN RUN EXCEPT IN THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY.

>> Warner: AMBASSADOR KURTZER, THAT PUTS THAT QUESTION SQUARELY, I'M GOING TO PUT IT SQUARELY BEFORE YOU. ONE, YOU DEALT WITH PRESIDENT MUBARAK FOR THREE YEARS AS AMBASSADOR. DO YOU THINK HE WOULD RELINQUISH POWER AND DO YOU THINK THERE IS A SCENARIO IN WHICH HE COULD REMAIN IN POWER DURING THIS, QUOTE, TRANSITION.

>> THERE'S NOTHING IN HIS BACKGROUND TO SUGGEST THAT HE'S GOING TO WALK AWAY FROM THE PRESIDENCY. I WOULD SUGGEST THERE'S NOTHING IN HIS BACKGROUND THAT SUGGESTS THAT HE BELIEVES THAT HE CAN'T PREVAIL. I THINK THE STEPS HE'S TAKEN IN THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS, THE APPOINTMENT OF A VICE PRESIDENT, THE FIRST TIME HE'S DONE THAT IN 30 YEARS OF HIS RULE, THE APPOINTMENT OF A NEW CABINET. THE ANNOUNCEMENT TODAY OF THE NATIONAL DIALOGUE, THE ANNOUNCEMENT WHICH WAS CLEARLY MADE WITH HIS UNDERSTANDING THAT THE ARMY WON'T FIRE ON DEMONSTRATORS SUGGESTS THAT HE'S TRYING TO FIND A PATHWAY IN WHICH HE CAN REMAIN IN POWER BUT SOME OF THE DEMANDS OF THE DEMONSTRATORS GET MET. PEOPLE GO HOME. THEN THERE'S THE PROCESS OF TRANSITION WHICH IS OVERSEEN BY HIM AND THE ARMY WHICH STILL SUPPORTS HIM.

>> Warner: DO YOU SEE THAT SCENARIO UNFOLDING?

>> I THINK I AGREE WITH THE SCENARIO THAT PRESIDENT MUBARAK WOULD LIKE TO PURSUE AND EVERYTHING IN HIS BACKGROUND SUGGESTS WHAT HE'S ABOUT TO DO. I'M NOT... IF YOU FEEL WHAT THE SOCIETY IS DEMANDING THE EGYPT VERY FEW PEOPLE AT THIS POINT I THINK ARE GOING TO BE WILLING TO ACCEPT AN OUTCOME THAT INCLUDES MUBARAK STILL IN POWER AT THE END OF IT.

>> Warner: THE ONE THING THAT SEEMS TO UNIFY ALL THESE PEOPLE, MARINA OTTAWAY, IN THE SQUARE IS THAT MUBARAK HAS TO GO. YOU RAISED THIS EARLIER. I MEAN, IS THERE EVEN ANYONE DO YOU THINK WHO IS RECOGNIZED BY ENOUGH OF THEM TO NEGOTIATE? SOME OF THEM GOT TOGETHER AND SAID MOW HAMMERED EL BARADEI THE FORMER HEAD OF THE ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY. DO YOU THINK THE PEOPLE IN THE STREET ARE GOING TO FOLLOW THAT LEAD?

>> NO, I DON'T THINK IT WILL BE THAT SIMPLE BECAUSE MOHAMMED EL BARADEI GOT THE SUPPORT OF THE IMMEDIATE POLITICAL ORGANIZATION. I THINK THEY WANT A PLACE AT THE TABLE WHEN THE NEGOTIATIONS TAKE PLACE. ALSO THE POLITICAL PARTIES THAT ARE WILLING TO SUPPORT EL BARADEI DO NOT REPRESENT THE CROWDS IN THE STREETS. THE SECULAR POLITICAL PARTY IN EGYPT DON'T HAVE THE CONSTITUENCY. YES, THEY'LL HAVE TO BE INVOLVED. IN THE END THEY'LL BE THE ONES WHO ARE GOING TO TALK. IT'S NOT THE 20-YEAR-OLDS WHO ORGANIZED THE DEMONSTRATIONS. BUT THEY HAVE TO TRY AND SPEAK FOR MORE THAN THE OLD POLITICAL PARTIES. THAT WILL BE REALLY THE PROBLEM.

>> Warner: BACK TO YOU, IAN LESSER, DO YOU THINK THE PROSPECTS ARE FOR THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD? AT WHAT POINT DO YOU THINK THEY'RE GOING TO WANT TO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT ROLE HERE?

>> I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO WANT TO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT ROLE VERY SOON. BUT OF COURSE THEY'RE GOING TO WANT TO SEE WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS OVER THE NEXT WEEKS AND MONTHS. THEY'RE GOING TO WANT A ROLE. THEY DO FEEL THAT THEY REPRESENT THE STRONGEST BASE OF OPPOSITION IN THE COUNTRY. IN MANY WAYS THAT'S PROBABLY TRUE. YOU CAN SEE THIS IN TUNISIA WHERE, YOU KNOW, WITHIN A FEW WEEKS OF... LIVING IN EXILE FOR MANY YEARS CAME BACK TO A RAPTUREOUS RECEPTION IN TUNIS TODAY. THESE ARE POWERFUL FORCES THAT SOMEHOW ARE GOING TO HAVE TO GET REPRESENTED AS THIS IS RESOLVED.

>> Warner: AMBASSADOR KURTZER, ANOTHER TIDBIT THAT CAME OUT TODAY IS THAT ONE OF YOUR PREDECESSOR, FRANK WIZNER WHO WAS U.S. AMBASSADOR IN THE EARLY '90s IS NOW ON THE GROUND IN CAIRO TO SPEAK WITH THE MEMBERS OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE BY THE STATE DEPARTMENT. HE'S CLEARLY THERE ON SOME KIND OF SEMI-OFFICIAL MISSION. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS GOING ON THERE?

>> WELL, YOU KNOW, THE ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN COMMUNICATING WITH THE MUBARAK GOVERNMENT WITH THE EGYPTIAN PEOPLE LARGELY THROUGH PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS UNTIL NOW. PRESIDENTIAL STATEMENTS, ROBERT GIZ' ANNOUNCEMENT, SECRETARY OF STATE ACTIVITIES. I THINK THE ADMINISTRATION HAS NOW CHOSEN A VERY WELL RESPECTED FORMER AMBASSADOR, ONE WHO HAD A VERY GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH MUBARAK BUT ALSO HAD A VERY GOOD FEEL OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN EGYPTIAN SOCIETY TO TRY TO GET A REAL ON THE GROUND PULSE TAKING OF WHAT'S HAPPENING. THE ABILITY THAT FRANK WIZNER HAS TO TALK TO EVERYBODY IN THIS SOCIETY FROM PRESIDENT ON DOWN I THINK IS UNMATCHED. SO THIS IS A, I THINK, A WISE MOVE ON THE PART OF THE ADMINISTRATION WHICH HAS DONE A PRETTY GOOD JOB UNTIL NOW OF TRYING TO NAVIGATE THIS VERY CHALLENGING COURSE OF MAINTAINING OUR FEALTY TO OUR PRINCIPLES AND OUR VALUES WHILE ALSO NOT ABANDONING A FRIEND AND AN ALLY WHO HAS DONE A GREAT DEAL TO SUPPORT U.S. INTERESTS.

