Top officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a joint statement Thursday rebuking President Donald Trump’s claims that he was the victim of widespread electoral corruption and irregularities, declaring that last week’s presidential election “was the most secure in American history” and “there is no evidence” of voter fraud or the subversion of any voting systems.

The statement was issued by a high-ranking committee of officials from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) – a part of the DHS signed into existence by Trump in 2018 – as well as several other top election officials, and comes as a stunning refutation of the president’s claims that his loss in the election was a result of stolen votes and other irregularities.

“There is no evidence that any voting system deleted or lost votes, changed votes, or was in any way compromised,” said the statement.

“While we know there are many unfounded claims and opportunities for misinformation about the process of our elections, we can assure you we have the utmost confidence in the security and integrity of our elections, and you should too,” the statement added. “When you have questions, turn to elections officials as trusted voices as they administer elections.”

Officials also listed the numerous ways in which elections with closely-contested elections could vet ballots, recheck their counts, and identify and correct any mistakes or errors.

In the nine days since Election Day, President Trump has made various claims casting suspicion on the results and alleging that that the election was stolen from him through a conspiracy involving big tech, local government officials, the mainstream media, and his political opponents in both the Democratic and Republican parties.

Trump has redoubled his accusation since former Vice President Joe Biden was projected as president-elect by various news agencies on Saturday after he managed to clinch key swing states. He currently holds 290 electoral votes, far more than the 270 needed to secure the presidency. Trump, in the meantime, only has 217 electoral votes.

The strong statement from Trump administration officials comes after Bryan Ware, the assistant cybersecurity director at CISA, submitted his resignation at the request of the White House earlier on Thursday, according to Reuters.

Trump had already been enraged by Ware and his senior colleagues at CISA after they refused to parrot his claims that mail-in voting was a clear avenue to fraud. Other cybersecurity officials had informed colleagues that they were likely to be placed on a blacklist of administration officials who would be terminated following the election, two senior officials told New York Times.

The list reportedly includes officials such as CISA director Christopher C. Krebs and FBI director Christopher Wray, who had publicly disagreed with the president’s claim that the investigation into Russian interference during the 2016 election was “a witch hunt” and pledged to resign if Trump demanded he commit any illegal acts.

Since last week, the president has reportedly been enraged at CISA moves to debunk misinformation about the electoral process through a “rumor control” website that directly refutes claims made by the Trump campaign and Trump’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani – including claims that votes were being cast on behalf of dead citizens, or that election results were hacked or compromised.

So, what do you think?

President Donald Trump reportedly has plans on starting his own media company when he leaves office. The allegedly planned company is believed to be a conservative news network that would compete directly with Fox News.

“He plans to wreck Fox. No doubt about it,” a source told Axios.

Trump reportedly plans to launch an online media network, and will not opt for cable television because securing a channel is extremely expensive and time-consuming. However, unlike television news, he is expected to charge a monthly fee, which would likely be comparable to the $5.99 monthly service fee charged by the Fox Nation streaming service.

To gather early subscribers, Trump will have a massive email list to turn to. Trump is said to have some of the most valuable contact lists in politics.

The source told Axios that Trump will not just be looking to compete with Fox, but he will be regularly criticizing them.

“He’s going to spend a lot of time slamming Fox,” the source said.

Trump has become increasingly critical of Fox, accusing them numerous times of being too favorable to Democrats and having too many Democrat guests on the network.

Starting a new conservative news network is an idea that Trump has considered before. In 2016, he considered launching his own TV network if he lost the US presidential election. He also suggested starting a network of his own during his impeachment inquiry last year.

At a Medicare event in Florida last year, Trump said “We ought to start our own network and put some real news out there,” while he was discussing his displeasure with the coverage he was given on CNN.

“We really are, we are looking at that. We should do something about it too. Put some really talented people and get a real voice out there, not a voice that’s fake,” Trump said at the time, according to CNN. 

The Trump family also intends to maintain a strong presence in the Republican party, regardless of how their challenge of the electron results turns out.

