serve as the chair of the senate intelligence committee and the first woman to serve on the senate judiciary committee. dianne was such a strong presence in the senate. she was a determined and tenacious advocate. many of us worked closely with her on the intelligence committee where she was such an excellent chairwoman. she was always there, respectful, informed and strong. we worked together on the appropriations committee as well where she chaired the energy and water subcommittee. many of us were her allies on the violence against women act and the respect for marriage act. the senate and the country have lost a model senator. elegance, graceful, kind, compassionate, strong, informed, intelligent. mr. president, i have also lost a deer friend. i put up this watercolor painting that dianne did and ago. it has hung in my office ever since and it will have a place of honor they are always. every time i've look at that spot i would look at it and think about how talented dianne was in so many different areas. i treasure this painting. when i became engaged 11 years ago, it was dianne who spo

senate busisiness though where dianne feinstein, was the first wowoman to ever serve on the senate judiciarynow there's an absence there and the senate so evenly divivided that democrata need to replace her quicklkly s they can move senator biden -- i mean, president biden's nomination. it's not clear if republicans are going to allow democrats to put another democrat on that c committee. . with ththe filibuster it gets complicated and i don't know the dedeath of dianne feinstein is going to affect that. but this in the midst of a government shutdown, , is going to be one of those issues that's going to plague a torn congress right now. >> you talk about that senate judiciary committee, dianne feinstein broke the gender barrier there with a nod from now president joe biden. when he was receiving senate saying relate her on the committee. we know it's going to be a busy day for you. the biographer of senator dianne feinstein. a long day for you ahead. and much conversation yet to be had about her legacy and our future here in the bay area and california politics and the politics of the nation

mayor, the first woman elected to the senate from california, the first woman to sit on the senate judiciary committee, the first woman to chair the rules committee, and cochair the inaugural committee and the first woman ever to chair the important senate intelligence committee. feinstein was without a doubt an american original, whose career was powered i by the pain of a tragedy she said she could never unsee. the lifeless body of one of the first openly gay politicians in america harvey milk. >> the door to the office came dm. i heard the door slam. i heard the shots. he whisked by. i walked down the line of supervisor offices and found harvey milk, put my finger in a bullet hole trying to get a pulse. it was the first person and that began a saga. i became mayor as a product of assassination of the first openly gay public official being killed by a friend and colleague of mine. >> feinstein told me in that 2017 interview 25 years after she first made it to the senate in 1992, and every day she said she came to work, tryied honor her friend. in 1994, penned the assault weapons ban. guns

serve as the chair of the senate intelligence committee, and the first woman to serve on the senate judiciary committee. dianne was such a strong presence in the senate. she was a determined and tenacious advocate. many of us worked closely with her on the intelligence committee, where she was such an excellent chairman. she was always fair, respectful, informed, and strong. we worked together on the appropriations committee as well, where she chairs -- chaired the energy and water subcommittee. many of us were her allies on the violence against women act, and the respect for marriage act. the senate and the country has lost a model senator. elegant, graceful, kind, compassionate, strong, informed, intelligent. mr. president, i have also lost a dear friend. i have put up this watercolor painting that dianne did and gave me so many years ago. it has hung in my office ever since, and it will have a place of honor there always. every time i would pass by, i would look at it and think about how talented diane was in so many different areas. i treasure this painting. when i became engaged 11 years

graham said his calls were directly related to his responsibility then as chair of the senate judiciary committee and his actions should have been protected by the constitution's speech and debate clause. our coverage today starts with cnn's paula reid who's been diving into the details in this brand new release. you just walked me through what you knew but there were other big names in this report. >> in addition to senator graham i think the two big surprises were david lefler and kelly perdue. we know they both helped to push election lies after the 2020 presidential race. they were both allies. lefler tried to call on the secretary of state to resign. perdue was pressing the governor kemp to try to call a special election to try to overturn the results and also had a lot of conversations with georgia officials around that time that had been the subject of this investigation. i want to read a statement, though, that loeffler released earlier. she said, quote, trying to jail your party's political opponent ahead of the 2020 election is election interference, speaking out in defense of

