Secretary of State Antony Blinken could be served a subpoena on Monday if he doesn’t turn over classified documents about the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee said.

‘It’s extraordinary to have 23 embassy employees dissenting to the policy of the secretary of State and the White House,’ Rep. Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, told ‘Fox News Sunday’ host Shannon Bream. 

‘We want to know – and the American people deserve to know, and the veterans and the Gold Star mothers deserve to know – what were in those dissenting cables.’

Last week during a hearing on the State Department budget, McCaul gave Blinken a Monday deadline to provide the committee a dissent cable authored by at least 23 diplomats stationed the U.S. embassy Kabul in July 2021. The cable warned about how security in Afghanistan was deteriorating before the U.S. withdrawal at the end of August 2021. 

The document was sent through a ‘dissent channel,’ which allows State Department officials to send warnings to senior officials. 

‘We need this dissent cable, and I think the American people deserve to see it, to know what in the world was going on in those critical weeks,’ McCaul told Blinken last week during the hearing. ‘I have the subpoena. It’s right here, and I’m prepared to serve this.’

McCaul told Bream on Sunday that he is sticking with his plan to serve the subpoena if he does not receive such documents. 

‘If they don’t deliver by Monday, close of business, I will serve that subpoena,’ McCaul said. 

Blinken said at the hearing last week that the State Department will not release a copy of the cable in order to protect the dissent channel.

‘It is vital to me that we preserve the integrity of that process and of that channel, that we not take any steps that could have a chilling effect on the willingness of others to come forward in the future, to express dissenting views on the policies that are being pursued,’ Blinken said.

McCaul said Sunday the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, which left 13 U.S. service members dead, was a ‘turning point’ for America’s ‘projection of weakness’ on the world stage, pointing specifically to how China and Russia interpreted the withdrawal.

‘When Afghanistan imploded, that is the turning point. That is when Putin… looked at Ukraine, and Xi’s looking at Taiwan. That’s when everything changed. Afghanistan was a turning point. It was a disaster. We left Americans behind, Afghanistan partners behind,’ he said.

The State Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on McCaul’s comments Sunday. 

California Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna announced Sunday he will not be running for the Senate in 2024, while also endorsing Rep. Barbara Lee for Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s seat.

‘Over the past few months, it has been an honor to hear from progressives and Bernie Sanders supporters who have reached out and encouraged me to enter the race,’ Khanna said in a press release. ‘While I am honored, I believe the most exciting place to advance bold and progressive policy right now is in the House.’

‘Today, I am proud to endorse Barbara Lee and serve as a co-chair of her campaign. From the beginning, I have said that I would look closely at what Barbara Lee does and that her decision would weigh heavily on mine,’ Khanna continued. ‘She is a personal hero and one of the reasons why I first ran for Congress at age 27 on an anti-war platform. Her lone vote against the war in Afghanistan is one of the most courageous acts of modern time.’

Khanna also made the announcements on CNN’s ‘State of the Union.’

Feinstein, who is currently the longest-serving female senator ever and also the oldest sitting senator at age 89, announced she would not be seeking re-election in early February.

‘I am announcing today I will not run for re-election in 2024 but intend to accomplish as much for California as I can through the end of next year when my term ends,’ the senator said in a statement last month. 

Lee filed to enter the race just a few days after Feinstein announced her retirement. She is set to face off against fellow Democrat Reps. Katie Porter and Adam Schiff, who have also announced their intention to fill the senator’s seat. 

When asked why he would not back Porter or Schiff, Khanna responded that he had much ‘respect for them, but Barbara Lee is a unique voice.’

‘The other two are formidable candidates, but I think Barbara Lee is going to be very, very strong,’ Khanna added. 

Lee is the highest-ranking Black woman appointed to the House Democratic leadership, also serving as co-chair of the Policy and Steering Committee. The representative’s track record includes being the only member of Congress to vote against the authorization for the use of military force after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. 

Fox News’ Julia Musto and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Former President Donald Trump took aim at potential Republican primary foe Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during a recent campaign event, with much of the criticism garnering little enthusiasm from those in attendance.

During his Saturday campaign event in Waco, Texas, on Saturday, Trump argued that DeSantis had little chance of becoming Florida’s governor without the former president’s endorsement, with Trump breaking into an impersonation of DeSantis allegedly begging him for his support in the state’s 2018 Republican primary.

