Another devastating blow to the European art world was unveiled after thieves broke into a private Italian museum, making off with three masterpieces in a heist last week that lasted only three minutes, officials said on Monday. The robbery took place the night of March 22 at the Magnani Rocca Foundation in the Italian countryside near the city of Parma. The three stolen artworks by renowned French artists are worth roughly $10 million: “Les Poissons” by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, “Still Life with Cherries” by Paul Cézanne, and “Odalisque on the Terrace” by Henri Matisse. A fourth piece was abandoned at the scene, according to the New York Times. Four hooded thieves reportedly entered the museum through the front door, where they snagged the art from the French Gallery on the first floor. After they were interrupted by the museum’s security system, the group then escaped across the gardens and climbed over a fence to freedom. From start to finish, the entire theft took just three minutes. “Still Life with Cherries” by Paul Cézanne Magnani Rocca Foundation, via Reuters “Odalisque on the Terrace” by Henri Matisse Magnani Rocca Foundation/Reuters The museum believes a “structured and organized” gang was responsible, though the heist was “not completed” because of the quick response from local authorities. There have been no arrests in the days since, and the museum has continued operating as usual. A police spokesman told CNN the officials kept the heist a secret in hopes of catching the thieves if they returned. It has been less than six months since the infamous Louvre heist transpired in Paris, France, where thieves stole $102 million worth of jewels and other items in the middle of the day. A lawyer for the foundation told CNN that the latest theft may have been inspired by the apparent “ease” of the previous crime.

Podcaster Jack Posobiec stirred controversy last week with an explosive accusation: J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is pagan. “I’ve heard people try to make the argument that ‘Lord of the Rings’ is overtly Christian and I hate to burst the bubble, guys, but you’re just wrong,” Posobiec said. “There’s nothing overtly Christian about ‘Lord of the Rings.’ Uh, there’s no church in it, there’s no faith in it, there’s no Christ figure — there’s none of these things. And honestly, ‘Lord of the Rings,’ if it’s anything, ‘Lord of the Rings’ is overtly pagan … You have a pantheon of powerful creatures, and figures.” The fact that Stephen Colbert likes the trilogy is further proof that Lord of the Rings is bad, Posobiec added. He doubled down on X, arguing that the Lord of the Rings couldn’t be Christian with “no Christ figure, no religion, not even prayer.” First, let’s dispense with the baffling Colbert argument. Stephen Colbert is a liberal moron. But “something must be bad because a liberal moron likes it” is the logic of a child. I’m sure there are plenty of liberal morons who love their children, but that doesn’t mean loving your children is bad. Moving on — sure, you could say that Tolkien’s masterpiece isn’t a Christian work because there’s no explicit Christ figure in it. You could also say that The Old Man and the Sea is a book about fishing. But in both cases, you would sound like an idiot. For starters, there’s what the author himself said about his work: Tolkien doesn’t beat you over the head with religious allegories precisely because the book is shot through with his Christian worldview. In a 1953 letter to a priest friend, Tolkien made that clear: “The Lord of the Rings is of course a fundamentally religious and Catholic work; unconsciously so at first, but consciously in the revision. That is why I have not put in, or have cut out, practically all references to anything like ‘religion,’ to cults or practices, in the imaginary world. For the religious element is absorbed into the story and the symbolism.” Or, as Tolkien said elsewhere (emphasis mine): “I am a Christian (which can be deduced from my stories).” Tolkien’s work backs up his words. After all, in the trilogy’s final book, Return of the King, it’s the Christian virtue of mercy that ultimately saves the day. Frodo journeys to the fires of Mount Doom to destroy the ring, only to succumb to temptation at the last moment and claim the ring for himself. But in a twist of fate, Gollum — whose life Frodo spared earlier in the trilogy — bites off Frodo’s finger (and the ring) before falling into the fire, thereby completing the mission of destroying the ring. If not for Frodo’s mercy towards Gollum, Tolkien notes in a letter to a fan who questioned whether Frodo had “failed” as a hero, Frodo or Samwise Gamgee may well have had to cast themselves with the ring “into the fiery abyss” in order to destroy it.    “Frodo indeed ‘failed’ as a hero, as conceived by simple minds: he did not endure to the end; he gave in, ratted. I do not say ‘simple minds’ with contempt: they often see with clarity the simple truth and the absolute ideal to which effort must be directed, even if it is unattainable. Their weakness, however, is twofold. They do not perceive the complexity of any given situation in Time, in which an absolute ideal is enmeshed. They tend to forget that strange element in the World that we call Pity or Mercy, which is also an absolute requirement in moral judgment (since it is present in the Divine nature),” Tolkien notes in the letter. He goes on to add: “Frodo had done what he could and spent himself completely (as an instrument of Providence) and had produced a situation in which the object of his quest could be achieved. His humility (with which he began) and his sufferings were justly rewarded by the highest honour; and his exercise of patience and mercy towards Gollum gained him Mercy: his failure was redressed.” Mercy. Redemptive suffering. Providence. Those are all Christian themes — you just have to look a little harder beyond “Is Jesus in this book?” to find them. Finally, I’ll leave you with what Tolkien wrote about the Eucharist — what Catholics believe is the true body and blood of Jesus. Tolkien wrote about his love for the Eucharist in the most emotional, passionate terms — the way a romantic