Transcripts For KGO ABC7 20240703

Then, she has led so many bipartisan efforts in passing monumental legislation, including the effort to legalize same sex marriage. And, of course, who can forget . She was the one to announce that mayor moscone had died and that she was going to take over as interim mayor and then eventually become the first woman elected mayor here in San Francisco. For more on her life and legacy, heres a abc7 news anchor, dan ashley. As the lead democrat on the Judiciary Committee, first woman. Her career was marked by many firsts. Senator Dianne Feinstein was the first woman president of the San Francisco board of supervisors. The first woman mayor of San Francisco and one of two women. First elected to the us senate from california. Dianne feinstein. Right from the start was an icon for women in politics. Yes, shes a legend. A legend in california, as the first woman senator. A legend in this senate. She she was the leader on so many different issues. Feinstein was born, Dianne Goldman in San Francisco on june 22, 1933. Her mother was Russian Orthodox father, jewish. She worshiped at Temple Emanuel synagogue and graduated from a Roman Catholic girls high school. That school was San Franciscos convent of the sacred heart. There feinstein was in the glee club ballet, da camera club and athletics. She went on to study at stanford university, where she graduated in 1955. Feinstein was married three times. She had her only daughter, katherine, with her first husband, who she divorced after three years in 1962. She married her second husband, bertram feinstein, who died in 1978 of colon cancer. Just months before feinstein became San Francisco mayor in 1980. Feinstein married her third husband. Investment banker richard blum. She remained with him until his death from cancer in 2022. Feinsteins first foray into politics came in 1960, when thengovernor pat brown appointed her to the california womens parole board. But it was in 1969, at the age of 35, that feinstein first Held Public Office, winning a seat on the San Francisco board of supervisors. Former San Francisco mayor willie brown was in the state assembly at the time. He recalled meeting feinstein during those years. I remember that i was trying to get a house here in San Francisco when they wouldnt allow black people easily to get houses. And there was a demonstration and this angular, tall, great looking white woman pushing a baby stroller with a little kid in it whom nobody knew anything about, she came out to participate in the protest. That was Dianne Feinstein and that was that long ago. And so i am a great admirer. In the 1970s, while serving as the first female president of the board of supervisors, feinstein ran twice for mayor but lost. She had decided not to run again in when tragedy struck the city. Its been seven hours now since that 38 caliber pistol went off, nine times and took the lives of the two leaders. Both mayor moscone and supervisor harvey milk have been shot and killed. The tragic assassination of San Francisco mayor George Moscone by supervisor dan white in 1978 put feinstein in the job. In 1979, feinstein won her first full term as mayor and began reshaping the city during the decade she served. She survived a recall attempt led mostly by detractors of her proposal to ban handguns in San Francisco, oversaw the remaking of the citys skyline, which some decried as the manhattanization of San Francisco, oversaw a raucous 1984 Democratic National convention and saved the citys cable car system. The cable car is still running because of Dianne Feinstein. Rose to power as crisis gripped the citys Gay Community , a disease that would later be called aids, killed thousands of gay men hoping to save lives. Feinstein ordered the citys bathhouses closed, a risky move considering the political power of the Gay Community at the time. Under her watch, the citys Health Department created the global standard for aids health care at San Francisco General Hospital in 1990, feinstein set her sights on a Higher Office running for california governor. She lost to republican pete wilson, but still made history again as the first woman in the state to win a major partys gubernatorial nomination. Then in 1992, a turning point during what was dubbed the year of the woman, feinstein was elected to the us senate alongside bay area congresswoman barbara boxer. I feel a little bit like i just got married. It was a very special ceremony to be in the chambers, to be in this room with the history in congress. Feinstein served as the first woman to chair the Senate Rules Committee and the Senate Intelligence committee. She authored the 1994 federal assault weapons ban, leading to a ten year restriction on certain semiautomatic weapons. The legislation was prompted by the 101 california street shooting when a gunman opened fire at a law firm in San Franciscos financial district, killing eight people. I worked with republicans and democrats alike, ten republicans along with 46 democrats, voted and voted in favor of the amendment. Dianne feinstein is the only member of congress either on the congressional side or on the senate side who has ever been able to get a controlled weapons ban side earned into law. Dianne got that in 2014. Feinstein released a report revealing how the cia was detaining and interrogating potential terrorists. Sometimes torturing the suspects. The release of the report led to antitorture legislation. This program was morally, legally and administratively misguided and that this nation should never again engage in these tactics. Feinsteins legislative legacy also includes creating federal coordination of amber alerts, the National Child abduction warning system, passing the california desert protection act, which protected millions of acres of california desert and created the death valley and joshua tree, National Parks reauthorizing the violence against women act to protect women from Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, and authoring the 2022 respect for marriage act to enshrine Marriage Equality into federal law. Simply put, what americans should be free to marry the person they love regardless of Sexual Orientation or race at times. Senator