* “We do not seek a cold, let alone a hot, war with Russia. We do not seek to make Russia an enemy. But make no mistake; the United States will defend our interests, our allies, the principled international order, and the positive future it affords us all.”–Defense Secretary Ash Carter.
* “We should use our actions to demonstrate to the world that Chinese people on both sides of the strait fully have the ability and wisdom to solve their own problems.”–Chinese President Xi Jinping to Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou in their breakthrough meeting in Singapore.
* “The (Keystone XL oil) pipeline would not make a meaningful long-term contribution to our economy.”–President Barack Obama.
* “I’m not stepping into the role of angry agitator that they have created for us, because it’s not in my heart. In the end that role is just a bit part in the story of another conservative loss, and another liberal victory.”–Jeb Bush.
* “Live free or die, brothers and sisters, that’s what I’m for.”–Jeb Bush in New Hampshire.
* “(Ben) Carson may no longer be a practicing physician, but he is a full-time profiteer, selling his story in books and speeches and paid handsomely to do so. Good work, if you can get it.”–Charles M. Blow, New York Times.
* “Everybody’s going, ‘Oh, Marco was great.’ No, Marco lied about his financials.”–Joe Scarborough, host of “Morning Joe” and former Republican congressman from Florida.
* “I’m told that I don’t have a sense of humor, so I’m going to start off with a joke. I’m Larry David. Bernie sent me.”–Bernie Sanders.
* “Just iron-ass. His seeming knuckling under to the real hard-charging guys who want to fight about everything, use force to get our way in the Middle East.”–Former President George H.W. Bush, on Dick Cheney’s role as vice president under George W. Bush.
* “The high cost of paid television is the main reason modern presidential campaigns must raise so much money–a trend that will probably continue until political consultants become convinced that voters are more likely to be influenced by other cheaper methods of communication, like social media.”–Author and presidential historian Michael Beschloss.
* “They don’t want you to vote. If they did, we wouldn’t vote on a Tuesday.”–Chris Rock.
* “We very much support baseball being a part of the opening between the United States and Cuba. It’s an institution that is revered in both countries, and insofar as we are deepening our people-to-people ties with Cuba and rebuilding bridges between our two societies, clearly Major League Baseball has a role.”–Benjamin J. Rhodes, deputy national security adviser for strategic communications.
* “Few would willingly embrace the title of ‘denialist.’ It sounds so much more rigorous and fair-minded to maintain one’s ‘skepticism.’ … People claiming to be ‘skeptics’ about climate change often start off by saying something like, ‘Well, I’m no scientist, but …’ and then proceed to rattle off a series of evidential demands so strict that they would make Newton blush.”–Lee McIntyre, author and research fellow at the Center for Philosophy and History of Science at Boston University.
* “Too many law schools are filling their entering classes with people who face serious risk of not passing the bar exam.”–Kyle McEntee, executive director of Law School Transparency.
* “The pharmacy consolidation endgame has begun.”–Adam J. Fein, president of Pembroke Consulting, after Walgreens Boots Alliance said it would buy Rite Aid for more than $9.4 billion in cash.
* “This could open up years of litigation and settlements in the same way that tobacco litigation did.”–Brandon L. Garrett, professor at the University of Virginia School of Law, after it was revealed that the New York attorney general had begun an investigation of Exxon Mobil to determine whether the company (had previously) lied about the risks of climate change.
* “Right now the labor market is good if you’re a new graduate of Harvard or Stanford in computer science or a new economics Ph.D. or if you’re coming out with a specialized skill in some health occupation. The upper 10 percent are probably doing O.K. in the labor market, but typical workers are still facing a lot of difficulties.”–Lawrence Katz, Harvard labor economist.
* “It’s been getting worse year after year, session after session. I think the process has deteriorated to the point where not a whole lot of work gets done during committee weeks.”–Florida House Democratic Leader Mark Pafford, D-West Palm Beach.
* “People seem to be coming together and grasping that CSX provides a great path forward for regional mobility.”–Ed Turanchik, on the potential of converting CSX freight lines into commuter rail.
* “Google Fiber will amplify our attractiveness to tech companies, entrepreneurs and professionals who want access to innovative technology and services. Other communities with Google Fiber have … have benefited by attracting businesses, as well as millennial talent, to their community.”–J.P. DuBuque, interim president of the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corp.
* “I do not hold you accountable for the past. I hold you accountable for the solutions.”–Hillsborough County School Board member April Griffin to Superintendent Jeff Eakins.
* “The majority of teachers I’ve talked to feel an absolute pressure not to take a variety of disciplinary actions with students, but they’re not being given adequate alternatives to help kids or change behavior. It appears being able to provide numbers that look good is more important.”–Stephanie Baxter-Jenkins, executive director of the Hillsborough County Teachers Association.
* “People want to live where people care about one another.”–Suzanne McCormick, CEO of United Way Suncoast, in underscoring her organization’s role as a regional economic development player.
* “We’ve primed the pump, we’ve got the development, but I think you can have too much. And I think we’ve gotten to that point.”–Former Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard, on the wall of hotels recently built along Clearwater Beach.