In a large shift in the war against veteran homelessness, the Trump administration has updated its policies to allow the government to step in to intervene on veterans' behalf — but not everyone is happy about the change. The Department of Veterans Affairs announced Wednesday that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Justice in an effort to give veterans, some of whom are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, "the ongoing care they need." 'We owe our Veterans a debt we can never fully repay — but we can give them the support they deserve.'The agreement, according to the VA's announcement, allows the DOJ to appoint VA attorneys as special assistant U.S. attorneys. Thus appointed, VA attorneys will have the legal authority to "initiate and participate in state court guardianship or conservatorship proceedings in cases where a legal decision-maker is required for post-acute transitions of care for these vulnerable Veterans."The VA called these legal guardianships a "lifeline" for vulnerable veterans who do not have other options to protect their rights.RELATED: Homeless man found tied up in vacant home was brutally beaten with signs of torture, police say U.S. Secretary for Veterans Affairs Doug CollinsPhoto by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images“Our new partnership with the Justice Department reflects our ongoing commitment to ensuring that every Veteran receives timely, appropriate care, even in complex cases,” said VA Secretary Doug Collins.“The Department of Justice is proud to partner with the Department of Veterans Affairs to support our nation’s brave Veterans by ensuring that they have the best legal resources available when it comes to making medical decisions and receiving timely care,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi. “We owe our Veterans a debt we can never fully repay — but we can give them the support they deserve.”The Trump administration made efforts in its first year to address homelessness in the pursuit of restoring public order. Specifically, President Trump signed an executive order near the end of July 2025 with the goal of "shifting individuals into long-term institutional settings for humane treatment through the appropriate use of civil commitment." Michael Figlioli, the director of the National Veterans Service for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, commended the change, which he told the New York Times recognizes “that some of our nation’s most vulnerable veterans must be approached through a public health and social services framework." However, others have raised concerns about veterans' civil liberties. “The Trump-Vance administration is pursuing policies that would push hundreds, if not thousands, of veterans into institutions and court-ordered guardianships,” Rep. Mark Takano of California, the top Democrat on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, said to the New York Times. “Guardianship should always be a last resort, after all less restrictive options have been exhausted, to ensure veterans’ rights are respected,” Takano continued.According to the most recent data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, an estimated 32,882 veterans were homeless on a single night in January 2024. Veterans make up roughly 5% of the homeless population in the United States, according to the same report. When asked for comment, Veterans Affairs directed Blaze News to the general number of the U.S. House of Representatives, a senator's office, and the White House, none of which responded to a request for comment. The Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A CNN news anchor issued an on-air correction after she incorrectly stated that the alleged ISIS-inspired attack outside of New York City’s Gracie Mansion over the weekend targeted Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D).“Two Republicans say Muslims don’t belong here after an attempted terror attack against New York’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, and the House speaker, Mike Johnson, says nothing, really, to condemn those comments,” Phillip stated on Tuesday.'I incorrectly said that the bombs that were thrown by ISIS-inspired suspects in New York over the weekend were directed at Mayor Mamdani.'Phillip was referring to the attack allegedly carried out by Emir Balat, 18, and Ibrahim Kayumi, 19, who were accused of igniting homemade explosive devices. One of those devices was allegedly thrown at a group of demonstrators protesting Islamic takeover of the city, and the other device was allegedly dropped near police officers. Both devices failed to detonate, and no injuries were reported.Phillip released a correction in a post on X the following day, writing, “The bombs thrown in New York City over the weekend by ISIS inspired attackers was thrown into a crowd of anti-Muslim protestors and not specifically targeted at Mayor Mamdani. That wording was inaccurate and I didn’t catch it ahead of time. I apologize for the error.”A community note was tacked onto Phillip’s post, reading, “The use of the word ‘specifically’ implies Mamdami [sic] may have been a target when this is factually incorrect based on every report and testimony from the two terrorists themselves. Bombs were thrown at protestors and police in order to injure/murder as many civilians as possible.”RELATED: ISIS-inspired? Here's what we know about the weekend NYC terror attack suspects. Abby Phillip. Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty ImagesPhillip was also apparently forced to issue an on-air correction for her “mistake” later that day. “I incorrectly said that the bombs that were thrown by ISIS-inspired suspects in New York over the weekend were directed at Mayor Mamdani. They were not,” Phillip told CNN viewers.Phillip took “full responsibility” for failing to catch the error.RELATED: Leaked intel warns of Iran’s potential revenge plot to unleash terror on US soil: Report Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP via Getty ImagesCNN was also criticized this week for publishing a post that appeared to romanticize the terrorist bombing attempt. “Two Pennsylvania teenagers crossed into New York City Saturday morning for what could’ve been a normal day enjoying the city during abnormally warm weather,” the now-deleted post read. “But in less than an hour, their lives would drastically change as the pair would be arrested for throwing homemade bombs during an anti-Muslim protest outside of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s home.”CNN retracted the post, releasing a statement claiming that it “failed to reflect the gravity of the incident.”Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A 13-year-old Alabama boy took matters into his own hands after his stepfather allegedly strangled his mother during an argument — and then attacked him, too.Deputies with the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence off Underwood Road in Foley at 8:20 p.m. Monday regarding a domestic violence complaint, the sheriff's office said in a Thursday morning news release.'He was threatening to kill everyone in the house because he was high on drugs, and he was drunk.'Upon arrival, deputies saw a 13-year-old male holding down 32-year-old Darnel Hernandez-Lopez with a bicycle in the front yard, officials said.Hernandez-Lopez had numerous injuries to his face and was detained and treated medically on the scene, officials said.Hernandez-Lopez’s wife told deputies her husband grabbed her around her neck and started to choke her during an argument that took place in front of the boy, who left the house to seek help.Once the boy was outside, Hernandez-Lopez followed his stepson and attempted to violently engage him in the front yard, officials said. During this altercation, the stepson was able to defend himself and struck his stepfather in the face numerous times and subdued him until deputies could arrive, officials said.Hernandez-Lopez was charged with felony assault strangulation and taken to the Baldwin County Corrections Center for holding, officials said, adding that his bond is $30,000.What's more, the sheriff's office said Hernandez-Lopez is now on an immigration hold as well.RELATED: Boy, 11, shoots his mother's boyfriend to death after couple's argument allegedly becomes physical Darnel Hernandez-Lopez. Image source: Baldwin County (Ala.) Sheriff's Office“He was threatening to kill everyone in the house because he was high on drugs, and he was drunk,” the mother told WALA-TV regarding Hernandez-Lopez.She added to the station that Hernandez-Lopez swung at her son, who dodged the blow."[He] was able to get him on the ground, and that’s when he punched him a few times, knocked him out until the police arrived,” the mother noted to WALA.She also told the station she was frightened for her son’s safety — at first.“I was scared because I thought he was going to get hurt, but he had the situation under control," she told WALA, adding that she and her son are safe and did not suffer serious injuries.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A pair of trans-identifying women enjoying the support of the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit last month in hopes of forcing Kansas to indulge their delusions by letting them use men's restrooms and false sex markers on state-issued IDs.'This bill protects girls and women.'Rather than oblige the plaintiffs in thwarting the will of voters as expressed by supermajorities in both chambers of the Kansas legislature, a state judge denied the women's most pressing request on Tuesday. The bill, the veto, the lawKansas Republicans passed a bill earlier this year requiring the designation of restrooms and locker rooms in public buildings for use by only one sex and mandating certain official state-issued documents to reflect the ID-holder's actual sex. This, of course, enraged radical LGBT activists such as Kansas state Rep. Abi Boatman (D), a man pretending to be a woman, who suggested that the reality-affirming bill was dehumanizing; Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson, who called the bill an act of "cruelty"; and Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who vetoed the bill last month.Kelly's veto proved fruitless as the state Senate overrode it in a 31-9 vote on Feb. 17. Their Republican colleagues in the state House followed suit the next day in a decisive 87-37 vote.The governor bemoaned the override, claiming that "this is a poorly drafted bill with significant, far-reaching consequences."State Rep. Carolyn Caiharr (R), among those who voted to override the veto, stated, "Our young women deserve to have restrooms and locker rooms where they can undress without men in the room. This bill protects girls and women, the ones feminists used to claim to stand for," reported the Kansas Reflector.RELATED: VIDEO: Trans-identifying teen and alleged accomplice make 'sociopathic' jokes after arrest for attempted murder Photo by Andrea Domeniconi/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesKansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins (R) stated, "This isn’t about scoring political points, but doing what’s right for women and girls across our communities."The new law took effect once it was published in the register on Feb. 26, resulting in the invalidation of roughly 1,700 driver's licenses and 1,800 birth certificates.The lawsuitA pair of trans-identifying women represented by attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on Feb. 26, alleging that the law "violates the Kansas Constitution’s guarantees of personal autonomy, privacy, equality under the law, due process, and free expression. It also violates the Kansas Constitution’s single-subject and clear title requirements."The lawsuit claimed that the two biological women, identified by the pseudonyms Daniel Doe and Matthew Moe, would suffer harm "because they will not be able to utilize a driver’s license with their correct gender marker or access public restrooms that accord with their gender identity."The trans-identifying ladies requested that Douglas County District Judge James McCabria block and declare the new law both unconstitutional and unenforceable.The responseJudge McCabria refused on Tuesday to grant the women a temporary restraining order against the law while their case proceeds, writing, "A court that is too quick to assume too much about the facts or possible impacts of a law risks the appearance of either political bias or a lack of appreciation for the value and importance of the full, fair deliberative process in such circumstances."The judge apparently didn't buy the plaintiffs' claim