Senator Feinstein's first day back

In the Los Angeles Times: 

An hour into a Senate Judiciary hearing on Thursday, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein was wheeled into the chamber by a staff member. She grabbed his arm tightly to steady herself as she rose to her feet and received a standing ovation after she made the short walk to her seat.

The San Francisco Democrat’s first day back at the Judiciary Committee after an extended absence recuperating from shingles was short. 

She said little beyond voting on three nominated district court judges who lacked Republican support and thus required backing from every Democrat to advance to the full Senate.

“I’m glad to welcome our colleague, Sen. Feinstein, back to our committee,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said, before adding that she was abetting “several nominees who are so extreme and so unqualified that they couldn’t have a prayer of getting a single Republican vote on this committee.”

The moment of partisan rancor, which followed less biting greetings from her other colleagues, felt almost welcoming in a forum where she has spent decades sparring over judicial nominees. 

But Feinstein’s nearly three-month absence and homecoming has prompted debate over whether the 89-year-old, who appeared frail when she arrived at the Capitol, should leave before the end of her term....