Paul Kiernan
@pkwsj.bsky.social
Writing about the California economy for The Wall Street Journal. Currently based in Los Angeles. Previously CDMX, São Paulo, Rio, and DC.
Tips to paul.kiernan@wsj.com or Signal/WhatsApp +1-202-808-4258
https://www.wsj.com/news/author/paul-kiernan
Tips to paul.kiernan@wsj.com or Signal/WhatsApp +1-202-808-4258
https://www.wsj.com/news/author/paul-kiernan
I sat down for lunch today at a hole-in-the-wall Thai place and noticed something unusual on television: a high-speed car chase, broadcast live on the local news. Little did I know, I'd stumbled upon a classic Los Angeles pastime.
lamag.com/crimeinla/ho...
lamag.com/crimeinla/ho...
How High-Speed Car Chases Became a Citywide Pastime in Los Angeles - LAmag
Since local news aired the first live police pursuit in 1992, car chases have become a nightly staple--and an international industry
lamag.com
November 10, 2025 at 11:27 PM
I sat down for lunch today at a hole-in-the-wall Thai place and noticed something unusual on television: a high-speed car chase, broadcast live on the local news. Little did I know, I'd stumbled upon a classic Los Angeles pastime.
lamag.com/crimeinla/ho...
lamag.com/crimeinla/ho...
November 10, 2025 at 6:46 AM
Before you play Wall Street’s new game, make sure you understand that it doesn’t follow the old rules.
www.wsj.com/finance/inve...
www.wsj.com/finance/inve...
This Small-Town Pension Fund Has a Warning for Millions of Retirement Savers
If you think cashing out of a private fund is easy, just ask a guy who used to manage $750 billion.
www.wsj.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:35 PM
Before you play Wall Street’s new game, make sure you understand that it doesn’t follow the old rules.
www.wsj.com/finance/inve...
www.wsj.com/finance/inve...
Consumer sentiment has dropped below the lows it hit in the spring, after President Trump first rolled out steep new global tariffs.
www.wsj.com/economy/cons...
www.wsj.com/economy/cons...
Consumer Sentiment Falls Toward Record-Low Levels
The University of Michigan survey reading is slightly above levels that sentiment sank to amid the historic inflation that hit in 2022.
www.wsj.com
November 7, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Consumer sentiment has dropped below the lows it hit in the spring, after President Trump first rolled out steep new global tariffs.
www.wsj.com/economy/cons...
www.wsj.com/economy/cons...
Electric trucks were supposed to be Detroit’s answer to Tesla. Ford executives are now discussing whether to scrap the electric version of its F-150 pickup, which has seen weak demand and lost money.
www.wsj.com/business/aut...
www.wsj.com/business/aut...
Exclusive | Ford Considers Scrapping Electric Version of F-150 Truck
Once hyped as a ‘smartphone that can tow,’ production of money-losing EV pickup may be shut down for good.
www.wsj.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Electric trucks were supposed to be Detroit’s answer to Tesla. Ford executives are now discussing whether to scrap the electric version of its F-150 pickup, which has seen weak demand and lost money.
www.wsj.com/business/aut...
www.wsj.com/business/aut...
Employers said they cut more than a million jobs so far this year, a sharp rise in job losses compared with the same period last year, according to a new report
www.wsj.com/economy/jobs...
www.wsj.com/economy/jobs...
Employers Cut More Than a Million Jobs This Year
Report from private consulting firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas shows a sharp rise in job losses in the first 10 months of the year compared with same period last year.
www.wsj.com
November 6, 2025 at 3:21 PM
Employers said they cut more than a million jobs so far this year, a sharp rise in job losses compared with the same period last year, according to a new report
www.wsj.com/economy/jobs...
www.wsj.com/economy/jobs...
With compensation of $30.2 million, Alphabet president of global affairs J. Kent Walker Jr. is the highest paid in-house lawyer among S&P500 firms. He's followed by Broadcom’s Mark Brazeal ($29 million) and Apple's Katherine Adams.
news.bloomberglaw.com/mergers-and-...
news.bloomberglaw.com/mergers-and-...
The $30 Million Lawyer: GCs Take on New Duties to Up Their Pay
The best paid legal executives at the biggest public companies increasingly have something in common, even beyond total compensation that can top $30 million: They wear many hats.
news.bloomberglaw.com
November 4, 2025 at 5:40 PM
With compensation of $30.2 million, Alphabet president of global affairs J. Kent Walker Jr. is the highest paid in-house lawyer among S&P500 firms. He's followed by Broadcom’s Mark Brazeal ($29 million) and Apple's Katherine Adams.
news.bloomberglaw.com/mergers-and-...
news.bloomberglaw.com/mergers-and-...
Banks have become less likely to lend to companies exposed to international trade than they were at the beginning of the year, according to the Fed's quarterly survey of senior loan officers.
www.federalreserve.gov/data/documen...
www.federalreserve.gov/data/documen...
www.federalreserve.gov
November 3, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Banks have become less likely to lend to companies exposed to international trade than they were at the beginning of the year, according to the Fed's quarterly survey of senior loan officers.
www.federalreserve.gov/data/documen...
www.federalreserve.gov/data/documen...
