Donald Trump halting anti-bribery laws will harm, not help US companies

President’s order means a race to the bottom rigged against US, argues anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International

Bribery is not a victimless crime. Stories listing the amount paid or the fine imposed can make them sound more like distasteful financial transactions, but they have harmful – sometimes deadly – outcomes.

Bribes have been paid to building inspectors to ignore safety violations later cited in catastrophic collapses, and to officials to ignore worker standards that result in disabling and lethal outcomes. They have even helped divert weapons into the hands of rogue and dangerous actors.

Gary Kalman is the executive director of Transparency International US.

Maira Martini is the CEO of Transparency International.

Topics

Need a New Roof Fast? This Company Can Help

Two industry outsiders say they’re the first to bring the roof-buying process online.
Inc. - 20h
Trump Urged to Halt Firings at the FAA

After a string of deadly plane crashes, lawmakers and union members are urging the president to protect the transportation department from further personnel cuts.
The New York Times - 2d
US judge temporarily blocks Trump’s anti-DEI purge

Adam Abeldon rules that president’s efforts to ban DEI programs likely violate first amendment of constitution. A federal judge in Maryland on Friday temporarily blocked Donald Trump from ...
The Guardian - 4h
The Watergate-Inspired Law That’s Being Used to Fight DOGE

Here's how the 1974 Privacy Act is being used in legal battles against DOGE—and how you can protect yourself from government surveillance.
Wired - 1d
Donald Trump’s first month in charts

The US president has hit the ground running, but he is dogged by stubborn inflation and tepid approval ratings
Financial Times - 1d
Donald Trump’s dream for a greater Gaza

Today, Gaza is a terrorist’s dream.
The Hill - 14h
Trump endorses Donalds in potential bid for Florida governor

President Donald Trump on Thursday endorsed Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) for Sunshine State governor in the case that the House Republican makes a bid for the role. "Byron Donalds would be a truly ...
The Hill - 1d
Trump Claims Power to Fire Administrative Law Judges at Will

The Justice Department said a law protecting the officials from arbitrary removal is an unconstitutional intrusion on presidential authority.
The New York Times - 1d
‘Interesting discussions’: Donald Trump and Tiger Woods hold talks on golf’s rift

Woods joins PGA delegation at White House on Thursday LIV representatives also present in Washington Donald Trump’s involvement in professional golf’s peace talks has ramped up, with Tiger Woods ...
The Guardian - 1d

More from The Guardian

Trump fires Black joint chiefs chair Hegseth accused of promoting diversity

US secretary of defense had questioned whether history-making air force general CQ Brown Jr got job because of race. Donald Trump abruptly fired the air force general CQ Brown Jr as chair of the ...
The Guardian - 2h
US envoy to Ukraine hails Zelenskyy as ‘embattled and courageous leader’

Keith Kellogg takes different tone from Trump, who contrasted ‘very good talks’ with Putin with cooler relationship with Ukraine’s leader. The US envoy to Ukraine, Gen Keith Kellogg, has praised ...
The Guardian - 4h
Man stabbed at Berlin’s Holocaust memorial days before crucial election

German police have arrested a suspect after attack on Spanish tourist and say they have not yet found a motive. German police have arrested a man suspected in a stabbing attack at Berlin’s ...
The Guardian - 9h
Brazilian city in Amazon declares emergency after huge sinkholes appear

In Buriticupu, about 1,200 people risk losing their homes, and residents have seen the problem escalate in 30 years. Authorities in a city in the Brazilian Amazon have declared a state of ...
The Guardian - 7h
Israel-Hamas swap to go ahead despite claim child hostages were killed with ‘bare hands’

Ceasefire deal still on track amid uproar over fate of two Israeli boys and false return of their mother’s body. Israelis and Palestinians are bracing for another tense exchange of hostages, ...
The Guardian - 12h

More in World

Meet the 5 top court justices in Brazil who could decide the future of former President Bolsonaro

Yahoo News - 28m
A train through Germany: is Europe’s powerhouse going off the rails?

In the run-up to Sunday’s crucial election, the Guardian took a long journey through Europe’s heartland to talk to voters. Creaking, overcrowded, neglected, Germany’s railways, once a source of ...
The Guardian - 29m
‘We have a rule when we hear the sirens: if you’ve started operating, you don’t stop’: 24 hours with doctors on the Ukrainian frontline

Like the soldiers they battle to save, combat medics in Ukraine are under constant attack. Three years after the invasion, one NHS doctor bears witness. “The frontline here is cold, hard, true war. ...
The Guardian - 29m
In Private Remarks on Russia, Rubio Tries to Reassure Europeans

European officials were not sure what to make of the secretary of state’s measured assessment of Washington’s apparent pivot toward Moscow.
The New York Times - 54m
Trump Cuts Protections for Haitians, Putting Them on Track for Deportation

The decision is the latest in President Trump’s sweeping crackdown on immigrants, including people whom the Biden administration had authorized to remain in the country.
The New York Times - 54m