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Tag: Dianne Feinstein

  • Senator Dianne Feinstein giving up power of attorney is raising questions. Here’s what it means.

    Senator Dianne Feinstein giving up power of attorney is raising questions. Here’s what it means.

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    Senator Dianne Feinstein, the 90-year-old lawmaker from California, has given power of attorney to her daughter, according to a document posted by Insider — a step that is raising questions from some corners. 

    Providing power of attorney to another person, typically a trusted family member or associate, isn’t uncommon, and is often used as a way to accomplish certain legal or financial transactions, according to legal experts. 

    But the report of Feinstein’s daughter, Katherine Feinstein, 66, being given power of attorney for her mother comes after a moment of confusion for the democratic senator last month, when she began launching into remarks during a vote on an $823 billion military budget. Colleagues prompted her multiple times to simply vote “aye.” 

    Among the legal issues now being handled by the senator’s only child is a family dispute over the senator’s beach house near San Francisco, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Feinstein wants to sell the home, a step opposed by the children of her late husband Richard C. Blum, the Chronicle reported.

    A spokesman for Feinstein declined to comment. “The senate office doesn’t feel it’s appropriate to comment on a private legal matter,” he noted.

    Here’s what to know about the legal document.


    Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s health questioned as office confirms more complications from shingles

    05:54

    What is a power of attorney? 

    Power of attorney is a legal document “where one person gives another person the authority to act on their behalf just as as though they were in their shoes,” noted Ashwani Prabhakar, a trusts and estates attorney at Davidoff Hutcher & Citron. 

    Someone who has power of attorney doesn’t need to be an actual attorney, he noted. Instead, the document makes another person the agent who can act on behalf of the “principal.”

    In Feinstein’s case, the senator is considered the principal, and her daughter is her agent, Prabhakar noted.

    What is a power of attorney used for?

    The legal document can be used in a number of ways, ranging from single legal or financial transactions, such as a real estate closing, to providing people with more long-standing control over another person’s affairs.

    “Say I’m buying a house in another state, but I can’t make it to the closing, so I might give power of attorney to my significant other to act on my behalf and sign the documents for me,” Prabhakar noted. “And in that case, the power of attorney would actually spell that out.”

    But the document can also be used in case of situations where a person becomes incapacitated, he added. 

    “It’s what’s called a springing power of attorney,” he said. “It’s a power of attorney that doesn’t take any effect until something happens, and usually what that something is is two independent physicians declaring you incompetent, for example.”

    That can allow family members to get access to someone’s bank accounts and pay their mortgage and other bills in case they are no longer able to do so themselves. 

    Is it a commonly used document?

    Absolutely, especially with people who are extremely wealthy or busy, Prabhakar noted. Feinstein is worth more than $95 million, according to Insider.

    “A power of attorney alone is not an unusual thing,” he noted. 

    And executing a power of attorney can only occur when the principal is mentally competent, he added. “If you’re mentally incapacitated, then you can’t execute a power of attorney — it’s too late,” Prabhakar said.

    He added, “Often how I see powers of attorneys used is by wealthy clients. They have so many finances and so many balls in the air that they sometimes give these limited powers of attorney to various people to handle things for them so that they can fly around the world and enjoy themselves.”


    Congresswoman Barbara Lee is in a highly competitive race for Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s seat

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    What does the power of attorney mean for Feinstein?

    In and of itself, not much, Prabhakar said. 

    But, he added, “When you take that together with everything else that’s going on and seen by the public, I can see why people are worried.”

    Still, the power of attorney would provide her daughter with the authority to act on her behalf, at least in some legal issues. 

    “We know at least it gives her daughter the authority to be in the senator’s shoes, in courtrooms, and to retain lawyers and tell them what to do and to pay them,” he noted. “Other senators sitting with her probably have powers of attorneys that they’ve executed as well.”

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  • Sen. Feinstein Cedes Power of Attorney To Broom Resembling Daughter

    Sen. Feinstein Cedes Power of Attorney To Broom Resembling Daughter

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    WASHINGTON—Granting the cleaning implement full legal authority over her personal affairs, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) reportedly ceded her power of attorney on Friday to a broom resembling her daughter. “At my age, it’s important to have a dependable family member I can rely on, and there’s no one I trust more than my beautiful hardwood daughter,” said Feinstein, who whispered, “You make me so proud every day, Kathy,” as she ran her hand gingerly along the corn broom’s bristles. “She flew out all the way from California today to lean against the corner of my office. Clearly, I’m in good hands with her. I’m also going to make sure she helps me leave all of my life savings to a very handsome bucket I met in the coat closet.” At press time, Feinstein was panicking after her daughter had been kidnapped by a custodian.

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  • Who is Laphonza Butler, California’s next senator? | CNN Politics

    Who is Laphonza Butler, California’s next senator? | CNN Politics

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    CNN
     — 

    Laphonza Butler, the woman selected by California Gov. Gavin Newsom to succeed the late Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, is a longtime union leader and abortion rights advocate, who also will be the first out Black lesbian to enter Congress.

    The appointment fulfills Newsom’s pledge to appoint a Black woman who had not announced plans to run for the seat, and in Butler, he picked someone with deep ties to several critical Democratic constituencies in the Golden State.

    Butler will also be the sole Black woman serving in the Senate and only the third in US history. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday the incoming senator would be sworn in this week.

    “I am humbled by the Governor’s trust,” Butler said in a statement Monday. “Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s leadership and legacy are immeasurable. I will do my best to honor her by devoting my time and energy to serving the people of California and the people of this great nation.”

    Butler previously made history in 2021 by becoming the first woman of color to lead EMILY’s List, an organization dedicated to electing Democratic women who support abortion rights.

    In the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election, Butler worked at SCRB Strategies – a California-based political strategy firm now known as Bearstar Strategies – where she served as a senior adviser on then-Sen. Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, according to EMILY’s List. She also served as an adviser on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, according to Butler’s LinkedIn page.

    Butler previously held multiple roles at the Service Employees International Union, most recently serving as president of SEIU Local 2015 for nearly a decade. SEIU Local 2015 represents California’s long-term care workers and is the largest labor union in the state, the governor’s office said. Prior to joining EMILY’s List, Butler was a director at Airbnb.

    Butler, who has a long history working in California politics, moved to Maryland in 2021 around the time she was chosen to lead EMILY’s List, public records show. She was registered to vote in Maryland in 2022, according to public records.

    Responding to questions about Butler’s residency, Newsom’s office said Monday she had re-registered to vote in California ahead of her Senate appointment.

