Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
It's that time, time, time, time, luck and load. So
Michael Very Show is on the air.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
You sure you're ready for listener, do my best, your
best losers always whine about their best.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Winners, go home and the prom queen.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
It's long been a symbol Alcatraz whatever it is. I mean,
you know, it's a sad symbol, but it's a it's
a symbol of law and order, and you know it's
got quite a history, frankly, so I think we're going
to do that, and we're looking at her right now.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
On ICE's non detained docket, they're currently tracking four one
hundred and twenty five thousand non citizens who have been convicted.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Of a crime.
Speaker 4 (01:10):
Welcome to the Rock.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Over thirteen thousand non citizens have convictions for homicide and
are on the non detained docket, meaning they're roaming the
country right now. On top of that, there are another
fifteen thousand, eight hundred and eleven non citizens convicted of
sexual assaults.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
So I told you that the Democrats don't have a
messaging problem, they have a policy problem. Americans do not
want boys in girls' locker rooms. Americans do not want
boys competing against girls in women's sports. Americans do not
want illegal aliens coming into this country. Democrats have an
(02:03):
abiding conviction. It is deep and abiding, it is continuous,
It is massive, this conviction that they can convince you
of anything. They can sell ice to eskimos, They can
convince you of anything, because they got away with it
(02:24):
for so long, and then Americans stopped turning the other cheek,
and then the concerns about crime in the inner city,
Soros's influence on district attorneys, liberal teachers. You know, it
always starts with tolerance. We just want tolerance. We just
(02:46):
we just want you not to beat us up. We
just want to live and and and and thrive and
not be bothered. Turns into acceptance, turns into endorsement. They
don't just want you now to not beat them up
for being different than you. They want you to say
(03:07):
that you'd think it's a good thing. You saw that
online where people would men would be asked, would you
date so and so who's a training And if they
said no, then you're an awful person and the hive
would come for you. See, they may only have one
hundred thousand people in the country that feel the way
they do about this particular crazy issue or that particular
(03:29):
crazy issue. As the President said the other day, they
may only have one hundred thousand, no, but they can
mobilize those hundred thousands. They stick together. They're like a gang. Right.
There was a vietname, sorry, there was a Laosian or
Cambodian gang I can't remember in Port Arthur, and I
think they broke most of it up. My brother was
(03:50):
on the gang task Force at one point dealing with it,
and he would tell me, you know, there's only like
fifty of them in it, but they are fifty active members.
It's not uncommon for them to all be at one thing.
So they have more clout than the black gangs because
they're better organized and they're all in this together. So
(04:13):
what happens is that, let's say there's one hundred thousand
people in the country that are all for little boys
getting their wiener chopped off and girls having a big
hunk of meat taking out of their leg and dangled
from from their midsection, look like a wiener, and cut
off their breasts and destroy their bodies. Let's say there's
only one hundred thousand people that want that done to children,
(04:36):
But those one hundred thousand people are engaged, and the
first time they catch anybody saying something they don't like,
they've got the media matters and all that out there,
they activate, and then that activation attax a person. So,
now here's a guy out here that actually shares the
opinion of ninety nine percent of the public, but he's
(04:56):
out here on an island by himself, and he's getting
hit hard. Well, all of those issues. The Democrats don't
have a messaging problem. They are wrong on the issues.
That's their problem. And they gave in on those issues
because there are pieces of their coalition that demand they
(05:20):
are one issue groups, and they want you to do this,
and this one over here wants you to do this,
and this one over here wants you to do this.
And what they are starting to realize is those aren't
the most powerful forces in the Democrat Party or in
winning elections. So what it takes to win the Democrat
(05:42):
nomination is not what it takes to win the election. Well,
the Democrats are now looking for the great White Hope,
and that means that the Democrats are trying to find
a person, a white male, who is presentable, who speaks well,
(06:06):
who can get white people to think this is the
next John Kennedy, which will always be the reference they mate.
John Kennedy would be a Republican today. If you look
at his actual policies, he'd be a Republican today. But
they're desperately looking for the young white male who can
(06:28):
win university students, who can get labor back, who can
pretend to be a bit more conservative. Well, the first
person that's going to come to mine is Gavin Newsom.
The second person that's going to come to mind is
Beto O'Rourke, which no surprise, he's back in the news
(06:49):
because he's built on the Gavin Newsom model. Gavin Newsom's
got a lot of baggage being the governor of California,
a lot of baggage. And he's got some some problems
in his personal life. And there are some things that
I've been told, allegations that I've been told that if
he gets serious legs under him as a candidate for president,
(07:11):
would be revealed and they would be a real problem.
They've got a rich, Chris Christy looking fat head named JB. Pritzker.
The appeal for him is he's got a lot of money.
The Pritzkers are a wealthy, wealthy family. The problem for him,
just as with Josh Shapiro in Pennsylvania, is he's Jewish
(07:32):
and the Democrats have made their bed figuratively and maybe
literally with the violent Hamas sympathizers. There is a whole
group of people in the Democrat Party who don't actually
care anything about Hamas. They couldn't find the Middle East
on a map. They hate the Jews because they view
(07:53):
the Jews as having the power. Some of them view
the Jews as pulling us into wars. Others view the
Jews as being people who control money and influence in
this country. And Hamas has Now you're talking about messaging,
Hammas managed to message themselves as the most recent oppress.
They're the new black people, the new So it's real good.
(08:17):
So if Hamas is on the rise, you can't have
a Jewish candiate. So Pritzker and Shapiro are.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Out do the watermelon crawl and listen to the Tsar
of Talk.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
My buddy Michael Berry.
