>> good evening and welcome. >> infighting among house republicans. then, from california to new england. huge swaths of the country facing atmospheric rivers. >> south korea raises concerns about u.s. security arantees. >> i believe visits -- it is time for this alliance to add planning. >> major funding for the pbs

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supported by the john t and catherine macarthur foundation. committed to building a more peaceful world. with the ongoing support of these institutions. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station by viewers like you area -- like you. >> good evening. after two days and six rounds of votes, the house of representatives has still not elected a leader. >> two dozen republicans have blocked kevin mccarthy and there is no end in sight. more on the continued battle between party leaders and hardliners.

reporter: not quite chaos, but for republican leaders, certainly a frenzy as kevin mccarthy continues to insist he will prevail as speaker of the house despite being well short on votes. >> it does not matter. i still have the most votes. so we could go through every name in the conference and be at the end of the day, we'll be able to go there. >> meanwhile, in the chamber, an opening prayer for the times. >> holy god, in these days of uncertainty and change, we turn to you who are the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. reporter: groundhog day. >> i rise to dominate -- nominate kevin mccarthy. >> kevin mccarthy for speaker of the house. reporter: on repeat today. >> i nominate kevin mccarthy. reporter: still, no one saw the shadow of the speaker.

the same 20 republicans kept their oppositions, a group that is strongly pro-trump and antiestablishment. this time, offering up a new candidate. byron donald. mccarthy lost the support. after that, the house floor was a sea of arbitration, some naming to persuade and others clear disputes. mccarthy got a big boost from donald trump who told punch bowl news he backs mccarthy as speaker and it is time to make a deal to get to work. prominent trump supporter lauren boebert made a suggestion. >> the president needs to tell kevin mccarthy he does not have the votes. reporter: carthy insists he will not. meantime, the house is paralyzed.

there is no speaker. there are no members. no can take the oath of office until a speaker is elected. committees are frozen and they are stymied from basic work. >> this is a crisis of the congress. >> how do you think it looks for the rest of the world? this is not a good look, not a good thing. this ithe united states of america. reporter: fate is in their own hands, but none seem to know when this will end. >> lisa joins us now or capitol hill -- from capitol hill. welcome, good to see. bring us up to speed, you have been following every twist and turn. reporter: we expect the house to

return from a german. -- adjournments. kevin mccarthy and his allies are trying to identify any of those who voted in opposition to him who could be persuadable. i have spoken to trusted republican sources, some in and close to leadership, allies of kevin mccarthy who have told me they think he will not be able to make up the gap. he has to persuade more than a dozen of his members to change and none are budging. sources tell me someone has got to tell mr. mccarthy it's over or nearly over. momentum is almost gone for m. they say they have potential plans, trying to switch the

threshold from a majority to a plural already. it is untested and also a risk, mccarthy tn hakeem jeffries. >> you mentioned the people opposed. the numbers remain largely unchanged. what is it they want? >> there are two things happening. this is a group that wants to make it easier to propose ideas on the house floor. they fiscal conservatives. they would like to propose amendments that cut spending at any time. they would like to make sure there are no massive spending bills, only by individual, refined topics. they would like it so any member can challenge the speaker. that is something many believe

would disrupt the chamber too much. overall, when you think about it, in terms of what happening right now, more of the demand for this group is someone other than kevin mccarthy. they have gotten so many demands already that it is coming down to personality and a lack of trust. >> there are reaworld consequences to all of this. when you step back from the vote tallies, what is at stake for the people? >>. serious consequences. that is a press pound -- profound fiscal cliff.

there are dangerous times ahead. there are issues. new members are having trouble with things such as opening up your office. >> no one knows congress like you do. if you ever seen anything on this level? >> i can't stress enough how unprecedented this is. among other things, the rules of the house govern the spaces, there are no house rules right now. this allowed me to shoot this video. this is what it looks like. i know it might not look amazing, but i have never been

able to sh you that because we have never had this long of a period in between congresses where i could have permission, because there are no rules. it is a bizarre and amazing time. >> reported from capitol hill. for the republican perspective, the former communications director to eric cantor, welcome. here we are. has failed -- kevin mccarthy has failed to get the necessary bows. >> you suck candidate say, someone needs to get out of the race. house modetes flexing muscles,

we have heard about them flexing them before, but they did not know where the gym is. they're trying to see will blame first. at this point, he's going to keep going they're going to try and draw out opposition. we hear mixed things. folks are saying maybe it's time to move on. it's going to be a long time. the senate does not come back until january 23. >> you think this can go until january 23? >> absolutely. >> when you talk about the real-world implications, there are real things that impact

millions of americans. is any of that resonating? >> not yet because you're still seeing the sideshow. most voters don't realize the policy and political implications. there are no committees. there is no house intelligence committee. to your important stuff. politically, joe biden says he was going to be a normalizer. he was in kentucky today with mitch mcconnell as republicans were demonstrating two months after the elections were voters said we do not like the direction of this republican party, say we do not -- >> carthy bank on the idea by embracing president trump that he would secure the speakership.