that they may face "reprisal by employers and acquaintances that may not know their biological gender but learn of it by forced use of assigned restrooms or incidental disclosure by use of their identification documents."McCabria declined "the invitation to presume" that every employer or acquaintance would in every instance respond to the discovery of the women's true sex with harassment or disfavor. He also rejected the assumption that "every restroom visit is fraught with the potential for violence or embarrassment if this law is not immediately suspended."The judge directed the parties involved in the case to appear in court later this month.Harper Seldin, an attorney for the ACLU's LGBTQ & HIV Project, stated, "This is a devastating, but hopefully temporary, setback for our clients and transgender people across the state of Kansas."Although the law merely prevents individuals from carrying untruthful driver's licenses and invading private spaces intended for members of the opposite sex, Seldin claimed it threatens trans-identifying individuals' "ability to hold a job, go to school, or go about their daily lives."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A Canadian human rights tribunal in British Columbia has ordered a former school trustee from Chilliwack to pay $750,000 in damages for insisting there are only two genders.The tribunal ruled that Barry Neufeld’s public comments about transgender and nonbinary people constituted discrimination under the province’s Human Rights Code.'I spent all my career working with special, at-risk kids — kids who had horrible backgrounds, who suffered all sorts of trauma and abuse. I have nothing but compassion for them.'The case stems from a 2017 Facebook post in which Neufeld criticized gender-transition treatments for children. Teachers’ union groups later filed human rights complaints alleging that his statements created an unsafe work environment for some employees. The dispute wound its way through mediation attempts, court challenges, and tribunal hearings for several years before the ruling.Transgender denialism, it seems, can carry serious consequences.Stunned by decisionWhen I recently caught up with Neufeld, I asked whether he even had that kind of money.He laughed off the idea. In fact, he says he doesn’t even own the land his trailer sits on.Neufeld served as a school trustee for 26 years and worked as a probation officer for 25. He says he knows the criminal justice system well, but nothing prepared him for a human rights tribunal ruling that he must pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for expressing his views.The moment he heard the decision, he says, he was stunned.“I couldn’t believe it,” Neufeld told me. “It was preposterous. I didn’t think that the tribunal would go along with it, but they did. In some ways it’s a blessing in disguise, because if they had only ordered $75,000, nobody would have paid attention. But this woke everybody up."The case has drawn national attention and criticism from across the political spectrum, including commentary in the Globe and Mail. Supporters have stepped forward to help fund Neufeld’s legal defense — something he says he never needed to rely on before.'I just think they're deluded'In Canada, disputes over gender identity are often handled not in criminal courts but in provincial human rights tribunals. While Canada’s Criminal Code does not make misgendering a crime, tribunals have ruled that refusing to use a person’s preferred pronouns can constitute discrimination.According to Neufeld, the tribunal determined that his comments amounted to hate speech because he rejected the concept of "nonbinary" and other gender identities.“They explained to me that it was hate speech because I denied the existence of nonbinary and all the other genders,” he said.“And I said, ‘I don’t deny their existence. It’s not existential denialism. I just think they’re deluded.’ They said, ‘That’s hate speech.’”RELATED: 'Trans' alleged school shooter in Canada: Did police put politics before public safety? Paige Taylor White/Getty ImagesChilling effectThe ruling has also unsettled another another Chilliwack school trustee. Laurie Throness, a former member of the B.C. Legislative Assembly, stepped down from his position after concluding that he could be the next target.For Neufeld, this chilling effect is by design. “The purpose of such a high penalty was to scare everybody else [and to say] that if you commit blasphemy against our gender religion, you will lose everything. And it’s starting to work.”For his part, Neufeld insisted his criticism was always directed at ideas — not people.“I never threatened any person,” he said. “I constantly was confronting ideas — especially gender ideology. And they countered by saying because I use the word ‘gender ideology,’ I’m hiding behind that to disguise my hate of transgender people. I don’t hate transgender people either. I have compassion and sympathy for them.”Protecting childrenWhat concerns him, he said, is the promotion of gender ideology to children.“Forcing these ideas on young children is what has kept me motivated to constantly be speaking out against them."Despite the tribunal ruling, Neufeld said he believes public opinion is shifting.“They’re losing the battle,” he said. “They know it. B.C. is one of the last jurisdictions in the world to hang on to this. ... They're backing away from it in many countries in Europe and many states in the United States.“I don’t hate anybody,” he added. “They’re blowing in the wind if they think they can convince the world that I’m a hateful person, because I'm not. I spent all my career working with special, at-risk kids — kids who had horrible backgrounds, who suffered all sorts of trauma and abuse. I have nothing but compassion for them.”No 'wrong' bodiesBut Neufeld worries about what he sees as the consequences of encouraging young people to believe they were born in the wrong body.“When you start telling them that all their problems are caused because they’re born in the wrong body, you screw up their minds,” he said.He also questioned the medical dimension of youth gender transitions.“What are the side effects of these drugs that you’re giving kids?” he asked.Neufeld says parents ultimately need to reclaim authority over decisions affecting their children.