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.

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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

CBP Seizes Shipment Containing 50,000 Fake Apple AirPods, 920 Nintendo Video Game Consoles From China

By Katabella Roberts Customs agents working at the Port of Houston seized a shipment containing 50,000 fake Apple AirPods and 920 Nintendo video game consoles early last ...

Judge Gives FDA Just Over 8 Months to Produce Pfizer’s Safety Data

By Mimi Nguyen Ly A federal judge on Thursday ordered the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to produce, at a rate of 55,000 pages per ...

Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficking conviction in jeopardy over juror’s behavior, say experts

By Barnini Chakraborty, Senior Investigations Reporter Legal experts say the conviction of Ghislaine Maxwell on sex trafficking charges could be tossed following revelations that a juror admitted ...

New York Protesters Rally Against Vaccine Bills in Albany: ‘We Need Civil Disobedience in This Country’

By Bill Pan ALBANY, New York—New York state lawmakers returning for the 2022 legislative session were met with hundreds of demonstrators who gathered outside the state ...

Georgia Begins Probe of Illegal 2020 Ballot Harvesting

By Matthew Vadum State officials in Georgia are now investigating allegations that ballot harvesting–a practice that is unlawful in the state—was used widely during the November 2020 general ...

New York Hit With Class-Action Lawsuit Over Private Employer Vaccine Mandate

By Zachary Stieber A real estate firm in New York has lodged a class-action lawsuit over the city’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private employers, alleging that it ...

Georgia Governor Unveils Push for Expanded Gun-Carry Rights

By Zachary Stieber Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said on Jan. 5 that he would push for a state law to loosen requirements for state residents to carry ...

Manchin Opposes Schumer Proposal to Change Senate Rules for Voting Bill

By Joseph Lord Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) says he is opposed to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) proposal to change Senate rules in order ...

CDC: Omicron Now 95 Percent of All New US COVID-19 Cases

By Jack Phillips The COVID-19 Omicron variant accounted for approximately 95.4 percent of U.S. COVID-19 cases diagnosed in the week ended Jan. 1, said the Centers for Disease Control ...

Federal Court Grants Navy SEALS Preliminary Injunction in Lawsuit Over COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate

By Mimi Nguyen Ly A federal court has granted a preliminary injunction to a group of 35 Navy Special Warfare service members—among them 26 Navy ...

2021 COVID-19 Recap: 200 Million Vaccinated, 450,000 Dead

By Petr Svab News Analysis With the New Year’s Eve passing, 2021 is now the second year defined by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic and the ...

Did Dismissals of Safe Outpatient Drugs Cause Needless COVID Deaths? Dissenting Doctors Say Yes

By Clayton Fox, Real Clear Investigations For the first nine months of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were no officially approved outpatient treatments for combating the ...