Afternoon Briefing: City could force Uber and Lyft to hike driver pay
Good afternoon, Chicago.
Rideshare companies like Lyft and Uber could soon be forced to pay Chicago drivers more if an ordinance up for debate Thursday moves ahead, a change the companies say would cause the cost of rides to skyrocket for passengers.
Ald. Michael Rodriguez, 22nd, said his measure would make sure rideshare drivers make more than minimum wage and get paid when they wait for and drive riders. But critics and the companies say the legislation will raise costs and could even put many drivers out of work.
Here's what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/latest-headlines and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.
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Federal prosecutors announced today that they will retry state Sen. Emil Jones III on bribery charges after a jury in April deadlocked on all counts, leading to a mistrial. Read more here.
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Illinois lawmakers ended their spring legislative session without finding a way to plug the gaping $771 million budget gap facing the region's mass transit systems next year. Thousands of jobs hang in the balance. Read more here.
More top business stories:
The longtime Sky star jokingly acknowledged her quiet exit in a Players Tribune column today as she formally announced her retirement from the WNBA — nearly three years after playing her final game for the Sky in September 2022. Read more here.
More top sports stories:
Anthony Mateos, who lives in Evanston and has just completed his junior year at Evanston Township High School, has compiled and published a terrific book titled 'Who We Are: Stories From the Chicago StreetWise Community.' Read more here.
More top Eat. Watch. Do. stories:
The Marines that deployed to Los Angeles on orders from President Donald Trump have not yet been called to respond to the city's immigration protests and are there only to protect federal property, the Marine Corps commandant said. Read more here.
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Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump's reality TV instincts are roiling global trade
A version of this story appeared in CNN Business' Nightcap newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here. Welcome back (if you ever left) to the President Trump Show. This week, America's reality-TV-star-in-chief nursed a messy public feud with the world's richest man, deployed hundreds of Marines and the National Guard to downtown LA, touted a trade 'deal' with China, and threatened 'heavy force' against anyone who dares to pooh-pooh his birthday parade. (Eat your heart out, 'Real Housewives' producers.) The Trump Show, like all manufactured drama, is formulaic and at times hard to watch. But unlike most reality TV, the stakes here are global and existential. We truly cannot look away. ICYMI: Trump on Tuesday declared on his social media platform that 'our deal with China is done.' (Note: It is not a deal deal, and it still needs to be approved by leaders from both sides. But much like the US trade handshake with the UK, it is a framework to shape future trade talks that could lead to a lasting agreement.) The White House didn't release any details about what's actually in the framework, but negotiators said that both countries had agreed to ease up on key sticking points. In particular, China will let American businesses continue to tap its monopolistic supply of rare-earth minerals, used in everything from industrial catalysts to magnets, and the US will continue allowing Chinese students to enroll at American universities. This is ultimately good news for businesses and investors, assuming the truce holds. The last trade truce with China, from a month ago in Geneva, fell apart after just a couple of weeks when Trump lashed out at Beijing and accused officials of not holding up their end of the bargain. But 'good' news is a matter of perspective. This week's arrangement, in principle, just reverts the two trading partners to where they were a month ago, when the Geneva detente began, as my colleague David Goldman notes. Tariffs on Chinese goods — which are taxes paid by US importers — remain historically high. Under the current plan, the US would still tax most Chinese imports at a rate of 30%. (That rate has changed at least three times since early April, when Trump's trade war kicked off in earnest.) The US isn't opening its doors to China's autos, nor will it sell advanced AI chips to China anytime soon. This chaotic trade narrative is all part of the Trumpian kayfabe, where it's hard to tell what's real and what isn't. He takes a wrecking ball to the status quo and then swoops in with a 'deal' that he claims will restore order. Set the house on fire. Roll up in a firetruck. Rinse, repeat. That same playbook is partly why a relatively small, local Los Angeles protest against Trump's deportation efforts has morphed into a national story. Trump, seeing an opportunity to flex in the heart of a Democratic stronghold, overrode California Governor Gavin Newsom's objections to send in thousands of members of the National Guard on Saturday. Rather than quell the protests, the move has inflamed tensions and inspired more than a dozen similar demonstrations in cities across the US. The result: Images of burning cars, tear gas and police in riot gear are splashed across the news, split-screened with — who else? — the commander-in-chief. 'Trump is conjuring a narrative of invasion and insurrection,' my colleague Stephen Collinson writes. 'He's exaggerating disorder in the relatively contained unrest, looting and protests in Los Angeles. And he's implying that, to keep the country safe, he's ready to deploy soldiers across the country.'
Politico
5 hours ago
- Politico
Democratic strategist David Plouffe to become Coinbase's newest adviser
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CNN
5 hours ago
- CNN
On the Trump Show, the
Welcome back (if you ever left) to the President Trump Show. This week, America's reality-TV-star-in-chief nursed a messy public feud with the world's richest man, deployed hundreds of Marines and the National Guard to downtown LA, touted a trade 'deal' with China, and threatened 'heavy force' against anyone who dares to pooh-pooh his birthday parade. (Eat your heart out, 'Real Housewives' producers.) The Trump Show, like all manufactured drama, is formulaic and at times hard to watch. But unlike most reality TV, the stakes here are global and existential. We truly cannot look away. ICYMI: Trump on Tuesday declared on his social media platform that 'our deal with China is done.' (Note: It is not a deal deal, and it still needs to be approved by leaders from both sides. But much like the US trade handshake with the UK, it is a framework to shape future trade talks that could lead to a lasting agreement.) The White House didn't release any details about what's actually in the framework, but negotiators said that both countries had agreed to ease up on key sticking points. In particular, China will let American businesses continue to tap its monopolistic supply of rare-earth minerals, used in everything from industrial catalysts to magnets, and the US will continue allowing Chinese students to enroll at American universities. This is ultimately good news for businesses and investors, assuming the truce holds. The last trade truce with China, from a month ago in Geneva, fell apart after just a couple of weeks when Trump lashed out at Beijing and accused officials of not holding up their end of the bargain. But 'good' news is a matter of perspective. This week's arrangement, in principle, just reverts the two trading partners to where they were a month ago, when the Geneva detente began, as my colleague David Goldman notes. Tariffs on Chinese goods — which are taxes paid by US importers — remain historically high. Under the current plan, the US would still tax most Chinese imports at a rate of 30%. (That rate has changed at least three times since early April, when Trump's trade war kicked off in earnest.) The US isn't opening its doors to China's autos, nor will it sell advanced AI chips to China anytime soon. This chaotic trade narrative is all part of the Trumpian kayfabe, where it's hard to tell what's real and what isn't. He takes a wrecking ball to the status quo and then swoops in with a 'deal' that he claims will restore order. Set the house on fire. Roll up in a firetruck. Rinse, repeat. That same playbook is partly why a relatively small, local Los Angeles protest against Trump's deportation efforts has morphed into a national story. Trump, seeing an opportunity to flex in the heart of a Democratic stronghold, overrode California Governor Gavin Newsom's objections to send in thousands of members of the National Guard on Saturday. Rather than quell the protests, the move has inflamed tensions and inspired more than a dozen similar demonstrations in cities across the US. The result: Images of burning cars, tear gas and police in riot gear are splashed across the news, split-screened with — who else? — the commander-in-chief. 'Trump is conjuring a narrative of invasion and insurrection,' my colleague Stephen Collinson writes. 'He's exaggerating disorder in the relatively contained unrest, looting and protests in Los Angeles. And he's implying that, to keep the country safe, he's ready to deploy soldiers across the country.'