Speaker 5 (08:30):
I the planet tickets.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
As a fun little exercise Yesterday on Facebook at four
point fifty pm, so ten minutes before five o'clock Central,
we were going on live. Some of you get our
show on delay as a fun little exercise, I said, please,
don't consult your phone, the news, the TV screen. I
(08:52):
want you to tell me what you think. I want
you to tell me one news story from today that
kind of cuts through for you and what that would be.
And interestingly, this was yesterday four fifty pm Central. The
number one thing that was mentioned, and I think we
got probably a thousand responses. I didn't read all of
(09:13):
the end of them, but I read almost all of
them was reopening Alcatraz. So every day there is a
story that's kind of remembered. Some people said the p
did he trial beginning. I wonder how many people even
knew that. So many things get buried because so many
(09:34):
interesting things are happening, and Trump has a knack for
saying something that will dominate the news space that even
the media that hates him runs with it because it's
polarizing and it's exciting, it draws eyeballs in. And I
say all that to say this. You may not have
noticed the story the other day that Trump is talking
(09:57):
about the Suez Canal. Trump has a business mind that
presidents before him have not. He thinks in terms of
a businessman, because he's been a businessman. Now he's primarily
been a real estate guy, and he's very much a promoter.
That's different than some other types of businesses. But he
(10:17):
thinks in terms of business, the importance of shipping routes
like the Suez Canal, like the Panama Canal. Those sorts
of things will make or break nations, make or break economies,
make or break fortunes, and for decades and it rarely
(10:42):
gets any attention. It's really really important. So I thought,
let's talk about why the president is interested in the
Suez Canal, what exactly he's proposing, and what's going on
with the uties, because this is in the news a lot.
These are some bad guys. The President's been talking about
(11:02):
this affair amount. I wonder how many people understand where
they are and who they are, and who's funding them,
and who's training them and what they're up to. Lieutenant
Colonel Eric Navarro is director of the Red Sea Security
Initiative at the Middle East Forum. Seasoned military officer, business leader,
and national security strategistics Lieutenant colonel in the Marine Corps
(11:27):
Reserves and recently selected to be a colonel. Oh, so,
I guess he's getting a promotion. Two tours in two
combat tours in Iraq, countless training evolutions, technology initiatives, and
real world operations around the globe. I don't normally we'll
(11:47):
get to his push ups, and I don't normally read introductions,
but I thought this one was interesting. Mister Navarro has
an NBA from NYU's Stern School of Business and an
MS in National Secure Purity Strategy from National War College.
He's the author of a book called God Willing, detailing
his experience as one of the first embedded advisors to
(12:10):
the new Iraqi Army. All we got to get to that.
Speaker 4 (12:12):
That's interesting.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
He's a frequent media contributor, with articles and appearances focused
on national security strategy and the use of American power
in a contested geo political environment. Artramon two questions for
you about Lieutenant Colonel Eric Navarrow. Number one, how many
push ups you think he could do right now? Number two,
how many do you think he would say he's going
to do. He'll say he can do one hundred, And
(12:36):
what do you think he can do seventy five? Do
you think, well, here's the deal. Guy like that will
want to come off as humble hum, but I probably
couldn't do too right now because he would know that,
you know, he can do more than two. And what
do you think he could do in his prime? Two hundred? Wow?
Lieutenant Colonel Eric Navarro, welcome to the.
Speaker 4 (12:54):
Program, sir, Thank you, sir for helping me.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
What's the answer to how many push you say you
could do right now?
Speaker 5 (13:03):
Well, it's kind of funny because I heard your commentary there,
so I'll choose the humble route and probably bang out
fifty easily, but definitely my prime over one hundred to
two hundred. But I'm getting up there now, just turned fifty, right,
So it's old Marines need to work doubly hard to
(13:23):
achieve the same results that we need to as young men.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
How about how many how often do you do push ups?
Speaker 5 (13:33):
I train, you know, all throughout the week. We still
have the main even though I'm still just a reservist,
have to maintain physical fitness standards so you can pass
the physical fitness test combat fitness test semi annually. So
I work out, you know, four to five times a week.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
How about my buddy Dakota Meyer going back, going.
Speaker 4 (13:54):
Yeah, that's badass, he is. It's so impressive.
Speaker 5 (13:57):
It's it's inspirational, just speaks to the scrie de Corps
that we instill in our young greens, and just for
him to want to come back and serve as just
it should be an inspiration to all Americans.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
He's uh, he's been on the show and he'll come in.
I know him through Marcus the Trail, which is how
I got to know him. And the first time I
ever met him is wearing a T shirt that said
own the Dash. He said, Dakota, what does that mean?
And he said, well, there's a day you're born and
there's a day you die, and on your tombstone there's
(14:32):
a dash in between. That dash is all you can control.
That dash is who you are and what you are.
And I own the Dash has has has stayed with
me this this entire time. How did you get how
did you get interested in the security of the Suez
Canal and the Red Sea and that region out of
(14:55):
all the areas of the world.
Speaker 5 (14:58):
Well, having started did in Ira Act twice, I've always
had a keen eye towards the Middle East theater. It's
always you know, throughout our history we've had to deal
with conflagrations that have come up throughout the decades, even
as a kid growing up seeing the first Goal War
and then I joined the Marines. I was living in
(15:19):
Manhattan when nine to eleven happened, and I joined the
next day and one, you know, I said, send me
to war basically, so kind of close to my heart.
As far as what happens in that region, I think
it impacts the geopolitical situation obviously in a very important way,
and I think we need to keep stay mindful and
(15:40):
vigilant about how we act and what our strategy is
in the region, not just for the global security but
for our own America first interests.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
When you look at well, let's dive in the who.
