Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., is urging House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to keep the American people at the top of his mind when the Republican leader meets with President Biden to discuss the debt ceiling Tuesday.

‘He’s got to talk about what he’s trying to do for the American public,’ Scott told Fox News Digital when asked what advice he’d give McCarthy for next week. ‘This is not for you or me — I mean, except as citizens — it’s for every American. We’ve got to balance the budget, live within our means, get this inflation under control.’

Scott worked closely with House conservatives on their spending cut demands, some of which made it into House Republicans’ recently-passed debt limit bill that will be the subject of next week’s White House meeting.

Biden on Monday invited the four top members of Congress to the White House for a May 9 meeting. That invitation came days after House Republicans passed a bill aimed at raising the debt limit, either by $1.5 trillion or through March 2024. The bill also includes spending cuts estimated to have the federal government spend about $140 billion to $180 billion less on discretionary programs compared to the current fiscal year.

But Biden and Senate Democrats, led by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, have flatly refused to pair spending cut talks with raising the debt limit and insist the government’s borrowing limit should be increased without condition.

Scott pledged to do ‘everything [he] can to support’ McCarthy going into the meeting. 

‘I think it was a yeoman’s job to bring everybody together to get something done in the House, and so I think I’m going to do everything I can to help explain what he’s trying to do, why he’s trying to do it, and hopefully get Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden to start showing up,’ Scott said.

McCarthy’s debt limit bill has managed to unite the Senate’s Republican conference. Both conservative and moderate GOP lawmakers made clear they’re willing to let the speaker and the president lead negotiations, at least for now.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, instrumental in helping the U.S. avoid a near default in 2011, has said he will attend the May 9 White House meeting but indicated he too would take a back seat. 

‘It should be clear to the administration that the Senate isn’t a relevant player this time,’ McConnell told reporters this week.

Scott, who previously clashed with McConnell over the Senate GOP leadership race late last year, would not directly say whether he agreed with the Republican leader. But he did say GOP senators should be ‘active’ in supporting McCarthy.

‘Our job right now is do everything we can to promote what Kevin McCarthy did and push Chuck Schumer to bring that bill to the floor. And then let’s improve it,’ he said.

He pointed out that he led a press conference attended by more than a dozen senators Wednesday, where they firmly spoke in support of McCarthy’s debt limit bill and called on Biden and Schumer to come to the negotiating table. He made it clear they will not support the ‘clean’ debt ceiling increase that Democrats are seeking.

‘Every Republican senator ought to be active on this. It’s a big issue for the country. Yesterday, I led a group of 19 senators. We went out, and we did a press conference on the importance of doing everything we can to help Kevin McCarthy,’ Scott said.

Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., are introducing legislation that would temporarily allow for migrant expulsions at the southern border to continue after the Title 42 public health order ends next week — amid widespread concerns that the order’s expiration will lead to an overwhelming migrant surge.

The lawmakers say they intend to introduce a bill that would grant similar authorities to Title 42, which allows for the rapid expulsion of migrants at the southern border due to the COVID-19 pandemic and has been in place since March 2020.

It has been used by both the Biden and Trump administrations to expel migrants at the border and has become a central cog of border enforcement, and it is due to end on May 11 along with the COVID-19 national emergency. In March, approximately 46% of migrant encounters resulted in a Title 42 encounter. The looming end of the order has renewed fears of a new migrant surge on top of the existing high levels of migration that have been seen at the border over the last two years.

The legislative fix would not directly extend Title 42 as that is a pandemic-era public health order, but it would give the administration a temporary expulsion authority to mimic it.

Tillis told Fox News in an interview that ‘what we’re trying to do is make it as clean as possible, basically extending the current policy.’

‘The Biden Administration has failed to secure the border and the situation will get even worse once Title 42 is allowed to expire,’ he said in a separate statement. ‘It’s clear that Congress must immediately step in, and the bipartisan bill I’m introducing with Senator Sinema will help prevent the catastrophic fallout at the border we will soon see if no action is taken.’

