'Spending is what card issuers are hoping you will do'

'The problem with rewards credit cards'

Ellen Cushing at The Atlantic

Today's "credit card issuers have essentially invented their own fiat currency — 'points,' usually — that can be redeemed only within their apparatus, for rewards the company has designated," says Ellen Cushing. As the "cards get more popular, though, reaping their benefits is becoming harder and more like homework." They "make the consumer feel in control and empowered, as if they're making money even while they spend it." The "product is a subscription to do more work."

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'Trump's obsession with Obama took an ominous turn this week'

Michael Steele at MSNBC

President Donald Trump "posted on social media an AI-generated video" of Barack Obama being arrested, and has "once again shown his lack of class and decorum," says Michael Steele. The "video was a projection of everything Trump fears and envies about his predecessor: Obama's grace, intellect, global stature and, most of all, the fact that Obama's very presence in the White House redefined what power could look like in America." Obama has been "living in Trump's head rent-free."

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'Investing in Spanish-speaking therapists is critical for US mental health'

Vanesa Mora Ringle at The Philadelphia Inquirer

Spanish-speaking Americans "who need mental health care find themselves facing long wait lists, limited options, and the frustration of not being able to communicate with a therapist who truly understands their language and culture," says Vanessa Mora Ringle. This is a "crisis that leaves people without the help they need at the very moment they are most vulnerable." We "must build real pathways for Spanish-speaking professionals to acquire the skills and credentials they need to serve their communities."

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'From Tesla to Microsoft, companies are going vertical again'

Adrian Wooldridge at Bloomberg

Corporations were historically "shaped by vertical integration — the desire to bring as much of the production process as possible under the same umbrella," and the "pendulum is swinging back to vertical integration once again," says Adrian Wooldridge. The "obvious reason for this is political turmoil." Contracting out "flourished in the era of globalization, when tariffs were being lowered and predictable rules being put in place." It "now makes sense to reshore activities and also to take them in-house."

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