USNN World News

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Chinese virologist accuses Beijing of coronavirus cover-up, flees Hong Kong: ‘I know how they treat whistleblowers’

by USNN World NewsJuly 10, 2020June 20, 2024

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

by USNN World NewsJuly 8, 2020July 8, 2020

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

by USNN World NewsJuly 6, 2020July 6, 2020

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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

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

by USNN World NewsJuly 3, 2020July 3, 2020

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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

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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

NATIONAL NEWS

COVID-19 Emergency Powers, Green New Deal Paving Way for ‘Great Reset’ Tyranny: Climate Journalist

By Ella Kietlinska and Joshua Philipp COVID-19 restrictions and measures to tackle climate change are pillars of the Great Reset initiative aimed to remake global capitalism, leading ultimately to tyrannical ...

Government Hasn’t Proven Trump Held Classified Records: Trump Lawyers

By Zachary Stieber U.S. officials have not proven that former President Donald Trump held classified records, lawyers for the ex-president said in a new filing on Sept. ...

Biden Admin’s New ‘Climate Cop’ Studied at CCP-Controlled University With Ties to Chinese Military

By Frank Fang A former employee at New York’s financial regulator, who once lived in China and got a bachelor’s degree at a Chinese Communist Party-controlled ...

GOP Voters ‘Virtually Impossible to Poll’ After Biden’s ‘MAGA Republicans’ Speech: Top Pollster

By Jack Phillips Polls may significantly undercount Republican voters and supporters of former President Donald Trump following President Joe Biden’s speech that attacked “MAGA Republicans” earlier this month, ...

Tight Job Market Sees IRS Facing Uphill Battle to Hire 87,000 Staff

By Bryan Jung The Internal Revenue Service’s plan to massively expand its staff has become more difficult with the tight U.S. labor market. The Democrats’ “Inflation Reduction ...

Former DNI Raises Concerns Over Potential ‘Misclassified Documents’ Seized in Mar-a-Lago Raid

By Katabella Roberts Former White House Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe said Sunday that the FBI took documents from Donald Trump’s Florida Mar-a-Lago home that had ...

Key Dossier Source Confirms He Was Paid by FBI for Years

By Zachary Stieber A key source for the anti-Donald Trump dossier paid for by Democrats has confirmed that he was on the FBI’s payroll for years. Igor ...

Trump Says the FBI ‘Colluded With Russia’

By Jack Phillips Former President Donald Trump on Saturday reversed a long-held Democrat narrative by saying it was the FBI that colluded with Russia—not him. For years, Trump has ...

Why ‘Leaving California’ Is Rapidly Growing in Popularity

By Jamie Joseph Terry Gilliam, founder of the Facebook groups “Leaving California” and “Life After California,” has garnered more than 250,000 members combined who are ...

Half a Billion Worth of Narcotics Seized by US Coast Guard in Florida

By Naveen Athrappully The U.S. Coast Guard has recovered over 28,500 pounds of marijuana and cocaine, offloading it on Thursday at the Base Miami Beach, ...

Fauci, the Master Bureaucrat, Says Its Not His Fault

By Jeffrey A. Tucker Commentary Let’s imagine that one day, liberty, prosperity, security, and rationality were all shredded. Most of the country could not go to ...

Judge Names Special Master to Review FBI Raid Documents, Rejects DOJ Criminal Probe Request

By Caden Pearson Florida-based U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on Thursday appointed a senior Brooklyn federal judge to serve as special master to independently review documents the FBI seized ...