feinstein faced criticism from some in her own party, some of the worst came in 2018 after she initially declined to make public a letter from bay area professor Christine Blasey ford during the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Justice Brett kavanaugh. Ford had said kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were in high school. Two years later, some democrats also criticized feinstein for appearing too cozy with republicans during the confirmation hearings for conservative Supreme Court appointee amy coney barrett. Still, throughout her career, feinstein was seen as a trailblazer for women, someone who broke barriers, juggling, being a wife and mother while navigating a career in the male dominated field of politics. Dianne is unbelievable in terms of how she sets her mind into her program. On doing something and it gets done in feinsteins later years in office, concerns were raised about her Mental Fitness and ability to serve. She was the oldest sitting member of congress in late february of 2023, at age 89, she was hospitalized with shingles that health scare coming the same month. Feinstein had announced she would retire from the us senate when her term was up in 2024. She told reporters it was time. You know, there were times for all things under the sun and i think that will be the right time. Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said. Feinstein teared up when she told her democratic colleagues about her decision, and she got a standing ovation that lasted minutes and minutes and minutes, one of the longest ive ever seen, which shows the love that our caucus and our country have for this wonderful, wonderful leader and legend, said Dianne Feinstein. Just to look back and hear all of her accomplishment, her highs, her lows, how shes impacted so many people in this country. Its just incredible. She led the city during its darkest hour. She also has a list of firsts which is unmatched locally, statewide or federally. So it is a resume that really stands up to everybody else men, women, head and shoulders. Yeah, its really incredible. We spoke to abc7 news insider phil matier just moments ago about the loss of senator feinstein. I can tell you that shes been in and out of care and shes been with caregivers and that on thursday her daughter catherine flew back to washington dc because she had taken a turn for the worse. Now shes taking turns for the worse. Before or and come back this time she didnt. Now this puts the next question is also who is going to replace her and how . Thats going to be done. Its up to governor gavin newsom to select someone right now. He is talking about he has made public statements that it would be an africanamerican woman and he is also said more recently that he would be trying to find someone who could act as a caretaker since we already have three prominent democrats in the race to replace her. So that is going to be a political rubiks cube for the governor to handle right now as well, because in situations like this, also in washington, we have to add that the senate is at a very close balance and every vote counts. And right up to right now, we have questions about the government shutdown. And the democrats need every vote. They can get literally. And they are missing one right now. That might sound a little bit harsh, but believe me, that is whats going through peoples minds right now, is whos going to replace or be the interim and when are they going to be in office . Yes. And just to make clear, what youre talking about is that Governor Newsom essentially said that the people who are running for senator feinstein seat, that they are not going to be the people on the list to temporarily replace feinstein should something happen to her. And obviously now that we know that she has passed, this is going to be something thats going to be in front of him. Exactly. And that is the nature of politics. You dont get a lot of time to mourn. You have to move on. And we have to because youre also in the in the in the business of governance. You know, Dianne Feinstein was a one of the last of the of the people and she got into hot water for this for bipartisanship. She really didnt care whether it was a democrat or a republican she was dealing with. She if she had a mission to do or something to go with, she went with it. She did do a lot and was able to accomplish a lot with democrats, but also republicans, as phil mentioned there. Yes. And you know, phil is the only person so far that ive heard thats reported about the days leading up to the death of Dianne Feinstein. The fact that that her daughter flew out to dc to be with her, that she had taken a turn for the worse. She has been in and out of care, as we know. Yes. The fight with shingle for several months and weve been covering that, of course. But this morning phil matier was the first one to tell us of this breaking news that senator Dianne Feinstein has passed away at the age of 90. And were going to continue to follow that and cover that for you all morning long. Talking more to the people who knew her and worked kevin, what does being the ceo of cashbacking mean to you . It means cashbacking every opportunity. Did you cashback on this . Like i wouldnt cashback . Cashbacking by the basket, i see you. Ugh. I dreamt you didnt cashback this flight. Oh good. If youre buying it, flying it, or wining n dining it, then you gotta be cashbacking it. Come on now. Cashback on everything you buy with chase freedom unlimited with no annual fee. How do you cashback . Chase. Make more of whats yours. Yeah, its going to kick up our winds later on this afternoon, bringing cooler weather and a chance of some showers as first thing tomorrow morning. We are waking up temperatures mainly in the 50s and low 60s. As we get you out the door on this friday morning. And generally, we do have clear skies out there to begin the day. Heres a look at those winds later on this afternoon. By 4 00 pm, were finding those winds gusting over 30mph in many spots. And this is going to lead to that cooler air moving in and that cooling trend does continue into the weekend as well. So taking a look at how the day shapes up for the rest of the day, the hourly planner