This is a special episode of the Waves, Slate's podcast on gender, feminism, and for today,

the death of California Democratic Senator Diane Feinstein.

Feinstein broke major ground for women in politics both in her home state and in Congress.

She was San Francisco's first female mayor and the first woman elected to the Senate

for California.

The legislation she's probably most remembered for is her decades-long fight against gun violence,

which included a federal assault weapons ban in the 1990s.

We have to come to grips in America with our love of fear with weapons.

To top it all off, she was the longest-serving female senator in the body's history.

But recently, that long tenure and her declining health had become controversial in itself.

We are going to discuss it all.

I'm Lizzie O'Leary, and you usually hear me hosting another Slate podcast, What Next

TBD?

Today, I am joined by Slate Politics writer Alex Salmon to talk about what the death of

this pioneering senator means for Congress and for the Democratic Party going forward.

Stick with us.

Hey Waves listeners, if you're a fan of what you're hearing, be sure to subscribe to

The Waves Feed.

Every Thursday, you'll hear new conversations about politics, culture, general news, and

what gender has to do with it all, which is usually a lot.

Like for example, our last episode when guest host Kat Chow talked about how Afghan women

refugees have been caught in the mess that is U.S. immigration policy.

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