>> Warner: QUICK FINAL WORD. DO YOU AGREE THAT THE ADMINISTRATION... I CAN'T REMEMBER THE EXACT PHRASE HERE.

>> I THINK THE ADMINISTRATION TRIED TO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE. YOU HAVE THE PROTESTORS WHO ARE AT LOGGER HEADS WITH THE GOVERNMENT. THE ADMINISTRATION TRIED TO BE ON THE SIDE OF BOTH AT THE SAME TIME. THEY HAVE THE STATEMENT MADE BY HILLARY CLINTON THAT WE ARE ON THE SIDE OF THE DEMONSTRATION BUT ALSO MUBARAK IS A STRATEGIC ALLY. YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE AT SOME POINT.

>> Warner: WE HAVE TO LEAVE IT THERE. MARINA OTTAWAY, IAN LESSER AND AMBASSADOR DANIEL KURTZER, THANK YOU ALL.

>> Brown: NOW, ANOTHER KEY PLAYER IN EGYPT AND BEYOND: THE INTERNET AND OTHER KINDS OF COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY. RAY SUAREZ HAS OUR LOOK.

>> Suarez: FROM THE BEGINNING, TECHNOLOGY HAS BEEN A CRUCIAL PART OF THE UPRISING. PROTESTERS SIGNALED THEIR INTENTIONS AND PLANS ON SOCIAL MEDIA LIKE FACEBOOK AND TWITTER THAT HELPED ORGANIZE MASS DEMONSTRATIONS. BUT THE GOVERNMENT HAS TRIED TO CHOKE OFF ACCESS, BY BLOCKING CELL PHONES AND SHUTTING DOWN THE INTERNET. WE TALK TO TWO PEOPLE WATCHING THIS CLOSELY. MOHAMMED EL-NAWAWY STUDIES ARAB MEDIA AT QUEENS UNIVERSITY OF CHARLOTTE. HE IS THE AUTHOR OF SEVERAL BOOKS ON THE SUBJECT, INCLUDING "ISLAM.COM." AND DAVID KEYES IS THE DIRECTOR OF CYBERDISSIDENTS.ORG, WHICH ADVOCATES FOR DISSIDENT WRITINGS AND BLOGS ON THE WEB.

>> Suarez: FROM THE BEGINNING. MOHAMMED EL-NAWAWY, DID PERSONAL COMPUTERS AND SMART PHONES ACCELERATE THE CURRENT UNREST IN EGYPT?

>> I THINK THEY DID TO SOME EXTENT. THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT THEY DID INSTIGATE CHANGE. THEY ENCOURAGED YOUNG PEOPLE IN THEIR 20s AND 30s TO GO OUT ON THE STREETS. BUT I ALWAYS SAY THAT SOCIAL MEDIA DO NOT TOPPLE GOVERNMENTS. PEOPLE HAVE TO DO THAT. THAT'S WHAT WE ARE SEEING TODAY. THOSE PEOPLE WHO WERE INSTIGATED BY THEIR FELLOW BLOGGERS, MANY OF THEM ARE FED UP AND SICK AND TIRED OF THE CORRUPTION AND THE EMERGENCY LAW THAT HAS BEEN IN EFFECT FOR 30 YEARS. THEY WANT TO SEE CHANGE. THEY STARTED THE MESS AND ON THEIR BLOGS FROM FACEBOOK. NOW THE PEOPLE ARE TAKING IT TO THE STREETS. FROM THE VIRTUAL WORLD TO THE REAL WORLD.

>> Suarez: DAVID, DO THESE TECHNOLOGIES CREATE A MOMENTUM OF THEIR OWN OR ARE THEY JUST A NEW SET OF TOOLS TO DO THE SAME THING THAT OPPOSITIONS AND STREET MOVEMENTS HAVE DONE, WELL, SINCE THERE HAVE BEEN OPPOSITIONS AND STREET MOVEMENTS? THERE WAS NO TWITTER AT TEEN MEN. NOBODY SENDING PICTURES OF TANKS FROM THEIR SMARTS BUT STILL THE WORK GOT DONE.

>> I THINK MOHAMMED IS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. TWITTER, FACEBOOK, SOCIAL MEDIA, CAN BE A CATALYST. IT CAN HELP. I DON'T THINK THAT IT CAN CREATE REVOLUTIONS. WE'VE SEEN MASS MOVEMENTS WITHOUT SOCIAL MEDIA BEFORE. THAT SAID IT'S A UNIQUE TOOL IN THE HANDS OF DEMOCRATIC DISSIDENTS. IT ALLOWS THEM THE ABILITY TO REACH UNPRECEDENTED AUDIENCES IN THE WEST. SOVIET DISSIDENTS ONCE UPON A TIME HAD TO RELY ON UNDERGROUND LITERATURE PASSED FROM HAND TO HAPPENED THAT WAS PHOTOCOPIED. EVEN THEY COULD GALVANIZE A LOT OF SUPPORT IN THE WEST. WHAT SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE INTERNET ALLOWS DISSIDENTS TO DO IS TO SPEAK AMONG THEMSELVES AND TO SPEAK TO WESTERN AUDIENCES WITH UNPRECEDENTED REACH. I THINK IT HAS A LOT OF POTENTIAL TO GALVANIZE PEOPLE ON THE GROUND TO GIVE THEM THE FEELING THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE ABROAD WHO ARE WATCHING THEM. THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT FEELING FOR DISSIDENTS.

>> Suarez: DAVID, EMBEDDED IN THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY, IS THERE ALSO A RISK THAT YOU CAN BE TRACKED, INFILTRATED, SPYED UPON WITH THE MASTERY OF THE VERY TOOLS YOU'RE TRYING TO USE TO CREATE THE SENSE BY THE PEOPLE WHO RUN THINGS?