should he have seen this coming? >> one of the things that has been surprising is donald trump's voice is not as important as it was. we saw lauren boebert say, actually donald trump needs to do this. there is a part of the party that does not need trump. that is why we are where we are. if this gets sorted tomorrow or a week from now, what about the damage done? what does it say about the incoming house majority? >> that's the real implication of all of this. there is some damage, but it depends on what happens. if this gang of 20 is successful, it means whoever is speaker will have some handcuffs. it starts with the fiscal cliff. every part of governing that a house majority were excited to have becomes very real questions

about whether they can operate. >> when do you think the right time is? who can step in? >> if the next vote tonight or whenever it may be,f it's 24 or 26, the writing is on the wall. after that, we don't know. a lot of people are talking about other members. if the wild west. no one knows. >> you have seen a lot of fights like this. >> not like this. >> where does this fit within the pantheon? >> no one has seen anything like this before. we have to go back to the mid-1800s to see an example like this.

there had not been a second vote since 1923. that means no one alive is working on that one knows what it's like. this is uncharted territory. >> thank you so much for being here. >> hundreds of miles away from washington, president joe biden took a victory lap with an unkely ally. laura barron-lopez has more on the president's trip to kentucky today. repoer: eager to showcase his bipartisan bona fides. president joe bin and mitch mcconnell. >> i'm happy to be here with my friend and colleague, a long

serving leader in the united states senate, senator mitch mcnnell. reporter: the republican joined president biden in his home state of kentucky to promote new infrastructure projects. >> today, this wonderful clear day on literally a legislative miracle. reporter: standing near the bridge that connects kentucky and ohio. they announced $1 billion in federal funds. >> there are bright spots across the country. reporter: made possible by the bipartisan infrastructure law that the white house spent months negotiating. it passed in 2021 after

receiving a key blessing from,. despite facing a leadership challenge. >> i ran for leader because republican leaders caved in. it's happening all the time. reporter: mcconnell stressed the need to work across the aisle. >> elected, we'll to look for things we can agree on and try to do those even while we have big differences. reporter: they vowed and failed to fix the brent spence. >> i have heard about the bridge, i love the area. we are going to get it fixed. reporter: president biden made clear his love for compromise was here to stay. >> we can work togetr. we can get things done. we can move the nation forward.

>> the president, vice president and senior officials fanned out across states to highlight projects. >> look at the 95th three bridge behind me. reporter: kicking off a renewed strategy that today put president biden in senator mcconnell side-by-side. >> this bipartisan trip, what are leader mcconnell trying to signal here? >> they were very explicit about the message not just to voters but their parties. it was about finding commo ground, being able to work together. showing the country that the government can work together. a stark contrast as to what is

happening in washington dc, and something president biden has received flack four. >> who benefits politically? >> this is interesting. i was talking to a former congressman who said president biden benefits because he is up for reelection sooner than mcconnell. >> i think it helps president biden. it shows joe biden as the person who is willing to work across party lines. >> that is because of the fact senator mcconnell is not up for reelection for a while longer. i spoke to a former gop senator who agreed and said this does not help mcconnell very much.

he is not necessarily great friends with house gop members. he is made clear is trying to distance himself since the midterms from president donald trump. he could potentially for using political capital to send this message. >> we should say the people of kentucky benefit. you spoke about this. there were democrats who said he was naive. looking forward, it strikes me president biden will he an easier time working with senate republicans. >> put assessment. -- good assessment.

