Category: Media Watch

* “Let me be very clear: The policy of strategic patience has ended. We are exploring a new range of diplomatic, security and economic measures. All options are on the table.”–U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, in reference to North Korea.

* “If there were ever a conflict, Pyongyang would have nowhere else to go but up the escalation ladder after artillery except to its nuclear weapons.”–Victor Cha, former director of Asian affairs on President George W. Bush’s National Security Council.

* “Populism is sweeping across the Western world. Populists of the right like Marine LePen in France and Geert Wilders in the Netherlands are different in some ways, but they have a few important things in common: They despise the European Union and see Muslim immigrants and refugees as an existential threat to national identities–or what some now grandly choose to call ‘Judeo-Christian civilization.'”–Ian Buruma, Bard College professor and author of “Murder in Amsterdam: The Death of Theo Van Gogh and the Limits of Tolerance.”

* “Much better to talk to one another than about one another.”–German Chancellor Angela Merkel, during her joint news conference with Donald Trump.

* “No one is above the law, not even the president–and I will hold him accountable to the Constitution. Cutting some illegal aspects of President Trump’s original travel ban does not cure his affront to our Constitution.”–Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson.

* “President Trump’s proposed budget is not only unrealistic, it’s reckless for America’s cities.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn.

* “Ronald Reagan made deals with Tip O’Neill on Social Security.”–Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich.

* “Performance art can be so hard for normal people to understand.”–Republican strategist John Feehery.

* “Do we want a country where ‘vulgar and outrageous’ supplant solving problems?”–Jeb Bush.

* “Single best thing the president’s done.”–Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on Trump’s selection  of Judge Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court.

* “Five decades of reporting have taught me that whenever a president starts screeching about the media, it’s a sure sign he’s in hot water and fearing revelations about some policy disaster, damaging mendacity or political villainy.”–Hedrick Smith, former Washington bureau chief for the New York Times and the author of “Who Stole the American Dream?”

* “Few economists point to flawed trade agreements as the main source of the (economic-divide) problem, as the president often does. More important is what economists call skill-based technological change.”–Harvard economics Professor N. Gregory Mankiw.

* “We are on offense and united. They are on defense and divided, the opposite of what people would have predicted a month or two ago.”–Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

* “Less than three months into full control of the government and the chance to reshape the American system for a generation, Republicans are doing something no one thought possible: They are re-inventing the circular firing squad.”–Daniel Henninger, Wall Street Journal.

* “The folks who Hillary Clinton called the ‘deplorables’ are actually those who want better coverage, who we’d be hurting if we don’t change this bill.”–Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La.

* “The essence of the Trump budget released a few days ago is to cut aid to the needy, whether at home or abroad, and use the savings to build up the military and construct a wall on the border with Mexico.”–Nicholas Kristof, New York Times.

* “A quarter of a billion dollars is a gosh lot of money.”–Dominic Calabro, president of Florida TaxWatch, on the amount of money ($237 million) the state has spent on legal fees since 2011.

* “Absolute cesspool.”–How Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran characterized Enterprise Florida.

* “The (Florida) DEP is just a shadow of its former self. It’s a mess.”–Former DEP attorney Jerry Phillips, the current head of the Florida office of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER).

* “Florida is growing, and the state’s infrastructure needs a growth spurt of its own to keep up.”–Excerpt from the American Society of Civil Engineers’ “Infrastructure Report Card.”

* “I don’t want to do anything to help Dana Young. I don’t think I would get into it again.”–Joe Redner, in indicating that he likely wouldn’t run in a 2018 Florida Senate rematch pitting Rep. Sen. Dana Young and Democratic challenger Bob Buesing.

* “We added Seattle and then San Francisco and now Salt Lake City. It’s very difficult to get that first route, but once you start adding routes, people start noticing. Our strategy is working.”–TIA CEO Joe Lopano.

* “Law enforcement won’t win the battle by ourselves. It takes a community to get involved.”–TPD Chief Eric Ward.

* “Teachers do their jobs because it’s a calling; they do get joy out of reaching out to kids. And Tallahassee has done everything in its power to eliminate the joy of teaching–and the joy of learning.”–Mike Gandolfo, president of the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association.

When you’ve been in this business long enough, you accumulate your share of memorable interviews. The good, the weird and the weirdest. Michael Dukakis, Sarah Palin and Timothy Leary, respectively, to cite three.