back on march 1, you told the senate judiciary committee that mr. weiss had the full authority to bring cases in other jurisdictions if he felt it was necessary. on june 7, mr. weiss wrote to the judiciary committee stating you had been -- he had been granted ultimate authority over the matter, including responsibility for deciding where, when and whether to file charges. by june 30th, he changed his tune and said that his charging authority was geographically limited and it would be up to the u.s. attorney's office and then you to determine whether he can partner on the case. if not, he can request special attorney status. he had been assured if necessary, he would be granted 515 authority in d.c., central district of california, or any other district where charges could be brought. let me ask you, is there some legal authority known as special attorney status? >> section 515 permits the attorney general to sign an order to authorize a prosecutor to work in another district. >> if you had already decided that he had full authority, why did you feel

serve as the chair of the senate intelligence committee, and the first woman to serve on the senate judiciarymittee. dianne was such a strong presence in the senate. she was a determined and tenacious advocate. many of us worked closely with her on the intelligence committee, where she was such an excellent chairman. she was always fair, respectful, informed, and strong. we worked together on the appropriations committee as well, where she chairs -- chaired the energy and water subcommittee. many of us were her allies on the violence against women act, and the respect for marriage act. the senate and the country has lost a model senator. elegant, graceful, kind, compassionate, strong, informed, intelligent. mr. president, i have also lost a dear friend. i have put up this watercolor painting that dianne did and gave me so many years ago. it has hung in my office ever since, and it will have a place of honor there always. every time i would pass by, i would look at it and think about how talented diane was in so many different areas. i treasure this painting. when i became engaged 11 years ago

she was the first woman on the senate judiciary the first woman senator from california. she was the first woman mayor of san francisco. she was the first woman in the senate to chair the intelligence committee. so she was a groundbreaker. and you know, some of senators this morning, we're talking about how she opened the door for them. i remember so well when she was running for senator and a reelection barbara boxer was running. and barbara, you know, had a challenging because it was diane did not hesitate. she just stepped forward and made sure that it was her. and barbara together was unjust. each person for themselves. so and she has always looked out for people and especially encourage other women to fulfill their potential. and i feel grateful to her for that. such a powerful thing and >> could you also speak to the legislative impacts that she left behind? >> well, you know, she gets so much you can't just single out one or 2 things. what i've thinking this morning just about a couple of things, one that everyone knows the work that she did and the efforts and how

. >> reporter: it was the clarence thomas hearings before an all male senate judiciary committee in 1991t got feinstein to the senate as she recalled in 2018. >> what did i see but an all male senate judiciary committee grilling anita hill. and it was not nice. and it was not what one would like to see. and that was my incentive to run in 1992. >> reporter: after her decisive senate win, then senator joe biden made her the first woman on the judiciary committee. in congress, she quickly made an impact, leading the charge for an assault weapons ban in 1994, and senate intelligence chair, she took on the c.i.a.'s water boarding of prisoners, holding hearings into the bush administration's harsh interrogation techniques. in later years, colleagues faulted her performance during supreme court confirmations, praising republican lindsey graham for getting trunk nominee amy coney barrett confirmed, just weeks before the 2020 election. >> this has been one of the best senate hearings that i've participated in. >> reporter: but through political and personal trials, dianne feinstein's legacy as a

seven-page ethics complaint, written by senator sheldon whitehouse, who's the chairman of the senate judiciaryitutionally ignorant things as a cream court justice has ever said publicly, which also constitutes an ethics violation, according to senator whitehouse. senator whitehouse writes, the wall street journal, on july 20th, 2023, published an interview with justice alito. during the interview, a justice alito stated that no provision in the constitution gives congress the authority to regulate the supreme court. period. justice alito's con meant appeared connection to my supreme court ethics recusal in transmitters the act, which the senate judiciary committee had advanced just one week before the publication of this interview. that bill would update judicial ethics laws to ensure the supreme court complies with ethical standards, at least as demanding as another branches of government. justice alito expressed an opinion on a matter that could well come before the court. senator whitehouse cited the code of conduct for federal judges, saying, judges should not make public comment on the me

