Opinions to go Online

* The Rays recently played in front of an embarrassingly sparse crowd of 2,443. But, no, it wasn’t at the Trop. It was in Oakland, the other MLB franchise with a major facility and attendance issue.

* UCF is working on its AAC (American Athletic Conference) exit—as are Houston and Cincinnati. They are all headed to the Power Five Big 12. Meanwhile the depleted ACC, which includes USF, is considering the additions of FAU, UAB, North Texas, Rice and UTSA (University of Texas San Antonio). How ironic that at one time USF didn’t want to play UCF, because it was a step down in stature. That was then.

* “After he was elected, one of the first actions Donald Trump took was illegally using his own inauguration to enrich his family.”–D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine, after The Trump Organization and Trump’s inaugural committee agree to pay D.C. $750,000 to settle a lawsuit over the misuse of non-profit funds.

* “(Trump’s) presidency brought in, or taught, a whole generation of young Republicans to treat Twitter—and cable TV—not merely as if it matters more than governing, but that it is governing.”–Jonah Goldberg, Tribune Content Agency.

* After *ucker Carlson became the host of the highest-rated cable news show in history, his public profile and Trump-base impact and influence soared. And now—outside Fox, where he is the face and presumed future of the network—his name is being bandied about as a potential candidate for president. Seriously. It’s a sobering reminder that if Sarah Palin and Donald Trump could ascend to presidential tickets, why not an intense, prevaricating wise guy like Carlson, who is smarter than Palin and Trump?

* Former Trump Defense Secretary Mark Esper on whether he would vote for Trump if he runs in 2024: “No.”

* Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Insurrectionist, is officially eligible for re-election. Now it’s up to Georgia voters to preempt further outrage and embarrassment by doing their jobs for democracy.

* “Never again? Try telling Ukraine that.”–Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

* “We’ll let the lawyers decide internationally whether or not (the term ‘genocide’) qualifies, but it sure seems that way to me.”–President Joe Biden.

* “The Russian invasion of Ukraine has put a premium on energy security, and one of the huge advantages of nuclear is that it is, very largely, home grown.”–UK Energy Minister Greg Hands.

* “The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision.”–U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, in his draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade.

* “(A) singular and egregious (breach of trust).”–Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on the leak of Justice Alito’s Roe v. Wade draft opinion.

* “Abortion attitudes are polarized by party identity.”–Julie A. Wronski, associate professor of policitcal science at the University of Mississippi.

* “If the next group of justices can overturn settled law that is widely popular and accepted even by judges as ‘the law of the land,’ what is the point of the Supreme Court?’”–S.E. Cupp, CNN.

* “There is no clear path toward a legislative restoration of abortion rights, no politician who can be the white knight, and solutions like court packing and abolishing the filibuster seem impossible. That’s precisely why people need to take to the streets.”--Jay Caspian Kang, author of “The Loneliest Americans.”

* “The culture wars are a response to the conflict between the secularization of society and the values many Americans still adhere to.”–Lynn Schmidt, STLtoday.com.

* “The Republican Party’s ‘outrage machine’ is more interested in ‘canceling’ leftist views, stoking controversy and scoring political points than in protecting free speech and academic freedom.”–William F. Felice, professor-emeritus of political science at Eckerd College.

* “The labor market is still very much a job seeker’s market. Something dramatic will have to happen for this to change anytime soon.”–Nick Bunker, director of economic research at Indeed Hiring Lab.

* “Anytime prayer is compulsory or coercive in a public context, it can violate the establishment clause of the First Amendment, which forbids the state from favoring one faith over another (or no faith at all). But it also violates the spirit of prayer itself.”–Randall Balmer, author of “Solemn Reverence: The Separation of Church and State in American Life.”

* “We see a decade where between 50,000 and 100,000 satellites are going to be launched by 2030. And, we want to try to capture a lion’s share of those out of Florida.”–Space Florida President and CEO Frank DiBello.

* “For many people, philanthropy becomes the center of their social lives. It creates a community and gives donors a sense of belonging.”–Teri Hansen, president of the Barancik Foundation, which has given away $100 million to local art institutions in the Sarasota area.

Ron DeSantis remains relentless and keeps checking the Trump-base boxes: from de facto voter- suppression and (newly “woke”) Disney denigration to school board bullying over mask mandates and textbook censorship. And more. Now he’s doubled down on his faux-freedom brand by appealing to every Trumpster’s favorite Amendment, the Second. The one that references “the right of the people to keep and bear arms.” Who cares if the context is a “well-regulated militia” in an era of muskets?

DeSantis has promised to push for a bill allowing Floridians to publicly carry firearms—even if they haven’t got a permit or haven’t taken a training course. It’s euphemistically labeled “constitutional carry.” But there’s nothing euphemistic in “Gunshine State,” and there’s nothing constitutional or common sensical about permit-less carry in a state notorious for gun violence.

* “In the 20^th and 21^st century, freedom had no greater champion than Madeleine Korbel Albright.”–President Joe Biden, at the funeral service for the former secretary of state.

* $3.4 billion: The total military aid that the Biden Administration has pledged to Ukraine since the Russian invasion.

* President Joe Biden has nominated career diplomat Bridget Brink as the next U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. Brink, the current U.S. ambassador to Slovakia, would be replacing Marie Yovanovitch. She was removed in 2019 by then-President Trump. But he had his reasons. Recall that it was Yovanovitch who opposed the efforts of Rudy Giuliani to dig up Hunter Biden dirt.

* Ironic that the U.S. has revived the World War II-era Lend Lease Program to provide arms to Ukraine. The Soviet Union was a Lend Lease recipient during the war.

