Meat drives food inflation: Grocery prices are 4 percent higher than a year ago, with meat up by 6.1 percent, while the overall U.S. inflation rate was a modest 1.2 percent, said the monthly Consumer Price Index. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Rural vote split is as wide as ever: Both political parties won larger shares of the presidential vote this year than in 2016 by squeezing down the vote for third-party candidates, but Republicans maintained their 2-to-1 advantage over Democrats in rural areas. (Daily Yonder)
Klobuchar eyed for USDA: Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, is being considered by the Biden administration for a Cabinet post, including attorney general and secretary of agriculture. (CNBC)
USDA proposes faster line speeds: The USDA’s meat safety agency submitted a proposed regulation for White House review that would allow line speeds of up to 175 birds per minute, a 25 percent increase, at poultry plants operating under the New Poultry Inspection System. (Office of Management and Budget)
Pelosi nominates Bustos: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi nominated Illinois Rep. Cheri Bustos — a member of the House Agriculture Committee and one of the few midwesterners in Democratic leadership — to be one of three co-chairs of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, which decides committee assignments. (Pelosi)