How to Fix It with John Avlon

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.

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’t require massive new spending. Simple upgrades like reflective roofing, porous pavement, green spaces, and solar panels—can dramatically cool cities, reduce flooding, and cut emissions. These smart surface strategies are already being tested in cities like Atlanta and Baltimore, showing real success. The episode highlights how a mix of data, common-sense planning, and political will could scale these solutions nationally making communities healthier, safer, and more climate-resilient for a relatively low cost. Smart Surfaces Coalition: https://smartsurfacescoalition.org

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 unfairness, massive cuts for the ultra-wealthy, growing income inequality, and a ballooning deficit. Kamin explains how the law rewards certain professions arbitrarily, penalizes employees, and opens new loopholes while slashing Medicaid and food assistance. They discuss alternative reforms, including closing corporate tax loopholes, enforcing a global minimum tax, and simplifying the system to support fairness, growth, and middle-class opportunity.

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.

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 manipulation, and political cowardice got us here, and what it’ll take to fight back. Rick Wilson’s Against All Enemies | Substack https://therickwilson.substack.com/

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 makes the case for light-touch rules, tax clarity, and what Trump coin means in this moment for change.

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.

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.

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.

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 Guard, his push to invoke the Insurrection Act, and the broader legal threats to civil liberties.