showing you will begin with bright skies. Clouds will be on the increase as that low pressure gets closer to us. Today, we are totally dry, but it is a windy afternoon again, those winds gusting over 40mph at times. Temperatures cooler compared to yesterday, mainly in the 60s and in the 70s, 69 in the city today, 71 and windy in oakland, 76 in san jose, about 74. In napa, 78 in concord. Heres future weather getting you into saturday. Some spotty showers out there in the morning. Its a mostly cloudy start to the weekend even in the afternoon, we include that chance of some wet weather. But sunday is looking a lot better. So the three day forecast, it is windy and cooler today. A spotty shower tomorrow, sunday, the better of the two days. This weekend, we are dry, we are bright and we are warmer. Lets get a quick check of traffic with jobina this morning. Good morning. Good morning, drew. Thank you. Hi everyone. Were going to start by following a crash were looking at in pleasanton where were seeing a minor slowdown in the commute direction. Its westbound 580 before hopyard road. Your speeds will be tracking on average around 35mph. In this spot. Its fairly light at the bay bridge toll plaza metering lights came on at 542, but you can see that the backup is beginning to build in this area at the richmondsan rafael bridge. No problems to report in this spot. We are seeing things moving at the limit in both the eastbound and westbound direction. Again, giving you an overall view of our map here. Were mostly green, which is good news. And as we head to break here, well be back with our breaking News Coverage on the death to severe plaque psoriasis. Now i feel free to bare my skin, thanks to skyrizi. uplifting music nothing is everything im celebrating my clearer skin. My way. With skyrizi, 3 out of 4 people achieved 90 clearer skin at 4 months. In another study, most people had 90 clearer skin, even at 5 years. And skyrizi is just 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. Serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. Tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine, or plan to. Thanks to clearer skin with skyrizi this is my moment. Theres nothing on my skin and that means everything nothing is everything nows the time. Ask your doctor about skyrizi, the 1 dermatologistprescribed biologic in psoriasis. Learn how abbvie could help you save. Abc7 News Reporter Gloria Rodriguez joins us live from San Francisco city hall now with reaction coming in this morning. Gloria good morning, karina. Yes, were outside here at city hall and of course we got the sad news about senator Dianne Feinstein passing away. And weve been out here all morning long behind us might be hard to see them, but theres a running club thats out here and we chatted with folks from that running club there probably about a dozen people in the club. They get together here for 545 in the morning. They do their warm ups and then go on a little run and walk. And people were just so saddened to hear this news. And many of them do live here in San Francisco. And of course, are very familiar with the senators work. And one man telling me that he really appreciated her dedication to service and everything that she has done for San Francisco. So as well as for the county. And there was another man who said that he really appreciated her leadership and how she really just stuck to her guns and whatever she felt passionate about, she she really made sure that she stuck to that. And so weve just been hearing from so many people here. Again, very sad about her death. And we are working to bring you those interviews so that you can hear those throughout the morning. For right now, live in San Francisco, Gloria Rodriguez, abc seven news. Yeah, gloria, thank you so much for that. As we know, gloria standing outside of city hall where we know Dianne Feinstein has done so much work and made such an impact on this city. The first president of the board of supervisors was a woman, the first mayor of San Francisco, which she was essentially she forced to become because of the assassination of George Moscone and of harvey milk, only to then run for mayor and to win it outright, then to run for governor. She didnt end up being governor, but she ended up being the first woman senator ever for the state. And then it just went on from there. Her career just took off. So whether youre talking about local politics, state politics or on the federal level internationally, right. There was really nothing that she hadnt accomplished. And its a legacy thats unmatched. Yeah. And earlier this morning, we spoke to former congresswoman Jackie Speier just talking about how how the work Dianne Feinstein put in as a woman, as a trail blazer. Right. How it paved the way for so many other female politicians as and we talked about how she was a tough, cookie filled with tears, talking about multiple times being across from her. And as you know, as a reporter does in that capacity, she and getting that kind of look now phil right. You know yes, she could stay in her own right. But someone who says that really could roll with the punches and was realistic politically and knowing when she had lost and able to say, okay, didnt win that one and we move on, its another battle today. But also knowing how to talk to those on the other side of the aisle to get things accomplished. And, you know, gun legislation, for example, just incredible what she was able to do in 1994. And there will be a lot talked about this in the coming days and weeks that already has been about whether or not she should have resigned given her Health Issues. As of late. Weve talked about that many times on this newscast and others. And it was interesting to hear from Jackie Speier this morning defending the senators decision to stay because senator feinstein believed that if she left earlier than her term, that she wouldnt have accomplished important things, given how close it is in the senate. The democrats barely have a majority. She felt like it was her duty to stay there and appoint judges in order to keep up the democratic legacy alive in the senate that they hold by a razor thin majority. And theyve already lost the house. And that is