* “If they want to talk, I’m available.”–President Donald Trump, in signaling that he would meet with Iranians.
* “I experienced firsthand how nothing has to stay the way it is. … Anything that seems set in stone or unalterable can indeed change.”–German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in her commencement address at Harvard.
* “Imposing tariffs on goods from Mexico is exactly the wrong move.”–Neil Bradley, executive vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
* “Intertwining difficult trade, tariff and immigration issues creates a Molotov cocktail of policy, and America’s manufacturing workers should not be forced to suffer.”–Jay Simmons, president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers.
* “Republicans in Washington have become the silence of the lambs when it comes to Trump.”–Former Massachusetts Republican Gov. William Weld, who has officially announced that he will run against Donald Trump in the 2020 Republican primaries. Weld was the vice-presidential running mate to the Libertarian nominee, Gary Johnson, in 2016.
* “It is one thing to have a president of conventionally bad character, or even questionable character. But it is such another scale entirely with Trump.”–Conservative pundit–and co-founder of The Weekly Standard—William Kristol.
* “Millions of good people believe what a president of the United States says. In normal times, that’s healthy. But not now, when the president is a liar who doesn’t care what damage he does to vital institutions.”–Former FBI Director James Comey.
* “William Barr is not so much the attorney general as the minister of information.”–Maureen Dowd, New York Times.
* “While Facebook moved quickly to limit the spread of the doctored Pelosi clip, Fox is neither apologizing for airing its (Pelosi) montage nor taking it down, because this sort of manipulated video fits within the network’s ethical bounds. … And it is devastatingly effective: Just about every political lie that has dominated American discourse in the past two decades–the Swift Boaters and the birthers, death panels, the idea that undocumented immigrants pose an existential threat but climate change does not–depended, for its mainstream dissemination, on the Fox News machine.”–Farhad Manjoo, New York Times.
* “The volatile and challenging macroeconomic backdrop has continued into the second quarter, with particular softness across the U.S. and China retail landscape.”–Emanuel Chirico, chairman and CEO of PVH Corp., the owner of the Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger brands, weighing in on ramifications of the U.S.-China trade dispute.
* “We skipped from being in the kitchen to being in the tank, and there’s nothing in between.”–The actress Emma Thompson on women’s roles.
* “Whatever edge you have (in Florida) is insignificant. It’s still a hyper-competitive state.”–Democratic political strategist Steve Schale, who led Barack Obama’s 2008 Florida campaign.
* “Ron DeSantis, Rick Scott and Marco Rubio will work to deliver Trump the state that Republicans consider essential. At the same time, they will work to deliver themselves as the first president from this state.”–Randy Schultz, South Florida Sun Sentinel.
* “There are great supporters of Israel on both sides of the aisle. The support of the state of Israel is not something we should be divided on D or R.”–Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, the state’s highest ranked Democrat and first Jewish women in the cabinet.
* “During the last several years, we’ve seen larger and larger outbreaks of … Red Tide. Listening to scientists, economists and local business owners working on this issue, the one thing I hear over and over again is that we need more science.”–U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, D-St. Petersburg.
* “I have never once … advocated for (simply) arming teachers. What I advocate for is (doing so) under the right circumstances and with the right people.”–Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri.
* “We think, long term, that drives value.”–James Nozar, CEO of Strategic Property Partners, in response to the announcement that the Water Street Tampa project is the first neighborhood anywhere to be certified by the International WELL Building Institute as a healthy community for walking, working and living.
* “The good fortune of our market is we’re testing a unique moment where we’re able to add inventory while continuing to grow and sustain profitability.”–Bob Morrison, director of the Hillsborough County Hotel Motel Association.
* “You can encourage people to do the right thing, but I have to be able to say we’re doing the right thing first.”–Mayor Jane Castor.
* “Bold, innovative works that reflect Tampa Bay’s rich heritage and natural resources, and celebrate our history as the birthplace of commercial aviation.”–Chris Minner, TIA’s executive vice president of marketing and communications, on the expanding airport’s budget of $3.1 million for more public art.