* “Kim has perfected the most dramatic makeover within a few months. He’s gone from pariah to statesman, from mad-man to gracious, well-prepared leader who knows his brief.”–Lee Sung-yoon, professor of Korean studies at Tufts University.
* “North Korea can still survive under sanctions, especially if China helps it. But as long as sanctions are there, Kim Jong-un can never deliver the kind of rapid economic growth he has promised for his people.”–Shin Beom-chul, senior fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul.
* “This is protectionism, pure and simple.”–Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, in response to the Trump Administration’s imposition of tariffs on steel and aluminum from Europe, Mexico and Canada.
* “We’ve been down this road before–blanket protectionism is a big part of why America had a Great Depression. ‘Make America Great Again’ shouldn’t mean ‘Make America 1929 again.'”–Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb.
* “You don’t sign a trade deal that automatically expires every five years.”–Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
* “Is this really who we are? As a parent, as the son of a refugee myself, I find that in this (border-immigration) case, Trump’s policy has veered from merely abhorrent to truly evil.”–Nicholas Kristof, New York Times.
* “I am even more convinced that the FBI did exactly what my fellow citizens would want them to do when they got the information they got, and that it has nothing to do with Donald Trump. Informants are used all day, every day by law enforcement.”–Rep. Trey Gowdy, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, in stating that there is no evidence that the FBI planted a “spy” on Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign.
* “(The president) has shown highly abnormal behavior by lying routinely to the American people without compunction, intentionally fueling divisions in our country and actively working to degrade the imperfect but critical institutions that serve us.”–Former CIA Director John Brennan.
* “Pardoning himself would be unthinkable and probably lead to immediate impeachment. And he has no need to do it; he’s done nothing wrong.”–Rudy Giuliani.
* “Everything about the intersection of sports and race relations and the Trump presidency is simply toxic, and expecting free speech to flourish where those rivers meet is like suggesting that a Superfund site cleanup begin by planting daffodils in the most polluted stretch.”–Ross Douthat, New York Times.
* “There is no mystery here. Trump is president because Obama was.”–Leonard Pitts, Miami Herald.
* “Sometimes I wonder whether I was 10 or 20 years too early.”–Former President Barack Obama.
* “The fear mongering that has taken place from 2008 until today has created a direct and present danger to our democracy.”–National NAACP President Derrick Johnson, at his recent Ruth Eckerd Hall speech.
* “As far as the Trump presidency, I wouldn’t even call it a presidency. It’s an asterisk. It’s a typo. I mean, every day it’s worse.”–Comedian Martin Short.
* “The May jobs report revealed impressive strength and breadth in U.S. job creation that blew away most economists’ expectations.”–Scott Anderson, chief economist at Bank of the West, noting that the report (of employers adding 233,000 jobs last month) shows that the nearly 9-year-old economic expansion remains on track.
* “Taking into account inflation, the federal minimum ($7.25) is actually worth less than what it was worth 50 years ago.”–Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., who supports a $15 minimum wage.
* “Elections have consequences, and we’ve already seen the consequences of the last one.”–Sen. Bill Nelson.
* “The future is female.”–Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gwen Graham.
* “Don’t let anyone stop you.”–Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon, in his commencement speech to graduates of Parkland High School.
* “Grow some brass ones.”–John Morgan’s advice to Rick Scott to drop his support for a state ban on smokeable medical marijuana.
* “I’ll tell you one thing, and feel free to quote me. I’m sure the people of Atlantis wish they would have raised their roads.”–Democratic gubernatorial candidate Philip Levine, whose campaign highlights his sea-rise agenda as mayor of Miami Beach.
* “If you are drawing attention to your campaign right now, it likely isn’t because of something you are doing right, but for something you have (done) or are doing wrong.”–Republican consultant Ryan Wiggins, on Florida’s gubernatorial campaigns.
* “Pent-up demand continues to put upward pressure on sales.”–Christine Hansen, president of Florida Realtors.
* “A cyberattack is like a hurricane. It’s always brewing out there.”–U.S. Department of Homeland Security cyber expert Klint Walker.
* “Your vote is safe and secure. We’ve got redundancies in place. You can’t hack paper.”–Craig Latimer, Hillsborough County’s supervisor of elections.
* “The Tampa Bay region has a unique geography, and the Ybor City site represents an opportunity to maximize our accessibility to the region’s existing and growing residential and business community. Its location allows us to leverage a come-early, stay-late culture in a dynamic, urban neighborhood.”–Tampa Bay Rays president Brian Auld.