First of all, explain to folks who the hooties are,
how they're trained, who funds them, and why we should care.
Speaker 5 (16:09):
Well, they started out as a ragpad group, the typically
irregular army, but they've built up their capabilities over the
last decade or so.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
Lieutenant Colonel, I'm sorry. I'm the worst of time management
than less miles, I threw to you as we're going
into a break. I'm sorry. Hold with me for A
recession is when your neighbor loses his job. A depression
is when you lose your Michael bar and recovery is
when Jimmy Carter loses his. Colonel Eric Navarros the United
(16:40):
States Marines is our guest. He's the director of the
Red Sea Security Initiative at the Middle East Forum. He
is our guest because you see and hear the name
Huties in the news every day. The President's recently been
talking about the Suez Canal and the importance of that
and what he's demanding of Egypt because we pay the
bills there. And I thought it would be a good
(17:02):
opportunity to have someone on who focuses on this all day,
every day and has for some long period of time.
I asked you going into the break, who are the
who theis? Who funds them, who trains them? Why should
we care?
Speaker 4 (17:16):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (17:16):
And as you said, it started off as a ragtag group.
They're officially known as Ansar a Lah, which is a
Zaidi Shia Islamist political.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
But they have consistently gained in.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
The Lieutenant, Colonel, hold on just a second, you're cutting.
Hold on just a second. You're cutting and ounds? Are
you moving around? Are you on.
Speaker 4 (17:38):
A little bit? I will stand stationary, okay, if.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
You want a bluetooth or whatever. Sometimes it'll cut in down,
all right.
Speaker 5 (17:43):
Go ahead, Yeah, So, like I said, they cut They
started coming into prominence in the nineties and have steadily
built up their power in Yemen. They were they fought
uh Saudi Arabia and then around twenty fourteen twenty fifteen
and essentially defeated or back that effort by set to
Saudas to rid them rid Yemen of the Hooties, and
(18:05):
they've continued to gain in their capabilities. They've played up
their idea of being holy warriors and especially against Israel,
and you saw some of their pronouncements as if they're
defending the Gozens. So that's when they started significantly impacting
global shipping in twenty twenty three, and they now have
(18:26):
obviously impacted the global trade route that has gone through
the Red Sea. There's been normally about twelve to fifteen
percent of global shipping goes through Egypt has lost about
seven billion dollars to date and about sixty to seventy
percent of the tonnage that normally goes through the Suez
has been impacted. So now they have essentially the Hooties
have graduated from a Yemen a problem to a global problem,
(18:51):
some one that the US sent its allies and Israel
have to address in a comprehensive way.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
And when we look at that map on the eastern
border of Africa and the western border of the Middle East,
where is obviously the world is trading more than anyone
can ever imagine. You know, flowers are coming from Thailand
to Rotterdam, and you know they're all sorts of the
Philippines are sending that. Where is most of that traffic
(19:19):
coming from? And where is that going?
Speaker 4 (19:21):
Is that?
Speaker 1 (19:22):
Well, I'll leave it there.
Speaker 5 (19:24):
Well, that main trade route is really between Europe and Asia,
but we also have goods and going through the Suez
Canal as well. But I look at it as the
US has to be the global hedgemond and exercise its
power to maintain control over all of the key global
(19:45):
sea trade routes. If we don't our near pure, adversaries
such as China will take the ground and will will
fill that vacuum. Also, you know, as a marine, the
shores of Tripoli is embedded in our in our hymn. Right,
so this goes back throughout our history, throughout our founding, right.
Dealing with pirates, dealing with issues in both the Middle
(20:07):
East and North Africa. This is clearly a natural interest
of the US to maintain open lines of the sea,
lanes of communication and trade. Not to mention, the Huthis
now are directly impacting or attacking our greatest ally in
the region, Israel, So we must do something about it.
We must defeat them, and that's what we at Middle
(20:28):
East Forum and with my project there See Security Initiative
are pushing for not just targeted straits, but a comprehensive
strategy that leverages all different levels of power to not
mow the lawn per se, but to fully eliminate the
Huti threat.
Speaker 1 (20:44):
What do you think of President Trump's insistence of late
that American ships that Egypt allow American ships to transit
the Suez Canal free as compensation for the fact that
we're defending those shipping lanes that feed into that canal.
Do you agree with that approach?
Speaker 5 (21:04):
I do, and I think it shows the end of
something for nothing. I totally believe that we should be
the global hedgemon and exercise that power, but it should
not be for no returns prisident Trump is all about
maximizing return on investment, while minimizing risk and direct risk
to the US and US forces. Right, So if we
(21:26):
are going to expose our forces and monitor and patrol
those those waters for the benefit of our allies like Egypt,
then we should receive recompense as a result. It's totally
in keeping with America first interests. I do want to
say America first should not mean America alone. We still
need allies, We still need to work with our allies
(21:47):
in the region, right, but we should always put US
national interests at the forefront of any policy or any
strategy that we enact in the region.
Speaker 1 (21:57):
When you look at the history of the Seuwiss Canal
and I go back to Nassa and his saber rattling
there and what a critical, critical lane of transport for
so many goods that feed the world. And you know,
every farmer, every fisherman, every villager, every government is affected
(22:18):
in some way or another, and we take for granted.
You know, it's not until Somali pirates capture one of
our ships, and you know, Tom Hanks makes a movie
about it that people realize what had been going on,
that you know which flag you fly and these guys
come out of nowhere and We're shooting water cannons at
(22:38):
them and they're being taken hostage. And this is happening.
