STEVE INSKEEP, host: NPR's business news starts with a trade dispute between the U.S. and Mexico.</s>STEVE INSKEEP, host: There is a North American free trade agreement but that does not mean the trade between the U.S. and Mexico is always entirely free. After the U.S. scrapped a program to allow Mexican trucks to drive on American roads, Mexico struck back. It's putting higher tariffs, taxes, on a long list of U.S. goods, which will make them much more expensive inside Mexico. The list includes fruits, vegetables, Christmas trees, sunglasses. However, the list does not include corn, because high tariffs on that would have hit too many Mexican consumers.
It looks like the Obama administration is heading for a trade fight. After the U.S. scrapped a program to allow Mexican trucks onto American roads, Mexico decided to strike back. It's slapping higher tariffs on a long list of U.S. goods — including fruits, vegetables, Christmas trees and sunglasses.