In a January 17 article, the Associated Press reported on the public dispute between Democratic presidential candidate and former Sen. John Edwards and Fox News host Bill O'Reilly over O'Reilly's attacks on Edwards' claim -- supported by statistics from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs -- about the number of homeless military veterans. The AP reported:

Edwards later met with steelworkers at a local union hall in Henderson and veterans at a Las Vegas outreach program headquarters.

He used the latter stop to respond to recent criticism from TV host Bill O'Reilly. The Fox News Channel commentator reportedly said Edwards “had no clue” when he asserted in Tuesday's debate that there were 200,000 homeless veterans in the U.S.

“Apparently Bill O'Reilly said he didn't really believe we had many homeless veterans sleeping under bridges and he didn't think the problem was that serious,” Edwards said. “It's obvious he doesn't understand what a huge moral issue this is facing America. How many homeless veterans would be OK for the United States of America?”

Edwards ended the day at town hall rally at the carpenters union hall. The event drew roughly 500 people, making it his largest yet in southern Nevada.

The AP, however, did not point out that Edwards' claim is supported by VA statistics.

In his speech following the January 3 Iowa caucuses, Edwards stated: “And tonight, 200,000 men and women who wore our uniform proudly and served this country courageously as veterans will go to sleep under bridges and on grates. We're better than this.” The next day, on Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, O'Reilly stated that Edwards "has no clue," and after airing a clip of Edwards' speech said: “The only thing sleeping under a bridge is that guy's brain.” After Edwards again asserted there were 200,000 homeless veterans during the January 15 Democratic presidential candidates debate, O'Reilly discussed his comments with radio host Ed Schultz on the next day's O'Reilly Factor, during which O'Reilly stated that “we're still looking for all the veterans sleeping under the bridges.” O'Reilly later added, “They [homeless veterans] may be out there, but there are not many of them out there, OK? So if you know where one is, Ed ... if you know where there's a veteran sleeping under a bridge, you call me immediately, and we will make sure that man does not do it, is not there.”

In fact, as Media Matters for America documented, Edwards' claim about the number of homeless veterans is supported by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs:

About one-third of the adult homeless population have served their country in the Armed Services. Current population estimates suggest that about 195,000 veterans (male and female) are homeless on any given night and perhaps twice as many experience homelessness at some point during the course of a year. Many other veterans are considered near homeless or at risk because of their poverty, lack of support from family and friends, and dismal living conditions in cheap hotels or in overcrowded or substandard housing.

The Washington Post reported on January 7:

Several readers have asked us to check this surprising statistic, often used by Edwards. The language may be overly dramatic, but the figure is an official one, from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The department believes that one-third of the adult homeless population of the United States “have served their country in the Armed Services.” A posting on the department Web site says that about 195,000 veterans are “homeless on any given night” and perhaps twice as many experience homelessness at some point during the course of a year.