How to Fix It with John Avlon

Latest Episodes:

S2 Ep59: Iran Has No Exit Plan (w/ Christiane Amanpour) | How to Fix It Jan 25, 2026

Show notes

John Avlon welcomes CNN’s Christiane Amanpour for a conversation about Iran’s latest uprising, the regime’s crackdown tactics, and what—if anything—could make this moment different from past protests. They weigh the risks of outside intervention, from military strikes to cyber operations, the shadow of the 1953 Mossadegh coup and the 2009 Green Movement, and the challenges of identifying a credible transition path amid competing opposition figures and regional power plays.

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S2 Ep58: How Detroit Slashed Crime Without Excuses (w/ Mike Duggan) Jan 18, 2026

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Former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan joins John Avlon to explain how leadership, not slogans, helped reverse Detroit’s decline—and why he believes America’s two parties are failing voters as he runs for Michigan governor as an independent.

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58: Is Trump Punishing Colorado? (w/ Gov. Jared Polis) Jan 11, 2026

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Colorado Gov. Jared Polis joins John Avlon to break down Trump’s attacks on him and his state, the assault on climate and weather science, and the use of federal power as political punishment. Polis explains how Colorado balanced budgets, cut taxes, expanded services, lowered costs, and built a winning coalition by focusing on results over culture wars.

S2 Ep57: America Is Losing Faith in EVERYTHING (w/ Oliver Libby) | How to Fix It Jan 04, 2026

Show notes

John Avlon sits down with Oliver Libby to talk about why the American Dream feels out of reach—and what it would actually take to fix it. From healthcare and housing to energy, infrastructure, and the crisis of trust in institutions, they make the case for a “strong floor, no ceiling” approach rooted in practical policy, not rage.
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S2 Ep56: Why Did Trump Fire the Nation’s Historian? (w/ Colleen Shogan) Dec 28, 2025

Show notes

Donald Trump did something no other president has ever done: he fired the Archivist of the United States — the nonpartisan official responsible for preserving America’s records and history.
John Avlon talks with former Archivist Colleen Shogan about why that decision matters, how history has become a political weapon, and what it says about power, accountability, and democracy at a moment when America is heading toward its 250th anniversary.
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S2 Ep55: Mark Kelly Isn’t Backing Down Dec 21, 2025

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Senator Mark Kelly sits down with John Avlon to discuss Pentagon intimidation, the rule of law, and his AI for America plan, covering job displacement, data-center energy demands, and what it will take for the U.S. to beat China on AI without chaos.
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S2 Ep54: The Damage to America Is Permanent (w/ Michael Luttig & Jeh Johnson) Dec 14, 2025

Show notes

John Avlon is joined by Judge Michael Luttig and former DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson, co-chairs of the American Bar Association’s Task Force on American Democracy, a bipartisan group of legal, business, and civic leaders formed to confront the democratic crisis head-on. Their mission: move past outrage and lay out concrete, realistic reforms to stop democratic backsliding before it’s irreversible.
They discuss how unchecked presidential power, mass pardons for January 6 felons, Supreme Court rulings on gerrymandering, and collapsing guardrails are creating a system with zero consequences, and why that creates a dangerous moral hazard for future leaders.
This isn’t partisan spin. It’s a warning, and a roadmap, from people who’ve spent their careers defending the Constitution.

S2 Ep53: Nazi Camps Hidden on Long Island?! (w/ Steve Israel) | How to Fix It Dec 07, 2025

Show notes

John Avlon talks with former Rep. Steve Israel about his new historical thriller ‘The Einstein Conspiracy’, Israel’s life as a small bookstore owner, the politics of Long Island, rising antisemitism, and the reforms he thinks could fix American democracy.
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S2 Ep52: America’s New Crisis: We Can’t Build (w/ Marc Dunkelman) Nov 30, 2025

Show notes

America used to build big things fast, highways, power grids, rail, entire cities. So why does it feel like nothing works anymore? John Avlon sits down with Marc Dunkelman, author of the new book Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress and How to Get It Back, to dig into the real reasons our government can’t get shovels in the ground, and how we fix it.
From EV chargers that take years to install, to high-speed rail blocked by endless lawsuits, to progressive ideals that accidentally created a veto-ridden system where anyone can stop everything. Dunkelman explains how we broke the ability to build, and what it will take to restore it.

S2 Ep51: Leaders Without Character Break Democracies (w/ Ryan Holiday) Nov 23, 2025

Show notes

John Avlon sits down with Ryan Holiday for a deep dive into virtue, character, and what ancient wisdom can still teach a country drowning in cynicism. They trace the Stoic roots behind Holiday’s bestselling series, unpack the dangers of America’s “wisdom deficit,” and explore how applied history can ground us in a moment when the loudest voices are often the least serious. Holiday opens up about his writing process, the influence of Robert Greene, and the books he returns to when he needs clarity. It’s a conversation about courage, justice, self-discipline, and why these old virtues feel newly urgent.
The Last Lion (William Manchester)
The Old, Weird America (Greil Marcus)
The World of Yesterday (Stefan Zweig)
Montaigne (Stefan Zweig)
The Moviegoer (Walker Percy)
The Nightingale’s Song (Robert Timberg)
Stoicism (Ryan Holiday)
The Obstacle Is the Way (Ryan Holiday)
Ego Is the Enemy (Ryan Holiday)
The Daily Stoic (Ryan Holiday)
Perennial Seller (Ryan Holiday)
The 48 Laws of Power (Robert Greene)
Mastery (Robert Greene)
The Laws of Human Nature (Robert Greene)

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