But there’s one good one who has memorably–and poignantly– been recycling back every year at this time–to coincide with the running of the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. The late Dan Wheldon. The interview with the 29-year-old UK native and St. Pete resident was in the late winter of 2008. His final, fatal race was in the fall of 2011.

If Central Casting had been asked for an open-wheeled, racecar-driver type, this is who it would have sent. Prime time Tom Cruise sans Scientology. Clipped British accent. Winning smile. Outgoing personality when it still meant personable and friendly–not “look at me.” And he was, after all, an Indy 500 winner, a recent David Letterman guest and a nominee as ESPN’s “Hottest Male Athlete.” He was also a frequent visitor to children’s hospitals, here and elsewhere, although that hardly advanced the jaunty, sexy image of a hot-shot racer with an international following.

At the interview, he was accompanied by his fiancée, Susie Behm, a classy woman who is now his widow and the mother of their two young sons.

What struck me as the interview continued over lunch at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort & Golf Club was Wheldon’s observational humor and politeness–to Susie, to the interviewer he had just met and to the wait staff that he knew by name. Hardly the MO of most societal celebrities today.

A retrospective sense of foreshadowing abounds when I think back to that interview. Wheldon talked of his high-rev arena where speed has killed. “People see us zipping around at speeds that are otherwise illegal,” he noted. “That adds to the thrill, of course, but it’s definitely dangerous. … I’ve literally seen drivers pass away.”

How ironically nuanced I thought at the time. He couldn’t bring himself to use the “D” or “K” words. Drivers in horrific accidents “pass away.”

He also had an interesting take on what it’s like to be an IndyCar racer, one used to driving 200 mph for a living, when out cruising around his adopted city, often on a scooter.

“I’m relatively relaxed on public roads,” he said. “Also careful. Especially in St. Pete at night. People try to time the lights. I wait.”

But no, he didn’t “pass away” from an untimed light. He just left all of us much too soon.

It was well-noted–and appropriately so–when Mike Deeson, the veteran investigative reporter for 10News WTSP, abruptly retired this month. He says he’ll finish a book about his years behind the microphone and stay involved.

For 35 years the Chicago-area native had embodied the prototype of the gumshoe reporter holding people, typically public officials, accountable on camera. It worked, and he has the Emmys and Green Eyeshade awards to show for it. Deeson, 68, also has a Society of Professional Journalists’ Florida Journalist of the Year (2015) award–and arguably the respect, even if begrudging, of those he held accountable.

He was still old school, even as media curricula evolved. He was still old school in a world increasingly dominated by internet technology, cherry-picked partisans, show-business optics, alternate facts, fake news, political-agenda diversions and professional spin meisters.

He was also a reminder that what you see–on camera–is not what you necessarily get off camera. While Deeson could hearken back to a Mike Wallace ambush in a parking lot, he was 180 degrees removed from that persona off camera. He’s been called “one of the good guys” for his accountability-driven work ethic. Well, I can tell you personally that Mike Deeson is also one of the nice guys.

I’m also glad he’s not done contributing.

Yes, Donald Trump continued to make news this past week, but, frankly, I just didn’t feel like writing about any of it. I’m sure you understand.

* “The Americans didn’t achieve anything after spending six trillion in Iraq and Afghanistan.”–Wang Xiangsui, director of the Research Center of Strategic Issues at the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, on the disparity between the military budgets of China and the U.S.

* “Regardless of Trump’s actual intentions, the tweet could come to be seen as a ‘red line’ and hence set up a potential test of his credibility.”–James M. Acton, nuclear analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

* “The intelligence community works for the president, so if a president wanted to know whether surveillance had been conducted on a particular target, all he’d have to do is ask.”–Todd Hinnen,  head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division during the Obama Administration.

* “The bugging story is less plausible than a zombie invasion.”–Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post.

* “There’s a lot of aspects of this whole relationship with Russia and (Russian President)Vladimir Putin that requires further scrutiny, and so far, I don’t think the American people have gotten all the answers. In fact, I think there’s a lot more shoes to drop from this centipede.”–Sen. John McCain.

* “The war is not meant to be won. It is meant to be continuous.”–George Orwell.

* “This is an administration that wants to fight terrorism by defunding the Coast Guard to pay for a wall.”–Gail Collins, New York Times.

* “I think people across the country look at the EPA the way they look at the IRS.”–EPA Director Scott Pruitt.

