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Senator Dianne Feinstein, who died last night at 90, braved one of the most remarkable political expeditions in American historyand also one of the grimmer spectacles at the end of her life and career.

Is it too soon to point this out? Yes, perhaps. With the official notice of her death today, Feinstein received her just and proper tributes, hitting all the key markers: How Di-Fi, as she is known in Washington shorthand, had stepped in as mayor of San Francisco after her predecessor was assassinated in 1978. How she was a fervent proponent of gun safety, the longest-serving woman in the Senate, and the chambers oldest member. How, as chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, she presided over the preparation of an incriminating report describing the CIAs torture of suspected terrorists in secret prisons around the world. How she was a trailblazer, stateswoman, powerhouse, force, grande dame, etc. Give her her due. She deserves it.

But Congress can be a tough and ghoulish place, with its zero-sum math and unforgiving partisanship. Over her last year, Feinsteins declining health became a bleak sideshowher absences and hospitalizations, shingles, encephalitis, and bad falls; the lawsuits over her late husbands estate and the cost of her medical bills and long-term care.

Feinsteins insistence on remaining in the Senateand the uncertainty of her schedulecomplicated life for Democrats, making it harder for them to hold votes, set strategy, and confirm judges. Her colleagues and White House officials whispered their frustration. And she became the latest exemplar of a basic, egalitarian principle in lawmaking: Even the most legendary figures ultimately amount to a vote. Often your most important job is simply to be available, show up, be counted.

Franklin Foer: Dianne Feinstein and the cult of indispensability

When that is in doubt, patience can wear fast. Questions about fitness arise. Such is the price of continued residency in the senior center of the Capitol. Feinstein resisted quitting for years, and only grudgingly said she wouldnt seek reelection in 2024, leaving the race to succeed her in a kind of morbid suspension.

Politics, of course, runs on its own schedules and follows its own rules. A few weeks ago, I asked Adam Schiff, one of the California House Democrats running to succeed Feinstein in the Senate, whether she should step down. In other words, was she fit to serve? Again, maybe this was harsh, but it had become a standard question around Washington and California, and perfectly germane, given the tight split in the Senate. Its her decision to make, Schiff said, a classic duck, but also practical. I would be very concerned, he continued, that the Republicans would not fill her seat on the Judiciary Committee, and that would be the end of Joe Bidens judicial appointments. (Politico reported today that Republican Whip John Thune, of South Dakota, said he expects that his party will not resist efforts to fill committee seats left vacant by Feinsteins death.)

Schiff added that he had continued to have a productive working relationship with Feinsteins office, despite her health struggles. He was a proponent of business as usual, for as long it lasted, and Feinstein was still there. The pageant continued, the government heading for another shutdown, House Republicans tripping toward an impeachment and over themselves.

In the hours after Feinsteins death was announced, Washington took a brief and deferential pause. Statements and obituaries were dispatched, most prepared in advance. Then it was on to the next. Who would California Governor Gavin Newsom pick to serve out Feinsteins term? How would that affect the race to succeed her next year? Who would replace Feinstein on the Judiciary Committee, and when would they be seated?

Ronald Brownstein: Who will replace Dianne Feinstein?

The hushed questions about how long the nonagenarian senator could hang on finally had their resolution. Far too many people in power resist the option of a restful denouement. The stakes can be high, even harrowing, for the country. These sagas can be distressing to follow, but theres no shortage of dark fascination. Stick around too long, and you risk losing control of the finale. It can happen to the best, and at the end of the most extraordinary careers.

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Counter terror police assessing Kneecap concert video

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Counter terror police assessing Kneecap concert video

Counter terror police are assessing a video reported to be from a concert by Irish rappers Kneecap.

A social media clip of the hip hop trio on stage appeared to show one member of the group shout “up Hamas, up Hezbollah”.

The footage was posted online by Danny Morris from the Jewish security charity, the Community Security Trust.

He said it was from a gig last November at London’s Kentish Town Forum.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “We have been made aware of the video and it has been referred to the counter terrorism internet referral unit for assessment and to determine whether any further police investigation may be required.”

Hamas and Hezbollah are both proscribed as terrorist groups in the UK. Under Section 12 of the Terrorism Act 2000, it is an offence to express “an opinion or belief that is supportive of a proscribed organisation”.

Sky News has contacted Kneecap’s management for comment.

