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Fox News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Big government, big problems: Public corruption highest in places with large bureaucracies, report says
Print Close By Stephen Sorace Published July 17, 2025 A new think tank analysis finds that public corruption is a significant problem in the U.S., and is most prevalent in state and local governments that have larger bureaucracies and higher regulations. The libertarian Cato Institute said it analyzed Department of Justice data on public corruption convictions in the nation's 94 federal judicial districts and measured the annual average number of convictions per 100,000 population over the 2004–2023 period. "The data show that some of the most corrupt places by this measure match their reputations," the authors of the Cato analysis wrote. Washington, D.C., topped the rankings with 469 total convictions during the nearly 20-year period and an annual conviction rate of 3.49, according to Cato's report. DEMOCRAT DA IN HOT SEAT AFTER RETAIL THEFT SURGES IN MAJOR AMERICAN CITIES "It has a huge number of legislative and executive branch federal employees, and there are many opportunities for graft," the report says. Louisiana's eastern district, which includes New Orleans, ranks at number four on Cato's list with 430 total convictions during this period and an annual conviction rate of 1.29. "New Orleans has long been infamous for state and local corruption," the report says. TARIFF CASE PITS CATO INSTITUTE AGAINST TRUMP OVER 'UNLIMITED' EXECUTIVE POWER UNDER EMERGENCY LAW The Cato analysis found that New Hampshire had the lowest public corruption by this metric, with 13 convictions over the period and an annual conviction rate of .05. Cato called it "the freest state in the nation with one of the smallest governments." Cato said it appeared that "larger governments with more spending and regulations create more opportunities for bribery and embezzlement." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The think tank, however, noted that some academic studies have suggested other reasons for corruption differences between states and cities, including varying cultures, education levels, and poverty rates. Print Close URL
Western Telegraph
16-07-2025
- Western Telegraph
Horrified couple find live maggots in their Morrisons lunch
A hungry couple were horrified to discover live maggots wriggling in their cheesy lunch - only for Morrisons to offer an 'insulting £3 compensation'. (Image: Kennedy News and Media) Recruitment firm consultant Cato, was "disgusted" by the discovery and immediately binned the £3 purchase. The 54-year-old said she then contacted Morrisons' live chat service to inform them of the "gross" find - but was "insulted" to be offered just a £3 voucher for her bug troubles. The couple have vowed never to buy their Brie from the supermarket chain again. Cato, from Taunton, Somerset, said: "Sean stopped in the Morrisons Daily garage to grab some lunch for the day. "We've never really shopped there before, we have Brie once in a while as a little treat. "Sean said 'your lunch is ready and by the way I don't think we'll have [the Brie]'. "I opened the Brie and thought 'what the heck? That is disgusting'. I stuck the brie in the bin but kept the wrapping. "It must've been left out, it can't have been left properly in the fridge. Someone must've left it on the shelf and perhaps it's been left out. "It's gross. I thought we should really let them know that that's not on. We could've easily eaten it. "It wasn't anything to do with the brand, it was how it was kept outside the fridge." Cato contacted Morrisons via their live chat service on Facebook to inform them of the issue, but was shocked when the retailer simply offered the couple a £3 refund. Cato said: "I contacted Morrisons on Facebook message, asked what to do and said it's dangerous for other people. "It was clear after numerous messages that I was talking to a bot. They offered a £3 voucher but I don't think it's about the money. "I do feel like I've tried contacting them a couple of times. But I feel like they couldn't be bothered to take it seriously. "The £3 refund was a bit of an insult. I just thought it was stupid really. I thought they would've taken it a bit more seriously. "We won't be buying Brie from there again." Recommended reading A Morrisons spokesman said: "We have been in regular contact with the customer to apologise for the delay while our franchise partner carried out its investigation. "We are now confident this was an isolated incident but have been back in touch with the customer this week to offer them a further gesture of goodwill." Président Cheese have been contacted for a comment.
South Wales Argus
13-07-2025
- South Wales Argus
Horrified couple find live maggots in their Morrisons lunch
A hungry couple were horrified to discover live maggots wriggling in their cheesy lunch - only for Morrisons to offer an 'insulting £3 compensation'. (Image: Kennedy News and Media) Recruitment firm consultant Cato, was "disgusted" by the discovery and immediately binned the £3 purchase. The 54-year-old said she then contacted Morrisons' live chat service to inform them of the "gross" find - but was "insulted" to be offered just a £3 voucher for her bug troubles. The couple have vowed never to buy their Brie from the supermarket chain again. Cato, from Taunton, Somerset, said: "Sean stopped in the Morrisons Daily garage to grab some lunch for the day. "We've never really shopped there before, we have Brie once in a while as a little treat. "Sean said 'your lunch is ready and by the way I don't think we'll have [the Brie]'. "I opened the Brie and thought 'what the heck? That is disgusting'. I stuck the brie in the bin but kept the wrapping. "It must've been left out, it can't have been left properly in the fridge. Someone must've left it on the shelf and perhaps it's been left out. "It's gross. I thought we should really let them know that that's not on. We could've easily eaten it. "It wasn't anything to do with the brand, it was how it was kept outside the fridge." Cato contacted Morrisons via their live chat service on Facebook to inform them of the issue, but was shocked when the retailer simply offered the couple a £3 refund. Cato said: "I contacted Morrisons on Facebook message, asked what to do and said it's dangerous for other people. "It was clear after numerous messages that I was talking to a bot. They offered a £3 voucher but I don't think it's about the money. "I do feel like I've tried contacting them a couple of times. But I feel like they couldn't be bothered to take it seriously. "The £3 refund was a bit of an insult. I just thought it was stupid really. I thought they would've taken it a bit more seriously. "We won't be buying Brie from there again." Recommended reading A Morrisons spokesman said: "We have been in regular contact with the customer to apologise for the delay while our franchise partner carried out its investigation. "We are now confident this was an isolated incident but have been back in touch with the customer this week to offer them a further gesture of goodwill." Président Cheese have been contacted for a comment.
