*By Justin Chermol*
Uber is laying off more than 100 test drivers in its autonomous car division in Pittsburgh and San Francisco, replacing them with 55 highly-trained drivers known as "mission specialists".
It's an attempt by the ride-hailing company to prove it's serious about safety in its self-driving division after a fatal crash in Tempe, Ariz., last March.
But whether real progress has been made is another story.
"There's the public messaging and there is what is actually happening," said Mark Rechtin, Executive Editor at Motor Trend. "Uber is saying all the right things publicly, but the accident in Arizona has really set them back."
Uber initially suspended all testing of its autonomous driving program after a pedestrian was struck and killed on March 18, but restarted some tests earlier this month.
Former self-driving car operators are eligible to apply for the new roles, which must operate cars on both public roads and private tracks and are expected to give technical feedback to developers.
Rechtin is optimistic about the effort, but still raised concerns.
"We need to make sure whatever Uber does is something that is functional."
Karl Brauer, executive analyst with Iseecars.com, joined Cheddar News to discuss what to consider if you're in the market for a new or used vehicle.
New applications along with refinancing for mortgages dropped from a year ago as rates continued to climb.
Nvidia posted strong quarterly results, citing strong demand and plans to significantly increase supply.
Minutes from a recent Federal Reserve meeting showed that members "expressed uncertainty about how much more policy tightening may be appropriate."
Microsoft said it detected malicious hacking activity against critical U.S. infrastructure by a Chinese state-sponsored group.
Cheddar News checks in to see what to look out for on The Day Ahead as earnings continue with reports from Gap, Best Buy, Costco Wholesale and Ulta Beauty while key economic data is also due to be released. It's also National Wine Day on Thursday.
Over 1,400 props from classic movies like Star Wars, Shawshank Redemption and Gladiator will be up for auction next month in what experts say will be one of the largest memorabilia auctions in the world.
The Consumer Federation of America released its annual list of top complaints filed with consumer agencies across the country.
Google is using new artificial intelligence models to generate descriptions for YoutTube shorts.
The European Union and Google are looking to develop a voluntary artificial intelligence pact with European and non-European companies ahead of rules to govern the technology.