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It comes after TV personality Sharon Osbourne called for Kneecap’s US work visas to be revoked after accusing them of making “aggressive political statements” including “projections of anti-Israel messages and hate speech” at Coachella Music and Arts Festival.

In November last year, Kneecap won a discrimination case against the UK government after former business secretary Kemi Badenoch refused them funding.

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Politics

Bretton Woods institutions must reorient, US Treasury secretary says

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Bretton Woods institutions must reorient, US Treasury secretary says

Bretton Woods institutions must reorient, US Treasury secretary says

United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently called for “Bretton Woods institutions,” such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to reorient themselves, a signal that the global monetary order could be shifting.

Speaking at the Institute of International Finance (IIF) on April 23, Bessent called on the IMF and the World Bank to correct trade imbalances and protect the value of fiat currencies against exchange rate risk.

“The Bretton Woods institutions must step back from their sprawling and unfocused agendas,” Bessent said. He added:

“The IMF’s mission is to promote international monetary cooperation, facilitate the balanced growth of international trade, encourage economic growth, and discourage harmful policies like competitive exchange rate depreciation.”

Bessent’s call for the IMF to correct trade imbalances between countries, specifically the US and China, coincides with a decline in the US dollar to three-year lows, $36 trillion in US government debt, and stiff economic competition from China.

Dollar, Economy, United States, Bitcoin Adoption
The Dollar Currency Index (DXY), a measure of the US dollar’s strength relative to other major fiat currencies, plunges to three-year lows. Source: TradingView

Investor and hedge fund manager Ray Dalio argues that the world is experiencing a global macroeconomic shift that will upend the post-WWII financial order and eventually replace the US dollar as the global reserve currency, potentially with a digital form of money.

Related: Trump tariffs reignite idea that Bitcoin could outlast US dollar

The Bretton Woods Agreement

The Bretton Woods Agreement was signed in 1944 and pegged the currencies of 44 countries to the value of the US dollar, which, at that point, was pegged to the value of gold at $35 per ounce.

Eliminating complex foreign exchange risks between freely floating currencies to make global trade more efficient was the primary goal of the agreement.

Dollar, Economy, United States, Bitcoin Adoption
US President Richard Nixon delivers the infamous “Nixon shock” speech in August 1971, suspending the dollar’s convertibility to gold. Source: Richard Nixon Presidential Library

In August 1971, US President Richard Nixon announced the end of the dollar’s convertibility to gold — formally ending the Bretton Woods agreement in a move that was supposed to be temporary.

“Your dollar will be worth just as much tomorrow as it does today,” Nixon incorrectly told Americans during his now-infamous address.

The IMF and the World Bank, which were spawned from the Bretton Woods agreement, continue operating in an attempt to curb the effects of free-floating fiat currencies on the foreign exchange market.

Bessent eyes stablecoins to protect the US dollar, BTC advocates have another idea

Speaking at the White House Digital Asset Summit on March 7, Bessent said stablecoins could drive international demand for US dollars and US government debt instruments.

Bessent added that the Trump administration will use stablecoins to protect the US dollar and its status as the global reserve currency.

Bitcoin maximalist Max Keiser argued against this plan, predicting that gold-backed stablecoins would outcompete dollar-pegged tokens due to the desire for low-volatility, inflation-resistant money.

Dollar, Economy, United States, Bitcoin Adoption
The US dollar’s purchasing power has declined by over 90% since the year 1900. Source: Visual Capitalist

In March this year, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink wrote that the $36 trillion US national debt could drive investors to Bitcoin (BTC) as market participants start to see BTC as a better store of value than the US dollar.

Bitwise executive Jeff Park voiced a similar prediction in February, focused on the effects of US President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs.

The analyst wrote that the tumult from the ongoing trade war would cause worldwide inflation, which would cause individuals to seek alternative stores of value like Bitcoin, driving its price much higher in the long term.

Magazine: Bitcoin payments are being undermined by centralized stablecoins

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World

What it was like seeing the open coffin of Pope Francis

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What it was like seeing the open coffin of Pope Francis

How to describe the moment when you see the open coffin of Pope Francis? 

How to sum up an experience that was shared with many, but which felt so intimate? Fortunate, memorable, touching, and emotional. Above all, unique.