>> ABSOLUTELY. EVERY SINGLE AUTOCRATIC REGIME IN THE MIDDLE EAST IS STRUGGLING MIGHTLY TO STOP THE FLOW OF INFORMATION TO ARREST BLOGGERS, TO CENSOR WEBSITES. IT VARIES FROM COUNTRY COULD COUNTRY... TO COUNTRY, OF COURSE. IRAN SET UP SPECIAL POLICE UNITS THAT WERE USED TO TRACK AND INFILTRATE THESE ON-LINE SYSTEMS. DISSIDENTS AND PEOPLE ON THE GROUND KNOW THIS. IT'S A RISK THAT THEY RUN. THAT SAID I WOULD CHOOSE THE PEOPLE OVER THE REGIME BECAUSE FOR EVERY WEBSITE THAT CAN BE BLOCKED, PEOPLE COME UP WITH WAYS TO CIRCUMVENT THEM. PEOPLE ARE EXTREMELY RESILIENT, AND INFORMATION IS AN EXTRAORDINARILY DIFFICULT THING TO STOP. SO, OF COURSE, THERE ARE DRAWBACKS TO UTILIZING THE INTERNET. BUT THERE ARE IMMENSE ADVANTAGES AS WELL.

>> Suarez: MOHAMMED, HAVE WE SEEN CASES OF THAT IN EGYPT IN THESE LATEST DEMONSTRATIONS?

>> YES. AS A FOLLOW-UP TO WHAT DAVID SAID I THINK WITHOUT POLITICAL SUPPRESSION WE WOULDN'T HAVE SEEN MANY OF THE POLITICAL BLOGGERS. THE ONES I TALKED TO AT LEAST SAID IT'S THE SUPPRESSION THAT HAS CAUSED THEM TO BLOG AND TO VOICE THEIR OPINIONS ONLINE. NOW THAT THE GOVERNMENT, THE EGYPTIAN GOVERNMENT HAS DECIDED TO CUT OFF THE INTERNET OPENLY AND A TOTAL BLACKOUT, I THINK THAT HAS LEFT THOSE BLOGGERS AND POLITICAL ACTIVISTS WITH ONLY ONE OPTION WHICH IS ACTUALLY GOING OUT ON THE STREETS. SO I THINK IT'S BACKFIRING AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT RIGHT NOW.

>> Suarez: BUT ONCE STREET ACTION GETS WELL ENTRENCHED AND BACKED BY THE SOCIAL MEDIA, IS THERE A POINT AT WHICH IT'S TOO LATE? THE LAST INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDER IN EGYPT WAS SHUT DOWN THIS AFTERNOON. ACCORDING TO REPORTS COMING OUT OF EGYPT. BUT HAVE THINGS TAKEN ON A LIFE OF THEIR OWN BY THAT TIME?

>> ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. IT'S TOO LATE NOW FOR ANY SUCH MEASURE. IT'S NO LONGER FACEBOOK THAT WILL PLAY A ROLE. I THINK IT'S THE PEOPLE'S BOOK RIGHT NOW. THE PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO VOICE THEIR OPINIONS TO THE WHOLE WORLD. THEY ARE NOT LEAVING THIS ON THE MAYBE STREETS AND SQUARES UNTIL THEY SEE REAL CHANGE. THE FACT THAT THE INTERNET IS DOWN RIGHT NOW DOESN'T REALLY MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN THE CASE OF EGYPT.

>> Suarez: DAVID, IS NEW TECHNOLOGY LEAKY? CAN YOU REALLY SHUT OFF A COUNTRY NOW IN 2011?

>> IT'S NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO DO THAT. YOU CAN DO IT FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME BUT I HOPE THAT THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY REALLY FORCES THE EGYPTIAN REGIME TO TURN THE INTERNET BACK ON, AS IT WERE. NORTH KOREA LIMITS INTERNET ACCESS ALMOST COMPLETELY. THERE'S A HANDFUL OF STATES IN THE WORLD THAT CAN DO THAT. AS I SAID PREVIOUSLY IT'S EXCEEDINGLY DIFFICULT TO STOP THE FLOW OF INFORMATION. WHAT THE INTERNET ALLOWS DISSIDENTS TO DO IS TO GET THEIR MESSAGE OUT. THERE ARE A MILLION WAYS AROUND CENSORSHIP. WE SHOULD BE ON THE SIDE OF HELPING THOSE WHO ARE TRYING TO SIR DUMB VENT THEIR GOVERNMENT'S SOCIAL MEDIA AND WEBSITES.

>> Suarez: I KNOW YOU'VE DONE SPECIAL RESEARCH INTO THE AL JAZEERA EFFECT IN THE ARAB WORLD. THESE ARE IMAGES THAT CAN BE PLUCKED OUT OF THE AIR IF YOU HAVE THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT. CERTAINLY THE REGIME HAS TRIED TO SHUT DOWN AL JAZEERA. HAVE THEY BEEN SUCCESSFUL? AND WHAT HAS HAVING THIS SERVICE BOTH ONLINE AND ON SATELLITE MEANT FOR PLACES LIKE EGYPT?

>> THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN SOME TENSION BETWEEN THE EGYPT SHUN GOVERNMENT AND AL JAZEERA. IT HAS BEEN VERY AGGRESSIVE IN COVERING UNREST IN EGYPT AND ESPECIALLY WITH THIS CRISIS. THAT AL JAZEERA HAS REALLY FOCUSED ON THE PEOPLE'S VOICES AND IN A WAY THAT HAS MADE THE EGYPTIAN GOVERNMENT SO FURIOUS THEY DECIDED YESTERDAY ON CLOSE DOWN AL JAZEERA BUREAU AND TO CONFISCATE LICENSES FROM ITS REPORTERS ON THE GROUND. DESPITE THAT, OF COURSE, AL JAZEERA IS FINDING ITS WAY TO COVER THE INCIDENTS AND TALK TO ITS OWN SOURCES ON THE GROUND. SO THE PEOPLE, SOME PEOPLE NOW SAY THEY CANNOT GET AL JAZEERA ON THEIR SATELLITES THROUGH THE PROVIDER. BUT THEY HAVE BEEN FINDING OTHER WAYS LIKE GETTING SIGNALS FROM OTHER PLACES. AS A FOLLOW-UP TO WHAT DAVID SAID EARLIER, I THINK THE GOVERNMENT IS TRYING BUT THE PEOPLE ARE HAVING THEIR OWN WAYS OF GETTING THE SIGNAL.