She helped get her violent husband deported. Then ICE deported her — straight into his arms.
www.latimes.com/california/s...
www.latimes.com/california/s...
She helped get her violent husband deported. Then ICE deported her — straight into his arms.
Carmen's abusive husband came home drunk one night last summer. He pounded and kicked the door.
www.latimes.com
November 3, 2025 at 8:36 PM
She helped get her violent husband deported. Then ICE deported her — straight into his arms.
www.latimes.com/california/s...
www.latimes.com/california/s...
And just like that, the two sides came together and ended the shutdown?
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Shutdown Stalls SEC Work on Private Credit in Retirement Plans
The month-long government shutdown is delaying the Securities and Exchange Commission’s work to make it easier for 401(k) plan managers to include private credit and other alternative assets in their ...
www.bloomberg.com
November 1, 2025 at 6:16 AM
And just like that, the two sides came together and ended the shutdown?
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Paul Kiernan
Judges order USDA to restart SNAP funding, but hungry families won't get immediate relief
Judges order USDA to restart SNAP funding, but hungry families won't get immediate relief
Two federal judges told the U.S. Department of Agriculture it must begin using contingency funds to provide food assistance, but gave the agency until Monday to decide exactly how to do so.
www.latimes.com
October 31, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Judges order USDA to restart SNAP funding, but hungry families won't get immediate relief
“The admissions numbers shall primarily be allocated among Afrikaners from South Africa,” the register notice reads, “and other victims of illegal or unjust discrimination in their respective homelands.” www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
US Caps Refugee Admissions at 7,500, Prioritizing White South Africans
President Donald Trump is cutting the limit on refugees the US resettles to 7,500 for the upcoming fiscal year, while prioritizing White South Africans, a sharp break from the nation’s traditional pol...
www.bloomberg.com
October 31, 2025 at 7:36 PM
“The admissions numbers shall primarily be allocated among Afrikaners from South Africa,” the register notice reads, “and other victims of illegal or unjust discrimination in their respective homelands.” www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Zuckerberg added that Meta’s AI-powered recommendation systems boosted time spent on Facebook by 5% in the third quarter.
www.wsj.com/tech/ai/meta...
www.wsj.com/tech/ai/meta...
Meta Still Has a Lot to Prove in AI Race
The Facebook parent’s business model sparks more questions about the eventual payoff than rivals such as Google and Microsoft.
www.wsj.com
October 30, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Zuckerberg added that Meta’s AI-powered recommendation systems boosted time spent on Facebook by 5% in the third quarter.
www.wsj.com/tech/ai/meta...
www.wsj.com/tech/ai/meta...
Reposted by Paul Kiernan
Yeah but if the party feeds the hungry how are the consultants going to afford their new mansions in Potomac
Before somebody shows up to tell me that the DNC can't possibly replace SNAP: that's not what I'm saying. But I am saying that the DNC has rather more resources available to them than the Black Panther Party did in 1970, and they should redirect some of those resources to help Americans.
October 30, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Yeah but if the party feeds the hungry how are the consultants going to afford their new mansions in Potomac
California has some of the weakest DUI laws in the country, and alcohol-related roadway deaths have surged more than 50% in the past decade. More than 1,300 people die each year statewide in drunken collisions.
calmatters.org/investigatio...
calmatters.org/investigatio...
15 DUIs, still driving: California's failure to take repeat drunk drivers off the road
As alcohol-related roadway deaths spike across the state, a CalMatters investigation finds California has some of the weakest DUI laws in the country.
calmatters.org
October 30, 2025 at 5:49 PM
California has some of the weakest DUI laws in the country, and alcohol-related roadway deaths have surged more than 50% in the past decade. More than 1,300 people die each year statewide in drunken collisions.
calmatters.org/investigatio...
calmatters.org/investigatio...
Arnold Schwarzenegger has returned to the political arena—this time as the celebrity muscle against a state ballot measure in California that would bring back gerrymandering to favor Democrats
www.wsj.com/politics/arn...
www.wsj.com/politics/arn...
Arnold Schwarzenegger Has Become Gavin Newsom’s Toughest Opponent Yet
California’s “governator” returns to the political arena—this time as the celebrity muscle against a ballot measure that could bring gerrymandering back to favor Democrats.
www.wsj.com
October 30, 2025 at 5:11 AM
Arnold Schwarzenegger has returned to the political arena—this time as the celebrity muscle against a state ballot measure in California that would bring back gerrymandering to favor Democrats
www.wsj.com/politics/arn...
www.wsj.com/politics/arn...
The death toll from this police raid on a Rio favela yesterday has risen to 121 people, including four officers, according to the UN human rights czar Volker Türk.
“For decades, the high lethality associated with policing in Brazil has become normalized," he said.
www.npr.org/2025/10/29/g...
“For decades, the high lethality associated with policing in Brazil has become normalized," he said.
www.npr.org/2025/10/29/g...
