Murtaza Hussain is a reporter at Drop Site News, 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 and YouTuber.

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

Our sponsor is The Brueggeman Center for Dialogue at Xavier University, here in Cincinnati, which is dedicated to deepening understanding across faiths and promoting systemic change.

Avenue M is produced by Bespoken Live with music by Zach Swelber, who plays in Circle It and Mosant.