on march 1st, you told the senate judiciary committee that mr. weiss had the full authority to bring cases in other jurisdictions of he felt necessary. on june 7th, mr. weiss wrote to the judiciary committee stating he had been granted ultimate authority over the matter including responsibility for designing where and when to file charges. i june 30th, he had changed his tune and said his charging authority was geographic limited and it would be up to the u.s. attorney's office. and you to determine whether he could partner on the case. if not, he could request social attorney status from the ag pursuant to 515 and he had been assured that if necessary, he would be granted 515 authority in dc, central district of california or any other district where charges could be brought. let me ask you, is there some distinct legal authority a special attorney status? is there some distinct legal authority not a special attorney status? >> section 515 permits the attorney general to sign in order to authorize a prosecutor to work in another district. >> of y

while becoming the first woman to achieve a variety of accomplishments, including chair of the senate judiciary committee, chair of the senate rules and administration committee, and chair of the senate intelligence committee. through it all, feinstein never forgot where she came from. >> i love the city, born there, raised there, schooled there. they say you can take the girl out of the city, but you can't take the city out of the girl. i think that's what it is. >> always have such a strong place in the city. >> we've steen the images of her lately, right, in a wheelchair, in ill health, people saying, can she still do her job. >> then she took off for a while. >> then you see her just a few years ago, and she was vibrant. >> in her prime, yes, absolutely vibrant. it was easily one of the most important mayors of san francisco that the city has ever had, a special connection. then, of course, the situation where a former mayor of san francisco will appoint her successor, the governor of california, gavin newsom is now -- we've been trying to get ahold of the governor's office to get a stateme

. >> reporter: it was the clarence thomas hearings before an all-male senate judiciary hearing that got feinstein to the senate in 2018. >> what did i see but an all-male senate judiciary committee grilling anita hill? and it was not nice, and it was not what one would like to see, and that was my incentive to run in 1992. >> reporter: after her decisive senate win, joe biden made her the first woman on the judiciary committee. in congress she quickly made an impact, leading the charge for an assault weapons ban in 1994. as senate intelligence chair, she took on the cia's water boardings of prisoners, looking into the harsh interrogation techniques, but in later years, she was faulted for supreme court confirmations. faulting lindsey graham for getting amy coney barrett through. but part of her legacy as a trail blazer endures. and we just heard from nancy pelosi. just this morning, arriving on the hill, she was okay, a very close friend and ally of senator feinstein's. the pelosi arriving for work today was emotional saying, may she rest in peace and noting that feinstein's very last s

the hearing is being held by the senate judiciary subcommittee on privacy, technology, and the law. law. watch live at 2:30 p.m. eastern on c-span3, c-span now, our free mobile video app, or online at c-span.org. >> a healthy democracy doesn't just look like this. it looks like this, where americans can see democracy at work, where citizens are truly informed, a republic thrives. did informed straight from the source on c-span. unfiltered, unbiased, word for word. from the nation's capital to wherever you are because the opinion that matters most is your own. this is what democracy looks like. c-span powered by cable. >> host: taking a look at 2024 from the lens of latino voter. joint for us this discussion daniel garza picky serves as a president. welcome back to the program. >> guest: always a pleasure to be on c-span, talk about important issues are impacting every american city. >> host: remind people about the initiative, who your target and particularly your political point of view. >> guest: sure. we are a nonpartisan and nonprofit what we do basically is engage, activate, mo