something that will be discussed, that will be a part of her legacy. The decision to stay in the senate and now it is up to the governor to decide who is going to temporarily replace her. We already know that multiple people are running for her spot in the senate. All right. And well see what the governor plans on doing. He did say just a few days ago that hes not going to appoint someone who would be he running for that seat. So thats very interesting. Yeah. And we havent heard from the Governors Office yet. We have reached out. Weve checked twitter, but so far, no news for the governor. But it is interesting when Something Like this happens. You know, we learned early this morning that there is a tough decision and a quick decision. The governor has to make to put a replacement in place. The governor has said in the past that he would fill her spot with a black woman thats on record for him to change that now would be a big deal. So well see what happens there. But when you already say that the people who are running are not going to be in that spot temporarily, thats also making a statement. So well see what happens. If youre just tuning into us this morning at 624 on this friday, senator Dianne Feinstein has died at the age of 90. And were hearing from multiple people this morning about her legacy. Were also hearing about her last few days. Well get more information later. But phil matier reporting this morning to us that she had a turn for the worse health wise. And we know thursday that her daughter went out to go and be with her. But this is something thats happened multiple times over the past couple of years. It wasnt necessarily an indication that this was going to be the end for senator feinstein and that she she had some Serious Health conditions, that she was under care for and that her daughter was there to be with her. Yeah. And as phil mentioned, weve seen her bounce back. We saw her just recently in washington, dc, you know, doing the work that she said, im here to do. I promise to do this. And im here to do it. But unfortunately, as phil told us, her condition got worse as we know, shes been battling shingle and recovering for that for many, many months and weve covered that, of course. But were going to continue our coverage for you this morning of this breaking news that we broke to you early this morning. The passing of the longest female us senator, senator Dianne Feinstein. And right now, were going to go over and check on your forecast for to yeah, just a quick look at the accu with a forecast this morning. Heres the highlights. What you need to know going into the next couple of days. We have increasing clouds today. The winds are going to pick up. Its a cooler day today, much cooler into saturday with some spotty showers in the morning. Well show you that timeline in a second. And then sunday is the better of the two days this weekend. A lot of sunshine and warmer temperatures. Heres a look at future weather. Well start out the day with clear skies. Clouds will be on the increase as we head into the early afternoon, just in time as those winds pick up. Today is totally dry. Tomorrow morning, though, well start to see some spotty showers work through the region. Its not a uniform line of rain and thats part of the reason why we have dropped the storm impact scale for tomorrow. Theres no longer a number on saturday, but still well track some wet weather even into the afternoon. We cant rule out just a spotty shower. But where we find any of these showers, it will be less than about a 10th of an inch. So if you have outdoor plans, i would not cancel them. If you do see a shower tomorrow, theyre very light and theyre very quick moving. Well get a little bit of snow in the central sierra, changing seasons at that time of the year. Our highest elevations likely seeing above 7500ft, 7500ft, a couple inches of snow. So today it is cooler. It is windy. Well have those winds gusting about 30mph, 60 and 70 for your daytime highs. Look at the accuweather seven day forecast showing you windy and cooler today. A spotty shower tomorrow so drier, brighter and warmer for sunday. Jobina thank you, drew. Good morning, everyone. So we are going to go to pleasanton right now. We are still continuing to follow this crash. It is in the commute direction and can impact our super commuters. So westbound 580 before a hop yard road. Your speeds are down to around 33mph. In this spot we will continue to track that one for you. In terms of the drive times, though, if you are super commuter that tracy to dublin ride is not bad at all. Youre looking at about 36 minutes. Antioch to concord 26. So were seeing a true friday in terms of the commute this morning. A live picture here from the Golden Gate Bridge where everything is at the limit. In this spot, its a bit busier, though, if youre traveling on the san mateo bridge, especially in the westbound direction, which is where you see those tail lights and some people pumping the brakes there as they travel towards the peninsula. L. A. We are continuing to track our breaking news this morning. Senator Dianne Feinstein has died at the age of 90. We will be but his vision dimmed with age. He had amd. I didnt know it then, but it can progress to ga, an advanced form of the disease. His struggle with vision loss from amd made me want to help you see warning signs of ga. Like Straight Lines that seem wavy, blurry, or missing visual spots that make it hard to see faces like this one, or trouble with low light that makes driving at night a real challenge. If youve been diagnosed with amd and notice vision changes, dont wait. Ga is irreversible. Its important to catch it early. Talk to your eye doctor about ga and learn more at gawontwait. Com teens have drama. Talk to your eye doctor about ga one more minute braces add more drama. Ahh how does anyone do this . invisalign is better oral hygiene, and no drama. She was 90 years old. Feinstein was first elected to the senate in 1992. Since then, she has led many bipartisan efforts in passing monumental legislation that includes the effort to legalize gay marriage. Abc7 news anchor dan ashley has a look back at her life and career as the lead democrat on the Judiciary Committee