>> Suarez: DAVID, IS THERE A RISK IN EXAGGERATING THE EFFECT OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY HERE, THAT REALLY IT'S JUST IN MANY CASES ANALOGS TO OLDER FORMS OF RESISTANCE? IT JUST HAPPENS TO BE WITH THESE NEW TOOLS. REALLY YOU DON'T CREATE OR SUSTAIN THESE KINDS OF MOVEMENTS WITH THESE NEW TECHNOLOGIES.

>> THERE'S DEFINITELY A RISK THAT ACTIVISTS REMAIN BEHIND THE SCREEN AND DON'T GET OUT INTO THE STREETS. I'VE HEARD A LOT OF EGYPTIANS TELL ME THAT. A LOT OF BLOGGERS SAY THEY FEEL THAT THE UBIQUITOUS NATURE OF THE INTERNET AND THE HE'S AND THE FACILITY WITH ONE CAN BECOME A DISSIDENT MAY HAVE A LONG-TERM DETRIMENTAL EFFECT ON THE POWER OF OPPOSITION TO AUTOCRATIC REGIMES BUT AT THE SAME TIME I THINK THERE'S AN UNMISTAKABLE EFFECT THAT THE INTERNET HAS HAD ON DISSIDENT COMMUNITIES, THAT IT HAS EMBOLDENED THEM. I RECALL WHEN I WAS IN THE ISLAMIST SECTION OF CAIRO A FRIEND OF MINE THAT I STARTED TO TALK POLITICS WITH SILENCED AND SAID IN ARABIC THE WALLS HAVE EARS. THERE WAS A SENSE OF FEAR IN DAILY LIFE IN EGYPT. WHAT I BELIEVE THE INTERNET HAS GIVEN TO DISSIDENTS IS THE FEELING THAT THERE ARE THOSE IN THE WEST WHO CARE ABOUT THEM AND THE ABILITY TO TALK WITH OTHER PEOPLE. SO IT'S A VERY EMPOWERING FEELING THAT NOTHING CAN TAKE AWAY. IT IS SIMILAR IN SOME WAYS TO OTHER FORMS, FAXES AND TELEPHONES, ET CETERA, BUT THIS HAS GIVEN DISSIDENTS UNPRECEDENTED POWER, I BELIEVE.

>> Warner: MOHAMMED, THE UBIQUITY OF CELL PHONES, THE CHEAPNESS OF CELL PHONES IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD, HAS IT MADE EVERYONE PART OF THIS REVOLUTION, IN EFFECT TAKING IT OUT OF THE HANDS OF THE INTELLIGENCEIA OUT OF THE ANDZ OF THE UNIVERSITY EDUCATED, OUT OF THE HANDS OF THE WEALTHY?

>> I WOULD BE CAUTIOUS ABOUT THAT. I THINK THE CELL PHONES PARTICULARLY IN EGYPT HAVE BEEN SO UBIQUITOUS BUT THE QUESTION IS WHETHER USING THE CELL PHONE FOR? YOU KNOW, THE INTERNET PENETRATION IN A COUNTRY LIKE EGYPT DOES NOT EXCEED MAYBE 15 TO 18%. SO AT THE END OF THE DAY IT'S A SMALL GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO ARE ACCESSING THESE BLOGS. BUT THE ISSUE HERE IS THE RIPPLE EFFECT. THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ACTUALLY BLOGGING, THE MESSAGE HAS STARTED TO GET ACROSS TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE... WHO DON'T HAVE ACCESS COMPUTERS, WHO DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET. THAT'S WHAT WE ARE SEEING TODAY TO A LARGE EXTENT.

>> Suarez: MOHAMMED EL-NAWAWY, DAVID KEYES, THANK YOU BOTH.

>> THANK YOU.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Warner: NEXT, THE FUTURE OF THE ELECTRIC CAR AND A CRUCIAL QUESTION: IF YOU BUILD A BETTER BATTERY, WILL DRIVERS FOLLOW? THE NEWSHOUR'S ECONOMICS CORRESPONDENT, PAUL SOLMAN, EXAMINES THAT QUESTION IN THE SECOND OF TWO STORIES ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY. IT'S ALL PART OF HIS CONTINUING REPORTING ON MAKING SENSE OF FINANCIAL NEWS.

>> SO I'M GOING TO BRING THIS ON OVER HERE.

>> Reporter: G.M. ENGINEER NINA. DO YOU DO ANY MAGIC SHOWS IN HERE? AT LONG LAST PERHAPS AN ILLUSION BECOMES REALITY. AFTER MORE THAN A CENTURY OF FALSE STARTS, THE ELECTRIC CAR MAY FINALLY BE HERE TO STAY. THIS CHEFY VOLT, WHOSE BATTERY LASTS 35 MILES AFTER WHICH A GASOLINE ENGINE KICKS IN. IT'S BEEN RACKING UP CAR OF THE YEAR AWARDS IN THE UNITED STATES. THE ALL ELECTRIC NISSAN LEAF JUST NAMED CAR OF THE YEAR IN EUROPE IS ABOUT TO HIT THE SHOW ROOMS. TOYOTA AND HONDA HAVE PLUG-INS ON TAP. FORD HAS A BEVY OF ELECTRIFIED VEHICLES READY TO ROLL WHICH IT SHOWED OFF AT A RECENT AUTO SHOW IN DETROIT. SO WILL ELECTRICS AGAIN COMPETE? AS THEY DID AT THE DAWN OF THE AUTOMOBILE ERA, WHEN THEY OUTNUMBERED GASOLINE-POWERED CARS. OR WILL THE KEY COMPONENT OF ELECTRICS, THE BATTERY, REMAIN DISCOURAGINGLY EXPENSIVE? WILL GASOLINE PROVE TOO TOUGH A RIVAL, THAT IS, AS IT HAS SINCE THE ADD VENT OF CHEAP TEXAS OIL MORE THAN A CENTURY AGO?

>> WHAT SHOWED UP IN THAT SAME TIME FRAME WAS THE COMBUSTION ENGINE. IT HAD LONGER RANGE, HIGHER ENERGY, AND THAT REALLY STARTED TO DOMINATE FOR THE NEXT 110 YEARS.

>> Reporter: SO IT JUST TURNED OUT THAT GASOLINE WAS SO INEXPENSIVE BECAUSE IT DIDN'T TAKE MUCH TO REFINE IT, AND THAT COULD PROPEL A CAR JUST MORE CHEAPLY THAN EITHER ELECTRICITY OR STEAM?

>> ABSOLUTELY. THE ENERGY DENSITY IN A GALLON OF FUEL IS SOMETHING THAT IS ALMOST 10, 15 TIMES MORE POWERFUL THAN WHAT YOU CAN STORE IN A BATTERY.

