The Dictatorship
Art heists seem to be becoming more and more common. Here’s why.
On Sunday night, March 22, four masked men forced open the front door to the Magnani-Rocca Foundation, a private art collection nestled in the fields of northern Italy. In less than three minutes, the thieves climbed the stairs, turned leftand entered the French Roomwhere they grabbed three paintings off the wall: “Les Poissons” (1917) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir; “Still Life with Cherries”(1890) by Paul Cézanne; and “Odalisque on the Terrace” (1922) by Henri Matisse.
They intended to keep going — authorities later found another Renoir taken off the wall — but the alarm soundedforcing the thieves to abandon their work and flee by climbing over a fence. They remain at large.
The name of the game these days is more smash-and-grab than “Thomas Crown Affair.”
You might be wondering: another one?
You bet, and it’s not just you — a lot of people seem to agree that art heists are becoming more common.
ARTNews reported that 2025 was “seemingly a record year for art theft.” The Magnani-Rocca robbery is the latest in a string of thefts targeting museums over the past year or so, what the Economic Times described as “part of a broader pattern … [of] high-profile museum burglaries.” The most famous is the Louvre robbery from last October, when a group of individuals hacked their way into the museum in broad daylight and made off with jewelry valued at roughly $100 million.
Lesser-known recent heists from the past year include: the Drents Museum (golden Romanian artifacts — three-quarters of which were returned this Thursday); the Adrien Dubouché National Museum (Chinese porcelain works); the French National Museum of Natural History (gold nuggets); the Bristol Museum (over 600 assorted objects); the Denis Diderot museum (nearly 2,000 gold and silver coins); the Oakland Museum (over 1,000 assorted objects); the National Museum of Damascus (Roman-era statues); and the Mário de Andrade Library (Matisse engravings).
So why are art heists becoming more common? Three factors might explain the recent uptick.
First, museums generally have poor security. Most are forced to operate on shoestring budgets and what little funding they receive is usually funneled towards sexier projects — you’d be hard-pressed to find a donor excited by the prospect of sponsoring a CCTV system. Then there’s the architecture. Many museums are housed in historic buildings originally designed as stately homes or grand public fora. Leadership is often loathe to retrofit security upgrades because it would undermine the beauty or historical integrity of the building. The combination of inadequate funding and preservationist mindset means museum security systems tend to be relatively outdated (the password to the Louvre’s CCTV network was reportedly “LOUVRE”), and susceptible to quick, coordinated break-ins. Unfortunately, it appears that criminals are taking notice. The name of the game these days is more smash-and-grab than “Thomas Crown Affair.”
Second, as geopolitical uncertainty wreaks havoc on global economic forces, the value of precious metals and gemstones is increasing. Precious metals and gemstones are considered “safe-haven assets,” whose value increases whenever there is macroeconomic volatility. This makes them an especially appealing target for thieves because precious metals can easily be melted down and gemstones dissembled, making them valuable (and largely untraceable) hedges against global markets. The spiking value of precious metals and gemstones appears to have been the motivation behind the Louvre heist, as well as the robberies of the Drents Museum and the French National Museum of Natural History. But that doesn’t explain the Magnani-Rocca heist.
Which brings us to the third factor: the record-setting value of “blue chip” paintings.
But let’s back up. Generally, it’s a very poor idea to steal a painting, especially a famous one. People don’t steal paintings to admire in private collections (well, except one guy); they steal them for their value. But paintings are easily recognizable, which makes stolen ones difficult to sell. The art market’s dedication to heightened provenance standards means any work’s ownership history is highly scrutinized. And no legitimate purchaser would knowingly buy a stolen painting, no matter how valuable. It’s much more likely they’d report the painting to law enforcement. The stolen paintings that do get sold are sold on the black market, and they only fetch around 10% of their open-market value.
Generally, it’s a very poor idea to steal a painting, especially a famous one.
That said, stolen paintings can be valuable in other ways. For example, stolen paintings can be used as collateral in other black market deals, as a bargaining chip with law enforcement, or be ransomed back to the museum for a “finder’s fee.” These methods are however still quite risky, which is perhaps why the paintings taken during the Isabella Stewart Gardiner heist have never been recovered.
We may never know what motivated the Magnani-Rocca robbers. But I suspect part of the answer may lie in an unexpected corner: artificial intelligence. AI is one of the dominant forces of our day, seemingly infiltrating every aspect of life with alarming speed, and the art market is no exception. AI-generated art entered the art market in the late 2010s and has only carved out a larger share for itself since. Last year, for example, Christie’s held its first auction dedicated exclusively to AI-generated art.