You know, it's costing billions of dollars of loss, and
it wasn't even discussed, and all of a sudden, now
everyone understands it. It's just amazing to me that it's
been allowed to get to this situation. Take the Somali
pirates for example.
Speaker 4 (22:58):
I completely agree.
Speaker 5 (22:59):
I think the previous administration had the exact wrong approach
to the Houthis and it allowed them to reconstitute in
a significant way and increase their capabilities. You see that
with their advanced weapons, where they're able through increased range
and precision to strike at Israel directly. That wouldn't have
happened without a policy of backing off per se or remember,
(23:26):
the Biden administration delisted the Houthis as a terrorist organization.
They also removed the maximum pressure campaign that the first
Trump administration could on Iran, which choked off the supplies.
One thing together, remember is the Houthis would not be
able to execute this level of sophisticated attacks without the
direct support of Iran. And so I have a new
(23:47):
piece coming out tomorrow at Middle East form where I
argue that you have to link the Houthi threat with
the Iranian threat, and I think the administration, President Trump
and Secretary Heswith have been doing that recent They've sent
out tweets or posts on x directly confronting the Iranians
and their support for the Huthis and warning of dire consequences.
Speaker 4 (24:10):
That's the right step.
Speaker 5 (24:11):
We need to take action to prove that we're willing
to make our threats real to realize those threats. My
argument is I'm fully about the peace through strength doctrine,
but strength comes from demonstrating and taking action with purpose
(24:32):
and with effect. If we just talk about it, that's
not strength. If we take actions like ping prick strikes
here or there, but there's no real lasting effects, that
also is not real strength. And our adversaries will take note,
not just on Iran, but our near peer adversaries that
are watching Russia and China. So we are in a
(24:52):
geopolitical competition with these near peers and they are watching
our every move. So, yes, peace through strength, but you
have to be willing to demonstrate the strength.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
Unfortunately, pull type one moment, Lieutenant Colonel Eric Navarro, we're
talking about Egypt, the Middle East, Iran, the Huti.
Speaker 4 (25:12):
We're going to be changing the name of the Gulf
of Mexico to the.
Speaker 5 (25:16):
Gulf of michael Berry.
Speaker 4 (25:18):
Which has a beautiful.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
Lieutenant Colonel Eric Navarro is our guest. We are talking
about the Suez Canal, the Gulf of Aden or Aden
or multiple pronunciations. The group is called the Red Sea
Security Initiative. It's at the Middle East Forum. You can
read Lieutenant Colonel Eric Navarro's positions and commentary there. He's
(25:45):
got another piece coming out tomorrow. But with the President
talking about the Suez Canal and demanding that our ships
pass free in exchange for the fact compensation, if you
will recompense for the fact that we're keeping that region
safe and we bear all that cost, and it's it's
an interesting position, one with which Lieutenant Colonel Erin Navarro agrees.
(26:09):
You know, one of the things that's happening in this
region is arms smuggling. I hear this again and again
and again. I'm sure you've talked about it, and that
it's not just arms to the hooties, it's arms to
various rabble rousers and troublemakers around the world, and that
that traffic is going through the hooties, as you know,
kind of like a cartail or like a cartail member
(26:30):
for that matter.
Speaker 5 (26:31):
Yes, we've a Middle East farm. We've talked extensively about
the smuggling rings. It's not just through the ships coming
out of Iran and then using shell companies and and
side ports to sneak in arms and material. It's also
along the land routes through Oman and we've written extensively
(26:54):
about that, arguing that the Omanis need to essentially shut
down those land roots, that they can't play frenemie anymore.
This is similar to our what should be our approach
with the qataris. There are several groups or countries in
that region that like to play both sides, and the
time for that is over. We need to make that
plane with them. The houthis also, will you know, being
(27:16):
pirates will do things for money, right, They'll hoard They've
been hoarding field ships in certain ports, hiding it or
protecting it. The US is often unwilling to attack them
fully in those ports that they're holding because they don't
want to permanently damage the ports. But it's a significant
driver of not just the hooty operations, but they sell
(27:36):
it on the black market to funds those operations. So
there are many different aspects to the hooty threat, all
of them require a strong response from the US and
its allies.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
What do you make of the hoothy missile attack on
Bengurion Airport in Israel? And how how what US response
should be and what Israeli response will be and what
it should be if in fact what will happen is
not what you would say is most advisable.
Speaker 5 (28:09):
Yeah, well, so it demonstrates a significant escalation, both again
showing their advanced precision and range and their desire to
strike at Israeli civilian infrastructure and targets. It cannot go unheeded.
I believe the Israelis have already retaliated with strikes. Earlier
(28:29):
today there was a report that they destroyed the main
the airport in Senna. There's footage on social media showing
the airfield fully damaged and many planes destroyed. The Israelis
have indicated that this is only the start of a
retaliatory campaign. The Houthies, of course, have stated that the
Israelis have crossed a red line and there will be
(28:52):
response to that. And so you see that this cycle
will not end until we eliminate the Houthis as a
serious threat. And so yes, it's expected and advisable to
strike out and to retaliate in response to this, but
there needs to be a comprehensive strategy where the US
(29:13):
and Israelis are linked and they attack the Houthis and
the Iranians across all the different domains of national power. Right,
so that does not necessarily mean direct military strikes against Iran.
