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America’s ‘undeclared emergency:’ Palantir exec talks Iran, deadly new US weapons and how to avoid World War 3
As tensions boil over with Iran, Palantir Technologies CTO Shyam Sankar argues that, for the time being, America’s superior weapons are humiliating adversaries on the battlefield — but the U.S. remains dangerously unprepared for a protracted global conflict, putting the global balance of power in jeopardy.
Sankar made the case that America faces an “undeclared emergency,” having nearly lost the industrial deterrence necessary to prevent World War III as global rivals grow more powerful and more brazen.
“We’ve just started to restore deterrence. We have the Maduro operation, [Operation] Midnight Hammer, current events in Iran, but we need to… be very clear-eyed about the moment — that these could be the kind of skirmishes that lead up to a larger conflict,” Sankar said during an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.
“And we should be asking ourselves the question, ‘What can we do right now to deter World War III?'”
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He advocated for empowering mold-breaking industry leaders to bypass Pentagon bureaucracy, and for sweeping investment in innovation and manufacturing to make the defense space competitive again. He explores these ideas as artificial intelligence radically transforms the battlefield in his new book, “Mobilize: How to Reboot the American Industrial Base and Stop World War III.”
Sankar emphasized the importance of funding technological research and development, contending that tech is the lever that directly leads to increased efficacy on the ground.
“If you look at the history of technology, it’s always been the thing that’s given us orders of magnitude of efficiency, of capability. Even if you look at the present day conflict in Iran, the sort of planning that we were able to do with one person in two weeks is something that in Gulf War II actually took 50 people six months,” he said.
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“So that sort of efficiency translates that into lethality. It translates into cost. If you’re not willing to invest in the technology, though, you’ll never be able to realize that.”
But the way the government conceives of tech investment is misguided, he asserted, stating that the industry should reward results today rather than allowing big defense contractors to prioritize their own balance sheets over putting working weapons in the hands of soldiers as quickly as they can.
He pointed to recent events as evidence of a roiling global order, including the annexation of Crimea in 2014, the militarization of the Spratly Islands in 2015, and Iran’s nuclear progress, Hamas’ attack on Israel in 2023, and the chaos caused by the Houthis “holding world trade hostage in the Red Sea.”
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“The conflict with Iran shows us that we need to continue to go faster,” he said, lauding Operation Epic Fury and claiming America owes her soldiers the best technology possible.
“And I think what we see in the current conflict is that the high-low mix really does matter — that we really do own the high end of the fight. Our weapons are quite exquisite… we’re also humiliating our adversaries’ weapons. From Maduro on, you look at the complete failure of Chinese and Russian air defense systems… We’re doing great.”
Still, Sankar said there is much to learn from challenges present at “the low end” of the fight. America isn’t in a perfect defensive posture and risks being beaten by inferior technology that is more quickly produced, he cautioned.
“The difficulty we have countering the Shaheds, the lessons that we should be learning from Ukraine, from Iran, these are present. And we’re going to need more heterodox thinking, more competing ideas, a bolus of investment to get after it.”
“The good news is the department realizes this and these plans are well underway.”
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From courts, critics and his own party, Donald Trump runs smack into reality
President Trump hasn’t had a great week. I don’t think anyone can argue with that.
The man who has so utterly dominated the Republican Party has been forced to backtrack or reverse himself, in part because of on-the-record outrage by GOP lawmakers.
That involved his plan to create a $1.8-billion “anti-weaponization” fund, with most of it going to Jan. 6 rioters, who he calls patriots. The idea of rewarding people who attacked police officers, took over members’ quarters and chanted “Hang Mike Pence!” touched a very deep nerve (among the public as well).
When leaders of his own party, who usually roll over and play dead, started denouncing what some of them called a slush fund, Trump knew he had a loser on his hands and yesterday tried to cut his losses: He has officially killed the funding scheme.
This, of course, grew out of his suit against the IRS, where Trump was definitely wronged by the leaking of his tax returns, but as president was “negotiating” with his subordinates.
Then there are the courts, where even the Supreme Court has not escaped Trump’s wrath on decisions he dislikes, such as striking down his unilateral global tariffs. He called out justices by name, branding them “fools and lapdogs,” a “disgrace” and an “embarrassment.”
Which brings us to the Kennedy Center fiasco.
A federal judge ordered that Trump’s name be removed from the glittering marble portico overlooking the Potomac River that had just been the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The judge temporarily blocked the two-year shutdown planned to begin this summer.
The president posted that unless he was in charge, he had “no interest in continuing what could only be a hopeless journey,” suggesting he would turn it over to Congress.
“Unfortunately, Judge Cooper and the Radical Left would rather see it DIE than have President Trump transform it into something that everyone could be proud of, much as I have done, in many cases, throughout my life,” he wrote.
Judge Christopher Cooper, setting a two-week deadline, said Trump’s renaming violated a 1964 law that made it “crystal clear” the institution was to be named for the assassinated president and that only Congress can change it.
I happen to think the center could remain open while partial refurbishing takes place, but of course no shows are booked at the moment.
