The Obama administration has used a flurry of tough-sounding trade enforcement announcements in recent weeks to counter complaints from the left and right that free trade is not fair trade - and to assist President Obama in the struggle to win approval of his trade pact with 11 Pacific Rim nations.

Federal regulators are mandating drastic reductions in emissions from heavy-duty trucks over the next 10 years. And truck manufacturers and big shippers alike are applauding the move.

It's called the multiplier effect, and it describes how the recall of a single ingredient in the food supply chain can have a huge impact on manufacturers, retailers and brands - not to mention the health and safety of consumers.

Recent months have seen major car recalls by GM and Ford Motor Co. They're just the latest in a seemingly endless series of failures. Can this trend be stopped?

When you buy an "American-made" car, you are probably buying a car that has an immensely complicated mix of components that were also made in Mexico and Canada. The same is true for many electronics, and advanced textiles like carpeting. The beef in your grocery store might be from a cow that was fattened and slaughtered in the United States, but that was very likely born across the border in Mexico.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection has expanded its fast clearance plan for ocean freight, the Advanced Qualified Unloading Approval (AQUA Lane) program, which started with a pilot test in four ports late last year.

As with any emerging technology, such as 3-D printing, the law hasn't kept pace. Strict liability - one of three product liability theories which hold manufacturers liable for injuries caused by a defect, regardless of fault - may be difficult to apply in cases of 3-D printed products, given the uniqueness of the technology and the fact that numerous actors are involved in the production chain.