mornin making news in america this morning, benghazi testimony. hillary clinton is set to face a congressional panel again answering questions about the attacks that killed four americans. we're live in washington with what could be the biggest day in clinton's presidential campaign. breaking overnight, a confession in the road rage lling of a 4-year-old girl. the new picture of the suspect and what he told police. new this morningleft alone and locked inside a day-care center, police bust through the door finding the crying baby inside a dark room. so how did it happen? and world series bound. the mets derail the cubs' quest. all the highlights and celebrations well into the night. >> on their way back. well, good thursday morning to you. hillary clinton hours away from

>> benghazi and e-mails have been buzzwords surrounding the democratic front-runner's campaign. clinton is hoping to put that to rest today when she testifies again about the attack in benghazi, libya, in 2012. >> clinton was secretary of state at the time. four amecans died in the attack including ambassador christopher stevens. abc's stephanie ramos is live in washington with the coroversy surrounding today's hearing. good morning, stephanie. >> reporter: good morning to you, reena and phillip. it'll be a big event ocapitol hill this morning. democratic presidential candidate hillary clinton wi once again answer questions on the benghazi attacks. her mission is to come away untouched. this morning hillary clinton will once again testify before a special hohouse commtee investigating the september 11th, 2012, benghazi attacks. the assault by islamic militants on the state department's diplomatic compounund in benazi, libya, left four americans dead including u.s. ambassador chris stevens.

>> was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night who decided they'd go kill some americs? what difference at this point does it make? it is our job to figure out what happened. >> reporter: that was former secretary of state clinton nearly three years ago testimony was supposed to be definitive on the attack, but republicans leading the probe want more answers. clinton's private e-mail server may even come up if related to benghazi. >> if you want a window into libya and what was happening in thweeks and months before these four were killed, why would you not look at the ambassador's e-mails? >> reporter: in all there have been seven congressional investigations into that attack. it's time for the next round, and this one is expected to go for r eight hos or more, not including breaks. >> i don't know that i have very much to add. >> reporter: clinton will face tough questions from seven republicans and five democrats. thisatest round of testimony comes in the w wake of hse republicans acknowledging that the investigation's been an exercise in trying to bring down clinton's poll numbers.

special committee. what are her numbers today? henumbers are dropping. >> reporter: republicans on the benghazi committee deny the investigation has anything to do with politics. all eyes will be on this testimony which starts at 10:00 this morning and could go well into t night. reena, phillip, back to you. >> stephanie ramos live in washington. stephanie, thank you. well, hillary clinton is walking into that hearing with higher poll numbers after vice president joe biden decided against another run for the white house. biden said he and his family were prepared for him to run. he weighed his options until the night before the announcement, even using president obama as a sounding board, but after moururning theoss of his son beau, biden concluded that there simplyas not enough time. >> what i've said time and again to others, that it may very well be that that process by the time we get tough it closes the window on mounting a realistic

campaign for president, that it might close. i've concluded it has closed. >> biden also took a few veiled jabs at hillary clinton, but she called him after the announcement, and she also released a statement praising him as a good man and great vice president. also in washington, congressman paul ryan is getting support from a key group of conservatives in his bid for speaker. two-thirds of the freedom caucus agreed last night to back ryan. that's just short of an outright endodorsemt, a while that is good news for ryan, it's still not enough to ensure that he will be elected when the vote is taken next week. wikileaks has appeared to publish what seems to be hacked information from the personal e-mail account of cia director john bnnan. the a is calling the postings a crime. they a apparentlinclude brennan's security clearance application when he was seekining a job as white house counterterrorism adviser. the hacker claims to be a teenager protesting u.s. foreign

no indicion if information is classified. some severe weather rolling across the southwest. hail was the problem in el paso, texas, along with strong winds and plenty of rain. it was much the same in parts of new mexico where some areas were pounded with hail the size of eggs. and here's a look at the radar for that area. plenty more rain coming to texas between now and saturday. accuweather meteorologist justin povick is tracking all of it. justin, good morning. reena and phillip, thanks and good morning to you. once again wreracking the tropics, and the latest on patricia has it moving off to thnorth and the west, and, again, this could cause some major flash flooding throughout mexico. evtually somome of theain is getting pulled off to the north into the gulf of mexico, and even before that happens we are concerned about major flash flooding from dallas north and westbound thursday through saturday. ena and phillip, back to you. >> thank you, justin. breaking news from st. lis

flames at a church rectory, the seventh in a series of similar fires set this month. crews on the scene at st. joseph's shrine rectory say that the fire was fair small. they were able to put it out quickly, and although it's not in the same neighborhood as the other six church fires, arson investigators are calling this latest one very disturbing. more breaking news in that case of deadly road ragen albuquerque, new mexico. police arrested and charged tony torrez with murder after he confessed to shooting 4-year-old lilly garcia. she was in the backseat of her dad's truck when he was forced out of his lane by another driver. the two argued then police say torrez fired into garcia's pickup truck hitting the litittle girl. the los angeles area is likely to be hit by an earthquake meaeasuring aleast a magnitude 5 sometime in the next three years. that's at least according to nasa scientists. their calculations were based on changes in the earth's crust after a 5.1 quake in that same