Time of India
13-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
How Fred W Smith's logistics revolution changed global food
The Third Punic War, in which Rome destroyed Carthage, was famously fuelled by the delivery of figs. The orator Cato, addressing the Senate, produced fresh figs from Carthage, which he claimed reached Rome in just three days. This convinced senators about the threat from their North African rivals. In his essay 'Cato's African Figs', FJ Meijer analyses the logistics of Roman shipping and fig ripening to argue that the fruits could not have come from Carthage (now Tunisia) so soon. He suggests they came from fig trees from Carthage planted on Cato's Italian estate, which is three days' journey from Rome. Cato twisted words to get the war he wanted, knowing 'the approval fine country fruits would arouse among the senatorial gentlemen farmers'. Meijer had data because Rome stood at the centre of an amazing system to transport perishable foods. Trade networks had transported long-lasting foods, like spices and dried fruits, for centuries. Elites across the world were able to get special deliveries of perishable foods. In the early days of Tata Airlines, later Air India, its early supporters included maharajas who used the planes to send mangoes and paan leaves to their London homes. A remarkable example is the Inca system of casqui relay runners who could bring the king fresh fish from Peru's coast to the capital of Cuzco, 500 km away and 3,300 metres higher. Rome's networks brought foods to regular citizens, in the process changing the geography of the city. Monte Testaccio is an artificial hill in Rome made up of the broken amphorae, the earthen jars that brought vast amounts of olive oil from Spain to Rome. Transport also changed the nature of foods, particularly through the barrels used for carrying wine and spirits. The flavours of the barrel wood permeated the alcohol, adding tastenotes that people came to like so much that now barrelageing is part of the manufacturing process. Fred W Smith , the founder of FedEx, who passed away recently, didn't set out to deliver food, but he wouldn't have been surprised that fresh food deliveries became a potent symbol of the transport revolution he created. Smith's father operated both longdistance buses and one of the earliest quick-service restaurant chains. Chain logistics was in his blood and helped him conceptualise the hub-and-spoke system of logistics where, instead of point-to-point delivery, huge efficiencies are achieved by bringing cargo to a central point and then out again. Smith was an enthusiastic pilot and made dedicated cargo planes vital to the logistics system he set up, centred at Memphis, Tennessee. In Moveable Feasts , Sarah Murray's book on food logistics, she surveys the system through one of its most striking annual events: 'In the runup to Thanksgiving, turkeys by the thousands fly around the country, powered by jetengines, not wings and feathers.' Despite endless reminders to buy in advance, people still order last minute, depending on FedEx and other courier companies to ensure they get their birds in time, in a madly compressed period when much of the cargo through Memphis is meat. Air freight also created a global food craze. A basic logistics problem is ensuring cargo both ways, preventing expensive empty return trips. In the 1970s, as Japan's exports boomed, flights going back from Europe and the USA were running empty. Then someone noticed that bluefin tuna, much prized in Japan for eating raw in sushi and sashimi, was sold as cheap petfood in the West. Systems for flash freezing them from fishing boats were devised and the huge fish were flown to Japan. Sushi made from the rich, fatty fish became affordable, and a taste for it spread from Japan to other parts of the world. Bluefin tuna is now caught globally and flown to Tokyo's Tsukiji market, from where it goes back out to sushi lovers globally. It is a fish-focused version of Smith's hub-and-spoke system, a testament to the transformative power of transporting perishable foods.
Glasgow Times
12-07-2025
- Glasgow Times
Horrified couple find live maggots in their Morrisons lunch
A hungry couple were horrified to discover live maggots wriggling in their cheesy lunch - only for Morrisons to offer an 'insulting £3 compensation'. (Image: Kennedy News and Media) Recruitment firm consultant Cato, was "disgusted" by the discovery and immediately binned the £3 purchase. The 54-year-old said she then contacted Morrisons' live chat service to inform them of the "gross" find - but was "insulted" to be offered just a £3 voucher for her bug troubles. The couple have vowed never to buy their Brie from the supermarket chain again. Cato, from Taunton, Somerset, said: "Sean stopped in the Morrisons Daily garage to grab some lunch for the day. "We've never really shopped there before, we have Brie once in a while as a little treat. "Sean said 'your lunch is ready and by the way I don't think we'll have [the Brie]'. "I opened the Brie and thought 'what the heck? That is disgusting'. I stuck the brie in the bin but kept the wrapping. "It must've been left out, it can't have been left properly in the fridge. Someone must've left it on the shelf and perhaps it's been left out. "It's gross. I thought we should really let them know that that's not on. We could've easily eaten it. "It wasn't anything to do with the brand, it was how it was kept outside the fridge." Cato contacted Morrisons via their live chat service on Facebook to inform them of the issue, but was shocked when the retailer simply offered the couple a £3 refund. Cato said: "I contacted Morrisons on Facebook message, asked what to do and said it's dangerous for other people. "It was clear after numerous messages that I was talking to a bot. They offered a £3 voucher but I don't think it's about the money. "I do feel like I've tried contacting them a couple of times. But I feel like they couldn't be bothered to take it seriously. "The £3 refund was a bit of an insult. I just thought it was stupid really. I thought they would've taken it a bit more seriously. "We won't be buying Brie from there again." Recommended reading A Morrisons spokesman said: "We have been in regular contact with the customer to apologise for the delay while our franchise partner carried out its investigation. "We are now confident this was an isolated incident but have been back in touch with the customer this week to offer them a further gesture of goodwill." Président Cheese have been contacted for a comment.
