* “Pakistan regards Afghanistan as its backyard. Determined not to let its archrival, India, gain influence there, and to ensure that Afghanistan remains in the Sunni Islamist camp, Pakistan has used the Taliban selectively… . The same goes for Al Qaeda and other foreign fighters.”–Carlotta Gall, author of “The Wrong Enemy: America in Afghanistan 2001-2014.”
* “Without specific changes on your side that allow the private sector to engage, our changes will not unlock the opportunities for the Cuban people that both of us want to see.”–U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, in making the case that Cuba must now do more to help facilitate commerce after the historic thaw between the two nations.
* “I intend to do my job between now and Jan. 20 of 2017. I expect them to do their job as well.”–President Barack Obama, in underscoring that he will nominate a successor to Justice Antonin Scalia and expects the Senate to act on it.
* “President Barack Obama’s task is further complicated by exceptionally bad relations with Congress. … He has no chits of goodwill to cash.”–Michael Gerson, Washington Post.
* “Like it or not–and I am in the ‘not’ category–President Obama was elected to serve a second term. Americans elected him to be president and with that goes the right and responsibility to appoint judges.”–George LeMieux, former Republican U.S. senator from Florida.
* “The presidential election will determine whether the court leans left or right. The handful of close Senate races will determine the (ideological) range in which the next president can operate in selecting nominees.”–Kermit Roosevelt, professor of constitutional law at the University of Pennsylvania.”
* “Originalists would have to concede that it’s the president’s job to nominate a replacement for an empty Supreme Court seat and the Senate’s job to advise and consent–or dissent as the case may be. Yet to Republicans, the idea of Obama fulfilling his constitutional responsibilities falls somewhere between apocalyptic and absurd.”–Kathleen Parker, Washington Post.
* “I wonder if President Obama would have attended the funeral of Justice Scalia if it were held in a mosque?”–Donald Trump.
* “The people of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina have spoken and I really respect their decision, so tonight I am suspending my campaign.”–Jeb Bush.
* “I don’t understand our country any more.”–St. Petersburg developer and former Ambassador Mel Sembler, who helped fund-raise for Bush’s Right to Rise super PAC.
* “If divided government persists, it’s really hard to see how we avoid growing chaos. Maybe we should all start wearing baseball caps that say, ‘Make America governable again.'”–Paul Krugman, New York Times.
* “The wonkosphere vs. Bernie clash is not just a story of center-left versus left-left. It is also a clash between those who have been in the trenches of trying to make public policy for the last seven years versus those who can exist in a kind of theoretical world of imagining what public policy ought to be.”–Neil Irwin, New York Times.
* “The argument that contributions don’t affect politicians’ conduct is contrary to my experience.”–Former Rep. Brad Miller, D-N.C.
* “I believe the biggest banks are still too big to fail and continue to pose a significant, ongoing risk to our economy.”–Neel Kashkari, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
* “The good thing about Customs and Border Protection is it’s very non-partisan. No one supports having less reviews of cargo or people coming in.”–R. Gil Kerlikowske, commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
* “While we believe the FBI’s intentions are good, it would be wrong for the government to force us to build a backdoor into our products. And, ultimately, we fear that this demand would undermine the very freedoms and liberty our government is meant to protect.”–Apple CEO Tim Cook.
* “A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian.”–Pope Francis.
* “Really nothing more than common sense. It’s not a gun rights issue. It’s bad public policy.”–The rationale of State Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami and chairman of the Judiciary Committee, for not scheduling the open-carry bill for a hearing.
* “Most people under 40, they will never go outside and look at the race track. Unless there is some way to make dog, horse racing or jai alai exciting again, I don’t see the parimutuels surviving as tracks.”–Izzy Havenick, vice president of Magic City Casino and owner of greyhound tacks in Miami-Dade and Lee counties.
* “The numbers show marketing works.”–Visit Florida President and CEO Will Seccombe, on Florida setting a record for tourism in 2015–welcoming 105 million visitors to the state.
* “We’re enthusiastic free traders here, and we have significant trade with Asia, generally. Our port serves as a top market for Asia in both directions, and this (Trans-Pacific Partnership) agreement could build up the regional economy and bolster port business.”–Wade Elliott, Port Tampa Bay vice president of marketing and business development.
* “Tampa International is well-positioned for commercial air service. We’ve got solid demand.”–TIA spokeswoman Janet Zink, on the airport’s status in the wake of a deal allowing for regular passenger flights between the U.S. and Cuba.
* “If we’re going to be competitive, we have to have mobility options. We can’t build enough roads in the urban core to meet our needs. The ability to move people by mass transit is critical to our future.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn.
* “We were just waiting for the right time. With record tourism, our business has been doing very well.”–Troy Manthey, owner of Yacht Starship Dining Cruises, in announcing that he is adding three water taxis this month.
* “The utility and performance and benefits of robotic surgery have come under scrutiny in the last four or five years, and there are those that believe robotic surgery adds a lot of time and a lot of costs in the operating room but no benefit to patients compared to other surgical techniques that are much longer-lasting. Robotics itself–the bloom is off the rose a little bit.”–Ed Funai, chief operating officer and vice president for administration and strategic development for USF Health.
* “One of the good things about this is we can do it for six months, have law enforcement report back, and if it’s not having the intended effect, fix it.”–Tampa City Councilman Harry Cohen on the council’s plan to decriminalize marijuana use in small amounts.
* “It’s a cool thing you’ve got going here, and it’s unique.”–Bob Peterson, chairman and CEO of Carter, the Atlanta-based development company that recently broke ground on a $90-million, 23-story apartment tower on North Franklin Street.
* “I’m encouraged because Mr. Sternberg seems to be encouraged. He seems positive and, as a result I’m positive.”–MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, on stadium input from Rays owner Stu Sternberg.