Latest news with #RachelCohen
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Family on Pearl Street during terror attack returns 1 week later for Boulder Jewish Festival
BOULDER (KDVR) — Pearl Street in Boulder was filled Sunday afternoon after thousands of people came to show support for the Jewish community following the terrorist attack last weekend. 'It's really meaningful to have people come and support our community,' Rachel Cohen, who was walking with the Run for Their Lives group during the fire-bombing attack last Sunday. The group walks to raise awareness and call for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza. FBI warns of threat to Israeli, Jewish communities after Boulder attack, others Cohen shared her story and explained the moment her gut instinct told her something was wrong. 'As we came up to the courthouse, I noticed some people who seemed questionable,' Cohen said, 'particularly the man who was doing the work or pretending to do the work, we now know he was there to harm us.' Cohen, alongside her kids, said the walking group had stopped, and then in a matter of moments, the attack started to unfold. 'Then we heard a crack. My daughter, my seven-year-old, describes it as a window crash, then there was a smell of petrol,' Cohen explained. 'I turned and saw fire, and I immediately moved as fast as I could and pushed my children out of the way.' Cohen told us she has participated in at least 40 or more of the 'Walk for their Lives' walks. She said Sunday's walk, when the attack happened, was actually very peaceful. Mother, 2 kids speak out after son in wheelchair aids in Boulder attack aftermath 'It was actually the first week we didn't have anyone heckling us, we had lots of people supporting us and thumbs up,' Cohen said. 'It was really nice; it felt like a great day, good weather and a good walk.' She said that after she got her kids to safety, she called 911 and ran back to the chaos to help others in the attack. 'It might have been chaos, but everyone in our group did everything they could to make it work,' Cohen said. 'Make sure that everyone was cared for and protected, however we needed to do it.' Back on Pearl Street, in a large crowd just seven days later, Cohen told us she definitely felt all the emotions. 'It makes me know that the possible sacrifice that could have happened last week with my kids, that it's not for nothing, and we walk every week,' Cohen said. Tourist details newly obtained video of Boulder attack showing people on fire She also wanted to thank not only the Boulder Jewish community but for everyone who attended the festival on Sunday, showing their support. 'Having people stand with us, it shows them we are not fearful,' Cohen said. Alongside her family, they walked with hundreds on Pearl Street once again at the Boulder Jewish Festival and she said they will continue to go forward. 'Being a walker with Run for their Lives is to remind people that we are out here peacefully wanting these hostages to be released,' Cohen said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Why one associate at a major law firm quit over its deal with Trump
Good morning! Over the last few months, the president has taken aim at major law firms around the U.S. The president has accused these firms of things like 'undermining democratic elections,' and his EEOC has sent letters spelling out 'concerns' around their DEI practices. Notably, the firms under scrutiny have been at odds with Trump in the past or worked for Democrats. As a result, many firms have agreed to offer free legal services to the president. Nine firms have pledged a total of $940 million in free legal work thus far. But not all the associates at these firms are thrilled with those arrangements. Rachel Cohen, for example, quit Skadden Arps in March after the firm announced it would commit at least $100 million in pro bono legal work for causes the Trump administration supports. 'I felt the firm was on the wrong side of history,' she says. She's not alone. More than 80 alumni from Skadden sent a letter to the firm's executive partner, Jeremy London, calling the firm's decision 'outrageous and self-interested.' Some student groups, such as one at Georgetown Law School, are canceling networking events with Skadden over similar concerns. Skadden did not respond to Fortune's requests for comment. Some other law firms targeted by Trump, like Susman Godfrey, are pushing back on the administration. But Cohen tells Fortune she's afraid that not enough are willing to do so, and that the result will be an erosion of the law and the sanctity of the judicial system. 'It seems like the country is moving towards kangaroo courts, and I'm certainly not going to commit myself to the practice of law as a full-time job until I see how things unfold,' she says. Read more about the conflict between Trump and major law firms here. Brit This story was originally featured on
Vox
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Vox
Inside one state's fight to save child care
