Daily Pulse: Cabbies Sue NYC over Uber, Square Circles $9, Today in #Parisattacks

[Updated Nov. 19 10 am ET Abaaoud news and Square IPO]

#Parisattacks: Authorities said Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the suspected attacks ringleader, had been killed a pre-dawn raid at St. Denis. Two people died and eight were arrested ... Despite loose talk about the need for regulating encryption, it still looks like the terrorists were "were communicating in the clear, and that the data on their smartphones was not encrypted," reports Dan Froomkin at The Intercept ... Twenty-six US governors say they won't accept Syrian refugees, even though they lack such power and no Syrians have been implicated in the attacks ... President Obama said he'd veto a proposal by House GOP members for greater scrutiny of refugees from Syria or Iraq ... Bloomberg poll: Most Americans don't want the US to honor a commitment to settle up to 10,000 refugees, made before the attacks.

How low can you go: Square priced its IPO shares at $9, valuing the company at $2.66 billion, a far cry from its $4.19 billion valuation just earlier this month. That price places Square's market cap at $2.9 billion, a whopping  52% drop from the $6 billion valuation from it's latest private round. The company's latest SEC filing showed high transaction costs as well as declining revenue. Does this dramatic drop signal the beginning of a holiday season of dead unicorns? Read Mark Leslie's great analysis on when unicorns should consider going public here. [Square opened at $11.20 and mid-morning was up 50%].

Hail, Yeah! Cabbies are suing New York City for, basically, allowing Uber to operate. The suit also includes lenders who finance the expensive licenses that allow yellow taxis to operate as the only legal street-hailed vehicles. The filing asserts Uber pick-ups in the "core" of Manhattan grew to match cabs in June. And it accuses the Taxi and Limousine Commission of being all-but-complicit in the "catastrophic harm on this once iconic industry, and the tens of thousands of hardworking men and women that depend on it for their livelihood.”

Hike, Already: The Fed gave its strongest signal for a December rate hike. Minutes from its October meeting revealed that most Fed governors believe economic conditions “could well” support the first rise since 2006. It also acknowledges that further delay “could be interpreted as signaling lack of confidence in the strength of the US economy or erode (the Fed's) credibility." Wall Street endorsed this view, with the Dow finishing up nearly 250 points.

No Fly Zone: Europe's most successful Kickstarter folded, and backers who aren't sure they'll be made whole are furious. Torquing Group raised $3.6 million for the Zano mini drone, designed to take selfies from the sky. But the project was plagued by delays (original ship date was June). Last week CEO Ivan Reedman resigned citing “personal health issues and irreconcilable differences.”

Software Will Heal the World: Andreessen Horowitz announced it intends to invest $200 million in biology and healthcare software startups. Vijay Pande will run the fund as the firm’s latest general partner. "We all care about human health — whether it’s for ourselves, our parents, our children — and it’s a big deal on a very deep, fundamental level, in terms of thinking about the meaning of life," he wrote on LinkedIn. 

Cover Art: Police officers pat down a woman before entering the square where people take part in a candle light vigil to the victims of the Paris attacks in Brussels' Molenbeek district, on November 18, 2015. Molenbeek residents held a candle vigil at the town square where the Abdeslam family lives.

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What you may have missed — and really should read:

• Our French Editor, Sandrine Chauvin, wrote a beautiful piece about Parisians returning to work (read it in French here)
• The story of Shazam "is one of pure innovation, foresight, and friendship"
• Will Match's upcoming IPO fare better than the rest?

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• Missed our last update? Catch Up: 'Police Raid Near Paris, Jindal Drops Out, Shake-Up at Gawker'
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