CNN, the most trusted news source, and YouTube, the leading online video community that allows people to discover, watch and share originally created videos, announced plans on June 18 to bring unprecedented presidential debates to the American public. For the first time in presidential debate history, the live forum will feature video questions submitted to YouTube which will be broadcast and answered by the candidates on CNN. CNN's Anderson Cooper will moderate the two-hour debates and pose follow-up questions.

The Democratic debate, the first Democratic National Committee-sanctioned presidential forum of the 2008 election cycle, will be held at the Citadel in Charleston, SC from 7:00 to 9:00 PM (ET), on Monday, July 23, and will air live on CNN. The Republican presidential forum hosted by CNN and YouTube will take place from 7:00 to 9:00 PM (PT), on Monday, Sept 17, in Florida.

Starting today, YouTube users will be able to submit their questions at www.youtube.com/debates.

CNN will produce the televised events and will select the questions used in the debates. Select YouTube users will be among the live audience.

"YouTube enables voters and candidates to communicate in a way that simply was not possible during the last election," said Chad Hurley, CEO and co-founder of YouTube. "For the first time in the history of presidential debates, voters from around the country will be able to ask the future president of the United States a question in video form and hear the answer."

"These debates take the bold step of embracing the ever-increasing role of the Internet in politics," said Jim Walton, CNN Worldwide president. "The inclusion of the massive online community enables these debates to engage more viewers