This is John Batchel, a conversation with colleague Bill Raja of the Foundation for Defense of Democracy,

about assumptions by the Houthis, the terrorist gang of Yemen, firing missiles into the Red Sea these many

months during the war in Gaza. They continue to fire missiles into the Red Sea, this time against the Harry Truman,

after being told by the President of the United States, stop now. Bill Rajio reasons that the

Houthis were led to believe the U.S. would not respond in any concerted fashion, that the Biden administration's policy of launching on the

rocket sites and not the people or the infrastructure was all that America knew how to do,

make a show of it. And Bill presents the case here and acknowledges we're not certain. We think we are certain, but we're not.

Bill Rajel, what happens next after the Houthis rejecting the warning, fire on the Harry S. Truman, a supercarrier in the Red Sea, and its colleagues

everywhere. I'm John Batchelor, Bill Raggio tonight, much more.

Yeah, it's, I think the Houthis believed that, and the Biden administration gave them all the reason to believe this, that the U.S. ultimately will back down.

I think the Houthis are banking on American weakness here.

And they may very well be right.

What they've been, what they've heard for the last year and a half since they began

attacking, uh, U.S. and international shipping since, uh, it was November, 223, is the U.S.

and the West fears escalation. Uh, I don't think that's the case now, but maybe I'm wrong.

If the Iranians are thinking this, I think they're sorely mistaken, but we're going to find out, John.