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Gabriele Micalizzi had rare access to Russian troops fighting in Ukraine, sharing with us images that few other Western photographers have been allowed to take. Micalizzi’s work has taken him across many conflict zones. Documenting the fall of ISIS in 2019, in Baghuz, Syria, Micalizzi was hit by an RPG rocket. He tells us how his camera saved his eyes.

This is the town of Veldhoven in the netherlands. Its a fairly modest town with a population of 45,500. But what if I told you, that the entire world economy, is based around this town. Because, what is happening here, in Veldhoven, has been catching the attention of the worlds superpowers. In fact, something that is happening here, quietly, in the background, just might dramatically change the world for the better of humanity, cause a full on economic collapse, and maybe, just maybe, make an old empire rise once again. This is the rotte River. Around the year 900 AD, a few dozen people lived along this river. However, over the next few hundred years, those few dozen people grew into a village with over 500 people. However, just as the village seemed to be reaching new heights, a massive flood of the river came and wiped out most of infrastructure of the village. And for 100 years, because of the flooding, this area didn’t recover. But then, the area became an area that would become one of the most important economic projects in history. In the mid 1200’s, the Rotte River had a Dam built along it which helped reclaim a lot of the flooded land that the river destroyed a century earlier. Soonafter, King William the 4th of Holland officially made the village apart of Holland, and named it RotterDam after the river, and the dam which allowed the village to exist. King William then announced a Canal project for Rotterdam, which would allow ships to enter and leave the city fairly easily. And it was this Canal project which would accidentally change the world as we know it today. You see, the Canal in the 1300’s, did help bolster the local economy of Rotterdam but at the time, ship technology, and International trade were pretty limited. So for the time being, this Port and Canal was pretty much only used for trade between nearby countries. But then, a strange thing happened. A race to become the new great empire of the world was underway. Spain, Portugal, and Britain all began inventing new ship technologies to expand their empires throughout the world. And over the next several centuries, globalization and colonization became rampant throughout the world. And all of a sudden, the port of Rotterdam, became one of the largest trading Hubs in the world. You see, in the 1600s, as other empires like the british, spanish, and portuguese were focused on expanding their empire and seeing how much land they could conquer, the Dutch focused on controlling a few select countries, and creating trading posts, resource exploitations, and forts, rather than large expansive swaths of land. Also during this time, the Netherlands also transitioned their economic policy towards having free markets, property rights for all, and high levels of agricultural and technological investment, therefore the Netherlands became known as the worlds first modern economy. And because of all these reasons, the NEtherlands soon became known as the Dutch empire. The dutch controlled global trade, and dictated which nations were able to have access to key resources like spices, Rye, and luxuries, By 1670, half of all european trade came from Dutch ships, and flowed through the ports of Rotterdam and Amsterdam. Think about that, at the time of some of the largest empires in history, the Netherlands, who had a population of only about 2 million people, dominated world trade. And I know what you are probably asking. What happened to this trade empire? Well, it actually never really went anywhere. You see, even after its decolonization of its empire, the Dutch quietly have been one of the biggest trading nations in the world. If you were to take a look at the top exporters of goods in the world, you would see something that may catch your eye. The top exporters may seem obvious, as they are China, the United States, Germany, and Japan. Those nations have been the kings of exports for decades, and they all have very large populations. So that makes sense. But who do you think is the next largest exporter of goods? Is it an old power like the UK or france? How about a large populous country like brazil or India? Maybe its an upcoming manufacturing powerhouse like indonesia? Well. As it turns out. The Netherlands, is still one of the top exporters of goods in the world. Despite having a population of only 19 million people today, the Dutch

On Thursday, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) mocked the reaction to sending migrants to Martha's Vineyard.

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) signs legislation Monday that overhauls the special district that oversees Walt Disney World by giving the governor power to appoint its board, saying he was getting rid of Disney’s “corporate kingdom."

An 80-year-old man was killed and two others are in the hospital after a serious dog attack on the city’s West Side, according to officials.

An off-duty Chicago police officer shot a man who allegedly tried to steal her gun on January 18. Security footage shows the female officer leaving an apartment and attempting to break up an argument between 39-year-old Leevon Smith and a group of others. The group fled while Smith stayed behind with the officer and allegedly tried to steal her gun when a struggle ensued and Smith was shot. Smith’s family filed a $10 million lawsuit against the officer, who was unnamed in the suit, and the City of Chicago after he died two days following the incident. The Law&Crime Network’s Sierra Gillespie has the details.

Bodycam footage shows former NFL star Antonio Brown negotiating with police who were outside of his Florida home on November 28, 2022. The Tampa Police Department said officers were called to the home by a woman who claimed Brown allegedly threw a shoe at her. The responding officers left and chose to file an arrest warrant instead of making forced entry after Brown refused to let them in and allow them to retrieve the woman’s belongings. In late December, his arrest warrant was recalled and the domestic violence charge against him was dropped.

Law enforcement is labeling a 24-year-old Florida woman an inspiration for the way she handled herself when a man she didn’t know attacked her while she was working out in her apartment complex’s gym on January 22. Fitness coach Nashali Alma joins the Law&Crime Network’s Sam Goldberg to discuss the terrifying incident caught on security video.

Massive protests were held in Germany's capital city of Berlin over providing weapons to Ukraine in its war against Russia. Thousands of people took to the streets holding banners and posters saying "negotiate and not escalate" and "not our war." The demonstration was organised in part by opposition lawmaker Sahra Wagenknecht of the ex-communist Left party, who criticised Chancellor Olaf Scholz's decision to send weapons to Ukraine. Watch this video to know more.

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) bemoans liberal crime policies in response to the Orlando mass shooting allegedly committed by Keith Moses.

CNN's Ivan Watson takes a ride on a US Navy jet over the South China Sea and witnesses tensions at play between the US and China during a close encounter with a Chinese fighter jet.

Pilots on the USS Nimitz in the western Pacific Ocean regularly train for a potential conflict with China. Close calls between the U.S. and China happen on a near daily basis over the South China Sea. Norah O'Donnell reports.

NBC News Beijing Correspondent Janis Mackey Frayer was on board a U.S. Navy surveillance flight over the South China Sea when a Chinese fighter jet appeared on their wing and flew alongside for over an hour.

New surveillance video has been released by the Flagler County Sheriff's Office which appears to show a Florida high school student knocking a school employee unconscious, investigators said.

Red Notice author Bill Browder gives his insights on Vladimir Putin as the Ukraine war hits the one year mark.

Burning Russian soldiers flee destroyed tank hit by Ukrainian drone bomb. BURNING Russian soldiers flee destroyed tank hit by Ukrainian drone bomb in brutal battlefield footage. This footage was released by the Ukrainian armed forces and shows a tank being targeted by an aerial attack. This footage has not yet been verified and the location is currently unconfirmed.

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-Wen has said Taipei will boost 'military exchanges' with the United States, at a time when tensions with Beijing remain high. The cooperation with the US has picked up pace especially since the start of the Ukraine War and renewed concerns over the threat of an invasion from China.

NATO fighter jets patrol the airspace over Estonia's border, encountering Russian aircraft almost daily.