‘So, he came, and he really wanted [my endorsement]. I said, ‘You can’t win, can you? How do you – can [you] win?” Trump said, recalling the alleged conversation with DeSantis. ‘‘Sir, if you endorse me, I’ll win. Please, please, sir, endorse me,” Trump continued as he acted out a crying, begging voice.

While similar jabs against political opponents have been a hit with Trump’s crowds during past rallies, those in attendance were noticeably more silent as Trump took aim at DeSantis. Though some in the crowd could be heard laughing or clapping as Trump continued to be critical of DeSantis, the reaction of the crowd was much more silent than when Trump went after other targets, such as the mainstream media.

DeSantis, who has yet to declare a 2024 White House bid, is largely regarded as Trump’s biggest rival in the Republican primary field. Having just won reelection in Florida in a landslide, many analysts have noted the governor’s growing national profile and popularity in the key swing state as a reason DeSantis could be a legitimate challenger to Trump.

That reality has caused Trump to more frequently target DeSantis for criticism in recent weeks, with that trend continuing during the former president’s event in Waco.

‘He gets the nomination because of you. He wins the election because of you. Two years later, the fake … is up there saying, ‘Will you run against the president? Will you run?’ And he says, ‘I have no comment,’’ Trump said after arguing that DeSantis was virtually dead in the race before his endorsement.

Trump went after DeSantis for his handling of COVID-19, arguing that other states did not shut down as Florida did at the beginning of the pandemic, and blasted the Florida governor’s record of attempting to slash Social Security benefits while a member of Congress.

The former president also argued that Florida was in great shape well before DeSantis took office.

‘Remember one thing: Florida has been tremendously successful for many years, long before this guy became governor,’ Trump said. ‘Florida was tremendously successful under Rick Scott … whether you like him or not, Charlie Crist was very successful, he was a Republican at the time. But Florida has been successful for decades, in fact, probably as or more successful than it is now.’

DeSantis’ office did not immediately reply to a Fox News request for comment on Trump’s remarks.

The Biden administration plans to roll out executive orders and climate mandates affecting automobiles and trucks to reach a 50% reduction in emissions by the end of the decade, according to Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry

During an interview with Yahoo News last week, Kerry spoke on President Biden’s plans, but also on lifestyle changes people may have to make to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

At the beginning of the interview though, Kerry was asked about Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA, noting that it is only projected to reach a 40% reduction in carbon emissions by the end of the decade, shy by about 10% of the president’s goal.

‘Well, we’re doing a lot more than just the IRA. The IRA is a package that in and of itself can get the 40%,’ Kerry said. ‘But in addition to that, the president is issuing executive orders. There’ll be changes on automobile, on light truck, heavy truck, heavy duty, a number of initiatives that are being taken by states, subnational, cities…’

He added that when the U.S. pulled out of the Paris climate agreement, the U.S. still saw 75% of the new energy that came online, came from renewable resources.

‘So, we have a lot of other options, tools if you will, in the toolkit besides the IRA,’ Kerry said.

The former presidential candidate also said achieving the goal is not dependent on federal government mandates, though it is critical. He explained that corporations also must do their part.

He gave the example of the airline industry doing their part to meet a net-zero 2050 target in two separate phases, or scopes to reduce emissions that the industry is responsible for.

‘So, there are a lot of things happening, and nobody can guarantee this,’ Kerry said. ‘Right now, we’re behind. I mean, we’re seriously behind.’

In terms of electric vehicles, General Motors said by 2035 it only plans to make vehicles that operate on electricity. 

Kerry was also asked about people who do not want to change their lifestyles for things like switching from gas to electricity for cooking.

‘Unless somebody were able to provide that with zero carbon intensity, I mean, if you can do that. Now that’s not doable today,’ he said. ‘So yes, gas at a certain point becomes a serious challenge here.’

‘It would be like taking a coal plant offline and switching to gas. Yes, you got rid of the coal emissions, but generated gas emissions.’

‘You’ve got to be able to reduce the gas emissions also,’ he said. ‘That’s the challenge for the industry.’

Kerry’s camp did not immediately respond to questions concerning the interview and the Biden administrations’ future mandates.

In February, Biden faced severe backlash when a regulatory plan to ban most gas stoves surfaced. 

A campaign staffer for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump who is leading the charge to blackball staffers for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis previously worked for the Republican governor.

Justin Caporale, a former Trump White House adviser who helps lead the former president’s advance team, has declared that anyone who staffed a recent DeSantis book tour or previously worked for the governor will be considered ‘persona non grata,’ sources told RealClearPolitics last week.