    EMILY’s List board chair Rebecca Haile called Butler “a groundbreaking leader who has done terrific work” over her two years leading the group.

    “EMILYs List was created to get more Democratic pro-choice women in government and I am thrilled to see my friend put that into action by taking on this role,” Haile said in a statement.

    Butler, a Mississippi native, attended Jackson State University, according to EMILY’s List. She has served as a member of the University of California Board of Regents and as a board member of the National Children’s Defense Fund. She and her wife, Neneki, have a daughter, Nylah, Newsom’s office said.

    Newsom was under intense pressure within California to choose a Black woman to succeed Harris when she was elected to the vice presidency. He instead appointed Alex Padilla, then California’s secretary of state, who became the first Latino senator from the state.

    This year, many – including members of the Congressional Black Caucus – had urged Newsom to appoint Rep. Barbara Lee in case Feinstein’s seat became vacant. Lee filed to run for the seat after Feinstein announced earlier this year that she would not seek reelection in 2024, but Newsom said last month he would not appoint any of the candidates currently seeking the office. His office said Monday there were no conditions placed on Butler’s appointment and any decision to seek a full term next year would be her own.

    Newsom has described Butler as “an advocate for women and girls, a second-generation fighter for working people, and a trusted adviser to Vice President Harris,” who will “carry the baton left by Senator Feinstein.”

    “As we mourn the enormous loss of Senator Feinstein, the very freedoms she fought for – reproductive freedom, equal protection, and safety from gun violence – have never been under greater assault,” Newsom said in his announcement. “Laphonza will carry the baton left by Senator Feinstein, continue to break glass ceilings, and fight for all Californians in Washington D.C.”

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  • Oprah Winfrey Is ‘Not Considering’ Filling Dianne Feinstein’s Senate Seat Amid Retirement Reports

    Oprah Winfrey Is ‘Not Considering’ Filling Dianne Feinstein’s Senate Seat Amid Retirement Reports

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    By Paige Gawley‍ , ETOnline.com.
    Published:

    Oprah Winfrey isn’t eyeing Dianne Feinstein’s senate seat. As retirement rumours swirl around the 89-year-old senator from California, a spokesperson for Winfrey tells ET that the media magnate “is not considering the seat should it become vacant.”

    Feinstein, the oldest member of Congress, is facing a myriad of health challenges. She was recently hospitalized with shingles, which has left her with vision and balance issues. As such, Feinstein, who’s been using a wheelchair as of late, has been working a lighter schedule.

    Lately, the Democrat has been facing some pressure from within her own party to resign before her term ends in January 2025. If Feinstein were to retire, California Governor Gavin Newsom would pick her replacement.

    The questions about Feinstein’s staying power date back all the way to 2021. At the time, Newsom said he would appoint a Black woman should Feinstein’s seat become available.

    Speculation that Winfrey could wind up in the seat began when The AP reported that her name had been floated as a potential contender “in California circles.”

    The outlet speculated that, if appointed, Winfrey would be “a caretaker” for the senate seat, someone who’d serve out the rest of Feinstein’s term but not run for reelection, while also fulfilling Newsom’s promise to name a Black woman to the role.

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  • California’s Newsom faces tough question: Who would replace Feinstein?

    California’s Newsom faces tough question: Who would replace Feinstein?

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    LOS ANGELES (AP) — U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s ongoing medical struggles have raised a sensitive political question with no easy answer: Who would California Gov. Gavin Newsom pick to replace her if the seat becomes vacant?

    Despite calls from within her own party to resign, Feinstein, who turns 90 next month and is the oldest member of Congress, has given no indication that she is considering stepping down. Her frail appearance, confused interactions with reporters in Washington and the growing list of health challenges disclosed by her office continue to fan questions about her fitness for the job — now and into the future.

    Should a vacancy occur, a range of names, from obscure to famous — including Oprah Winfrey — have been floated in California circles as possible replacements. Newsom, who is mentioned as a possible future presidential contender, would also have to deal with political complexities, some of his own making: In 2021 he promised to appoint a Black woman should Feinstein’s seat become open. Meanwhile, a 2024 Senate campaign is underway to fill the seat when the senator’s term ends in January 2025.

    The situation has created a sad, public coda for the groundbreaking career of a Democratic leader who shattered gender barriers in California and Washington.

    Here’s a look at what could happen:

    WHAT IS THE STATUS OF FEINSTEIN’S HEALTH?

    In short, much is unknown.

    Feinstein returned to the Senate on May 10 — about 10 weeks after being diagnosed, then briefly hospitalized, with shingles in San Francisco. On her return to the Capitol, she was markedly thinner and one side of her face was drooping, apparently from Ramsay Hunt syndrome, which can occur when the shingles virus reaches a facial nerve near the ears. It also can cause hearing loss.

    On the advice of doctors, Feinstein’s staff say she is working a lighter schedule as she deals with side effects from the virus, including vision and balance problems. She has been using a wheelchair to get to her office and committee meetings.

    Questions have been raised in recent years about Feinstein’s memory and mental acuity, though she has defended her effectiveness. Since her return to Washington, she has at times appeared confused during brief discussions with reporters. Her office also disclosed she suffered a bout of encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, which can also be caused by shingles.

    Feinstein’s biographer Jerry Roberts told the Los Angeles Times in an interview published Sunday that the senator has “a belief in herself to the point of stubbornness, where nobody is going to tell her what she can or cannot do. She has tremendous belief and confidence in her own strength and her own ability.”

    NEWSOM’S PROMISE: ELEVATING A BLACK WOMAN TO SENATE

    When California Sen. Kamala Harris resigned to become vice president, Newsom faced pressure from both Black, Latino and other groups over a replacement pick. Some felt that he should replace Harris, the only Black woman in the U.S. Senate, with another Black woman. But others thought it was past time for California to have its first Latino senator, and Newsom chose then-Secretary of State Alex Padilla for the job.

    But he later promised that if Feinstein’s seat became vacant, he would choose a Black woman to replace her. Should Feinstein step aside, he’ll be expected to make good on the promise.

    “He made the commitment and I do not believe there is any wiggle room for the governor not to honor his commitment,” said Kerman Maddox, a Los Angeles-based Democratic strategist and fundraiser who is Black.

    “Newsom must honor his promise to appoint a Black woman” if Feinstein resigns, said Democratic Assemblymember Lori Wilson, who heads the Legislative Black Caucus in Sacramento. “I trust him at his word. We currently have zero Black women in the Senate, so if the opportunity becomes available the governor must act to help remedy this lack of representation.”