the u.s. geological survey has done its own analysis and says the probability is more like 85%. well, here in new york wororld series plans are under way, and that's because the mets scored four runs in the first inning last night against the cubs on the way to a national league championship series sweep. then the party was on. champagne flying in the locker room as the mets look forward to their first series in 15 years. more highlights including some postseason history. that's coming up later from espn. >> looks fun. >> it does. well, new this morning, it appears being on your phone can distract y even behind the wheel even after you hang up. plus, a teenager surviving a plane crash. her dramatic 911 call for help just released. and day care drama. employees forgetting a baby.

inside in the dark. you're looking at new images of endangered killer whales in puget und. drones are being used to capture the striking pictures of the 81 orcas. federal researchers say they look pretty healthy. there are five new babies, and several whales appear to be pregnant. new questions about the career criminal suspected of killing a new york city police officer. tyrone howard still limping from a bullet to the leg was arraigned in a courtroom packed with police. after an arrest last year, a judge sent howard to a drug rehab program instead of years in prison. the empire state building went blue overnight in officer randolph holder's memory. hands-free technoly is

apparently not the ultimate solution for distracted driving. a new study found it can take 27 seconds for a driver using voice commands to regain full alertness. aaa researchers say people blew through stop signs, had close calls and traveled the length of three football fields all because their texts or call was still on their mind. well, u.p.s. has agreed to return more than $4 million to settle a lawsuit. customers claim that they paid premium prices for overnight deliveries that did not arrive on time. the suit also charged that u.p.s. employees falsified delivery records preventing customers from getting refunds. giving a lego gift this holiday consider purchasing it very soon. that's because lego says it's going to run short of its own bricks this year. the company says that means it won't be able to make enough of its famous sets during the shopping season. lego is expanding its factories in several countries, but they will not be fully ready for years. and when we come back, the science behind cheese.

why some of us just can't get enough. and bumbling bandits. stumbling and falling in what

attempt ever. oh, they should get used to this in colorado, t first significant mountain snow of the season.

up to ten inches in higher evations. the snow brought plows out f the very first time. checking the morning road conditions, some more snow there in the mountains. flooding is possible across texas and wet conditions a expected all the way to the dakotas. wet also around the eastern great lakes. >> despite all that if you're flying today not too bad. the only weather related airport delays in denver. well, new this morning the bravery of a young girl on displalay followg a horribly traumatic experience now hearing the 911 calls that the 14-year-old made after surviving a plane crash. >> she was flying with her father last week in idaho when their plane went down. despite that and an injured wrist she made a call for help. >> i was with my dad and we crashed in a plane. >> in a plane ask. >> he's not breathing and i don't know where we are. >> she stayed on the line while a search plane located them and directed a rescue team on the ground.

cpr on her father four times. but despite herer efforts he passed away. a day-care center in chicago is under investigation after closing for the night with a baby still inside. police broke down the doors to find the 1-year-old alone in the dark crawling on the floor. her dad had called 911 1 when he arririved toick his daughter up. found the doors locked and heard her crying. ththe child was not hurt. so far no comment from the day-care center. khloe kardashian a and lar odom have decided to call off their divorce at least while he's continuing recovering after he was found unconscious last week. the pair had filed for divorce in 2013 but was never finalized. he was in a coma for four days but since regained consciousness. he is reportedly on dialysis and has trouble standing on his own. a stunning new study a about the use of mar juan in in our country. nearly 10% of u.s. adults that' more than 22 million people say they use pot. those numbers represent a

doubling in the number of users in the lt decade. researchers say the trend reflects an increasingly permissive view about the drug which is legal for medical purposes i in 23 states. recreational pot use is legal in four states. new science is revealing why soso many of us just can't seem to get our fill of cheese. researchersay cheese is just as addictive as some drugs and it affects the same areas of our brain. one scientist calls dairy crack. he says a protein comomponent i concentrated during the cheesemaking process and the brain treats it like morphine. >> dairy crack, huh? well, houston police are on the lookout for a couple off guys who left behind an i important cl while trying to rip off a sports bar. after breaking in, they tried to get into the atm but couldn't. one of them fallingver in the attempt. they also tried to take down a tv but ultimately failed. that clue, one guy, yep, you see him there he looks straight into the security cacamera.