‘It’s a time for choosing,’ one of the sources reportedly said. ‘If you work for Ron DeSantis’ presidential race, you will not work for the Trump campaign or in the Trump White House.’

The Trump campaign did not dispute the article when reached by Fox News Digital on Sunday.

A quick search for Caporale’s name on the Florida governor’s website shows that he previously worked as the director of external affairs for DeSantis’ office. 

According to the website for Event Strategies Inc., where Caporale serves as CEO, he ‘worked to establish a support network to facilitate community engagement efforts for the Governor, First Lady, and Lt. Governor — including the execution of the State’s largest Trade Mission to Israel.’

Politico reported on Caporale’s exit from DeSantis’ office in June 2019, saying he reportedly rubbed some members of staff the wrong way.

‘He clashed with some other staffers in the office, which had become a problem,’ a source told the outlet at the time. ‘He is a pro, but there was some tension there.’

Caporale did not respond to Fox News Digital’s inquiry that asked why he is permitted on the Trump campaign while other former DeSantis staffers are not.

The blackballing comes amid an escalating war of words between Trump, who’s announced a 2024 presidential campaign, and DeSantis, who has not announced a White House bid but is still widely considered Trump’s chief competition in the Republican primary.

Fox News Digital’s Aaron Kliegman contributed to this report.

House Republicans are reaffirming their commitment to passing a proposed amendment to place thresholds on the number of terms those in Congress may serve.

Earlier this year, South Carolina GOP Rep. Ralph Norman introduced H.J.Res.11, an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would limit those serving in the House to three terms, for a total of six years, and those serving in the Senate to two terms, for a total of 12 years.

‘We’ve gotten a great response from other Republicans who also support term limits,’ Norman said of his proposed amendment in a statement to Fox News Digital this week. ‘This was one of Rep. McCarthy’s promises, and we intend on following through with making sure it gets done.’

For those elected during a special election to fill a vacancy, the proposal, according to Norman’s office, defines the length of a ‘qualifying term’ as at least one year in the House of Representatives and at least three years in the Senate.

Norman also said he is ‘talking to the Judiciary Committee and Rep. [Jim] Jordan to make sure H.J.Res.11 gets scheduled for markup, and then it will definitely go through regular order.’

Russell Dye, who serves as the communications director and counsel for the House Judiciary Committee, told Fox that Norman’s measure is something the committee and Jordan plan to evaluate.

‘Of course, Mr. Jordan supports term limits, and this is something we plan on obviously looking at,’ Dye said.

Norman’s office said that the measure, which received bipartisan support and has 86 co-sponsors, starts the term limit counter after ratification, meaning that politicians elected prior to that date would not yet be subject to term limits.

‘It’s inappropriate for our elected leaders to make long-term careers off the backs of the American taxpayer,’ Norman told Fox News Digital in January. ‘We’ve seen the corruption it can lead to. While there is value in experience, it’s easy to become disconnected from those you serve after too many years in Washington. Most Americans support term limits, but the problem is convincing politicians they ought to serve for a period of time and then go home and live under the laws they enacted.’

In agreement, Maine Rep. Jared Golden, the first Democrat to co-sponsor the amendment offered by Norman, said earlier this year that the House of Representatives ‘was never intended at its inception to be a place where someone served for 30 years.’

‘Mainers voted in support of term limits in a large part because they don’t believe elected office should be a long-term career,’ Golden said at the time. ‘Instead, they want fresh ideas and new leadership. Terms limits will go a long way towards delivering those ideas and leadership in Washington.’

Norman’s proposed amendment, which has been offered in the past, is exactly the type of measure Florida GOP Congressman Matt Gaetz — a key holdout in Kevin McCarthy’s bid to become speaker — is pushing for.

‘I’m a proud co-sponsor of Rep. Norman’s legislation for a Constitutional Amendment that would limit House members to 3 terms (6 years) and Senators to 2 terms (12 years),’ Gaetz told Fox News Digital in January.

‘During the week-long negotiations with Speaker McCarthy, we secured a historic opportunity to finally have a vote on terms limits on the House floor and will aggressively pursue its passage,’ Gaetz added at the time.

The measure has also received support from Kentucky GOP Rep. James Comer, who serves as chairman of the House Oversight Committee and said earlier this year during an appearance on Fox News Channel’s ‘America’s Newsroom’ that his constituents are ‘excited’ about term limits legislation.

