Tuesday, March 23, 2004 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 Los Angeles: The EU is expected to hand down a formal ruling against Microsoft, including millions in fines and requiring the software giant to distribute a version of its operating system without the Windows Media Player. Cheryl Glaser reports. From New York: Despite Tyco's leftover government audits, shareholder lawsuits and billions of dollars of debt, the company itself may be on the mend. Amy Scott reports. From Washington, DC: Some activists say the federal marriage amendment now being debated in Congress could overturn civil union laws, like those in Vermont. Stephen Henn has more. From Los Angeles: The Census Bureau reports that fewer Americans are moving from home to home these days. Lisa Napoli examines the trend of aging and settling down. From New York: More states are shoring up their budgets by the $200 billion of settlement money that tobacco companies agreed to in 1998. Jessica Smith investigates the dangers of getting addicted to that money. From New York: A new study finds that overseas opportunities just keep expanding for American businesses. Judy Martin reports. From Beijing: In China, workers are struggling to establish their rights -- and some are choosing drastic measures to draw attention to their plight. Jocelyn Ford explains. From London: The Madrid bombings two weeks ago have added to the pressure for a cut in Euro-Zone interest rates. Stephen Beard reports. Features U.S. annual report on Social Security, Medicare / How to save these troubled services The government's annual report on the state of Social Security and Medicare is released today. Marketplace's John Dimsdale has a preview. Then, commentator James Galbraith has a suggestion for shoring up Medicare and Social Security should a full economic recovery fail to do the job.

"I-5: The Concrete River" series - Stop #2, Los Angeles LA holds the title for having the most congested freeway in the country. Host Tess Vigeland gives us a look at the mess from a traffic control center. And: How can we keep goods flowing between LA ports and Southern California roads? Reporter Rachael Myrow has a story on the freeway competition between cars and commerce. Web resource: Check out the "I-5: The Concrete River" series page for audio, facts and Web resources.