* “Extremism can only bring unhappiness and division to France. As such, there is no other choice than to vote against the extreme right.”–French conservative Francois Fillon, who did not make the presidential runoff that now pairs centrist Emmanuel Macron and far-right populist Marine Le Pen.
* “The era of strategic patience is over.”–Vice President Mike Pence’s warning to North Korea.
* “It looks as if the world is preparing for war–the nuclear threat once again seems real.”–Former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
* “Trump has cultivated strategic uncertainty with conflicting, confusing, and sometimes bellicose statements. Nuclear miscalculation and escalation are possible with adversaries besides Russia–most notably North Korea.”–Nate Jones, author and director of the Freedom of Information Act Project at the National Security Archive, and J. Peter Scoblic, author and International Security Program fellow at New America.
* “(Steve) Bannon stupidly picked a fight with Jared Kushner that he was all but certain to lose, and not only because Kushner is kin. Consider Trump’s obsession with appearances, then tell me who has the advantage: the guy who looks like a flea market made flesh or the one who seems poised to pose for G.Q.?”–Frank Bruni, New York Times.
* “I do wish (Trump) would spend more time in Washington, D.C. That is what we have a White House for. … He spends too much money coming and going, and if we’re preaching about spending, we need to be following that.”–Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.
* “This would have negative repercussions, not only for Canada, but also for the United States.”–Canadian Transportation Minister Marc Garneau’s assessment of the impact of a border adjustment tax.
* “The Democrats don’t want money from budget going to border wall despite the fact that it will stop drugs and very bad MS 13 gang members.”–President Donald Trump.
* “My organization has not targeted these so-called ‘dreamers,’ DACA. And we have many, many more important criminals to go after and get rid of, and not the DACAs.”–Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly.
* “In too many of these organizations, there are rewards for cheating and punishments for calling out the cheaters. As long as that’s the case, the biggest financial institutions will continue to put their customers and the economy at risk.”–Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, from her new book “This Fight Is Our Fight.”
* “The way I approach an election, I assume nothing. I run scared as a jackrabbit.”–Florida U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson.
* “There are all these people who say, ‘Well, what would Jesus do?’ I know what he would do. You know what he would do. Jesus wasn’t just Jesus. He was a liberal Democrat.”–John Morgan.
* “They’re as frustrated, those rural, white working-class voters, as much as the black and the Latino working-class voters. Don’t let them separate us in that way. We have a lot more in common than we do that separates ourselves.”–Andrew Gillum, mayor of Tallahassee and 2018 gubernatorial candidate.
* “Others are going to have to deal with what we do or don’t do today. So we need to be good stewards of what we’ve inherited and keep this ball moving forward so this airport can be the pride of the community that it’s been.”–TIA board chairman Robert Watkins on airport expansion and the need to keep ahead of the growth curve.
* “As our population increases, our potential to excel and compete as a region is only constrained by our lack of transit options and our inefficient regional connectivity.”–Barry Shevlin and Jeff Vinik, co-chairs of Tampa Bay Partnership’s Transportation Working Group.
* “I found myself supporting transit after traveling to other metros across America that offer myriad transportation options to young professionals who would rather work on their laptops while commuting than grip a steering wheel and fume over road congestion.”–Mark Sharpe, executive director of the Tampa Innovation Alliance and former Hillsborough County commissioner.
* “Somewhere, and I don’t know where the somewhere is, between Ybor and downtown, I think is the best (stadium) location, and my sense is the Rays are looking at fairly strongly.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn.
* “I fell in love with Ybor City, with its history and culture. It’s all there, and it’s rare.”–Darryl Shaw, prominent investor and developer in Ybor.
* “I’m going to be investing $15- to $20 million over the next five years because Ybor City is going to be a place to live.”–Columbia Restaurant owner Richard Gonzmart.
* “This is great news for Tampa and the region. Our thriving job market and economy is just another indicator of Tampa’s re-emergence as a national and international player for both small and large businesses to relocate.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn, on the region’s unemployment rate falling to 4.1 percent in March–down from 4.5 percent a year earlier–and leading all Florida metros in job demand.
* “We certainly have a great, healthy market right now. I don’t see any adverse influences to cause it to slow down.”–Charles Richardson, senior regional vice president of Coldwell Banker, in underscoring the red hot Tampa Bay housing market.
* “I think this is an amazing opportunity for us to, as much as I don’t want to say it out loud, partner with charters.”–Hillsborough County School Board Chairwoman Cindy Stuart, in acknowledging that charter schools could help ease a looming financial crunch brought on by growth in future years.