reaction is tennessee senator marsha blackburn who is a member of both the senate finance and senate judiciary senator thank you for joining us this morning. also -- you served in the house before you served in the senate. >> that's right. >> the democrats they want to put all of the blame going into election year on the republicans, the democrats have also asked for 12 billion dollars as a bump up for fema funding but 24 billion dollars for ukraine. there are a lot of people that want it see this -- this question split. what's your take on where we're at and what is going to happen with the funding? >> yes. good morning jason. what we are hearing is the one person who is really pushing for a government shutdown is chuck schumer. and this is something he thinks would help him politically as he tries to hang on to the u.s. senate which, of course, we know is going to be very difficult for him to do an probably impossible. but what we do know is this. senate republicans, house republicans are pushing forward to get these spending bills across the finish line. because this is how we take the powe

she missed a pair of votes yesterday afternoon and she was also absent from a senate judiciary committee meeting. the senior senator from california was 90 years old. >> bill: one of the images that comes to mind immediately is what we saw recently, the effort she made to fly across country and really show up on capitol hill in a wheelchair in order to perform votes in congress. >> she lived quite a career. just really an incredible tenure she led there. this news coming as a surprise. there were rumblings of this earlier this morning. this all just coming together in the last 45 minutes or so. the news coming out she has passed away. >> bill: considered a democratic centrist. center left for most of her political career. not aligned with the progressive that has developed in the democratic party today. what does gavin newsom do? he has indicated, as has been reported, that he would appoint an african-american woman to her position, as you see the image of feinstein that we just saw about a month ago in washington, d.c. we all knew at the time, jacque, she was not doing well. was fightin

. >> reporter: she was the first female member of the senate judiciary committee and the first woman to lead the senate intelligence committee. considered a moderate democrat, she often challenged her own party with her pro death penalty stance. after donald trump was elected president feinstein got groans from hometown democrats when she encouraged her party to be patient with him. >> i just hope he has the ability to learn and to change and if he does, he can be a good president and that's my hope. >> senator feinstein, that's another beauty. >> reporter: but feinstein was hardly a favorite of president trump, especially when her committee's investigation of sexual misconduct allegations against breath kavanaugh nearly dee krald his nomination to the u.s. supreme court. >> i'd like to find out who leaked the papers. was it senator feinstein? >> reporter: as her oopt party shifted to the left during the trump administration feinstein did the say announcing officially in 2018 she no longer supported the death penalty. >> i don't want to not grow. i don't want to not learn and the worl

then senator, now president joe biden, made her the first woman in the senate's judiciary committee, and in her first few years as senator, she quickly made an impact, most notably on the assault weapons ban she spear headed. as the intelligence chair, she took on waterboarding and investigated that, in later years, some more recently criticized her return to work despite bouts with her health. nonetheless, senator feinstein is seen as a trail blazer from both sides of the aisle. at least in celebration, the 150th celebration of san francisco's iconic cable cars, although the senator was not present, feinstein was praised for her work in some of the federal funding to keep those iconic cable cars in the city running. now, this morning, we were also here when the first bouquet of flowers were left outside the senator's home. since then, as mentioned, the number has grown. >> i left some flowers just, you know, in memory of her and her dedication to the city, the state, and the country, and her respect for both sides of the parties and how she worked with both sides. so, i appreciated t

. >> it was the clarence thomas hearings before an all male senate judiciary committee in 1991 that goto the senate as she recalled in 2018. >> and what did i see but an all male senate judiciary committee grilling anita hill. and it was not nice. and it was not what one would like to see. and that was my incentive to run in 1992. >> after a win, then senator joe biden made her the first woman in the judiciary committee. she led the charge for an assault weapons ban. she took on the cia's water boarding of prisoners. but colleagues faltered her performance during supreme court confirmations praising lindsey graham for getting amy coney barrett confirmed weeks before the 2020 election. >> this has been one of the best set of hearings that i've participated in. >> but through political and personal trials, her legacy as a trail blazer endures. >> and andrea joins us now. i know, of course, you have known senator feinstein for many, many years. before we talk about her legacy, she clearly had been struggling with health problems. she was 90 years old. what do we know about her passing? >>