    Claremont McKenna College political scientist Jack Pitney pointed out that any presidential ambitions that Newsom might harbor would be damaged if he backed away from his promise to name a Black woman, noting that the candidate favored by Black voters has won the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination for every cycle since 1992.

    “The last thing you want to do if you are thinking about running for president is alienating the nominating wing of the Democratic Party,” Pitney said.

    WHICH WAY TO TURN — CARETAKER OR CONTENDER?

    In filling a Senate vacancy, Newsom has the authority to name a successor. He could even pick himself, though that is unlikely. State rules dictate when an election would have to be held.

    Newsom’s choices all run risks.

    He could get entangled in the ongoing Senate campaign and choose one of the declared candidates to fill a Feinstein vacancy.

    Another option would be to select a caretaker, and then leave it to voters to decide in next year’s election — someone who would hold the seat but is not a Senate candidate. That’s where names like Winfrey come up — a celebrity who is Black and happens to meet Newsom’s appointment pledge. However, Newsom also might find it challenging to land on someone willing to take a short-term appointment.

    If he picked one of the declared Senate candidates, Newsom would unsettle the growing field and elevate that person to frontrunner status. U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, who is Black, is already running against fellow Democratic Reps. Katie Porter and Adam Schiff, who both are white.

    Lee “is far and away the most qualified African American woman to replace Sen. Feinstein if a vacancy becomes available,” Maddox said.

    In a recent interview with Fox 11 TV in Los Angeles, Newsom said he was being swamped with recommendations for how to fill a possible Senate vacancy. He calls Feinstein a mentor and one of his closest friends, and said he was hoping he never had to make a decision to fill her seat.

    He noted that the primary was quickly approaching in March, and added that he was sensitive to criticism that voters should be picking their elected officials, hinting that he might choose a caretaker to hold the spot, if one occurs.

    “I get it. For those who say, ‘Enough of Newsom making these picks!’ I get it. I’m with you. I understand,” he said.

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  • Senate Freaking Out After Dianne Feinstein Gets Her Hands On Gun

    Senate Freaking Out After Dianne Feinstein Gets Her Hands On Gun

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    WASHINGTON—Thrown into a panic when the confused 89-year-old appeared on the Senate floor randomly pointing a firearm at various colleagues, lawmakers reportedly freaked out Friday after Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) got her hands on a gun. “Good God, someone get that thing away from her!” said Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), who ducked behind a chair as Feinstein rolled down the aisle and waved a 9 mm semiautomatic handgun in several faces, screaming that there were terrorists hiding in the attic and they had been poisoning her food. “She clearly doesn’t understand what she’s doing. If someone puts their hands up and approaches her slowly, maybe she’ll just give it to you. It’s probably not loaded. There’s no way she’s still lucid enough to know how to—oh, shit, hit the deck!” At press time, after appearing surprised to realize where she was and what she was doing, Feinstein was said to have calmly and systemically shot every member of Congress who has called for her resignation.

    Taxidermist Returns Finished Bob Dole To Display In Capitol Rotunda

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  • Dianne Feinstein vows to return but doesn’t say when health will permit it — leaving Senate in limbo

    Dianne Feinstein vows to return but doesn’t say when health will permit it — leaving Senate in limbo

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    Washington — Will she or won’t she be back? That’s the question swirling around the Capitol as lawmakers ponder 89-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s potential return this month amid questions about her health. 

    The longest-serving female senator has not cast a vote since mid-February after her hospitalization for shingles.  

    “I hope, just as she does, that she can come back as soon as possible,” fellow Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla of California told CBS News. 

    The junior senator, who once served as a field representative for Feinstein, keeps in contact with his former boss-turned-colleague through messages and calls while she recuperates at her Northern California home.  

    “She appreciates the check-ins,” Padilla said. “She’s eager to get back and just waiting for the doctors to clear her to travel, frustrated that the recovery is taking longer than expected.” 

    Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters Wednesday he recently spoke with Feinstein and is “hopeful” the California Democrat could return to the Senate next week. Her office confirmed the call but cautioned that no date has been set for her to come back.

    “Senator Feinstein continues to make progress in her recovery. However, we don’t have a timeline yet for her return to Washington, which is dependent on her medical team saying it is safe to travel,” a spokesperson  said. 

    Feinstein’s absence has ignited a political firestorm on both sides of the aisle. This week GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley, a proponent of mental competency tests and congressional term limits, joined liberal Democrats in demanding Feinstein’s ouster, although her argument was one that questioned Feinstein’s mental fitness, rather than her physical fitness. 

    “I agree with several congressional Democrats who say Feinstein should resign immediately and let someone else who is able to do the job take over,” Haley wrote in an op-ed. “At 89 years old, she is a prime example of why we need mental competency tests for politicians. 

    The New York Times editorial board also weighed in Friday, calling on Feinstein to step down if she can’t fulfill her obligations to the Senate and her 39 million constituents: “If she cannot fulfill her obligations to the Senate and to her constituents, she should resign and turn over her responsibilities to an appointed successor. If she is unable to reach that decision on her own, Mr. Schumer, the majority leader, and other Democratic senators should make it clear to her and the public how important it is that she do so.”  

    Bay Area Rep. Ro Khanna has led the push for Feinstein’s resignation, suggesting the senator’s prolonged leave is costing Democrats votes on legislation and judicial nominees. Several “Squad” progressives have sided with Khanna, including New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. 

    “Her refusal to either retire or show up is causing great harm to the Judiciary,” Ocasio-Cortez posted this week on the private social media app, BlueSky. 

    Feinstein issued a lengthy rebuttal Thursday dismissing claims that absence has impacted the pace of judicial nominations. 

     “The Senate continues to swiftly confirm highly qualified individuals to the federal judiciary, including seven more judicial nominees who were confirmed this week,” Feinstein said in a written statement her office released. “There has been no slowdown.”

    Twenty-one district and circuit nominees have been confirmed by the Senate, 19 nominees have advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and four are awaiting a vote in committee, according to Feinstein’s office. 

    “I’m confident that when I return to the Senate, we will be able to move the remaining qualified nominees out of committee quickly and to the Senate floor for a vote,” Feinstein said in the statement.

    Last month she requested a temporary replacement on the panel but it was blocked by Senate Republicans.

    “I think that some people made some statements not realizing that the Republicans were never going to cooperate with the committee,” said Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi. “So, why were they, why were these other people saying she should resign? That’s up to the senator.” 

