The Week Evening Review
Campus protesters' future employment, Greene's future, and stay-at-home girlfriends

 
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION

Are campus protesters risking future employment?

To the extent that there is such a thing as a "normal" academic year, this past one has been anything but. Student protests against the war in Gaza have consumed college campuses, prompting counter-protests, police action and external reactions from across the ideological spectrum. 

As graduation season looms, college protesters face threats from powerful figures who claim that by joining their campus demonstrations, many outgoing students have ruined their chances of post-collegiate employment. A group of 13 conservative federal judges declared that they "lost confidence in Columbia as an institution" after the Gaza protests there and would no longer hire anyone who "joins the Columbia University community, whether as undergraduates or law students, beginning with the entering class of 2024." Are such blacklists a real threat to graduating students or just political posturing from a limited set of elite employers? 

What did the commentators say?
So far, most companies have not been "revoking offers or terminating employees for simply attending a protest," Career Group Executive VP Emily Levine said to Fortune. While simply participating in a protest might not be enough to jeopardize a prospective job, "employers are going to be looking into your criminal history." 

Accordingly, protests featuring "hate speech, violence, vandalism and illegal activities" could "hurt people's chances of getting positions." Legal and financial institutions are "particularly sensitive when it comes to aggressive protests," Whitney Group CEO Gary Goldstein said to Fox Business.

Protests at elite universities may have merely contributed to a preexisting refocusing away from the Ivy Leagues among potential employers. "We've always looked beyond the target schools, but we're doing it even more so now given recent events," activist investor Daniel Loeb said to the New York Post. "The bloom is off the Ivys," said Hilltop Securities Senior Managing Director Fred Prager to Forbes. "All this nonsense going on, post-Oct. 7 … has just been a bit of an accelerant." 

What next?
The boycott from conservative judges will have "limited real-world impact," Reuters said. While some potential employers may be apprehensive about hiring graduates who participated in the campus protests, others are seeking them out. There are "plenty of companies and CEOs eager to hire you," Hims co-founder and CEO Andrew Dudum said on X in a post encouraging protesting students to apply to work for him. Ultimately, we'll have to wait and see if "recruiting is going to change," Emily Levine said. "I think it's too soon to tell."

 
 

Statistic of the day

$2.5B: The state tax revenue generated by legalized sports gambling in 2023, according to analysis from LendingTree. This marks a 34.7% nationwide increase in sports gambling from 2022. At least 19 states saw their revenues jump by at least 10%, and several of these states saw revenues increase by more than 40%.  
LendingTree

 
 
talking points

Is Marjorie Taylor Greene finished? 

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), an ardent supporter of Donald Trump, tried to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) last week for allowing the approval of fresh aid for Ukraine. She failed, with Democrats joining most Republicans to defeat the motion to vacate in a lopsided 359-43 vote. 

Many of Greene's GOP colleagues booed her in what Newsweek described as a sign she has "lost Republicans." Trump warned that Greene's effort was stirring "chaos" at the wrong time. Greene has gone from the far-right fringes of the GOP caucus to a position of considerable influence as a voice of the MAGA faithful, but did she go too far this time?

MTG crossed a GOP red line
Marjorie Taylor Greene's moment of influence could be over, said Jemima Kelly in the Financial Times. Trump may have needed her support when he "had to compete with the likes of Ron DeSantis for the right-wing base of the Republican party." But now he has locked up the nomination and "doesn't need her anymore." It looks like MTG is "too MAGA for DJT." 

Greene's "public shaming was far too long in coming," said Patricia Lopez at Bloomberg. Her defiance of Johnson's peace offerings in private meetings "united a fractious GOP caucus" behind the speaker. She has "alienated" so many colleagues by showing "disregard for preserving a slim GOP majority in the House" that she appears to be a "spent force at this point." Her humiliating defeat "should remind House Republicans that they can unify and put down agitators within their ranks when needed."

