How to Fix It with John Avlon

Latest Episodes:

S2 Ep50: Adam Kinzinger: I Hate It, But Newsom is Right About Redistricting Nov 16, 2025

Show notes

Former congressman and January 6 Committee member Adam Kinzinger joins John Avlon to talk about fixing what’s broken, from using Russia’s own frozen cash to rebuild Ukraine, to confronting Trump-era corruption, to why Democrats have to “fight fire with fire” on redistricting. They also dive into the cost of moral courage, what it means to be a “good Republican” in the MAGA age, and how to break Washington’s pay-to-play cycle.
The Last Republican

How to Make Putin Pay: The $2 Billion-a-Day Plan That Could End the War

The Trump–Epstein Relationship: What We Know & Why Republicans Won’t Address It

S2 Ep49: Ken Burns: The Revolutionaries Were Exactly Like Us Nov 09, 2025

Show notes

Ken Burns joins John Avlon for a conversation that feels like a pep talk America desperately needs. From the messy, human story of the Revolution to the warning signs we’re ignoring today, Burns makes the case that our past isn’t a museum piece, it’s a manual for saving the country.
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S2 Ep48: Patrick Radden Keefe: Trump Broke Journalism’s Laws of Physics | How to Fix It Nov 02, 2025

Show notes

Investigative journalist Patrick Radden Keefe joins John Avlon to unpack what Northern Ireland’s “Troubles” can teach America about polarization, violence, and the fight for truth. From the lessons of Say Nothing to the perils of propaganda, they trace how societies unravel, and how we can stop it before it’s too late.
Keefe also dives into his craft, fact-checking at The New Yorker, writing like a novelist, and keeping faith in truth amid social media chaos.
The Bench Burner Article: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2001/12/10/the-bench-burner
Books Mentioned:
Say Nothing — by Patrick Radden Keefe
Empire of Pain — by Patrick Radden Keefe
A Secret History — by Donna Tartt
Presumed Innocent — by Scott Turow
Wingnuts — by John Avlon

S2 Ep47: The Little State That Could Save Democracy ( with Larry Lessig) Oct 26, 2025

Show notes

Harvard law professor and democracy reformer Larry Lessig is taking on the big money machine. In Maine, he’s helping defend a ballot initiative that bans super PACs, backed by a stunning 75% of voters. If he wins, this case could crack Citizens United wide open and bring campaign finance reform to the entire country. This might just be the moment to end dark money’s grip on American politics.
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S2 Ep46: How to FIGHT Mob Boss Politics in America (w Sen. Andy Kim) Oct 19, 2025

Show notes

John Avlon talks with Senator Andy Kim about Trump’s “mob boss” politics, the rise of fear inside the GOP, and Kim’s plan to build an anti-corruption movement that takes on what he calls “the cowards and the crazies.”

S2 Ep45: “Stop and Frisk” Didn’t Work. This Did. Oct 12, 2025

Show notes

Does “broken windows” policing actually work? John Avlon and John Miller dig into how a small idea changed New York City — and why it still sparks huge debates today. It’s a lesson in data, strategy, and how crime narratives get twisted for politics.

S2 Ep44: Are We Really Headed for a Second Civil War? Oct 05, 2025

Show notes

Are we really close to a second civil war? John Avlon talks with Barbara F. Walter, author of How Civil Wars Start and How to Stop Them, about the dangerous warning signs in America today. From democratic decline to political violence and Trump’s authoritarian playbook. But it’s not just doom: Walter lays out real solutions, from regulating social media algorithms to empowering citizens through peaceful resistance and local reforms. This episode is a sobering look at the risks, and a hopeful roadmap for stopping the spiral before it’s too late.
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S2 Ep43: Trump’s DOJ Revenge Scheme Could Shatter the Country (w. Elie Honig) Sep 28, 2025

Show notes

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 democracy.

S2 Ep42: Goldman Calls Out Trump’s FBI Over Epstein Cover-Up (w/ Rep. Dan Goldman) Sep 21, 2025

Show notes

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.

S2 Ep41: Can Libertarians & Centrists Save Democracy? Sep 14, 2025

Show notes

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 turn and rebuild a politics rooted in freedom, pluralism, and principle?

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