Posted by Katharine Crnko

For Marketplace Morning Report, Thursday, December 9, 2010

It looks like the U.S. government may be a step closer to untangling itself from American International Group, or AIG. The company was able to turn a profit by selling assets, and hopes to be able to payback the government.

Jeremy Hobson speaks to Simon Johnson, the former Chief Economist at the IMF about the global race to economic recovery, and about the U.S.’s recent tax decisions.

Although cigarette sales have fallen 17 percent in the past five years, smokeless tobacco sales have risen at about 7 percent a year. Tobacco companies are hoping smokers who quit cigarettes will move on to smokeless tobacco products within the same brand.

Insurers are trying to keep medical costs down by pushing consumers to shift to cheaper prescriptions. But as David Lazarus tells Jeremy Hobson, this could put those with conditions that can’t be treated with generic drugs in an expensive bind.

The British government is expected to vote on a controversial tuition hike for higher education — students could expect to pay as much as $14,000 a year for public universities.

According to a new survey from the group Transparency International, a quarter of people around the world have paid a bribe in the last year. And one of the worst places is India.

It looks like there’s at least one issue in Washington that might be getting bipartisan support today: the expiration of ethanol tax credits.

Here are the songs we played:

• Bring On The Dancing Horses (Extended Mix) — Echo & The Bunnymen Buy

• Portofino — Teengirl Fantasy Buy

• Steal That Guitar Rag — Dennis Roger Reed Buy

• Notations — Lymbyc Systym Buy

• Organ Playa — Count Bass D Buy