* “The threat from terrorism is real, but we will overcome it. We will destroy ISIL (ISIS) and any other organization that tries to harm us. …Our success won’t depend on tough talk, or abandoning our values or giving in to fear. Instead, we will prevail by being strong and smart, resilient and relentless.”–President Barack Obama.
* “We pray to God to accept them as martyrs.”–ISIS, in praise of the “supporters” who massacred 14 people in San Bernardino, Calif.
* “Christians and Muslims and members of traditional religions have lived peacefully for many years. Together, we say ‘no’ to hatred, to vengeance and violence, especially that committed in the name of a religion or God.”–Pope Francis.
* “We are not able to grieve with our fellow Americans when tragedies like this happen. We have to think about defending ourselves and praying that the perpetrators are not Muslim.”–Waqas Syed, a director of the Islamic Circle of North America.
* “Climate change has become one of the gravest challenges humanity is facing. Russia has been contributing actively to addressing global warming.”–Russian President Vladimir Putin.
* “Americans are deeply cynical about the entire political enterprise; they are losing faith in the normal process of politics. This creates the conditions for the rise of demagogues, of people who excel at inflaming tensions. Enter Donald Trump, who delights in tearing down the last remaining guardrails in our political culture.”–Peter Wehner, senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.
* “Jeb–and the broader establishment that he represents–needs to understand that these are desperate times for them. … Someone needs to step up and try to take Trump out if, indeed, the establishment believes that The Donald as the party’s nominee is a catastrophic situation. No one is better positioned–or has less to lose than Jeb and Right to Rise (super PAC). It’s time to take a chance.”–Chris Cillizza, Washington Post.
* “…Narcissistic BULLYionaire with a hunger to be adored.”–From an anti-Trump ad in the Miami Herald placed by Jeb Bush backer Mike Fernandez, a major donor to Bush’s Right to Rise Super PAC.
* “Of course I worry. All of us have to worry about the viability of the top of the ticket.”–Sen. John McCain.
* “She (Hillary Clinton) is such a strong brand here. The Obama infrastructure is not fully intact, but it’s still here. Between piecing that together and her part that already exists, she’s going to be able to walk in and turn on a campaign. She will have a massive campaign.”–Florida Democratic Party vice chairman Alan Clendenin.
* “Forecasters say El Niño should bring much needed rain to California. Meanwhile, Donald Trump said if elected president, he won’t let El Niño into the country.”–Conan O’Brien.
* “I anticipate continued economic growth at a moderate pace that will be sufficient to generate additional increases in employment, further reductions in the remaining margins of labor market slack and a rise in inflation to our 2 percent objective.”–Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen.
* “In recognition of the progress that the Chinese authorities have made in the past years in reforming China’s monetary and financial systems.”–Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, in announcing that the IMF had designated the Chinese yuan as one of the world’s elite currencies–along with the dollar, the euro, the pound and the yen.
* “Since President Xi Jinping came to power three years ago, his promotion of the Chinese Dream–Equity! Fairness! Innovation!–has become a rallying cry for national rejuvenation. Its practical impact, however, has been to foment nationalist sentiment that often feels xenophobic. Journalists, academics and Buddhist monks are forced to attend political education classes, where they repeat bromides about the primacy of the Communist Party.”–Andrew Jacobs, former China correspondent for the New York Times.
* “I want to take this opportunity to state that I stand behind Secretary Carter’s decision and fully support opening all special operations specialties and units to female service members.”–Army Gen. Joseph Votel, in announcing his support for Defense Secretary Ashton Carter’s announcement that he will open all combat jobs to women, including missions run by SOCom out of MacDill Air Force Base.
* “Be yourself; everyone else is taken.”–Oscar Wilde.
* “Inside, it’s really about survival first and then innocence later.”–William Dillon, who was wrongfully imprisoned for 27 years.
* “In Cuba, government still matters more than investment. … Our advice to companies looking to invest in Cuba is: Assess the opportunity carefully, hire good advisers, accept that government will be your partner, and, most important, be patient while proceeding.”–Mike Coates, president and chief executive of Hill & Knowlton Strategies Americas.
* “The goal has not changed and has always been compliance with the Fair Districts Amendment.”–Florida Supreme Court Justice Barbara Pariente.
* “We started this at just the right time. It came to be during a lull, when the economy was hurting. But now passenger traffic is picking up and the economy is recovering.”–TIA CEO Joe Lopano, on the timing of TIA expansion and renovation.
* “This region needs baseball. You can’t have a big league area without big league baseball. … To me, the most important thing is just making sure we retain this great community asset.”–Jeff Vinik.
* Given the phenomenal success of the Epicurean, it makes sense to explore other destinations that might be a good fit for a food-focused boutique hotel.”–Joe Collier, president of Mainsail Lodging & Development, which is in talks with a Texas developer to bring the first duplicate of the South Tampa concept to the Dallas market.
* “Given the way we construct our team, given our finances, we don’t have the luxury of depth if we want to have the talent across 25 guys to compete.”–Matt Silverman, Tampa Bay Rays baseball operations president.