President-elect Donald Trump was taken aback by the firestorm against South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) after she crowed about gunning down a 14-month wirehaired pointer named Cricket in her book

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be Secretary of Homeland Security, speaks with Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee for her confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President-elect Donald Trump's planned immigration crackdown emerged as a top theme at a U.S. Senate confirmation hearing for South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, his choice for secretary of Homeland Security and a Republican who mirrors his hardline views.

Trump supporters love her. But the South Dakota governor will likely be asked about family separation at the border - and the dog she says she shot.

Trump’s nominee for massive cabinet job rebuffs ‘hypothetical’ question as he threatens California fire relief

Gov. Kristi Noem has ordered that the state's flags — which have been flying at half-staff since the death of President Jimmy Carter on Dec. 29 — be raised Monday to honor the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.

Donald Trump Jr. recalled his father’s reaction to the shocking tale to Politico reporter Alex Isenstadt, who detailed it in his upcoming book Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump’s Return to Power. “That’s not good at all,” Donald Trump reportedly told his son, according to the New York Post, which obtained a copy of the book.

So far, Kristi Noem appears to have strong backing from GOP senators who will be crucial to her confirmation as head of the Department of Homeland Security.

Donald Trump is back. He has a vision of the US — a more right-wing one, with a more populist bent. For his American dream to come to life, he has appointed a team of men and women. But who are they?

Many Republicans on Capitol Hill do not agree with President Donald Trump’s decision to pardon and commute sentences for more than 1,500 people charged with crimes related to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

In 2018, an Indigenous woman identified as C.M. and her 5-year-old son crossed the U.S.-Mexico border near San Luis, Arizona, seeking asylum. C.M., a Maya Mam native to Guatemala, told the border agents who apprehended her that she was fleeing life-threatening violence.