South Dakota

Trio of South Dakota politicians set to have bigger roles on cybersecurity

Published

1 year ago

November 27, 2024

Trio of South Dakota politicians set to have bigger roles on cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is set to get a decidedly South Dakotan bent in 2025.

Three Republican South Dakota politicians are in line to take on more prominent roles to influence cyber policy next year: Gov. Kristi Noem is president-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Homeland Security Department, Sen. Mike Rounds is poised to seize the gavel of a key cybersecurity subcommittee and John Thune will become Senate majority leader.

As president of Dakota State University, a school that has put a big focus on cybersecurity and tech, José-Marie Griffiths has worked with all three of them closely on cyber issues — testifying before their committees, consulting them on legislation, being appointed to national commissions by them and more.

She has a sense, then, of how the trio will approach their newly elevated roles. In an interview with CyberScoop, she said she expects China to get more attention from the South Dakota politicians, as well as agriculture, a more proactive approach to cybersecurity and a recognition of the need for cyber talent in the center of the country.

Thune and Rounds have sponsored cyber legislation in the Senate in the past, and as majority leader, Thune will be able to play a major role in what bills make it to the floor.

“Senator Thune is a little bit quieter and calmer than most,” Griffith said. “He doesn’t give an awful lot away. I think he will initially be focused on all of the Senate.”

But, she said, “I can imagine that with Governor Noem, if she’s confirmed, and with [Thune’s] position and with Senator Rounds and his role in cybersecurity, I would find it unusual if they didn’t see something emerge, some of those bills come up to the forefront.”

Thune’s past tenure as chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee gave him jurisdiction over and oversight of privacy and tech bills, making it a legislative focus of his. He was part of the long-stalled push to pass a data privacy measure, and sponsored a bill on artificial intelligence standards.

“His Commerce [Committee] side was very much involved when we had the 5G issues that we were talking about,” Griffiths said. Thune this year discussed how that topic is a national security challenge amid competition with China.

Thune has also sponsored or co-sponsored cybersecurity-specific bills, including ones to boost the cyber defense of drones, create a cyber public awareness campaign, develop voluntary cyber guidelines, bolster the cyber workforce and aid small businesses on cybersecurity.

As the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Rounds has emphasized threats from China, Russia and new technologies, and has spoken about the need to improve both cyber offense and defense. He was the first senator to serve as chairman of that subcommittee.

He touted language he got into the annual defense policy bill last year, such as a provision authorizing the Defense Department to conduct cyber operations against Mexican drug cartels. Rounds also fought to keep the National Defense University’s College of Information and Cyberspace open. Separate from his subcommittee role, Rounds has sponsored or co-sponsored legislation on the cyber workforce and agricultural cybersecurity.

Given his background, Rounds tends to approach cyber as a national security and defense issue, Griffiths said.

Spokespeople for Rounds and Thune did not respond to requests for comment about their cybersecurity-focused priorities in the coming years.

Noem’s record on cybersecurity includes rejecting DHS grants, hyping the industry in her state and signing cyber legislation into law. Griffiths said Noem got up to speed on cyber during her time in Congress as a member of the House Armed Services Committee.

One problem Griffiths has talked about is the tendency for cyber professionals to flock to the coasts — Silicon Valley in the private sector, and Washington, D.C. to work for the government. Noem’s aware of that too, Griffiths said.

“She recognizes that we need to see more capabilities, or leverage more capabilities, in the center of the country,” Griffiths said. “I think that’s going to be interesting.”

South Dakota’s House representative, Republican Dusty Johnson, also sits on the United States House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.

“All four of them are very interested in the role of China,” Griffiths said.

With agriculture being South Dakota’s top industry, cybersecurity in that area could also get more emphasis from the state’s elevated trio. “Agriculture is probably the one critical infrastructure that came rather late to the game of cybersecurity,” she said.

And they could emphasize “a more proactive approach to cybersecurity,” Griffiths said, rather than reacting to the big headlines about the most recent cyberattacks.

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South Dakota

SD Lottery Powerball, Lotto America winning numbers for March 4, 2026

Published

43 minutes ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 4, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from March 4 drawing

07-14-42-47-56, Powerball: 06, Power Play: 4

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto America numbers from March 4 drawing

33-38-39-47-51, Star Ball: 07, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Dakota Cash numbers from March 4 drawing

02-18-22-30-32

Check Dakota Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 4 drawing

12-13-36-39-58, Bonus: 03

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.