    Pelosi hailed Feinstein as an “icon” and told CBS News “it’s just a matter of when” she may return to the Capitol.

    “With all due respect to all of the people who have served, and we owe them respect for when they are sick, for them to get well and to take the time to do it. That should apply to her as well as to all the others,” said the San Francisco Democrat.

    Feinstein announced in February she would not seek reelection at the end of her current term in 2024. If she stepped down before then, California Governor Gavin Newsom would appoint her replacement. 

    California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis declined to say if she has had any conversations with Newsom about the possibility but told CBS News she does not want the position if a temporary vacancy arises. 

    “I think first and foremost the governor is deeply respectful of Senator Feinstein and I am sure is in contact with her team and everyone is very much at this point expecting and hoping that the senator will return to Washington,” said Kounalakis, who called Feinstein a “dear friend”.

    In March 2021, Newsom pledged to nominate a Black woman if Feinstein resigned.

    “It’s her decision, that’s the bottom line,” said veteran Rep. Maxine Waters, of Los Angeles. “If she steps down, he has made that commitment and I’m supporting Barbara Lee right now, who is running for the United States Senate, and I would suggest he appoint her.” 

    Lee, a Bay Area Democrat, announced her Senate candidacy earlier this year and has tried to distance herself from calls by her campaign co-chair, Rep. Khanna, for Feinstein to resign. 

    “The congresswoman’s primary concern is for Senator Feinstein’s health, and she is wishing the senator a full recovery,” a Lee campaign spokesperson said. 

    Democratic primary opponents Reps. Adam Schiff and Katie Porter also wished Feinstein well and have not spoken with her or her team. 

    “I’m mostly concerned about her well being and hope she comes back soon,” Schiff said.

    Porter told CBS News “voters will decide for themselves what to make of calls for Senator Feinstein’s resignation” in next year’s Senate race.

    “My campaign is going to continue all the way to Election Day,” Porter said. “I do think Senator Feinstein’s absence, as with other situations that we’ve had, whether it’s someone having a child, whether it’s someone needing mental health care, all raise this larger question, structurally, institutionally, are we as a Congress able to adapt and accommodate foreseeable things?”

    A dominant force for decades in Golden State politics, Feinstein was elected to the Senate in 1992 during the “year of the woman” after serving as mayor of San Francisco. While members of the California delegation remain largely deferential to the four-term Senator, some lawmakers are growing anxious as major votes approach in the narrowly divided Congress.

    “I hope she gets better very quickly and gets back in the Senate because we’ve got to get those judges confirmed,” Los Angeles Mayor and former Congresswoman Karen Bass told CBS News.

    Rep. Judy Chu, of Southern California, said she is “very concerned” about the confirmation of Labor Secretary nominee Julie Su. Su’s nomination cleared the Senate HELP committee last month but several Democrats have not committed to supporting her.

    “That’s one where I know every level vote will count,” Chu said. “That’s just one of many decisions though that are going to be taking place that need her vote on the floor.” 

    Congress also faces an end of the month deadline to reach a deal on a debt limit increase before the U.S Treasury is projected to reach default in early June. 

    “Our expectation as House Democrats is that every senator is going to need to participate as we stave off House Republican attempts to get closer to default,” said House Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Pete Aguilar.. “So I look forward to her coming back and I look forward to her service.” 

    Ellis Kim contributed to this report. 

    Nikole Killion


    Nikole Killion

    Nikole Killion is a congressional correspondent for CBS News based in Washington D.C.

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  • GOP blocks Democratic effort to replace Feinstein on Judiciary panel | CNN Politics

    GOP blocks Democratic effort to replace Feinstein on Judiciary panel | CNN Politics

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    CNN
     — 

    Republicans on Tuesday formally blocked a request from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to temporarily replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein on the Judiciary Committee, something Democrats hoped to do in order to advance stalled judicial nominations.

    Senate Democrats are seeking to temporarily replace Feinstein on the powerful panel that processes judicial nominees as the California Democrat remains absent, recovering from shingles.

    Senate Republicans, however, have made clear that they have been prepared to block Democratic efforts to replace Feinstein on the committee, ratcheting up pressure on the 89-year-old California Democrat to resign or return quickly.

    Feinstein’s return date is still unclear and she asked just last week to be “temporarily” replaced on the committee as she recovers.

    Schumer introduced his motion on Tuesday by talking about his friendship with Feinstein, and highlighting her accomplishments.

    “Today, I am acting not just as Leader but as Dianne’s friend, in honoring her wishes, until she returns to the Senate,” Schumer said.

    GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, objected to Schumer’s request, though he also praised the California Democrat. He argued that Schumer’s move is to get more judges confirmed.

    “She’s a dear friend and we hope for her speedy recovery and return back to the Senate. With all due respect, my colleague, Senator Schumer, this is about a handful of judges that you can’t get the votes for,” Graham said.

    Democrats could still force a vote to replace the Feinstein, but that would require the support of 10 Republicans and it’s unlikely they would use a lot of valuable floor time for something with little chance of success.

    Feinstein, who has already announced she’s not seeking reelection, initially said she expected to return to Washington “by the end of the March work period,” but that her return got “delayed due to continued complications related to my diagnosis.”

    She recently said she plans to return “as soon as possible once my medical team advises that it’s safe for me to travel.”

    Cardin told CNN Tuesday he had discussed with Schumer being the temporary replacement on the committee but that he had not discussed the decision with Feinstein.

    The Maryland Democrat said he and Feinstein have not spoken since she’s been out of the Senate and that it is his understanding that this is only a temporary move until she returns.

    “I recognize the importance of the numbers on the committee, and this way we can be able to conduct business. I look at this as a way of dealing with a current situation,” Cardin said.

    Democrats would need 60 votes to replace Feinstein on the panel, but senior Republicans in leadership and on the committee made clear Monday that they would not give them the votes to do that. If Feinstein does not return soon, at least 12 nominees, or possibly even more, could be stalled.

    If Democrats are unable to replace Feinstein or if she does not return to Washington soon, they could see key agenda items thwarted – both on the committee and on the Senate floor.

    Asked if the California Democrat should consider resigning if she can’t return by May, Schumer responded that he’s “hopeful” she will return “very soon.”

    “Look, I spoke to Senator Feinstein just a few days ago and she and I are both very hopeful that she will return very soon,” Schumer said at his weekly policy press conference in the US Capitol.

    Feinstein announced in February that she would not run for reelection, and a number of Democrats have already launched campaigns for her seat in 2024 in what is shaping up to be a competitive primary.