But that doesn’t mean AI-generated art is replacing human-generated art. Far from it. In fact, it seems that the flood of AI-generated art is making human-generated art more valuable by comparison. This is not just because AI-generated art is “soulless.” It’s also due to the fact that human-generated art is also considered a safe-haven asset alongside precious metals and gemstones. As AI continues to insert itself into all facets of life, upending industries and labor markets, human-generated art is seen as a hedge against the impending financial disruptions.
This is particularly true for “blue chip” paintings — works of historical significance by famous artists. In 2025, despite the onslaught of AI-generated art and macroeconomic volatility (or, perhaps, because of it), worldwide sales of Impressionist and Modern art increased by nearly 30% to $4.7 billion, with over 120,000 works selling for over $10 million each. Old Masters sales — works by European artists painted between roughly 1300 and 1800 — skyrocketed by over 40% to $700 million, and Postwar and contemporary sales ticked up 2.5% to $4.1 billion.
Which is to say: the Magnani-Rocca Foundation may have been the victim of a perfect storm. Crime is a copycat game, and the recent string of heists has shown museums are vulnerable to smash-and-grab operations. And recent events — particularly the United States’ war with Iran —have further increased global unrest, making art, especially historical paintings by famous artists, uniquely valuable and safe investments. Perhaps this meant, at least to the Magnani-Rocca robbers, that the riskiness of post-theft difficulties was worth it.
Unfortunately, I doubt the Magnani-Rocca heist will be the last. With each new art theft, it’s becoming more and more clear that museum security systems are largely inadequate to protect against smash-and-grab robberies. And with global economic headwinds continuing to swirl in uncertainty, the value of timeless treasures is only going up, making them evermore tempting targets.
Walker Schulte Schneider is a lawyer specializing in art and cultural heritage. He works at WilmerHale in New York City.
The Senate Judiciary Committee postponed a vote on acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s nomination, a spokesperson said late Wednesday, as two retiring Republicans on the panel dug in over President Donald Trump’s personal “anti-weaponization” deal with the government he runs.
Sen. Chuck Grassley’s decision to delay the committee vote that had been set for Thursday marks a setback for one of Trump’s highest-profile Cabinet nominees, at the hands of Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, a pair of Republicans set to leave the chamber next year.
“Chairman Grassley works to set President Trump’s nominees up for success in committee, not failure. Senators Cornyn and Tillis want written assurances from the Department of Justice regarding the Trump-IRS settlement,” the committee spokesperson said.
Blanche’s nomination to permanently head the Department of Justice needs the support of either Cornyn or Tillis to make it out of the committee to a vote by the full Senate, assuming all Democrats remain opposed.
“Why don’t you call over the Department of Justice and tell them they have one hour and 50 minutes to get me what I asked for,” Cornyn told reporters Wednesday afternoon amid the hardening standoff over his demand that Blanche and the DOJ put in writing a commitment never to pursue the president’s prized “anti-weaponization” fund, and to clarify the terms of Trump’s personal deal with the Internal Revenue Service.
Tillis told MS NOW that the conversations were complicated by the need for the Justice Department to get “several parties” to agree on the language of the statement Cornyn and Tillis are seeking.
“What I’ve advised the chair, and I would assume Senator Cornyn said something similar, is that we’re not prepared to vote yes yet,” he added.
“The Department has been in regular communication with Committee members for weeks, and we look forward to continuing to work productively with Senators to address any concerns,” a Justice Department spokesperson said in response to the decision to postpone the committee vote.
Cornyn was set to meet with Blanche on Wednesday morning, but the meeting was called off after Blanche failed to meet the senator’s demand for written proposals to modify the controversial settlement agreement he brokered between Trump and the IRS. The Republican senator is set to leave Congress when his term ends in January after a bruising May primary loss to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Trump’s chosen candidate.
“Maybe John Cornyn’s upset with me because I didn’t endorse him,” Trump told reporters Wednesday afternoon in the Oval Office. “I don’t know what it is, but I haven’t heard that there’s a problem. I heard (Blanche) is going through quite nicely.”
Cornyn made clear to Blanche during his confirmation hearing that he will not get his support until he agrees to reopen and modify the settlement. Due to the committee’s narrow Republican majority, one GOP “no” vote is enough to sink Blanche’s nomination.
The senator has asked Blanche to provide proof that the proposed nearly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund established as part of the deal between Trump and the IRS is formally dead, and he has also demanded Blanche narrow the tax audit immunity provisions the settlement afforded to Trump and his family.
Blanche has publicly stated that his department has dropped the fund, but he and the DOJ have dodged requests from Cornyn and a federal judge to put that in writing.
After announcing his meeting with Blanche would not take place Wednesday morning, Cornyn told reporters that changes from Blanche “in a modified release form” would be acceptable, but that “for some reason … they simply refuse to do it,” referring to the DOJ.
