The legacy of Dianne Feinstein, trailblazing Democrat who broke down barriers

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     September 29, 2023 Dianne Feinstein, the five-time senator from California, has died at 90. A towering figure in both California and US politics, Feinstein was the longest-serving female senator in US history. Our editor-in-chief Clara Jeffery will have a proper memorialization of the trailblazing Democrat soon. But I want to share the profile that has stuck with me for some time now: our 2017 feature on [Feinstein's legacy and how she saw that legacy]( playing into her role in fighting Trumpism. Feinstein survived childhood abuse, assassination attempts, and a brutal fight with the CIA. But for Feinstein, as our reporting revealed, the election of Donald Trump represented an unprecedented threat that went straight to the heart of American democracy, as well as the potential end of working across the aisle. As Orville Schell, director of the Center on US-China Relations at the Asia Society and a longtime Feinstein friend, told us, "Dianne is like the canary in the mine shaft. The last bastion of bridge building in the Senate may be giving up." But as the last few years have shown, Feinstein was up against many challenges, particularly from those who [weren't thrilled with the status quo](. I highly recommend you read our feature, [The Lioness in Winter](. —Inae Oh Advertisement [The Jed Foundation]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [Whistleblower: GOP Investigators Didn’t Want to Hear Allegations of Russian Influence Over Rudy]( House Republicans don't want to know too much about where Giuliani got his Hunter dirt. BY DAN FRIEDMAN SPONSORED CONTENT FROM THE JED FOUNDATION   Support Young Adult Mental Health This School Year Starting a new school year can bring on many emotions, especially for teens and young adults. The Jed Foundation works to protect emotional health and prevent suicide for our nation’s teens and young adults, giving them the skills and support they need to thrive today…and tomorrow. [Sign JED's Open Letter to our nation’s youth]( as they head back to school and get mental health resources to support them. [Trending] ["Clown show": The GOP describes its own impeachment process]( BY ARIANNA COGHILL   [Rich Americans are stiffing the taxman to the tune of $66 billion]( BY MICHAEL MECHANIC   [The last government shutdown was a disaster for fragile national parks]( BY GABRIELLE CANON   [What the United States can learn from Brazil about asylum]( BY ISABELA DIAS Advertisement [Thee Jed Foundation]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [The lioness in winter]( Our 2017 profile on the trailblazing Democrat. BY GAIL SHEEHY [Fiercely Independent] Support from readers allows Mother Jones to do journalism that doesn't just follow the pack. [Donate]( Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Donate Monthly]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755