John Avlon

While Washington seems paralyzed by partisan bickering, America's mayors are busy putting ideas into action. City hall is increasingly a place for bold experimentation. Unlike Congress, there's no fiddling over the fiscal cliff or divisions into angry, ideological, debating societies. As communities climb out of the great recession, pragmatism is forcing innovation. Success requires strong leadership and a vision of politics as the art of what works.

How the right-wing media invented a new reality.

Ten years later, lower Manhattan has come roaring back.

George Clooney explores the seedy side of a presidential campaign.

The former senator blasts off about Washington's incompetence.

The energy secretary and Nobel Prize-winning physicist talks nuclear power after Japan, and being a nerd.

George Clooney proved that his pet project—bringing political change to war-torn Sudan—isn't just a charity cause when he was arrested in Washington D.C. while protesting at the Sudanese Embassy. Clooney has made his case to high-powered individuals such as Bill Clinton. John Avlon exams how George Clooney is helping to bring change—and a hefty dose of hope—to Sudan.