Tuesday, May 13, 2003 The Marketplace Morning Report with Kai Ryssdal and Tess Vigeland is a series of seven 9-minute business news modules airing weekdays. This timely report delivers a global business newscast and a hard-hitting feature report. Visit the archive to browse previous stories. Note: Each of the broadcasts contains some of the newscast items below and one of the features. Since only a few radio markets get all seven broadcasts, we've made them available below.

Broadcasts Listen: 2:50 | 3:50 | 4:50 | 5:50 | 6:50 | 7:50 | 8:50 (times are a.m., Pacific Standard Time)

Newscast Stories From New York: Sam Eaton reports Wall Street firms are facing stiffer disclosure rules on IPOs. From Los Angeles: Kim Masters explores what the incentive would be for two troubled record companies -- Warner Music and BMG -- to merge. From Canton, NY: David Sommerstein reports that New York State’s land dispute settlement with a Native American tribe may turn out to be a smart investment for the state. From New York: Judy Martin explains why the lightly regulated, fast growth hedge fund industry may be facing some new rules from the SEC. From London: Steven Beard reports that best-selling writer Barbara Taylor Bradford is suing to halt the screening of a TV series in India due to “copyright violations” From the Marketplace Health Desk: Helen Palmer examines how a no-smoking ban and a bad economy have affected New York City bars. From Los Angeles: Cheryl Glaser reports that it’s time again for the TV networks to make their pitches to ad buyers for the fall TV season. Network execs are optimistic about TV “upfront” ad sales. From Tokyo: Jessica Smith finds that crime is closely linked to unemployment in Japan -- and the country’s largest security firm is cashing in. From Washington, DC: Amy Scott reports that the Department of Justice is looking into whether the airlines' uniform fee hike violated the antitrust law. Features Jesus Christ: Action Figure Does your GI Joe or Barbie need a friend? How about their own personal Jesus? As part of our series on unusual (West Coast) businesses, Cathy Duchamp takes a look at the Jesus Action Figure and other offbeat toys offered by a Seattle-based wholesaler.

Pension Strikes Genevieve Oger reports that much of France goes on strike Tuesday protesting changes in the country’s pension system.

Commentary - Pensions “Economist” commentator Vendeline Von Bredow says that, due to the cloudy financial picture in the U.S., making workers provide for themselves in their old age may not be such a bad thing.