a speaker at last. after fifteen votes, key concessions, and even physical altercations, republican kevin mccarthy is the new speaker of the house. en, recovery efforts in pakistan after floods. officials warned aid is running out and the need is dire. >> we have mobilized all our resources but we need the help of the international community. >>. dry january. a month without alcohol.

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this program was made possible for the corporation for public broadcasting. and, viewers like you. thank you. john: good evening, there is finally a speaker of the house of representative. kevin mccarthy was elected earlier this morning on the 15th try. the motions before the civil war. >> congratulations. john: has victory came after he fell one vote short on the 14th try, he confronted matt gaetz and lowenberg are -- lauren boebert. tempers flared. at one point, mike rogers had to be restrained.

after winning the post that had eluded him for years, mccarthy outlined a conservative agenda that included investigations of the biden administration. >> we will hold the swamp accountable from the withdraw of afghanistan to the origins of covid, to the weaponization of the fbi. let me be very clear. we will use the power of the parts in the power of the subpoena to get the job done. [applause] john: later, he credited a key backer for helping them across the finish line. i want to thank president trump. nothing anyone should doubt his influence. all members will raise their right hand. john: clear the way to formally assemble congress as house members took the oath of office.

>> congratulations, you are now members of the 118 congress. john: his victory came after a series of concession that gave hard-line conservatives greater influence in the house, notably on spending and tax bills. what do the deals mean for his leadership, the house and the governing of the nation? sarah is a senior fellow at the brookings institution. one of the things that the speaker mccarthy said last night is what we do here today, next month and next year will set the tone for everything that follows. what set the tone this week? >> what we watched play out in front of us and levels of detail we're not usually accustomed to on c-span was a slim, fractured

majority trying to get on the same page. what we saw was the speaker to be trying to figure out how much could he give away to his opponents and would they take it? would they take these concessions? we will see those fractures emerge throughout this congress. john: in what ways will be those fracres? >> one of the core issues that divide the holdouts is the question about the federal budget, federal deficits and debt. there are two things this congress will have to do, at some point, mostly in e fall they will need to pass spending bills,et them through the house, senate and white house, bills that most recently raise

federal spending both domestic and defense. his opponents have vowed not to do that. they want to cut defense spending which defense hawks are not going to want to do and they're going to want to cut the mustard spending. it's not clear to hundred 18 republicans are going to go along. had you keep the government funded and open? john: do you think any of these concessions may come back to haunt him? >> the key concessions are speaker mccarthy's willingness to put three freedom caucus members from the far right of the congress, to put them on the rules committee. that is the committee that decides which bills go to the floor, under what conditions.

with three members on that committee, it's going to put them in a come -- i think that can come back and haunt speaker mccarthy. others will point to the motion to vacate the speakership, that has existed in the past. i think it's a thin read he is standing on already and the threat of deposing him will be put behind. john: you talk about its them, fractured majority. the fact that there were about 20 members the type the house up in knots, are we going to see more of that? >> hardlmes into the speakership quite weakened what is given away, and that is going to encourage not just the original five holdouts or 20

that secured concessions, i thk that will encourage other members of the majority to come forward and push their perspectives as well. it's about 18 members who are elected in districts that president biden one. -- won. it will not be happy lining up behind the freedom caucus. john: thank you very much. >> thanks for having me. john: there is other news today, fighting went on in ukrai despite russia declaring a cease-fire. scheing reduced entire city blocks to rubble. ukraine called theease-fire ploy. meanwhile, floating near

zelenskyy praised the latest package of u.s. military assistance. >> this is exactly wt is needed. new guns and rounds. new rockets. drones. john: the latest package is over $3 billion, the largest yet. in virginia, the mayor says a first grade teacher's condition is improving after a six-year-old student shot and injured her. police say the boy was part of an altercation and the shooting was intentional. a school shooting involving a child this gun is rare. virginia law limits the way a child can be punished. an appeals cart in new orleans has struck down a ban on bump stocks. the trump administration band

bump stocks after the massacre at a las vegas news concert. the court ruling has no immediate effect, it sends the case back to a lower court. a new covid strain of omicron is on the rise across the nation, partly because of holiday gatherings. xbb1.5 accounts for almost 20% of cases nationwide. it's more transmissible than other strains but it's not clear whether it causes worst outcomes. still to come, and update on humanitarian relief efforts from last year's floods. the no alcohol trend known as dry january. >> this is pbs news weekend from washington.

john: months after floods left 1700 people dead and one third of the country underwater, pakistan is struggling to recover. officials warn millions remain displaced as winter sets in. the crisis, they say, will only deepen. our special correspondent reports on the desperate conditions. his reporting was produced in partnership. >> the monsoon rains last year were like nothing anyone had seen before. >> we need help. >> in early spring ushered in a record-breaking heat wave. some temperatures topped 123 degrees. it has fueled unprecedented glacial melt.

when the monsoon arrives, it dropped nearly twice as much rain as the 30 year average across the country. >> i do not have anything to feed my family. i lost everything. >> the violence swept away hundreds of thousands of homes. >> it has been leveled out. everything. we fit a huge number of dams which broke down. this is an unsustainable amount of water. roads have been wiped out. >> scientists and activists point to climate change is another factor. >> things are going quickly out of sync. winters are shorter.