Well, let’s start at the beginning.

dpatop - 23 April 2025, Vatican, Vatikanstadt: The faithful walk past the open coffin of the late Pope Francis in St. Peter's Basilica and take photos with their smartphones. Pope Francis died at the age of 88 and will be buried on Saturday, April 26, 2025. Photo by: Michael Kappeler/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images
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People queuing to see the open coffin of Pope Francis use their phones to take pictures. Pic: AP

We, along with other members of the global media, were invited into the basilica by the Vatican in order to see the lines of people filing past the coffin; to bear witness to the emotions, the sounds. To this demonstration of faith.

As we start to walk over, we know we are the lucky ones.

The queue to get into the basilica stretches into the distance – there are people waiting eight hours for the chance to see the coffin.

By contrast, we are ushered in through a side door. We round a corner, walking against a tide of people, until we enter the huge, soaring chamber in which the Pope’s coffin lies in state.

A beam of sunshine is lighting up an imposing statue, created by the genius of Bernini and now looking down upon the Pope.

I can see Francis’s hands crossed on his chest. His coffin is large, resting on the floor, but it is not ostentatious. You can see the red cloth of his vestments.

A nun reacts at St. Peter's Square, on the day of the translation of Pope Francis' body and its transfer to Saint Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, April 23, 2025. REUTERS/Susana Vera
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Pic: Reuters

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3D map shows pope’s funeral route

It is one thing to be told that the Pope has died, but quite another to witness the proof. Perhaps that is why so many are queuing for this moment – to bring closure, as much as to offer thanks.

Setting glistens with gold

The setting is extraordinary.

St Peter’s Basilica is a simply astonishing building that glistens with gold and whose domed ceiling rises to the sky.

Francis wanted to eschew the extravagance of previous papal funerals, but there is no avoiding the splendour of his surroundings.

By his coffin, soaring up, is the huge canopy known as St Peter’s Baldachin, which covers the altar.

Beneath it, so Christians believe, is the tomb of St Peter. This is one of the holiest places in Christianity, and the Pope lies alongside it.

Around his coffin are four soldiers from the Swiss Guard, dressed in their familiar red, blue, and yellow uniforms.

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The ‘Papal Interregnum’ explained

23 April 2025, Vatican, Vatikanstadt: The hand of the deceased Pope Francis can be seen during his laying in state in St. Peter's Basilica. Pope Francis died at the age of 88 and will be buried on Saturday, April 26, 2025. Photo by: Michael Kappeler/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images
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The hand of the deceased Pope Francis. Pic: AP

No sense of rush

A rope runs around the coffin, marking off the area. There are a few seats on one side for notable dignitaries to use when paying their respects. On the other side is a space for senior members of the Catholic church to pray and give thanks.

As we watch, there are two cardinals using this space, including the Italian Matteo Zuppi, a contender to be the next pope. I can see his mouth moving in prayer, his head bowed.

The chamber is thronged with people, but there is no sense of rush.

The queue of people runs round the edge of half the room, but it is orderly, shuffling ever forward. And there is such a blend of people – nuns and priests, but also families dressed for a day in the sun, teenagers in football shirts, grandparents in their finery. Some come in black, others in suits, some in scruffy old T-shirts.

I see three nuns come past, followed by a young woman in jeans and a T-shirt. The nuns are smiling; the woman is sobbing. We learn it’s impossible to predict who will be affected most.

Nuns arriving from Spain, some from South America, chat with a policeman while waiting in line to see the body of Pope Francis, who will lie in state for three days, in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
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Nuns from Spain and South America wait to see the body of Pope Francis. Pic: AP

You do not get to linger long at the front – maybe a few seconds – but it is an opportunity that divides.

Phones are a constant sight

Some make a cross; some offer a prayer; some take a selfie. Mobile phones are a constant sight. At any given moment, I can see dozens of them held in the air, capturing photos of the scene.

It’s hard to say whether these phones damage the mood, bruising the sombre sense of intimacy, or whether they add to the idea that this is as much about celebrating life as it is about bemoaning death. Maybe both can be true.

It is an emotional experience, whether you have faith or not. What is remarkable here is not the sight of Pope Francis’s coffin, not the hands arranged on his chest, nor the ceremony around St Peter’s.

Read more:
Inside Vatican City at moment of high tension
Who will be at the Pope’s funeral – and who won’t be

What is extraordinary – and what will live with me – is that so many people are prepared to queue for hour after hour in the beating sun to quietly offer thanks to a man that hardly any of them had ever met, but many felt they knew.

Like the Queen before, what really matters is not the scene that people will see, but rather the fact that they are so desperate to come.

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