In brief: Geithner disputes Romney job claim

WASHINGTON – Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said a claim by Mitt Romney about disproportionate job losses by women during the Obama administration is “misleading and ridiculous.”

Romney said last week that 92.3 percent of jobs lost since President Barack Obama took office were held by women. He said the “real war on women is being waged by the president’s failed economic policies.”

While the statistic is accurate, the recession began 13 months before Obama took office. Men have lost more jobs overall during the downturn – 3.4 million, compared with 1.8 million lost by women.

Geithner noted that manufacturing and construction job losses were heavy in the early days of the recession, while professions with more women, such as teaching, were hurt later.

Geithner spoke Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” He also appeared on the ABC and NBC Sunday interview programs.

Cosby says Martin case not about race

WASHINGTON – Actor and comedian Bill Cosby said the debate over the killing of Trayvon Martin by a neighborhood watch volunteer should be focused on guns, not race.

In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” aired Sunday, Cosby said calling George Zimmerman a racist doesn’t solve anything. Cosby said the bigger question is what Zimmerman was doing with a gun, and who taught him how to behave with it.

The shooting of the 17-year-old Martin on Feb. 26 has ignited a nationwide debate about race and self-defense.

Cosby said during the interview, which was taped Thursday afternoon, that he once owned a gun but no longer does. He said there is a need to get guns off the streets, and that people should be taught to use every possible alternative before shooting someone.

Dole issues recall of bagged salads

MONTEREY, Calif. – Dole Food Co.’s fresh vegetables division is recalling 756 cases of bagged salad, because they could be contaminated with salmonella.

The bags of Seven Lettuces salads were distributed in Alabama, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and Wisconsin.

The company said the bags are being recalled, because a random sample tested by the state of New York came back positive for Salmonella. No other Dole salads are included in the recall.

The recalled salads are stamped with a use-by date of April 11, 2012, UPC code 71430 01057 and product codes 0577N089112A and 0577N089112B, the company said.

The product code and use-by date are located in the upper right-hand corner of the package, while the UPC code is on the back of the package, below the barcode.