‘Arizona border communities, law enforcement agencies, non-profits, and families are being left to manage a crisis they did not create. Our legislation gives the Administration time to actually implement a realistic, workable plan that will secure our border, protect Arizona communities on the frontlines (sic) of this crisis, and ensure migrants are treated fairly and humanely,’ Sinema wrote.

The bill is also sponsored by Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who accused the administration of having ‘failed to properly secure our southern border’ despite ‘ample’ notice of Title 42’s expiration.

‘The immigration crisis is only getting worse and our broken immigration system is ill-equipped to handle it,’ Manchin said in a statement. ‘Our bipartisan legislation creates a two-year temporary solution to prevent a complete collapse at our southern border. Now, our political leaders must put partisanship aside to finally secure our border, establish a reliable visa program and ensure the American Dream is possible to everyone who follows the law and is willing to work hard.’

The end of Title 42 has frequently drawn bipartisan concern about the potential for a massive surge at the border once it ends as migrants believe they have a better chance of entering the U.S. The administration has shared those concerns, with officials previously predicting up to 14,000 migrant encounters a day once the order ends.

The Department of Homeland Security has been putting measures in place that it believes will promote a more orderly process at the border — including expanding legal pathways, greater cooperation with Mexico on deportations and stiffening penalties for illegal entry. It has also proposed a rule that would, in theory, bar migrants from asylum eligibility if they enter illegally and have also failed to claim asylum at a country through which they have already passed.

The administration also announced this week that it is sending 1,500 troops to the border, although officials have said they won’t be engaging with migrants but acting in a supporting role to Customs and Border Protection.

The moves have done little to allay fears of a new surge, with numbers already increasing at the border this week. A group of Senate Republicans wrote to President Biden on Wednesday to urge him to reverse his decision about ending the order. But there is currently no sign that the order will not expire next week.

Tillis told Fox News that he doesn’t expect his legislation to be passed and on the president’s desk by the time the order ends.

‘If you just look at the way it’s going to play out, is this bill going to get out of the Senate, go to the House and go to the President’s desk before next Thursday? No,’ he said. ‘Is there going to be a growing sense that, if the President’s not going to put any other option on the table, that it’s going to be unsustainable, unsafe and politically unwise? Yes. So, we’ll start having those discussions in the next couple of weeks.’

The late pop superstar Prince will have a highway named after him in his home state, following a vote by Minnesota lawmakers Thursday.

The Senate vote was 55-5 to rename the highway that runs past Prince’s Paisley Park museum and studios. Among those watching was his oldest sister, Sharon Nelson. The bill passed the House unanimously last month on the seventh anniversary of Prince’s death, and now goes to Gov. Tim Walz, who is expected to sign.

Purple signs will soon go up along a seven-mile stretch of State Highway 5 in the Minneapolis suburbs of Chanhassen and Eden Prairie — designating it the Prince Rogers Nelson Memorial Highway. Prince’s friends and fans are footing the bill, said the lead sponsor, Republican Sen. Julia Coleman, of Waconia.

‘Prince was a true genius, a visionary artist who pushed the boundaries of music and cultures in ways that will never be forgotten,’ Coleman told her fellow senators. ‘His influence can be heard in the work of countless musicians who came after him, and his legacy continues to inspire new generations of artists to this day.’

Paisley Park, where Prince lived and recorded, now draws visitors from around the world.

Paisley Park is also where Prince died on April 21, 2016, of an accidental fentanyl overdose at age 57. The 65,000-square-foot complex in Chanhassen is now a museum run by his estate as well as an event venue and recoding studio.

Sharon Nelson told reporters her brother’s music will live forever, and that his spirit ‘sneaks up on me sometimes.’ And she urged fans to take the tour and see his 3,000 shoes on display.

The idea to name the highway after Prince came three years ago from Mark Webster, a longtime friend of the star who works security at Paisley Park. He was among the fans who gathered at the Minnesota Capitol to celebrate the vote. He said they’ll find a date that works for fans soon for the signs to go up.

Prince’s birthday was June 7, but he didn’t celebrate birthdays because he was a Jehovah’s Witness.