Speaker 4 (29:27):
I know there's a
Speaker 5 (29:27):
Big debate about that, but even leveraging economic instruence of power,
informational doing an information influence campaign to delegitimize the Houthis
amongst the m and EP
It's that time, time, time, time, luck and load. So
Michael Very Show is on the air.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
You sure you're ready for listener, do my best, your
best losers always whine about their best.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Winners, go home and the prom queen.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
It's long been a symbol Alcatraz whatever it is. I mean,
you know, it's a sad symbol, but it's a it's
a symbol of law and order, and you know it's
got quite a history, frankly, so I think we're going
to do that, and we're looking at her right now.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
On ICE's non detained docket, they're currently tracking four one
hundred and twenty five thousand non citizens who have been convicted.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Of a crime.
Speaker 4 (01:10):
Welcome to the Rock.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Over thirteen thousand non citizens have convictions for homicide and
are on the non detained docket, meaning they're roaming the
country right now. On top of that, there are another
fifteen thousand, eight hundred and eleven non citizens convicted of
sexual assaults.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
So I told you that the Democrats don't have a
messaging problem, they have a policy problem. Americans do not
want boys in girls' locker rooms. Americans do not want
boys competing against girls in women's sports. Americans do not
want illegal aliens coming into this country. Democrats have an
(02:03):
abiding conviction. It is deep and abiding, it is continuous,
It is massive, this conviction that they can convince you
of anything. They can sell ice to eskimos, They can
convince you of anything, because they got away with it
(02:24):
for so long, and then Americans stopped turning the other cheek,
and then the concerns about crime in the inner city,
Soros's influence on district attorneys, liberal teachers. You know, it
always starts with tolerance. We just want tolerance. We just
(02:46):
we just want you not to beat us up. We
just want to live and and and and thrive and
not be bothered. Turns into acceptance, turns into endorsement. They
don't just want you now to not beat them up
for being different than you. They want you to say
(03:07):
that you'd think it's a good thing. You saw that
online where people would men would be asked, would you
date so and so who's a training And if they
said no, then you're an awful person and the hive
would come for you. See, they may only have one
hundred thousand people in the country that feel the way
they do about this particular crazy issue or that particular
(03:29):
crazy issue. As the President said the other day, they
may only have one hundred thousand, no, but they can
mobilize those hundred thousands. They stick together. They're like a gang. Right.
There was a vietname, sorry, there was a Laosian or
Cambodian gang I can't remember in Port Arthur, and I
think they broke most of it up. My brother was
(03:50):
on the gang task Force at one point dealing with it,
and he would tell me, you know, there's only like
fifty of them in it, but they are fifty active members.
It's not uncommon for them to all be at one thing.
So they have more clout than the black gangs because
they're better organized and they're all in this together. So
(04:13):
what happens is that, let's say there's one hundred thousand
people in the country that are all for little boys
getting their wiener chopped off and girls having a big
hunk of meat taking out of their leg and dangled
from from their midsection, look like a wiener, and cut
off their breasts and destroy their bodies. Let's say there's
only one hundred thousand people that want that done to children,
(04:36):
But those one hundred thousand people are engaged, and the
first time they catch anybody saying something they don't like,
they've got the media matters and all that out there,
they activate, and then that activation attax a person. So,
now here's a guy out here that actually shares the
opinion of ninety nine percent of the public, but he's
(04:56):
out here on an island by himself, and he's getting
hit hard. Well, all of those issues. The Democrats don't
have a messaging problem. They are wrong on the issues.
That's their problem. And they gave in on those issues
because there are pieces of their coalition that demand they
(05:20):
are one issue groups, and they want you to do this,
and this one over here wants you to do this,
and this one over here wants you to do this.
And what they are starting to realize is those aren't
the most powerful forces in the Democrat Party or in
winning elections. So what it takes to win the Democrat
(05:42):
nomination is not what it takes to win the election. Well,
the Democrats are now looking for the great White Hope,
and that means that the Democrats are trying to find
a person, a white male, who is presentable, who speaks well,
(06:06):
who can get white people to think this is the
next John Kennedy, which will always be the reference they mate.
John Kennedy would be a Republican today. If you look
at his actual policies, he'd be a Republican today. But
they're desperately looking for the young white male who can
(06:28):
win university students, who can get labor back, who can
pretend to be a bit more conservative. Well, the first
person that's going to come to mine is Gavin Newsom.
The second person that's going to come to mind is
Beto O'Rourke, which no surprise, he's back in the news
(06:49):
because he's built on the Gavin Newsom model. Gavin Newsom's
got a lot of baggage being the governor of California,
a lot of baggage. And he's got some some problems
in his personal life. And there are some things that
I've been told, allegations that I've been told that if
he gets serious legs under him as a candidate for president,
(07:11):
would be revealed and they would be a real problem.
They've got a rich, Chris Christy looking fat head named JB. Pritzker.
The appeal for him is he's got a lot of money.
The Pritzkers are a wealthy, wealthy family. The problem for him,
just as with Josh Shapiro in Pennsylvania, is he's Jewish
(07:32):
and the Democrats have made their bed figuratively and maybe
literally with the violent Hamas sympathizers. There is a whole
group of people in the Democrat Party who don't actually
care anything about Hamas. They couldn't find the Middle East
on a map. They hate the Jews because they view
(07:53):
the Jews as having the power. Some of them view
the Jews as pulling us into wars. Others view the
Jews as being people who control money and influence in
this country. And Hamas has Now you're talking about messaging,
Hammas managed to message themselves as the most recent oppress.
They're the new black people, the new So it's real good.
(08:17):
So if Hamas is on the rise, you can't have
a Jewish candiate. So Pritzker and Shapiro are.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Out do the watermelon crawl and listen to the Tsar
of Talk.
Speaker 1 (08:26):
My buddy Michael Berry.