* “If you don’t fund the State Department fully, then I need to buy more ammunition.”–Defense Secretary James Mattis when he was in charge of CentCom four years ago.

* “At a time when the president was black and a woman was running to succeed him, it hardly needed to be spelled out for Trump’s followers what was great about the past that needed to be restored.”–Paul Starr, American Prospect.

* “T. Rex.”–How many in the State Department refer to Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson.

* “We cannot support the AHCA (American Health Care Act) as drafted because of the expected decline in health insurance coverage and the potential harm it would cause to vulnerable patient populations.”–James Madara, M.D., chief executive of the American Medical Association.

* “Do not walk the plank and vote for a bill that cannot pass the Senate and then have to face the consequences of that vote.”–Sen. Tom Cotton, in urging House Republicans to reconsider voting for the American Health Care Act.

* “The opposite of the Affordable Care Act is not a free market. The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, a 1985 law, requires that hospital emergency departments treat all comers.”–Theresa Brown, hospice nurse and author of “The Shift: One Nurse, Four Hours, Twelve Patients’ Lives.”

* “Considerable uncertainty surrounds all macroeconomic projections.”–Recently released Federal Reserve study.

* “It may run contrary to the spirit of the age in which nobody is to judge anybody, and we are all to celebrate our unique, irreducible wonderfulness–but it still needs to be said: Americans have become bad citizens.”–Jay Cost, Weekly Standard.

* “The national debate is all screwed up. Principals create the environment. They create a culture of accountability. They create a sense of community. And none of us, nationally, ever debate principals. We ask too much of teachers.”–Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

* “It is odd that Chris Hart never shared any differences of opinion or vision with the governor until we first read that he had them in his resignation letter.”–Jackie Schultz, communications director for Gov. Rick Scott, on the sudden resignation of Chris Hart IV, who had only been in his position as Enterprise Florida CEO for two months.

* “Florida’s Republican legislative leadership loves to talk local control and less big government, that is until their big money campaign contributors come calling. When that happens, Republican leaders in the legislature fall over themselves in a rush to pre-empt local ordinances that benefit working families, the environment and public safety.”–Mark Ferrulo, director of Progress Florida.

* “It’s easy to throw out catchphrases like ‘picking winners and losers’ and ‘corporate welfare.’ … That’s not what we are doing.”–Gov. Rick Scott.

* “As the world rockets forward, the historical lines between data centers, desktops at home and the cloud are blurring.”–Bob Dutkowsky, CEO of Clearwater-based Tech Data.

* “There are more people who visit arts organizations than sporting events.”–Wayne Atherholt, director of the St. Petersburg Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs.

* “Finishing Tampa’s next chapter is more important than starting mine. Absent extenuating circumstances, I intend to finish the job I was hired to do and prepare Tampa for the great things that are about to occur.”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn.

* “We have to find a dedicated funding source. We couldn’t even get Go Hillsborough out of the board of commissioners. We just can’t pave our way out of this problem. Roads cost too much.”–Hillsborough County Commissioner Les Miller.

* “We have to try something. We haven’t been successful on our own. The private sector has not been successful. Maybe we’re in a situation where the only way we get that (downtown) investment is if the church (of Scientology) brings it.”–Clearwater City Manager Bill Horne.

* “American ships will sail the seas, American planes will soar the skies, American workers will build our fleets. And America’s military will ensure that even through the darkest nights throughout, a bright and glowing sun will always shine on our nation and our people.”–President Donald Trump.

* “What’s the overused phrase? Trump supporters take him seriously, not literally.”–Michael Needham, chief executive of Heritage (Foundation) Action for America.

* “I’d bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election.”–President Donald Trump.

* “I’m not going to be a part of a witch hunt, but I’m also not going to be a part of a coverup.”–Sen. Marco Rubio.

* “Given the divisions among us, deeper and wider than ever, it is an open question as to how, and how long, we will endure as one people.”–Patrick Buchanan.

* “As we think, so we become.”–Buddha.

* “The careless execution of some of the early initiatives supports the idea that this president views the trouble of actually following through as inessential. ‘Victory’ can always be claimed anyhow, especially when facts are just props, deployed for dramatic effect.”–Tim Wu, author and professor at Columbia Law School.

* “Congress has allowed itself to become an increasingly subordinate branch.”–Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post.

 

* “Growing up in India, we didn’t question the brain drain of our best and brightest (and even our second- and third-bests) to America. It was the natural order of things. But now we’re reconsidering that assumption.”–Novelist Sandip Roy.

