National Security Team Briefs Obama On Egypt [VIDEO]

White House officials say President Barack Obama's national security team is briefing the president on the upheaval in Egypt and their conversations by phone with leaders in the region.

In a statement issued Thursday, White House officials say calls have been made to officials in Egypt and elsewhere to convey the importance of a quick and responsible return of full authority to a democratically elected civilian government.

The statement says U.S. officials are also pushing for a transparent political process without violence in Egypt and urging the new government to avoid any arbitrary arrests of ousted President Mohammed Morsi or his supporters.

Calls were made to officials in Egypt, Israel, Qatar, Turkey and Norway. Obama was briefed in the White House Situation Room.

Interim president pays tribute to protesters

CAIRO (AP) — It's the first step toward setting up a new leadership in Egypt.

The country's interim president was sworn in today before his fellow judges at the country's Supreme Constitutional Court.

Adly Mansour said afterward that the protests that helped bring about the ouster of President Mohammed Morsi were "an expression of the nation's conscience."

Mansour says he looks forward to elections with what he calls "the genuine and authentic will of the people."

In his comments, there was no sign of outreach to Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood -- which is now the target of a military crackdown. The group's leader has been arrested -- a move that previous Egyptian governments didn't dare to make.

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