Speaker 5 (08:30):
I the planet tickets.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
As a fun little exercise Yesterday on Facebook at four
point fifty pm, so ten minutes before five o'clock Central,
we were going on live. Some of you get our
show on delay as a fun little exercise, I said, please,
don't consult your phone, the news, the TV screen. I
(08:52):
want you to tell me what you think. I want
you to tell me one news story from today that
kind of cuts through for you and what that would be.
And interestingly, this was yesterday four fifty pm Central. The
number one thing that was mentioned, and I think we
got probably a thousand responses. I didn't read all of
(09:13):
the end of them, but I read almost all of
them was reopening Alcatraz. So every day there is a
story that's kind of remembered. Some people said the p
did he trial beginning. I wonder how many people even
knew that. So many things get buried because so many
(09:34):
interesting things are happening, and Trump has a knack for
saying something that will dominate the news space that even
the media that hates him runs with it because it's
polarizing and it's exciting, it draws eyeballs in. And I
say all that to say this. You may not have
noticed the story the other day that Trump is talking
(09:57):
about the Suez Canal. Trump has a business mind that
presidents before him have not. He thinks in terms of
a businessman, because he's been a businessman. Now he's primarily
been a real estate guy, and he's very much a promoter.
That's different than some other types of businesses. But he
(10:17):
thinks in terms of business, the importance of shipping routes
like the Suez Canal, like the Panama Canal. Those sorts
of things will make or break nations, make or break economies,
make or break fortunes, and for decades and it rarely
(10:42):
gets any attention. It's really really important. So I thought,
let's talk about why the president is interested in the
Suez Canal, what exactly he's proposing, and what's going on
with the uties, because this is in the news a lot.
These are some bad guys. The President's been talking about
(11:02):
this affair amount. I wonder how many people understand where
they are and who they are, and who's funding them,
and who's training them and what they're up to. Lieutenant
Colonel Eric Navarro is director of the Red Sea Security
Initiative at the Middle East Forum. Seasoned military officer, business leader,
and national security strategistics Lieutenant colonel in the Marine Corps
(11:27):
Reserves and recently selected to be a colonel. Oh, so,
I guess he's getting a promotion. Two tours in two
combat tours in Iraq, countless training evolutions, technology initiatives, and
real world operations around the globe. I don't normally we'll
(11:47):
get to his push ups, and I don't normally read introductions,
but I thought this one was interesting. Mister Navarro has
an NBA from NYU's Stern School of Business and an
MS in National Secure Purity Strategy from National War College.
He's the author of a book called God Willing, detailing
his experience as one of the first embedded advisors to
(12:10):
the new Iraqi Army. All we got to get to that.
Speaker 4 (12:12):
That's interesting.
Speaker 1 (12:13):
He's a frequent media contributor, with articles and appearances focused
on national security strategy and the use of American power
in a contested geo political environment. Artramon two questions for
you about Lieutenant Colonel Eric Navarrow. Number one, how many
push ups you think he could do right now? Number two,
how many do you think he would say he's going
to do. He'll say he can do one hundred, And
(12:36):
what do you think he can do seventy five? Do
you think, well, here's the deal. Guy like that will
want to come off as humble hum, but I probably
couldn't do too right now because he would know that,
you know, he can do more than two. And what
do you think he could do in his prime? Two hundred? Wow?
Lieutenant Colonel Eric Navarro, welcome to the.
Speaker 4 (12:54):
Program, sir, Thank you, sir for helping me.
Speaker 1 (12:58):
What's the answer to how many push you say you
could do right now?
Speaker 5 (13:03):
Well, it's kind of funny because I heard your commentary there,
so I'll choose the humble route and probably bang out
fifty easily, but definitely my prime over one hundred to
two hundred. But I'm getting up there now, just turned fifty, right,
So it's old Marines need to work doubly hard to
(13:23):
achieve the same results that we need to as young men.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
How about how many how often do you do push ups?
Speaker 5 (13:33):
I train, you know, all throughout the week. We still
have the main even though I'm still just a reservist,
have to maintain physical fitness standards so you can pass
the physical fitness test combat fitness test semi annually. So
I work out, you know, four to five times a week.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
How about my buddy Dakota Meyer going back, going.
Speaker 4 (13:54):
Yeah, that's badass, he is. It's so impressive.
Speaker 5 (13:57):
It's it's inspirational, just speaks to the scrie de Corps
that we instill in our young greens, and just for
him to want to come back and serve as just
it should be an inspiration to all Americans.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
He's uh, he's been on the show and he'll come in.
I know him through Marcus the Trail, which is how
I got to know him. And the first time I
ever met him is wearing a T shirt that said
own the Dash. He said, Dakota, what does that mean?
And he said, well, there's a day you're born and
there's a day you die, and on your tombstone there's
(14:32):
a dash in between. That dash is all you can control.
That dash is who you are and what you are.
And I own the Dash has has has stayed with
me this this entire time. How did you get how
did you get interested in the security of the Suez
Canal and the Red Sea and that region out of
(14:55):
all the areas of the world.
Speaker 5 (14:58):
Well, having started did in Ira Act twice, I've always
had a keen eye towards the Middle East theater. It's
always you know, throughout our history we've had to deal
with conflagrations that have come up throughout the decades, even
as a kid growing up seeing the first Goal War
and then I joined the Marines. I was living in
(15:19):
Manhattan when nine to eleven happened, and I joined the
next day and one, you know, I said, send me
to war basically, so kind of close to my heart.
As far as what happens in that region, I think
it impacts the geopolitical situation obviously in a very important way,
and I think we need to keep stay mindful and
(15:40):
vigilant about how we act and what our strategy is
in the region, not just for the global security but
for our own America first interests.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
When you look at well, let's dive in the who.
