*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 most recent school shooting in Michigan is highlighting the tragic fact that U.S. shootings on campuses are ticking up. The aftermath of these incidents leaves students, faculty, and families suffering intense trauma with lasting effects. Darby Fox, an adolescent family therapist, joins Cheddar News to discuss how school shootings impact the mental health of students and their families.
With so many high-profile court cases taking over the media, from the trial over the murder of Ahmaud Arbery to the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse to the ongoing Elizabeth Holmes trial, Cheddar took a look at these cases and why there is such a big interest in them. Rachel Fiset, a white collar criminal defense lawyer and partner with Zeiback, Fiset, and Coleman, and Bryan Hance, attorney-at-law, professor, and academic program director of the pre-law and paralegal studies program at National University, joined Cheddar for a roundtable discussion on why there is so much public interest in so-called courtroom drama.
2022 is just around the corner and one of the world's most famous trendspotters says that there is a wide-ranging mix of trends coming up in the new year that could impact businesses, culture, and our society at large.
Trendspotter and cultural zeitgeist analyst Marian Salzman, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Spotify has just officially released its 2021 'Wrapped'. For the past few years, the streaming giant has been presenting customers with their listening habits from the prior year, including favorite artists, most listened to the genre, podcasts, songs you name it. However, critics say this method just shows how apps can collect our data. CEO of Prevailion Karim Hijazi, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Recent internal documents obtained by the New York Times reveal how exactly TikTok's algorithm works. The report highlights how the app is mainly focused on retaining two metrics which are retention and time spent. In addition, the document titled, "TikTok Algo 101" details how the algorithm understands human nature from when we get bored to our sensitivity and culture ques. It means the app monitors will kind of videos you like. Professor of Computer Science at the University of California in San Diego Julian McCauley, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
According to a recent study by a group of international researchers, artificial intelligence can predict new illegal drugs before they hit the streets. This method could help save lives and fight crime. Professor of Computing Science at the University of Alberta, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Carlo and Baker discuss the sweeping new vaccine mandate in NYC that will target all private businesses. Plus, Trump's media venture gets its CEO and more.
A lockout is now in place for Major League Baseball. The collective bargaining agreement between the league and players association expired at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday night.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said both sides were unable to negotiate a new contract by that time, so the league locked out the players on Thursday at 12:01 a.m. The lockout also means trades and free agency deals have to stop for now. Dodgers Nation lead editor Clint Pasillas joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
