for his predecessor, benedict xvi, who he says is very ill. the vatican says benedict s condition has worsened in recent hours. and britain is on course to record its warmest year ever, after a summer of heatwaves, wildfires and drought. we ll speak to a climate change specialist. hello, welcome to the programme. we start with the fallout from the announcement that china s borders will be reopened next month. in the last hour, the us announced it would require negative covid tests for travellers from china from the 5th of january. that follows tighter measures outlined by italy, japan, malaysia, taiwan, and india. american officials accuse the chinese authorities of a lack of transparency, as cases of covid have been surging there. our diplomatic correspondent paul adams reports. from the world s most populous nation, alarming scenes china s hospitals overwhelmed, covid infections soaring. the country s abrupt decision to dismantle much of its strict covid regime apparently
good evening. we begin with the very real possibility house republicans tomorrow will do something that has not been done for a hundred years. it s possible perhaps even likely that when the chamber s very first piece of business comes up choosing the next speaker, something necessary for anything else to proceed, they will fail to get the required number of votes to make former minority leader kevin mccarthy nancy pelosi s successor as speaker. and beyond the drama of the history that could be made tomorrow if the first vote fails and it goes to another and then as many as it takes there is the irony. mccarthy who wants to succeed floesa woman widely acknowledged to be one of the most successful legislative head counters and arm twisters of all time is still trying with just hours to go to count enough heads and twist enough arms. do you have the votes tomorrow? i think we have a good day tomorrow. that remains to be seen. just ask a fellow republican. i won t be vot
holding last-ditch talks tonight fighting to win the speaker s job. we ll tell you who s been heading into his office. also, the suspect in the brutal stabbing deaths of four college students is expected in court tomorrow. authorities seeking his return to idaho to face first degree murder charges, even as they remain silent about a possible mo motive. a deadly new year of war in ukraine. russia suffers today what may be the biggest loss of life since the start of the invasion. ukraine claiming a major strike against russian forces as moscow unleashed a fresh barrage of missiles and drones, including in kyiv. welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. i m wolf blitzer. you re in the situation room. we begin with a very big cloud of uncertainty hanging over republican kevin mccarthy s bid to be the next speaker. lawmakers will vote tomorrow on whether kevin mccarthy should hold one of the most powerful positions in washington that puts him second
placed on a terrorist watch list. all of this after his family became increasingly concerned about his desire to travel to afghanistan and join the taliban. what this could all mean, particularly as he awaits charges. we re also learning more about the man arrested in connection with the brutal stabbing deaths of four idaho college students. his family underscoring his presumption of innocence in their first statement. he s set to make his first court appearance tomorrow. just ahead, we ll take a closer look at what the seals criminal complaint could tell us. let s begin with the latest in the investigation into the new year s eve machete attack here in nypd on three officers. gloria pass partlmeano joining live. and what more do we know? reporter: that is right, erica. we re learning more about trevor bicford, the 19-year-old man from maine who law enforcement tells us is believed to be behind this attack on three police officers on new year s eve as you mentioned. rig
yet. that is it for me. the lead with jake tapper starts now. kevin mccarthy playing an intense version of let s make a deal. the lead starts right now. promises and concessions as kevin mccarthy s bid to become house speaker comes down to the wire in a group of republican hard liners continue to push their demands. plus, those tragic idaho college murders. how police tracked down a suspected killer through dna evidence, the web, and his hyundai elantra. and air pressure. passengers still trying to get their bags back. how easy is it to get a refund if you were a stranded passenger? the points guy is here with answers. we begin today in our politics lead. time is running out for kevin mccarthy and his dreams of wielding the speaker s gavel, making the possibility of a real floor fight increasingly likely. that s something that has not happened in the united states since 1923. right now, he is in deal making mode. working the phones, trying to win overholdouts, including adw