>> Reporter: SO THE QUESTION TODAY IS THE SAME AS IN 1908. WHEN THE GASOLINE-POWERED MODEL-T FORD STORMED THE MARKET. CAN A BATTERY-POWERED ELECTRIC, HOWEVER MUCH CLEANER AND QUIETER, COMPETE IN PRICE AND RANGE? G.M. AND OTHERS ARE BETTING THAT THE BETTER BATTERY, DISCOURAGED FOR A CENTURY BY CHEAP OIL AND CARBON COMPLACENCY, WILL FINALLY EVOLVE. NOW THAT OIL'S PRICE AND EARTH'S TEMPERATURE ARE BOTH SO NOTICEABLY ALOFT.

>> THIS IS FROM THE ED-ONE WHERE WE STARTED 15 YEARS AGO. YOU CAN SEE THE SIZE, THE WIDTH OF THIS BATTERY PACK. LOOK AT THE CHEVROLET VOLT. THE SAME AMOUNT OF ENERGY NOW IN A UNIT THIS SIZE. IT TALKS ABOUT THE EVOLUTION OF THE TECHNOLOGY GOING FROM THERE TO HERE.

>> Reporter: THERE WAS THE MID 1990s AND THE EV-1 ELECTRIC. I DROVE A PROTOTYPE FOR A NEWSHOUR STORY BACK IN 1993. BUT THIS IS JUST A LITTLE CAR. IT DOESN'T MOVE.

>> IT WILL.

>> Reporter: WAIT A SECOND. MY GOODNESS. I HAVE TO ADMIT I DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD TAKE 20 YEARS BEFORE I WAS BACK RIDING OR LOOKING AT AN ELECTRIC CAR.

>> YOU KNOW, WE HAD IT OUT THERE FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS. WE REALIZED FROM A COST POINT OF VIEW AND A TECHNOLOGY POINT OF VIEW IT REALLY WASN'T READY FOR THE MARKETPLACE.

>> Reporter: THAT'S ONE EXPLANATION. HOWEVER A POPULAR DOCUMENTARY OF A FEW YEARS AGO, WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR? TOOK A SOMEWHAT DIMMER VIEW.

>> ON MARCH 15, 2005, THE LAST. HE EV-1s WERE TAKEN AWAY AND DESTROYED.

>> Reporter: THE FILM MAKER CHARGED THAT THE EV-1 LECH IG DIDN'T DIE A NATURAL DEATH. IT WAS MURDERED ORIENT EXPRESS STYLE BY A COMBINATION OF CULPRITS EACH TAKING A STAB. THE OIL INDUSTRY FOR OBVIOUS REASONS. THE AUTO INDUSTRY.

>> THEY MAKE TOO MUCH MONEY WITH THEIR TECHNOLOGICAL STAGNATION IN THE INTERNAL COMBUSTION HE GIN.

>> Reporter: THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT EVEN A HAND IN IT.

>> IT GAVE ENORMOUS INCENTIVES TO BUY S.U.V.s, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ALSO SUED CALIFORNIA TO STOP THE ELECTRIC CAR.

>> Reporter: AND OF COURSE THE REST OF US. SPOILED AMERICAN CONSUMERS.

>> LIKE I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE BIG ENOUGH. IF THEY'RE GOING TO BE STRONG AND BIG AND DEPENDABLE.

>> I HAVE TO KNOW WHERE I CAN GO TO LIKE RECHARGE IT. WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO FOR THE BATTERIES.

>> Reporter: FEEL FUNNY ABOUT THE FACT THAT THERE'S THIS MOVIE OUT THERE THAT SUGGEST OR SHOWING THAT THAT GENERAL MOTORS KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR.

>> I DON'T KNOW IF I FEEL FUNNY ABOUT WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR.

>> Reporter: TERRY QUIGLEY WANTS THE CHEVY VOLT PLANT NORTH OF DETROIT.

>> THEY HAVE TO COME. WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SELL THE CARS.

>> Reporter: YOU'VE ALSO GOT TO HAVE PLUG-IN STATIONS NATIONWIDE, CONSUMER CONFIDENCE, MAYBE GOVERNMENT INCENTIVES WHICH WE HAVE AT THE MOMENT. TOUGH FUEL ECONOMY STANDARDS? A CARBON TAX? AGAIN, THE KEY IS A COST COMPETITIVE BATTERY. THE VOLT'S BATTERY STILL COSTS SOME $8,000 ACCORDING TO G.M. INSIDERS.

>> REMEMBER, WITH ANY NEW TECHNOLOGY, THE PRICE IS ALWAYS HIGH. WHAT WAS THE SIZE OF THE FIRST CELL PHONE YOU SAW? WHAT WAS THE SIZE OF THE CALCULATOR. HOW MUCH DID IT COST YOU?

>> Reporter: BUT THE BATTERY HASN'T MADE THAT KIND OF PROGRESS. SOME PEOPLE SAY THAT THE BATTERY IS BASICALLY CAME DOWN TO A POINT WITH REGARD TO ITS COST N AND ITS EFFICIENCY AND IT'S LEVELED OFF FOR DECADES. THERE REALLY ISN'T MUCH MORE YOU CAN GET OUT OF A BATTERY THAN, SAY, 5 MILES BEFORE YOU HAVE TO RECHARGE.

>> WELL, THEY'RE WORKING ON IT WHEN IT FLATTENED. WAS THERE A NEED, A DEMAND? I WILL TELL YOU NO NOW THAT THERE'S A DEMAND AND ALL KINDS OF UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES THAT THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY PRESENTS REALLY SMART PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE WORKING ON THAT.

>> Reporter: INDEED THE VOLT IS BASED ON A THIRD GENERATION OF BATTERY TECHNOLOGY. LITHIUM EYE ONCELL.

>> INSIDE THE VOLT THERE'S 288 OF THESE STACKED TOGETHER, TIED TOGETHER ELECTRONICS, AND WIRED TOGETHER SO THAT WE CAN MONITOR THEM.

>> Reporter: THAT'S 15 YEARS AGO. THIS IS TEN YEARS AGO. THIS IS NOW. TEN YEARS FROM NOW OR SEVEN YEARS FROM NOW, WHAT WILL IT LOOK LIKE?

>> THAT'S A REAL DEBATE. WILL YOU GO SMALLER FOR THE SAME AMOUNT OF ENERGY? OR DO YOU GO THE SAME SIZE WITH TWICE THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY?

>> Reporter: OR DO YOU MAKE NO REAL PROGRESS AT ALL? NOT TO WORRY, SAYS MICKEY.

>> SOLID STATE BATTERY S IS WHAT WE SEE AS THE NEXT MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH WITH MAYBE 2-X THE ENERGY DENSITY IN A CELL.