She isn't going anywhere
Johnson's triumph gives the GOP a golden opportunity to start cleaning up its act, but don't hold your breath, said Alex Shephard at The New Republic. "Unfortunately, Marjorie Taylor Greene isn't going anywhere," because she still has Trump's support. Yes, he opposed the effort to take down Johnson. But he is "not really trying to chasten Greene, let alone excommunicate her." He merely wants her to dial back the "intraparty dysfunction" while he tries to win over moderates he needs to take back the White House. "Once the election ends, Trump has little reason to play nice with his fellow Republicans" and will go back to rewarding bomb-throwers like Greene for their "blind loyalty."

 
 
QUOTE OF THE DAY

'This is an extraordinary moment — there's no doubt about that.'

Kristen Welker, the host of NBC's "Meet the Press," speaking to People magazine about welcoming her second baby via surrogate in June. Welker, who has spoken publicly about her struggles with infertility, said she has really "been able to enjoy this second surrogacy journey." 

 
 
In the Spotlight

The new stay-at-home girlfriends

"The girlboss era is decidedly over," Vanity Fair declared last year. And this reported demise has coincided with a growing trend of young women ditching their careers for more leisurely pursuits. Videos of so-called stay-at-home girlfriends (SAHGs) "narrating their day while twinkly music plays in the background" are gaining millions of views on social media, said Cosmopolitan. But the "life of a SAHG is risky, to say the least." 

The good 
TikTok shows SAHGs "puttering around modern high-rise apartments, pushing Dyson vacuums and spoiling small dogs" in a conscious rejection of the "mid-2000s 'girlboss' hustle culture," said Rory Satran in The Wall Street Journal. These women's days are packed with "elaborate skin, fitness and food routines," said Monica Heese at The Washington Post, and not just for their pleasure but also that of their boyfriends, "who are, after all, funding the whole shebang." 

At the center of it all is the "concept that liberation is overrated." Today, women are "allowed to have successful careers," but when domestic responsibilities still disproportionately fall on women, "who wouldn't dream of feminine leisure"? 

The bad 
The "seemingly harmless" charms of "soft-girl" living "blend a little too easily into old-fashioned manifestations of gender," said psychologist Vanessa Scaringi at Time. SAHGs are "pretending they have agency over their choices," author and campaigner Eve Rodsky said at Time, but they are "taking huge economic risks." 

While stay-at-home spouses generally get financial support if a relationship ends in divorce, SAHGs don't, financial expert Farnoosh Torabi said to Cosmopolitan. So what happens when you "go from being a stay-at-home-girlfriend to just a stay-at-home girl"? 

The reality 
Even if a lot of SAHGs say that they are living the good life, these "tales of fulfillment, relaxation and empowerment" must be balanced against "stories of breakups, professional struggles, boredom and insecurity," said Satran. In reality, "life isn't effortless," Scaringi said. "And if we want to be fulfilled, it can't be." It's true that "whenever we are too invested in our careers, we lose out on so much life." But the "extreme pendulum swing in the direction of 'soft girl' also lands us in troubling waters."

 
 

Good day ?

… for Chicago teen prodigy. Dorothy Jean Tillman II, a 17-year-old who took her first college course at age 10, graduated with a doctoral degree in integrated behavioral health from Arizona State University. Nicknamed Dorothy Jeanius by family and friends, she is the granddaughter of former Chicago Alderwoman Dorothy Tillman.

 
 

Bad day ✉️

… for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The couple's Archewell Foundation charity was found delinquent by California's Registry of Charities and Fundraisers over unpaid fees and a failure to file required paperwork. The foundation was warned it could face fines or suspension. It blamed a postal error and said a new check had been mailed out.

 
 
Picture of the day

Buddha Day

A worker at the Maha Vihara Mojopahit temple in Trowulan, Indonesia, cleans a Buddha statue ahead of Vesak, or Buddha Day. The celebration marks the birth, enlightenment and death of Siddhartha Gautama and will be marked on May 23 this year.
Juni Kriswanto / AFP / Getty Images

 
 
Puzzles

Test your general knowledge with The Week's daily crossword, part of our puzzles section, which also includes sudoku and codewords

 
 
The Week recommends

Sun protection is important year-round but especially vital in the summer months. Here are some SPF products to add to your repertoire.