might write about his lover (or the way Jim Acosta might write about himself). Here’s a sample, from a long letter that Tolkien wrote to his son: “Out of the darkness of my life, so much frustrated, I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament… There you will find romance, glory, honor, fidelity, and the true way of all your loves on earth, and more than that: Death: by the divine paradox, that which ends life, and demands the surrender of all, and yet by the taste—or foretaste—of which alone can what you seek in your earthly relationships (love, faithfulness, joy) be maintained, or take on that complexion of reality, of eternal endurance, which every man’s heart desires.” Are we seriously supposed to believe that the man who wrote that used his pedestal to promote paganism? The Lord of the Rings is a Christian masterpiece. The trilogy’s fans know it. Tolkien knew it. And hopefully Jack Posobiec will read this piece so he can know it too. *** Peter J. Hasson is an editor at The Washington Free Beacon and author of  The Manipulators: Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Big Tech’s War on Conservatives.

This article is part of Upstream, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you. *** In a hundred years’ time, people will still remember the name J. K. Rowling — and not only for writing one of the most beloved and best-selling fantasy book series of all time. She will be remembered for the role she played in saving civilization from the harms of gender ideology. Rowling is an internationally beloved icon, known for bringing joy to millions through the Harry Potter book series. Harry Potter was, and still is, a cultural behemoth that has been retold through movies, video games, and theme parks, and is now being turned into an HBO television series. But in 2020, almost overnight, Rowling went from being the queen of popular culture to becoming an internationally hated villain. Her crime? Defending women’s rights and publicly acknowledging you can’t change your sex. In late 2019, Rowling was already receiving backlash for hinting she disagreed with the transgender agenda in social media posts. However, she fully outed herself as “transphobic” in June 2020 by publishing a powerful and highly controversial essay that defended women’s rights and biological reality. Rowling explained in the essay how “trans activism” was threatening the rights of women across the globe and expressed concerns over women losing their fertility from medical transitions and the dangers of allowing men into female private spaces. “It’s been clear to me for a while that the new trans activism is having (or is likely to have, if all its demands are met) a significant impact on many of the causes I support, because it’s pushing to erode the legal definition of sex and replace it with gender,” Rowling wrote. “I do not want to make natal girls and women less safe. When you throw open the doors of bathrooms and changing rooms to any man who believes or feels he’s a woman — and, as I’ve said, gender confirmation certificates may now be granted without any need for surgery or hormones — then you open the door to any and all men who wish to come inside. That is the simple truth.” It’s incredible to read this essay today and see how ahead of the curve Rowling was in understanding the many ways gender ideology harms women and society.  As one of the earliest and boldest celebrity figures to speak clearly on these issues, Rowling earned brutal backlash from nearly every corner of the internet, from fans removing their Harry Potter tattoos because they now represented “transphobia” to harsh criticism from Daniel Radcliffe, the actor who played Harry Potter in the movies. Rowling has been called derogatory names and had her physical safety threatened thousands of times over her opposition of gender ideology. And almost six years after publishing her initial essay, she’s still being criticized for supporting biological reality and women’s rights. Just last week, Andrew Garfield, a B-list actor best known for being Emma Stone’s ex-boyfriend, went viral for taking a dig at Rowling in an interview. Garfield called watching the Harry Potter movies “controversial” and said, “We shouldn’t be, you know, putting money in the pocket of inhumane legislation right now through she that shall remain nameless.” Rowling has a fund that supports individuals and organizations “fighting to retain women’s and girls’ sex-based rights in all aspects of life.” Rowlings financially supported a group that won a U.K. Supreme Court case in 2025 that clarified the definition of “woman” should be based on biological sex in the U.K.’s Equality Act 2010. In response to that win, Rowling tweeted a photo of herself, holding a drink and smoking a cigar, with the simple caption, “I love it when a plan comes together.” Tuesday is Transgender Day of Visibility, a fake holiday created by a man pretending to be a woman, and I think it’s a perfect day to celebrate J.K. Rowling. Rowling is a real woman who has held the line on biological reality for us all. She has given the issue of gender ideology visibility in a way that only a billionaire cultural icon could. She’s chosen to make herself visible, putting a target on her back, and has taken many arrows from angry transgender activists who have threatened her safety and tried to destroy her legacy. In spite of it all, she’s carried on with a smile and a sharp sense of humor and has helped other women fighting similar battles. One of her first acts of defiance against gender ideology happened in 2019 when Rowling defended Maya Forstater, a British researcher who lost her job for tweeting that a man cannot change his biological sex. She continues to face headwinds for women fighting for biological rights on the ground through the J.K. Rowling Women’s Fund. Rowling could have just chosen to stay quiet and enjoy life in her private Scottish castle. Instead, she chose to fight for and support those who don’t have the means or voice to fight alone. Those who give up their own comfort for the betterment of others are the kinds of historical figures that save civilizations. History will remember J. K. Rowling for doing her part.