The larger pattern is that many judges no longer trust the administration’s lawyers.
“Their missteps in court come as the department’s leadership takes an unusually combative tone with judges who rule against them,” The New York Times says.
A Trump Justice Department spokesperson said: “Any attack on the professionalism or integrity of DOJ attorneys is outrageous and unjustified.”
Finally, there is the court of public opinion for Trump, who turns 80 next month.
A lot of folks are upset about the design of the $250 bill featuring Trump’s visage. I don’t worry about that because I don’t plan on buying anything with a $250 note, but it hasn’t gone down well.
I don’t believe many people are wild about the surprise demolition of the East Wing, plans for a 250-foot arch, or the obsession with building a White House ballroom. That was originally going to be paid for by private donations, but now Congress wants to appropriate $1 billion in taxpayer dollars — kind of bait and switch.
The Iran War, whose settlement “talks” have been blown up by mutual attacks, is increasingly unpopular. A PBS/Marist poll last month found that 60 percent of those questioned disapprove of the war and overall are frustrated by soaring food and gas costs.
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As for the July 4 celebration, so many musicians, including Milli Vanilli, Flo Rida and Young MC, dropped out that the president canceled the concert and will turn it into a MAGA rally featuring … him.
Look, Donald Trump has always been at the center of his own narrative. He’s a born performer, dating back to “The Apprentice” days.
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I’ve interviewed Trump numerous times, and he can sit for an hour and rattle off answers on a vast array of subjects, including stuff from 40 years ago. So any talk that he’s on the verge of dementia is utter BS by uninformed critics. But he does seem less sure-footed right now.
Physically, the worst you can say about Trump is that he’s got swollen ankles and sometimes closes his eyes in meetings.
Trump is full speed ahead — that’s what he knows. Where he comes off as angry and overheated is in the barrage of late-night and early-morning Truth Social posts in which he rails against his opponents.
Hey, you don’t really expect an 80-year-old man to change, do you?
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Hilton, Becerra, in the lead with votes still being counted in battle for California governor
HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA – Republican Steve Hilton and Democrat Xavier Becerra were leading in unofficial early returns Wednesday morning and appeared positioned to advance to the November California gubernatorial election in the race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom in steering the nation’s most populous state and one of the world’s largest economies.
Hilton, a one-time British political strategist turned American conservative commentator and former Fox News Channel host who is backed by President Donald Trump, and Becerra, a former California attorney general who later served as a Cabinet secretary in former President Biden’s administration, were in the lead early Wednesday morning, with votes still being counted and results not yet certified.
“Change is coming to California, and it’s long overdue,” Hilton told supporters at his primary night watch party in Orange County.
Hilton, in an exclusive Fox News Digital interview following his speech, said speaking “honest, simple truths” to voters boosted his campaign. “Everything is too expensive in California. We’re going to cut people’s costs,” he pledged.
CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST PRIMARY RESULTS FROM FOX NEWS
Becerra, who, if elected in November, would make history as California’s first Latino governor since Romualdo Pacheco briefly served in 1875, told supporters that his campaign’s success is “more than a Hollywood ending. More than a milestone. That’s the everyday miracle of living in a state that makes the improbable seem inevitable. And I couldn’t have done it without you.”
Democrat-dominated California holds what’s known as a jungle primary in which all candidates, regardless of party affiliation, appear on the same ballot, with the top two finishers advancing to the general election.
Tom Steyer, a billionaire hedge fund founder turned environmental activist who unsuccessfully ran for his party’s 2020 presidential nomination and who has shelled out over $200 million of his own money in his bid for governor, was in third place as the results continued to be tabulated and as additional mail and provisional ballots remained to be counted.
Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican, as well as Democratic candidates former Democratic Rep. Katie Porter, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, were also among the whopping 61 candidates on the ballot.
Hilton is hoping to become the first California Republican to win a gubernatorial election since then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 2006 re-election.
In his speech, Hilton showed off the lining of his blazer, with American and California flags, that he said Schwarzenegger a few years ago urged him to wear. “Arnold, I did that for you,” Hilton said.
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Former Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Alex Padilla mulled launching Democratic bids for governor, but both last year announced they would take a pass. That resulted in the lack of a clear Golden State gubernatorial frontrunner for the first time in more than a quarter-century.
And the race was overshadowed for much of last year, as the devastation from the Los Angeles-area wildfires and President Donald Trump’s immigration raids grabbed headlines in California.
But the showdown for governor entered the spotlight earlier this year when one of the leading candidates, Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, dropped out of the race and then resigned from Congress after facing multiple allegations of sexual assault and misconduct that he continues to deny.
Swalwell’s exit from the race opened the door for first Steyer and then Becerra to rise in the polls.
Steyer, who unsuccessfully ran for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, spent more than $200 million of his own money to blanket the airwaves and the internet with ads. Meanwhile, more than $80 million in outside money has also been spent on the race.
Bianco, who launched his campaign for governor in April of last year, was among the top contenders in the race until Trump’s endorsement of Hilton in early April appeared to blunt his momentum.
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