* “We have reached a level of human suffering without parallel since the founding of the United Nations.”–UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
* “Have we really forgotten what just happened (economically) eight years ago?”–President Barack Obama.
* “This is someone who should never have the nuclear codes, because it’s not hard to imagine Donald Trump leading us into a war just because somebody got under his very thin skin.”–Hillary Clinton.
* “It’s true that Donald Trump is not Hitler. But the fact that the comparison is a recognizable part of our new political landscape, and that the man at its center is not actively seeking to prove it wrong, shows how severe the current crisis is, and hints at how dark the future might get.”–Justin E. H. Smith, author and professor of philosophy at the University of Paris.
* “When Donald Trump tells the truth, it should be labeled ‘Breaking News–Trump tells truth without immediately contradicting himself. We’re now going live to the scene right now.'”–Thomas Friedman, New York Times.
* “Donald Trump, I believe, is a true menace.”–Robert Reich, former secretary of labor under President Bill Clinton.
* “The Republican Party is torn apart. There is no question in my mind there is a path toward a viable third or fourth party in the future.”–David Johnson, former executive director of the Republican Party of Florida.
* “This is one of the worst mistakes Trump has made. I think it’s inexcusable.”–Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, on Trump’s attack on the Latino judge who’s presiding over the Trump University lawsuit.
* “I wish Reince Priebus was my party chair. He did a better job of handling the Trump situation than I’ve seen my party chair handle this (Clinton-Sanders) situation. I’m ashamed to say that.”–Liberal commentator Van Jones.
* “We can certainly argue about the way in which (Edward) Snowden did what he did, but I think that he actually performed a public service by raising the debate we engaged in and by the changes that we made.”–Former Attorney General Eric Holder.
* “Every generation inherits a world and its creatures. Every generation should aspire to bequeath a world that is, at the very least, undiminished.”–Chicago Tribune editorial.
* “Cassius Clay was born in Louisville. Muhammad Ali was born in Miami.”–Ferdie Pacheco.
* “If I had somebody in the White House that cared about jobs, just think what I could accomplish my last two years.”–Gov. Rick Scott.
* “I had a really nice car. You can drive 103 (mph) and it not be dangerous. Still, it’s wrong. I get it.”–Republican U.S. Senate candidate Carlos Beruff, explaining the time his license was suspended for going 103 mph on I-75 in 2010 in his Mercedes S550.
* “(Democratic Sen. Bill) Nelson doesn’t appear to pay big dividends for Clinton. … On the other hand, (Gov. Rick) Scott could be toxic for Trump in the state. A whopping 40 percent of Florida voters say they would be less likely to vote for Trump with Scott on the ticket.”–Running-mate analysis from recent Mason-Dixon poll of Florida voters.
* “I think the availability of clean drinking water will determine what the growth patterns are in the state of Florida for a generation.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn.
* “It’s not the (transit) plan that’s preventing us from moving forward. To be honest, I think it’s building political will.”–Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner.
* “The lineup you have in the morning presents a really great opportunity for a terrorist hit. Somebody with an automatic weapon can wipe out a whole bunch of service men and women at one time.”–State Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, noting the line of cars backing up every day on Dale Mabry Highway outside MacDill Air Force Base.
* “Being a land-rich port is a big ace-card in this industry, and there’s a lot of potential opportunities.”–Sal Kass, general manager of Ports America, on Port Tampa Bay’s “Port Vision 2030” master plan update.
* “At the end of the day, in the state of Florida, all working class and middle class people deserve a raise, so I do support the (minimum-wage) increase. And I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that I think all fast food employees should make $15 tomorrow.”–State Rep. Ed Narain, at a candidate forum for the state Senate District 19 race.
* “My art is in a space that will have more visitors than any museum around the world.”–Cuban artist Esterio Segura, whose wingspan art will be suspended from the ceiling at TIA’s Airside F.