The singer, songwriter, arranger and instrumentalist broke through in the late 1970s and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. He created hits including ‘Little Red Corvette,’ ″Let’s Go Crazy’ and ‘When Doves Cry,’ and sold more than 100 million records worldwide.

Several years ago, Prince’s 1984 ‘Purple Rain’ was added by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry.

After a six-year legal battle that consumed tens of millions of dollars, the Internal Revenue Service and the estate administrator put the value of his estate at $156.4 million. Since Prince died without a will, his six surviving siblings at the time of his death were designated as his heirs. The three youngest eventually sold most of their interests to the music company Primary Wave.

New Hampshire’s state police and the attorney general’s criminal bureau were subpoenaed by the lawyers for hundreds of people who say they were abused at a state-run youth detention center and are now demanding information they say has been deliberately withheld.

Close to 850 men and women have sued the state since early 2020 alleging they were sexually, physically or emotionally abused as children at the Sununu Youth Services Center, formerly called the Youth Development Center. The first lawsuit was filed six months after the state launched a broad criminal investigation into the facility in Manchester.

That case is not expected to go to trial until March 2024. Meanwhile, 10 former workers were charged in April 2021 with either sexually assaulting or acting as accomplices to the assault of more than a dozen teenagers from 1994 to 2007, while an 11th man faces charges related to a pre-trial facility in Concord. Six trials have been scheduled between this summer and July 2024.

The subpoenas delivered Wednesday order criminal bureau and state police officials to appear at a deposition on May 15 or provide all materials related to the investigation and prosecution of the former workers and any information disclosed to their defense lawyers.

Attorney Rus Rilee, who expects to file another 150 lawsuits soon, said his clients simply want access to the same information that has been given to their abusers. The lawsuits filed so far allege abuse by 150 staffers from 1960 to 2018, including gang rapes, forcing children to fight each other for food, and locking them in solitary confinement for weeks or months.

‘It has become clear that the state has no real intention of prosecuting all of its abusive employees, so our clients’ only recourse is through the civil justice system, which the state is now abusing through embarrassing defenses, ridiculous denials and transparent delays,’ Rilee said Thursday.

Department of Justice spokesperson Michael Garrity said both the attorney general’s office and state police were reviewing the subpoenas ‘and will respond as appropriate.’

The development highlights the complexity associated with simultaneous civil cases against the state, and criminal proceedings against the accused workers.

The attorney general’s office says it has systems in place to build strong ‘ethical walls’ to keep them completely separate. But legal experts, including the judge overseeing the civil lawsuits, have raised questions about the dynamic.

At a hearing last month, Rockingham County Superior Court Judge Andrew Schulman asked whether lawyers for the state would be contradicting each other at the separate trial.

‘You seem to be saying it’s fine, if the person hasn’t been convicted yet, for the state to go to court, seek bail, put somebody on trial, stand up, tell the jury this guy committed aggravated felonious sexual assault on that day — and for the state of New Hampshire to come into a different courtroom and say, ‘Oh, no, that never happened. The person we called the victim in the other courtroom is a liar,’’ Schulman said. ‘That seems incongruous to me.’

‘I’m not saying that, your Honor,’ replied Assistant Attorney General Brandon Chase.

Chase emphasized that he wasn’t privy to anything on the criminal side, and he argued that the civil bureau has ‘been very transparent’ during the discovery process about what information it has been able to find. For example, state police recently retrieved 15 million items from the hard drives of more than 300 abandoned computers from the youth center’s basement.

‘These are massive document requests. We are doing our best to obtain documents and produce them,’ he said.

The youth center, which once housed upward of 100 children but now typically serves under a dozen, is named for former Gov. John H. Sununu, father of current Gov. Chris Sununu. Lawmakers have approved closing it and replacing it with a much smaller facility, likely in a new location.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., left one Biden administration official without words Wednesday when he pressed him to answer one simple question: How much would spending $50 trillion in American taxpayer money to become carbon-neutral lower global temperatures?

