Articles by USNN World News

Life, Nature and Tradition

California woman gored by bison at Yellowstone National Park after getting within 10 feet to take photos

by USNN World NewsJune 30, 2020June 30, 2020

A nationwide vote on a package of constitutional reforms wrapped up Wednesday local time. Polls have been open for a week to help reduce crowds and to bolster turnout amid the coronavirus pandemic. Putin is all but guaranteed to get the result he wants following a massive campaign to get voters to say "yes" to the changes. However, the referendum -- intended to consolidate his hold on power -- could end up undermining his position because of the unconventional methods used to boost participation and the dubious legal basis for the balloting. FILE: Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, watches the Victory Day military parade marking the 75th anniversary of the Nazi defeat in Moscow. FILE: Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, watches the Victory Day military parade marking the 75th anniversary of the Nazi defeat in Moscow. (Sergei Guneyev/Host Photo Agency via AP) Political analyst Gleb Pavlovsky said Putin's push for holding the vote despite the ongoing pandemic reflects his potential vulnerabilities. "Putin lacks confidence in his inner circle and he's worried about the future," Pavlovsky said. "He wants an irrefutable proof of public support." The balloting completes a convoluted saga that began with Putin’s state-of-the-nation address in January, when Putin first proposed the constitutional changes. He offered to broaden the powers of parliament and redistribute authority among the branches of the Russian government, stoking speculation he might continue calling the shots as parliament speaker or as chairman of the State Council when his presidential term ends in 2024. The Russian president, who has been in power for more than two decades, said he would decide later whether or not to run again in 2024. He argued that resetting the term count was necessary to keep his lieutenants focused on their work. WHITE HOUSE INSISTS 'NO CONSENSUS' ON INTEL OF RUSSIAN BOUNTIES FOR US TROOPS, AS PRESSURE MOUNTS placeholder Putin complicated his constitutional plan by putting it to voters even though parliamentary approval was sufficient to make it law. The move was intended to showcase his broad support and add a democratic veneer to the constitutional changes. The plan backfired weeks later when the coronavirus pandemic engulfed Russia, forcing Putin to postpone the referendum, which had originally been scheduled for April 22. The delay stymied Putin's campaign blitz and left his constitutional reform plan hanging as the damage from the virus mounted and public discontent grew. Amid the uncertainty, Putin rescheduled the vote immediately upon seeing the first signs of a slowdown in Russia's infection rate even though the number of new confirmed daily cases reported remains high. Political analyst Ekaterina Schulmann said the Kremlin faced a difficult dilemma: holding the vote sooner would bring accusations of jeopardizing public health for political ends, while delaying it further raised the risk of defeat. "The early date has an advantage of coming soon after lifting the quarantine restrictions that made voters feel more optimistic," she said. "And in general, people are in a better mood during the summer season." Schulmann argued that the Kremlin's focus isn't so much on boosting overall turnout, but rather on increasing attendance by the public sector workers who make up Putin's base. The authorities have mounted a sweeping effort to persuade teachers, doctors, workers at public sector enterprises and others who are paid by the state to cast ballots. Reports surfaced from many corners of the vast country that managers were coercing people to vote. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Most observers expect the Kremlin to get its way, regardless of the opposition's strategies. Pavlovsky noted, however, that the unusual methods used by authorities to boost turnout and get the result Putin wants would undermine the legitimacy of the vote. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

World

Putin nears goal of changing Russian constitution, letting him stay in power until 2036

by USNN World NewsJune 30, 2020June 30, 2020

Opinion

Matt Schlapp: Trump’s federal court legacy – how these judges will make a difference

by USNN World NewsJune 30, 2020June 30, 2020

World

How much of the United States does China really own?

