GENEVA (AP) — The main Syrian opposition delegation arrived in Switzerland Saturday night, however it remained unclear whether the delegation would actually participate in U.N.-sponsored peace talks aimed at ending Syria's civil war.
The indirect peace talks began here Friday with a meeting between the United Nations envoy and the Syrian government delegation. The main opposition group, the Higher Negotiations Committee or HNC, boycotted that session saying it won't take part until a set of preliminary demands are met: releasing detainees, ending the bombardment of civilians by Russian and Syrian forces, and lifting government blockades on rebel-held areas.
A video in which a former textbook publishing executive defends the controversial federal Common Core educational standards and says that its creators aim to marginalize teachings of America's founding principles became public last week, just days before Common Core supporters filed suit in Massachusetts court to stop voters here from deciding whether the state should jettison the standards.
The video, produced by Project Veritas, the self-described guerrilla journalism organization that specializes in producing undercover videos, features former Pearson Education marketing executive Kim Koerber saying, "Dead white guys did not create this country," and ripping into conservatives who want schools to teach the U.S. constitution. "You should know a little bit about it," Koerber says, But "you shouldn't have to memorize the thing."
