How to Fix It with John Avlon

How to Fix It with John Avlon

Politicians, pundits, and the media spend a lot of time talking about the problems our country faces but not enough time on how to solve them. Each week, John Avlon and his guests hash out sensible and attainable solutions for some of the most vexing issues confronting our democracy—solutions that will likely emerge from the political center.

Episodes

S2 Ep43: Trump’s DOJ Revenge Scheme Could Shatter the Country (w. Elie Honig)

September 28, 2025 • 34 mins
John Avlon sits down with CNN’s Elie Honig to unpack Trump’s escalating war on the rule of law. From the flimsy indictment of James Comey to the replacement of seasoned prosecutors with political lackeys, they trace how Trump is dismantling the Justice Department’s independence. Drawing lessons from Watergate to January 6th, they warn of the dangers ahead, and explore what reforms are needed to rebuild guardrails and protect d...
Mark as Played

S2 Ep42: Goldman Calls Out Trump’s FBI Over Epstein Cover-Up (w/ Rep. Dan Goldman)

September 21, 2025 • 34 mins
Rep. Dan Goldman joins John Avlon to rip into the FBI’s Epstein cover-up, Trump’s attacks on free speech, and the GOP’s cowardice on healthcare and democracy.
Mark as Played

S2 Ep41: Can Libertarians & Centrists Save Democracy?

September 14, 2025 • 48 mins
In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, John Avlon and libertarian thinker Nick Gillespie dive into America’s rising tide of political violence, and how reckless rhetoric fuels it. They explore Trump’s authoritarian drift, from tariffs and National Guard deployments to state capitalism that looks more like Xi Jinping than Ronald Reagan. Can new coalitions of centrists and libertarians push back against MAGA’s illiberal tu...
Mark as Played

S2 Ep40: Trump’s Blunders Hand China an Edge (w/ Nicholas Burns)

September 7, 2025 • 37 mins
John Avlon sits down with Ambassador Nicholas Burns, who served as US Ambassador to China from 2021 to 2025. They discuss how Donald Trump’s foreign policy blunders are weakening America and strengthening China. From alienating India with sky-high tariffs, to undermining alliances with Japan and South Korea, to wavering on tech restrictions and Taiwan, Trump’s choices are giving Beijing an edge. They also talk about China’s ma...
Mark as Played

S2 Ep39: Wes Moore: “I Will Bow Down to No One!”

August 31, 2025 • 28 mins
Maryland Governor Wes Moore joins John Avlon to talk about leadership, service, and solutions. From cutting Baltimore’s homicide rate by 40%, to pioneering a statewide service year for young people, to rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge in record time, Moore lays out how states can lead where Washington fails. He also opens up about clashes with Donald Trump, the challenges of navigating federal politics, and what Democra...
Mark as Played

S2 Ep38: Citizens United Almost Broke Democracy. Here’s the Fix.

August 24, 2025 • 41 mins
Jeff Clements joins John Avlon to talk about the For Our Freedom Amendment aims to put power back in the hands of people, not money, by allowing Congress and states to set limits on political spending. History shows that even in America’s most divided times, from the Civil War to the 1960s, bold constitutional amendments have passed, proof that big changes are possible in moments of crisis.

American Promise
https:...
Mark as Played

S2 Ep37: National Service Could Reunite America (w/ Stanley McChrystal)

August 17, 2025 • 40 mins
In this episode of How to Fix It, General Stanley McChrystal joins John Avlon to reflect on the themes of his latest book on character and how personal integrity shapes public leadership. McChrystal argues that character isn’t just about ideals—it’s the product of values and the discipline to live them out. He believes America is suffering a national character erosion, and that rebuilding democratic norms must start from the g...
Mark as Played

S2 Ep36: America’s Losing the AI Race to China (with Matt Pottinger)

August 10, 2025 • 43 mins
John Avlon and long time friend Matt Pottinger reconnect to talk global security, U.S.–China relations, artificial intelligence, and the health of democracy. They reflect on their shared history, Pottinger’s career as a journalist and Marine, and his service in the Trump administration. The discussion explores China’s rising influence, the AI race between nations, how authoritarian regimes exploit democratic weaknesses, and wh...
Mark as Played

S2 Ep35: How to Fight Back Against Gerrymandering (with James Talarico)

August 6, 2025 • 20 mins
John Avlon and Texas state legislator James Talarico focus on solutions for defending democracy against partisan power grabs. Talarico outlines the Texas Democrats’ bold strategy of breaking quorum to block a mid-decade gerrymander, framing it as a model of using every available tool to protect free and fair elections. He stresses that reform must start with banning gerrymandering altogether—whether in red or blue states—to en...
Mark as Played

S2 Ep34: Fight Everywhere or Lose Everything! (w/ David Pepper)

August 3, 2025 • 37 mins
John Avlon talks with David Pepper about how gerrymandering is undermining democracy, Trump’s push for new congressional maps in Texas, and how everyday citizens can fight back by running for local office, registering voters, and holding corrupt officials accountable.
Mark as Played

S2 Ep33: How to Lower Temperatures in Cities for Next to Nothing

July 27, 2025 • 25 mins
John Avlon is joined by Greg Kats where they focus on the growing threat of urban heat waves, and how “smart surfaces” offer an affordable, effective solution. Greg Kats explains that cities are getting hotter due to heat-absorbing infrastructure like dark roofs, asphalt, and concrete. These surfaces trap heat, especially in low-income neighborhoods, leading to higher energy bills, health risks, and even deaths.These fixes don...
Mark as Played

S2 Ep32: How the New GOP Tax Law Screws the Middle Class

July 20, 2025 • 38 mins
John Avlon speaks with NYU law professor and former Obama/Biden advisor David Kamin about the dangers of Trump’s economic agenda and the newly passed Republican tax law. They warn that Trump’s renewed threats to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell could undermine global trust in U.S. financial stability by politicizing the central bank, potentially worsening inflation and damaging markets.
They break down the tax law’s deep unfai...
Mark as Played

S2 Ep31: Rural Hospitals Are the First to Go. You’re Next.