>> Reporter: 2-X IS TWO TIMES SO THEN WE WOULD BE TWICE OR EFFICIENT OR THE BATTERY COULD BE HALF THE SIZE.

>> HALF THE SIZE WITH TWICE THE RANGE. TODAY WE'RE 25 TO 50 MILES ON A CHARGE. YOU COULD DOUBLE THAT BETWEEN 50 AND MAYBE EVEN 100 MILES.

>> Reporter: BEFORE TOO LONG, EVEN HYDROGEN-POWERED BATTERY CARS MAY BECOME A REALITY. LIKE THE ONE I DROVE ON THE NEWSHOUR JUST FIVE YEARS AGO. BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, AT THE ANNUAL DETROIT AUTO SHOW WHILE BATTERIES ARE BECOMING MORE EFFICIENT, SO TOO ARE GASOLINE ENGINES.

>> WE'VE IMPROVED THE FUEL ECONOMY 30% OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS. SO THE E.V.s ARE COMPETING WITH A MOVING TARGET, IF YOU WILL.

>> Reporter: BUT COMPETING THEY SEEM TO BE. THE RANGE OF THE ELECTRIC CAR EXTENDING. DAY BY DAY BIT BY BIT.

>> ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS WE DID TO REDUCE DRAG WAS TO....

>> Reporter: THIS IS THE WIND TUNNEL IN WARREN, MICHIGAN.

>> THAT SMOKE IS GOING OVER THAT GRILL.

>> Reporter: NORMALLY IT WOULD HAVE BEEN GOING RIGHT IN THERE PUTTG THE DRAG ON THE CAR.

>> RIGHT.

>> Reporter: HOW MUCH DOES THAT CHANGE IN THE GRILL SAVE YOU?

>> THE CHANGE IN THE GRILL SAVES US A THIRD OF THE MILE OF TOTAL RANGE ON THE BATTERY.

>> Reporter: EVERY AERODYNAMIC TWEAK MATTERS WHEN IT COMES TO GETTING MORE MILES OUT OF A SINGLE BATTERY CHARGE. THE DANGLING RUBBER AIR DAM.

>> AS WE COME AROUND THE CORNER OF THE VEHICLE YOU'LL SEE IT STARTS DEFLECTING THE AIR AROUND THE WHEELS.

>> Reporter: THAT'S COOL. THE SLEEK SIDE MIRROR MOUNT.

>> WE DID A DIFFERENT MOUNT. TO SEPARATE THE MIRROR FURTHER FROM THE SIDE GLASS HELPING TO REDUCE THE DRAG.

>> Reporter: AND FINALLY REDUCING THE SEMI-VACUUM THAT FORMS JUST IN BACK OF THE CAR AND TUCKS ON IT FROM BEHIND.

>> WE HAVE THE 5 MILLIMETRE.

>> Reporter: 5 MILLIMETRE PICK- UP, YOU MEAN THIS LITTLE THING.

>> YEAH, THAT LITTLE THING.

>> Reporter: THAT'S WORTH WHAT.

>> ABOUT A FIFTH OF A MILE OR SO.

>> Reporter: A FIFTH OF A MILE JUST BY....

>> YES.

>> Reporter: A FIFTH OF A MILE HERE. A THIRD THERE, A FULL MILE FROM THE AIR DAM. SHE AND HER TEAM MANAGED TO EXTEND THE RANGE OF THE BATTERY 25%. 28 MILES IN THE PROTOTYPE TO 35 MILES NOW.

>> ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT AERODYNAMICS IS FREE FUEL ECONOMY.

>> Reporter: FREE FUEL ECONOMY FOR ANY KIND OF CAR. IN A DEVELOPING WORLD WHERE GASOLINE AUTOMOBILES ARE PROLIFERATING AS NEVER BEFORE. IF BATTERY TECHNOLOGY CAN CONTINUE TO PROGRESS, PERHAPS THE WORLD CAN HANDLE THE ONSLAUGHT. BUT IN ANY CASE, WE MAY BE ABOUT TO DISCOVER HOW FAR THE ELECTRIC CAR CAN ACTUALLY GO.

>> Brown: FINALLY TONIGHT, THE ART OF WRITING. RECENTLY I DISCUSSED THAT WITH SOMEONE FAMILIAR TO OUR NEWSHOUR AUDIENCE. HERE'S OUR CONVERSATION. WHAT MAKES GOOD WRITING? CAN IT BE TAUGHT? AND BY THE WAY, WHY WRITE IN THE FIRST PLACE? THOSE QUESTIONS ARE ASKED THROUGHOUT A NEW BOOK ENTITLED UNLESS IT MOVES THE HUMAN HEART. THE CRAFT AND ART OF WRITING. IT FOLLOWS A TEACHER AND STUDENTS THROUGH A SEMESTER OF A CLASS CALLED WRITING EVERYTHING. THE TEACHER AND AUTHOR OF THIS BOOK IS ROGER ROSENBLATT, NOVELIST, PLAYWRIGHT, JOURNALIST AND PROFESSOR AT STONYBROOK UNIVERSITY AND FOR MANY YEARS AT THE NEWSHOUR. WELCOME BACK.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Brown: YOU GAZE AT THE FACES OF STUD ONTS THE FIRST DAY OF CLASS. EVEN BEFORE YOU BEGIN, WHAT IS IT YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH? WHAT CAN YOU OR ANYBODY DO?

>> I CAN HELP THEM WRITE BETTER. I CAN'T MAKE THEM INTO PROFESSIONAL WRITERS. I THINK THERE'S THAT UNDERSTANDING. PARTICULARLY WITH ADVANCED STUDENTS, THE ONES I TEACH. BUT I CAN THROUGH A VARIETY OF SMALL PARTS AND THEN MAYBE SOME BIGGER IDEAS TURN THEM INTO BETTER WRITERS THAN THEY ARE AND PERHAPS-- AND THIS IS A KIND OF OTHER MOTIVE-- AN APPRECIATION OF THE WORLD THEY'RE ENTERING WHICH I REGARD AT ANY RATE AS A VERY IMPORTANT WORLD.

>> Brown: THAT'S AS MUCH AS THE ACTUAL MECHANICS OF WRITING.