for first woman. Her career was marked by many firsts. Senator Dianne Feinstein was the first woman president of the San Francisco board of supervisors, the first woman mayor of San Francisco and one of two women. First elected to the us senate from california. Dianne feinstein. Right from the start was an icon for women in politics. Six shes a legend, a legend in california as the first woman senator. A legend in this senate. She she was the leader on so many different issues. Swease feinstein was born. Dianne goldman in San Francisco on june 22nd, 1933. Her mother was Russian Orthodox father, jewish. She worshiped at Temple Emanuel synagogue and graduated from a Roman Catholic girls high school. That school was San Franciscos convent of the sacred heart. There feinstein was in the glee club ballet camera club and athletics. She went on to study at stanford university, where she graduated in 1955. Feinstein was married three times. She had her only daughter, katherine, with her first husband, who she divorced after three years in 1962. She married her second husband, bertram feinstein, who died in 1978 of colon cancer just months before feinstein became San Francisco mayor in 1980. Feinstein married her third husband, investment banker richard blum. She remained with him until his death from cancer in 2022. Feinsteins first foray into politics came in 1960, when thengovernor pat brown appointed her to the california womens parole board. But it was in 1969, at the age of 35, that feinstein first Held Public Office by winning a seat on the San Francisco board of supervisors. Former San Francisco mayor willie brown was in the state assembly at the time. He recalled meeting feinstein during those years. I remember that i was trying to get a house here in San Francisco when they wouldnt allow black people easily to get houses. And there was a demonstration and this is angular to. All all great looking white woman pushing a baby stroller with a little kid in it who nobody knew anything about, came out to participate in the protest. That was Diane Feinstein and that was that long ago. And so i am a great admirer. In the 1970s, while serving as the first female president of the board of supervisors, feinstein ran twice for mayor but lost. She had decided not to run again when tragedy struck the city. Its been seven hours now since that 38 caliber pistol went off nine times and took the lives of the two leaders, both mayor moscone and supervisor harvey milk have been shot and killed. Jesus christ. The tragic assassination of San Francisco mayor George Moscone by supervisor dan white in 1978 put feinstein in the job in 1979. Feinstein won her first full term as mayor and began reshaping the city during the decade she served. She survived a recall attempt led mostly by detractors of her proposal to ban handguns in San Francisco. She oversaw the remaking of the citys skyline, which some decried as the manhattanization of San Francisco oversaw a raucous 1984 Democratic National convention and saved the citys cable car system. The cable car is still running because of Dianne Feinstein rose to power as crisis gripped the citys Gay Community, a disease that would later be called aids, killed thousands of gay men, hoping to save lives. Feinstein ordered the citys bathhouses closed, a risky move considering the political power of the Gay Community at the time. Under her watch, the citys Health Department created the global standard for aids health care at San Francisco General Hospital in 1990. Feinstein set her sights on a Higher Office, running for california governor. She lost to republican pete wilson, but still made history again as the first woman in the state to win a major partys gubernatorial nomination. Then in 1992, a turning point during what was dubbed the year of the woman, feinstein was elected to the us senate alongside bay area congresswoman barbara boxer. I feel a little bit like i just got married. I was a very special ceremony to be in the chambers, to be in this room with the history in congress, feinstein served as the first woman to chair the Senate Rules Committee and the Senate Intelligence committee. She authored the 1994 federal assault weapons ban, leading to a ten year restriction on certain semiauto automatic weapons. The legislation was prompted by the 101 california street shooting when a gunman opened fire at a law firm in San Franciscos financial district, killing eight people. I worked with republicans and democrats alike, ten republicans along with 46 democrats, voted. Voted in favor of the amendment. Dianne feinstein is the only member of congress either on the congressional side or on the senate side who has ever been able to get a controlled weapons ban side signed into law. Dianne got that in 2014. Feinstein released a report revealing how the cia was detaining and interrogating potential terrorists. Sometimes torturing the suspects. The release of the report led to antitorture legislation. This program was morally, legally and administratively misguided, added and that this nation should never again engage in these tactics. Feinstein has legislative legacy also includes creating federal coordination of amber alerts, the National Child abduction warning system, passing the california desert protection act, which protected millions of acres of california desert and created the death valley and joshua tree, National Parks reauthorizing the violence against women act to protect women from Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault and authoring the 2022 respect for marriage act to enshrine Marriage Equality into federal law simply put, americans should be free to marry the person they love. Regards less of Sexual Orientation or race at times, senator feinstein faced criticism from some in her own party, some of the worst came in 2018 after she initially declined to make public a letter from bay area professor Christine Blasey ford during the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Justice Brett kavanaugh. Ford had said kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were in high school. Uh two years later, some democrats also criticized feinstein for appearing too cozy with republicans during the confirmation hearings for conservative Supreme Court appointee amy coney barrett. Still, throughout her career, feinstein was seen as a trailblazer for women, someone who broke barriers, juggling, being a wife and mother while navigating a career in the male dominated field of politics. Dana is unbelievable in terms of how she sets her mind into her program. On doing something and it gets done in feinsteins later years in office. Concerns were raised about her Mental Fitness and ability to serve. She was the oldest sitting member of congress in late february of 2023, at age 89, she was hospitalized with shingles that health scare coming the same month. Feinstein had announced she would retire from the us senate when her term was up in 2024. She told reporters it was time. You know, there were times for all things under the sun and i think that will be the right time. Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said. Feinstein teared up when she told her democratic colleagues about her decision, and she got a standing ovation that lasted minutes and minutes and minutes. One of the longest ive ever seen, which shows the love that our caucus and our country have for this wonderful, wonderful leader and legend, Dianne Feinstein. Some sad news this morning. And a lot of us are shocked as we all knew. And dan mentioned in that story, shes been battling Health Issues, but shes been in washington, dc, voting and doing her work there recently. Yeah, i mean, right now the nation is facing somewhat of a crisis with the possible shutdown of the government. Shes is a part of a razor thin democratic majority in the senate. Their vote, when it comes to the shutdown right now is i hate to put it this way, but irrelevant. Its really the house that is controlling whether or not this is going to go. The senate has bipartisan bipartisan support to not shut down the government right now. Totally different story in the other house of congress, but needless to say, senator feinstein has been trailblazing since the very beginning. That story that dan ashley just told is so interesting to me because she went to Catholic School in San Francisco but was from a jewish family. Right. So even from the very beginning of her career, as she was breaking boundaries and doing things that were unexpected. Right. For who she was and where she came from. And that was just the start, as you just heard. And earlier this morning, we spoke to former congresswoman and abc seven news political analyst Jackie Speier. She spoke with us earlier this morning about the passing of senator Dianne Feinstein. As we know, they worked together and were friends and were friends. So lets listen to that. At this point, its important to really focus on an extraordinary career of a woman of firsts. She was the first female mayor of San Francisco, the first female us senator here, the first female to chair the Intelligence Committee in the senate, the first woman to chair the rules committee in the senate. So shes a role model for all of us who followed in her footsteps. We became friends and part because we both lost our husbands early in our political careers. And so there was a bond that was created then that that, you know, stood for decades. And she was, you know, a strong and tough as as she was in in life. There was also a sweet part of her that was girly and i say that because she at one point said, i love your lipstick, where did you get it . And so i made sure that she got the same color so that she could wear it as well. But i would say that its very important for us to reflect on the strength she had throughout her career, whether it was announcing the assassination of George Moscone and harvey milk, or returning to the senate in her weakened state because she was going to do what she believed was right and she was able to come back to the senate even though there were, you know, cries for her to resign because she wanted to finish what she started. She wanted to be there to vote on judicial appointments that, frankly, had she resigned, those appointments would never have been made because anyone who would have followed her as an appointee by the governor would not be serving on judiciary. So there were a number of judges. Now that can thank her for in her last days making that herculean effort to come back to the senate in this morning, were hearing from many politicians and political leaders across the country. I want to read you this tweet. This is from Hillary Clinton who says, im deeply saddened by the passing of Dianne Feinstein. She blazed trails for women in politics and found a lifes calling in public service. Ill miss her greatly as a friend and colleague and send my condolences to all who loved her. Im sure were going to hear a lot more comments like that from people across the nation and the world. Yeah, the end of her career is always going to be, i think, controversial because of her Health Issues and questions about whether she should have continued serving in the senate. But what is not controversy, rachel, is the fact that as jackie spear just said, and that was really well said, that she is a woman of firsts and you can you cant take that away from her. And you cant take away the fact that she had an illustrious career that spanned unbelievable. That started unbelievably dark. Yeah. And the two of them, sadly share a lot of things in common, including trauma that hopefully none of us will ever experience personally. The passing of their husbands, the passing of their husbands, but also the trauma of starting as mayor of San Francisco. When the person who was just in that seat moments ago was shot and killed in the hallway where you work like next door to you and to have then a supervisor also killed. And Jackie Speier to have been shot numerous times on a runway in guyana and to have that start her career as well in politics, that bond is incredibly sad, but also had to shape the way that they continued serving the country. They decided to make a choice and to not run from politics but to dive into it. They had the strength through it all right. Which i dont think most of us would have. So, you know, whether you are democrat or republican, where you whether you agree or not with