Daily Business Report: Friday, September 19, 2025
Domestic Oil Production Gets Green Light in California
By Beige Luciano-Adams | The Epoch Times
Amid California’s worsening affordability crisis and warnings of a 75-percent price increase at the gas pump, state legislators over the weekend sent a package of bills aimed at tackling energy costs, fuel supply, and pollution to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.
Newsom announced the deal with state lawmakers last week, and the two chambers extended their session through Saturday to finalize last-minute negotiations before the Legislature adjourns until January.
“After months of hard work with the Legislature, we have agreed to historic reforms that will save money on your electric bills, stabilize gas supply, and slash toxic air pollution—all while fast-tracking California’s transition to a clean, green job-creating economy,” Newsom said in a statement.
Hong Kong: Global Financial Center or Beijing Sidekick?
By Mark L. Clifford | San Diego Metro
Hong Kong is back. At least that’s what the boosters would have us think. The London Financial Times on September 9th published “Hong Kong: a comeback with Chinese characteristics.” The piece rightly notes the huge flow in mainland Chinese capital-raising taking place in Hong Kong. The former British colony likely could top global rankings for new Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) this year, beating out rivals New York City and London.
Sure, there are some problems, the paper allows. The ongoing national security law trial of pro-democracy publisher Jimmy Lai put a chill on the territory, as has Beijing’s interference in attempts by the city’s best-regarded businessman, Li Ka-shing, to sell his stake in the Panama Canal. Deflation in China is dragging down everything from property sales to restaurant receipts in the former British colony.
But Hong Kong, the argument goes, reinvented itself as China’s financial window on the world. With more than $15 billion in IPO activity this year and a stock market that’s up a blistering 35% in 2025, it’s easy to imagine that Hong Kong has recovered its role as a global financial center.
How to Secure D.C.
By Kim Strassel | Wall Street Journal
Last week’s cold-blooded murder of Charlie Kirk is proving a national wake-up call on many levels, including the grim reality that Washington’s security apparatus is insufficient to protect officials against modern and growing threats. This might have been obvious given the riots of Jan. 6, two near-miss assassination attempts against Donald Trump and a plot against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. But something about the Kirk slaying—the precision targeting, with a standard hunting rifle, of an unelected figure, at an open event of the type lawmakers attend all the time—has finally focused minds.
Washington is aswirl with short- and long-term proposals for all three branches of government—the White House, Congress and the Supreme Court. This is going to cost some money, even as the country may see some profound changes in the way government officials interact with the public. The discussion:
