Unrest in Egypt continues as President Morsi refuses to step down

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Podcasts Take Two

Jul 3, 2013

Listen • 15:13

Unrest in Egypt continues as President Morsi refuses to step down

military's ultimatum calling for President Mohamed Morsi to step down expired, but Morsi says he will defend his presidency to the death.

Thousands of Egyptian protesters begin to gather in Tahrir Square as the deadline given by the military to Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi approaches on July 3, 2013 in Cairo, Egypt. The president gave a defiant speech last night and vowed to stay in power despite the military threats. As unrest spreads throughout the country, at least 23 people were killed in Cairo on Tuesday and over 200 others were injured. It has been reported that the military has taken over state television.

military's ultimatum calling for President Mohamed Morsi to step down expired, but Morsi says he will defend his presidency to the death.

We begin today with Egypt, where just an hour ago, the military's ultimatum calling for President Mohamed Morsi to step down expired. Morsi says he will defend his presidency to the death. So far, at least 39 people have died in clashes since Sunday.

For more on what happens next, we're joined by the Director of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, Tamara Wittes.