Vote for Hipp: The Senate Agriculture Committee cleared the nomination of Janie Hipp to be general counsel of the USDA for a full floor vote. (Senate Ag)
Turnabout on inflation: Consumer prices rose by a hot 5 percent over the past year, but food inflation cooled to a moderate annual rate of 2.2 percent. A year ago, the food inflation rate was 4 percent and the overall CPI was a tiny 0.1 percent. (Labor Department)
Allergies and food banks: It’s hard to find food for people with allergies at food banks and other charities, and the pandemic has made the situation worse. (Associated Press)
Drought draining Lake Mead: The water level in Lake Mead, in the drought-battered West, is its lowest ever — just 36 percent of capacity — and is forecast to continue falling in coming months. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)
JBS paid ransom: The world’s largest meatpacker said it paid the equivalent of $11 million to criminals in response to a ransomware attack “to mitigate any unforeseen issues related to the attack and ensure no data was exfiltrated.” (JBS USA)