House Speaker Nancy Pelosi strode into the Capitol on Thursday morning dressed in a suffragist-white pantsuit, flanked by top aides as her filmmaker daughter, Alexandra, who has for three decades documented her mother's life and career, trailed behind holding a camera, recording her latest historic moment.
Now 82, the first and only woman elected as House speaker, second in line to the presidency and the highest-ranking woman in American government, commanded even more attention than usual as she slid through waves of press who bombarded her with questions about her political future -- just hours before her farewell speech after nearly two decades as the top Democratic leader.
Pelosi, who in the past month has both endured the loss of a Democratic majority in the House and a violent attack of her 82-year-old husband Paul in their San Francisco home -- an assault intended for her, police said -- learned on Wednesday that she'd need to relinquish the gavel to Republicans. Now, her stepping aside to make room for new generation of House leaders is official, even though for now she will remain in Congress.