Talking Biz News Today — Dec. 17, 2020

Some of Thursday’s top business news stories:

Associated Press

Bitcoin surges past $20,000, erasing 3 years of deep losses, by Ken Sweet

Robinhood accused of downplaying the risks of trading, by Alex Veiga, Stan Choe

CNN

Bill Gates, Amazon and British Airways are backing a hydrogen plane startup, by Hanna Ziady

Facebook feuds with Apple over privacy changes that threaten its advertising business, by Samantha Murphy Kelly

The Wall Street Journal

U.S. Shoppers Pull Back at Start of Holiday Season, by Harriet Torry

Amazon Faces Unionization Push in Alabama, a Test in Labor Organizing Bid, by Sebastian Herrera

CNBC

U.S. quarantines Pfizer vaccine shipments in California and Alabama after transit ‘anomaly’ left vials too cold, by Berkeley Lovelace Jr.

Adidas will keep opening new stores despite Covid e-commerce surge, CEO says, by Kevin Stankiewicz

Reuters

Texas, nine U.S. states accuse Google of working with Facebook to break antitrust law, by Diane Bartz, Paresh Dave

Novartis buys neuroscience company Cadent for up to $770 million

News about business journalism

Schoenberger named editor of Financial Planning

Why Business Insider is offering a free trial to AmEx users

LA Biz Journal hires Rubio as a reporter

Forbes launches fellowship program for HBCU students

Horti promoted to business editor at Business Insider

LA Times hires WSJ’s Malas as deputy business editor

Politico hires Aarup to cover European trade

Washington Post hires De Vynck as AI/algorithms reporter

Connolly departs Bloomberg for strat comm firm

Bloomberg makes hires, promotions on graphics team

Industry Dive is acquiring CFO.com