. >> reporter: joe biden, senate judiciary chairman at the time, credited feinstein's leadership in sponsoring the 1994 federal assault weapons banned. >> she went out and did something that was a product of an incredible amount of work. >> reporter: in the aftermath of the september 11 attacks, feinstein spearheaded a 60 review of the cia's controversial detention and interrogation program. >> if you were ordered, by the president, to restart the cia's use of enhanced interrogation techniques that fall outside of the army field manual, would you comply? >> reporter: the san francisco native was first elected to the city's board of supervisors in 1969 and ran unsuccessfully for mayor twice. feinstein became the city's acting mayor under tragic circumstances after the 1978 assassination of mayor george moscone and supervisor harvey milk. following a failed run for california governor, she won a special election for a senate seat in 1992. five additional terms followed. in 2018, feinstein came under criticism during hearings on the supreme court nomination of brett kavanaugh. it was revealed the

she became the first woman to sit on the senate judiciary committee and the first woman. >> to chair the senate intelligence committee. >> she cast her last vote in the senate yesterday. and then this morning we saw a a bouquet of white roses in her senate seat and a moment of silence on the floor. and that was followed by comments from california. senator alex padilla are senator. he got. >> fairly emotional on the senate floor while speaking. take a look. >> the day i was sworn into the senate in 2021. under the most trying of circumstances covid pretty vaccine. 2 weeks. after january 6. 40,000. national guard to minutemen of the perimeter of a fenced off capitol i but escorted me. down the center aisle. to the rostrum. stood behind me as i was sworn at. big day for me. tough day that having. angela it meant boys. by my side. as an or over. social over. she grabbed by the head. come with me. sorry outside a step ahead. interview signed up. that's right. past supporters to hide away. even want to continue the dialogue. how can i help you? how can help you? let's get little bit of cou

senate intelligence committee. the first woman to serve as judiciary committee's top democrat kron four's. dan thorn is here in the studio with how colleagues on capitol hill are remembering her dan. >> catherine, the senator is being remembered as someone who did not shy away from fighting for what she believed in her career-wise. also full of firsts, kicking open the doors for women to take on political roles in san francisco and across the country. >> missus, feinstein. >> senator dianne feinstein fulfilling her duty as a public servant in till the end casting what would be her final vote on the senate floor just hours before her death, a black cloth and white roses set up on feinstein's senate desk on friday. her colleagues honoring her as a trailblazer. it is with profound. set >> that we bid farewell. my dear friend. and outright champion for the state of california. senator dianne feinstein. i do so as i say personally, as a friend, neighbor and fellow san franciscan. >> all of us do so with great pride as the great senator. she has been to our state, the longest-serving woman, senat

she returned to the senate and had struggled at times with her role on the senate judiciary and appropriations committee, specifically a few months ago she was struggling, you know, to vote on a vote in the senate appropriations committee. so it is something that has come to pass, but we are still getting more details about senator dianne feinstein's passing. >> i believe we have our colleague kasie hunt on the phone. can you hear us? >> guys, yeah, i'm with you. >> you think about her service, 31 years in the senate, elected in '92, longest serving woman senator ever. lauren talked about the work that she did, the architect of the assault weapons ban in 1994. a huge voice as well when it came to the push to legalize gay marriage. we will get to the health in a moment, but just help us remember the woman and the senator. >> absolutely, poppy. i mean, lauren touched on this a little bit and i know, you know, phil, you know, he and i often were in the halls together talking with senator feinstein. she really was a legend, an icon for women in politics and she is someone who, you know, was breaki

