[Christine Romans, Cnn Anchor:] In just six hours, Hillary Clinton will face tough questions on Capitol Hill over the Benghazi terror attack. Were early call for more security ignored?
[John Berman, Cnn Anchor:] Paul Ryan, he can be speaker of the House if he wants to be. New support overnight from a group of some of the most conservative Republicans.
[Romans:] How Biden got the know and how this changes the race for president. That was quite a day in news, after we left here yesterday.
[Berman:] Yes, a lot going on.
[Romans:] Good morning. Welcome to EARLY START. I'm Christine Romans.
[Berman:] I'm John Berman. It is Thursday, October 22nd, 4:00 a.m. in the East. And it all happens this morning, Hillary Clinton goes before the House Benghazi Committee, questions and answers that could last eight hours. This will be a long day. The committee says its focus will be the 2012 attacks on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi in Libya. The attacks that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. The Republican- led committee is expected to ask then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about what she knew of reported security problems at the compound.
[Rep. Susan Brooks , Indiana:] I'm particularly focused on the security incidents and the posture of the State Department with respect to the security requests. We have learned through emails and through documents. But there were hundreds of mentions about security incidents particularly in 2012. So, we have questions for the secretary about what she did with respect to those security requests.
[Berman:] So, there are huge political stakes as well. Hillary Clinton, you may have heard, is running for president. Many Democrats say this is all about the campaign. CNN's Elise Labott has the latest from Washington.
[Elise Labott, Cnn Global Affairs Correspondent:] Well, John, Christine, after months of anticipation, the day is finally here. It's going to be a long day. We understand there will be four two- hour rounds of questioning of Secretary Clinton, with breaks. Aides to Clinton say she's ready. She's spent the week preparing with policy and legal teams, going over potential questions and studying up on the events leading up to and following the Benghazi attacks. It was a long time ago, after all. Now, there have been more than a half dozen congressional investigations following the attacks. But there has been a greater political tone to this one. Democrats, of course, maintain it was designed as a takedown of Clinton. And you have a string of comments recently by Republicans almost backing up those accusations. But Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy says he will prove the committee is not about politics with a hearing that is respectful of Clinton and focuses on the facts surrounding the Benghazi attacks. Democrats, Republicans, the State Department, all will be watching this hearing, putting out their own spin, or their own talking points. But for Secretary Clinton, this is really a chance to defend her record at secretary of state and argue that this committee is retreading old ground here. And, you know, in some ways, it's a chance to lay out her foreign policy as she campaigns to be commander in chief. So, clearly, this hearing a key moment for the presidential campaign the future of this committee John, Christine.
[Romans:] All right. Elise Labott, we know we'll be covering it for us this morning. Thank you for that. Breaking overnight, Congressman Paul Ryan clearing a major hurdle in his reluctant bid to become speaker of the house. Last night, a supermajority of the House Freedom Caucus of hard right Republicans, they voted to back Ryan. Not quite enough for a formal endorsement.
[Reporter:] The Freedom Caucus supports him but didn't fully endorse him. What does that mean in practical terms?
[Rep. Mick Mulvaney , South Carolina:] Well, practical terms means we couldn't get 80 percent as our rules require. But we got more than two-thirds of our group saying they want to support Paul for speaker. So, if Paul really has the votes that we all think that he has in the other portions of our conference, he's got enough votes to be the speaker of the House.
[Romans:] Ryan had earlier said a formal endorsement as a condition of his bid. But by last night, two-thirds was enough for him. Ryan tweeted, "I'm grateful for the support of the supermajority of the House Freedom Caucus. I look forward to hearing from the other two caucuses by the end of the week, but I believe this is a positive step toward a unified Republican team." You called his negotiating tactics muscular. His politics, muscular
[Berman:] Yes.
[Romans:] Muscular moving in here. So interesting that he came in, you know, much like you would in corporate America, if you're in demand for a hard job, you go right in there, you say, this is what I need to do this job. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom and we'll see if he gets all of his conditions.
[Berman:] He also came in a little bit like Michael Corleone, whacking the heads of the other five families. You know, I mean, he went in strong and he's getting what he wants and it may make it easier for him to govern as speaker.
[Romans:] One of the things he also, a lot of people talking yesterday, one of the things he said he wanted was family time. He said, the last condition was, you know, I'm not going to sacrifice time with my family. Interesting it's a gen-X guy who is out there changing the conversation about worklife balance, huh?
[Berman:] Dude is my age. I know what he's just talking about. Seriously.
[Romans:] Right.
[Berman:] All right. New details this morning about Joe Biden's decision not the run for president. The vice president ended months of intense speculation, much of it wrong, with an announcement in the Rose Garden.
[Joseph Biden, Vice President Of The United States:] But while I will not be a candidate, I will not be silent. I intend to speak out clearly and forcefully to influence as much as I can where we stand as a party, and where we need to go as a nation.
[Berman:] This is, of course, big news for Hillary Clinton. Polls show she is likely to benefit most from the absence of the vice president. Let's get more now from senior Washington correspondent Jeff Zeleny.
[Jeff Zeleny, Cnn Senior Washington Correspondent:] Good morning. In the end, Joe Biden followed his head not his heart, as he decided to back away from what is surely his last chance at the presidency. In closing the doors to weeks of self-induced speculation about joining the 2016 presidential race, he opens the door to the rest of the Democratic campaign. So, was he ever serious at all? Several advisers and friends insist that he was. I'm told the more he knew about the race, the more exploring he did in calls of Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, the more daunting his path to victory actually seemed. So, over the past several days, when he was out calling Hillary Clinton for saying Republicans are the biggest enemies, he wasn't firing a warning shot as much as offering a lesson in bipartisanship for how he thinks Washington should actually work. Now, Hillary Clinton is surely relieved. Bernie Sanders is now the leading alternative if Democrats are still looking for one. Now, Biden made clear he would not remain silent in the race going forward, urging Democrats to embrace President Obama and his legacy tightly. But his endorsement may depend on which candidate listens John and Christine.
