Charlie talks Taco Bell lettuce recall and the killed Ivermectin bill.

What this episode covers

Charlie James: I feel bad for Taco Bell. I really do. People always ragging on Taco Bell. I don't know why they do that. Tell—let me tell you something: Taco Bell is delicious. You get one of those Crunchwrap Supremes—oh, my goodness! That thing is—anything Supreme at Taco Bell is absolutely fantastic. "Ah, Charlie, you know that's not real meat. I don't care." I don't care what it is. It's delicious. I love it. I love their—I love their taco sauce, I love their burritos, I love their—their tacos, I love their—the Crunchwrap Supreme is probably my favorite. Whatever—they used to have those Gorditas—man, those things are absolutely fantastic. But everybody's always giving Taco Bell a bunch of grief. And this isn't going to help one little bit. They had some lettuce at Taco Bell that was—of all places to get the lettuce from—you got it from a California produce country—company, and they've been identified as a potential source of contamination behind the parasitic illness that has hit thousands of Americans with, yes, the word "explosive diarrhea," according to a new report. Shredded iceberg lettuce supplied to Taco Bell, um, has been linked to this summer's outbreak of cyclosporiasis, according to two individuals familiar with the investigation. The signal that we've gotten is there is a very high percentage of people who got sick at Taco Bell, and when investigators asked them what their menu items had in common, lettuce came up frequently, said one of the individuals. Um, when the Food and Drug Administration asked the Mexican fast-food giant where they got their lettuce from, Taylor Farms was identified as supplying the stores in Michigan and three other states where the outbreak has been the largest. Um, authorities in Michigan previously said that the leafy greens were suspected as a source of causing hundreds of cases of stomach illnesses based on interviews of over a thousand patients. A number of Taco Bell restaurants across the Detroit area, um, posted notices earlier this month advising that the chain was currently unable to sell lettuce, cilantro, onion, pico de gallo, and guacamole due to a nationwide recall. So, there you go. Any items ordered that normally come with these items will not contain them. There you go. Some—there's about 11 of their core menu items that contain shredded lettuce. Um, in a statement, the fast-food giant said it will continue to monitor the situation in accordance with all health guidelines. Um, over 1,600 people across 34 states have, um, have these, uh, cyclosporiasis. Let's go to Jason in Laurens. Jason, welcome. Jason (Caller): Hey, Charlie. Charlie James: Hey, bud. Jason (Caller): So, I'll ask the question again, because I called the other day. You tell me that we did not pass the one drug to cure all issues with Taco Bell? Charlie James: Yep, every single one of them. It would have taken care of it. It's—it's an anti-parasitic, Ivermectin, and Davy Hiott killed it, and—and from what we're hearing, guess who his son works for? Jason (Caller): Who's that? Charlie James: The pharmaceutical company! He's a lobbyist—he's a—(Jason laughs)—he's a lobbyist for what is—I think it's called PHRMA, P-H-R-M-A. Davy Hiott's son is a lobbyist for the pharmaceutical company, and no wonder—I mean, that would be all the reason in the world, right, to—to kill Ivermectin being sold over the counter here in—in the United States. Or in South Carolina. Jason (Caller): Oh yeah, anything—anything that's going to make you better costs so much more money. Charlie James: Yeah. Yeah, you're exactly right, Jason. I appreciate it, buddy. Yeah, absolutely. But Ivermectin—cheap, effective, it was a Nobel Peace Prize-winning drug on the list of essential medicines by the World Health Organization. We had the chance here in South Carolina to make it over the counter. If you got—if you, you know, "Oh, my stomach doesn't feel good, I better take me some Ivermectin." All of a sudden, you don't have to wor ...

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