. >> and what did i see but an all male senate judiciary committee grilling anita hill, and it was not nice, and it was not what one would like to see, and that was my incentive to run in 1992. >> reporter: after her decisive senate win, then senator joe biden made her the first woman on the judiciary committee. in congress she quickly made an impact leading the charge for an assault weapons ban in 1994, as senate intelligence chair, she took on the cia's water boarding of prisoners holding hearings into the bush administration's harsh interrogation techniques, but in later years colleagues faltered her performance during supreme court confirmations, praising republican lindsey graham for getting trump nominee amy coney barrett confirmed weeks before the 2020 election. >> this has been one of the best set of hearings that i've participated in. >> reporter: but through political and personal trials, dianne feinstein's legacy as a trailblazer endures. andrea mitchell, nbc news, washington. >> now let's go live to the senate floor and majority leader chuck schumer. okay. we see flowers th

to go further, go into pending investigation. >> back on march 1, you told senate judiciary committee mr. weiss had full authority to bring cases in other jurisdictions if necessary. on june 7, mr. weiss wrote to the judiciary committee stating he had been granted ultimate authority over the matter including deciding when, where and whether to file charges and june 30, he changed his tone and said his authority geographically limited and it was up to you and he could request special -- assured he would be granted 515 authority in d.c. where charges could be brought. is there some distinct legal authority known as special attorney status? >> section 515 permits the attorney general to sign an order to authorize prosecutor to work in another district. >> and if you had already decided he had full authority, why did you feel it was necessary to sign the document? why did you feel -- why did mr. weiss feel he would need that extra authority if you had conveyed that he would have all that authority? >> you will have to speak with mr. weiss about that, i think his three letters are quite cl

to the core. >> sandra: we are watching this live event right now, senator lindsey graham and senate judiciarylicans are speaking, this is on the border and venezuelans getting temporary protected status. dip in and listen to the senator. >> the house will insist upon it and we are going to insist upon it. the supplemental sent over by president biden made things worse, not better. this was his chance to work with us to fix the problem. what's in his supplemental? not a dime for the things that really matter. as a matter of fact, if they are supplemental, they didn't put any money for enforcement, detaining violent criminals, or fighting cartels. they allowed money for enforcement, the ice money to be reprogrammed to community residential facilities to help with the cost of housing illegal immigrants. let me say that again. they had a chance to fix the problem. their solution is to defund ice and put more money into community facilities. they have just announced 460,000 venezuelans will be given temporary protective status. i project in about two months we'll have a lot more venezuelans. if yo

while becoming a first woman to achieve a variety of accomplishments including chair of the senate judiciary committee, chair of the senate rules and administration committee, and chair of the senate intelligence committee. in the toilet of her career, feinstein dealt with health setbacks including a difficult battle of shingles and subsequent complications. that led to some lawmakers including democrats to call for her resignation. senator feinstein did not back down and committed to stay until the end of her term in 2024 where she had already planned to retire from congress after three decades in the senate and over 50 years in public office, through it all, feinstein stuck to her beliefs and never forgot where she came from. >> i love this city. they say you can take the girl out of the city, but you can't take the city out of the girl. i think that is what it is. >> awarded senator dianne feinstein passing has people stopping by the steps outside of her home in san francisco today. some left flowers, others shared stories of the impact she made. nbc bay area christie smith has been at th

sandra: all right, well that was quite an emotional and moving press conference there by the senate judiciary committee. some of the members there, at least, john, lindsey graham specifically addressing democrats saying you've had a chance to do something about this crisis, you've done nothing and emotional plea from alabama senator katie britt to do something, we would not let this happen in a third world country, says drug cartels have their tentacles all over the country, ted cruz says you are not see what is happening there and defend it, john. >> john: we see the people coming over every day and the hardships to get there, and hardships to come across the border and eagle pas on monday, when they had to actually cut the concertina wire. yet when you talk to democrats, they either blame republicans or they try to shift the attention away from it. intrepid hillary vaughn caught up with a few democrats earlier today. listen to the question and answer. >> at what point does this become an invasion of our country? >> well, i would never use that word. not an invasion. this is not some pests.

