Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Philip Crowley conducted a daily briefing at the State Department, the main focus of which was violence in Egypt.  Mr. Crowley used the word thugs to describe those who attacked anti-government protestors with rocks and homemade fire bombs.

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The House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee held a hearing to discuss the Democrats’ plan to create jobs and work with the private sector to improve the infrastructure of roads, schools and hospitals. Witnesses include Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley (D), Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter (D) and representatives from the AFL-CIO and the Port Authority.

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NASA officials conducted a press briefing from their Washington headquarters to discuss the Kepler mission's latest findings about planets outside our solar system.  The briefing follows the release of Kepler mission science data and updates the number of planet candidates based on observations conducted between May 2, and September 17, 2009.

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White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs condemned the violent clashes in Egypt between pro-government and anti-government forces.  Reporters questioned Mr. Gibbs about the President’s latest remarks, in which he called for an orderly government transition in Egypt to begin immediately.

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With Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announcing he will not seek another term in office, and with Egyptians still protesting his rule in Egyptian cities, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy hosted a discussion on the future of that country.  Speakers include the Institute’s executive director and head of its Arab Politics Program, as well as a former Secretary of State for Near East Affairs.

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EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson testified on Capitol Hill on the agency’s rules to limit a pair of toxic chemicals that have been found in public water supplies. The chemicals chromium-6 and perchlorate have recently been found in drinking water supplies in California and across the country.

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In this week's Prime Minister's Questions, Prime Minister David Cameron and Opposition Leader Ed Miliband talked about the unfolding developments in Egypt including the governments’ reaction to the announcement that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will not run in the coming fall elections.

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The Chilcot Inquiry was set up by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in order to clarify the details of events that led up to the Invasion of Iraq by British forces.  Former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has been asked to testify for a second time after documents from, then Attorney General Lord Goldsmith were declassified.  The documents suggest that Tony Blair was aware of the illegality of any invasion of Iraq and that Jack Straw told Mr Blair that there was an alternative to an invasion.  He has been asked back to clarify details from his and Mr Blair’s previous testimonies.

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• Steven Cook, Council on Foreign Relations, Senior Fellow on Middle Eastern Studies
• Gary Shapiro, Author, “The Comeback: How Innovation Will Restore the American Dream”
• Gretchen Morgenson, New York Times, Assistant Business & Financial Editor

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Ambassador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, Luis CdeBaca spoke to reporters at the State Department about the U.S. Government's new interagency initiatives to combat trafficking in persons and responded to questions.

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