First of all, explain to folks who the hooties are,
how they're trained, who funds them, and why we should care.
Speaker 5 (16:09):
Well, they started out as a ragpad group, the typically
irregular army, but they've built up their capabilities over the
last decade or so.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
Lieutenant Colonel, I'm sorry. I'm the worst of time management
than less miles, I threw to you as we're going
into a break. I'm sorry. Hold with me for A
recession is when your neighbor loses his job. A depression
is when you lose your Michael bar and recovery is
when Jimmy Carter loses his. Colonel Eric Navarros the United
(16:40):
States Marines is our guest. He's the director of the
Red Sea Security Initiative at the Middle East Forum. He
is our guest because you see and hear the name
Huties in the news every day. The President's recently been
talking about the Suez Canal and the importance of that
and what he's demanding of Egypt because we pay the
bills there. And I thought it would be a good
(17:02):
opportunity to have someone on who focuses on this all day,
every day and has for some long period of time.
I asked you going into the break, who are the
who theis? Who funds them, who trains them? Why should
we care?
Speaker 4 (17:16):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (17:16):
And as you said, it started off as a ragtag group.
They're officially known as Ansar a Lah, which is a
Zaidi Shia Islamist political.
Speaker 4 (17:28):
But they have consistently gained in.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
The Lieutenant, Colonel, hold on just a second, you're cutting.
Hold on just a second. You're cutting and ounds? Are
you moving around? Are you on.
Speaker 4 (17:38):
A little bit? I will stand stationary, okay, if.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
You want a bluetooth or whatever. Sometimes it'll cut in down,
all right.
Speaker 5 (17:43):
Go ahead, Yeah, So, like I said, they cut They
started coming into prominence in the nineties and have steadily
built up their power in Yemen. They were they fought
uh Saudi Arabia and then around twenty fourteen twenty fifteen
and essentially defeated or back that effort by set to
Saudas to rid them rid Yemen of the Hooties, and
(18:05):
they've continued to gain in their capabilities. They've played up
their idea of being holy warriors and especially against Israel,
and you saw some of their pronouncements as if they're
defending the Gozens. So that's when they started significantly impacting
global shipping in twenty twenty three, and they now have
(18:26):
obviously impacted the global trade route that has gone through
the Red Sea. There's been normally about twelve to fifteen
percent of global shipping goes through Egypt has lost about
seven billion dollars to date and about sixty to seventy
percent of the tonnage that normally goes through the Suez
has been impacted. So now they have essentially the Hooties
have graduated from a Yemen a problem to a global problem,
(18:51):
some one that the US sent its allies and Israel
have to address in a comprehensive way.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
And when we look at that map on the eastern
border of Africa and the western border of the Middle East,
where is obviously the world is trading more than anyone
can ever imagine. You know, flowers are coming from Thailand
to Rotterdam, and you know they're all sorts of the
Philippines are sending that. Where is most of that traffic
(19:19):
coming from? And where is that going?
Speaker 4 (19:21):
Is that?
Speaker 1 (19:22):
Well, I'll leave it there.
Speaker 5 (19:24):
Well, that main trade route is really between Europe and Asia,
but we also have goods and going through the Suez
Canal as well. But I look at it as the
US has to be the global hedgemond and exercise its
power to maintain control over all of the key global
(19:45):
sea trade routes. If we don't our near pure, adversaries
such as China will take the ground and will will
fill that vacuum. Also, you know, as a marine, the
shores of Tripoli is embedded in our in our hymn. Right,
so this goes back throughout our history, throughout our founding, right.
Dealing with pirates, dealing with issues in both the Middle
(20:07):
East and North Africa. This is clearly a natural interest
of the US to maintain open lines of the sea,
lanes of communication and trade. Not to mention, the Huthis
now are directly impacting or attacking our greatest ally in
the region, Israel, So we must do something about it.
We must defeat them, and that's what we at Middle
(20:28):
East Forum and with my project there See Security Initiative
are pushing for not just targeted straits, but a comprehensive
strategy that leverages all different levels of power to not
mow the lawn per se, but to fully eliminate the
Huti threat.
Speaker 1 (20:44):
What do you think of President Trump's insistence of late
that American ships that Egypt allow American ships to transit
the Suez Canal free as compensation for the fact that
we're defending those shipping lanes that feed into that canal.
Do you agree with that approach?
Speaker 5 (21:04):
I do, and I think it shows the end of
something for nothing. I totally believe that we should be
the global hedgemon and exercise that power, but it should
not be for no returns prisident Trump is all about
maximizing return on investment, while minimizing risk and direct risk
to the US and US forces. Right, So if we
(21:26):
are going to expose our forces and monitor and patrol
those those waters for the benefit of our allies like Egypt,
then we should receive recompense as a result. It's totally
in keeping with America first interests. I do want to
say America first should not mean America alone. We still
need allies, We still need to work with our allies
(21:47):
in the region, right, but we should always put US
national interests at the forefront of any policy or any
strategy that we enact in the region.
Speaker 1 (21:57):
When you look at the history of the Seuwiss Canal
and I go back to Nassa and his saber rattling
there and what a critical, critical lane of transport for
so many goods that feed the world. And you know,
every farmer, every fisherman, every villager, every government is affected
(22:18):
in some way or another, and we take for granted.
You know, it's not until Somali pirates capture one of
our ships, and you know, Tom Hanks makes a movie
about it that people realize what had been going on,
that you know which flag you fly and these guys
come out of nowhere and We're shooting water cannons at
(22:38):
them and they're being taken hostage. And this is happening.