>> YES. THE THINGS THAT... THE PARTS THAT I CAN LET THEM APPRECIATE OR LEAD THEM TO APPRECIATE ARE VERY EASY, THAT THE NOUN IS IMPORTANT, THAT IT CARRIES ITS OWN POWER. EMERSON CALLED IT THE SPEAKING LANGUAGE OF THINGS. TO FIND THE RIGHT WORD. TWAIN SAID THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE WORD AND THE RIGHT WORD IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE LIGHTNING BUG AND THE LIGHTNING. I TELL THEM WE'RE IN THE LIGHTNING BUSINESS. I TELL THEM ALWAYS TO SAY IF ANY CRITIC SAYS THAT YOU MEANT SOMETHING EVEN IF YOU NEVER INTENDED IT, SAY THAT YOU DID MEAN IT. TAKE CREDIT FOR THAT. AND A VARIETY OF SERIOUS AND LESS SERIOUS THINGS THAT GO INTO THE WEIRD PROFESSION THAT WE'RE ABOUT.

>> Brown: YOU KNOW, YOU CITE IN HERE THE FACT THAT FEWER PEOPLE SEEM TO READ. BOOKSTORES ARE IN TROUBLE. ENGLISH LITERATURE CLASSES ARE CUT BACK AT A LOT OF UNIVERSITIES, BUT WRITING CLASSES HAVE FLOURISHED OVER THE LAST FEW DECADES. WHY IS THAT?

>> I HAVE NO IDEA EXCEPT I MUST SAY THAT I FIND IT VERY TOUCHING, QUITE BEAUTIFUL, THAT THE ONLY REASON FOR THE PURSUIT OF ART FOR THESE STUDENTS IS FOR ART'S SAKE. NOBODY PUBLISHES FICTION ANYMORE. THE ECONOMY HAS TANKED. ALL THE THINGS ARGUE AGAINST IT. YET I LOOK OUT OVER MY STUDENTS AND ALL TEACHERS OF WRITING IN THE COUNTRY LOOK OUT OVER THEIR CLASSES OF STUDENTS AND SEE PEOPLE READY AND EAGER TO GIVE THEMSELVES TO ART FOR NO REAL PURPOSE OTHER THAN ART ITSELF. THAT IS VERY HEARTENING. IT'S VERY IMPRESSIVE.

>> Brown: WHO ARE THEY? YOU SPEND THE FIRST CHAPTER GOING THROUGH THIS. I KNOW WHO THEY ARE. BUT GENERALLY WHO ARE THEY? WHAT ARE THEY SEEKING? YOU'VE BEEN DOING THIS A LONG TIME. DO YOU SEE DIFFERENCE TODAY'S?

>> WHEN I STARTED TO TEACH I STARTED TO TEACH RAT HARVARD AND THEY WERE ALL UNDERGRADUATES THEN. IT WAS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT BECAUSE IT DIDN'T HAVE THE PROFESSIONALISM THAT THE KINDS OF COURSES I'M TEACHING NOW DO HAVE. NOW THEY EITHER COME DIRECTLY FROM COLLEGE OR THEY'RE PEOPLE WHO HAVE WORKED 40 YEARS AND THEN DECIDED I ALWAYS WANTED TO WRITE. I DON'T MEAN TO SUGGEST THAT IT'S A HOBBYIST ACTIVITY AMONG THEM. THEY WOULD HAVE TO ESTABLISH A CERTAIN LEVEL OF PROFICIENCY. BUT THAT LEVEL COMES AT ANY TIME. THIS IS NO CLOCK ATTACHED TO BEING A WRITER. ACTUALLY YOU NEVER LEARN TO BE A WRITER.

>> Brown: NEVER LEARN BUT HERE YOU ARE IN A CLASS TEACHING, RIGHT?

>> IT'S NOT A PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL. IT'S NOT LAW SCHOOL OR MEDICAL SCHOOL. IT'S AN AMATEUR SCHOOL. IT'S A SCHOOL, MEANING AMATEUR IN THE SENSE OF LOVING THE WORD AMATEUR. PEOPLE WHO LOVE THE WORK AND WANT TO PURSUE IT. EVERY WRITER KNOWS THAT WITH EVERY NEW THING IT'S AS IF YOU'RE STARTING ALL OVER AGAIN. I THINK THEY APPRECIATE THAT IN THEIR TEACHERS. WE CERTAINLY APPRECIATE IT IN THEM.

>> Brown: YOUR TEACHING STYLE, YOU KNOW, THE CRITICISM VERSUS PRAISE. EXPLAIN HOW YOU DOLE THAT OUT.

>> I HAVE LEARNED OVER THE YEARS, I THINK I'VE ONLY BECOME A GOOD TEACHER OF WRITING IN THE LAST 15 YEARS BUT I'VE LEARNED OVER THE YEARS THAT PRAISE IS VERY IMPORTANT. A CONSTANT BADGERING OF STUDENTS GETS YOU NOWHERE. IT ONLY MAKES THEM AFRAID. BUT IF YOU ENCOURAGE MORE THAN YOU DISCOURAGE, THEN EVENTUALLY THE WATER RISES. I REMEMBER HAVING TEACHERS WHO DISCOURAGED. THEY WERE VERY EFFECTIVE. BUT IN THE LONG RUN I THINK IT'S BETTER TO FOOL AROUND WITH THEM AND ALSO TO MAKE THEM THINK WHICH IS TRUE THAT WHAT THEY'RE DOING IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AND THAT THEIR LIVES ARE VERY IMPORTANT.

>> Brown: ULTIMATELY IT RAISES THE QUESTION I ASKED IN THE INTRODUCTION HERE. WHY WRITE? YOU'RE A PROFESSIONAL WRITER. YOU MUST HAVE ESTABLISHED WHY YOU WRITE.

>> I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS QUESTION ALONG WITH THE BOOK AND OTHER THINGS. I CAME UP WITH FOUR REASONS. WE WRITE TO MAKE SUFFERING ENDUREABLE, EVEN INTELLIGIBLE, JUSTICE DESIRABLE, AND LOVE POSSIBLE. I CAN ELABORATE ON THOSE THINGS. BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT IS LOVE. THAT AFTER ALL THE SUFFERING, ALL THE INJUSTICE, ALL THE EVIL THAT ONE SEES IN THE WORLD, IF YOU CAN RISE ABOVE IT AND MAKE IT BEAUTIFUL AND THEN LOVABLE, THEN THAT'S WORTH A LOT.

>> Brown: YOU ALSO IN THE FINAL SECTION YOUR ADVICE TO STUDENTS, YOU SAY WHAT THEY WRITE, QUOTE, MUST BE USEFUL TO THE WORLD. I MEAN THAT'S A SORT OF HIGH BAR TO PUT TO PEOPLE.