    Many congressional Democrats have remained largely supportive of her decision to remain in office while absent from the Capitol as she recovers from shingles.

    But Feinstein has faced calls to resign from two House Democrats – and if Democrats are not able to replace her on the committee, that number could start to grow.

    Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin recently acknowledged to CNN that Feinstein’s absence had slowed down the party’s push to confirm nominees. But Durbin has stopped short of calling on Feinstein to resign, saying he hopes that Republicans will help to temporarily replace her on the committee and recognize that “the rain can fall on both sides of the road.”

    Asked if her absence has longer ramifications for the Democrats’ ability to confirm nominees, the Illinois Democrat said, “Yes, of course it does,” pointing to the long process of getting nominees scheduled for votes during precious floor time.

    Republican Sen. John Cornyn, a senior member on the Judiciary Committee and close adviser to McConnell, told CNN that he opposes the effort to replace Feinstein on the panel.

    “I don’t think Republicans can or should help President Biden’s most controversial nominees,” the Texas Republican said. “I support having Sen. Feinstein come back as soon as she can. But this effort to confirm controversial and in many instances largely unqualified nominees, I don’t think you can expect any Republican cooperation.”

    This story has been updated with additional information.

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  • It’s Time for Dianne Feinstein to Resign

    It’s Time for Dianne Feinstein to Resign

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    We should not hold a United States senator to a lower standard than that to which we hold all other Americans. We should expect that a senator would, at minimum, perform the basic duties of their job, like casting votes, rather than clench power at the public’s expense (after all, it’s not like they’re Supreme Court justices, who are apparently allowed to do whatever they want). But right now, we’re watching Dianne Feinstein, the 89-year-old California senator on medical leave since February, do the latter by refusing to step down. 

    California congressman Ro Khanna, one of the few Democrats loudly calling for Feinstein’s resignation, told me that her “stepping down from her position on the Judiciary Committee is a start, but the practical reality is that Republicans are already saying that they will stop Senator [Chuck] Schumer from filling her spot with another Democrat.” Khanna added, “With a Republican House blocking legislation, it is so critically important to confirm judges that will stand up against the ongoing assault on women’s reproductive rights. While I have a lot of respect for Senator Feinstein’s long career in public service, she is clearly unable to do her job and that puts millions of Americans at risk of losing fundamental rights.”

     Feinstein has been a trailblazer for women in politics, with an impressive legacy of service spanning decades. In the late 1970s, as president of San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors, Feinstein helped lead the city through the hideous murders of city supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone (whom she would later succeed). She is the longest-serving female senator ever, having now spent three decades in the upper chamber. These days, however, Feinstein isn’t in Washington, but at home in San Francisco convalescing from shingles. “I intend to return as soon as possible once my medical team advises that it’s safe for me to travel,” Feinstein said in a statement last week, though as of now, there’s been no immediate plan to do just that.

    Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressed confidence Tuesday that Feinstein would return, though “it’s just a matter of when.” Pelosi has suggested sexism is at play in the calls to resign. “I don’t know what political agendas are at work that are going after Senator Feinstein in that way,” she said last week. “I’ve never seen them go after a man who was sick in the Senate in that way.” Sure, men like the late Strom Thurmond didn’t retire before turning 100, and current Republican senator Chuck Grassley, who won reelection in November at age 89, will be 95 when his term ends. But here’s the thing: “They” should have gone after men too, if the men weren’t able to do their jobs. (Grassley seems fine; Thurmond surely could have retired at, say, 92.) This is not about ageism or about feminism; this is about holding public servants to the same standards we hold everyone else to.

    When someone is unable or unwilling to do their job, they resign—or can be expected to be fired. This is the way of life in America. It’s grim, but it’s what we do here. Imagine a world where we “hold” jobs for people who are likely never going to get back to them anyway. Your bus has no driver, your coffee place has no cashier, you go to your doctor appointment and the doctor is not there. It’s one of the harsh realities of life that we tend not to keep people in jobs when they can no longer do them. 

    Of course, public servants should be allowed to recover from health issues, and return, as Senator John Fetterman did this week following treatment for clinical depression. In the case of Feinstein, however, her current medical condition, and the uncertainty about when she could return, follows years of questions about her fitness to serve. Here’s how one unnamed lawmaker put it last year to the San Francisco Chronicle: “I have worked with her for a long time and long enough to know what she was like just a few years ago: always in command, always in charge, on top of the details, basically couldn’t resist a conversation where she was driving some bill or some idea. All of that is gone. She was an intellectual and political force not that long ago, and that’s why my encounter with her was so jarring. Because there was just no trace of that.”

    But even two years prior, in 2020, The New Yorker’s Jane Mayer told NPR’s All Things Considered: “Really, for the last couple of years, I’ve been hearing that Dianne Feinstein has been struggling, particularly with short-term memory issues, so that her staff will brief her and then she’ll forget what she’s been told or that she’s been briefed at all.” This isn’t about age, this is about ability to do the job one was elected to do. 

    The problem with letting Feinstein take her time is that the math is not on Democrats’ side. Republicans have refused to let Feinstein sub someone else into her Judiciary Committee slot, with every day of her not serving being another day Democrats are not confirming federal judges. And right now, America is in the middle of a judicial crisis. We have a Supreme Court which is ruled by Republicans, of which three were installed by Donald Trump—the last being Amy Coney Barrett, who was appointed shortly after Ruth Bader Ginsburg died. (Democrats reportedly feared Feinstein playing a lead role in that confirmation hearing, for which she came under withering criticism after.) In June, those Trump-appointed justices overturned Roe, taking away a constitutional right women had for 50 years, the right to bodily autonomy. These right-wing justices have continued reshaping the country. According to NPR’s Nina Totenberg, it’s the most conservative Court in 90 years and conservatives have prevailed in “62% of the decisions.” These are not normal times. We are a country in the middle of a judicial emergency.

    As Khanna said this past weekend on Fox News, California governor Gavin Newsom has the opportunity to appoint a caretaker to this Senate seat, thus not putting his finger on scale for the 2024 California Democratic senate primary, which already has representatives Barbara Lee, Adam Schiff, and Katie Porter vying for Feinstein’s seat. “This has nothing to do with the current race, because a caretaker would solve that,” he said. “This has to do with someone who is just not showing up.” 

