* “I have instructed the United States Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea.”–Donald Trump.
* “The American system still has a strength not available to the Chinese people: the ability to replace its leader when he falls short. That may be what the world will be watching most closely of all.”–Fred Hiatt, Washington Post.
* “A European race to see who will allow tourist travel first will lead to unacceptable risks.”–German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.
* “The American people want leadership, and they see it with President Trump, and it is driving the news organizations across the country crazy.”–White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany in accusing CNN and MSNBC of “partisan” spin on coronavirus-briefing coverage.
* “You’ve got to have some hope to sell people. But Trump usually sells anger, division and ‘we’re the victim.'”–Congressman Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma.
* “If Trump is the issue, he probably loses. If he makes it about Biden and the economy is getting better, he has a chance.”–Republican consultant Charles R. Black Jr.
* “Refusing to wear a mask on a city sidewalk isn’t civil disobedience; it’s an act of aggression against your families and your neighbors. Even if the president is cheering you on.”–Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times.
* “…more difficult and potentially more complicated.”–From a warning by Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the CDC, on what the fall and winter may look like due to the confluence of coronavirus and influenza.
* “The biggest risk is that you open too fast, too broadly, and you have another round of infections, a second wave. That’s the fodder for an economic depression. That would just completely undermine confidence.”–Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody’s Analytics.
* “Stopping Blue State Bailout.”–The title of a document put out by the staff of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell suggesting states hit hard by coronavirus should be allowed to seek bankruptcy protection rather than be given a federal bailout.
* “It’s not red and blue. It’s red, white and blue.”–New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
* “A noisy minority of protesters is furious at government for trying to keep them healthy. They demand their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of acute, respiratory distress.”–Leonard Pitts, Miami Herald.
* “We’re the most Scrooge-like state in the country on benefits. So coming into the crisis, we already had this (unemployment) system that was the most anti-worker system there was.”–State Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez, D-Miami.
* The sooner we move to widespread testing and the use of face coverings, the sooner we will be able to reopen our businesses and get back to our daily lives.”–Mayor Jane Castor.
* “It’s a desert.”–Tampa International Airports spokeswoman Emily Nipps, on the optics of an airport that now sees about 2,500 travelers a day. Normally, it would be about 80,000 per day.
* “The pandemic has had a major impact on finances of institutions like Tampa General. It is not sustainable for the obvious reasons.”–John Couris, president and CEO of TGH. Florida hospitals are hoping to soon restart elective surgeries.
* “We’re keeping the energy flowing to our customers because we know how vital it is to their lives.”–TECO spokeswoman Cherie Jacobs, on keeping power on for customers, including those who can’t pay their bills because of the pandemic.