USNN World News

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State Dept. warns Americans in China of risk of detention, interrogation: report

by USNN World NewsJuly 11, 2020July 11, 2020

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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

World

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

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

NATIONAL NEWS

Trump Calls for Overturning Wisconsin Results in 2020 Election to the ‘Actual Winner’

By Gary Bai Former U.S. President Donald Trump is calling for the 2020 Wisconsin election results to be overturned a day after the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled ...

Former Federal ‘Informant’ Warned of Antifa, BLM Infiltrators at Capitol on Jan. 6

By Joseph M. Hanneman The man whose posting on social media warned authorities that agent provocateurs from Antifa and Black Lives Matter would be at the ...

Abbott Invokes ‘Invasion’ Powers to Return Illegal Immigrants to Mexico

By Charlotte Cuthbertson Texas Gov. Greg Abbott took an unprecedented step on July 7 toward mitigating the border crisis, issuing an executive order that directs ...

Maryland Governor Ends State’s Tough Handgun Permitting Regime

By Matthew Vadum After resisting a Supreme Court gun rights ruling for almost two weeks, the blue state of Maryland will stop enforcing its tough concealed carry handgun permitting rule because it ...

US Police Arrest Noncitizens Who Were Allegedly Planning Mass Shooting on July 4

By Zachary Stieber Police in Virginia, alerted by a tipster, arrested two noncitizens who were allegedly plotting a mass shooting on July 4, officials announced on July ...

Nearly 22,000 DHS Employees Seeking COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Exemptions

By Zachary Stieber Nearly 22,000 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employees have sought exemptions to the U.S. government’s federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate, but all of ...

Conservatives in Nine States Calling for Closed Primaries by 2024

By John Haughey Conservative leaders in Georgia and Ohio are spearheading calls for Republicans to close their state primaries and allow only voters registered with their parties to participate ...

Biden’s Fiery Gas Station Twitter Post Trolled by US Energy Group

By Tom Ozimek A major American energy lobby has taken aim at a presidential Twitter post that called on gas stations to cut prices at ...

More Companies Join the ‘Great Migration’ to Red States

By Kevin Stocklin Amidst predictions of a political “red wave” in the upcoming mid-term elections, an economic wave has been building for years with no ...

DeSantis’s Team Responds to Newsom Ad Saying Florida Residents Should Move to California

By Jack Phillips Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s office has responded to California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s advertisements encouraging residents of the Sunshine State to move to the ...

Rep. Omar Booed During Somali Music Festival Appearance in Home State

By Jack Phillips Video footage surfaced online that appeared to show a crowd of people at a Somali cultural event in Minneapolis booing “Squad” member Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) ...

NASA Satellite Breaks From Orbit Around Earth, Heads to Moon

By The Associated Press WELLINGTON, New Zealand—A satellite the size of a microwave oven successfully broke free from its orbit around Earth on Monday and is headed toward ...