Email from Vote Smart   Words This Friday (WTF) with Dr. Kyle Dell Executive Director Dr. Kyle Dell breaks down the words making headlines this week in “Words This Friday” (WTF) — a quick, insightful look at the language shaping our news and civic conversations. Vote Smart is grassroots: no ads, no agendas, just facts. Your support helps keep it that way.     End of the longest U.S. federal government shutdown in history Source 1: Fox News, Source 2: CNN Adelita Grijalva sworn in, enabling House vote on Jeffrey Epstein-related files Source 1: Breitbart, Source 2: PBS News       Key Votes Viz by Region: West, South, Midwest, Northeast   Congress Congress – Senate Passed HR 5371 - Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026 For full details on each bill, visit our Vote Smart Issue Summary page. State Michigan (MI) – House Passed HB 4073 - Requires Officers of the Department of Natural Resources to Obtain a Warrant Before Entering Private Property Pennsylvania (PA) – Senate Passed SB 111 - Authorizes Out-of-State Residents to Work in Pennsylvania Correctional Facilities Ohio (OH) - Senate Passed SB 293 - Amends the Deadline to Return Absentee Ballots     Democrat Dick Durbin (who is retiring from the U.S. Senate next year after five terms), along with six other moderate Senate Democrats, voted in favor of a bill that does not guarantee Affordable Care Act subsidies will be extended, which Democrats have demanded for almost six weeks. The agreement with Republicans includes a reversal of the mass firings of federal workers by the Trump Administration since the shutdown began on October 1, and would ensure federal workers, including air traffic controllers, receive back pay. Independent Senator Angus King of Maine, who caucuses with Democrats, along with seven other moderate senators, broke the now record long government shutdown stalemate this week, when they agreed to vote to advance three bipartisan annual spending bills and extend the rest of government funding until late January in exchange for a mid-December vote on extending the health care tax credits.   Republican Marc Tremblay is the newest representative in the New Hampshire State Legislature. Tremblay, who was one of the few Republicans to flip a seat last week, was declared the winner of a close special election to represent Coos County District 5 in the lower chamber, and will replace former Representative Brian Valerino, who resigned from the seat in May. Tremblay, the police commissioner in Berlin, New Hampshire (where most of the district encompasses), beat out educator Corinne Cascadden by a vote of 878 to 873. The Democratic Party in New Hampshire intends to appeal the recount that ultimately decided Tremblay’s victory.   2025 Ballot Measures: California, Colorado, Maine, New York, Texas, and Washington   This week, there were regular and special elections across the country. Click on the links below to view the results:   Alabama Special Primary Runoff Election, State House District 38 Georgia Special General Election, State Senate District 6   Acts of Courage  "Took my elderly friend to see her first movie in years to see 'Hamilton' in the theatre." - Medford, Oregon Share your Act of Courage to be highlighted in next week’s Digest! Vote Smart | 1153 24TH ST | DES MOINES, IA 50311-4308 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice