*By Amanda Weston and Bridgette Webb*
New York City's decision to institute [a minimum wage for drivers of ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft](http://fortune.com/2018/08/08/new-york-freeze-ride-sharing-vehicles-minimum-wage-lyft-uber/), will be a boon for drivers, and may prompt other cities considering how to handle the rise of for-hire vehicles to act similarly.
"It's a very big win ー huge," said Aziz Bah, a steward for the Independent Drivers Guild and an Uber driver. "We have been fighting for the longest \[time\]."
The City Council [approved a package of rules](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/08/nyregion/uber-vote-city-council-cap.html) Wednesday that included a guaranteed minimum wage for drivers and a one-year cap on most new licenses, so the city can study the effects of the industry's explosive growth.
"The most positive thing for drivers is the pay floor, which amounts to a 22.5 percent raise in overall take home pay," Bah said Thursday in an interview with Cheddar.
Uber opposed the Council's rules, saying it would make rides less reliable and more expensive. Bah said the new rules should be a clear message to the ride-hailing companies.
"Treat drivers better," he said. "Because no one is making any legislation or rules with the drivers' livelihood in mind. We want these guys to finally put the drivers first."
The popularity of the wage guarantee [among drivers](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/06/nyregion/taxi-and-uber-drivers-are-united-in-backing-a-cap-on-ride-hail-vehicles.html) and the willingness of a city the size of New York to act may embolden other cities, said Alison Griswold, a reporter at Quartz.
"\[Seattle\] passed legislation that allowed drivers to unionize, which is still tied up in litigation, and there's also been interest among the city officials for raising the wage for Uber drivers," Griswold said Thursday in an interview with Cheddar. "So, you could see a city like Seattle picking up what New York has done on setting a wage floor. Then in San Francisco there's a lot of talk about congestion and how things have gotten worse for just everyone in the city driving around."
It remains to be seen how the cap on new licenses will affect traffic.
"We'll just have to wait to see," said Griswold. "It was widely opposed by transit advocates and editorial boards across the city. It's for a year. And you know, with the subway the way it is, I think everyone wants as many transit options as possible."
For more on this story, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/nyc-pumps-the-brakes-on-ride-hailing).
The Cowboy State has become one of the world's top tax havens, according to the Pandora Papers, a trove of more than 11.9 million documents obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and The Washington Post. The papers reveal, among other things, how ultra-wealthy people from around the world move money into the U.S., invest, and spend it under a shroud of secrecy. Allison Tait, University of Richmond law professor, joined Cheddar to talk about Wyoming's laidback tax laws, their impact on the nation's economy, and provided some details on the financial arrangement known as the "cowboy cocktail."
With the New Year just around the corner, many people will be making new health and fitness goals. However, after the initial January push, it's easy to drop your resolutions and go back to your old habits. Joan Ifland, CEO of Food Addiction Reset, discusses her best tips for following through with New Year's Resolutions.
Despite the pandemic and the home workout revolution, many brick and mortar fitness companies have been able to stay afloat. Some even increased their membership during the pandemic, including Crunch Fitness. The Crunch franchise is celebrating 128% growth from pre-COVID membership levels as its 400th club enters pre-sale. Ben Midgley, CEO of Crunch Franchise, joined Cheddar to discuss how the company has been able to succeed during this time.
The pandemic prompted a shift toward personalized at-home workouts, and made health and wellness even more of a priority. In the early months of the pandemic, sales for fitness equipment, shoes and apparel skyrocketed as people adapted to working out in the solitude of their own homes. Even as gyms have reopened, some of these trends have stuck around. Jillian Michaels, personal trainer and creator of The Fitness App by Jillian Michaels, joined Cheddar to discuss the home workout revolution and give her advice on how to stick to your 2022 fitness goals.
A recent report finds that from March 2020 to September 2021, a total of 10,370 hate incidents against Asian American and Pacific Islander persons were reported to 'STOP AAPI HATE,' a non-profit organization that tracks incidents of hate and discrimination against AAPI in the U.S. Manjusha Kulkarni, executive director of AAPI Equity Alliance & co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
When you take a look at American universities, you’ll find one thing most have in common, besides crazy high tuitions. If you look closely, you’ll notice that most of them look quite similar – like they’re straight out of the Middle Ages. Funny thing is, most of these school were established in the 1800s. So if these universities aren't as old...why is their architecture?
Carlo and Baker preview President Biden's address to the nation as Omicron becomes the new dominant Covid strain. Plus, Trump gets booed for getting his booster and the White House gets a new puppy.
Both AMC and Cinemark shares rose Friday after a pandemic-era record number of moviegoers attended the 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' opening night. The movie is expected to pull at least $150 million in box office sales opening weekend. But is this momentum enough for theater chains as the COVID-19 omicron variant poses new threats? Daniel Loria, Editorial Director at Boxoffice PRO, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
The billionaire space race took off in 2021, making major strides in space tourism. That growth is only expected to skyrocket in the next year, as the government and private institutions and companies look to shape the final frontier's exploration. Cheddar News dives into the biggest moments of the year in space, and what comes next for space travel and tourism.