by USNN World NewsJune 30, 2020May 30, 2025

Opinion

Brian Arbour: Copy Obama and Bush – IF Trump follows their example he can be reelected

by USNN World NewsJune 30, 2020June 30, 2020

Opinion

Kamala Harris will be Joe Biden’s VP pick, Miranda Devine says

by USNN World NewsJune 30, 2020May 14, 2025

Supreme Court

Supreme Court strikes down state ban on taxpayer funding for religious schools

by USNN World NewsJune 30, 2020June 30, 2020

Healthcare

What your doctor might not know about coronavirus

by USNN World NewsJune 29, 2020June 29, 2020

National News

Never Trumpers cross line with party operatives by targeting GOP senators: ‘Taking it too far’

by USNN World NewsJune 29, 2020June 29, 2020

Opinion

Democrats can save our party – by voting Republican

by USNN World NewsJune 29, 2020June 29, 2020

Business

Musk defends Tesla as Texas county considers millions in tax breaks to land ‘gigafactory’

by USNN World NewsJune 29, 2020August 31, 2024

National News

Protesters set up guillotine in front of Jeff Bezos’ DC home

by USNN World NewsJune 29, 2020June 29, 2020

NATIONAL NEWS

Cops stunned after finding decapitated body of tech CEO in NYC apartment

By Joe Marino, Jason Beeferman, Larry Celona, Jorge Fitz-Gibbon | New York Post The body of a decapitated, dismembered tech CEO was found inside a Lower East Side apartment on Tuesday afternoon — sorted ...

Portland protesters create own ‘autonomous zone’ by pitching tents, rebuilding barricades removed by police

By Danielle Wallace | Fox News Demonstrators engaged ‘in an attempt to disrupt officers as they walked in from the end of their shift’. Portland protesters early Wednesday began to ...

CNN, MSNBC avoid on-air coverage of Bari Weiss’ dramatic exit from The New York Times

By Joseph A. Wulfsohn | Fox News Her scathing resignation letter shook the media landscape on Tuesday. Bari Weiss shook the media landscape on Tuesday with her scathing letter announcing ...

CNN’s Jim Acosta, Anderson Cooper called out for partisan commentary after Trump’s Rose Garden remarks: ‘Sad resistance performance art’

By Brian Flood | Fox News Critic called it ‘sophomoric commentary masquerading as journalism’. CNN appeared particularly peeved that President Trump veered off-script Tuesday by attacking presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in the Rose ...

Ghislaine Maxwell secretly married but won’t reveal husband’s name, prosecutors say

By The New York Post The bombshell detail was divulged as prosecutors accused her of purposely hiding her wealth. Ghislaine Maxwell is secretly married — and refusing ...

St. Louis homeowner who faced down protesters with rifle believes Trump intervened to protect his community

By Yael Halon | Fox News ‘I think we got help from the very top,’ Mark McCloskey told Sean Hannity. Missouri attorney Mark McCloskey, who along with his wife Patricia brandished legally ...

Portland’s unrest continues for six straight weeks with no apparent end in sight

By Danielle Wallace | Fox News Portland has been more than $23 million in losses due to looting and rioting. The death of George Floyd triggered a wave of protests and ...

Ghislaine Maxwell denied bail: Judge determines Epstein cohort is ‘substantial flight risk’ because of wealth, ‘foreign connections’

By Barnini Chakraborty, Marta Dhanis | Fox News Maxwell is charged with conspiracy and perjury in a multi-state sex trafficking ring involving three unnamed minors between 1994 and ...

Bari Weiss quits New York Times after bullying by colleagues over views: ‘They have called me a Nazi and a racist’

By Brian Flood | Fox News Her resignation letter said ‘the lessons that ought to have followed the (2016) election…have not been learned’. New York Times opinion columnist ...

Lawrence Jones on 1-year-old’s death in NYC: Shouldn’t be this hard for GOP to defeat ‘incompetent’ Dems in cities

By Julia Musto | Fox News Jones says history will remember who takes action to combat gun violence in large cities It should not be hard for the Republican ...

Radio host who ignited Goya ‘buy-cott’ movement: ‘It looks like love is winning’

By Talia Kaplan | Fox News Radio host Mike Opelka says he’s ‘trying to fight anger with love’. Radio host Mike Opelka, who ignited the Goya “buy-cott” movement, told ...

Cuomo takes heat over internal nursing home report

By Ronn Blitzer | Fox News New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is facing backlash from the scientific community and others for using a state report that backed up his ...