* According to a Washington Post-ABC poll, President Biden still lingers around a 42 percent approval rating.

* Beijing, a city of 21 million, is closing all of its city schools.

* According to the CDC, 60 percent of the U.S. population have been infected with COVID-19. Nearly 75 percent of children had been infected.

* Political notables recently testing positive: VP Kamala Harris, Attorney General Merrick Garland, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondi, and Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff of California and Joaquin Castro of Texas.

* Moderna has asked the CDC to clear low-dose vaccine shots for children younger than 6.

* Total U.S. population that is fully vaccinated: 66 percent. Total Florida population that is fully vaccinated: 67 percent.

* Positivity: Florida-10.1 percent; Hillsborough County-6.6 percent.

* Gov. Ron DeSantis raised $105 million by the end of March for his re-election. That’s a Florida political record. The bottom line: going against Disney and “lockdown” mentalities and promoting his “anti-woke” brand are paying off. And no surprise–given DeSantis scenarios for 2024–that a good chunk of his war chest comes from donors who live outside the state. Also no surprise that DeSantis benefits from a ubiquitous media presence as he travels the state holding news conferences that push his brand beyond Florida. DeSantis’ Democratic gubernatorial opponents (Charlie Crist, Nikki Fried and Annette Taddeo) collectively raised $16 million by the end of March. Big money is especially helpful in Florida, a state that’s expensive because of its multiple, large media markets for TV ads.

* Under campaign finance law, Ron DeSantis would not be allowed to transfer money directly from his state campaign committee into accounts used for a federal race such as president.

* “Trust me. Under no circumstances will Disney not pay its fair share of taxes. Under no circumstances will Disney not pay its debts.”–Trustworthy Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

* The Sunshine State is still one of the 47 states that allow households and businesses that produce power to sell it back to the grid at a set rate.

* No surprise that Gov. DeSantis’ choice for education commissioner is feisty school-choice proponent Manny Diaz, the Republican state senator from Hialeah. No, the wedge issue that is now education won’t be changing for the better—even though Richard Corcoran is no longer commissioner.

* The Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area has been ranked #19 on Wall Street Journal/Realtor.com’s list of the country’s top 20 housing markets.

* TIA projections show that the airport, with about 21 million passengers this year, will be increasing that to nearly 39 million by 2042. That’s a 20-year hike of 83 percent.

* Art History made: That $25 million Dick Corbett gift to the Tampa Museum of Art is the largest private donation ever made to a public art museum and art education center in Florida.

* Water Street update: The Residences at the 26-story Tampa EDITION are now officially sold out—all 38 of the branded condos on the top floors of Tampa’s first 5-star hotel. Sale prices of the residences range from $2 million to $7.9 million.

* If the GOPsters take back the House, there’s a good chance that Sarasota Republican Vern Buchanan would become chairman of the impactful Ways and Means Committee. The last time a Tampa Bay region congressman chaired W&M was when Sam Gibbons held the gavel. Buchanan, as we know all too well, is no Sam Gibbons.

* “We have the right to ask: Against whom is this (NATO) expansion intended?” That was Vladimir Putin in 2007. In short, the KGB alum never, ever got over the humiliating collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and NATO spiking the geopolitical football as it expanded into erstwhile Warsaw Pact countries. Cold War nostalgia and a gut animosity toward the West rule the Kremlin as long as the vengeful Putin remains in charge of the world’s most notorious outlier nation.

* Those looking for some semblance of progress on the Russian front found a bit of hope in that U.S./Russian prisoner exchange. It was a notable diplomatic achievement during a time of notably heightened tension that includes the lowest point in U.S.-Russia relations in decades. Most of the world doesn’t miss Donald Trump, but it should miss Mikhail Gorbachev.

* Ironic, however gruesome, that Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has become a recruiting tool for NATO. Ask Finland, which shares a border with Russia. And Sweden could follow.

* “Putin miscalculated. This is not what he foresaw.”–Anna Wieslamder, The Atlantic Council’s Northern Europe director.

* The Russian Central Bank said Russia’s economy is expected to contract by up to 10 percent this year. It termed the economic outlook as “extremely uncertain.”

* NATO members Poland and Bulgaria said natural gas supplies from Russia have been cut off. Both nations had refused Russia’s demands that they pay in rubles.

* “Strategic rapprochement.” What French far-right ideologue Marine Le Pen—who lost to incumbent President Emmanuel Macron—has advocated for Russia.

* I usually watch the White House Correspondents Dinner. It’s a spotlight on journalism: its critical need and its manifest vulnerability. It’s also a reminder that free speech can be both funny and cringe-worthy. And it says something relevant about a democracy that we can poke fun at our leaders. And it says something about those leaders, excepting the no-show Trump, that they are tough enough to show up and then give as good as they get.

But I wouldn’t watch without fast-forward. Highlighting the Red Carpet debut of Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson–or “Kete” to some insiders–is Exhibit A. Who the hell cares? And why the hell did ABC invite them? BTW, Trevor Noah, the personable roast-host was good. Even took well-aimed pot shots at Ron DeSantis. Finished by underscoring that humor aside, the real purpose of the event—after two years of COVID cancellations—is “to honor and celebrate the 4^th estate.”

* “America is not a reality show.”–President Joe Biden.

* MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has been banned–again–by Twitter. Lindell is a Trumpster who has pushed the claim that Trump won the 2020 election. He had tried to work around the ban with a new account.

* According to Nielsen data, Fox News’ audience is 92 percent white—and overwhelmingly older.