AMNA NAWAZ: Today, another of president-elect Trump's picks for a key Cabinet position faced questions from senators on Capitol Hill at a confirmation hearing.

Kristi Noem is the governor of South Dakota and is being considered to run the Department of Homeland Security.

Here's Lisa Desjardins.

SEN. RAND PAUL (R-KY): Governor Noem, please stand and raise your right-hand.

LISA DESJARDINS: South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem is already known on Capitol Hill, but, today, she personalized her biography.

GOV.

KRISTI NOEM (R-SD): I'm a wife and a mother and a grandmother, a farmer, rancher, businessperson.

I have served in our state legislature, in Congress for eight years and also a governor.

LISA DESJARDINS: And she is now president-elect Trump's pick to run the Department of Homeland Security.

If confirmed, she will oversee 240,000 employees tasked with securing the country from threats, dominating the conversation, border security, including Trump's plan for mass deportations.

Noem said she would prioritize criminals.

GOV.

KRISTI NOEM: Getting criminal aliens off of our streets and out of the country will help American communities be safer again.

LISA DESJARDINS: At the border, Noem said she would sharply limit legal parole and asylum programs, as well as ending the CBP-1 app used by asylum seekers.

She was asked about the role of Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, who does not need Senate confirmation.

Noem did not answer if he would give direct orders to border agents.

GOV.

KRISTI NOEM: The president will be in charge of the border.

LISA DESJARDINS: Noem won praise from the Republican side of the dais.

SEN. RICK SCOTT (R-FL): I think it's great that you're a governor and you bring that expertise to the table.

LISA DESJARDINS: But Democrats questioned her experience and readiness.

Senator Andy Kim of New Jersey asked for her list of top extremist threats to the U.S. GOV.

KRISTI NOEM: Since I'm not in the role today, I shouldn't get into specifics with you, but I think... (CROSSTALK) SEN. ANDY KIM (D-NJ): Well, you can at least get into specifics about what organizations that are out there.

So I just wanted to get a sense of your knowledge of the organizations.

GOV.

KRISTI NOEM: Yes.

We have all the traditional terrorist organizations that have always threatened the United States.

SEN. ANDY KIM: Such as?

GOV.

KRISTI NOEM: But I would also say -- I would say Hamas, ISIS, continuing down that path of those terrorist organizations.

LISA DESJARDINS: She aimed to reassure them, saying she would administer the office fairly.

GOV.

KRISTI NOEM: I will deliver the programs according to the law and that it will be done with no political bias.

And if the programs change or if you decide to change the rule of law, then I will follow that.

LISA DESJARDINS: Noem's confirmation is expected in the next week or two.

For the "PBS News Hour" I'm Lisa Desjardins.

AMNA NAWAZ: In the day's other headlines: President-elect Trump says he and Chinese President Xi Jinping will solve many problems together after the two leaders spoke on the phone today.

In a post on his TRUTH Social platform, Trump said they -- quote -- "discussed balancing trade, fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects."

For his part, President Xi congratulated Trump on his second term and said that China hopes for a -- quote -- "good start of the China-U.S. relationship during the new U.S.

presidency."

Trump has threatened to slap 60 percent tariffs on all Chinese imports coming to America, but he's also spoken highly of his past relationship with China's leader.

The Trump-Xi call comes as China reported a third straight annual decline in population last year.

Figures out today showed an overall population of just over 1.4 billion people at the end of 2024.

That's down by nearly 1.4 million from the previous year.

Experts say that people are living longer, but that hasn't offset a decline in new births, as young people focus on work, instead of starting families.

In the meantime, China also announced today that its economy grew 5 percent last year.

That is slower than the year before, but it's in line with Beijing's targets.

In Moscow, the leaders of Russia and Iran deepened their country's ties today.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, signed a -- quote -- "comprehensive strategic partnership treaty."

It covers trade and military cooperation, plus areas like education, science and culture.

The pact comes as both countries face damaging Western sanctions.

The U.S. has accused Iran of providing drones to Russia for its war in Ukraine.

Both countries have denied this.

Back in this country, Ohio's Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted will fill the Senate seat left vacant by vice president-elect J.D.

Vance.

Governor Mike DeWine announced his choice today after months of speculation.

The 57-year-old Republican is a former Ohio House speaker and secretary of state.

Vance served in the Senate for less than two years before being tapped to run with president-elect Trump.

Husted will serve until December of 2026.

A special election will be held that November to fill the last two years' Vance's six-year term.

Firefighters in Los Angeles are taking advantage of more favorable wind conditions today as they battle blazes that have been burning for more than a week.

At last check, the Palisades Fire was 31 percent contained.

The Eaton Fire, which has devastated the community of Altadena, was 65 percent contained.

Cal Fire officials warned that the gusty Santa Ana winds will pick up again next week, putting tens of thousands of Angelenos at risk.

ROB CLARK, Fire Behavior Analyst, Cal Fire: With this weather that we have here, we will take a little respite from the active burning conditions we have had for a couple days, but, in the near future, we could be right back into those critical burning conditions.

AMNA NAWAZ: The wildfires have killed at least 27 people and destroyed some 12,000 properties so far in the Los Angeles area.

SpaceX says a fire may have caused its Starship rocket to break apart during its test flight yesterday.

The booster made it back to a landing pad safely, but the rocket broke up in space about eight minutes after liftoff.

Eyewitness video caught debris from the spacecraft raining down over Turks and Caicos in the Atlantic.

Flights near the falling debris had to be diverted.

The Federal Aviation Administration today ordered SpaceX to investigate what went wrong.

On Wall Street today, stocks rallied to close out the week.

The Dow Jones industrial average jumped more than 330 points.

The Nasdaq surge nearly 300 points, or about 1.5 percent.

The S&P 500 also closed firmly in positive territory.

And acclaimed British actress of stage and screen Joan Plowright has died.

JOAN PLOWRIGHT, Actress: If you would despise me, I would forgive him.

But if he loved me to madness, I will never requite him.

AMNA NAWAZ: Considered one of the greatest actresses of her generation, Plowright won a Tony Award and two Golden Globes over a seven-decade career.

She was also the widow of actor Laurence Olivier, her partner in art and in life.

They were married for 28 years and worked together on a number of plays.

Plowright enjoyed success late in life in such films as "101 Dalmatians" and "Enchanted April," which garnered her an Oscar nomination.

She described her beginnings on stage as a passion, an outlet and a calling.

JOAN PLOWRIGHT: No, I think there was a rebel always inside.

But I think I never had the total confidence to behave as I felt until I was allowed onto the stage, and it could come out in other characters.

AMNA NAWAZ: Plowright was made a dame commander of the British Empire in 2004 for her lifetime of contributions to the arts.

Dame Joan Plowright was 95 years old.

Still to come on the "News Hour": David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart offer their takes on the end of the Biden administration; and Amanda Gorman shares her new poem about the California wildfires.