Gray defeats Duarte: Former state legislator Adam Gray, a Democrat, edged Rep. John Duarte, a Republican member of the House Agriculture Committee, to win election to the House from a Central Valley district in California. (Associated Press)
Navarro picked for trade role: Peter Navarro, who served time in prison for refusing to testify before Congress about the Jan. 6 insurrection, will return to the White House as “senior counselor for trade and manufacturing,” said President-elect Donald Trump. (CBS News)
Conservation record: The USDA said it awarded 23,000 contracts for land stewardship projects on 11 million acres in fiscal 2024, “the highest total investment in private lands conservation” in any year ever by the Natural Resources Conservation Service. (USDA)
Food bank pay rates: Three of every 10 paid employees at nonprofit organizations in the community food and housing sector have incomes below a standard threshold for financial survival, says a research firm. (Food Bank News)