How to Fix It with John Avlon – Details, episodes & analysis

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How to Fix It with John Avlon

The Bulwark

News

Government

News

Frequency: 1 episode/11d. Total Eps: 69

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.

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Apple Podcasts

🇨🇦 Canada - politics
19/02/2026
#95
🇨🇦 Canada - politics
18/02/2026
#77
🇨🇦 Canada - politics
17/02/2026
#68
🇺🇸 USA - politics
17/02/2026
#89

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https://www.brookings.edu/
2 shares
https://www.pewresearch.org/
2 shares
https://immigrationforum.org/
2 shares

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/16/opinion/what-if-trump-defies-courts.html
2 shares
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/01/opinion/democrats-trump-agenda.html
1 share

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091159/
1 share
https://www.imdb.com/video/vi2157232409/
1 share

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Score global : 52%

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S1 Ep1: A Poisoning in the Land

Season 1 · Episode 1

Thursday, October 3, 2024 • Duration 28:36

The United States is in the midst of one of the worst drug epidemics it has ever faced, with nearly 80,000 Americans dying every year from fentanyl poisoning. John speaks with Kamal Bherwani, whose 22-year-old son, Ethan, was a victim of the crisis. Bherwani is now on the front lines, fighting for solutions to limit supply, increase enforcement, improve education about the lethal drug, and save lives.Kamal Bherwani joins John Avlon.

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S1 Ep2: Rolling Back the Phone-Based Childhood

Season 1 · Episode 2

Sunday, October 13, 2024 • Duration 30:39

Rates of depression and anxiety among adolescents shot up around the same time kids were switching from flip phones to smartphones. And as teens were moving more of their social lives online, loneliness and friendlessness surged as well. Jonathan Haidt joins John Avlon to discuss how to restore a play-based childhood—including his prescriptions for parents, schools, and members of Congress.

show notes
Haidt's book, "The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness"
More info on Haidt's "Let Grow" play club
Time article John referenced about uniting America

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S1 Ep3: Getting Back to the People’s Business

Season 1 · Episode 3

Sunday, October 20, 2024 • Duration 29:47

Former Oklahoma congressman Mickey Edwards sees a way out of our polarizing and divisive politics. He explains to John what voters can do, what Congress can do—and how the schools can help by teaching kids critical thinking skills. Plus, Mickey shares his insights on Kamala from her district attorney days, when she had the makings of a rising star. Mickey Edwards joins John Avlon.

show notes
Books by Mickey Edwards
Book mentioned by Mickey: "The Big Sort," by Bill Bishop
Book mentioned by John: "Burning Down the House," by Julian Zelizer

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S1 Ep5: Ancient Lessons for Defeating a Demagogue

Season 1 · Episode 5

Sunday, November 3, 2024 • Duration 30:32

The Founding Fathers studied the fall of the Roman Republic, and tried to create a democracy that could withstand someone like Donald Trump. On a special pre-election show, Daily Stoic’s Ryan Holiday talks with John about how history’s lessons can guide us through this perilous time.
Ryan Holiday joins John Avlon.

show notes
Ryan's website, "Daily Stoic"
Ryan's coversation with Mike Duncan

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S1 Ep4: The Keys to Solving the Immigration Problem

Season 1 · Episode 4

Sunday, October 27, 2024 • Duration 30:42

The law of supply and demand also applies at the border: We can’t really stop all illegal immigration—in part because of the lure of a better life here, but also because of our own labor needs. And Americans are just too educated for a lot of ordinary but necessary jobs. But a number of fixes could help, including changing asylum rules—a key part of the border bill that Trump had killed.

Linda Chavez joins John Avlon to break it all down.

show notes:
Linda's book, "Out of the Barrio"
Other sources of information on border security and immigration:
https://immigrationforum.org/
https://www.brookings.edu/
https://www.pewresearch.org/

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S2 Ep1: A Civics Deficit in the Classroom

Season 2 · Episode 1

Sunday, January 5, 2025 • Duration 34:40

As schools have continued to emphasize STEM courses and other subjects, civics has largely fallen off the curriculum calendar in most states—and we’re now living in a country roiled by political divisions and fears of violence. Richard Haass joins John to discuss the need for teaching what it means to be an American, the challenges of implementing a national civics curriculum, and how more nonprofit foundations should step up to support a new generation of Schoolhouse Rock-like projects, especially as the 250th anniversary of the U. S. approaches. Amb. Richard Haass joins John Avlon.

show notes

The ambassador's book, "The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens"
iCivics, the education group founded by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
The National Constitution Center

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S2 Ep2: Avoiding Partisan Gridlock

Season 2 · Episode 2

Sunday, January 12, 2025 • Duration 39:16

Democratic Congressman Tom Suozzi, who represents a Long Island district that Trump also won, argues that the real election mandate was for border security, reducing the cost of living, and turning down the volume on the culture wars—not one-party rule. Suozzi talks with John about where he thinks Dems can work with Republicans and which areas are non-negotiable, including on climate and the environment. Plus, what happened to Trump’s big promises on Ukraine and the hostages, and how some 80s movies help explain the challenges facing the middle class.

Rep. Tom Suozzi joins John Avlon.

show notes

Suozzi's piece in The NYT
Trailer for the movie, "Gung Ho," starring Michael Keaton
Trailer for "Wall Street"
Trailer for "Pretty Woman," starring the one and only JR

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S2 Ep3: Keeping the Faith in the Fight to Defend Democracy (with Anne Applebaum)

Season 2 · Episode 3

Sunday, January 19, 2025 • Duration 30:11

As Trump retakes the Oval Office, John speaks with Anne Applebaum about how to stay in the fight of our times. In this horseshoe moment, she says the center-left and center-right have to stick together as Trump makes moves to exercise power without checks and balances. Meanwhile, we need to read and support local and regional journalism to keep the information and debate flowing—and to counter the algorithmic assault on our democracy from platforms pushing content that’s not necessarily true. Plus, expect corruption, but let’s not let them get away with it.

show notes
Anne's "Twilight of Democracy" and "Autocracy, Inc."
Anne's piece on the new Rasputins

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S2 Ep4: DOGE Is Doing it Wrong (with Philip K. Howard)

Season 2 · Episode 4

Sunday, January 26, 2025 • Duration 31:30

Elon wants to cut government programs, but that won’t make government more efficient. But changing how the government does things—by streamlining the permitting and purchasing processes, for example—will make government more effective, efficient, and responsive to the public. Plus, instilling fear among federal employees and helping fulfill Trump’s urge to say “you’re fired.”

show notes
Philip's group, Common Good
Philip's books, "Everyday Freedom" and "Try Common Sense"
Will Marshall's piece arguing for Democrats to have their own kind of DOGE

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S2 Ep5: Make Congress Work (with Yuval Levin)

Season 2 · Episode 5

Sunday, February 2, 2025 • Duration 35:13

In other democracies, when a party wins an election it wins all the power. But American democracy is different, and under the Constitution, members of Congress are supposed to engage in cross-partisan bargaining—yet they’re failing at this very basic job. What we’re left with are spending bills finalized at midnight before a government shutdown, and party line votes that are undone by other party line votes. Yuval Levin joins John to discuss some remedies: expanding the number of House members, re-empowering committees to reduce some of the leadership’s power, and using rank-choice voting to get the kind of candidates who bargain and build coalitions.

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How to Fix It with John Avlon – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

How to Fix It with John Avlon – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other33

New York Times2

IMDb2

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other33

New York Times2

IMDb2

Apple Podcasts

Spotify