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  • Dianne Feinstein Is Becoming a Big Liability—And Republicans Know It

    Dianne Feinstein Is Becoming a Big Liability—And Republicans Know It

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    Dianne Feinstein asked to be temporarily taken off the Senate Judiciary Committee last week in an effort to quash calls for her resignation, as her indefinite medical leave threatens to grind confirmation of Joe Biden’s court nominees to a halt. But Republicans, seeking to do just that, seem to be set on blocking her request, which could prompt a bitter fight in the Senate and ramp up the pressure on the California Democrat to step down before the end of her term.  

    GOP leaders haven’t formally said how they would handle Feinstein’s request, which Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer plans to take up this week. But Tom Cotton, a Republican on the Judiciary Committee, sent a strong signal over the weekend: “Republicans,” he tweeted Saturday, “should not assist Democrats in confirming Joe Biden’s most radical nominees to the courts.” According to a Monday report by Politico, more GOP lawmakers are expected to follow Cotton’s lead and play hardball. Schumer needs only ten Republican votes to approve the temporary swap. But that already difficult prospect could become near impossible if Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who returns to the Senate from his own medical leave this week, comes out against it. “My instinct is he would do everything he could to keep Democrats from stacking the federal judiciary,” a McConnell ally told the outlet.

    Which makes sense: McConnell’s great political project has been the right-wing takeover of the judicial system, which he’s pursued ruthlessly. So it’s hard to imagine him and his allies suddenly finding the generosity of spirit to make it easier for Biden to get judges through. And yet, that’s exactly what Feinstein is forcing her party to bank on. “It’s one thing to take medical leave and come back,” California Congressman Ro Khanna, who has led the Democratic calls for Feinstein’s resignation, told Fox News Sunday. “It’s another thing when you’re just not doing the job.” 

    A number of top Democrats, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, have bristled at the resignation talk, suggesting that calls for her to step down are improper or even sexist. “I’ve never seen them go after a man who was sick in the Senate that way,” Pelosi said last week. “We believe that a senator should be able to make their own judgments about when they’re retiring and when they’re not, and they all deserve a chance to get better and come back to work,” Gillibrand told CNN over the weekend. “Dianne will get better. She will come back to work.” 

    Except it’s not entirely clear she will. The 89-year-old Feinstein—who is the oldest sitting senator—has been out since February with shingles. And concerns about her health go beyond her current illness. Last year, it was reported that she was having difficulty remembering colleagues and following policy discussions. And last week, Politico reported that some of her fellow Democrats worry she will not be able to return to Washington, with associates noting that her recent illness has “taken a heavy toll on her.” That report prompted calls for her resignation from Khanna and Minnesota Representative Dean Phillips, who said that Feinstein is a “remarkable American whose contributions to our country are immeasurable”—but whose insistence on remaining in the Senate amounted to a “dereliction of duty.”

    Much of the Democratic Party has tip-toed around such calls, even as critics liken the predicament to Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s decision to stay on the bench, which eventually led to the ascent of Amy Coney Barrett—Donald Trump’s third Supreme Court pick that gave conservatives a 6-3 supermajority. But the party’s position is going to be increasingly difficult to maintain if Republicans block her Judiciary Committee replacement—and untenable if her extended absence undermines them on other matters, including the debt ceiling standoff that will come to a head in the not-so-distant future. “We are going to need her vote on the Senate floor eventually,” Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar told ABC News’ This Week. Klobuchar did stop short of calling for her colleague to resign—but seemed to suggest that her patience had a limit. “If this goes on month after month after month, then she’s going to have to make a decision with her family and her friends about what her future holds, because this isn’t just about California,” she said. “It’s also about the nation.”

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  • Democrats Appear Split On How To Handle Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s Absence

    Democrats Appear Split On How To Handle Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s Absence

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    Democrats appear divided on whether Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) should resign given her lengthy absence from the Senate that could prove to be a challenge for President Joe Biden’s legislative agenda amid the party’s narrow majority in the chamber.

    Feinstein, 89, who is recovering at home in San Francisco after being hospitalized with a case of shingles, last week asked Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to appoint a replacement for her on the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee after many of her colleagues voiced concern that her absence could stand in the way of confirming Biden’s judicial nominees.

    However, the move would require GOP approval, and it’s still unclear whether Republicans would be prepared to grant the request.

    In the meantime, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), one of the first Democrats to ask for Feinstein’s resignation, on Sunday said his calls for her to step aside come out of respect for the American people who expect their officials who seek elected office to be up to the task.

    “If you’re gonna sign up to do these jobs, show up,” Khanna told “Fox News Sunday.”

    Feinstein has so far missed 60 votes this year.

    Khanna also drew a contrast between the cases of Feinstein and Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who recently left a hospital after spending six weeks getting inpatient treatment for clinical depression and is expected to return to the Senate this week. Fetterman suffered a stroke while he was campaigning last year.

    “It’s one thing to take medical leave and come back, it’s another thing when you’re just not doing the job,” Khanna said, adding that Feinstein has not clarified when she would be in a position to return to Washington.

    Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), who sits on the Judiciary Committee, said while she takes Feinstein at her word that she plans to return to Washington, Democrats have many crucial votes coming up, including on the debt ceiling, that would require the California senator’s presence.

    Democrats have a slim 51-49 majority in the Senate, while Republicans control the House of Representatives.

    “If this goes on month after month after month, then she’s going to have to make a decision with her family and her friends about what her future holds because this isn’t just about California, it’s also about the nation,” Klobuchar told ABC’s “This Week.”

    Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who caucuses with Democrats, said Feinstein should be the one to determine her future in the position.

    “The decision about whether somebody should resign, rests on that individual themselves,” Sanders told MSNBC’s “Inside With Jen Psaki” Sunday. “I don’t think she should be forced out.”

    Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) went a step further than Sanders, describing the calls for Feinstein to leave the Senate as sexist and politically motivated.

    “I’ve never seen them go after a man who was sick in the Senate in that way,” Pelosi said.

    The questions around Feinstein also appear to pose a challenge for California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who would be the one to appoint her replacement should Feinstein resign.

    Feinstein’s current term ends in January 2025. She is not seeking reelection.

    Newsom in 2021 pledged to nominated a Black woman in her place if she stepped down, and many have already suggested Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), who is already running for Feinstein’s Senate seat in 2024, should be picked.

    Yet, such a move could alienate the other candidates in the race, Reps. Katie Porter and Adam Schiff.

    Khanna, who is backing Lee in 2024 and is serving as a co-chair on her campaign, said Newsom would also have the choice to appoint a caretaker.

    “He doesn’t have to appoint someone in the current race, and I would support the governor doing that,” Khanna told Fox News.

