Promising reform, Noem tells US Coast Guard Academy graduates they will lead a ‘brand new' service
The U.S. Coast Guard is facing its largest readiness crisis since World War II, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Wednesday as she promised an overhaul of the service that she called the 'point of the spear' in the nation's defense.
Noem, the keynote speaker at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy's commencement, outlined the Trump administration's plans to increase the service's military workforce by at least 15,000 by the end of fiscal year 2028. The plan also calls for reducing the number of admirals by 25%, boosting recruiting efforts and increasing the fleet, including icebreakers that are used in the Arctic.
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Winnipeg Free Press
19 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Springsteen's Berlin concert echoes with history and a stark warning
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Calgary Herald
19 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
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Toronto Sun
a day ago
- Toronto Sun
ICE BARBIE: Who is pistol-packing Homeland Security boss Kristi Noem?
Get the latest from Brad Hunter straight to your inbox DO YOU FEEL LUCKY: U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. DHS Like a rock star on a whirlwind tour, Homeland Security boss Kristi Noem is everywhere there's action. Here she is on an ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raid in Boston, another in New York City and others in the United States, where there are illegal immigrants. Wearing her baseball hat, a T-shirt and packing a gun, Noem has the fervour of a true believer. And what she believes in is God, guns and Donald J. Trump, and not necessarily in that order. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem takes part in an 'enforcement operation' in New York City on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in an image she posted to X. Photo by @Sec_Noem / X Now, Noem, 53, is at the forefront of the battle to deport illegal immigrants from Los Angeles, a place she has slammed as a 'city of criminals.' 'Kristi Noem hates America and hates Americans,' one critic wrote. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Just who the hell is Kristi Noem? LOVES HER GUNS: Kristy Noem. INSTAGRAM NOEM SWEET NOEM 411: The former governor of South Dakota and U.S. Air Force reservist grew up on a ranch and was crowned South Dakota Snow Queen. She has three children and is a grandmother. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem attends a Security Alliance for Fugitive Enforcement Memorandum of Cooperation signing ceremony, at the presidential palace on March 26, 2025 in San Salvador, El Salvador. Photo by Alex Brandon-Pool / Getty Images THUNDER NOEM 411: Noem's political career began in the South Dakota House of Representatives, serving from 2007 to 2011. She was elected as the first female governor of the state in 2018. President Donald Trump endorsed her. Noem is a huge proponent of the Second Amendment. She shot one of her dogs. Presumably not this one. KRISTI NOEM/ INSTAGRAM CRICKET FILES 411: Noem wrote in her autobiography, No Going Back , about shooting and killing a puppy named Cricket that she didn't like. She claimed the dog was 'untrainable' and attacked chickens. The revelation caused outrage. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem may have her chances at being Donald Trumps running mate. Photo by INSTAGRAM QUOTE 'You know, that story was a choice as a mom. The safety of my children versus a dangerous dog that was killing livestock and attacking people.' — KRISTI NOEM Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. TUBBY TYRANT: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visiting the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Amur region on September 13, 2023. Photo by Mikhail Metzel/Pool/AFP / Getty Images TUBBY TYRANT 411: Critics have said Noem tells whoppers, like meeting the doughy North Korean despot, Kim Jong Un, in an early version of her book. Whoops! I LOVE YOU, KRISTI! In this photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, left, supervises artillery firing drills in North Korea, on March 7, 2024. Photo by Korean Central News Agency / Korea News Service via AP, File QUOTE 'I'm sure he underestimated me, having no clue about my experience staring down little tyrants (I'd been a children's pastor, after all),' Noem wrote, according to The New York Times . HMMM? Rumours linked Noem to Corey Lewandowski. She denied it. Photo by Al Drago / Bloomberg WICKED WHISPERS 411: Noem torpedoed a 2021 story alleging that she was having a torrid extramarital affair with political operative Corey Lewandowski. Calling the rumours a 'disgusting lie', she added, 'these old, tired attacks on conservative women are based on a falsehood that we can't achieve anything without a man's help.' Two years later, the rumour resurfaced. Her peeps denied it. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. NO DANCING: President Donald Trump takes the stage before he speaks at the FOX Nation Patriot Awards, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, in Greenvale, N.Y. Photo by Heather Khalifa / AP Photo DONALD'S DISS 411: Noem hosted a town hall with Trump last October, but the prez didn't want to play ball. After a few lobball questions, Trump was done and wanted to dance to his campaign playlist. Noem's attempts to dance with Trump were rebuffed. SD Gov. Kristi Noem in action. INSTAGRAM QUOTE 'Let's not do any more questions. Let's just listen to music. Let's make it into a music – who the hell wants to hear questions, right?' — DONALD TRUMP NOT WELCOME: Noem remains under fire from the Lakota for linking the tribe to Mexican dope cartels. INSTAGRAM TRIBAL TROUBLE 411: Noem was banned from all nine of South Dakota's reservations. She said: 'Make no mistake, the cartels have a presence on several of South Dakota's tribal reservations … They have been successful in recruiting tribal members to join their criminal activity.' Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem takes questions from the press before boarding her plane at Comalapa International Airport in San Salvador, El Salvador, Wednesday, March 26, 2025. Photo by Alex Brandon / AP NOEM WAY! 411: In April, the Homeland Security Secretary's purse was stolen from a D.C. burger joint. Among the loot: Her government access badge, apartment keys, $2,000-3,000 in cash, her passport, and blank cheques. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. SHES A RIOT! Midwestern marm turned California girl, Kristi Noem. INSTAGRAM LA WOMAN 411: Noem has been vocal about the raids in Los Angeles designed to deport illegal criminals. She claims L.A.'s hapless Mayor Karen Blass 'protected' thugs for years and that ICE is looking for '400 to 500 targets.' Cali Gov. Gavin Newsom has done 'absolutely nothing.' Demonstrators smash the windshield of a vehicle next to a burning Waymo vehicle as protesters clash with law enforcement in the streets surrounding the federal building during a protest following federal immigration operations in Los Angeles, California, on June 8, 2025. (Photo by RINGO CHIU / AFP) Photo by RINGO CHIU / AFP via Getty Images LA LATEST 411: Trump has doubled the number of National Guardsmen in the City of Angels, with 2,000 more troops joining those on the ground on Monday. A contingent of 700 U.S. Marines has also been deployed. AYE CORUMBA! 411: Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is Noem's latest scapegoat, claiming the former has been 'encouraging violent protests' in L.A. Sheinbaum called the allegations 'absolutely false.' bhunter@ @HunterTOSun RECOMMENDED VIDEO Celebrity NHL Editorial Cartoons News Toronto & GTA