Last week, three GOP advisers told CNN that Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle are making moves to expand their influence at the Republican National Committee. Other sources have said that they have ambitions to take over the party.

Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle are reportedly unhappy with RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel over what they perceive as a lack of support during a contested election. Speaking under the condition of anonymity, a Republican Party source with close ties to the White House said that Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle could seek leadership roles at the RNC.

“Don Jr. and Kimberly have an eye on the RNC, through themselves taking over or somebody close to them taking over,” the source said.

Donald Trump Jr. denied claims that he has ambitions to take over the party, as did Andrew Surabian, a Trump associate who said that the rumors are “100% incorrect.”

If the Trump family is able to expand its influence in the GOP and the RNC, they could position Donald Trump to run for president a second time in 2024, a possibility that has been floated by numerous Trump advisers. 

As the “Sunshine State,” Florida has a well-earned reputation as a land of beaches, subtropical weather, competitive pro sports teams, and being host to the “Happiest Place on Earth.”

However, the state also has earned notoriety as being hurricane-prone, deeply conservative, and swimming with zany stories about the mythical “Florida man.” More importantly, Florida is also a land of geographic diversity where people frequently rub shoulders with the region’s wildlife – and especially its massive crocodiles and alligators.

Such was the case on Thursday when a humongous alligator was spotted jaunting through a golf course in the southwest Florida city of Naples, treating the green like its very own personal lawn.

The shocking video of the Jurassic-sized gator was captured at the Valencia Golf and Country Club, and shows the reptilian predator waddling through the grassy field in an uber casual manner before plunging into the water.

The video footage and captured stills of the massive beast quickly made the rounds on the internet, with many comparing the Florida native to a monster or even a dinosaur. And let’s be honest, these humongous crocodilians aren’t too dissimilar from their extinct ancestors.

Many online users also expressed doubt over whether the images were real or were Photoshopped, mainly due to the mammoth size of the tremendous creatures.

“HUGE FLORIDA GATOR! Yep, this monster is real,” tweeted Matt Devitt, a meteorologist at WINK News.

HUGE FLORIDA GATOR! 🐊👀 Yep, this monster is real. Caught on camera during Hurricane #Eta in Naples. Credit: Jeff Jones @WINKNews pic.twitter.com/LGn0Hb19Rd

— Matt Devitt (@MattDevittWINK) November 12, 2020

“That’s no gator. That’s a walking, living dinosaur,” replied one user.

“I’ve seen some huge gators in Naples but seeing one taking a stroll like that is quite a sight,” tweeted another user.

A third commenter captured our mood perfectly by replying with a GIF of the iconic scene from Jurassic Park where young protagonist Lex trembles with fear at the sight of the dinos while appropriately holding a spoonful of jiggling, bright-green jello.  

pic.twitter.com/lZM33ccAXJ

— Tim Nessler (@TimNessler) November 12, 2020

While Florida is the natural habitat of American alligators – with an estimated 2 million wild gators living in the state – humans have every reason to feel awestruck and even fearful of the creatures.

The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) can grow to about 10 feet long – roughly the length of two grand pianos – and is frequently involved in terrifying cases of property damage, and can easily hurt or even kill people who fail to exercise caution around the native gators.

While alligators frequently try their best to steer clear of people, and the likelihood of a Florida resident being injured in an unprovoked gator attack is about one in 2.4 million, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

However, wild alligators have been known to aggressively pursue their human neighbors.

Don’t assume that alligators are slow-pokes, either – with speeds of up to 35 mph, gators can easily make lunch of even gold medal-winning runners like Usain Bolt, whose maximum speed is a comparatively plodding 28 mph.

“Never make the mistake of thinking that an alligator is slow and lethargic,” the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department warns. “Alligators are extremely quick and agile and will defend themselves when cornered.”

In general, experts recommend that people who encounter the animals should make a mad dash to flee. And if the creature does bite you, fight like your life depends on it.

In fact, a golf club – perhaps a nine-iron, wedge, or putter – could be ideal for whacking an alligator in before making your escape!