Arcona Reozone Sunscreen SPF 30
A healthy slathering of Arcona Reozone Sunscreen on the face, neck and décolleté offers a double whammy of sun protection and hydration. This is a "no-fuss" product made with sunflower seed oil that goes on "feather-light," W Magazine said, and can be worn on its own or safely underneath makeup "without the risk of pilling." ($34, Arcona)

Black Girl Sunscreen SPF 30
This sunscreen helps dispel the myth that those with more melanin are 100% burn-proof. The brand was created by "women of color for people of color, because we get sunburned too," and the product is infused with a harmonious blend of moisturizing avocado oil, soothing jojoba oil and nutrient-rich sunflower oil. Water-resistant for up to 80 minutes, it "applies easily," Parents magazine said. But the "biggest appeal is its clear application — there's no ghostly white cast." ($10.96, Amazon)

EltaMD UV Active Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50+
Cover yourself from head to toe with this face and body sunscreen. Dermatologists love the reliability of EltaMD products, and this one is sweat- and water-resistant for up to 80 minutes, fragrance- and oil-free, and noncomedogenic. It also received high marks from the testers at Women's Health, who like that it comes in a lotion or spray and "contains antioxidants to defend your skin against damaging free radicals." ($36.10, Amazon)

 
 

Poll watch

More than 8 in 10 American teens play video games, according to a new poll from the Pew Research Center. The poll surveyed 1,423 Americans ages 13 to 17 and found that 85% of respondents play video games, with 41% playing them daily. Of those who play video games, 72% say they do so as a social activity with friends. 

 
 
WORD OF THE DAY

FLiRT

An acronym coined by scientists to describe a group of Covid variants that feature a "combination of mutations found in the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus," said The Washington Post. One of those variants, called KP.2, has become the "dominant form of the coronavirus in the United States." This accounts for 28% of all infections as of early May.

 
 
INSTANT OPINION

Today's best commentary

'Biden can't read the room — it could cost him'
Boston Herald editorial board
President Joe Biden is drumming up attention for Infrastructure Week, says the Boston Herald editorial board. He is trying to convince voters the "hundreds of billions of dollars he's pumped into roads" and broadband is "making their lives better." But this "infrastructure cheerleading can't drown out the fact that homeownership is out of reach for far too many Americans, and rising rents are adding to the pain of trying to get by in this country."

'What impact is Trump's trial having on polls? Unclear or disgusting, depending on your politics.'
Jack Ohman in the San Francisco Chronicle
It's unclear how Donald Trump's criminal trial will affect his campaign, says Jack Ohman. Trump's "dystopian courtroom drama" looks different depending on where you sit in a "bitterly divided political audience." Half find the case "compelling and convincing." But the "other half is either checked out, disbelieving or both." Of course, a person on trial for "paying hush money to a porn star" shouldn't be the presumptive Republican presidential nominee in the first place.

'The abdication of two beauty queens hints at ugly truth about Miss USA'
Arwa Mahdawi in The Guardian
There's "something rotten going on at Miss USA," says Arwa Mahdawi. Noelia Voigt stepped down as Miss USA, citing her "mental health." Miss Teen USA, UmaSofia Srivastava, "followed suit," returning her crown less than 48 hours later, saying her "personal values no longer fully align" with the pageant organization's direction. A resigning staffer said the pageant organization was "toxic." Its leaders called the allegations false, but you can't "escape misogyny when it's very much the core of your brand."

 
 

Evening Review was written and edited by Theara Coleman, Nadia Croes, Catherine Garcia, Scott Hocker, Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, Justin Klawans, Harold Maass, Joel Mathis, Summer Meza, Julia O'Driscoll, Devika Rao, Rafi Schwartz, Anahi Valenzuela and Peter Weber, with illustrations by Stephen Kelly and Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Illustration by Stephen Kelly / Getty Images; Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images; oatawa / Getty Images; Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images