The U.S. Department of Homeland Security skipped a fully competitive bidding process to give two Republican-linked firms the first part of a $200 million anti-immigration ad campaign.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is promising to be a tough hand in carrying out President-elect Donald Trump's vision for the sprawling Department of Homeland Security including his plans to crack down on border security.

Donald Trump has selected South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to head the Department of Homeland Security.

Donald Trump typically likes to be the one in the spotlight.

Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis have been on a collision course from the start.

Many political watchers expected Gov. Kristi Noem to cruise to reelection this year in Republican-dominated South Dakota against a Democratic challenger without statewide experience.

Republicans hoping to emerge from crowded primaries this year have spent tens of thousands of dollars hiring operatives with ties to former President Donald Trump.

Former President Donald Trump remains the most popular figure with the GOP base as he considers another bid for the White House.

As former President Donald Trump has waded into contested primaries across the country, trying to exact revenge and remake the Republican Party in his image, he has endorsed a series of candidates facing serious allegations, especially concerning their treatment of women.

Texas Republican Jake Ellzey is the newest member of the U.S. House.

During the last two months of his tenure, former acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller removed a number of longtime members from several defense policy, health, science and business boards and replaced many with loyalists of former President Donald Trump. And he ordered all committee members who were appointed by the defense secretary to resign no later than Feb. 16. In November, however, Trump appointed him to that same post, just days after firing then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper and putting Miller in the job. Miller appointed Tata to the Defense Policy Board on Jan. 19, his last full day on the job. AdOne new congressionally mandated commission is also being purged of the four members that Miller appointed in early January.

FILE - In this Dec. 12, 2020, file photo, President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington before boarding Marine One. As he prepares to exit the White House, President Donald Trump is rewarding some supporters and like-minded allies with the perks and prestige that come with serving on federal advisory boards and commissions. “But nobody does these things with more politicization than Trump,” Light said. The positions have what Light describes as “gorgeous resume value.”The number of advisory board positions has ballooned over the years. Among the most consequential of the wave of appointments has been with advisory boards at the Pentagon.

The Pentagon has appointed two close political allies of President Donald Trump to a defense advisory board, continuing a purge of the Defense Department in the waning weeks of the Trump administration. The acting secretary of defense, Christopher Miller, said in a written statement Friday that nine members of the Defense Business Board had been replaced with the appointment of 11 new members. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)WASHINGTON – The Pentagon has appointed two close allies of President Donald Trump, Corey Lewandowski and David Bossie, to a defense advisory board, continuing a post-election purge in the final weeks of the administration. The Miller statement initially said the nine individuals removed from the board had been serving in ”expired positions," implying they were overdue to leave. But later the Pentagon amended the statement to say some board members had been “terminated.” It gave no reason for the firings.

The agency's officials did not answer directly when Democrats on the House Committee on Administration asked in 2018 how many lawmakers carry firearms in the Capitol. Aides can carry lawmakers’ weapons for them on the Capitol complex, he wrote. He said members and their staffs carry firearms around the Capitol “all the time,” though he mentioned no names. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., chairman of the House Second Amendment Caucus, justified letting lawmakers carry weapons. Its officers routinely arrest people caught trying to carry weapons at the Capitol.

WASHINGTON – A Pentagon official installed in a top policy job last week has tested positive for COVID-19, the Pentagon said Thursday, just days after he met with the Lithuanian defense minister, who had contracted the virus. Jonathan Hoffman, the chief Pentagon spokesperson, said Anthony Tata, who is serving as the undersecretary of defense, was tested Thursday after learning that Defense Minister Raimundas Karoblis had tested positive. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows tested positive after attending an election night party at the White House. Others who were at the party also tested positive, including White House political director Brian Jack, former White House aide Healy Baumgardner and Trump campaign advisers David Bossie and Corey Lewandowski. The assistant commandant of the Marine Corps later also tested positive, and all the chiefs were forced to quarantine at home for at least 10 days.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, meanwhile, said Trump is “not even at that point yet” when it comes to conceding to Biden. Trump spoke with conservative media on Friday, including Fox News' Geraldo Rivera, suggesting he would acknowledge the loss only after exhausting his legal options. “While we are not there yet, we are close to the objective” to having a vaccine ready for deployment by the end of the year, he said. “The governor will let us know when he’s ready," Trump said. Others at the party also have tested positive, including White House political director Brian Jack, former White House aide Healy Baumgardner and Trump campaign advisers David Bossie and Corey Lewandowski.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, meanwhile, said Trump is “not even at that point yet” when it comes to conceding to Biden. Trump spoke with conservative media on Friday, including Fox News' Geraldo Rivera, suggesting he would acknowledge the loss only after exhausting his legal options. “While we are not there yet, we are close to the objective” to having a vaccine ready for deployment by the end of the year, he said. “The governor will let us know when he’s ready," Trump said. Others at the party also have tested positive, including White House political director Brian Jack, former White House aide Healy Baumgardner and Trump campaign advisers David Bossie and Corey Lewandowski.

