The Free Press pro-war podcast, "School of War," hosted by Marine veteran Aaron MacLean, has a new sponsor: Palantir, a U.S. defense contractor and AI surveillance firm. The podcast features interviews with establishment figures from defense and foreign policy circles, many of whom advocate pro-war positions.

Palantir appears to have begun sponsoring the podcast on July 21, 2026, starting with an episode featuring New York Times reporter Jonathan Swan. Subsequent episodes, including one with Senator Ted Cruz calling for regime collapse in Iran and arming Iranian civilians, included sponsored messages on Apple Podcasts and opening remarks by MacLean. In the Cruz episode, MacLean read a 45-second script promoting Palantir's Maven Smart System, an AI-powered technology that has faced scrutiny after a missile strike on an Iranian girls’ school killed 156 civilians, including 120 children.

Aaron MacLean has hosted top members of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a pro-war and pro-Israel think tank, on six occasions.

The Free Press was purchased in October 2025 for $150 million by David Ellison, son of tech oligarch Larry Ellison, through his media company Paramount Skydance. David Ellison has advocated for national biometric ID cards with thumbprints and iris scans following the 9/11 terrorist attacks and claimed his company could implement such a system for free.

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