Oprah Embarrassed! Author She Recommended Was KKK Member

Oprah Winfrey has pulled from a recommended reading list on her web site The Education of Little Tree, a book about the real-life story of an orphaned boy raised by his Cherokee grandparents. The book became a sentimental favorite, selling millions of copies, and won the 1991 American Booksellers Association's first ABBY award. Winfrey pulled the book after she learned its author, Forrest Carter, whose real name is Asa Earl Carter, was once a member of the Ku Klux Klan and a former speechwriter for Alabama's segregationist governor George Wallace, reports The Associated Press. Carter died in 1979. Suspicions about his book surfaced in the early 1990s, soon after the book won the ABBY. Winfrey knew of the book's background since at least 1994 when she discussed Little Tree on her show. Winfrey said after learning about Carter's early life that she felt she "had to take the book off my shelf."

Bhutto Vs. Musharraf: Violent Showdown in Pakistan

Pakistan's General Pervez Musharraf, who is its president, declared he would hold elections by mid-February. But as Musharraf made that statement, his military forces continued to arrest hundreds of opposition-party leaders. In defiance of Musharraf's rule, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto dismissed his announcement and vowed to hold a rally planned for Friday in Rawalpindi, a city close to the capital of Islamabad. Bhutto has been warned by authorities that the rally would not be allowed and could come under threat of attack by suicide bombers, reports the Los Angeles Times. After Bhutto openly called for Pakistanis to defy Musharraf, 500 members of her Pakistan People's Party had been arrested, said her supporters.

Musharraf imposed emergency rule Saturday after he learned that the country's supreme court might rule him ineligible to be the president and the head of the military. Musharraf's emergency rule effectively dismissed the same supreme court. Musharraf assumed leadership of the two posts following his reelection as president in October. President Bush called Musharraf on Wednesday and urged him to relinquish his military position, reports The New York Times.

Musharraf's comments today to his national security council were shown on official government television. He made clear that he is counting on a newly formed court, filled with appointees loyal to him, to confirm his reelection as president, reports The New York Times.

All of the political and military maneuvering is setting the stage for a violent showdown between Bhutto's party and Musharraf's forces. Musharraf's government officials insist tomorrow's rally is forbidden under the emergency rule. "The rules and regulations apply to everyone," said Tariq Azim Khan, the minister of state for information, reports The New York Times. "We have communicated with the Pakistan People's Party and advised them against holding a rally tomorrow. We are sure Benazir Bhutto is a sensible politician and won't want to create a law-and-order situation. I'm hopeful tomorrow's rally will be called off."

Surge in Number of Homeless Veterans

The Veterans Affairs Department and support groups are bracing for a surge in homeless veterans as more than 400 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars show up. "We're beginning to see, across the country, the first trickle of this generation of warriors in homeless shelters," said Phil Landis, chairman of Veterans Village of San Diego, a residence and counseling center, to The New York Times. "But we anticipate that it's going to be a tsunami." As the number of women in the military increases so do the number of homeless female veterans. Many claim they were sexually assaulted while serving. Soldiers fighting the current wars are subject to long and repeated tours of duty, which make reintegration with families tougher and increase the rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury, major causes of unstable behavior and substance abuse, reports The New York Times.

How Stem-Cell Research Lost the Voters

Following the defeat of New Jersey's stem-cell research bill in Tuesday's election, democratic supporters of the bill are trying to figure out how to fund the effort and construction of the 18-story Stem Cell Institute of New Jersey. Voters considered the bill a luxury in the midst of the state's financial woes, said New Jersey Gov. John Corzine, who put up $150,000 of his own money to help the bill get votes, reports The New York Times. The state faces a $30 billion debt. "They've told us to resolve our alarming and pressing financial problems," Corzine said.

U.S. Officials of Color Want Out of Iraq

More than 83 percent of elected officials of color— ranging from state representatives to school-board members — say the Bush administration should pull U.S. troops out of Iraq as soon as possible, according to a new survey, reports USA Today. The Gender and Multicultural Leadership Project Survey, showed differences based on race or ethnicity: 93 percent of black elected officials want U.S. troops withdrawn from Iraq, compared with 80 percent of Latino and 76 percent of Asian-American officeholders. The survey, asked of 1,185 elected officials, has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points, reports USA Today. "Focusing on white men in politics as the norm doesn't capture the full picture of governance," says Carol Hardy-Fanta, a co-author of the survey, funded by the Ford Foundation. "At a time when we have a black man, a Latino man and a white woman running for president, the political landscape is changing."

(See also: Who's the 'War-Weariest'? Black Americans)

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