* “Americans have combined human ingenuity, a market system, a tide of talented and ambitious immigrants, and the rule of law to deliver abundance beyond any dreams of our forefathers.”–Billionaire investor Warren E. Buffett.

* “I therefore continue to have confidence that a gradual removal of accommodation is likely to be appropriate.”–Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen’s way of saying that the Fed will likely resume raising interest rates this month.

* “We look at it like this: The country can either import its work force or import its food.”–Dale Moore, executive director of policy for the Farm Bureau, which lobbies for easing restrictions to get foreign workers for agriculture.

* “The Florida Legislature is considering significant changes to the “stand your ground” law that will make our communities less safe and unnecessarily disrupt our criminal justice system while doing nothing to protect those who legally own guns. … As written, the bill is anti-law enforcement and anti-law and order.”–Andrew Warren, state attorney for the 13th Judicial Circuit, which covers Hillsborough County.

* “Leadership in the House is untouchable. It can make you jaded pretty quick.”–State Sen. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, who spent eight years in the Florida House.

* “Tampa is a strong market. We’re happy to be part of it.”–Mark Elias, president of charter operator Havana Air.

* “Any politician who says they know all the answers, run.”–Advice dispensed by Democratic Congressman Charlie Crist at a St. Petersburg town hall.

* “With federal transportation grants becoming more competitive, the future of our mobility is increasingly dependent on action and innovation at both the local and regional levels.”–Ramond Chiaramonte, executive director of the Tampa Bay Regional Transportation Authority.

* “City Council’s unanimous approval of Lafayette Place reflects public confidence in the emerging development which brings new urban density to the west bank of the Hillsborough River.”–John Avlon, president of the Hillsborough River Realty Corp.

* “It’s one of those watershed musicals that has changed Broadway, the Broadway sound and the Broadway look. The way it’s cast–to see this mix of Americans, every ethnic group you can imagine, playing the traditional roles of Washington or Aaron Burr or Hamilton–it’s almost symbolic of who we are as Americans.”–Judy Lisi, president and CEO of the Straz Center, on “Hamilton.” A touring version is coming to the Straz during the 2018-19 season.

As an alleged “enemy of the people,” I can’t treat the presidential savaging of the media as some political topic du jour.

But Donald Trump’s unprecedented attack on the honesty, ethics, credibility and patriotism of the mainstream media is so much more than personal. It’s a malevolent, narcissistic, deconstructive strategy that should frighten anyone who treasures democratic–small “d”– values.

What we’ve be seeing is a classic divide-and-conquer strategy, with the expectation that the media–hardly not-for-profit entities–will ultimately yield to intimidation and fear of being left out and marginalized. Indeed, it was disheartening when only the Associated Press and Time magazine walked out of that Sean Spicer briefing that specifically excluded the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, CNN and Politico. Breitbart News was in, but the BBC was out!

It’s also been classic scapegoating when the news isn’t laudatory or is flat-out embarrassing, which is often. Blame the messengers for their “fake news” and made-up, anonymous sources and then treat them–as Steve Bannon has characterized it–as the real opposition party.

What’s at stake is truly what’s “indispensible to democracy.” That’s how former President George W. Bush, who rarely comments publicly on anything political, has couched it. “Power can be addictive, and it can be corrosive,” said Bush, “and it’s important for the media to call to account people who abuse their power.”

We already knew Trump was addicted to the media.

It happens when you morph into a brand that is celebrated by the New York tabloids. Their charge is to favor and fawn–not critique and criticize. They were his to control. That’s not the MO of the national mainstream media, whose mandate includes holding accountable those elected to public office, including–and especially–the ultimate office. Watergate still resonates. And Richard Nixon was the quintessential control freak.

Now Trump is in the crosshairs of meaningful media. He can’t always manage simply by tweeting or heading to a Melbourne hangar for a kick-ass pep rally with the bumper sticker crowd. So he lashes out and affixes blame.

And he cites all manner of “fake news.” This from the Fabulist-in-chief, a man pathologically given to exaggerating and lying in order to deflect blame and advance his own image. From Trump University course descriptions and his “well-oiled machine” administration to all the close friends he lost on 9/11 and all the “celebrating” Muslims he observed in New Jersey as the Twin Towers were attacked.

He waxes vitriolic about anonymous sources, yet his administration still does anonymous, “background” briefings. Of course they do, because that’s White House reality, disingenuous rants notwithstanding.