he worked alongside senator mitch mcconnell then as well as when he was vice president. when he was vice president, he was the one who would break logjams. he worked with mcconnell on a deal that extended the bush tax cuts. we are still talking about mitch mcconnell and he is well known among democrats. he blocked merrick garland. he prides himself and described himself as the grim reaper. we were talking about government funding bills and showing the government can work to pass legislation through the chamber,

one thing looking forward, they could potentially -- that is something the white house has called on republicans to work on and president biden said he has the intention of going to the border as early as next week. >> the buffalo bills shared positive bills about damar hamlin's recovery. he remains sedated and in critical condition. a statement said he remains in

the intensive care unit. a family spokesman sd the recovery is headed in a positive direction. president biden said he spoke with his parents. this was the third and final day of pope benedict lying in state in the vatican. in all, some 200,000 people over the last 3 days. and at his weekly general audience today, pope francis again offered words of praise. >> i would like us to join with those here paying their respects to benedict. his acute and gentle thought was not self-referential, but ecclesial, because he always wanted to accompany us in the encounter with jesus. >> pope francis will preside over his funeral tomorrow, an event that will draw heads of state. in iran, a prominent actress has been released after nearly three weeks in jail. she had been locked up for

supporting antigovernment protest. iranian account say she was let out on bail. after her release, she posted a photo of herself surrounded by her friends. russia launched ledges -- dozens of airstrikes amid criticism. it happened last weekend. the russians say 89 soldiers died. ukraine says 400. the defense ministry charge that soldiers using cell phones gave away their position. others accuse the kremlin of trying to deflect blame. the ruling general in myanmar pardon 7000 prisoners and outline plans for an election later this year. it was meant to mark the anniversary of the country's independence. they have faced international isolation and sanctions since the military seized power in 2021. families and others swarmed

buses with newly released prisoners. >> i don't have any special feelings. what matters is whether it's real freedom. i don't just want to be released from jail, i want freedom for all of my life. my hopes, family and your generations. >> there was no sign that aung san suu kyi is among those. the men behind a u.s. college admissions bribery scandal faces three and a half years in federal prison. he was sentenced in boston for helping celebrities and other liens by their kids waiting to top schools. he pleaded guilty to racketeering and other charges and help secure convictions of others. facebook's parent company was hit today with more than $400

million in fines. regulators bend the company from forcing european usurers to agree to personalized ads. force changes in the business model. meantime, twitter has announced it will ease a ban on political advertising. the latest bid by elon musk to increase revenue after buying the platform. they band political ads back in 2019 after pressure from misinformation. the company said it believes ads can add to the public debate on important issues. on wall street, stocks managed to advance. the nasdaq rose 71 points. the s&p 500 added 28. still to come. the fda clears the way for water

access to abortion pills. tensions rise between south and north korea amid more missile tests. the police chief warns of vulnerabilities. >> this is the pbs newshour. >> a major storm systems hitting the u.s., dropping snow in the north. heavy rain, floods and tornadoes are threatening parts of the south and northern california is preparing for severe rains just days after another deadly storm flooded homes and triggered widespread power outages. >> the first major u.s. storm of 2023 is ushering in the new year with snow and ice from the midwest on up to new england.

>> had to park on the stre last night. trying to take myself out. >> the winter storms triggering new flight cancellations. last night, a delta jet slid off the icy taxiway after landing. no passengers were injured. the severe weather spun six tornadoes across illinois on tuesday, mostly in the central part of the state. the national weather service said it was the largest number of twisters illinois had seen since 1989. a large swath of the south is contending the threat of tornadoes and flooding.

downpours made for treacherous driving conditions. this captured floodwaters. all of this comes as northern california is getting walloped by another powerful storm system days after a new year's eve day lose. san francisco residents fill sandbags to help protect their homes from flooding. >> they're saying this is going to be worse. >> the atmospheric river dumped rain on san francisco. a climate scientist explained what it is. >> its water vapor moving above your head. the large volume of water. we are talking about the mississippi river. most of the water systems can reasonably handle intense

storms, when you start to see long sequences over days and weeks, atmospheric rer is copious precipitation, the cumulative effect becomes mor difficult to manage. >> forecasters warnick it could bring four inches of rain. wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour. the frequency of major storm west coast is one of the many mixed effects of the change. >> our own research adjusted that clite change has already doubled the risk of a prolonged and extremely severe storm sequence capable of producing severe flooding in california. so there is evidence at this point that climate change is starting to exert an influence on extreme precitation in this part of the world. >> at the same time, climate

change is worsening the drought and at least in the short term, this week's flooding rains will refill the desperately low major reservoirs in northern california. >> for the first time, retail pharmacies -- the fda announced the change on tuesday which can expand abortion access. earlier today, they spoke about the news. >> until now, tough a mail order pharmacy or clinics. patients would still be abortion

rights groups will empower folks to get the care they need in a way that best works for them. groups condemn them. susan b anthony said they were helping abortion activists turn every post office and pharmacy into an abortion business. an obstetrician heads equity transformation for the american college of obstetricians and gynecologists. from your peers -- >> these are in response to the evidence we have, and that these restrictions are not necessary to keep people safe and only create barriers to accessing essential health care. >> already more than half of pregnancy terminations in