Shortly after the meeting was called off, a Justice Department official told MS NOW that the department “provided a written proposal to Senator Cornyn’s staff yesterday following ongoing discussion with both the Committee and the Senator’s office.”
Cornyn said that proposal was “not responsive” to his demands because it did not address the tax audit immunity provisions in the settlement, one of his key demands.
In May, Blanche signed an addendum as part of the deal that granted Trump, his family and his businesses immunity from pending IRS tax audits. That agreement, which has been decried by former IRS officials and legal experts as unlawful self-dealing, is being contested in federal court.
Cornyn noted that Blanche testified under oath that he could meet the request during his confirmation hearing.
“Maybe they think I’m just going to give up or you know, go along, but they’re mistaken,” Cornyn said when asked why he thinks the DOJ could be slow-walking his request.
Kevin Frey contributed to this report.
Sydney Carruth is a breaking news reporter covering national politics and policy for MS NOW. You can send her tips from a non-work device on Signal at SydneyCarruth.46 or follow her work on X and Bluesky.
Mychael Schnell is a reporter for MS NOW.
Ebony Davis is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked at BLN as a campaign reporter covering elections and politics.
When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived this week for his tour of Washington, he may have had a mission in mind.
Netanyahu needed to overcome his newly diminished stature and waning influence over his once close friend President Donald Trump as both leaders grapple with the unpopularity of a war they started together and is escaping their control.
His meeting at the White House with Trump on Tuesday, which was closed to the press, was the first face-to-face encounter between the two allies since the U.S. and Israel launched a joint attack against Iran on Feb. 28.
Trump gave him a muted welcome and afterwards simply described the meeting as “very good.” “Obviously, many important subjects were discussed,” the president wrote on Truth Social.
Rather than an intimate one-on-one setting, the Oval Office was full of top U.S. officials — Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, and special envoy Steve Witkoff.
But Netanyahu continued the full court press on the Trump administration.
Over the course of two days, in addition to seeing Trump and attending Sen. Lindsey Graham’s funeral at the Capitol, Netanyahu also met separately with Vance, Hegseth, and Rubio, White House and Israeli officials confirmed to MS NOW.
The Israeli prime minister’s slate of meetings with key U.S. national security officials comes at a pivotal moment in the Iran conflict as tensions escalate in the region and Americans increasingly sour on the war. A recent Quinnipiac poll shows 60% of American voters opposing U.S. military action against Iran and 74% against sending U.S. ground troops into Iran.
Not only does Trump face pressure as Republicans face an uphill battle to retain congressional control in this fall’s midterms, Netanyahu’s fate as prime minister is at stake in Israel’s upcoming September elections – and he can’t afford to lose Trump’s favor.
The talks largely focused on what to do next as Iran continues to menace shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and retaliate against American bases in the region and launch attacks on Gulf allies.
According to a senior Israeli official who was granted anonymity to describe the closed-door meeting, President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu did not come to a final decision after discussing three paths forward: get a “good deal” focused on Iran’s nuclear program and enriched material, have no deal and instead continue the blockade and economic pressure, or take escalated military action.
But Netanyahu did not tell Trump what he should do – nor did he express a preference.
The senior Israeli official noted Netanyahu has not ruled out diplomacy – as long as it is coupled with “very strong pressures,” calling the push to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program “a contest of will and a contest of force.”
“There are ways of squeezing them and squeezing them and squeezing them and negotiating at the same time,” the official said.
Netanyahu did not present President Trump with new intelligence regarding the underground Iranian nuclear facility Pickaxe Mountain, per the senior Israeli official, noting the U.S. and Israel already are constantly sharing intelligence – and know where Iran’s highly enriched material is. “We don’t think it’s moved, and I think we have a pretty good grasp on that,” the official said.
During their meeting on Tuesday, Trump and Netanyahu discussed ways Israel and the U.S. can work together to stop Iran’s nuclear program and get the Strait of Hormuz open to maritime trade, the senior Israeli official said.
The two leaders also discussed a third goal: to continue to undermine the Iranian regime and “possibly create future conditions for a change in that area.” U.S. officials have backed away from pursuing paths that would overthrow the current leadership, but Netanyahu still believes that could happen.
“The chasm that has been created between the people and the regime is not about to be closed,” the senior Israeli official said of Netanyahu’s thinking.
Netanyahu advised Trump in February that Israeli intelligence indicated launching strikes against Iran would lead to the toppling of the Islamic Republic’s regime – and five months later, the slain ayatollah’s son retains power with a close circle of hardliners, calling into question the accuracy of Israel’s intelligence apparatus.
But the senior Israeli official said at the time, Netanyahu did not promise the Iranian people would take fate into their own hands following a coordinated attack. Rather, he chose his words carefully and said that an attack could create conditions to “advance the probability or the possibility that that would happen.”