summers have become broader. hotter. the rains have been more severe. we have major issues with crops. >> the water remains. pakistan has only madecans contributions to carbon dioxide emissions. >> pakistan led the way at the u.n. climate conference. the cash-strapped government was facing a serious financial crisis before the floods wch caused an estimated $40 billion in damage. >> let us step up and support to the people of pakistan in their hour of need. >> the u.n. was only able to raise one third of the money it's all for relief. >> who helps the poor?

everyone comes, takes pictures and goes. >> the food program says it will one out of -- run out of funds in the next few weeks. john: on monday, the united tions and pakistan are to host a one day international conference in geneva with the goal of raising about half the $16 billion needed to help survivors and to rebuild. masood khan is pakistan's ambassador to the united states. mr. khan, thank you very much for joining us. how dire is the need right now? we saw some pictures, but how how bad is the need? >> the situation is very bad. the two phases of relief and recovery are over, they not over. we need immediate assistance for rehabilitation and

reconstruction. this was the worst in pakistan, one of the worst in the world. we are living with the consequences and we need the help of the international community. john: we heard the woman say everyone comes, takes pictures and goes. do you feel that the global community has moved on, has forgotten about what the situation is? >> yes. the world community's attention was at its peak in september or october 2022, but then the attention of the world community. then, attention was diverted. there is a short attention span. we mobilize our resources but we

need the help of the international community. john: you have seen stories that government officials are concerned that the funding conference will fall short. why is that? there are competing priorities. the world has seen many crises. it's fueled by inflation. we are hoping with the united states, w00t -- we wld be able to get some support. they do not material

we hope there will be pledges for the needs we have. we need this assistance to build out infrastructure and to preserve what we have. >> has satisfied are you with the u.s. response? galvanizing support around the world. >> giving generous and prompt response to the needs of relief and recovery. $97 million. the american citizenry was very helpful, they stepped forward and responded to the disaster. >> united states has three rules.

direct contribution. it's a convening part with other governments. the united states has influence for all over the world. the greenhouse gas outputs. >> there have been similar pledges that did not materialize. the first barrier has been removed.

we have made a decision, the international community is created as loss of damage fun. this is an achievement in itself. you need to raise finances and persuade all of the governments which governments are prospering because of the uses of fossil fuels. the real objective is to help vulnerable countries like pakistan to transition and move away from fossil fuels and invest in clean energy. we will have to rurpose resources to support this fund. thank you very much. >> it's been a pleasure.

>> weekends are a time for being th friends and enjoying an adult beverage. people are going without alcohol, taking a break from the holiday season. they are taking -- there doing what is known as dry january. why is this idea so popular? >> thank you for having me. thank you for sharing the story. one of the goals is to reduce the stigma around those who over consume alcohol. it is so popular. my city should take a little bit of credit for that. the concept has been around since the 1940's. seems like the concept took off

and now internationally, various countries are getting the word out. encouraging citizens to participate. i think 's because we have linked it to a bit of a social out -- opportunity for the month of january. . john: other health benefits to this? not having a drink for just one month? >> absolutely. people say they just feel better. it's a general feeling. we as physicians and medical providers notice that there are improvements in cholesterol, sugar. as a liver doctor myself, blood

tests will improve after a month of sobriety. john: i know you have tried this. what tips do you have for people who want to try this? >> the first thing is to get your crew. family, friends, online communities. thinking ahead of january and decided we want to do this with. there is a lot of success that way. checking in, making sure you are keeping each other honest, ontrack. making a plan for what you're going to drink. it's been very supportive and fun. john: you talked about the social pressures. when you are doing it, did you find people were not doing it, people who were uncomfortable knowing you are not drinking?

>> no. is quite the opposite. most people want to know in advance so they would not put me in a position. i have not found any problems. i encourage people to say what they are doing and i'm sure the social networks will be very supportive. john: this is for everybody? >> this is not for everyone. for the majority of people who are drinking low to moderate levels of alcohol, it's a safe thing to do. for people who have higher levels of intake, and it does not reach much to take that threshold. for the average male it's two drinks or more a day. for females, one drink a day. for people who have that intake, i recommend talking with your

provider to plan a reduction in alcohol intake because if you stop cold turkey, it can lead to health problems like withdrawal. john: we talked about the health benefits. his one-month enough time? >> absolutely. what is more remarkable is people who participate in dry january 431 days, when we asked them six months out, they are still having health benefits. most people will report they have continued to not drink or reduce their alcohol consumption even after months. we all should be mindful and aim to reduce consumption. alcohol is a class one carcinogen. it's important we reduce the stigma, educate.

participating in dry january is a great way to jumpstart that behavior. john: thank you very much. >> thank you. ♪ john: that is pbs news week and for this saturday. on sunday, the latest on the biden reform plans with his visit to the texas-mexico border. i am john yang, thanks, see you tomorrow. >> major funding has been provided by. >> consumer cellular offers plans to help more people to with the like. our customer service team can help find a plan that fits you. is a consumer cellular.tv.

>> with the ongoing support of these individuals and institutions. this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions by viewers like you. thank you. ♪

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