america or a result of medication and abortions. do you expect that to change? >> individuals may choose medication in lieu of a clinic or procedural abortion for many different reasons. having more access is something that helps remove those barriers. we may see an ongoing usage and uptake in medication. >> what do you say to the critics? they say this is making terminating pregnancies easy. >> i understand that perspective. i understand abortion can be hard for individuals to understand. as a physician and expert in science and medicine, i

understand it's a decision that should be made between a doctor and this person seeking the abortion. the medicine is extraordinarily safe. they are as safe as ibuprofen. it is just as safe. essential health care can never be too easy to access. i want to reassure everyone watching this. these decisions are thoughtful and done in the context and expertise that these women have in their own lives. >> there are still local and state restrictions, although this week the justice department said it could deliver.

there are state laws that takes precedence over fda regulations. how significant is that? >> we are happy to see the fda respond to enormous evidence. it does not require additional restrictions. we acknowledge this is one step in removing the unnecessary barriers. we know there are other aspects to these rules that add barriers to accessing abortion, and we know there are nearly half of the states in the country who are severely restricting abortion in which the change in rules will not happen. >> we reached out to two of the biggest pharmacy chains in america. cvs and walgreens. each said they are studying

these new regulations that will make decisions later. there are some administrative restrictions on grocery stores, pharmacies. could that keep big national change -- change from carrying the drug? >> there is information we need to understand about how this rules going to layout. -- play out. on paper, pharmacies can dispense the medication. that is what it says on paper. the way that it plays out at the pharmacy is going to vary based on the region. there is a lot for us to understand and learn about what this is going to look like. >> with abortion remaining a hot button issue, could nationwide chains be leery of varying the medication and broadcasting it

for fear of how the business might be affected? >> it is possible, though i do not work for one of those chains. i will say abortion is essential health care and extraordinarily common and safe. it's used for other things like miscarriage management. >> you say you were once in the antiabortion movement. how did your viewpoint change? what was the process? >> i grew up very religious and conservative and all of the values that drive me now, justice, compassion and

fairness. i learned from my religion. i was in antiabortion activists well into my early 20's. when i started practicing medicine, i realized the black-and-white, the false dichotomy of pro-life and fall choice were not real. i could better serve my values and my duty to my patients by showing up for them. that is why i practice the full scope. i deliver babies. when a patient comes to me and asked for my help, i am proud to

say i'm able to be there for them. i trust them to be able to make that decision in the context of their own lives. >> thank you very much. >> a quick follow-up to the interview. walgreens became the first national pharmacy change to conferment plans to dispense, but it did not provide a timeframe. other major chains say they are still reviewing the fda rules. >> this week,outh korea's president said it was difficult to convince his country that the u.s. would protect it with nuclear weapons as the u.s. has promised for several decades. the comments come at a time of

increasing tensions and an arm race. north korea launches an unprecedented number of missiles endows exponential growth of clear capabilities. >> at the stroke of midnight, north koreans ushered i2020 rate -- kim jong-un logic is on fire work. an propaganda videos, north korea displayed what it calls the world's largest mobile intercontinental missile. 2022 was year of swagger in the face of sanctions. as announced by state tv, more missile tests than any time in history. designed to be more difficult.

to be multigenerational. kim has taken steps to lower the threshold for nuclear use and after south korean threats, specified when he might launch preemptive strikes. u.s. has reiterated thou to protect south korea with u.s. nuclear weapons known as the u.s. nuclear umbrella. the south korean president suggests she wants more. >> we must send a clear message to people who carry out provocations. we must never fear them or hesitate. >> in a newspaper interview, he said it's difficult to convince our people with just the idea of a u.s. nuclear umbrella. >> it is very significant.

it's reflected in the nature of the alliance. >> a retired general was the u.s. commander in south korea from 2016 to 2018 and is now the chairman of the korean defense generals association. he says the tests and rhetoric have accelerated concerns about commitment to deterring north korea. >> does this provide assurance? >> apparently not. the united states is present. >> there is always concerned by south korea as to whether we will live up to our agreements.

that has grown in the last five years. >> a senior research fellow and former caa depy division chief. he says the concern is born not only from north korean threats. at one point, former president trump if they did not contribute enough to costs. >> there is concern that president trump or another candidate might carry through on another threat. it is raising more doubts the matter how often u.s. officials try to allay those concerns. >> officials repeatedly reiterate their commitment to south korea. >> our commitment is firm. it includes a full range of

nuclear, conventional and missile defense capabilities. >> the nationa defense strategy warns there is no scenario in which the regime could employment your weapons and survive. when brooks was commander, he faced the same south korean skepticism and took steps to assure. >> we did some visitations to make it possible for members of the national assembly to see assets. to learn more about how the sitions and why they are in range. >> do youhink that can be a model? >> yes. all of those have since left office. there is a new wave of leaders

who make similar assurances. >> those are all now asking for nuclear assurances. the office is discussing joint execution plans over the management of nuclear weapons. >> the problem with that is it does not jointly plan for the possible nuclear weapons with south korea. >> i believe it's time for this alliance to have bi-national planning. >> right now, that does not exist. >> that is correct. officials say they are looking to expand coordination. north korea seems determined to expend nuclear capacity.