is a policy correspondent for Vox covering social policy. She focuses on housing, schools, homelessness, child care, and abortion rights, and has been reporting on these issues for more than a decade. Welcome to Field Notes, a reporter's log that gives readers an inside look into some of our most exciting reporting trips. This first appeared in the member-exclusive newsletter the Vox Explainer. Hi, hello! This is Rachel Cohen, a reporter at Vox, and I'm here to share a dispatch from a recent reporting trip to Boise, Idaho — where a unique and heated political fight unfolded in the world of child care policy. The piece not only looks at a growing partisan divide in child care but also a broader conservative push to deregulate the sector and redirect public funds away from the license-based centers government subsidies have historically favored. For both time and budget reasons, I don't get to travel for most stories I work on. In this case though, thanks to a grant from the Bainum Family Foundation to support child care reporting, I was quite fortunate to spend four days meeting with lawmakers, parents, and child care advocates in Idaho. There I worked to understand a very complex, sensitive, and confusing story. In journalism, what I've realized over the years is that oftentimes the very act of traveling to a region can signal to otherwise hesitant sources that you are taking this story seriously. It shows you are investing resources into getting it right, which increases the chances that people will help you and talk with you. They see you're making a greater effort than just picking up the phone, and that really does mean something in this line of work. Sometimes reporting trips are to collect more vivid detail and description to bring a narrative to life. I wanted to do that, certainly, but this trip was primarily for me to better understand what was really going on, to sit down with people face-to-face, and clarify a series of fast-moving and complicated ideas. I did make a lot of calls. I did review all the existing local reporting before I flew out. And I filed my own public records request with the state of Idaho. But I suspected that going there would prove valuable in being able to report this story better than just doing those things in isolation. Given all the flight delays and other travel complications, I'm very glad that turned out to be true. You can find the story here. Here's a look inside my reporting. Field Notes SUNDAY, MARCH 9 10:30 am: I flew from Washington, DC, where I live, to Atlanta, and then on to Boise. After dealing with some delays with my flight layover, I finally reached my hotel a little after midnight. The long day of travel gave me a lot of time to review my notes and get ready for what I knew would be a busy week. At the Boise Airport, I was greeted by a nice reminder that I was surrounded by some famous potatoes. A sign that greeted me at the Boise Airport when I arrived. Rachel Cohen/Vox MONDAY, MARCH 10 12 pm: My first meeting was at the (very beautiful) Idaho State Capitol, a short walk from my hotel. I learned I was in what is known as the 'Gem State,' a nickname first coined when Idaho was just a US territory in honor of all the precious gemstones around. I sat down with Democratic state Rep. Megan Egbert to learn more about the H243 bill and what she was hearing from her constituents. She was actively involved in the legislative opposition. The main entrance really was beautiful, and to my surprise — maybe just because I'm used to stricter protocol — there was no security. Anyone could walk right in. Rachel Cohen/Vox 2 pm: Later that afternoon, I went over to the Idaho Association of Commerce & Industry, which is basically their state chamber of commerce, and met with the longtime president to discuss how the lack of child care access affects the state's workforce and economy. I turned left. We sat in a big conference room for our meeting. Rachel Cohen/Vox 7 pm: At night, I had some calls with child care providers. Idaho is two hours behind DC, and being able to talk to people in their own time zone made reporting a whole lot easier. Oftentimes people can only talk with the media after work, so coordinating evening discussions was just a whole lot easier on Mountain time. TUESDAY, MARCH 11 10:30 am: I spent the morning meeting with sources off the record (so I can't share specifically who), but I can say I had some very clarifying coffee dates. Then I made my way over to Lakewood Montessori, a reputable child care center in Boise where I got to tour and sit down with the owner, Mary, to talk about the proposed bill. It was a beautiful day, and I knew I wanted to speak with as many child care providers as I could while I was in town. From my tour of the Boise Montessori child care center. It was a really lovely facility, and seeing such cute kids always makes the drier parts of the reporting process worth it. Rachel Cohen/Vox 2 pm: After lunch, I headed back to the state Capitol where I met separately with both of the bill's co-sponsors, Rep. Rod Furniss and Rep. Barbara Ehardt. I learned that the bill was going to be amended the next day to restore maximum staff-child ratios, and I spoke with the lawmakers about why they believed deregulation was a good idea in the first place. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12 10 am: Today I had several more off-the-record meetings with sources and calls with child care providers around the state. 5:30 pm: I had the pleasure of having dinner with my old editor, Haley, who I interned for 12 years ago at the Washington Monthly. She now lives in Boise with her husband and two kids. In Haley's kitchen! Rachel Cohen/Vox THURSDAY, MARCH 13 8 am: My last day in town proved valuable. After persistent badgering, several sources finally agreed to talk, including from Wonder School — a company facing public backlash for supporting the bill — and officials from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. I also connected with people I'd talk with further when I returned to DC as more legislative developments unfolded throughout March. 11 pm: I got home and spent another three-and-a-half weeks reporting and writing the article!