their policies, you cant disagree that that shows an incredible amount of bravery and fortitude. Strong women right there. Absolutely. Were going to switch gears now just for a quick moment. And we are trying to get an interview with a state senator, scott wiener. So well get to that here shortly. But first, lets get a quick check on the forecast with drew. Yeah, just a quick look at the accuweather forecast this morning. We are tracking rapidly changing conditions the next 24 hours, our next area of low pressure. All of this cloud cover will bring about cooler weather today. Windy weather this afternoon. The chance of some light showers first thing tomorrow morning. Heres a look at wind gusts later on today. It is a windy afternoon. Well likely see many cities seeing their winds gusting over 30mph. Thats just going to reinforce the cooler weather later on today. A live look from the exploratorium camera. Were mainly clear now, but well find increasing clouds as the day goes on. Its a windy afternoon in those temperatures. Cooler than yesterday in the 60s and 70s for the most part. So temperatures slightly below average. This afternoon. The big story, certainly the increase in cloud cover and the increasing winds. A quick look at the three day forecast tomorrow. Well track those spotty scattered showers out there. Sunday, though, is certainly the better of the two day. Sunday is dry, it is bright and it is warmer. Our coverage of the death of senator Dianne Feinstein continues right senator scott wiener. Scott its great to see you this morning. Im sorry its under these circumstances. Can you talk to us a bit about your personal reflection about senator feinsteins career and legacy . Yeah, ive this is just so sad. What a true giant for San Francisco and for our nation. Ive known Dianne Feinstein for a long time. I consider her i looked up to her more as a San Francisco elected official. And, you know, this is someone who she became mayor during one of the worst possible times in San Francisco. The assassination of a mayor and a supervisor with a steady hand. She helped stabilize the city to get us through that horrific time period. And then as mayor and i say this as a gay man, what she did in responding to the hiv aids, Health Disaster when there was a mass die off of gay men, gay men and the federal government was awol. Dianne feinstein was willing to step up and invest deeply to help save our community. She was an absolute hero. It is just so devastated that shes gone. Scott, im wondering im really glad that you brought that up about her history. She with the lgbtq plus community. And im wondering why you think so early on when others refused to do so, she stood with gay men. Well, whats really interesting is that she has a reputation and she is personally a very sort of more prim and proper conservative person, although i was there were moments in time over time when id be with her and she was a lot less prim and proper than people thought she was, had a really amazing personality. She was truly one of the most authentic people ive met. There are you know, i wish we had more elected officials who were truly who they are. She was exactly who she was always. But when she ran for the board of supervisors in the late 1960s, when it was it was citywide supervisor races , she was possibly the first straight politician who campaigned explicitly to get the gay vote. That was not something you did back then. You pretended we didnt. They pretended that we didnt exist. And she went and actively courted the gay vote. And so that was in the late 60s and so by the time hiv came around, you know, she was someone who had already shown a commitment to our community. And she really jumped in there. The San Francisco was just San Francisco was spending more than the federal government. The entire federal government was spending on hiv for a number of years. And it wasnt only Dianne Feinstein. It was a Amazing Group effort. But she was the mayor and she embraced it. Yeah. And as we know just recently, she has continued her support for lgbt rights and has done so much work to stand up to people who try to take some of those rights away. And fighting discrimination. You know, this morning were hearing from women who are calling her a trailblazer. But as a politician, can you talk about that as a man . You know, i think she was a trailblazer for all she was. And you look at what she did as mayor of San Francisco, not that many mayors, not that many San Francisco mayors leave office. Popular but senator feinstein did. She also when you look at what she did for gun safety with the Assault Rifle ban, imagine getting that passed. She got that passed. And, you know, she was, you know, a strong woman in politics at a time when there were not as many women in politics as there are now. There still arent enough. But back then, boy, there were not that many. And she was not only a very visible woman leader, but tough as nails. And so she you know, i think because of her Health Deterioration towards the end, some people started getting negative about her, but nothing can take away what she brought to politics and to leadership in this in our city and in this country. And now some decisions have to be made and political decisions, decisions that will change possibly the course of the way that the us senate is run, the way the california politics will be handled. The governor will have to decide who is going to replace senator feinstein, at least in the interim. And he just said a few days ago that hes not going to appoint someone who is running already for senator feinstein. See as people know, she was going, she was this was the end. She was going to give up the seat next year, was going to be it. What are your thoughts about this next step that the governor has to take . Um, well, the governor has a tough decision to make, and im sure hes made a series of strong appointments when hes been faced with with that requirement as governor. And im confident he will be thoughtful and appoint someone who is rock solid to represent california. Hes committed to appointing a black woman. And he said recently he would appoint someone effectively as a caretaker. But again, thats completely his