>> I THINK IT'S THE ONLY STANDARD. AFTER ALL THE PARTS ARE PUT TOGETHER AND I GIVE THEM THAT THEY SHOULD STRIVE FOR ANTICIPATION RATHER THAN SURPRISE, IMAGINATION RATHER THAN INVENTION AND VARIOUS SPECIFIC THINGS AND TO WRITE WITH PRECISION AND RESTRAINT. WHEN ALL THE PARTS ARE IN PLACE, WHY GO YOU DO IT? YOU DO IT TO MAKE THE WORLD BETTER. WHO WOULD NOT WANT TO MAKE THE WORLD BETTER? SO THAT IS THE ULTIMATE DEFINITION OF BEING USEFUL.

>> Brown: IT ALSO OF COURSE RAISES THE QUESTION WHY TEACH? WRITING IS A TERRIBLY LONELY AND SELF-INTERESTED ENTERPRISE. TO BE ABLE TO WALK INTO A CLASS WHERE YOUR ONLY PURPOSE IS TO GIVE YOURSELF TO OTHERS FOR AN HOUR OR TWO EVERY WEEK IS, IN FACT, USEFUL TO US.

>> Brown: THE LAST THING IS AND IT'S ACTUALLY THE VERY FIRST THING IN THE BOOK, WHICH IS YOU'RE WALKING THROUGH A CLASS, RIGHT? AND YOU HAVE THE GIVE-AND-TAKE OF STUDENTS BUT YOU SAY AT THE BEGINNING THAT THIS IS SOMETHING OF A FRAUD. IT DIDN'T QUITE HAPPEN THE WAY YOU'VE WRITTEN IT OUT.

>> YOU MEAN IN THE BOOK?

>> Brown: THE BOOK. THIS IS AN ACT OF CREATIVE WRITING ON YOUR PART.

>> AS I TELL THE STUDENTS THEY COULD NEVER HAVE BEEN AS FUNNY OR AS SMART AS I MADE THEM OUT TO BE AND I WOULD HAVE NEVER REMEMBERED THE SPECIFIC THINGS. THEY ARE A WONDERFUL GROUP OF PEOPLE. AS I SAY IN THE INTRODUCTION THEY ARE AS LOVABLE AND GIFTS AND ANNOYING AS I HAVE DRAWN THEM.

>> Brown: HOW DID THEY TAKE THAT?

>> DO I CARE? THEY SEEMED TO LIKE IT.

>> Brown: ALL RIGHT. BEFORE I LET YOU GO, YOU HAVE OFFERED ANYBODY IN OUR AUDIENCE WHO WANTS TO WRITE IN WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT WRYING, ANY QUESTIONS THEY HAVE ABOUT WRITING, YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE THEM. I'M GOING TO DIRECT PEOPLE TO SEND THEIR QUESTIONS TO ART BEAT, GO TO ART BEAT ONLINE, ROGER WILL GET THEM AND ANSWER.

>> I'LL DO MY BEST, SURE.

>> Brown: "UNLESS IT MOVES THE HUMAN HEART: THE CRAFT AND ART OF WRITING." THANK.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Warner: AGAIN, THE MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS OF THE DAY. THE OPPOSITION IN EGYPT LAID PLANS TO BRING MORE THAN A MILLION PEOPLE INTO THE STREETS TOMORROW, AND THE ARMY SAID IT WILL NOT USE FORCE AGAINST THEM. SULEIMAN SAID PRESIDENT MUBARAK ASKED HIM TO OPEN A DIALOGUE WITH ALL THE POLITICAL FORCES. AND A FEDERAL JUDGE IN FLORIDA DECLARED THE NATIONAL HEALTH CARE REFORM LAW UNCONSTITUTIONAL. SO FAR, TWO JUDGES HAVE RULED AGAINST THE MANDATE TO BUY HEALTH INSURANCE, WHILE TWO HAVE UPHELD IT. AND TO HARI SREENIVASAN, FOR WHAT'S ON THE NEWSHOUR ONLINE. HARI?

>> Sreenivasan: BESIDES ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS, ROGER ROSENBLATT READS AN EXCERPT FROM HIS BOOK. THAT'S ON ART BEAT. ON OUR MAKING SENSE PAGE, PAUL SOLMAN TALKS TO FILMMAKER CHRIS PAINE ABOUT HIS DOCUMENTARY "WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR?" AND HIS NEW FILM, "REVENGE OF THE ELECTRIC CAR." PLUS ON THE POLITICAL CHECKLIST, DAVID CHALIAN AND JUDY WOODRUFF LOOK AT HOW THE EGYPT CRISIS HAS SHIFTED THE AGENDA AT THE WHITE HOUSE THIS WEEK. ALL THAT AND MORE IS ON OUR WEB SITE, newshour.pbs.org. MARGARET?

>> Warner: AND THAT'S THE NEWSHOUR FOR TONIGHT. ON TUESDAY, WE'LL LOOK AT THE CALL FOR ONE MILLION EGYPTIANS TO TAKE TO THE STREETS ONE WEEK AFTER THE START OF THE UPRISING. I'M MARGARET WARNER.

>> Brown: AND I'M JEFFREY BROWN. WE'LL SEE YOU ONLINE, AND AGAIN HERE TOMORROW EVENING. THANK YOU, AND GOOD NIGHT. MAJOR FUNDING FOR THE PBS NEWSHOUR HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY: UP CAN'T MANUFACTURE PRIDE BUT PRIDE BUILDS GREAT CARS. YOU'LL FIND IT IN THE PEOPLE AT TOYOTA ALL ACROSS AMERICA.

>> I MEAN, WHERE WOULD WE BE WITHOUT SMALL BUSINESSES?

>> WE NEED SMALL BUSINESSES.

>> THEY'RE THE ONES THAT HELP DRIVE GROWTH.

>> LIKE ELECTRICIANS, MECHANICS, CARPENTERS.

>> THEY STRENGTHEN OUR COMMUNITIES.

>> EVERY YEAR, CHEVRON SPENDS BILLIONS WITH SMALL BUSINESSES. THAT GOES RIGHT TO THE HEART OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES, PROVIDING JOBS, KEEPING PEOPLE AT WORK. THEY DEPEND ON US.

>> THE ECONOMY DEPENDS ON THEM.

>> AND WE DEPEND ON THEM.

>> AND BY BNSF RAILWAY. AND BY THE ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION. SUPPORTING SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND IMPROVED ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE AND FINANCIAL LITERACY IN THE 21st CENTURY. AND WITH THE ONGOING SUPPORT OF THESE INSTITUTIONS AND FOUNDATIONS. AND... THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING. AND BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATION FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU. THANK YOU. Captioning sponsored by MacNEIL/LEHRER PRODUCTIONS Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org