From PRI, Public Radio International and KCRW Santa Monica, this is To the Point.

Taking it to the streets, election rallies bring out tens of thousands in Iran.

I'm Sarah Terry sitting in for Warren Alley, and this is to the point from Public Radio International,

a daily look at the issues Americans care about most. In Tehran this week, supporters of a reform

candidate lined up in a 12-mile human chain across the city, while supporters of incumbent

candidate Mahmoud Amad de Nijad have taken to the streets waving his photo.

Text messages, Facebook, and TV debates are all part of the fray.

What will be the deciding factors in Friday's vote?

Will this new spirit of debate continue after the election?

Would a new president take a different tack in dealing with the West?

On reporter's notebook, clues emerge about what went wrong in the crash of Air France Flight 447.

First, the news.

Support for To the Point comes from subscribers of KCRW Santa Monica and from the Public Radio International Program Fund, whose contributors include the Ford Foundation and the John

D. and Catherine T. MacArthur

Foundation. I'm Sarah Terry, sitting in for Warren Only, back with To the Point from PRI. In Iran,

the past three weeks have seen an election campaign that has been surprisingly hard fought. incumbent

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad faces a strong challenge from reformist Mir Hussein Musavi. He's broken

with convention by campaigning with his outspoken wife at his side. Will urban women and youth

tip the scales towards a Musavi win? Or will hardliners and the rural poor help Akh McDinajad win

re-election?

How will the outcome of the election affect politics in the region and relationships with the West?

On reporter's notebook, Air France Flight 447, evidence emerges about what went wrong over the Atlantic more than a week ago.

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