The Free Press, a media outlet now owned by the son of tech billionaire Larry Ellison, is running a defense-industry-sponsored podcast pushing for deeper U.S. military involvement in Iran — and the sponsor is Palantir, the AI surveillance firm behind the targeting system used in thousands of U.S. strikes.
The podcast, called “School of War,” is hosted by Marine veteran Aaron MacLean and features interviews with establishment foreign policy figures. Since the Iran War began in February, MacLean has hosted representatives from the pro-war Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank on six different occasions.
The most recent episode featured Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz calling for regime collapse in Iran and arming Iranian civilians.
“This episode of School of War is brought to you by Maven Smart System — the builder platform for the American warfighter, fielded across the force and live on the frontline today.”
Palantir began sponsoring the podcast on July 21. Each episode now opens with a 45-second script read by MacLean promoting the company’s Maven Smart System.
The “Free” Press: Honest. Independent. Fearless. And brought to you by Palantir pic.twitter.com/5bZ8WK2X7N
— John Loftus (@JohnCFLoftus1) August 10, 2026
Project Maven is Palantir’s AI-powered targeting platform. Through data integration technology, the system uses AI algorithms to analyze massive quantities of surveillance data — satellite imagery, photographs, geolocation data including IP addresses — to identify potential military targets.
The processed intelligence, along with aircraft movements and personnel positions, is visualized on the Maven Smart System interface for strike planning.
The U.S. military has reportedly used Project Maven for thousands of strikes against Iran throughout the current war.
The AI system drew scrutiny early in the conflict after a missile strike hit an Iranian girls’ school, killing 156 civilians, including 120 children. The system may have played a role in selecting the target, which was reportedly next to an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps compound. Many experts and investigators believe the U.S. military was responsible.
MacLean joined CBS News as a national security analyst and The Free Press as a columnist in March. He was previously a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, a pro-war think tank funded by the defense industry.
An announcement from @BariWeiss: The Free Press is joining Paramount.
Read more: https://t.co/tFH1mA3t4Fpic.twitter.com/3PIlAh6gNc
— The Free Press (@TheFP) October 6, 2025
David Ellison, son of tech oligarch Larry Ellison, purchased The Free Press for $150 million in October 2025 through his media company, Paramount Skydance.
Larry Ellison, co-founder of the database software company Oracle, is a proponent of expansive government surveillance measures. He advocated for national biometric ID cards with thumbprints and iris scans after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, saying his company could implement it for free.
In 2025, he called for compiling all citizen data and genomic information into a single government database.
“We’re going to have supervision. Every police officer is going to be supervised at all times, and if there’s a problem, AI will report that problem and report it to the appropriate person. Citizens will be on their best behavior because we are constantly recording and reporting everything that’s going on.”
The Free Press was founded by journalist Bari Weiss as an independent media outlet before being acquired by the Ellison family empire.