When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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South Dakota

South Dakota lawmakers push bill criminalizing deepfakes nearer to governor’s desk

Published

13 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

South Dakota lawmakers push bill criminalizing deepfakes nearer to governor’s desk

John Hult
| South Dakota Searchlight

PIERRE — A bill from South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley to criminalize the creation or sharing of deepfakes was amended this week to more clearly define what constitutes nudity before it reaches Gov. Larry Rhoden’s desk.

The amendment, added on the floor of the House of Representatives, came in response to concerns about unintended consequences.

Senate Bill 41 creates a class of felony crime for the creation or distribution of images digitally altered to depict a person in a state of nudity or involved in a sexually explicit act, commonly referred to as deepfakes.

In testimony in the House Judiciary Committee on Monday in Pierre, Jackley pointed to the case of Mark Rathbun, a former Division of Motor Vehicles employee who is accused of taking images of women and girls from state databases and creating sexual images.“This is real, and it’s something that we unfortunately are seeing happen in our state,” Jackley said.

The judiciary committee voted 8-3 to send the bill to the House floor but not before a discussion on its potential to criminalize political memes.

The bill’s definition of nudity originally encompassed a partial state of nudity. Fort Pierre Republican Rep. Will Mortenson asked Jackley if that would include a fabricated topless photo. Jackley said yes. Then Mortenson asked if a fabricated image of Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker without a shirt, if shared by President Donald Trump on social media, would put the president in line for felony charges.

Jackley said a Pritzker image wouldn’t qualify because Pritzker is male, but Mortenson pushed back.

He noted that partially nude fabrications would be a felony if done with the intent to “self-gratify or alarm, annoy, embarrass, harass, invade the privacy of, threaten, or cause emotional, financial, physical, psychological, or reputational harm to that individual.”

Nothing in the bill specified that a person in a digitally fabricated topless image must be female.

“We just said that half-nude is a state of nudity, and so now he’s shirtless, and the point of this is to embarrass this guy,” Mortenson said of his topless Pritzker meme scenario.

Mortenson voted against the bill in committee but brought an amendment Tuesday to define nudity as inclusive of male or female genitalia, buttocks or the female nipple.

The amendment passed, but it did not address every concern about the bill.

Democratic Rep. Kadyn Wittman of Sioux Falls asked Jackley during the bill’s committee hearing why he didn’t use it to enhance penalties for people who film others in states of undress or participating in sexual activity against their will.

That behavior is a felony if it involves the recording of a minor, or if it happens repeatedly. The new penalties for deepfakes would be added to the same chapter of South Dakota law.

“Why is the first time hidden recording a misdemeanor generally, but a digitally fabricated image would automatically be a classified felony,” said Wittman.

Jackley said he feels that the creation of digitally manipulated sexual images, even if they aren’t shared, signals “significant criminal intent.” He told South Dakota Searchlight after the committee meeting that he’s open to addressing that issue, but that SB 41’s primary purpose was to target deepfakes.

On the House floor, Wittman was one of two representatives to say the bill’s felony penalties could be unnecessarily harsh in instances where young people make “a stupid decision” and create a deepfake.

“I feel like, in a lot of situations, this bill covers behavior that could be covered by a lower level of offense,” Wittman said.

Supporters countered that the creation of fake nudes can do real psychological damage to real people, and that the state needs to clearly signal that doing so is a serious crime.

“It’s only fun and games until it happens to you,” said Rep. Mary Fitzgerald, R-St. Onge.

The bill passed the House 60-6. It now moves to the state Senate, which passed the bill 32-0 on Jan. 16. The Senate would need to approve the amended version of the bill before it could be delivered to Gov. Larry Rhoden to sign or veto.

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South Dakota

SD Lottery Mega Millions, Millionaire for Life winning numbers for March 3, 2026

Published

1 day ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 3, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from March 3 drawing

07-21-53-54-62, Mega Ball: 16

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from March 3 drawing

09-10-13-25-54, Bonus: 05

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.

When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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