Episode 19: Murtaza Hussain - Opium is the Religion of the People (Live)

Episode 20: Dan Flores - How Coyote Beat Capitalism

When Joey asked Haroon if he’d read Coyote America [https://bookshop.org/p/books/coyote-america-a-natural-and-supernatural-history-dan-flores/4fab8d3a35b0fd27?], he revealed that he had not— but as soon as he started, he knew he was onto something big. Big history. Flores’ has been a guest on Joe Rogan’s podcast (one of our peer competitors), made an appearance on Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown, but he’s finally made it to Avenue M. We’re honored to have him. This was a genuinely fun episode, which’ll challenge you, make you laugh, and reframe how you think of America. In Coyote America, Dan Flores reveals the incredible history of the coyote, its enormous impact on us, how evolution produced a canid that is uncannily like us, and how, over the centuries, despite determined campaigns to wipe them out—campaigns that felled bison and even wolves—the coyotes aren’t just down, they’ve spread across the contiguous United States. We learn the hidden history of our country—and what we Americans can learn from Kenyans, Tanzanians and South Africans.  Plus, there’s always Looney Tunes. Seriously.  Dan let us know that, on August 28, a full-length Wile E. Coyote movie drops in theaters across America. Will this be enough to challenge the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Because we went there, in the most lightning lightning round ever featured on Avenue M.  Flores is, of course, the author of Coyote America, as well as American Serengeti: The Last Big Animals on the Great Plains [https://bookshop.org/p/books/american-serengeti-the-last-big-animals-of-the-great-plains-dan-flores/5313b782bc2333a1] and Wild New World: The Epic Story of Animals and People in America [https://bookshop.org/p/books/wild-new-world-the-epic-story-of-animals-and-people-in-america-dan-flores/53837f4bb8985d0a]. Raised in Louisiana, Flores lives in New Mexico today. He’s a writer, of course, and a historian too, and a former professor, who spent years at the University of Montana. One of your co-host’s wives suggested he beared an uncanny resemblance to Sean Connery, which did not threaten him in the least, because of course men have evolved past such concerns and if we’re all special, we’re all alphas.  Our sponsor is The Brueggeman Center for Dialogue [https://www.xavier.edu/dialogue/] at Xavier University [https://www.xavier.edu/], here in Cincinnati, which is dedicated to deepening understanding across faiths and promoting systemic change. Avenue M is produced by Bespoken Live [https://bespokenlive.org/] with music by Zach Swelber, who plays in Circle It [http://www.instagram.com/circleittheband] and Mosant [http://www.instagram.com/mosantband].

Episode 19: Murtaza Hussain - Opium is the Religion of the People (Live)

Murtaza Hussain [https://x.com/MazMHussain]is a reporter at Drop Site News [https://www.dropsitenews.com/], a non-aligned, investigative news organization. He focuses on national security, foreign policy and human rights. A 2026 PEN America nominee, his work frequently appears in outlets like The New York Times and The Guardian. He is recognized for his analysis of US foreign policy and civil liberties. He's also a fellow Substacker [https://mazmhussain.substack.com/] and YouTuber. [https://www.youtube.com/@MazMHussainNews] He didn’t set out to be a journalist but the Arab Spring pulled him into a career spent chasing the truth across wars, systems, and stories that don’t always want to be told. In this conversation, Murtaza Hussain names what he sees as a real decline in American culture, intellectually, politically, and spiritually, and wrestles with how we got here. And by the end, it turns into something more personal: what it takes to hold onto meaning, faith, and clarity in a world that feels increasingly disorienting. Murtaza mentions his article - Christie's Conspiracy: The Real Story Behind the Four Dix Five Terror Plot [https://theintercept.com/2015/06/25/fort-dix-five-terror-plot-the-real-story/] Our sponsor is The Brueggeman Center for Dialogue [https://www.xavier.edu/dialogue/] at Xavier University [https://www.xavier.edu/], here in Cincinnati, which is dedicated to deepening understanding across faiths and promoting systemic change. Avenue M is produced by Bespoken Live [https://bespokenlive.org/] with music by Zach Swelber, who plays in Circle It [http://www.instagram.com/circleittheband] and Mosant [http://www.instagram.com/mosantband].

