Feinstein's return to the Senate recalls its past heroics and persistent problems
When the Senate returns next week from its Independence Day recess, one major focus for Democrats will be their dependence on one member of their ultraslim majority.
California Democrat Dianne Feinstein took part on the Senate floor on the most recent day the chamber held recorded votes. That was June 22, which also happened to be her 90th birthday.
Feinstein is the oldest member of the current Senate, eclipsing Iowa Republican Charles Grassley by a few months. But Feinstein has been missing from the Senate for much of the current session, recovering in California from a bout with shingles complicated by encephalitis and other ailments.
During her monthslong absence , more than any other senator, and about two-thirds of all this year's Senate roll calls. Her absence also left a vacant chair on her committees – notably Judiciary, where without her vote, the Democrats could muster
