Three beefs: U.S. and Brazil, Taco Bell and liability, Waymo and trial lawyers

The U.S. government this week raised tariffs on most Brazilian goods to 25%, up from a temporary 10% rate. The justification for the increase zeroed in on an unlikely target: Brazil’s wildly popular instant payment system, Pix. Meanwhile, a cyclosporiasis outbreak linked to Taco Bell has triggered a wave of lawsuits under a strict liability theory, and Waymo’s safety data release has revived a debate about who should police self-driving car safety—trial lawyers or insurance companies.

The U.S. beef with Brazil’s Pix

The U.S. Trade Representative justified the higher tariffs partly by arguing that Brazil’s central bank unfairly stifles competition in digital payments. Pix, run by the central bank, lets Brazilians make instant bank-to-bank transfers for free. It has become so dominant that many people no longer need credit or debit cards. The Information Technology Industry Council—a trade group whose members include Visa, Mastercard, and Meta—has complained that the central bank mandates that retail banks use and promote Pix. It also objected when Brazil’s central bank changed regulations to force Meta to suspend a money-transfer feature on WhatsApp shortly after it launched.