(CNN) - Tens of thousands of people joined the beaten and bandaged in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Friday, Islam's day of prayer, transforming it from a bloody battleground to the scene of a political rally dubbed Day of Departure. But tensions remained high as midday prayers came to a close and Egyptians demanding change geared up for more demonstrations. They chanted: "He leaves, we don't leave" and "The blood of the martyrs will not be forgotten."

Kiran Chetry talks to Mona Eltahawy, Egyptian journalist, who is in close contact with relatives in Cairo via social media. She gives the latest up-to-the minute updates from the ground.

(CNN) - Journalists attempting to cover unrest in Egypt reported being beaten, arrested and harassed by security forces and police Thursday, leading to sharply limited television coverage of the protests. Various news outlets - including the BBC, Al-Arabiya, ABC News, the Washington Post, Fox News, Al Jazeera and CNN - said members of their staffs had been attacked or otherwise targeted. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch also reported that staffers were detained.

Today on American Morning, Kiran Chetry talks with James Rubin, former U.S. Asst. Secretary of State and current executive editor of the The Bloomberg View. Rubin's wife is ABC News' Christiane Amanpour, whose car was attacked while reporting in Egypt.

Rubin says Mubarak's tactics to protest protesters and round up journalists were not successful.  Protesters today show that this "really is the end for Mubarak," Rubin tells Chetry.

Countries across the Middle East are watching the chaotic unrest in the streets of Egypt and recent demonstrations in Tunisia with a close eye.

In Jordan, King Abdullah II sacked his government, named a new prime minister and met privately with leaders of the nation's main Islamist group in response to anti-government protests there. The Islamic Action Front, the political wing of Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood, planned another round of demonstrations Friday. On today’s American Morning, Salameh Nematt, Jordanian political analyst and international writer for the Daily Beast, joins AM’s T.J. Holmes from Amman, Jordan.

Nematt says anti-government protests and how the violence is being handled in Egypt is having a "major influence on public opinion" throughout the Middle East, especially in Jordan, which he calls a "moderating force" for the United States in the Middle East.

Nematt describes why Jordan protesters are taking to the streets and how the king is reacting.

Who are the pro-democracy protesters leading the unrest on the streets of Egypt? While protesters of all ages have all been spotted participating, the youth generation—bonded together by the Internet— is significantly influencing the rising movement in the country.

TIME’s cover story takes a closer look into the pro-democracy protesters. The organizers are young, but maybe not as young as you think. Check out American Morning’s preview of the piece with its author Bobby Ghosh, deputy international editor of TIME.

What other countries in the Middle East and North Africa have rising youth movements? Find out here: http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/02/02/arab.youth.challenges/