Episode 18: Brian Alexander - Breakdown and Belonging

This week’s guest is Brian Alexander [https://brianralexander.com/]. An award-winning journalist and author, Brian has written about American culture for decades. He is a two-time finalist for the National Magazine Award. He has also been recognized by Medill School of Journalism’s John Bartlow Martin awards for public interest journalism, the Association of Healthcare Journalists, and other organizations. He has been a columnist for NBC News. He grew up in Lancaster, with a family history in the glass business. You can preorder his newest book - The Mayor: One Poor City's Fight to Bring Back Government and Save the Nation's Soul. [https://brianralexander.com/the-mayor/] In this conversation, we speak to Brian about his book, Glass House: The 1% Economy and the Shattering of the All-American Town [https://brianralexander.com/glass-house/], where he uses the story of his hometown, Lancaster, Ohio, to show how seeds sown 35 years ago have sprouted to give us Trumpism, inequality, and an eroding national cohesion. This conversation explores what happens when work, dignity, and community are stripped from a place and what it reveals about the soul of America. We talk about the forces hollowing out towns like Lancaster, Ohio, and the human cost behind economic transformation. And ultimately, we ask what it means to belong, to make something real, and to hold onto hope in the middle of it all. Our sponsor is The Brueggeman Center for Dialogue [https://www.xavier.edu/dialogue/] at Xavier University [https://www.xavier.edu/], here in Cincinnati, which is dedicated to deepening understanding across faiths and promoting systemic change. Avenue M is produced by Bespoken Live [https://bespokenlive.org/] with music by Zach Swelber, who plays in Circle It [http://www.instagram.com/circleittheband] and Mosant [http://www.instagram.com/mosantband].

Episode 17: Why We Keep Returning (Even When It’s Not Working) (Live)

Avenue M is hosted by Haroon Moghul and Joey Taylor. We’re two men on a journey of faith and meaning. In most episodes, we sit down with a remarkable guest to unpack the moments that shape us, the struggles that build us and the questions that intrigue us.  In this live conversation, we wrestle with what it means to keep showing up to spiritual practices—even when they don’t seem to be “working.” We explore the tension between personal spirituality and communal religion, asking whether faith is about feeling something or being formed over time. Along the way, we land on a quieter, harder truth: maybe the point isn’t perfection or progress, but the willingness to keep returning. Our sponsor is The Brueggeman Center for Dialogue [https://www.xavier.edu/dialogue/] at Xavier University [https://www.xavier.edu/], here in Cincinnati, which is dedicated to deepening understanding across faiths and promoting systemic change. Avenue M is produced by Bespoken Live [https://bespokenlive.org/] with music by Zach Swelber, who plays in Circle It [http://www.instagram.com/circleittheband] and Mosant [http://www.instagram.com/mosantband].

Episode 16: The World War III Episode (Live)

Avenue M is hosted by Haroon Moghul and Joey Taylor. We’re two men on a journey of faith and meaning. In most episodes, we sit down with a remarkable guest to unpack the moments that shape us, the struggles that build us and the questions that intrigue us.  In this live conversation, Joey and Haroon open the floor to listener questions as the war with Iran intensifies. Together they explore what people in the region are experiencing, how media narratives shape the way we understand the conflict, and what faith leaders and communities can do right now. It’s a wide-ranging conversation about responsibility, moral imagination, and where our agency still lies. Avenue M is produced by Bespoken Live [https://bespokenlive.org/] with music by Zach Swelber, who plays in Circle It [http://www.instagram.com/circleittheband] and Mosant [http://www.instagram.com/mosantband].