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  • Sen. Feinstein Faces Increased Pressure From Hallucination Of JFK Yelling At Her To Step Down

    Sen. Feinstein Faces Increased Pressure From Hallucination Of JFK Yelling At Her To Step Down

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    SAN FRANCISCO—With the powerful Democrat making frequent appearances before her and urging her to resign her seat, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) reportedly faced increased pressure Friday from a hallucination of the late former President John F. Kennedy yelling at her to step down. “The party, Dianne! Think of the party!” said an apparition of the 35th president who is visible only to Feinstein and has served as her top aide since he entered her hospital room last month, trailing behind him the endless brain tissue that continually oozes from a wound in his skull. “There is nothing left for you in the Senate, Dianne, or indeed in this earthly realm. Soon you will carry out the ultimate service to your country by joining me on the other side. And together, we will govern the afterlife!” At press time, Feinstein told sources she felt betrayed after discovering the phantasm of Kennedy was merely angling to be appointed to her vacant Senate seat.

    Taxidermist Returns Finished Bob Dole To Display In Capitol Rotunda

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  • Feinstein asks for temporary replacement on Judiciary Committee amid calls for resignation

    Feinstein asks for temporary replacement on Judiciary Committee amid calls for resignation

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    Washington — Sen. Dianne Feinstein is facing pressure from within her own party to resign amid a lengthy absence due to her health. 

    Rep. Ro Khanna of California called on the longtime California senator to step down on Wednesday as she recovers from shingles. 

    “We need to put country ahead of personal loyalty,” Khanna said in a tweet. “While she has had a lifetime of public service, it is obvious she can no longer fulfill her duties. Not speaking out undermines our credibility as elected representatives of the people.” 

    Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota said he agreed. 

    “Senator Feinstein is a remarkable American whose contributions to our country are immeasurable,” he tweeted. “But I believe it’s now a dereliction of duty to remain in the Senate and a dereliction of duty for those who agree to remain quiet.” 

    In a statement Wednesday night, the 89-year-old Feinstein said that her return to Washington “has been delayed due to continued complications related to my diagnosis,” adding that she will return “as soon as possible once my medical team advises that it’s safe for me to travel.”

    Feinstein also said that she has asked Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to appoint a Democratic senator to “temporarily” replace her on the Senate Judiciary Committee until she returns. Schumer said in a statement later Wednesday night that he would ask the Senate “next week” to fulfill her request.

    Feinstein announced on March 7 that she was out of the hospital and receiving treatment at home as she recovered from the infection. She said she looked “forward to returning to the Senate as soon as possible.” A week prior to that, she said she hoped to be back in Washington later in March. 

    The Senate has been in recess since March 31, but returns next week. 

    Feinstein has missed nearly 60 votes since her diagnosis in late February. She last voted on Feb. 16. 

    Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, recently told CNN that her absence has slowed the confirmation of federal judges. 

    “I can’t consider nominees in these circumstances because a tie vote is a losing vote in committee,” Durbin said of the 10-10 partisan breakdown. 

    Following Durbin’s comments, former President Barack Obama’s speechwriter Jon Lovett said Feinstein should step down. 

    “Dianne Feinstein should no longer be in the Senate,” he said on the podcast Pod Save America. “She should resign and more people should be calling on her to resign.” 

    Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested sexism was behind the resignation calls. 

    “She deserves the respect to get well and be back on duty,” Pelosi told ABC7 News. “It’s interesting to me, I don’t know what political agendas are at work that are going after Sen. Feinstein in that way. I’ve never seen them go after a man who was sick in the Senate in that way.”

    Days before she was hospitalized, Feinstein said she would not be seeking reelection in 2024.  

    Nikole Killion contributed to this report. 

    Caitlin Yilek

    Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital. Reach her at caitlin.yilek@cbsinteractive.com. Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hausofcait

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  • Progressives Call On Dianne Feinstein To Resign Amid Concern Over Her Absence

    Progressives Call On Dianne Feinstein To Resign Amid Concern Over Her Absence

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    WASHINGTON ― Prominent progressives are calling for Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) to resign or step down from her post on the Senate Judiciary Committee out of concern that her absence will stall the confirmation of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees.

    “We need to put the country ahead of personal loyalty,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) tweeted on Wednesday, calling on Feinstein to resign. “While she has had a lifetime of public service, it is obvious she can no longer fulfill her duties. Not speaking out undermines our credibility as elected representatives of the people.”

    Feinstein, 89, was hospitalized in early March after a bout of shingles. The longest-serving California senator, who announced her retirement at the end of 2024, was released from the hospital a week later and is recovering in San Francisco. She said at the time she expected to make a full recovery and hoped to return to the Senate “as soon as possible.”

    However, Democrats close to Feinstein and some Democratic congressional aides are concerned she may never come back to Washington, according to Politico.

    Feinstein’s absence ― her last vote in the Senate was Feb. 16 ― has already stalled the committee vote on one of Biden nominees to a federal appeals court. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, told CNN recently that a prolonged absence from one of his members could have bigger ramifications on the Democrats’ ability to confirm judges.

    Feinstein’s office told HuffPost on Wednesday that they don’t yet have an update on when the senator will return to the Senate. The chamber has been on a two-week recess and is scheduled to gavel back into session on Monday.

    Indivisible, a progressive advocacy group, called on Feinstein to step down from the Judiciary Committee so that Democrats are able to confirm more judges and fight back against GOP efforts to restrict abortion, such as the ruling from a Texas district court suspending abortion pill mifepristone nationwide.

    “If Sen. Feinstein isn’t able to be present for critical votes on these issues, then she should step down from the committee so that business can continue without any further delay,” Ezra Levin, co-executive director for Indivisible, said in a statement to HuffPost. “As we saw in the mifepristone case out of Texas, the types of judges who make up our federal judiciary is existential to our fundamental rights.”

    Jon Lovett, “Pod Save America” host and former Obama speechwriter, also argued that Feinstein should step down before her planned 2024 retirement.

    “Because she is not in the Judiciary Committee … it has made it basically impossible to move a lot of these lower court nominees to the Senate for a vote,” Lovett said on a podcast episode this week.

    “Dianne Feinstein should no longer be in the Senate. She should resign, and more people should be calling on her to resign,” he added.

    Prominent legal scholars similarly weighed in on the matter this week.

    “Schumer needs to remove Feinstein from the Judiciary Committee and replace her ASAP,” tweeted Norm Ornstein, a resident scholar at American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank.

