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Laura J. Nelson (@laura_nelson) profile picture

Laura J. Nelson

@laura_nelson

Wall Street Journal reporter in Los Angeles covering power, politics and California. Proud Kansan, @latimes and USC alum. [email protected], Signal: ljn.11

 Los Angeles
wsj.com/news/author/laura-j-nelson
Joined October 2008
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The fight over whether to tax California billionaires has pitted healthcare groups against each other, driven a wedge in the organized labor movement, and spurred allegations of extortion and harassment by the tax’s architect. From me and @pkwsj: wsj.com/politics/california-…
How the Proposed California Billionaire Tax Became a ‘Hot Mess’ for Democrats

How the Proposed California Billionaire Tax Became a ‘Hot Mess’ for Democrats

The ballot measure sparked party infighting and has many unions siding with the ultrarich, while voter polls remain close.

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Went out for dinner in Anchorage and saw a miniature blimp for Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, the Democratic nominee for Alaska governor, on a little voyage in an office park
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Thanks to the fine folks at @WSJPodcasts for having me on "The Journal" today to talk about the messy fight over the California wealth tax: wsj.com/podcasts/the-journal…
California Democrats Can’t Agree On How To Tax Billionaires - The Journal. - WSJ Podcasts

California Democrats Can’t Agree On How To Tax Billionaires - The Journal. - WSJ Podcasts

In this year’s midterm election, voters in California will decide on a ballot initiative proposing a one-time, 5% tax on the net assets of California residents worth more than $1 billion. Most of...

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I saw otters swimming in an icy river today in Anchorage, and it may be one of the cutest things I've ever seen
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pardon my giggles on the video, but it's actually a huge accomplishment that I wasn't screaming with glee
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PETERSBURG, Alaska -- “We don’t want to be known for the Dan Sullivan thing. We want to be known because we’re a great Norwegian fishing village.” By @jbarrchicago with an assist from me: wsj.com/politics/elections/a…
Alaska Town Reckons With ‘Decoy Dan’ Election Fallout: ‘Now It Is Serious’

Alaska Town Reckons With ‘Decoy Dan’ Election Fallout: ‘Now It Is Serious’

In an isolated island village, a namesake challenge to Sen. Dan S. Sullivan seemed harmless—until the candidate vanished and federal agents started knocking on doors.

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I'm in Alaska for the next few days to cover the twists and turns in the final days of the U.S. Senate race. Friends and contacts, if you know anyone in the area, I'd love to connect with them!
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Also, wow. (That’s it. That’s the tweet.)
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If you prefer the print product, we got a little California drama on the front page today:
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Mark Zuckerberg Discussed Leaving California Over Wealth Tax. New from me, @MeghanBobrowsky and @pkwsj: wsj.com/business/mark-zucker…
Mark Zuckerberg Threatened to Leave California. Meta’s Board Cut Him a Deal.

Mark Zuckerberg Threatened to Leave California. Meta’s Board Cut Him a Deal.

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Here is how the Prop. 40 campaign (advocating for the wealth tax) is discussing the Zuckerberg news:
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Huge scoop from @anissagardizy8: wsj.com/tech/ai/anthropic-re…
Exclusive | Anthropic S-1 Shows Red-Hot Growth, Risks and Massive Computing Costs

Exclusive | Anthropic S-1 Shows Red-Hot Growth, Risks and Massive Computing Costs

In a new draft prospectus viewed by the Journal, the AI giant disclosed an $80 billion net loss for the first half of 2026 and a long list of risk factors.

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Laura J. Nelson retweeted
Michael Gold (@migold) profile picture
Michael Gold@migoldOct 20
what a quote wsj.com/politics/elections/a…
Image from Michael Gold (@migold)
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
The quote is from retiring Nevada Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV) about a House candidate, per WSJ and local reporting. It is not from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. x.com/natalieandrews… x.com/MiniRacker/sta… en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Amod… en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dario_Amo… wsj.com/politics/elect…
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Former second gentleman Doug Emhoff is headlining a re-election fundraiser for Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass next week in Beverly Hills:
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The house that Squishmallows built, above the fourth green of the golf course at the Bel-Air Country Club: wsj.com/real-estate/luxury-h…
Exclusive | Squishmallows Creator Asks $37.995 Million for Bel-Air Mansion

Exclusive | Squishmallows Creator Asks $37.995 Million for Bel-Air Mansion

Jonathan Kelly, whose family company created the ultrasoft plush toys, said he bought the property as an investment and never lived in it.

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Some really interesting findings in this new @wsj poll about the economic policies that are most popular with Americans across political parties: wsj.com/politics/policy/amer… @aaronzitner
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Laura J. Nelson retweeted
Shelby Grad (@shelbygrad) profile picture
Shelby Grad@shelbygradSep 30
Newsom signs bill aimed at giving lifeline to struggling California newsrooms latimes.com/california/story…
Newsom signs landmark bill aimed at giving lifeline to struggling California newsrooms

Newsom signs landmark bill aimed at giving lifeline to struggling California newsrooms

Assembly Bill 2222 will create refundable tax credits for California local news organizations based on the number of journalists they employ.

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Jessica Toonkel (@jtoonkel) profile picture
Jessica Toonkel
@jtoonkelSep 27
Amazing piece wsj.com/tech/ai/ai-safety-ef…
‘Things Will Never Be Chill Again’: The Doomers Who Shaped the AI Safety Freakout

‘Things Will Never Be Chill Again’: The Doomers Who Shaped the AI Safety Freakout

Effective altruism and its fears that AI could wipe out humanity have wielded big influence at Anthropic.

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We could all be wrong about the midterms, writes @KarlRove wsj.com/opinion/we-could-all…
Opinion | We Could All Be Wrong About the Midterms

Opinion | We Could All Be Wrong About the Midterms

This election season will likely have more surprises than most—and for both parties.

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Lots going on today, but don't miss @benfritz's interview with ousted Disney CEO Bob Chapek, who has some stuff to get off his chest wsj.com/business/media/bob-c…
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