committee's grilling of anita hill at the clarence thomas hearings that got feinstein to the senate judiciary chairman joe biden made her the committee's first woman. she immediately led the charge to pass an assault weapons ban as the first woman to chair the intelligence committee she took on the cia's wbatter boarding of prisoners. in later years she showed signs of age and poor health, frail when returning to the senate, but rallying voting yesterday before a visit with former congresswoman jane harman. >> wint there because i miss her and she has been voting as she always did. >> reporter: always opening doors for women. >> dianne left us the way she lived. on her own terms she knew what she wanted to get accomplished she respected diversity of opinion she was as bipartisan as they come. >> reporter: dianne feinstein did to her way, always bipartisan, even frustrating some democrats but true to herself. lester. >> andrea mitchell, thank you. >>> kristen welker, moderator of "meet the press" joins us now. kristen, california's governor will now have make an interim appointment to replace

and that's despite the fact that a highly qualified candidate was approved by the senate judiciary committee after a confirmation hearing, after the proper vetting and review, and is awaiting a full vote on the senate floor. yet because my republican colleague has chosen to politicize our justice department and the confirmation process and hinder the work of multiple law enforcement offices as they await confirmation ever their leadership, law enforcement -- of their leadership, law enforcement is now forced to work harder than necessary to keep our communities safe. that includes the senator's own home state of ohio where the northern district is currently without a senate-confirmed u.s. attorney for the longest stretch in that office's history. and now in my home state, the southern district of california has become tangled in this political mess. make no mistake, these delays damage the effectiveness of u.s. attorney offices across the country. like the confirmation of hundreds of our military leaders, these crucial law enforcement nominations are being treated like pawns in their politic

. >> joe biden, senate judiciary chairman at the time, credited feinstein's leadership in sponsoring 1994 federal assault weapons banned >> she went out and did something that was a product of an incredible amount of work. >> in the aftermath of the september 11 attacks, feinstein spearheaded a six-year review of the cia's controversial detention and interrogation program. >> if you were ordered, by the president, to restart the cia's use of enhanced interrogation techniques that fall outside of the army field manual, would you comply? >> reporter: the san francisco native was first elected to the city's board of supervisors in 1969 and ran unsuccessfully for mayor, twice. feinstein became the city's acting mayor under tragic circumstances after the 1978 assassination of mayor george moscone and supervisor harvey milk. following a failed run for california governor, she won a special election for a senate seat in 1992. five additional terms followed. in 2018, feinstein came under criticism during hearings on the supreme court nomination of brett kavanaugh. it was revealed the senator

this hearing before the senate judiciary subcommittee on privacy, technology and the law is aboutut twos and 20 minutes.

the hearing is being held by the senate judiciary subcommittee on privacy, technology, and the law.aw. watch live at 2:30 p.m. eastern on c-span3, c-span now, our free mobile video app, or online at c-span.org. >> a healthy democracy doesn't just look like this. it looks like this, where americans can see democracy at work, where citizens are truly informed, a republic thrives. did informed straight from the source on c-span. unfiltered, unbiased, word for word. from the nation's capital to wherever you are because the opinion that matters most is your own. this is what democracy looks like. c-span powered by cable. >> host: taking a look

joining me right now is senate judiciary committee member marsha blackburn. r, thanks very much for being here. what is your takeaway from the merrick garland testimony this past week? >> the testimony was astounding. maria, it was he heard nothing, he saw nothing, he wrote nothing, he didn't know anybody who had talked to 9/11 else that was -- anyone else that was involved in the white house. he had no recollection of any conversations that had taken place. it was astounding to hear him is say this. he either is inept, or he is lying. you've got one of two decisionses you can make on this because no one could be running and in charge of the u.s. department of justice and not have heard anything. it calls into question what they are trying to cover up. why are they trying to hide the ball? why are they trying to kick the can? why are they not wanting to answer these questions? and, maria, there's a great country song, it's called the hole. and the message of the song is when you're in a hole, stop digging. and when you hear testimony like merrick garland's, yo

