In this intense and eye-opening edition of What’s On Your Mind, Scott Hennen and Kevin Flynn are joined by two Persian-Americans, Raheel and Amir, to pull back the curtain on what is truly happening inside Iran during the current ceasefire. While Western news cycles focus on diplomatic negotiations and 15-point proposals, our guests share harrowing first-hand reports of a "garrison state" where public executions of teenagers continue at dawn and foreign militias control the streets of Tehran. The conversation explores the struggle of Iranian students in the U.S. facing visa pauses, the "mafia-like" tactics of the Southern Poverty Law Center, and why negotiating with the current regime is, in the words of our guests, "negotiating with the devil." Plus, a look at the future of the North Dakota farm economy and a heartwarming "Salute to Smiles" for a local veteran.
Standout Moments
[24:16] – The Garrison State Raheel describes the chilling reality in Tehran during the ceasefire, where Toyota Helix trucks mounted with machine guns roam intersections and the regime uses foreign militias to suppress its own people.
[24:48] – Profiting from Pain Amir explains how the Islamic Republic’s elite actually profit from international sanctions while the average citizen suffers, arguing that the regime views the Strait of Hormuz as a weapon rather than a source of national revenue.
[24:88] – Horrors in the Prisons In a disturbing segment, Amir details the systemic abuse and "gang rapes" of women in Iranian prisons before their execution—a tactic used by the regime to strip victims of their perceived religious dignity before death.
[25:13] – The Student Visa Crisis Amir highlights a silent crisis in the U.S.: a blanket pause on USCIS applications for legal Iranian students, leaving many facing potential deportation back to the very regime they are fighting against.
[26:19] – The E15 Market Signal Matt Perdue, President of the North Dakota Farmers Union, explains why year-round E15 is the "stable demand" engine needed to support 95 million acres of American corn.
[27:03] – Creating the Problem Scott and Kevin tackle the investigation into the Southern Poverty Law Center, alleging the group funded the very extremist rallies they later used to solicit donations and defame political opponents.
[30:61] – The Titanic of Health Dr. Mike Jorgensen uses a powerful analogy about the Titanic to explain why a "Wellness Score" is vital—arguing that it wasn’t just the iceberg that sank the ship, but a lack of awareness that it was there in the first place.
[32:47] – A Salute to Smiles Ret. Sgt. Travis Perdue, a 23-year veteran of the Army National Guard, shares his emotional journey of receiving a life-changing 3D-imaged dental restoration through a local gratitude contest.
[33:51] – Social Work Goes Online The University of Mary’s Katie Krueckenberg announces a new online pathway for social work degrees, designed to solve workforce shortages in rural and tribal communities without forcing students to leave home.