* “Vladimir Putin believes that the West unfairly dictated the terms of peace at the Cold War’s end. … Putin will always fear mass protests and feel threatened by democracies, especially successful ones on his border with a shared history and culture such as Ukraine.”–Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul.
* “Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell is perennially averse to having his party run on a legislative agenda. … An agenda creates a target. It also creates opportunity for dissension. It distracts from the main Republican message: That Biden is a failure.”–National Review editor Ramesh Ponnuru.
* “Whether it is stealing Supreme Court seats or defending an indefensible president, (Mitch McConnell’s) superpower is the uncanny ability to lie, to know that you know he’s lying and yet to keep a straight face through it all.”–Leonard Pitts, Miami Herald.
* “I really think it would be harmful to the country to have a repeat of what we saw with the last two (SCOTUS) nominees being so narrowly confirmed. I just don’t think that is good for the country, nor the court.”–Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
* “Life is a moderately good play with a badly written third act.”–Truman Capote.
* “Trump uses language he knows caused the Jan. 6 violence; suggests he’d pardon the Jan. 6 defendants, some of whom have been charged with seditious conspiracy; threatens prosecutors; and admits he was attempting to overthrow the election. He’d do it all over again if given the chance.”–Wyoming GOP Rep. Liz Cheney, co-chair of the House Committee investigating Jan. 6.
* “Many investors in today’s markets really have not lived through a spate of inflation like this.”–Keith Gumbinger, vice president of the mortgage lending-info site HSH.com.
* “Withhold your money from the companies that are exploiting people.”–Abigail Disney, an heiress to the Walt Disney Co. fortune and advocate for income equality.
* “It’s never too late to go back to school.”–Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.
* “The science is clear: We must act with urgency to reduce pollution, strengthen our communities, and expand the reach of cleaner, cheaper energy. That’s why President Biden took immediate action to pause new leases on federal lands and waters upon taking office.”–Democratic Congresswoman Kathy Castor, who chairs the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis.
* “Gov. DeSantis lacks intellectual flexibility. He is trying to score political points at the expense of patient care.”–Dr. Frederick Southwick, infectious disease specialist at the University of Florida.
* “Nobody seems to have the spine to stand up to agriculture. That’s a big political issue.”–David Cullen, Sierra Club Florida lobbyist.
* “Where Florida and Tampa Bay does pretty well is, we’re attractive to people.”–Dave Sobush, director of policy and research for the Tampa Bay Partnership.
* “In Tampa, we saw that not only did it have a major annual demand for luxury branded residences, but Bayshore Boulevard’s stunning waterfront location and overall ambiance felt like the perfect fit for a Ritz-Carlton.”–Jon Paul Perez, president of the Related Group, which has officially broken ground on the Ritz-Carlton Residences.
* “I think … we all feel that we’re too big of a region to lose a major league sporting franchise.”–Tampa Mayor Jane Castor.
* “This is the good stuff, guys. This is the one you fight over.”–Bill Cronin, president and CEO of the Pasco Economic Development Council, on announced plans by Amazon to build a $150 million, 500,00-square-foot distribution facility that will provide 500 new jobs.