[Romans:] All right. Jeff Zeleny, thanks for that, Jeff. Other presidential candidates, Democrat and Republican, quickly weighed in on Biden's decision. Hillary Clinton tweeted, "The VP is a good friend and a great man, today and always, inspired by his optimism and commitment to change the world for the better". She signed it "H," so you know she wrote that. Well, others expressed their sentiments on camera.
[Sen. Bernie Sanders , Presidential Candidate:] He made a difficult decision, based on the needs of his family and his view of his future. And I respect the decision that he made.
[Jeb Bush , Presidential Candidate:] I was actually I'm kind of surprised. I thought he was going to run. I thought he would have been a competitive candidate in the Democratic nomination.
[Ben Carson , Presidential Candidate:] It pretty much guarantees that Hillary will be the person that we're running against.
[Reporter:] What about Bernie Sanders?
[Carson:] It pretty much guarantees that Hillary will be the one we're running against.
[Mike Huckabee , Presidential Candidate:] I think I given the field, it looks like Hillary Clinton is on her way as I always felt would be the case. And, you know, the Democrats have a candidate under extraordinary scrutiny.
[Berman:] I know what you're thinking. What did Donald Trump say? Well, he managed to compliment Joe Biden for his decision while taking a shot at Hillary Clinton. Donald Trump is also marking a personal milestone in his presidential campaign. CNN's Sara Murray has the very latest from Iowa.
[Sara Murray, Cnn Politics Reporter:] Good morning, John and Christine. Donald Trump took the stage here in Burlington, Iowa, last night, celebrating his 100th day leading the GOP field. You can count on Trump to give the people what they want, a dose of conservative red meat delivered in entirely unscripted manner. But, first, he had a message for Vice President Joe Biden. You did the right thing in deciding not to run for the presidency.
[Donald Trump , Presidential Candidate:] So we had some news today. That Biden is not running.
[Murray:] And, of course, there's a reason Donald Trump would prefer to run against Hillary Clinton. Polls show that in a head-to-head matchup, he faces a much tougher fight if he's up against Joe Biden than if he's up against the Democratic front-runner, Clinton. But, of course, that's a matchup that will never come to pass. Back to you, John and Christine.
[Romans:] All right, Sara. Thank you. Security in Afghanistan will be at the top of the agenda as the President Obama meets with the Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at the White House today. Just last week, President Obama announced 5,500 U.S. troops would remain in Afghanistan until 2017 to help stabilize the region. The U.S. wants Pakistan's government to convince the Taliban to participate in peace talks. Also on the table, sensitive nuclear negotiations. Sharif plans to tell President Obama that Pakistan will not accept limits on its use of small tactical nuclear weapons. He claims they are vital to deterring neighboring India from attacking.
[Berman:] All right. Concerning news for the CIA director this morning. WikiLeaks vowing to publish personal information hacked from John Brennan's personal email file. On Wednesday, Social Security and passport numbers belonging to the director and his family, they were revealed online, causing a great deal of consternation at the agency. Though we are told no classified data was stolen. WikiLeaks is promising another data dump today. Posting this tweet Wednesday, "Tomorrow, we continue our CIA chief John Brennan e-mail series, including on U.S. strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan."
[Romans:] All right. Time for an early start on your money this morning. Stock futures pointing higher. Companies opening books this morning. Earnings reports from McDonald's, Southwest, United Continental and many others. Yesterday, stocks fell. The Dow dropped 50 points, investors cautious as earnings expected to show companies have contracting profits for the first time since 2009. It means profits falling. Donald Trump's billionaire friend will spend $150 million to fight Congress. Hedge fund manager Carl Icahn announced he will use his substantial fortune to form a political action committee and it will have one goal in mind: force Congress to get its act together. He wants major corporate tax reform, so companies will stop moving overseas and will bring back profits held abroad. Icahn, one of Trump's biggest supporters and his pick for secretary of state if elected.
[Berman:] All right. 1908 just got one year further away. The New York Mets swept the Chicago Cubs. That means they won each of four games in a row to advance to the World Series for the first time since 2000. Didn't take long last night. The Mets led 4-zip after one inning, 6- zip after two. The final score was 8-3. In the four games, the Chicago Cubs, they never led once. So, Daniel Murphy, who is sort of like an average player during the year, maybe a little better than average, he's been playing out of his mind. He was named the series MVP. He set a new record with a home run in his sixth straight post-season game. You cannot defeat Daniel Murphy. Now, the Mets will face the winner of the American League Championship Series. That was sent to a sixth game because Toronto beat Kansas City 7-1 last night. Thought the Royals still lead that series, 3-2. Game six, tomorrow.
[Romans:] Can I just you know, unbelievable. I feel bad for my Cubs. I know Mets fans are very happy this morning. I just misspoke. I said that Carl Icahn would be the pick for secretary of state. I meant treasury secretary.
[Berman:] Good God. I'm glad you fixed that.
[Romans:] Let's have Wall Street running foreign policy.
[Berman:] I'm just glad we cleared that up.
[Romans:] Breaking news this morning: Secretary of State John Kerry meeting with Israel's prime minister, hoping to halt rising tensions and violence with Palestinians. We are live.