and went on to serve as the top democrat on the senate judiciary committee and senate intelligence committee. next, a look back in an interview she did with c-span in 2001. reflecting on her experiences in the senate and her political career. >> senator dianne feinstein of california >> how do you cut through all of that? sen. feinstein: it's hard, but generally you try to associate yourself with solutions rather than with solutions that polarize or, i should say, rhetoric that polarizes. >> what drew you to public service? sen. feinstein: that's hard to tell. i'm the oldest of three girls, in such a responsibility to do certain things falls sometimes to the oldest girl. in school, i always found myself volunteering to do some things that others didn't want to do, and then i went down to college, my father wanted me to be a doctor, i didn't have the aptitude to that, i gravitated toward this arena. i've always wanted to put my david back to say thank you to america for all the opportunities it's given to me and to be able to help people. and i know that sounds sudsy, but it isn't meant that

select committee on intelligence and later the first woman to serve as a top democrat in the senate judiciaryco board of supervisors, the first woman mayor of san francisco, and the first woman elected senator of california. her major legislative record includes the federal assault weapon ban, which she champion in 1994, and her five-year review of the cia's detention and interrogation program's. senator feinstein was recently hospitalized after she fell in her home last month. her aides described the incident as a minor slip. as of now, no reports on how the senator died. senator dianne feinstein was 90 years old. confirmed by nbc, and as you said, local outlets and san francisco, jonathan. tell us about the senator. >> a remarkable legacy. and you just listed some of it there, joe. for decades she served the state and served our country. certainly her time but questioning state torture tactics interrogation tactics during the war on terror, a signature part of her legacy. a trail blazer to be sure. wanted to be seen as a role model for so many democratic senators, particularly female senato

senator chris coons reflected on his time serving with her on the senate judiciary committee. >> sheomeone who was at the forefront of fighting for gun safety in the united states. partly because of the tragedy in san francisco that catapulted her to being mayor. . in part because of the impact of gun violence on so many communities across the country. she led the assault weapons ban legislation in 1994, when she was just in her first term in the united states senate. no one thought it was possible. and with her determined and capable leadership, it became law for quite a few years, and she was persistent, even this year, in trying to pass it again. after it had expired. gun safety was a key piece of her legacy. so too was protecting america's women against violence. she, along with then senator joe biden, helped write and pass the violence against women's act, which has been reauthorized many times, and laid the foundation for modern efforts across our country to prevent and respond appropriately to domestic violence. sumi: earlier, my colleague spoke with former congresswoman jane

later microsoft president brad smh testifies on ways to regulate artificial intelligence before senate judiciaryittee. these programs and more tonight on cspan2. ♪ c-span student camp documentary competition is back this time we are celebrating 20 years with this year's theme looking forward while considering the past. >> the youth of today are leaders of tomorrow. it is imperative we take care of them in the groundwork so they progress through life for. >> he cracks we could work together to prevent fentanyl from becoming the world's next pandemic. >> inflation really matters. to understand the ramification. >> we are asking middle and high school students repair five -- six minute video aressing one of two questions. what to know in the next 20 years what is theos important change you would like to see in america. over the past 20 years what has been the most important change in america. we do show support and opposing perspectives. as we do each giving weight $100,000 in total sizes with the grand prize of $5000. because we are celebrating 20 years every teacher who has students participate i

now dianne feinstein sat on the senate judiciary committee which approved president joe biden's judicialees, and without her, democrats might not be able to get anymore federal judges through congress in this term. >> we lose any votes for any period of time, and the republicans have votes, and then you don't have the power of the majority. so it's important to fill that position. >> a spokesperson said today, that he has no information yet on when or who the governor will choose. >>> now dianne feinstein became mayor when city leaders were literally under siege, and tonight a former supervisor tells us exactly why she was able to rise to the occasion. our betty yu is live outside of dianne feinstein's san francisco home for us, betty? >> reporter: people who live nearby have been stopping by her pacific heights home, this evening, to leave flowers as you can see, now earlier today, i spoke with a woman who worked as a san francisco supervisor beginning in the late 1970s. -- this was a pivotal moment in senator dianne feinstein's career, and then san francisco president of the board of s