July 15, 2025 • 29 mins
John Avlon and Jonathan Cohn dive into the GOP’s renewed push to slash Medicare, exposing the real-world consequences of proposed $1 trillion cuts. What’s really at stake and why these cuts could be devastating. They unpack how these reductions would impact millions of seniors, unravel the social safety net, and fund tax breaks for the wealthy, all while political leaders try to keep it quiet.
Mark as Played

S2 Ep30: Will Elon's America Party Bomb Like Other Third Parties?

July 9, 2025 • 30 mins
John Avlon joined Rick Wilson for a Substack Live on Rick Wilson’s Against All Enemies. The two political veterans deliver a no-nonsense breakdown of America’s volatile political landscape. They dive into the collapse of the GOP establishment, the dangers of third-party fantasies like Elon Musk’s "America Party," and why Trumpism remains a threat to democracy. With decades of insider experience, they unpack how fear, media man...
Mark as Played

S2 Ep29: Trump's Crypto Scheme Shows That We Need New Rules Now

July 6, 2025 • 45 mins
John Avlon and Thomas Pacchia dive into the future of Bitcoin and crypto policy in the U.S., highlighting the regulatory confusion, partisan risks, and missed opportunities under the Biden administration. Now that Trump is embroiled in a crypto scheme, the time for talking about new rules is now.

Guest Thomas Pacchia explains the key differences between Bitcoin and broader crypto, warns against overregulation, and mak...
Mark as Played

S2 Ep28: Could NYC Go Broke Again?

June 29, 2025 • 35 mins
Richard E. Farley wrote a book called Drop Dead about New York City's 1975 fiscal crisis. John Avlon and Richard compare it to today, highlighting similar risks: rising interest rates, job and tax-base uncertainty, reduced federal support, and political dysfunction. Unlike in 1975, today's polarized politics make federal bailouts harder, emphasizing the urgent need to restore fiscal discipline and cooperative governance.
...
Mark as Played

S2 Ep27: Closed Primaries Like NYC Screw Voters in Broad Daylight!

June 24, 2025 • 34 mins
John Avlon chats with John Opdycke, Founder and President of Open Primaries, to make the case for changing how we vote, starting with the primaries. They explain why nonpartisan election systems in places like Alaska and New York are working and what it would take to bring those reforms to more states.
Mark as Played

S2 Ep26: Rules for Surviving Authoritarian Times

June 22, 2025 • 26 mins
Ruth Ben-Ghiat joins John Avlon to talk about how authoritarianism creeps into democracies, the patterns she’s seen around the world, and what history says about how to fight back. They discuss the rise of strongman politics, the power of resistance, and the five rules we need to remember now.
Mark as Played

S2 Ep25: Trump's North Korean Dictator Moment (w/ Rep. Dan Goldman)

June 14, 2025 • 33 mins
This week on How to Fix It, John Avlon is joined by Congressman Dan Goldman—former federal prosecutor and member of the House Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees—for an urgent conversation about democracy, corruption, and creeping authoritarianism.

As Trump prepares a military parade on his birthday, we break down the constitutional crisis posed by his unprecedented federal takeover of the California National G...
Mark as Played

S2 Ep24: Was Lincoln Actually Gay? Historian Busts Myths!

June 9, 2025 • 18 mins
Historian Harold Holzer debunks the widely spread myth that Abraham Lincoln was secretly gay, a claim popularized by AIDS activist Larry Kramer, who falsely claimed to have discovered intimate diaries under floorboards. Holzer reveals Kramer admitted privately that the diaries never existed, exposing how easily sensational myths can overshadow historical truth.

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

    Stuff You Should Know

    Stuff You Should Know

    If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

    Cardiac Cowboys

    Cardiac Cowboys

    The heart was always off-limits to surgeons. Cutting into it spelled instant death for the patient. That is, until a ragtag group of doctors scattered across the Midwest and Texas decided to throw out the rule book. Working in makeshift laboratories and home garages, using medical devices made from scavenged machine parts and beer tubes, these men and women invented the field of open heart surgery. Odds are, someone you know is alive because of them. So why has history left them behind? Presented by Chris Pine, CARDIAC COWBOYS tells the gripping true story behind the birth of heart surgery, and the young, Greatest Generation doctors who made it happen. For years, they competed and feuded, racing to be the first, the best, and the most prolific. Some appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, operated on kings and advised presidents. Others ended up disgraced, penniless, and convicted of felonies. Together, they ignited a revolution in medicine, and changed the world.

    The Joe Rogan Experience

    The Joe Rogan Experience

    The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.

    On Purpose with Jay Shetty

    On Purpose with Jay Shetty

    I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

    The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis, to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.

Advertise With Us
Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

Explore

iHeart

Live Radio

Podcasts

Artist Radio

Exclusives

News

Features

Events

Contests

Photos

Information

About

Advertise

Blog

Brand Guidelines

Contest Guidelines

Subscription Offers

Jobs

Get the App

Automotive

Home

Mobile

Wearables

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.