You know, it's costing billions of dollars of loss, and
it wasn't even discussed, and all of a sudden, now
everyone understands it. It's just amazing to me that it's
been allowed to get to this situation. Take the Somali
pirates for example.
Speaker 4 (22:58):
I completely agree.
Speaker 5 (22:59):
I think the previous administration had the exact wrong approach
to the Houthis and it allowed them to reconstitute in
a significant way and increase their capabilities. You see that
with their advanced weapons, where they're able through increased range
and precision to strike at Israel directly. That wouldn't have
happened without a policy of backing off per se or remember,
(23:26):
the Biden administration delisted the Houthis as a terrorist organization.
They also removed the maximum pressure campaign that the first
Trump administration could on Iran, which choked off the supplies.
One thing together, remember is the Houthis would not be
able to execute this level of sophisticated attacks without the
direct support of Iran. And so I have a new
(23:47):
piece coming out tomorrow at Middle East form where I
argue that you have to link the Houthi threat with
the Iranian threat, and I think the administration, President Trump
and Secretary Heswith have been doing that recent They've sent
out tweets or posts on x directly confronting the Iranians
and their support for the Huthis and warning of dire consequences.
Speaker 4 (24:10):
That's the right step.
Speaker 5 (24:11):
We need to take action to prove that we're willing
to make our threats real to realize those threats. My
argument is I'm fully about the peace through strength doctrine,
but strength comes from demonstrating and taking action with purpose
(24:32):
and with effect. If we just talk about it, that's
not strength. If we take actions like ping prick strikes
here or there, but there's no real lasting effects, that
also is not real strength. And our adversaries will take note,
not just on Iran, but our near peer adversaries that
are watching Russia and China. So we are in a
(24:52):
geopolitical competition with these near peers and they are watching
our every move. So, yes, peace through strength, but you
have to be willing to demonstrate the strength.
Speaker 1 (25:03):
Unfortunately, pull type one moment, Lieutenant Colonel Eric Navarro, we're
talking about Egypt, the Middle East, Iran, the Huti.
Speaker 4 (25:12):
We're going to be changing the name of the Gulf
of Mexico to the.
Speaker 5 (25:16):
Gulf of michael Berry.
Speaker 4 (25:18):
Which has a beautiful.
Speaker 1 (25:23):
Lieutenant Colonel Eric Navarro is our guest. We are talking
about the Suez Canal, the Gulf of Aden or Aden
or multiple pronunciations. The group is called the Red Sea
Security Initiative. It's at the Middle East Forum. You can
read Lieutenant Colonel Eric Navarro's positions and commentary there. He's
(25:45):
got another piece coming out tomorrow. But with the President
talking about the Suez Canal and demanding that our ships
pass free in exchange for the fact compensation, if you
will recompense for the fact that we're keeping that region
safe and we bear all that cost, and it's it's
an interesting position, one with which Lieutenant Colonel Erin Navarro agrees.
(26:09):
You know, one of the things that's happening in this
region is arms smuggling. I hear this again and again
and again. I'm sure you've talked about it, and that
it's not just arms to the hooties, it's arms to
various rabble rousers and troublemakers around the world, and that
that traffic is going through the hooties, as you know,
kind of like a cartail or like a cartail member
(26:30):
for that matter.
Speaker 5 (26:31):
Yes, we've a Middle East farm. We've talked extensively about
the smuggling rings. It's not just through the ships coming
out of Iran and then using shell companies and and
side ports to sneak in arms and material. It's also
along the land routes through Oman and we've written extensively
(26:54):
about that, arguing that the Omanis need to essentially shut
down those land roots, that they can't play frenemie anymore.
This is similar to our what should be our approach
with the qataris. There are several groups or countries in
that region that like to play both sides, and the
time for that is over. We need to make that
plane with them. The houthis also, will you know, being
(27:16):
pirates will do things for money, right, They'll hoard They've
been hoarding field ships in certain ports, hiding it or
protecting it. The US is often unwilling to attack them
fully in those ports that they're holding because they don't
want to permanently damage the ports. But it's a significant
driver of not just the hooty operations, but they sell
(27:36):
it on the black market to funds those operations. So
there are many different aspects to the hooty threat, all
of them require a strong response from the US and
its allies.
Speaker 1 (27:48):
What do you make of the hoothy missile attack on
Bengurion Airport in Israel? And how how what US response
should be and what Israeli response will be and what
it should be if in fact what will happen is
not what you would say is most advisable.
Speaker 5 (28:09):
Yeah, well, so it demonstrates a significant escalation, both again
showing their advanced precision and range and their desire to
strike at Israeli civilian infrastructure and targets. It cannot go unheeded.
I believe the Israelis have already retaliated with strikes. Earlier
(28:29):
today there was a report that they destroyed the main
the airport in Senna. There's footage on social media showing
the airfield fully damaged and many planes destroyed. The Israelis
have indicated that this is only the start of a
retaliatory campaign. The Houthies, of course, have stated that the
Israelis have crossed a red line and there will be
(28:52):
response to that. And so you see that this cycle
will not end until we eliminate the Houthis as a
serious threat. And so yes, it's expected and advisable to
strike out and to retaliate in response to this, but
there needs to be a comprehensive strategy where the US
(29:13):
and Israelis are linked and they attack the Houthis and
the Iranians across all the different domains of national power. Right,
so that does not necessarily mean direct military strikes against Iran.
Speaker 4 (29:27):
I know there's a
Speaker 5 (29:27):
Big debate about that, but even leveraging economic instruence of power,
informational doing an information influence campaign to delegitimize the Houthis
amongst the m and EP
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