Moreover, this is the same person who–without citing specific sources–promoted the Barack Obama “birther” lie. This is the same person who said during his geopolitically-suspicious campaign: “I love WikiLeaks!” And this is the same person who sourced “Jim,” his “substantial” friend, for those notorious comments about Parisian security. And, come to think of it, this is also the same person who used to regularly assume the aliases of “John Barron” and “John Miller” to spin complimentary lies about himself to the tabs.

But Trump also knows he’s not mired in a Pentagon Papers or Watergate-era media. Back then mainstream media was gospel–from the institutional New York Times and Washington Post to the TV networks and their iconic anchors. Breitbart is not Ben Bradlee. Hannity isn’t Huntley and Coulter isn’t Cronkite. Online, cable TV and talk radio cherrypicking to validate views was still a generation away.

The challenges for today’s media are beyond formidable. But they are not beyond overcoming. The media must double down on its aggressiveness, sourcing and fact-checking and not fall prey to the obvious divide-and-conquer White House gambit. But a complementary effort by the voters to be educated and motivated must also manifest itself.

A largely uninformed, lazy, easily-pandered-to electorate is ripe pickings for an authoritarian hustler. Self-congratulating, “American exceptionalism” isn’t the answer. But a renewed–Indivisible, if you will–resurgence in what makes America a truly winning democracy can make the difference. That and a sensible primary system that doesn’t encourage extremists to hijack their party.

I do agree with Nicholas Kristof of the (somehow still in business) NYT, who recently noted that “When the time comes, we will write Trump’s obituary, not the other way around.” That will happen–and it will be fitting and karmic. In the mean time, there’s a lot of push back to be done for those of us coping in the here and now.

* I’ve said previously that “Doonesbury,” given Gary Trudeau’s penchant for political skewering, belongs on the editorial page. That now needs a singular qualification. When it’s satirizing Donald Trump, who is a presidential cartoon, “Doonesbury” absolutely belongs on the same page as Bizarro, Pickles, Frank & Ernest and Mother Goose & Grimm.

* Nice shout-out article with photo from the Sunday New York Times in its “Bites” travel-section feature on South Tampa’s On Swann restaurant, referenced as a “casual, vintage-chic American bistro.” Hardly coincidental that the writer, Diane Daniel, is already familiar with this area. She is a former staffer–and colleague–with the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

* Disappointing to see how Bill Maher–of HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher”–handled the recent guest appearance of Milo Yiannopoulos, the controversial, self-aware provocateur and former Breitbart News editor. Basically, why give this arrogant, self-aggrandizing punk with a soft spot for pedophilia a forum? But having done that, why let him off without doing what you do best–ripping into hypocritical right wingers looking to advance their celebrity status?

* “Finding a second Earth is not just a matter of if, but when.”–NASA’s Thomas Zurbuchen, on astronomers’ discovery of seven Earth-size planets orbiting a single star less than 40 light-years away in the constellation Aquarius.

* “If countries are going to have nukes, we’re going to be at the top of the pack.”–President Donald Trump.

* “I urge President Trump to tone down his bullying rhetoric, tweets and policies that I believe are inflaming mean-spirited elements and causing prejudiced people to act out.”–U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa.

* “A growing economy is compatible with creeping authoritarianism, of course, as Trump’s most alarmist critics are fond of pointing out. But is it compatible with outrageous presidential incompetence?”–Ross Douthat, New York Times.

* “(Trump) is our first post-rational president.”–Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal.

* “Spin is the bitcoin of Washington. But Trump is in another dimension. He has distorted the truth for so long, he now seems routinely untethered from reality.”–Maureen Dowd, New York Times.

* “Do we want a situation where the only source of information is the government? I mean, really? Somehow I don’t think that’s what the founders intended.”–Bob Schieffer of CBS.

* “I don’t view you (media) guys as the enemy. I expect adversarial questions. And you rarely disappoint me. And I think it’s part of what makes America function.”–Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

* “Just because there’s an ‘R’ in the White House, an ‘R’ in the House and an ‘R’ in the Senate doesn’t mean they’re from the same alphabet.”–Douglas Duncan, the chief economist at Fannie Mae.

* “It’s like NASCAR. They’re just waiting for the car wreck.”–Congressman Mark Sanford, R-Va., describing a recent town hall gathering.

