New Push For $1,200 Stimulus Checks | Jay-Z’s New Joint | Star Wars Invades Streaming

Plus: Airbnb’s Three Billionaire Cofounders More Than Double Their Net Worths In A Single Day

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Airbnb’s shares popped on the first day of trading, doubling the net worth of its three founders, the same bullish mood in the markets has lifted U.S. household wealth to a record high despite the pandemic, and a Groupon’s cofounder has won $200 million from investors for an AI-powered plan to create personalized curses for common diseases. 

In The News Today

As Congress struggles to reach a deal on a comprehensive relief package two senators launched a bipartisan bid for a new round of $1,200 stimulus checks.

With 40 days to go until President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris take office, the pair have been jointly named Time magazine’s Person Of The Year.

Top Take-Aways

Runaway stock prices have lifted U.S. household’s net worth to a record $123.5 trillion, but that news will likely bring little comfort to the 45% of Americans who don’t own any stocks, or are out of work because of the pandemic. 

Americans could be getting vaccinated next week with the Pfizer and BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine after an important FDA committee approved the treatment. The FDA still needs to sign off on the vaccine that has already been rolled out in the U.K.   

There’s no longer a reasonable doubt that Jay-Z is now a player in the cannabis industry, with the launch of his weed brand Monogram, which offers hand-rolled $50 joints that promise to burn like a premium cigar. 

If you’ve ever worried about what data apps are sharing on you, those fears were justified after Forbes revealed Israeli cyber surveillance companies are hoovering up information meant for advertisers to track targets.   

Star Wars fans may have just gotten the early Christmas present of their dreams, as Disney unveiled a whopping slate of 10 new Star Wars television series, which will include the return of fan favorites like Obi Wan Kenobi.

Groupon’s billionaire cofounder Eric Lefkofsky has raised $200 million for his AI-powered healthcare startup Tempus. The deal values the Chicago-based company at a massive $8.1 valuation, and lifted Lefkofsky’s fortune to $4.2 billion. 

"To put it plainly, we just couldn’t stop writing songs," said Taylor Swift, announcing her ninth studio album Evermore just eight months after the release of her smash hit album Folklore. Swift has juggled writing new material under lockdown with re-recording her entire back catalogue following an acrimonious split with her label.

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Barely nine months since its creation, cybersecurity company Wiz has landed $100 million in funding from some of Silicon Valley’s most prominent investors, in one of the larger first-year funding rounds for a startup in 2020. 

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