>> friday marks the second anniversary of the january 6 the tax. a storm of trump supporters made an effort to prevent congress from certifying the election. the chief of the capitol police describes the events as the worst mass attacks on law enforcement in his career. he writes about that and more. you write the january 6 was treated differently from a security standpoint than any other major event on capitol hill. help us understand how. >> i've been washington, d.c. for close to 30 years, i have done some major events.

any event that has a threat stream, the fbi's doing a number of things. they say we are seeing concerning rhetoric or they do >> called joint intelligence or a conference call. we saw none of this on january 6. >> you point to an alarming lack of ordination with other government agencies who include the fbi intelligence unit within capitol police. you say they were aware and had warnings about far right extremists. that was not shared with you. >> the intelligence we were seeing our bulletins, we don't create our own intelligence.

it's 15 pages, it talks about people coming on, white supremacists and militias. thing about a coordinated attack on the capital. at that point, there was information on the fifth and sixth. not saying we would have a coordinated attack on the capital, but we now know it exists. >> you say that the department of homeland security and

intelligence community water down the intelligence. was that a bureaucratic failing? >> when i say they watered down, it was a thought that this may be what happened. there was concern of the president invoking the insurrection act. we know that is secretary of defense both suspected there would be mass violence. they talked about the city. that could given the ammunition. i think that cascading effect created cascading. >> you write about the fact that the pentagon was concerned about the optic. you had requested assistance. >> people did not realized that

i reached out to law enforcement officers, to help us battle what we were seeing. when the cops were overrun and outnumbered, we dialed 911. the last resort is the department of defense. i called to activate, they have an emergency authority to similar resources. what i did not know is defense secretary that would suspect with my guys need. civil disobedience resources. things that his soldiers would need to give my officers assistance. they only arrived after the fighting was over. >> is the suggestion this was

coordinated and was intentional? i had to deal to call the national guard. they were begging and pleading for the assistance. i could only suspect they did not want to send them there. they said there is no way i will deploy this east of 9th street. >> in the bk he revealed they were refusing requests to deploy the national guard that they were sending security forces. >> think about that. they placed the optics of them

being on capital territory over the lives and safety of my officers who were being beaten. >> the day after the attack on the capital, you are forced out of your job. what is your assessment? >> when you look at everything i tried to do, i brought dozens of calls that turned the tide and helped my officers, i did every thing i could that they. >> one of the takeaways as this could happen again. there is not enough bannon -- planning. >> i'm concerned about three or four things. one, the security structure on capitol hill is to politicize.

you have a police department with the chief that is supposed to be experienced. they'll report to certain political parties in congress. that is a recipe for disaster. we can't have these issues on january 6, we created the department of homeland security to prevent this from happening. the department of defense has to stop being politicize. they cannot be worried about optics when the lives and members of congress refused to send help. >> thanks for your time. >> i appreciated it, thank you. >> that is the newshour for tonight. there was a lot more online

including a livestreaming of pope benedict's funeral. >> join us tomorrow night where we examine howocal intelligence hopes that are supposed to identify threats have come under scrutiny after the insurrection. >> thank you for spending part of your evening for us -- with us. >> major funding has been provided by. >> for 25 years, the goal has been to provide wireless service. we offer a variety of no contract plans. to learn more, visit consumer cellular.tv. and, with the ongoing support of these individuals in his tuitions. and, friends of the newshour. >> these are people trying to change the world. startups have this energy.

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♪ ♪ hello, everyone and welcome to "amanpour and company." here's what is coming up. >> i for one is a excited for 2023. one party rule in washington is ending and accountability is coming. >> but first, republica must get tir house in order. former gop congressman will hurd on what a pivot in american leadership will actually mean. then a provocative vis to a sacred site from israel. what will the country's most hard lined government ever mean for its standing with the united states and beyond. >> plus, just a quick note before you check your phone, author harry on stolen focus. why you can't pay attention and how to think deeply again.