The conditions needed for the Iranian regime to fall, “did not materialize,” the official told MS NOW, adding, “not for lack of insight, but for either operational failure or decisions that were made.”
Despite Netanyahu insisting Israel and the U.S. are on the same page, differences still remain: the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey and the Saudi nuclear arrangement did not come up during Wednesday’s White House meeting, according to a second Israeli official granted anonymity to describe sensitive discussions.
Meanwhile, the conflict continues to spread, with an Iranian drone attacking a U.S. gas storage tanker off the coast of Egypt on Wednesday.
Trump indicated he would not let Iran’s latest action slide, telling reporters on Wednesday that the U.S. would retaliate against Iran even as he leaves room for diplomatic talks to resume.
“It’s our turn, and we’ll see if we get there with an agreement at some point,” Trump said. “But we’re going to hit them very hard.”
As for what it would take for Israel to join the U.S. strikes, the senior Israeli official said that if Israel is attacked by Iran, “We will respond very, very forcefully and very quickly. And I think Iran would make a great mistake.”
Julia Jester covers politics for MS NOW and is based in Washington, D.C.
International rage over FIFA’s close ties to President Donald Trump has reached a fever pitch after soccer’s governing body announced a plan to sell a significant stake to an investor group led by Joshua Kushner, the brother of Trump’s son-in-law.
The president and his family have all but turned the White House into their personal piggy bank. And FIFA — which has its own sordid history of corruption — seems to have made itself a party to Trump’s self-enrichment under Gianni Infantino’s leadership, such as by paying for space inside Trump Tower in New York. (The organization has defended the office rental as a World Cup outpost.)
Soccer is seen by many as a unifying game. But Trump’s incorporation of FIFA into his political dynasty is threatening that idea.
FIFA has announced plans to sell a large minority stake in a new company that will run its main events, including the World Cup and Club World Cup, as part of a plan to triple the amount of development money it dishes out to its 211 member associations.
Under the proposals — which are subject to approval by a majority of those national associations and FIFA’s 37-member council — a new entity called FIFA Forward Enterprises (FFE) will take over all commercial operations, while FIFA remains the game’s global governing body and retains a majority stake in FFE.
A press release from FIFA confirmed the plans and said Thrive Eternal, which was launched by Joshua Kushner, is expected to lead the investment group that would control FIFA Forward Enterprise. FIFA did not clarify why Thrive Eternal was selected, and Kushner was already dabbling in sports.
But Trump basically has already given son-in-law Jared Kushner carte blanche to dictate U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East while simultaneously hatching business plans in the region. (Jared Kushner has denied any conflicts of interest.)
Joshua Kushner reportedly has been a major donor to Democrats. But, predictably, the idea of another Kushner becoming financially entwined with the World Cup — the world’s most popular sporting event — and basically being dropped into a position of global significance isn’t going over well. Several other soccer governing bodies have expressed concerns, including Europe’s UEFA.
“This crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross,” UEFA said in a statement about The Athletic’s report, adding: “The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade — especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially. None of us are the owners of football. It is not FIFA’s to sell.”
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee also rebuked the plan, writing on X: “Apparently the fake Peace Prize and giant lease with Trump Tower weren’t enough — now Infantino performs a kickback hat trick by pursuing a multibillion-dollar deal with Jared Kushner’s brother to sell ownership stakes in the World Cup to private investors.”
FIFA, Donald Trump’s favorite corrupt racketeering enterprise in world sports, is now going directly into business with the Trump family!
Apparently the fake Peace Prize and giant lease with Trump Tower weren’t enough—now Infantino performs a kickback hat trick by pursuing a… https://t.co/knSZibuMea
— House Judiciary Dems (@HouseJudiciary) July 28, 2026
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., has already launched an investigation into the FIFA leader’s relationship with the Trump administration, while dozens of European lawmakers — citing concerns about “potential breaches of political neutrality” — have called for the FIFA Ethics Committee to investigate Infantino. This new proposal seems unlikely to assuage those concerns.
But what it does seem likely to do is fuel global anger toward the U.S. — the kind that has been growing since Trump retook office.
And when you consider that, it’s truly remarkable how the same MAGA movement whose members whined for years about politics mixing with sports is now in lockstep with a president who seems dead-set on casting his shadow over every sports event he can.
This post on X basically sums up the foul stench around FIFA’s latest proposal.
Sepp Blatter was Infantino’s predecessor as FIFA president and oversaw the organization amid some of its many scandals. When heof all people, is warning about how Trump and Infantino’s relationship is “deeply damaging” soccer, it’s a sign of how far FIFA has descended into the gutter.
Ja’han Jones is an MS NOW opinion blogger. He previously wrote The ReidOut Blog.
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