Democratic U.S. Senator Feinstein returning to Washington after long absence -media

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, 89, will return to Washington on Tuesday after a months-long absence due to illness, the San Francisco Chronicle and NBC News reported, a move that would restore Democrats' 51-49 majority to full strength.

The trailblazing lawmaker had been sidelined since February, as she recovered from a bout of shingles, which had led to calls from some fellow Democrats for her to step aside and allow someone else to take her place.