Flash Briefs

Starting July 17, Hong Kong Health Minister Lo Chung-Mau announced Monday that all COVID-19 patients under home quarantine will have to wear an electronic bracelet to stop them from leaving their homes.

The price of oil increased to $100 a barrel following President Joe Biden’s departure from Saudi Arabia on Monday. Both Brent Crude and West Texas Intermediate, the international and U.S. benchmarks, ascended above this threshold as the President failed to secure a comment from the kingdom to increase oil production. 

Mayor Bowser recently said that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, among others, is “tricking” people who cross the border illegally by transporting them to Washington, D.C. However, Gov. Abbott says she is pointing fingers in the wrong direction. 

A large group of independent American truckers is protesting California’s gig worker law and shutting down the Port of Oakland, the eighth largest port in the world. The 2019 law demands that companies such as Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash reclassify independent contractors as employees. 

A July hiring report by the small business network Alignable, said 45 percent of small businesses (SMBs) are stopping their hiring, mainly because they say they can’t afford to add staff. 

Youngkin’s 53 percent approval rating is better than his 2021 victory margin. He defeated former Gov. Terry McAuliffe 50.6 percent to 48.6 percent in the election. 

Biden’s ratings on his job as President are at 36 percent, while his disapproval ratings are at 57 percent.