Rotten to the core means that a group is completely dishonest, immoral, or corrupt at its deepest foundation.

Literal Origin: The phrase comes from a piece of fruit like an apple that is decayed and ruined all the way to its center.

Figurative Use: Applied to people, it means their bad behavior or lack of ethics is not just a surface mistake, but a deep part of who they are.

🌎 WORLD NEWS ROUNDUP

WNR — PM EDITION

Sunday, September 20, 2026

Five minutes. The world, in one place. Just the facts.

The difference between someone who claims to be a builder and one who actually destroys and lies in their intent, creation versus demolition, and fundamental impact on people and projects. 

The Builder

Some have become accustomed to President Trump’s lies.

VOTE - Let that be a lesson in Democracy. For the most up-to-date and complete election coverage, you can follow election updates, nonpartisan trackers, and official voting resources directly:

AP, Reuters and AFP as the core international news triad:
- Associated Press (AP) — founded 1846
- Reuters — founded 1851
- Agence France-Presse (AFP) — founded 1835
Together, they provide broad global news-gathering from three major journalistic traditions.