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 A...
S2 Ep7: End the Tech Overlords' Self-Protection Racket (with Chris Hughes)
Since the ‘90s, tech companies have been virtually immune from lawsuits over what’s posted on their platforms, even though their algorithms are amplifying misinformation, hate, and dangerous content that incites violence. Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes tells John that the public would never agree to a blanket liability shield for industries like banking, airlines, food, and pharmaceuticals—and it's high time that Section 230 gets scrapped.
show notes
Follow Chris on Substack
Chris's forthcoming book, "Marketcrafters: The 100-Year Struggle to Shape the American Economy"
--------
35:29
S2 Ep6: The AI War on Normal People (with Andrew Yang)
The Founding Fathers were aware that yawning gaps between rich and poor destabilize a society. And with AI driving ever greater income inequality while it eats through American jobs—blue-collar, white-collar, and the kind of work in professional services firms that college grads have trained for— our country’s leaders should be responding to the reality that is already upon us. Andrew Yang has been warning for years about the inevitable impacts of AI on our economy and our democracy, and he joins John to discuss possible solutions, including universal basic income and child tax credits.
Andrew Yang joins John Avlon.
show notes
Andrew's 2018 book, "The War on Normal People"
--------
34:18
S2 Ep5: Make Congress Work (with Yuval Levin)
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.
--------
35:13
S2 Ep4: DOGE Is Doing it Wrong (with Philip K. Howard)
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
--------
31:30
S2 Ep3: Keeping the Faith in the Fight to Defend Democracy (with Anne Applebaum)
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
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.