in all they got away with nothing and caused about $15,000 in damages. >> well, week seven in the nfl gets under way tonightht with the sdaelt seahawks facing the 49ers. and we promised you more baseball highlights and get those from our guys at espn. >> this is the "sportscenter" set in los angeles. he's stan. i'm neil. we're sportscasters doing baseball highlights. >> national league first. nlcs, mets up 3-0 on the cubs trying to finishhe sweep. the faithful were there. didn't like what they saw. daniel murphy did it again, first player in major league history though homer in six consecutive postseason games. they don't want any part of that home run bal and the mets complete the sweep. and the power of murphy oncnce again. ey take game four, 8-3 waiting for the royals or the blue jays. >> oh, i see what you did there. royals or blue jays because if

this is in toronto and kansas city going to have to wait. volquez walks edwin encarnacicion that brings in the tying run or makes it 2-0, excuse me then two batters lateter, not a blue jays highlight because troy tulowitzki isn't in it and troy tulowitzki is in it o off kelvin herrera, the blue jays -- i mean, this is serious, back and forth. back and forth. back to kansas city, blue jays win this one, 7-1. >> so, mets have got some time set the rotation, deal with bumps and bruises whilehey wait for the a.l. champ. >> i didn't shave. >> just hope the mets don't get cold waiting for the winner. >> you never know. >> we'll see. up next in "the pulse," a new face on "sesame street" why the show is introducing this character. jimmy kimmel getting a visit from mar mcfly and doc brown.

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topping "the pulse," a new muppet taking up residence on "sesame street." >> yeah, meet julia, the show's first character with autism. julia is a preschooler who does things a little differently than elmo, grover and her other friends but things they also have in common are highlighted as well. >> for now jululia will only appear on "sesame street"'s digital platform part of a new initiative to help destigmatize autism that promotes the belief that we are all different but all t same. >> looking forward to that. and looking to boost sagging ratings. academy awards producer turned to a new face to be the face of it, chris rock. >> 11 years ago chris rock last led the oscar ceremonies and it was hilarious and criticism of

his usual caustic style. the show scored well with viewers. the oscars will be broadcast february 28th right here on abc. >> what a great pick. so funny, always on point. looking forwarard. >> bestt comian alive in nye opinion. so yesterday was "back to the future" day and they made a big production out of it on the jimmy kimmel show. >> michael j. fox and christopher lloyd arrived. look at that, in character and in t delorean time machine and they talked with kimmel on stage about what's been going on i those decades since 1985 and some thoroughly modern parts of today world left the visitors bewildered and confused. >> apparently the tesla is a cultural achievement of this era. >> smilele. >> what is this?

selfie with you guys. this is how we document important life events now. >> what is a hashtag, marty? before he left to go back to the past, kimmel asked doc if he knew how kimmel would die and doc told him that he would be torn to shreds next week by little kids who are upsethat kimmel td their parents to take away their halloween candy. >> oh, it's a famous jimmy kimmel segment every halloween although he's a dad now. i wonder if he'll keep it going. >> yes, he will. he loves jabbing. also on jimmy's show the debut of nike's futuristic ones based on michael j.'s character. >> mags and self-lacing. tightened or loosened by the push of a button. they won't be available until next spring ononly by auion. intimidating.

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clinton goes before the benghazi committee on capitol hill. for at least eight hours she will face tough questions from seven republins and five democrats about the biggest crisis she faced as secretary of state. joe biden's decision not to run for president has removed a potential obstacle for hillary clinton. the vice president said he was ready to run after grieving the deatath of h son but it was now simply too late. and secretary of state john kerry is in berlin to meet with israeli leader benjamin netanyahu. their discussion will focus on the current violence between israelis and palestinians. as for today's weather heavy rain from texas all the way to the dakotas. rain also in parts of the northeast. dry across the west, warm and sunny in the southeast. and finally this morning, a hawaii man is sharing his incredible story of survival. >> tony lee says one minute he was out for a weekend swim, the next both his legs were inside the mouth of a shark.

>> out of nowhere i felt a yank on my legs and looked back, that's when i saw it was a shark. i couldn't believe it. >> reporter: from his hospital bed at queens, tony lee relives the terrifying moments in the water's off lanikai when a large shark attacked. >> he was a big guy. he had both my legs in his mouth. >> reporter: big and relentless pulling him under water repeatedly. the wounds on his hands a reminder of the punches he flu desperate to break free. >> i had goggles on so i could see everything reall clearly and i knew -- i kept thinking that if i j just pumpnched him enough he would let me go. >> reporter: a father and son this their one-man canoe heard the screams and used his rash guard to tie a tourniquet and rushed lee to shore. the son not far behind with the other swimmer. >> i thought was dead there. i mean, you know, i mean the guy was paddling as hard as he could

but, you know, we were pretty far from shore. >> but miraculously they made it. lee lost so much blood docrs say just a few more minutes and he would have been dead. he's lost one foot and will undergo surgery to try to save the other. the 44-year-old is an avid athlete and doctors say that will help tremendously in his recovery. >> i love surfing but i'm probably going to be a while before i get in the water again. sometimes when i close my eyes i can still see the shark so going to be ail creeped out getting in the water again. i'll tie to make the best use of the rest of my life. i think it's such a miracle i'm alive. >> trulys a miracle. i don't think i would have the wits about me to punch the shark and keep going. >> i'm weariring makeup. not very tough. >> confessions off an ely mornining anchor. >> that's what's making news in america this morning.are iowa's most accurate weather