The White House coronavirus task force held its first post-election meeting Monday. But Trump, who does not take part in the task force meetings, remains preoccupied with last week’s election results. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows tested positive last week after attending an election night party at the White House. Others at the party also have tested positive, including White House political director Brian Jack, former White House aide Healy Baumgardner and Trump campaign advisers David Bossie and Corey Lewandowski. Lewandowski said Thursday that he believes he contracted the virus in Philadelphia while assisting the president’s election challenge there.

NEW YORK – One of publishing's most thriving genres of the past four years, books about President Donald Trump, is not going to end when he leaves office. In 2021 and beyond, look for waves of releases about the Trump administration and about the president's loss to Democratic candidate Joe Biden. “But there are tens of millions of Americans who look to the Trump presidency as an important time and are fans of his administration. Center Street, a Hachette Book Group imprint, has published Donald Trump Jr., Newt Gingrich and Judge Jeanine Pirro among others. Any publisher signing with Trump or a top administration official might face the anger not just of Trump critics among the general public, but from within the industry.

If you count the illegal votes, they can try to steal the election from us," Trump claimed. Trump delivered his statement before reporters in the White House briefing room and left without taking questions. The Associated Press has not declared a winner, and it could take several more days for the vote count to conclude and a clear winner to emerge. "Donald Trump is alive and well,” Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien said in a call with reporters Thursday morning. Many White House and senior Republican officials were in the dark about what Trump planned to say in his evening speech.

The Trump campaign will host a press conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with Eric Trump, Trump 2020 Senior Advisor Lara Trump, Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, andcampaign Senior Advisor Corey Lewandowski. 3:35 p.m.President Donald Trump’s campaign says it’s suing to temporarily stop the vote count in Pennsylvania, claiming lack of “transparency.”Justin Clark, Trump’s deputy campaign manager, said in a statement Wednesday that the campaign is ``suing to stop Democrat election officials from hiding the ballot counting and processing from our Republican poll observers.'' He said the campaign wants ``to temporarily halt counting until there is meaningful transparency and Republicans can ensure all counting is done above board and by the law.'' Clark also said the campaign would seek to intervene in an ongoing Supreme Court case involving the deadline for receiving mail-in ballots. There have been no reports by law enforcement of fraud or any type of ballot concerns out of Pennsylvania.

WHY AP HASN’T CALLED PENNSYLVANIA:A close margin and a large number of outstanding votes are what’s making the Pennsylvania contest between President Donald Trump and Joe Biden too early to call. State law dictates that a recount must be held if the margin between the two candidates is less than 0.5%. The Pennsylvania secretary of state’s website said Friday that there were about 89,000 more mail ballots to count. It’s not like, ‘Oh, it’s close,’” Trump said during an appearance at the White House. One reason the race tightened: Under state law, elections officials are not allowed to process mail-in ballots until Election Day.

In this image from video, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem speaks during the third night of the Republican National Convention on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020. South Dakota Gov. At the governor's request, the South Dakota Department of Tourism aired a Fox News ad narrated by Noem that premiered alongside her Wednesday speech at the RNC. Meanwhile, the number of Google searches for such terms as South Dakota tourism and visit South Dakota remained stagnant.

Noem will be rewarded for her optimism Wednesday with a speaking slot at the Republican National Convention. Noem supported the event as health experts warned it could become a super-spreader event. They like that.Noem, 48, has angled for increased attention from Trump since shortly after taking office as South Dakota's first female governor in 2019. Early on in the pandemic, Noem discouraged large gatherings, closed schools and issued an order in April directing vulnerable people in two hard-hit counties to stay home. She has yet to appear at a news conference with a mask to the exasperation of health experts and moderate Republicans in her state.

NEW YORK As anyone who has ever heard him speak knows, President Donald Trump loves to relive 2016. Our latest staff additions are making Team Trump even stronger and solidify Brads leadership.In the last week, the Trump campaign hired Jason Miller, communications director in 2016, to focus on strategy and coordinate between the campaign and the White House. And some of Trumps 2016 team never left: Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, the presidents daughter and son-in-law, are senior advisers. Kellyanne Conway, the presidents final 2016 campaign manager, remains a senior White House counselor. That includes Bannon, who remains supportive of Trump after a messy exit from the White House, and Keith Schiller, Trumps longtime security man.