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   From: MeanDog@BiteMe.dash   
      
   U. S. sinks to its lowest spot in new global corruption ranking   
      
   Posted February 10, 2026 2:02 pm   
      
   A newly released watchdog report ranking global corruption levels says the   
   United States has slipped to its lowest placement since the tracking began in   
   2012.   
      
   Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) evaluates   
   "how corrupt each country's public sector is perceived to be, according to   
   experts and businesspeople. "   
      
   According to its rankings, "a country's score is the perceived level of   
   public sector corruption on a scale of zero-100, where zero means highly   
   corrupt and 100 means very clean. "   
      
   The U. S. is now tied with the Bahamas in the scoring.   
      
   "Although 2025 developments are not yet fully reflected, actions targeting   
   independent voices and undermining judicial independence raise serious   
   concerns, " the report noted about the U. S.   
      
   The U. S. has been on a downward trend since 2017, when its most recent high   
   score was 75.   
      
   Each country's score is a combination of at least three data sources drawn   
   from 13 corruption surveys and assessments. These data sources are collected   
   by a variety of institutions, including the World Bank and the World Economic   
   Forum.   
      
   The CPI also reported that there is a "concerning picture of long-term   
   decline in leadership to tackle corruption, " and that even "established   
   democracies, like the U. S. , U. K. and New Zealand, are experiencing a drop   
   in performance, " while "the absence of bold leadership is leading to weaker   
   standards and enforcement, lowering ambition on anti-corruption efforts   
   around the world. "   
      
   The study revealed that "the global average has fallen to a new low of 42,   
   while more than two-thirds of countries score below 50" and "corruption leads   
   to under-funded hospitals, unbuilt flood defenses and blights the hopes and   
   dreams of young people. "   
      
   South Sudan and Somalia are tied for the lowest ranking with a score of nine,   
   while Venezuela is second last at 10.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)