‘If we spend $50 trillion to become carbon-neutral by 2050 in the United States of America, how much is that going to reduce world temperatures?’ Kennedy asked Deputy Energy Secretary David Turk during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing.

Turk appeared unable to provide a specific number, and instead began arguing that the U.S. needed to do everything it could to reduce carbon emissions before being interrupted by Kennedy pressing for an answer to the question.

‘How much, if we do our part, is it going to reduce world temperatures?’ Kennedy asked again.

‘So, we’re 13% of global emissions right now,’ Turk responded, before Kennedy jumped in again, saying, ‘You don’t know, do you? You don’t know, do you?’

‘You don’t know, do you, Mr. Secretary?’ Kennedy asked as Turk appeared to continue dancing around the question. ‘If you know, why won’t you tell me?’

‘If we went to zero, that would be 13% —’ Turk said.

‘You don’t know, do you? You just want us to spend $50 trillion, and you don’t have the slightest idea whether it’s going to reduce world temperatures,’ Kennedy said. 

‘Now, I’m all for carbon neutrality, but you’re the deputy secretary of the Department of Energy, and you’re advocating we spend trillions of dollars to seek carbon neutrality, and you can’t — and this isn’t your money or my money, it’s taxpayer money — and you can’t tell me how much it’s going to lower world temperatures? Or you won’t tell me? You know, but you won’t?’ he continued.

Turk responded that in his ‘heart of hearts’ the rest of the world wouldn’t act on climate change unless the U.S. led on the issue, but did not provide an answer to Kennedy’s question.

‘Tell me how much it’s going to reduce — you can’t tell me. Either that, or you won’t,’ Kennedy said before moving on.

Some climate experts have claimed it will cost $50 trillion for the U.S. to reach carbon neutrality, which would include investing in so-called green energy and other things like electric vehicles.

Critics have, however, argued that there is no guarantee spending that amount would have any effect on climate change across the globe if other countries don’t take similar action.

Fox News’ Matteo Cina contributed to this report.

The White House on Thursday said it is ‘grateful’ to the government of Mexico for its efforts in aiding the U.S. with what is expected to be a massive migrant surge at the southern border when the Title 42 public health order ends next week.

Officials announced this week a number of collaborative measures on the topic of migration as the order, which allows for the rapid expulsion of migrants at the southern border, is set to expire on May 11.

Mexico agreed to continue to accept returns of a certain number of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans on ‘humanitarian grounds’ that it had been accepting as Title 42 returns as part of the formation of a humanitarian parole program for those nationalities in January.

On Tuesday, both the U.S. and Mexico announced joint anti-smuggling operations in addition to a 60-day surge campaign in the Darien Gap announced last week. The U.S. also said it intends to welcome as many as 100,000 individuals from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador under an expanded family reunification parole process also announced last week.

Separately, the U.S. announced that it is sending 1,500 troops to the border to assist Customs and Border Protection ahead of next week – although officials noted they will not be engaging with migrants.

White House spokesperson John Kirby was asked by reporters Thursday if Mexico would be making a similar troop deployment. Kirby said he would urge against the idea that ‘this additional force deployment has some … sort of reciprocal action that we’re looking for from Mexico.’

However, he highlighted the cooperation that the administration had secured earlier in the week.

‘It’s clear that we’ve got a good dialogue with Mexican authorities both at getting at drug trafficking as well as illegal immigration. And we’re grateful for the Mexican government’s willingness to continue to take and house migrants that illegally are trying to enter the United States,’ he said.

The administration has said that it has a plan in place to handle an expected surge in migrants, which officials have previously predicted could be up to 14,000 migrants a day. That plan includes regional cooperation as well as other measures, such as an asylum ineligibility rule, processing centers in Latin America, and a stiffening of penalties for illegal entry.

Republicans this week called for President Joe Biden to reverse his planned termination of the order next week, citing the estimates that massive numbers of migrants will come to the border.

‘This is untenable and will exacerbate what is already a national security and humanitarian disaster on our southern border,’ the lawmakers said in a letter to Biden.

