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Biden says he’s “happy to debate” Trump before 2024 election
Washington — President Biden signaled for the first time publicly that he is willing to debate former President Donald Trump, his presumptive Republican opponent, ahead of November’s general election.
Asked during an hour-long interview on Howard Stern’s show on SiriusXM if he would debate his rival, Mr. Biden replied, “I am, somewhere. I don’t know when. I am happy to debate him.”
Mr. Biden said in March that his commitment to a debate with Trump “depends on his behavior.” Asked about a debate during a trip to Nevada in February, Mr. Biden said, “If I were him, I’d want him to debate me, too. He’s got nothing else to do.”
Following Mr. Biden’s comments on Friday, Chris LaCivita, a Trump campaign senior adviser and the chief operating officer of the Republican National Committee, wrote, “Ok let’s set it up !”
Mr. Biden’s answer comes as Trump and his campaign have called on him to publicly commit to a debate.
News organizations have also urged the two men to commit to face off. CBS News and 11 other news outlets issued a statement earlier this month urging the two to publicly state their commitments to a debate in the fall.
Trump and the GOP have had a turbulent relationship with the Commission on Presidential Debates, the nonpartisan group that has organized general election debates since 1988. In 2022, the RNC unanimously voted to ban future GOP presidential nominees from participating in debates put on by the committee. Then-RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel called the commission “biased” and pressed for reforms on how moderators were selected.
Trump did not participate in any 2024 GOP primary debates, repeatedly citing his lead in polling over his GOP challengers. But in an April letter to the CPD, his campaign’s senior advisers wrote they agree with the “letter from television networks” and asked for the general election debates to begin “much earlier” to account for early voting periods.
“We have already indicated President Trump is willing to debate anytime, anyplace, and anywhere — and the time to start these debates is now,” the Trump officials wrote.
The Biden campaign directed further questions about a potential debate to Mr. Biden’s answer to Stern on Friday.
In 2020, Mr. Biden and Trump debated twice. One debate was canceled after Trump tested positive for COVID-19.
In November 2023, the CPD announced the dates for three presidential debates in 2024: Sept. 16, Oct. 1 and Oct. 9. One vice presidential debate is also scheduled for Sept. 25.
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A food company known for popular grocery store condiments has recalled a package of tortilla strips that may be contaminated with wheat, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday. The product is meant to be gluten-free.
Sugar Foods, a manufacturing and distribution corporation focused mainly on various toppings, artificial sweeteners and snacks, issued the recall for the “Santa Fe Style” version of tortilla strips sold by the brand Fresh Gourmet.
“People who have a wheat allergy or severe sensitivity to wheat run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume the product,” said Sugar Foods in an announcement posted by the FDA.
Packages of these tortilla strips with an expiration date as late as June 20, 2025, could contain undeclared wheat, meaning the allergen is not listed as an ingredient on the label. The Fresh Gourmet product is marketed as gluten-free.
Sugar Foods said a customer informed the company on Nov. 19 that packages of the tortilla strips actually contained crispy onions, another Fresh Gourmet product normally sold in a similar container. The brand’s crispy onion product does contain wheat, and that allergen is noted on the label.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
No illnesses tied to the packaging mistake have been reported, according to the announcement from Sugar Foods. However, the company is still recalling the tortilla strips as a precaution. The contamination issue may have affected products distributed between Sept. 30 and Nov. 11 in 22 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington.
Sugar Foods has advised anyone with questions about the recall to contact the company’s consumer care department by email or phone.
CBS News reached out to Sugar Foods for more information but did not receive an immediate reply.
This is the latest in a series of food product recalls affected because of contamination issues, although the others involved harmful bacteria. Some recent, high-profile incidents include an E. coli outbreak from organic carrots that killed at least one person in California, and a listeria outbreak that left an infant dead in California and nine people hospitalized across four different states, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The E. coli outbreak is linked to multiple different food brands while the listeria outbreak stemmed from a line of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products sold by Yu-Shang Foods.