WASHINGTON—War Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday laid down the law for members of President Donald Trump’s base who want more clarity on the war in Iran. “I don’t understand why the base … wouldn’t have faith in his ability to execute on this,” Hegseth told Daily Wire White House Correspondent Mary Margaret Olohan, pointing to President Trump’s record of pursuing “peace through strength” and “America First outcomes.” In a Pentagon press briefing, Olohan asked Hegseth if he had a message “to Americans who love the president and strongly believe in him but are very worried about this notion of boots on the ground?” This morning I asked Secretary Pete Hegseth what his message is to Americans who love the president and support him, but are very anxious about this notion of “boots on the ground”: pic.twitter.com/yvWJctIUt7 — Mary Margaret Olohan (@MaryMargOlohan) March 31, 2026 Hegseth made it clear that while the president was keeping every option on the table, he would not aid the Iranian enemy forces by making known publicly what the next move would be. “We’re not going to foreclose any option. You can’t fight and win a war if you tell your adversary what you are willing to do or what you are not willing to do, to include boots on the ground.” While he nodded to the possibility of diplomacy (“maybe negotiations work, or maybe there’s a different approach”), Hegseth’s answer reinforced that escalation remains a live option. He also sought to reassure skeptics indirectly, arguing that Trump has “internalized the lessons of Iraq and Afghanistan” and would not repeat past mistakes, even while keeping all military tools available. While support for the war itself remains strong, as does support among MAGA for Trump, polling shows broad backing among Trump voters for strikes targeting Iran’s military infrastructure; support drops off sharply when it comes to sending ground troops. Recent surveys show a majority of Republicans, and an even larger share of the broader electorate, oppose deploying U.S. troops, with roughly half of Republicans and nearly three-quarters of all voters against “boots on the ground.” That divide has already begun to show up publicly, with cracks emerging inside the MAGA movement over the direction of the war and fears that it could become another prolonged Middle East conflict. Loud voices have increasingly warned against mission creep, invoking Iraq and Afghanistan as cautionary examples of conflicts that began with limited objectives but expanded over time. Hegseth, while engaging at length, offered little in the way of direct reassurance. Instead, he leaned into strategic ambiguity and the need to keep adversaries guessing. “Our adversary right now thinks there are 15 different ways we could come at them with boots on the ground,” he said. “And guess what? There are.”

“Summer House” stars Amanda Batula and West Wilson just confirmed that the rumors about their secret relationship are true. The couple shared a joint statement to Instagram on Tuesday, noting that they never expected something like this to happen. “We’ve seen the growing online speculation, so while this is still very new, we wanted to provide some clarity,” the reality stars posted to Stories. “It was never our intention to purposely hide anything. Given the complicated relationship dynamics involved and the scrutiny that comes with being on a reality show, we needed a little space to process things privately before speaking on it,” the statement continued. “We’ve shown up for each other as friends over the years, through all the highs and lows, and what’s developed recently was the last thing either of us expected.” Batula and Wilson said their friendship developed into something more, and they opted to take the public reveal slowly. “As our feelings evolved, we wanted to take time to understand exactly what we were feeling. We also recognize that this has had an impact beyond just us and never wanted our actions to cause any hurt or be perceived as careless,” the social media update went on. Making matters especially complicated is the fact that Batula separated from her husband, fellow “Summer House” star Kyle Cooke, in January after four years of marriage, as Page Six noted. Wilson used to date Batula’s best friend Ciara Miller, who also appears on the popular Bravo series. Several “Summer House” co-stars have shown their support for Miller in the wake of the scandal. Miller hasn’t released a public statement, but she did unfollow both Batula and Wilson on Instagram, the outlet noted. The news comes as Season 10 of “Summer House” airs on Bravo, marking the tenth season for Batula and the third for Wilson. “Summer House” follows a group of friends who share a house together on weekends between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The reunion special, moderated by Andy Cohen, is coming up in a few weeks and promises to be especially dramatic in light of these new revelations.