The Vermont speaker of the House announced Thursday that she has initiated the first step in an investigatory process that could lead to the impeachment of a county prosecutor, accused of harassing and discriminating against employees, and a sheriff, facing an assault charge and a financial investigation.

A resolution was expected to be introduced in the Vermont House to create a bipartisan committee to investigate the allegations against Franklin County State’s Attorney John Lavoie and Franklin County Sheriff John Grismore.

‘The people of Franklin County deserve justice and elected officials who they can trust to uphold the rule of the law and to represent their community with integrity,’ House Speaker Jill Krowinski said at a Statehouse press conference. Despite calls from Franklin County residents for Lavoie and Grismore to resign, they have refused to do so, she said.

‘It is clear that the only constitutional remedy for a county official who has committed a crime, gross misconduct or maladministration of office is impeachment,’ said Rep. Michael McCarthy, a Democrat from Franklin County.

Grismore was elected sheriff even though he was fired from a job as a captain in the Franklin County sheriff’s department last August after video surfaced of him kicking a shackled prisoner. In October he pleaded not guilty to a simple assault charge. Just before he became sheriff in February, the state police said that they were investigating the finances of the sheriff’s department and Grismore.

In Lavoie’s case, Vermont prosecutors announced earlier this week that they have asked that the Legislature to consider impeachment proceedings against Lavoie after an investigation found that he harassed and discriminated against employees.

An independent investigation found credible evidence that Lavoie mistreated employees through repeated discriminatory comments and actions including derogatory references to national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, and body composition, the Vermont Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs’ said. The investigation also substantiated at least two instances of unwanted physical contact, not of a sexual nature, the department said.

Phone messages were left for both Grismore and Lavoie.

Lavoie acknowledged to reporters on Tuesday some inappropriate humor but denied any unwanted physical contact or racist comments. He said he apologized to staff and others and doesn’t think his actions warrant him stepping down. Grismore has defended his actions as proper when dealing with the prisoner.

EXCLUSIVE: One border state lawmaker is taking the Biden administration to task over what he says are its ‘lies’ about illegal immigration into the United States.

In a Thursday letter to the White House, Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Texas, ripped Biden’s ‘egregious border policies’ that have led to a record number of migrant encounters with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents, and accused Democrats, including press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, of ‘continuously spreading misinformation’ about the border.

‘Under your tenure as president, our nation has witnessed a disastrous increase in illegal crossings at the southwest border, with more than 6 million encounters since the day you took office,’ Gooden wrote. ‘Instead of providing effective solutions, you refuse to even acknowledge the full extent of this crisis while favoring political agendas and capitulating to the radical left.’

Gooden specifically pointed to an instance earlier this week in which Jean-Pierre claimed during a daily White House press briefing that illegal immigration had fallen 90% under the Biden administration despite fiscal year 2022 ending with the highest number of migrant encounters ever recorded.

‘The American people do not believe the White House’s lies when surging crime at the border continues to destroy our communities and harm innocent families,’ Gooden wrote, before mentioning the capture of accused murderer Francisco Oropesa earlier this week.

Oropesa, a Mexican national who CBP sources have said has been previously deported four times, allegedly entered his neighbor’s house last week and killed five people, including an eight-year-old child. He was apprehended Tuesday after a days-long manhunt.

Gooden went on to warn that the pending end of Title 42 would lead to masses of migrants attempting to enter the U.S., potentially overwhelming law enforcement and military personnel deployed in anticipation.

‘Meanwhile, no real solution or plan to deal with yet another migrant surge has been announced by your administration. Lives have been lost, and communities have been destroyed due to careless open border policies,’ he wrote. 

‘Drug and human trafficking have endangered the American people in all corners of the country. The border crisis should surpass partisan politics, but this cannot happen if Democratic leadership refuses to work with Republicans on this issue. I hope you will open your eyes to this ongoing crisis and take decisive action to secure our borders and safeguard the American people,’ he added.

The White House did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Georgia’s 2024 presidential primary is set for March 12, despite pleas from top Democrats, including President Biden, to hold the election earlier the nominating calendar to attract a more diverse group of voters.