‘The people in Kentucky back home this weekend, they were excited about the changes in the rules,’ Comer said. ‘They were the most excited about term limits. You know, this is something that Republicans campaigned on every election, but yet we haven’t had a term limits vote in the six years I’ve been in Congress. So I’m glad that we’re going to do that. We’re finally going to do the things that we campaigned on.’

GOP Rep. Don Bacon has also expressed support for a vote on term limits, telling reporters this year that he believes the measure would be a ‘good thing’ for House members to vote on, but that he doesn’t see it going far in the Senate.

The idea of limiting congressional service has been tossed around among lawmakers for years, but it has never resulted in any serious legislation as members continue their decades-long careers in both chambers.

Eleven members currently serving in either the House or Senate have worked more than 35 years in one or both chambers. For instance, the longest-serving member of Congress is GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley, whose career in politics spans nearly 65 years from his time as a member of the Iowa House of Representatives in 1959. Grassley was first elected to the U.S. House in 1975 and later to the Senate in 1980, where he has served as chair of multiple committees during his more than 48-year career in federal politics.

Following Grassley, Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Ed Markey, who served in the House for nearly 40 years before becoming the junior senator for the state in 2013, has a combined 46-year career in both chambers.

Other current members of Congress who have a more than 35-year career in federal politics include: Oregon Democrat Sen. Ron Wyden (42 years); Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. (42 years); Kentucky GOP Rep. Hal Rogers (42 years); New Jersey GOP Rep. Chris Smith (42 years); Maryland Democrat Rep. Steny Hoyer (41 years); Illinois Democrat Sen. Dick Durbin (40 years); Ohio Democrat Rep. Marcy Kaptur (40 years); Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. (38 years); and Maryland Democrat Sen. Ben Cardin (36 years).

New York Republican Rep. George Santos introduced a bill Friday that would prevent the U.S. government from providing financial aid to any country that discriminates or takes legal action against its residents based on sexual orientation.

Titled the ‘Equality and Fiscal Accountability Protection Act of 2023,’ the bill, according to Santos’ office, would ‘require that countries receiving federal aid from the United States protect those based on sexual orientation and for other purposes.’

‘Discrimination against both women and the LGBTQ community is unacceptable,’ Santos said in a statement about the legislation. ‘My bill will send a clear message that the United States will not offer federal aid to countries found to be violating the rights of individuals based on sexual orientation. We as a nation have a responsibility to stand up for the human rights of all people, regardless of race, religion, or sexual orientation.’

Under the bill, Santos’ office said the State Department would be required to ‘assess a country’s human rights record before providing federal aid.’

Countries found in violation of certain human rights ‘would be ineligible to receive aid until they take steps to address the issues,’ Santos’ office noted.

Santos introduced the measure after Uganda lawmakers looking to outlaw homosexual activity in the country passed a bill Tuesday prescribing jail terms of up to 10 years for those who have same-sex relations.

Following its passage, the bill, which has received support from a great deal of lawmakers in the country, was sent to the desk of President Yoweri Museveni, who has also expressed support for it. In a recent speech, Museveni accused Western countries of ‘trying to impose their practices on other people.’

The bill creates an offense of ‘attempted homosexuality,’ punishable by up to 10 years jail time. It also creates an offense called ‘aggravated homosexuality,’ which applies to sexual relations among those infected with HIV, minors and other categories. Its punishment is not immediately clear.

The United States currently ‘provides significant health and development assistance to Uganda, with a total assistance budget exceeding $950 million per year,’ according to the State Department’s website.

‘The U.S. mission is working with the government of Uganda to improve tax collection and oil revenue management, and to increase Uganda’s domestic funding for public services and the national response to HIV/AIDS,’ the State Department noted in March 2022.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby warned this week that if the law were enacted, Washington would ‘have to take a look’ at imposing economic penalties on Uganda.

‘We’re certainly watching this real closely. And we would have to take a look at whether or not there might be repercussions that we would have to take, perhaps in an economic way, should this law actually get passed — enacted,’ Kirby told reporters.

Kirby noted that this would be ‘really unfortunate’ since most U.S. aid is in the form of health assistance, especially anti-AIDS assistance.

Same-sex relations in Uganda are already criminalized under a colonial-era penal code. Harsh anti-gay legislation enacted in 2014 later was annulled by a panel of judges amid international condemnation. That bill, in its original draft, had called for the death penalty for some homosexual acts.

Asuman Basalirwa, who sponsored the new measure in Uganda, said his bill would punish ‘promotion, recruitment and funding’ related to LGBTQ activities.

