Trump picks South Dakota Guv Kristi Noem as Homeland Security secretary, CNN reports

She rose to national prominence after refusing to impose a statewide mask mandate during the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, Noem had a turbulent few months politically this year.

She faced widespread backlash in April this year when she wrote in a memoir that she shot to death an “untrainable” dog that she “hated” on her family farm, following which some Trump advisers said they believed
that Noem’s stock had fallen in the former president’s eyes at the time when she was still a VP contender.

Both Trump’s campaign and Noem’s office did not respond to requests for comments outside regular business hours.

The Department of Homeland Security is responsible for everything from border protection and immigration to disaster response and the US Secret Service.

Trump on Monday appointed Tom Homan as his administration’s incoming “border czar”.

Homan said he will prioritise deporting illegal immigrants who pose threats to public safety and national security.

Sources told Reuters on Monday that Trump was expected to tap US Senator Marco Rubio to be his secretary of state.

From the homepage

‘I will not call it a mishap’: Assam CM Himanta calls Zubeen Garg’s death a ‘murder’

Hoardings to keep out pastors in Chhattsigarh villages: Kerala-based church calls it ‘most divisive boundary since Partition’

Her grit, Her game, Her glory: From Harmanpreet Kaur to Shafali Verma, meet India’s 16 pioneering World Cup winners