The date was set by Georgia Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who is the only person in the state with the power to set Georgia’s primary date.

Raffensperger argued that Democrats never reached out to him specifically on the matter, according to a report from the Associated Press, adding, ‘If you want to get most things done in America, sometimes you have to build some consensus and reach out to both sides of the aisle.’

But Democrats have a different story and claim they spent months lobbying Raffensperger’s office and had discussions on the matter, despite the secretary of state’s efforts to avoid participation in those discussions.

In February, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) voted to alter its 2024 presidential nominating calendar, bumping Iowa and New Hampshire from their longstanding leadoff positions.

The party says the push is intended to give more presentation at the top of the schedule for Black and Hispanic voters in a party that has become more diverse in recent decades.

New Hampshire heavily opposed the decision because for a century the state has held the first primary in the race for the White House.

Instead, the party moved South Carolina to the lead position in the Democrats’ primary calendar. Under Biden’s plan, South Carolina would hold its primary on Feb. 3, 2024, with New Hampshire and Nevada holding primaries three days later, and endorsing the idea of Georgia holding its primary on Feb. 13 and Michigan two weeks later.

But after Raffensperger’s decision, snubbed the DNC’s proposal, which was intended to lessen the influence of Iowa and New Hampshire, both of which are overwhelmingly white states, the AP reported.

Raffensperger said he had no desire to approve separate primary dates for each party or jeopardize Georgia delegation votes at a national party convention.

This is the second hit handed down to the DNC.

Last month, the party announced it would host the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, disappointing Georgia Democrats after Atlanta was a finalist in the running.

Even though local officials saw Atlanta as a favorite, Biden chose to hold the convention in Chicago.

Raffensperger’s decision to hold the primary on March 12 moves Georgia’s voting day just one week after Super Tuesday on March 5.

He told the AP that waiting for that slot will make Georgia the clear ‘prize’ of the voting that day, as it will be the only major battleground state, alongside Washington, Mississippi and Idaho.

Although there are two named challengers in the Democratic Party that are looking to snub Biden, the likelihood is slim within the president’s own party.

In the Republican Party, though, there will likely be a more crowded field, and Super Tuesday traditionally yields a clear front-runner.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The Iowa Legislature adjourned Thursday after approving most of the Republican majority’s priorities, including using public money for private school tuition, banning sex changes for transgender children, removing some books from school libraries and reorganizing state government in a way that gives the governor more power over top administrators.

Both chambers adjourned after approving an $8.5 billion budget. Earlier in the week, Republicans who hold large majorities in both chambers pushed through a $100 million property tax cut that Gov. Kim Reynolds planned to sign Thursday.

Earlier in the session, Republicans approved the bill allowing public money for private school tuition, making Iowa among a handful of states that allows such spending with few restrictions.

Democrats and educators had argued the bill to create education savings accounts would result in reduced funding for public schools, but Reynolds had pushed hard for the change. The governor argued it would make private schools available for everyone, rather than only those who could afford the extra costs.

‘For the first time, we will fund students instead of a system, a decisive step in ensuring that every child in Iowa can receive the best education possible,’ Reynolds said in a statement when she signed the bill into law.

The measure is expected to cost $345 million annually in its fourth year, after it is fully implemented, according to a nonpartisan legislative analysis.

Under the bill Reynolds signed into law banning gender-affirming care for those younger than 18, doctors will have to stop prescribing puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones. That bill will also bar transgender students from using public school restrooms that align with their gender identity.

Another bill approved by lawmakers and awaiting Reynolds’ signature would require books with descriptions or visual depictions of a sex act to be removed from school libraries or classrooms. Exceptions would include the Bible and other religious texts.

The bill also would ban instruction about gender identity or sexual orientation in kindergarten through sixth grade, and require schools to notify parents if a child requests to use a different pronoun.

The government reorganization bill signed into law by Reynolds reduces the number of cabinet-level agencies from 37 to 16. It allows the governor to appoint more administrators, rather than leaving that to state boards, and will make it easier for her to pay them higher salaries.

Reynolds said the changes will result in a more efficient, less costly state government.