Where Is Kim Jong Un? | Your Next Stimulus ‘Check’ | Silver Linings Startups

Plus: The New Waffle House Index: 33 Days To Reopen

Know Now

• Boris Johnson Back To Work After Coronavirus Sickness, Warns Businesses To Stay Shut For Now

• South Korea Says Kim Jong Un Is 'Alive And Well' Amid Rumor He Is Dead Or Critically Ill

• What Your Next Stimulus ‘Check’ Really Might Look Like

• Sen. Tom Cotton Amps Up Anti-China Rhetoric; Calls To Ban Chinese Students From U.S.

Top Take-Aways

The Waffle House Index has a new benchmark: 33 days. That’s how long it took the no-frills breakfast chain to reopen at least 330 of its Georgia locations closed from mandatory coronavirus shutdowns. Waffle House’s home state is the first to ease business restrictions.

Gov. Cuomo has outlined a two-phase plan for reopening New York as early as May 15. “You can’t tell people in dense urban environments, ‘We have nothing for you to do,’” said Cuomo. “There’s a sanity equation here.”

Although many Americans are using their $1,200 stimulus checks on essential expenses, some are investing their entire check in bitcoin. The number of deposits of exactly $1,200 in cryptocurrencies have more than tripled since the IRS began distributing the checks.

Bondholders beware. Here, a special report for investors who lend money to states and municipalities. To give away the ending: Tax-exempt bonds are dangerous.

Should airlines stop flying during the coronavirus pandemic? A firm yes from America’s flight attendants, who warn that major carriers do not require passengers to wear masks or stay six feet away from each other.

College Decision Day is upon us. But many high school seniors and transfer students are rethinking enrolling in college this fall. Is it time to reinvent the gap year?

ICYMI: Kanye West is now officially a billionaire—and he really wants the world to know.

Today's Must-Read

Amazon and Walmart, with their massive size, strong balance sheets, and ubiquitous delivery power, are glaring exceptions to the grim state of consumer spending. There are also a few startups flourishing during the plague year, thanks to digital-first thinking with delivery models ideally suited to staying at home.

This new breed of retailer may offer a roadmap for success even after the pandemic recedes.

“Despite hearing about all the damage the coronavirus has inflicted on most of the retail market, I've come across some new start-up brands that are having record sales,” says Steven Bertoni, VP of Forbes 30 Under 30. “Built on digital bones and a core strategy based on direct-to-consumer delivery, these new brands are well positioned to thrive in the current stay-at-home environment.”

Bertoni has profiled three companies, all run by Under 30 alums, to learn their secrets of success in the time of COVID-19: Meat delivery service Porter Road; online pharmacy and telemedicine startup Roman Health; and Beekeeper Naturals, which makes throat sprays and supplements. These e-commerce businesses aren’t taking the usual approach. These days, who is?

Across Forbes

Forbes Advisor: Cancelling a year of rent and mortgage payments may sound like a great solution for a struggling population. Here're why housing experts say it’s not that simple.