Bad journalism.
A nursing assistant, is NOT a nurse. Big difference. Way too big to confuse the two.
You’re absolutely right. The skill level and salaries are very different. Calling a nursing assistant a nurse is so wrong.
In Los Angeles, the median salary of RN’s (who are also probably MSNs or DNSc) at large companies or hospitals, is between 80k and 98k. Nursing assistants make a fraction of that.
https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Registered_Nurse_(RN)/Hourly_Rate/e638c650/Los-Angeles-CA