Homosexuality is already illegal in more than 30 of Africa’s 54 countries.

Fox News’ Lawrence Richard and Julia Musto, as well as The Associated Press, contributed to this article.

The governor of Idaho has signed into law a bill legalizing the use of a firing squad in state executions.

Gov. Brad Little signed the bill after it was passed on March 20 by a veto-proof majority of the Idaho Legislature.

Under the new law, firing squads will not be the first option and will only be utilized for executions when the drugs necessary for a lethal injection are unavailable.

Idaho is the fifth state in the country to legalize the practice, following Utah, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Mississippi.

The newly legalized execution method could impact the state’s eight current death row inmates and possibly the future of student stabbings suspect Bryan Kohberger. 

He could face death if convicted of any of four first-degree murder charges he faces in the November deaths of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle.

‘The firing squad is the quickest, surest and most error-free and the only technique for which we have skilled and trained professionals,’ says Fordham Law School professor Deborah Denno, a leading expert on the death penalty in the U.S.

Denno, who has researched methods of execution for the past three decades, has written seven articles cited by the Supreme Court on the topic, according to her university biography.

In addition to a persistent scarcity of approved lethal injection drugs, the procedure is difficult for a number of reasons.

Condemned inmates often have vein damage due to prolonged drug use, some of them are too obese, and others have too much muscle, she said. Others are so nervous that their veins contract.

In some gruesome cases, executioners are forced to cut into the inmate’s neck or groin to find a place to insert the needle. At times, condemned inmates have even assisted prison personnel in inserting it themselves.

Former President Donald Trump’s presidential campaign is blackballing anyone who works for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to a new report.

Justin Caporale, who helps lead the advance team for the former president, has put out the word that anyone who staffed a recent DeSantis book tour will be considered ‘persona non grata,’ RealClearPolitics reported Friday.

A ‘top Trump ally,’ meanwhile, said the prohibition would apply to more than just junior aides who set up folding chairs and hung banners at DeSantis events.

‘It’s a time for choosing,’ the source reportedly said. ‘If you work for Ron DeSantis’ presidential race, you will not work for the Trump campaign or in the Trump White House.’

The reported threat comes amid an escalating war of words between Trump, who’s announced a 2024 presidential campaign, and DeSantis, who has not announced a White House bid but is still widely considered Trump’s chief competition in the Republican primary.

For several days Trump has been increasingly attacking DeSantis, perhaps most intensely in a statement this week in which he called the governor ‘average’ and better at public relations than governing.

DeSantis, for his part, has begun striking back. In a new interview with journalist Piers Morgan this week, DeSantis jabbed Trump over his style, character, and leadership, saying there’s ‘no daily drama’ in the governor’s office.

The Florida governor also drew a clear contrast with Trump when it came to the COVID pandemic, saying he would’ve ‘fired’ Dr. Anthony Fauci if he were president at the time.

When asked in a separate interview Thursday whether he would join a potential ticket as Trump’s running mate, DeSantis responded, ‘I think I’m probably more of an executive guy … We’re able to make things happen, and I think that’s probably what I am best suited for.’

The next day, Trump said he’s never thought of asking DeSantis to be his running mate, calling it a ‘very unlikely alliance.’

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Trump campaign and DeSantis’ office for comment.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell announced Saturday that he was released from the rehabilitation facility that was treating him for his recent concussion.

‘I want to sincerely thank everyone for all the kind wishes. I’m happy to say I finished inpatient physical therapy earlier today and I’m glad to be home,’ McConnell said in a statement.

‘I’m going to follow the advice of my physical therapists and spend the next few days working for Kentuckians and the Republican Conference from home,’ the statement added. ‘I’m in frequent touch with my Senate colleagues and my staff. I look forward to returning in person to the Senate soon.’

McConnell, who was first elected in 1984, tripped and fell at a private dinner on March 8. He fractured his ribs, in addition to sustaining a concussion.

The Kentucky senator was released from the hospital five days later and moved into an inpatient rehabilitation facility for physical therapy.

McConnell also fell in his Kentucky home in 2019, which fractured his shoulder and required surgery.

McConnell was not the only U.S. senator receiving medical treatment in March. Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman was also hospitalized during McConnell’s stay. 

Fetterman checked himself into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on February 15 for mental health issues. It is unclear when he will return to the Senate.

‘He’ll be back soon, at least over a week, but soon,’ spokesperson Joe Calvello said Thursday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.