    Feinstein announced her retirement in February after growing questions about her mental acuity, including among her fellow Senate Democrats.

    Three California Democrats in the House have already said they plan to run for her seat: Reps. Barbara Lee, Adam Schiff, and Katie Porter.

    If Feinstein resigns, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has vowed to appoint a Black woman to replace her in the Senate. That could be Lee, who is the highest-ranking Black woman appointed to Democratic House leadership.

    Senate Democrats aren’t pushing Feinstein out the door quite yet, at least not publicly. Sen. Richard Whitehouse (D-R.I.), asked about calls for Feinstein to step aside by WPRI’s Ted Nesi on Tuesday, said she was entitled to making a decision about her future on her own.

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  • Dianne Feinstein hospitalized with shingles

    Dianne Feinstein hospitalized with shingles

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    Sen. Dianne Feinstein
    Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., waits for the Senate subway in the Capitol on Feb. 2, 2023. 

    Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images


    Sen. Dianne Feinstein is undergoing treatment for shingles at a San Francisco hospital. The California Democrat was diagnosed with the infection in late February and has missed multiple votes this week. 

    “I was diagnosed over the February recess with a case of shingles,” Feinstein said in a statement Thursday. “I have been hospitalized and am receiving treatment in San Francisco and expect to make a full recovery. I hope to return to the Senate later this month.”

    Feinstein’s office said Wednesday she was away from Washington, D.C., this week while she dealt with a “health matter” but hoped to return soon. 

    Shingles is a non-life-threatening viral infection that usually causes a painful rash, according to the Mayo Clinic. Older people are at a higher risk of developing shingles and people over 60 are more likely to have more severe complications. 

    Feinstein, 89, announced last month she would not seek reelection in 2024. 

    Nikole Killion


    Nikole Killion

    Nikole Killion is a congressional correspondent for CBS News based in Washington D.C.

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  • Rep. Barbara Lee Announces Run For California Senate Seat

    Rep. Barbara Lee Announces Run For California Senate Seat

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    Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) announced her candidacy for Senate in California, becoming the third member of Congress running for the seat being vacated at the end of next year by retiring Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

    “For those who say my time has passed, well, when does making change go out of style? I don’t quit. I don’t give up. Come on. That’s not in my DNA,” Lee, 76, said in a video released by her campaign on Tuesday. “Because when you stand on the side of justice, you don’t quit. If they don’t give you a seat at the table, you bring a folding chair for everyone.”

    This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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  • Rep. Adam Schiff Jumps Into California Senate Race

    Rep. Adam Schiff Jumps Into California Senate Race

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    Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) announced his candidacy for Senate on Tuesday, joining Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) in the 2024 primary race to fill a California seat that hasn’t even been vacated yet.

    “We’re in the fight of our lives for the future of our country,” Schiff said in a statement. “Our democracy is under assault from MAGA extremists, who care only about gaining power and keeping it. And our economy is simply not working for millions of Americans, who are working harder than ever just to get by.”

    “And at this moment, we need a fighter for our democracy and our families, which is why I’m launching my campaign to be the next U.S. Senator for California,” he added.

    Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 89, is up for reelection, but she hasn’t announced yet whether she plans to seek another term. She is widely expected to retire, however.

    Schiff, a former Trump impeachment manager, has been a top GOP target. Earlier this week, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) announced he was kicking Schiff off the House Intelligence Committee in retaliation for Democrats’ decision to boot far-right GOP members off committees in the last Congress.

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  • Week In Review: January 15, 2023

    Week In Review: January 15, 2023

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  • Katie Porter Uses Whiteboard To Explain To Dianne Feinstein Why This Her Office Now

    Katie Porter Uses Whiteboard To Explain To Dianne Feinstein Why This Her Office Now

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    WASHINGTON—Circling the words “dead soon” for emphasis, Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) reportedly used a whiteboard Wednesday to explain to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) why the public office held by Feinstein for 30 years belonged to Porter now. “So as you can see here, the average life expectancy for a woman in the United States is 79 years, and come 2024, you’ll be 91—if you’re lucky—and that’s just too old!” said Porter, who drew a stick figure that was hunched over and leaning on a cane, along with several arrows that appeared to indicate the figure was about to tumble into an open grave. “Me, I’ll only be 51. But you, well, pretty soon you’re going to be down there in the ground. So you can’t stay here. Are you still following me, Dianne? This office is mine.” At press time, sources confirmed Porter had been forced to wipe the board clean and start over by explaining that the Hart Senate Office Building was not Feinstein’s home and she did not live there.

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  • Progressive Rep. Katie Porter launches bid for Feinstein’s California Senate seat | CNN Politics

    Progressive Rep. Katie Porter launches bid for Feinstein’s California Senate seat | CNN Politics

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    CNN
     — 

    California Rep. Katie Porter announced a 2024 Senate bid on Tuesday, launching her campaign for Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s seat in what could be a bruising Democratic primary.

    The 89-year-old Feinstein, a member of the Senate since 1992, has not yet made public her own plans for 2024, and her office did not respond to a request for comment on Porter’s announcement. However, many Democrats believe she is likely to retire rather than seek a sixth full term.

    Porter, a former law professor who has proven to be a prolific fundraiser since first winning her Orange County-area House seat in 2018, survived a tough reelection bid in 2022, when the redistricting process placed her home in Irvine within a 47th District in which she had to newly introduce herself to about two-thirds of voters.

    Porter, who studied under future Sen. Elizabeth Warren at Harvard Law School, is best known nationally for her sharp questioning in House oversight committee hearings. She is also a leading progressive, serving as deputy chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

    “California needs a warrior in the Senate – to stand up to special interests, fight the dangerous imbalance in our economy, and hold so-called leaders like Mitch McConnell accountable for rigging our democracy,” Porter said Tuesday in a tweet accompanied by a video announcing her candidacy.

    If Feinstein were to retire, it would likely set off a crowded scramble for the high-profile Senate seat in the country’s most populous state.

    Other potential contenders could include Rep. Adam Schiff, Lt. Gov Eleni Kounalakis, Attorney General Rob Bonta and US Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, a former longtime member of Congress.

    Schiff, who views the senator as a mentor, went to see Feinstein in December to tell her that he was thinking about running, in what a source familiar with the meeting said was intended to show her due respect.

    Feinstein has filed 2024 reelection paperwork with the FEC, but has faced criticism recently about her fitness for the job. She rejected those suggestions, telling CNN last year that she feels “absolutely” able to serve fully in her position, adding: “I think that’s pretty obvious.”

    This story has been updated with additional reporting.

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