WNYC® Radio's Brian Lehrer Show Launches "30 Issues in 30 Days"

A Pre-election Guide to the Candidates' Positions on the Issues At Stake: The Ones We Hear About and the Ones We Don't The Patriot Act, Saudi Arabia, Paying for College, Medical Malpractice, US /Mexico Relations, Environmentalism, Global AIDS Crisis

With the election season coming to a full boil fast, much of the media is focused on taking the daily temperature of public sentiment, checking poll after poll and monitoring the effects of the attacks by each side.

But the obsession on the horse race leaves a lot of the real issues at stake in this election unexamined. You may know where you, and the candidates, stand on the "big" issues of the economy, the war in Iraq and gay marriage, but what's going on with Pakistan and North Korea? We've heard a lot about the war on terrorism, but what's the latest with the energy independence? What's involved with medical malpractice and affordable housing, and how do these issues affect you (whether you think they do or not)?

Beginning on Monday, September 20, WNYC New York Public Radio® host Brian Lehrer will kick off his pre-election special, "30 Issues in 30 Days." The series takes place during WNYC's popular public affairs talk and call-in program The Brian Lehrer Show , which airs weekdays from 10am-noon on WNYC 93.9FM, AM 820 and via live webstream at www.wnyc.org.

Lehrer and his guests will analyze and debate 30 issues of national concern, and how they affect listeners in New York City and the tri-state area. Some segments will be debates, others will be explanatory. Each will describe the positions of Bush and Kerry, the pros and cons of their positions, and the political interests driving either side's agenda. All will tackle the big issues facing our country - the ones that get a lot of play and the ones that don't -- whether they are focal points of either campaign's strategy, or not.

Scheduled segments include:

• Monday, September 20: Paying for Healthcare: Who Foots the Bill?
• Tuesday, September 21: Europe : The End of the Affair?
• Wednesday, September 22: Safety Catch: Do we need the USA Patriot Act?

Additional topics include:

• Medical Malpractice: Are Lawsuits Out of Control, And Who's Paying for Them?
• Paying for College
• Saudi Arabia : Friend or Foe?
• Iran : The Next Iraq ?
• Reforming Social Security
• US relations with Mexico : Have we neglected our neighbor?
• 2004: The year that gays got visible and subverted the culture war
• Pre-emptive war: A necessary evil?
• AIDS: America responds to a global crisis
• Humanitarian Intervention: Haiti, Liberia, Darfur, and beyond

WNYC®, New York Public Radio®, is New York 's premier public radio station, comprising WNYC 93.9 FM and WNYC AM 820. As America's most listened-to public radio stations, reaching more than one million listeners every week, WNYC FM and AM extend New York City's cultural riches to the entire country and air the best national offerings from affiliate networks National Public Radio® and Public Radio International®. WNYC 93.9 FM broadcasts a wide range of daily news, talk, cultural and classical music programming, while WNYC AM 820 maintains a stronger focus on breaking news and international news reporting.