Huge Brazilian raid on Rio gang leaves at least 64 people dead and 81 under arrest
Brazilian police and soldiers launched a raid on a drug-trafficking gang in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday, sparking shootouts that left at least 60 suspects and four police officers dead, officials said.
www.npr.org
October 29, 2025 at 5:11 PM
The death toll from this police raid on a Rio favela yesterday has risen to 121 people, including four officers, according to the UN human rights czar Volker Türk.
“For decades, the high lethality associated with policing in Brazil has become normalized," he said.
www.npr.org/2025/10/29/g...
“For decades, the high lethality associated with policing in Brazil has become normalized," he said.
www.npr.org/2025/10/29/g...
Combatting child sex trafficking grew more difficult when California repealed the law allowing police to arrest women who loitered with intent to engage in prostitution. The repeal (SB 357) was intended to prevent profiling women of color based on how they dressed.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/26/m...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/26/m...
Can Anyone Rescue the Trafficked Girls of L.A.’s Figueroa Street?
www.nytimes.com
October 27, 2025 at 2:24 AM
Combatting child sex trafficking grew more difficult when California repealed the law allowing police to arrest women who loitered with intent to engage in prostitution. The repeal (SB 357) was intended to prevent profiling women of color based on how they dressed.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/26/m...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/26/m...
“These laws do not require Exxon to make any changes in the way it produces, transports, refines or sells oil. They are just about information that Exxon doesn’t want to provide to the public,” Columbia law professor Michael Gerrard said.
www.latimes.com/california/s...
www.latimes.com/california/s...
Exxon sues California over new laws requiring corporate climate disclosures
ExxonMobil has filed suit in federal court challenging two California laws that would require the oil giant to report the greenhouse emissions resulting from the use of its products globally.
www.latimes.com
October 26, 2025 at 5:38 PM
“These laws do not require Exxon to make any changes in the way it produces, transports, refines or sells oil. They are just about information that Exxon doesn’t want to provide to the public,” Columbia law professor Michael Gerrard said.
www.latimes.com/california/s...
www.latimes.com/california/s...
Venezuela sells the bulk of its oil to China, gets paid in crypto and then funnels some of the revenue back into its economy through crypto exchanges. This has turned Venezuela into arguably the first nation to manage a large share of its public finances in crypto.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/26/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/26/w...
How Venezuela’s Autocrat Uses Crypto to Fight Trump’s Sanctions
www.nytimes.com
October 26, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Venezuela sells the bulk of its oil to China, gets paid in crypto and then funnels some of the revenue back into its economy through crypto exchanges. This has turned Venezuela into arguably the first nation to manage a large share of its public finances in crypto.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/26/w...
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/26/w...
In Trump-Friendly Iowa, the President’s Policies Have Hit Hard www.nytimes.com/2025/10/26/u...
In Trump-Friendly Iowa, the President’s Policies Have Hit Hard
www.nytimes.com
October 26, 2025 at 4:30 PM
In Trump-Friendly Iowa, the President’s Policies Have Hit Hard www.nytimes.com/2025/10/26/u...
No lack of Abundance for LA County Chief Executive Fesia Davenport. She was paid a $2 million settlement after suing for damages (including emotional distress) over a voter-approved ballot measure that turned her job into an elected position. www.latimes.com/california/n...
L.A. County quietly paid out $2 million. At least one supervisor isn't happy about it.
Measure G will make Fesia Davenport's job obselete. She'll get $2 million before she goes.
www.latimes.com
October 25, 2025 at 3:27 PM
No lack of Abundance for LA County Chief Executive Fesia Davenport. She was paid a $2 million settlement after suing for damages (including emotional distress) over a voter-approved ballot measure that turned her job into an elected position. www.latimes.com/california/n...
Jeffrey Meldrum said he didn’t “believe” Bigfoot exists. That would be unscientific. Rather, he concluded it exists.
www.wsj.com/science/biol...
www.wsj.com/science/biol...
Jeffrey Meldrum, Who Brought Scientific Rigor to the Study of Bigfoot, Dies at 67
A professor at Idaho State University, he said he didn’t “believe” the creature exists. He said he concluded it exists.
www.wsj.com
October 24, 2025 at 9:31 PM
Jeffrey Meldrum said he didn’t “believe” Bigfoot exists. That would be unscientific. Rather, he concluded it exists.
www.wsj.com/science/biol...
www.wsj.com/science/biol...
A spokeswoman for the White House declined to comment on why the administration hasn’t included legacy in its demands to schools or in standards put forth by the Trump administration in return for preferential federal funding.
www.wsj.com/us-news/educ...
www.wsj.com/us-news/educ...
A Backlash Is Growing Against Another Elite College Practice: ‘Legacy’ Admissions
Advocates who helped abolish affirmative action have set their sights on the longtime practice of giving preferences to the children of alumni.
www.wsj.com
October 24, 2025 at 6:07 PM
A spokeswoman for the White House declined to comment on why the administration hasn’t included legacy in its demands to schools or in standards put forth by the Trump administration in return for preferential federal funding.
www.wsj.com/us-news/educ...
www.wsj.com/us-news/educ...