World - USNN World News

World

CENTCOM commander doubts Russian bounty intel tied to US troop deaths in Afghanistan

by USNN World NewsJuly 8, 2020July 8, 2020

World

Jeffrey Epstein’s confidant Ghislaine Maxwell transferred to NY prison after arrest

by USNN World NewsJuly 6, 2020July 6, 2020

World

Sasse slams ‘Chairman Xi’s spy web’ after reports UK will freeze Huawei out of 5G networks

by USNN World NewsJuly 6, 2020March 26, 2025

World

China appoints Communist Party hardliner to oversee Hong Kong’s new security office

by USNN World NewsJuly 3, 2020July 3, 2020

World

Behind the top-secret Russian military intelligence unit accused of paying insurgents to kill Americans in Afghanistan

by USNN World NewsJuly 2, 2020June 13, 2025

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

World

How much of the United States does China really own?

by USNN World NewsJune 30, 2020May 30, 2025

World

Inside ‘Office 39’: North Korea’s illicit global smuggling network

by USNN World NewsJune 28, 2020June 28, 2020

World

Trump pushes back on NY Times report on Russian Afghan attacks, says ‘nobody briefed’ him, Pence

by USNN World NewsJune 28, 2020June 13, 2025

World

Lightning kills 83 people across India’s Bihar state

by USNN World NewsJune 25, 2020June 25, 2020

World

Everywhere Statues Are Torn Down By The Mob, History Promises People Are Next

by USNN World NewsJune 24, 2020August 15, 2025

World

Trudeau points to ‘direct link’ between detained Canadians and arrest of Huawei executive

by USNN World NewsJune 23, 2020June 23, 2020

NATIONAL NEWS

‘This Is Election Interference’: House Oversight Veteran on Biden Classified Documents

By Nathan Worcester A House Oversight Committee veteran said the delay in publicizing President Joe Biden’s retention of classified documents from his time as vice president amounts ...

Comer Presses Treasury to Hand Over Records of ‘Suspicious Business Transactions’ as Biden Family Investigation Moves Forward

By Tom Ozimek The new chair of the House Oversight Committee has requested information from the Department of the Treasury on the Biden family’s and ...

Trump Believes Biden Knew About Classified Documents at Former Office Before Discovery in November

By Frank Fang Former President Donald Trump is questioning the timeline of the November discovery of classified documents at the Penn Biden Center, a revelation made by ...

House Will Vote on Bill to Abolish IRS, Replace Income Tax

By Andrew Moran The Republican-led House of Representatives will soon vote on legislation to abolish the IRS and replace the income tax code with a ...

House Creates Panel on ‘Weaponization of the Federal Government’

By Mimi Nguyen Ly The new Republican-majority House voted Tuesday afternoon to create a select subcommittee to investigate the “weaponization of the government” by federal law ...

House Panel Launches Investigation Into Biden’s Classified Document Stash

By Tom Ozimek The House Oversight Committee has launched an investigation into President Joe Biden’s handling of classified records from his time as vice president, following ...

Operations ‘Resuming Gradually’ After All Flights Grounded Across US: Federal Agency

By Tom Ozimek Operations in the United States are starting to resume after all flights across the country were grounded, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ...

‘No Legal Difference’ Between Biden’s Classified Document Stash and Trump’s: Lawyer

By Tom Ozimek The White House’s disclosure that classified documents were found in an office President Joe Biden used before taking office has prompted comparisons ...

McCarthy Plans to Remove Schiff, Omar, Swalwell From House Committees

By Jack Phillips House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) confirmed Monday that he plans to remove Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) from their committee ...

Why No ‘Mar-a-Lago Raid’ for Biden?

By Nathan Worcester As Republican lawmakers like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) worry that President Joe Biden’s retention of classified materials from his vice presidency may be ...

Supreme Court Rejects Case Seeking to Overturn 2020 Election

By Zachary Stieber The U.S. Supreme Court on Jan. 9 turned down a case that sought to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Justices decided against ...

House Passes Bill to Rescind Over $70 Billion in IRS Funding

By Mimi Nguyen Ly The House of Representatives voted late Monday to rescind over $70 billion to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the first ...