Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan welcomed NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to the Pentagon on Monday, Jan. 28, with an enhanced honor cordon prior to their meeting.
At the top of the agenda is international security and U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan.
Patrick Shanahan commented to media about the recent developments negotiation a deal with the Taliban to end the 17-year-long Afghanistan War: “I‘d say, really the takeaway right now, it’s encouraging and we’ll let Secretary Pompeo and the ambassador be the spokesperson for that.”
Shanahan also mentioned the topic of the increased spending by NATO allies.
He said: "Since President Trump took office, America’s NATO allies have stepped up defense spending by a total of 41 billion dollars. Allied defense spending increased by more than nine percent from 2016 to 2018—the largest increase in a quarter century.
“By 2020, our NATO allies are projected to have increased defense spending by approximately 100 billion dollars.”
Brazil: Rescue Crews Keep Searching for Victims in Dam Collapse
On Monday, firefighters kept searching for victims after a Brazilian mine dam collapsed on Friday, Jan. 25. The collapse of the dam triggered mudslides that have covered the local areas with mud. The mud is up to 24 feet deep in some places.Meanwhile, anger towards the company that operates the mine is growing.
Brazilian Senator Renan Calheiros is calling for Vale’s board of directors to step down and Attorney General Raquel Dodge says that Vale executives could be held responsible.
Study Shows Too Much Screen Time Harmful for Children’s Development
By now, most parents have heard that pre-school age children shouldn’t have more than one hour of screen time each day.According to a study by Dr. Skyler Kalady: “Early exposure to excessive screen time at 24 months was predictive of lower developmental outcomes at 36 months. And similarly, increased screen time exposure at 36 months also was related to decreased developmental outcomes at 60 months.”
The study looked at more than two-thousand children and their screen time use from birth to age five.
Dr. Kalady says that in the early years of a child’s life, it is critical for children to spend quality face-to-face time with parents and caregivers. This time together enables children to learn how to interact both verbally and nonverbally.
Kalady says: “Truly, just sitting down with your child and chasing them around and letting them explore their environment, even if it’s a little bit exhausting and frustrating; or reading a book or going back to old school and using blocks and things–that really is how children explore, get curious and learn the best.”
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