decision. And im sure he will make an appointment. We can all be proud of. Um, you know, and i really, really hope that the republicans in the senate do not try to screw around and refuse to put another democrat on the judicial committee. I mean, the this constant push by republicans in congress to tear down these institutions, i just hope that they think better of it. And Dianne Feinstein deserves a successor. It would be spitting in her eye to refuse to replace her on the Judiciary Committee. I dont want to leave it on that note. I would rather leave it on a more personal note. So can you think of anything in your memory bank of your times with senator feinstein . You said that she had more personality than probably she let on in public settings any stories for us . Yeah yeah. When i was running for supervisor, this would have been probably the late 2009. I was just this unknown guy who was running for the board of supervisors. She ended up endorsing me and which was very rare for her. Um, and i think she did it on Gavin Newsoms recommendation. He was mayor at the time and he was supporting me and so she endorsed me and she wanted to meet with me and democrats were in control of congress. And she was an incredibly powerful at that time. And i thought i would go in for a five minute meeting. I came, brought a photographer with me to get a picture of us. She sat with me for almost an hour. Uh, she she asked to see my campaign literature. I showed it to her. She literally edited it. She marked it up and told me what was what was good with it and what was wrong with it. Um, she Chuck Schumer called her and her staff came in to say, senator schumer is on the phone and she said, ill call him back. And she was just so into local politics and reminiscing about her time on the board of supervisors. It was really, um, it was really moving that this person she never she never quite stopped being mayor of San Francisco. So San Francisco was in her bones. That was a story we were looking for. I appreciate you retelling that. I think that gives us a good indication of what she was like. Yeah, that was great. Thank you so much for making time today and our condolences to you. I appreciate it. Scott, thank you. Abc7 News Reporter Gloria Rodriguez is live outside city hall this morning with reaction coming in from the people that are outside of their and gloria, what are people telling you this morning . A good morning, karina. Yeah, people obviously are very saddened to hear about the death of senator Dianne Feinstein. And, you know, it is early out here, so theres not too many people out here. But we ran into some members of a running club. They started getting together about 545 in the morning. They do some workout exercises and then they go for a walk or a run. And many people there telling us they are so saddened to hear about her death and obviously, she really left a mark here in San Francisco and across the country as well. She was, of course, the first woman president of the San Francisco board of supervisors. And behind me, you can see city hall and this is just such an important place because, of course, mayor George Moscone and supervisor harvey milk were shot and killed here. And that put feinstein on the job. She became the first woman mayor of San Francisco. And one person i talked to today mentioned that and her leadership during that time. I think that like she was say what you will about her personally or professionally or anything else. Like, i mean, she did a lot of Amazing Things for San Francisco. I mean, go back to if you even watch the footage of when George Moscone and harvey milk were killed right here in this building, like and her being the first one of the first people to even to announce that to the public and then also to even share that. I mean she shes been an amazing a Public Servant and shes done a lot of things for the people of San Francisco and for a lot of other people, too, not just because im queer, but its also because of like harvey milk and that entire situation. I mean, that was that was one of the times that i remember even saying that this city, the response that the city had and for those people, when they pass it was unprecedented. And ive had people say to me that probably the city will never, ever have a response. And that man says he really admires her dedication to public service. Live in San Francisco, Gloria Rodriguez, abc seven news. Thank you, gloria. Okay so i have three things im going to remember from this morning over the sad passing of this really giant and in politics, you have phil matier talking to us about how sitting across from her and she would kind of give you that. Now, phil, when she didnt like the way something was going on, you have jackie speer talking about how great she was as a mentor and a political friend, but then also saying like, girl, i like your lipstick. Where did you get it . Yeah, she said she was a girly girl. Girly girl, right. And then scott wiener talking about how she never really stopped being the mayor of San Francisco. She always felt like there was such an important part of her career politics, and she wanted to be a caretaker of who was going to be in that supervisor seat, which ended up being him. Yeah those three stories, i think, paint a picture personally of who this was. A lot of big takeaways today , but i think at the end of the day, weve heard it so many times, people just calling her a trailblazer for her many years in office, much couple offices and getting so much work done that has impacted so many people across the nation. Were going to continue our coverage. Phil matier, who broke the news to us this morning. Our insider phil matier is going to be live on your 7 00 show. Seven at seven which streams at abc7 news. Com. Yep. So were going to have that and much more reaction from politicians across the country coming in and back on the air at 11 a. M. But right now were going to send it to Good Morning America. Thank you so much for joini Good Morning America for our viewers in the west. Breaking news. Diane feinstein passing away at 90 years old. Trail blazer Diane Feinstein passing away at 90 years old. This morning, her history making achievements and her legacy