* “The joke around Washington is that the Republicans are going to repeal Obamacare–and they’ll replace it with the Affordable Care Act.”–Former Democratic Congressman Jim McDermott.

* “Baby come back.”–SpaceX owner Elon Musk, in celebrating the precise return and upright landing at Cape Canaveral of the 15-story booster from the Falcon 9 rocket that carried supplies to the space station.

* “Why don’t they just abolish local government?”–Mayor Bob Buckhorn, responding to a proposed bill in the Florida House that would prohibit cities, counties and other arms of local government from passing any regulations on businesses unless they have been given specific permission from the state Legislature.

* “It puts us at such a disadvantage as a city, as a region and as a state economically.”–St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman, on the ramifications of underfunded transit systems.

* “It is clear that the Islamic State’s business model is failing. … It’s biggest strength–the ability to loot and extract money through taxes–became its most significant weakness as it suffered battlefield losses.”–Peter Neumann, director of the  International Center for the Study of Radicalization.

* “The three small EU Baltic states of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia are terrified by Trump’s accusation that NATO is obsolete.”–John McGuire, director of international relations and cooperation with France Medias Monde.

* “Today, tomorrow and every day hence, be confident that the United States is now and will always be your greatest ally. Be assured: President Trump and the American people are fully devoted to our transatlantic union.”–Vice President Mike Pence, addressing the Munich Security Conference.

* “Let me address this very openly. The Europeans alone cannot cope with fighting international Islamist terrorism. We also need the support of the United States.”–German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

* “Turkey is an extremely important country for U.S. foreign policy. While there is much attention on the Trump-Putin relationship, the one between Trump and (Turkish President Recep) Erdogan is also worth watching. They share much in common, including an outsider’s disdain for the media and the elite and a pugilistic approach to politics.”–Paul Kubicek, professor of political science at Oakland University and editor of the Turkish Studies journal.

* “Every action, tweet and declaration by Trump throughout this campaign, his transition and his early presidency screams that he is compromised when it comes to the Russians.”–Thomas Friedman, New York Times.

* “He thinks confidence is more important than competence.”–Trump biographer Michael D’Antonio.

* “Like all narcissists, he doesn’t like to be told if he’s screwing up, so he surrounds himself with people who don’t tell him.”–Maureen Dowd, New York Times.

* “I turn on the TV, open the newspapers and I see stories of chaos. Chaos. Yet it is the exact opposite. This administration is running like a fine-tuned machine… .”–President Donald Trump.

* “Sweden? Terror attack? What has he been smoking? Questions abound.”–Former Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt.

* “When you look at history, the first thing that dictators do is shut down the press. And I’m not saying President Trump is trying to be a dictator. I’m just saying we need to learn the lessons of history. … We need a free press.”–Sen. John McCain.

* “We’re about to enter a moment in which U.S. economic and military might is strong but U.S. political might is weak. Imagine the Roman Empire governed by Monaco.”–David Brooks, New York Times.

* “We need a Congress who speaks up against a president who has shown in the past 30 days some very risky behavior as the chief executive.”–Former U.S. Rep. David Jolly.

* “Mar-a-Lago is no Camp David. It’s not set up with the intention or the forethought of keeping the president safe.”–Rep. Lois Frankel, D-Fla., who represents Palm Beach.

* “I could never see myself voting for a Democrat, especially right now. I think we’ve lost the Democratic Party. I think it has been hijacked by left-wing, radical agendas.”–Caitlin Jenner.

* “This is the first structural tailwind in the industry in some time. … You have one shot to establish yourself as a credible delivery alternative.”–Bloomin’ Brands CEO Liz Smith, in noting that many of the company’s chain restaurants, mostly Outback and Carrabba’s, will offer third-party or its own delivery service by the end of next month.

* “Somehow the state of Florida went off the (educational) path when we had this really great idea on the issue of accountability.”–Miami Republican Sen. Anitere Flores, in response to those citing an overemphasis on testing.

* “It’s the hardest subject matter in all of Florida politics.”–Lobbyist Brian Ballard, in reference to the expansion of gambling.

* “There’s a troubling trend toward authoritarianism, and Congress is in place to act as a check and balance on the administration. We have an important role to play in reaching out to our elected officials and encouraging them to take that role seriously.”–Indivisible Tampa co-founder Michael Broache.

* “I’d like to encourage the process to move as quickly as possible.”–MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, on the Rays’ search for a new stadium site in the Tampa Bay market.